Chapter 2: The Disappointing Elven Guildmaster in the Prime of His Life

We left Krehl behind and started moving for the dungeon city of Dolan. Just like always, I was on Fel’s back, with Sui in my shoulder bag, and Dora-chan flying happily beside us.

After a while of progress, the sun started to set, so we decided to make camp.

I had something I wanted to confirm, so I decided on something I could make quickly for dinner. I decided on loco moco bowls using the remaining mixed bloody horn-bull and orc general meat Hamburg patties. The patties were already cooked, so all I really had to do was put them on top of some rice.

To start off, I used my skill to get some lettuce, cucumbers, eggs, and mini tomatoes.

~◇~◇~◇~

Rip the lettuce into appropriately-sized chunks, cut the cucumbers diagonally into thin slices, and halve the mini tomatoes. Then, make sunny side up eggs.

Fel and Sui will need three patties for their portions, so I crack three eggs each for them, and from the amounts Dora-chan has been eating so far, he’ll want two eggs and patties.

Pile steamed rice in the dishes, then add a well-balanced amount of vegetables on top. And on top of that, place the Hamburg patties with lots of sauce. Then, a sunny side up egg to top the mountain finishes the dish.

Adding some mayonnaise to taste further enhances the deliciousness. (I decided to not use any for this first serving.)

~◇~◇~◇~

“Fo—od...”

The three of them gathered around.

“For this dish, mix it up like this before eating it.” It felt a little wasteful to break it like this, but that was the way to eat loco moco bowls. I lightly mixed each of their portions.

《Is it alright to eat now?》

“Go ahead.”

Dora-chan and the others started eating.

《So goo—ood! There’s vegetables too so I can feel refreshed even while eating.》

《Yeah, this is grea—t! It’s nice that there’s eggs in, too.》

Looks like it’s popular with Sui and Dora-chan.

“Indeed. It is delicious, but I would prefer there to be no vegetables at all.”

You know, Fel, vegetables are necessary to make it a loco moco bowl. “Without vegetables, this bowl is only half as good, you know? This is good because you eat it with vegetables.”

Geez, Fel really does hate vegetables, doesn’t he? Even though he can eat them just fine. It looks like he’s especially bad with raw vegetables. What a bother.

I quickly ate my own loco moco bowl.

Hm, it’s simple, but good. Yeah, I was right, this is good precisely because you eat it with vegetables.

It seemed like Dora-chan was good with just the one helping, but both Fel and Sui wanted more afterwards. Fel requested one with no vegetables, but I told him that it would be better to eat vegetables and handed him one with a smaller helping of the stuff instead.

After finishing the meal and fitting in a small break afterwards, I made another box house with my Earth magic.

“You guys can go to sleep first. I have something I want to do.”

“Ok, understood. However, what are you doing this late?”

“Ah — you said that venom tarantulas are edible, right? But I have no idea what they taste like at all. So, I was going to try boiling one in saltwater the way Rodolfo recommended and try it out. If I don’t know how it tastes, I’ll have no idea how to cook it, after all.”

“I see. I am not very fond of bugs, but I am also curious as to its taste when boiled. I will join you.”

You just want to eat, don’t you Fel?

《Wha—t? Is there still something tasty? Sui will eat too—.》

《Hey hey hey, let me eat too!》

And it looks like Sui and Dora-chan will be joining us too. In the end, all of us were going to try it.

There were sixty-four venom tarantula legs in total. For now, I decided to boil a single tarantula’s worth, or eight legs. I took out the venom tarantula legs I’d be using from my Item Box. They were a shade of purple very close to black, and when I looked closely, they had some small thin hairs growing out of them.

Ughh, I shouldn’t have looked. If the color was different, it would look a lot like crab legs, though.

When I tried washing and boiling it in saltwater, the shell turned red and really did look like crab.

“It looks like crab when boiled......”

I won’t be able to eat it if I think of it as a spider. This is crab. Crab... crab...

Hesitantly, I opened the shell, and tried a little bit.

Huh? It’s not bad... Actually, it’s pretty good.

Just like it looked, the legs also tasted like crab. But if someone were to tell me it was crab, I’d be kind of confused. It tasted like crab, except... cheaper?

Hmm — I feel like I’ve tasted this before...... What was it......... Ah, I know what it is! This is crab-flavored kamaboko! Even the texture was the same.

It’s pretty good.

“Hey, stop eating by yourself and give us some.”

“Ahh, right. Sorry, sorry.” I shelled some legs and served them to the three familiars.

“Hm, it tastes a little better than when I ate it before, I think. It must be because it has been boiled.”

《He’s right. I’ve eaten venom tarantulas too, and this is way better than eating it raw.》

So both Fel and Dora-chan have eaten this... raw before? Yeah, it’d be impossible for me. Both of them say that boiling it makes it way better, so it’s probably true.

《Yeah, it’s good. But Sui likes the red meat better, yeah.》

Red meat, huh? So, Sui prefers animal meat, I see.

“If you are going to put it like that, I also prefer the meat we normally eat, of course.”

《Me too. This bug isn’t terrible, but it’s still way worse comparatively.》

So both Fel and Dora-chan agree, I see. Well, that was obvious, though. If someone asked me if I liked crab flavored kamaboko or actual meat, of course I’d say meat. Meat by a huge margin.

But still, there’s still fifty-six venom tarantula legs left... I’ll have to think up a menu using this stuff or else it’ll go to waste.

Hrmmm, crab flavored kamaboko, huh? I’ll try thinking on it more later.

After that, I went to take a bath with Sui. Surprisingly, Dora-chan also took an interest in the bath and wanted in.

At any rate, I wiped off my body with a wet towel before entering.

Dora-chan was already happily floating in the tub, just like Sui.

It seemed like Dora-chan had also taken a liking to baths.

So Fel’s the only one among us who hates baths (just the washing part, though).

Refreshed from the bath, everyone went to bed and slept peacefully.

Being able to sleep in a futon while traveling is so nice...

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“The presence of humans is getting stronger. Most likely we will reach Dolan by tomorrow afternoon.”

This was four days after leaving the town of Krehl. Fel said that while we were taking a break after lunch.

“I see. Tomorrow, huh? That was pretty fast.”

“Indeed. Because I went a little faster.”

I did actually feel like we were going a little faster than usual... So I was right. Damn, just how much does he want to go in that dungeon?

“So we’re finally at Dolan. I hear it’s a pretty big place, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“I am looking forward to the dungeon.”

Yeah, yeah. You went as far as to go a little faster so we’d get here earlier, after all.

But still, the dungeon, huh... Who would purposefully go to a place full of monsters...?

It seemed like all three of my familiars were looking forward to the dungeon, so I’d go because there’s no other choice... For now, I’ll just have to be careful to not get injured.

Ah, I should have Sui make some potions just in case. I have the healing mushrooms in storage, but it looks like Sui’s potions are better. I don’t know what’s inside the dungeon, so I’ll have him make some of each kind.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“I will stop here for today.” The sun was already setting, so Fel said that as he stopped running.

“How is it? Are we going to get to Dolan by tomorrow just like you said?”

“Indeed. I said that we would be there by tomorrow afternoon, but at this pace we will be there a little before noon.”

So we’re a little faster, huh? Well, we’re still reaching Dolan tomorrow at any rate.

《I’m hungry — I’ve been flying all day, my stomach is so empty...》

Wait, Dora-chan, didn’t you have two meals already?

“You are right. This constant moving empties the stomach.”

Fel too, huh? Although he eats almost too much already.

《Sui is hungry too...》

Sui...... Sui ate those meals too, and he also stayed sleeping in my bag the whole time...

《Food~》

“Food.”

《A meal~》

Hahh, the three of them are really strong but they’ve got such bad fuel efficiency... I should have been feeding them a lot...

Fine then, let’s cook.

About those venom tarantula legs, everyone rated them lowly since although they weren’t bad, they were nowhere near as delicious as meat.

I really want to use up unpopular ingredients as fast as possible. And so, today was going to be something with venom tarantula legs. I had already boiled the rest of the legs while we had free time.

And so, after racking my head about it, the menu I came up with was a safe salad and fried rice with ankake sauce and tenshinhan.

Fel might complain about the salad, but vegetables are good for the body, and he should eat some vegetables every once in a while anyway.

First I have to buy the ingredients... I’ll need lettuce and cucumbers for the salad, and also canned corn... Oh, and sesame dressing...

For the ankake fried rice, I’ll need green onions and eggs, and I also need the oyster soy sauce-flavored seasoning I used before that was in a tube, but I still have some of that, so I’m fine on that front.

I needed eggs for the tenshinhan as well, so I bought more than usual.

Oh, I also need to get the red bean garnish for both the fried rice and tenshinhan. These types of foods are better with more fillings, so I’ll get some shiitake and enoki mushrooms, boiled bamboo shoots, and also some canned green peas for color.

I already have all the seasonings I need for the red beans, so I’m fine there, I think. Right, that should be all.

~◇~◇~◇~

First, use scissors to cut open the boiled venom tarantula legs and extract the meat. Boiling the legs makes them softer, so the scissors cut cleanly through the shell.

Once the meat is all out and in small pieces, start with the salad. Rip the lettuce into appropriately-sized pieces, and slice the cucumbers into thin discs. Dump the ripped lettuce, cucumbers, corn, and lots of loose venom tarantula meat into a bowl and mix together with sesame dressing to finish the salad. Once the salad is safely on serving plates, I store it all in my Item Box for the moment.

Next would be the ankake sauce to put on the fried rice and tenshinhan. Cut the bamboo shoots into small strips, strip the base off of the shiitake mushrooms and cut into thin slices, and remove the base off the enoki mushrooms before unraveling them.

Oil a frying pan, and add the mushrooms before lightly seasoning with salt and pepper, cooking until the mushrooms wilt before adding in the bamboo shoots and giving it another quick sear.

Add water, chicken bouillon cubes, sake, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce into a pot and bring the mixture to a boil before adding potato starch to thicken it. Throw the wilted mushrooms and bamboo shoots into that, and mix in a large amount of loose venom tarantula meat to finish out the ankake sauce.

Next is the fried rice. Scramble an egg and mince the green onions. Add the scrambled egg to an oiled frying pan, followed closely by the rice, and mix. Once the egg and the rice are nicely melded together, add the green onions and loose venom tarantula meat, season it with the tube of oyster soy sauce-flavored paste, and cook together until finished. Serve the fried rice as a mound on the dish and cover with lots of ankake sauce to finish it up.

For the tenshinhan, scramble an egg and throw in some more venom tarantula meat and salt before half-cooking it in a frying pan. Put the result on top of rice and cover with ankake sauce before scattering green peas around the dish to finish it.

~◇~◇~◇~

Along with the salad I made earlier, it’s all done.

“I’m finished—”

I placed the dishes in front of the three of them.

“Hm? Is there no meat today? Also, I do not need these vegetables...”

H-Hey, stop making that unsatisfied face.

“I’m using the venom tarantula today.”

“I would have preferred meat......”

Can you not whisper to yourself all sad like that? All of this stuff is good, you know?

“I’ll make meat again tomorrow, don’t worry. I just wanted to use up the venom tarantula since it would be a waste otherwise.”

“Hm, I see. Fine, then.” After saying that, Fel started gloomily eating his food.

Yeah, Fel really is a carnivore. Well, it’s just for today.

*Gnowmph* *Gnowmph* 《......This is pretty good, but meat is better.》

You too, Dora-chan?

《It’s good master—. But still, Sui likes meat more—.》

E-Even Sui...

Ghhh...... To think they’d be this addicted to meat... I mean, I knew that all of them were meat eaters already. They’re even carnivores down to their looks, after all.

Hahhh, meat, huh?

Even while they complained that meat was better, Dora-chan ate his plate clean, and both Fel and Sui asked for more, so it was probably fine.

Still though, with all these meat eaters around, I can’t afford to not have meat any more, can I?

I still had lots of meat at the moment, but I’ll need to keep a close eye on my stock from now on.

It’s going to be a lot of work with three carnivores in the party.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

We were in sight of the dungeon city of Dolan.

“It’s just as large as I’ve heard...”

“Indeed. Still though, it looks like it will be a while until we can enter.”

When I followed Fel’s line of sight, I could see a huge line of people snaking out from the gates.

“Ah~ there’s a huge crowd, huh? Makes sense that a place this big would have lots of people wanting to get in, I guess.”

Oh well. I’ll just have to suck it up and get in line.

《Wouldn’t it be faster to just go over the wall?》

“Nonono, we’ll be arrested if we do that. We’re not really in a hurry, so let’s just wait.”

“Mmhh, it is annoying, but there is no other choice.”

“That’s right. Let’s get in line.”

As the running Fel got closer to the line, a cry of, “A monster!!” was raised, and I could see lots of people that looked like adventurers raising their weapons. Dora-chan flying next to us also probably made a huge impact.

I immediately shouted, “They’re all my familiars so it’s okay!!!”

They were all satisfied that was true after seeing Fel and Dora-chan acting so docile next to me, and they sheathed their weapons, but...... they were all still on pins and needles.

Of course they would be, what with a huge wolf and a small-but-unmistakable dragon around...

What do I do......

Well, there was nothing to do. While suffering the slight uneasiness as I lined up, I heard a voice calling out to me.

“MUKOHHDA~~~!!” There was a person calling out to me in a loud voice while running closer.

Huh? Who...? The voice sounds like a man’s, but I shouldn’t know anyone in Dolan......

“Mukohda~~~! I’ve been waiting sooooo long for you to come~!!”

W-Wait, who?! Actually, everyone’s clearly got faces that say, “Who the hell’s Mukohda??” already, please stop shouting. I had an oblivious face on, but inside I was sweating bullets.

“Mukohda~~~!!”

I said pleeeaaasseee stop yelling my name!!!

“Hahh, hahh, you’re Mukohda, right?! I knew right away after seeing your familiars! I’ve been waiting sooooo long for you to come!” The man stopped right in front of me, and excitedly started babbling while trying to catch his breath.

...Who the hell is this?

He was a man in his prime with long, golden hair and frightfully good looks. Looking closely, I noticed that his ears were long.

Is he an elf? I don’t know any elves......

“I was so excited I couldn’t even sleep at night after hearing about you from Rodolfo! So then, is this the pixie dragon?!” Spotting Dora-chan next to me, the mature elf got even more excited — and he started moving all around Dora-chan while staring at him like he was licking him all over, every nook and cranny.

H-He’s kinda looking at Dora-chan all strange...

This elf... he’s beautiful since he’s an elf, but he reeks of being a pervert......

“Mukohda!” The elf suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders firmly.

Woah! What the hell?!

“I’ve gotta tell you, I am so deeply moved right now!”

A-Ahhh, really? Wait, by what? Actually, would you let me go? The stares of the other people hurt a lot.

“To think that I’d ever be able to lay my eyes on a dragon, not to mention a particularly rare pixie dragon...... Ahhh, I’m so glad I’ve lived this long. So glad...... ugghu... uhhh...” The elf started tearing up.

E-Ehhhh... why are you crying? Wait a minute, please don’t cry. The stares will only become worse.

*Sniff* “......Sorry I got carried away. I was just so happy.”

W-Well, as long as you’ve stopped crying... Wait, actually, who the hell are you again?

“U-Uhmm... who are you?”

When I hesitantly brought up the subject, the elf made an expression that said, “Whoops.”

“Sorry! I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself. I am the guildmaster for the Adventurer’s guild here in the dungeon city of Dolan. My name is Elrand. Pleased to meet you.”

............Wha?

The elf turned out to be a guildmaster.

What the hell is up with a guildmaster that cries at the sight of a dragon? ......Ah, that’s right, this is the person Rodolfo warned me about. He’s supposed to be an old friend of Rodolfo’s, and he loses sight of things when it comes to dragons, he said.

It’s... just like Rodolfo said...

“Now, now, everyone follow me. Let’s hurry to the guild.”

“Huh? But, the line......”

“No no — you don’t need to do that. There’s no way I could let you, Mukohda, and your friends wait that long. I’ll do something about it with my powers as a guildmaster.” Saying so, Elrand pushed me forwards.

“No, but...” The eyes of the adventurers around me sure are... something...

“It’s fine, it’s fine! There’s a lot I want to ask you, so let’s hurry up to the guild.” I was pushed forward by a power far beyond what I would imagine judging from Elrand’s looks.

Just like that, I was tossed into the dungeon city of Dolan like a toy. As soon as Elrand definitively stated, “I will take full responsibility, so let this person in,” to the guards, I was let in without even a little fuss.

Actually, Elrand, is it really alright to say that when we’d just met moments ago? It’s not like I’m going to cause any trouble, though.

He just said that there was a mountain of questions he wanted to ask me, but it’s all about dragons, right? Just how much does he like the things...... Even if he asks me about that stuff, I know basically nothing, after all.

The Adventurer’s guild in Dolan was right in front of us after we passed through the gates.

Forced into the guild while I was still speechless, I was shown to the guildmaster’s room on the second floor and pushed inside.

“Now, now, please take a seat.” As expected of the room of a guildmaster of a dungeon city. I was shown to a set of chairs with ball and claw feet that looked more fancy than what was in the other guildmaster’s rooms.

It’s not like I can just run away when I’ve come this far...

Resigned, I sat in the chair.

Elrand, who sat across from me, readied paper and a pen, fully intent on asking me his questions. “Now then, there are several things I want to ask you, if I may?”

It’s not like he’ll let me go if I say no.

*Sigh* ...I wanted to look around since this is the first time I’ve been in a place this big, though... It’s looking like that won’t happen for a while yet.

“First off, where did you meet this pixie dragon?”

“Dora-chan, you mean? I met Dora-chan near the forest of Ishtam.”

“D-Dora-chan? Is that this pixie dragon’s name?”

“Yes. When you bind a familiar contract, it seems like you have to give them a name.”

It’s a bit late, but I really don’t know a lot about familiar contracts. Just what I’d heard from Fel, “If the contracted monster thinks that it wants to become the familiar of the contractor, and the would-be master accepts it, then the contract is complete.” Also, the fact that being contracted lets you communicate telepathically, and that you have to give them names. I’m not really sure about anything else. It’s not like it was particularly important.

“Even if it is a pixie dragon, to name it Dora-chan since it’s a dragon......... If it were me, I’d have given it a much cooler name... I wonder if it’s just a problem with your naming sense? It’s not like I can do anything about it, though......”

Elrand, you’re muttering to yourself, but I can hear you clearly. Sorry about not being good at naming things, okay? Dora-chan’s a cute name. Isn’t that just fine?

“You said that you met Dora-chan near the forest of Ishtam, but is there a pixie dragon lair nearby or something?”

“Who knows? I’ve only met Dora-chan.” I’ve got no idea about any pixie dragon lair.

“Well then, what does the pixie dragon normally eat?”

“What, you ask? We all eat the same things...” Fel, Sui, and Dora-chan all eat whatever I make, and I eat it too.

“What?”

“No, you see... Fel, Sui, Dora-chan, and I all eat the same thing.” While cradling Sui in my arms and looking towards Fel, who was laying down next to me, I explained how we were all the same.

And Elrand’s irises became points.

“Now that you mention it, you not only have a pixie dragon as a familiar, but also a Fenrir and a slime. There’s no way a Fenrir, a slime, and a pixie dragon all eat the same things. Don’t joke like that, please.”

Huh? I wasn’t joking, though. Actually, was there anything joke-like in what I said at all?

“Fenrirs are carnivores, and slimes will eat pretty much anything, right? But pixie dragons mainly eat magic power and nectar from flowers, it’s said. There’s no way they all eat the same meal. Hahahaha!”

Huh? Pixie dragons mainly eat magic power and nectar from flowers? Dora-chan was eating meat like it was normal, though. Wait a second... no, he was eating meat like it was his favorite thing. How did people come to think they eat those things?

《I’ve never heard of anything like that, you know?》 Dora-chan told me through telepathy while shaking his head.

“Uhmm, where did you hear that? That pixie dragons mainly eat magic power and flower nectar?”

“It was from a certain book in the royal library of a deceased country. That country thoroughly researched dragons since they were a component in elixirs...... Any literature on dragons was treated like an important secret, so I snuck in and read it.”

You can’t just be confessing something like that so casually... What the hell was this guy doing?

Well, I was told that this guy loses sight of all boundaries when it comes to dragons. Actually, this is the first time I’ve heard that dragons are an ingredient for elixirs, isn’t it? Fel did, in fact, say that healing mushrooms were also part of elixirs, if I remember correctly. So, through a string of miracles, I’ve got two ingredients for elixirs on my hands, huh? I’m a little curious as to what the other ingredients are. Elrand’s lived a long time, he might know. It might be nice to ask later.

Ahh, putting that aside, Dora-chan comes first.

“I don’t know why the book said that, but it was wrong. Right, Dora-chan?”

《Yeah. We basically eat anything. Well, meat is our favorite, though.》

So they’re omnivores. Of course, since he’s eaten pretty much everything I gave him so far.

“According to Dora-chan, pixie dragons pretty much eat anything. They like meat the most, though.”

“......Wait a second. What do you mean, according to Dora-chan?”

“Huh? I mean what I said? I’ve been talking to Dora-chan through telepathy and that’s what he told me.”

*BANG!!* Elrand thrust his hands onto the table and came forward.

“Mukohda, you can talk to dragons?! Actually, what do you mean by telepathy?!”

N-No... your face is too close. You’re a beautiful elf, but I totally don’t swing that way, please consider personal space.

“Wait a second, please calm down, Elrand. Dragons can’t talk, you know? I’m only able to talk to Dora-chan since I’ve formed a familiar contract with him, and it’s the same with Fel and Sui as well.”

“Because of the familiar contract?! I’ve never heard of such a thing!! There’s no way that could happen!”

“............What? Isn’t that common knowledge?”

“Of course not. I’ve lived a long time since I’m an elf, and this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Huh? What? Fel told me that people who’ve formed contracts with monsters can use telepathy with them, so I just thought that was how it was...

“Fel, what does he mean?”

“Hmph, no idea. I was taught that those who form familiar contracts can use telepathy with each other, and you can in fact do it, no?”

That’s right. Just like Fel said, I can use telepathy with him, Sui, and Dora-chan.

“I’m not sure I get it, but since you’ve formed contracts with them, you’ve made them submit to your power, right?”

What? Stop joking, please. There’s no way in hell I would be able to make a Fenrir or a dragon submit.

“There’s no way I’d be able to do that, they’re legendary creatures, you know? Actually, if there was a person who could make a Fenrir or a dragon submit, I’d like to see them.”

“No way...... neither the guildmaster at Karelina nor Rodolfo asked you how you got a Fenrir to become your familiar, but they did suggest that you used a special method to make them submit. The two of them didn’t think that was the case from looking at you, but they said that you had a lot of secrets, so you were probably quite skilled. Rodolfo suggested that you mixed their food with some sort of poison......”

Whaaaat, so that’s how the two of them saw me? I-I’m not skilled at all, and I didn’t use poison, either.

“Hmm... from what I hear, your familiar contract and the kind of contract I know is very different.”

According to Elrand, a normal contract forms a relationship like master and slave when someone forces a monster to submit, no matter the method. In human terms, it was no different from a slave contract, and familiars would then obey the master’s commands. The master of the familiar would then become a tamer, and it’s said that with both their own experience and experience from the monsters coming in, it was an easy job to level up.

However, becoming a tamer requires a certain level of power, enough to make a monster submit to your will. Since there aren’t many people with that many levels, those who become tamers are exceedingly rare.

Tamer, huh? My job is still ‘Victim from Another World,’ though. Not only that, but Fel and Sui have beaten a fair number of monsters, and I haven’t seen a drop of that experience.

“This is also the first time I’ve heard of something like this, and the only example is you, Mukohda, so there’s no way to even verify it...... Mukohda, your familiars are a Fenrir, a pixie dragon, and from what I hear, a special slime. They’re all normally far too powerful for anyone to make a familiar, so that might have something to do with it.”

I knew that they weren’t regular familiar contracts, but there isn’t really a problem with that, and nothing’s going to change, either.

“Mukohda, I get that your familiars are different from normal. This is the thing I want to ask most, but could I form the same kind of familiar contract? If at all possible, with a dragon?”

You want to make a dragon a familiar? Wow, how much do you like them?

“No, even if you ask me that I wouldn’t know......”

《So, how about it?》 I asked Fel using telepathy.

《It is probably impossible. In the first place I would never consider forming a contract with this one, there is no benefit in it for me.》

《Yeah. It doesn’t look like this guy cooks at all. Even if he did, there’s probably no one in the world with better food than you, anyway.》

Dora-chan, I’m happy you’re complimenting me, but I’m not a chef.

《Indeed. I agree with that. There are very few things that move one with a life as long as mine, but good food is one of them.》

Huh? Food moves you?

《Right? Good food is a treasure of the world~.》

《Just eating good food makes you happy~.》

Even Sui...... I knew this already, but you guys really did just get lured in by food... I’m happy you’re all here, but......

“Hahhh......Uhm, by the way, can you cook, Elrand?”

“Huh? Cook? I like to eat at restaurants, so I don’t cook for myself, but...... Wait, could cooking be one of the conditions for a familiar contract?!”

“No, I wouldn’t say that it is, but all of my familiars are very particular about food......”

“I-If that’s the case, I’ll cook! If I learn to cook, I’ll be able to contract with a dragon, right?!”

“No, it’s not going to be that easy, I don’t think......”

《You should stop mincing words and just feed him some of your food. That will teach him just how foolish he is being.》

《That’s right. I’m hungry right now, too.》

《Sui is hungry, too~.》

Ahh, right, right. Fine, whatever.

“Uhmm... Elrand, everyone’s saying that they’re hungry, so would you like to eat with us?”

“Yes, please. And let me steal some of the secrets of your flavor!”

Elrand... you’re raring to go, huh?

“Ah, Elrand, do you like meat?”

Elves have an image of being vegetarians.

“Yes, I love meat.”

Ah, so this world’s elves are okay with meat, I see.

Then, the food I made was beef bowls that I had stored beforehand. I served them to Fel and the others on a dish with lots of meat on top, and a soft-boiled egg as a closer.

Looking at Dora-chan eating the beef bowl, Elrand muttered to himself, “They really don’t eat magic power and flower nectar...”

It looks like Dora-chan loves meat, after all.

I served Elrand his portion in a wooden receptacle that resembled a bowl.

“Try eating it after breaking the egg on top.”

“Sure, then......” Elrand did as I suggested, and broke the egg before taking a bite. After taking that first bite, Elrand’s eyes opened wide, and he started stuffing his face.

That means it’s not bad, right? Thank goodness.

I also started on my portion.

“More.” 《More~.》

More for Fel and Sui, got it.

“Uhm, I would like some more, too......”

Even Elrand?

It seemed like Dora-chan was full. Even so, his portion was about twice as big as mine.

Once we were done with the meal, Fel spoke to Elrand.

“You understand now too, no? Most likely no one would be willing to form a contract with you unless you can produce food as good as this one did right now.”

“Khh......... I’ve eaten a lot of things after living for so long, but what I just ate was by far the most delicious. It’s impossible for me to make something as good......” Elrand hung his head, depressed.

The best thing you’ve ever eaten? It’s just a beef bowl............ Ah, the seasonings.

I had access to an Online Supermarket so I could use Japanese seasonings as much as I liked, but in this world, the only seasoning pretty much was salt. There was pepper, too, but that was expensive.

If that was the case, I could agree with it being the most delicious. Since I could bring out umami as much as I wanted using things like soy sauce or mirin or dashi.

“Uhm... well, please cheer up.” Not sure what to say, I just kind of said whatever came to mind, and Elrand raised his head with furious speed.

“That’s right! I still have hope!! Mukohda, I’ve heard from Karelina’s guildmaster. Please take that out!!”

Hm? What?

“That!! The earth dragon!!”

Ahh — that’s right, I had one. *Sigh* ...When will I be able to go home...

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

The place I was led to politely but insistently was... the familiar storehouse. Up until now, this guild was the same as all the other ones I’d been in, but it seemed that the storehouse was a size bigger thanks to the size of the city itself. In a corner of the storehouse, a large workstation was placed.

“Okay, okay, bring it out here, please.” Elrand said, patting the workstation. “As soon as I’d heard about the earth dragon, I immediately started preparing this place for it. I won’t waste even a drop of blood. I’ll be taking it apart both carefully and at full speed. I have some confidence in my butchering skills, you see.”

What?! By that, does he mean that the guildmaster himself is going to be butchering it?! “You’re going to butcher it yourself, Elrand?”

“Of course! As if I could ever let someone else have a job this good! It’s an earth dragon, you know?!”

A-Ahh, I see. So from the dragon lover Elrand’s perspective, this is a great job that one would be tripping over themselves to get at, I suppose.

“The last time a dragon was defeated was 238 years ago. At that time, I really wanted to be in the extermination party, but thanks to certain circumstances I couldn’t. Since that was the case, I asked over and over again for them to at least let me take it apart, but they wouldn’t even allow me to do that. After all, I was only a B-ranked adventurer back then. Since then, I’ve managed to climb into S-rank, but there hasn’t been another dragon subjugation at all. No matter how long-lived elves are, we still cannot beat the effects of aging. I’d retired from being an adventurer, but I still hadn’t given up. If I stayed with the Adventurer’s guild, I believed that I could lay hands on a dragon someday. And after 32 years of being a guildmaster, finally... finally, I......”

Uh, uhm... Elrand...? This guy just started telling his whole life story. He’s even entered his own little world while telling it. Just like Rodolfo said, he’s not a bad person, just a little annoying. I guess I’ll just hurry up and show him the earth dragon so I can leave.

Taking the earth dragon out of storage in my Item Box, I placed it onto the workstation.

“Here you go, Elrand.”

“Ohhh! OOOHHHHHH———!!!”

You are way too excited, Elrand.

“Th-This is the earth dragon, right?! Yes, yes! It wasn’t wrong to become a guildmaster. A dragon I’ve only dreamed of, in my hands, right now...... It’s like I’m dreaming... to think that I’d get to enjoy the insides of a dragon as much as I’d like, or even the insides of its insides!”

Y-You’re sounding kinda scary, there. I’m just asking you to butcher it.

“Uh, uhmm, can I get all the materials back?” I’m somehow getting the feeling that with this guy’s love of dragons, he’ll try to swipe something on the sly...

“Yes. Unfortunately, I do not have the money to be able to buy any of the dragon’s materials. It’s really too bad. Ahh, are you worried that I’ll make off with the dragon’s materials? If that’s the case, you don’t need to. If that happened, not only would the trust in the Adventurer’s guild be jeopardized, I would fall into slavery. No, I might even be executed. I enjoy living, so... Also, since you are here Mukohda, there is a large possibility of you bringing new dragons in, anyway. Being so shortsighted as to only consider my immediate gains and thereby destroying any chance of meeting new dragons is sheer stupidity.”

I... I see.

It seemed that at the very least, he wouldn’t try to steal anything.

“No, wait a minute. Even if I can’t buy all of it, if it’s just a part...... Mukohda, I won’t be able to buy all of it, but if it’s just a part of it I will, I think. Will you sell me some of your dragon?”

So he really does want a dragon. Although, personally, even if it’s just a part of it, I’d be happy to be rid of it.

“Sure, that’s fine. So, which part? I can’t allow you to have the meat, though.” I just couldn’t allow him to have it. If I did, Fel would get mad.

He wanted the meat of the earth dragon, after all.

“Well, the blood is a must-have. After that, the fangs... no, I shouldn’t just ignore its intestines...... but if I can’t buy it all... or I could just get a little bit of each? Hmmm, let me think on it a little bit more. Also, you wanted all the meat, right? The meat is too expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to buy it anyway, so of course I’ll be returning it all to you.”

“That’s good. Apparently earth dragon meat is delicious, so if I didn’t get it all back Fel would get mad. As for the parts you’re going to buy, please decide by the time this is done and I come to retrieve the materials.”

“............Earth dragons are... delicious? You’re going to eat it?!” Elrand fairly jumped at me as he said that.

“Y-Yes, that was the plan.”

When I replied, Elrand ran around the workstation that was between us with quick steps and grabbed my hand. “Please! Please, let me try some earth dragon, too! I’ll pay! I’ll give you all the money I have, so please! Please!!”

Y-You don’t have to get that desperate, Elrand. If it’s just feeding you I’ll do it so let go of me. Please stop threatening to throw away your entire life savings or something.

“I-I got it, just calm down.”

After I said that, Elrand started to shake my hand, saying, “Thank you! Thank you!” Once that was all done, Elrand just started to stroke the earth dragon body while muttering, “Hahhh...... earth dragon......”

Is... is he gonna start rubbing his cheek on it? This guy is kinda scary.

Seeing Elrand like that, Fel, who had up until now ignored him, said, “Is this one... okay?” Even Dora-chan chimed in with, 《There sure are some strange people in human towns.》

They’re not all like this, okay? Elrand’s just... special.

“So? When will you be done?”

“Hrm... let’s see... I’ll want three days so I can carefully look over every nook and cranny.”

The way you said that is kinda scary... But three days, got it.

“Okay then, I’ll come back in three days. Wait, right, I forgot. Are there any outstanding requests here?”

“Ahh, you’re fine. This place isn’t called a dungeon city for nothing. There’s a lot of adventurers around.”

I see, so there’s a lot of adventurers around for the dungeon, and there should be some high-ranking ones that have this place as their base, too.

After that, I asked about an inn I could stay at with my familiars, and Elrand invited me to stay at his place, but I politely refused. There was no way I could deal with him 24/7.

He wasn’t a bad guy, but he was way too much trouble.

I was recommended an inn with a very on-the-nose name, the “Labyrinth City Inn.” After that, I was told that the fees for the inn would be paid for by the guild as thanks for bringing in the earth dragon. After getting the location of the inn, as well as the location of the dungeon since it seemed like we’d be going in tomorrow, we left the guild.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

We had decided to stay at the inn Elrand recommended, the “Labyrinth City Inn,” and were currently having a meal in the courtyard.

Once we were finished, I was going to have Fel and Dora-chan sleep in the kennel, but Dora-chan complained that he wanted his own bedding set after seeing me spread Fel’s out, so I bought him one. I only needed to get one since Dora-chan was so small, though.

I went with Sui to my room. After spreading out my futon on the bed, Sui immediately got in. As for me, I had something I had to do, so I couldn’t just get in. I had to prepare offerings for the goddesses, after all.

I really didn’t feel like it, since I could see them complaining ceaselessly that I was late, but unfortunately that wasn’t an option. If I was to be any later, they’d come complaining to me themselves, after all.

Okay then, let’s talk to them.

“Ahh — are you around, goddesses—?”

＜You’re late! Super late!! You forgot, didn’t you!?!＞

The divine disappointment, Ninrir, huh? Hmm — but I can’t deny it.

＜She’s right, you know~? I’ve been waiting so-o patiently. You’re the one at fault for being so late. I want a show of apology here~.＞

Ghh...... right where it hurts... Lady Kisharle’s pretty sharp, isn’t she?

＜That’s right! We want compensation.＞

And Agni has to pile on.

＜......Broken promise.＞

Ruka, that really hurts so could you just stay quiet like always? Well, it’s not like I have any excuse for being late.

“Ahh, fine, fine. I’m sorry for being late. As an apology, I’ll raise your usual allowance from 3 silver to 4 just this once. Let me off with that, please.”

＜Okay! If you’ll do that, we’ll forgive you.＞

＜4 silver, right? I’m okay with that~.＞

＜Sure! 4 silver, huh? I can get a lot more varieties with that.＞

＜......Forgiven.＞

I got them to forgive me for 4 silver. These goddesses might actually be pretty easy.

“Well then, I’ll be listening to your requests. Will Ninrir be going first as usual?”

＜Yes. I will be going first. As always, I want sweeets. With lots of dorayaki, and this time some cake and pudding. Also, those fizzy sweet drinks.＞

So the usual sweets for Ninrir. She sure doesn’t change.

I added everything Ninrir wanted into the cart until I reached her budget of 4 silver: extra dorayaki, cake, pudding, cola, cider, several types of western and Japanese sweets, and, with the rest of the budget, an assortment of random candies.

“Next is Kisharle, right?”

＜Yes, indeed. I still have the shampoo, hair treatments, and hair masks from before, so I don’t need any more. Instead, are there any other things for beauty that are good?＞

“For beauty?” For beauty, the only things I can think of off the top of my head are facial soaps, facial lotions, and milky lotions, I think.

“Uhmm, how about facial soaps and lotions, or milky lotions?”

＜Huh? What are those?＞ Kisharle was immediately interested.

“Actually, does this world not have them? Stuff to moisturize the face and skin...”

When I asked, it seemed that they didn’t exist. Apparently, the only thing they had that was similar was purified olive oil to prevent drying. And since that oil was expensive, in the end apparently not bothering was the most common.

I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but even though Kisharle wants beauty products, do gods really need them? Weren’t gods supposed to be able to keep their beauty with their god power or whatever?

“Isn’t this kind of weird? Do gods really need to take care of their hair or skin and stuff? Aren’t you all supposed to just be perpetually beautiful?”

When I tried to ask Kisharle about what was bothering me, I was denied with overwhelming force.

＜What the hell do you think you’re saying?! As long as we’re in this divine realm we aren’t much different from you humans! We have a lot of power to affect your world, but everyone has that power here in the divine realm where we live. Even we get hungry while we’re here, and age as well. It’s true that, compared to a human, we’re long lived and don’t get sick, but other than that we’re basically human.＞

I see. So, gods in this world are like that. But well, the fact that they aren’t perfect in every way makes it easier to feel close to them, I guess.

“I see. If that’s the case, then the things I suggested might be good. Lady Kisharle, what are you worried about, skin-wise? I’ll pick accordingly.”

＜It’s got to be the dryness~. I’m using purified olive oil already, but it’s especially dry around my eyes.＞

Hm, I see. I looked through the skin care section on my Online Supermarket.

There, what caught my eye was a series of beauty products that all used a mixture of hyaluronic acid and collagen to moisturize skin. The facial and milky lotions cost 1 silver each, and since she was worried about dryness, I bought a moisturizing cream from the same set for 1 silver and 5 copper. I used the remaining 5 copper to buy a tube of face-cleansing foam.

“Next is Agni, right?”

＜Sure! You see, I want the same alcohol as befo—＞

＜＜HEHAHAHAHH! WE’VE FINALLY CAUGHT YOU!!＞＞

＜......Woah...W-W-What are you guys doing here?!＞

I heard a man’s voice interrupt what Agni was saying.

＜Ghgyaah! W-W-Why are these guys here?!＞

＜R-Right~. Could it be......Agni...?＞

＜N-No, it’s not me! There’s no way I would tell these guys anything!＞

＜They smelled the alcohol.＞

The goddesses must have agreed with Ruka’s theory, since they started to argue amongst themselves like, “That’s why I told you to lay off the alcohol!” and “It really wasn’t good to let her have alcohol~” and “I wanted to try the other world’s alcohol too, you know?!”

＜I see, I see; so you were summoned from another world, huh? And you have a skill to get things from your world, I see. Including alcohol...... Hey, Blacksmithing God, it looks like we’ll be able to drink lots of alcohol from the other world, too!＞

＜Hehhahahaha! That’s right, War God! We’re in luck!＞

＜That’s right!＞

＜HEHAHHAHAHA!＞

＜HEHHAHAHAHA!＞

＜＜HEHAHHAHHAAHAHA!＞＞

I-I’m getting some real bad vibes from these audacious laughing voices, here......

＜Ignoring those noisy goddesses, let’s start with some introductions. I am the Blacksmithing God, Hephaestos.＞

＜And I am the War God, Vahagn!＞

Ahh~, the alcohol loving gods the goddesses were wary of. So they were finally found out.

＜It seems like you’re already giving them offerings, but we want some, as well. Of course, in the form of alcohol.＞

＜Right, right. Give us a lot of otherworld alcohol, will you?＞

Wait a second here, why do you people (gods) think you can just ask for stuff right now?

＜ARGHHH!! Hey stop ordering things on your own over there! It’s not like we’ve been taking offerings for nothing, you know!＞

＜She’s right~. We’ve all properly given him our blessings, so we’re receiving some offerings every week in return.＞

＜That’s right! You guys can’t just ask for offerings when you’ve done nothing!＞

＜......You two, bad.＞

When the Blacksmithing and War Gods tried to do things on their own, the goddesses paused their argument to stop them.

＜Hohh, so in other words, as long as we give our blessings to this otherworlder we can get alcohol, right? Right, Blacksmithing God?＞

＜That would be correct, War God. Well then, here’s our blessings.＞

Th-This is bad. I can see these two super-selfish-sounding gods trying to get me to send them alcohol every day if I was to take their blessings.

“W-W-Wai—!! I-I don’t neeed any more blessings!!”

＜Whaa~t?! You won’t take our blessings, you say—?! You heretic! Divine punishment! It’s divine punishment for you!!!＞

Gyaahhh!! He’s super mad!!

“S-Sorry! So sorry! I-I worded that badly. I-I’ve already got enough blessings, so my familiar... uhmm... Please, give this slime the Blacksmithing blessing!” I pointed at Sui, who was sleeping in my futon, in the heat of the moment.

S-Sorry, Sui......

＜Hmmm, I see, so it’s like that. Okay, got it. I will give that slime my blessing. There, it is done.＞

＜I’m next, then. Okay, so I should be giving my blessing to a familiar?＞

I can’t just take the Blacksmithing God’s blessing and refuse the War God, can I...? His blessing seems like the most dangerous out of all of them, though... The War God’s blessing would be the worst fit for me, and on top of that, I wouldn’t be able to make use of it, probably. Too much power is harmful, after all.

Dora-chan should be the one to take this, since he doesn’t have one yet.

“Th-Then to my familiar pixie dragon......”

＜Got it. Hm? You have a Fenrir, too. It seems like it would fit him too, so I’ll give my blessing to both of them.＞

Ah...... both Fel and Dora-chan got his blessing. Is that okay? It would be nice if Fel didn’t get even more war-like after getting this blessing and powering up.

＜Hehhahahaha!! A dangerous blessing, huh? If you put it like that, it’s true. My blessing gives all your stats a 50% boost during fights, after all. They’ll become a little more hot-blooded, though.＞

Don’t just tell me that after you’ve already given the blessing please, War God.

I-Isn’t 50% super dangerous? The boosts from my Online Supermarket can’t even compare.

＜So now, you’ve got our blessings so get us some alcohol!!＞

＜That’s right! Alcohol! Get us some booze!!＞

Aren’t these two way too rowdy...?

＜Why are you two just ordering as you please! I won’t let you! There’s rules to getting offerings from him.＞

＜That’s right—! To be fair to everyone, there’s a budget of 3 silver per person.＞

＜Exactly! You can’t just try to get ahead on your own. Also, if you keep making ridiculous orders like that, none of us will be able to get offerings from him anymore!＞

＜Excessiveness is bad. It’s 3 silver per person.＞

Ohh goddesses, you totally get how things work, don’t you? Giving someone preferential treatment just sows the seeds for conflict later. I’ll be doing this properly.

“That’s how it is, Sir Hephaestos, Sir Vahagn. In order to be fair to all, each person gets 3 silver’s worth of goods, I cannot compromise on that. Although for today, since I was late I’ve raised it to 4 silver.”

＜Tch! Fine. Today is 4 silver, right? If that’s the case, I’ll just be asking for alcohol, then. I won’t know until I try it, after all.＞

＜I’m the same as Hephae over here. I want all different kinds of booze. I’m counting on you to get me as much as you can within the limit, okay?＞

Of course the two gods — who were such big alcohol lovers as to alarm the goddesses — would ask for alcohol.

＜So then, I’ll be asking for the same. The one from before was good, but I really do want to try all kinds.＞

Jumping on the bandwagon, huh Agni?

＜Hahh~ ...I’d like to tell you to limit yourself to one, but with these two here, that’s probably impossible.＞

＜Right? I didn’t want to get found out by these two, but......＞

＜...Their noses are too good.＞

It looks like the goddesses have given up. Just how much do those two like their alcohol?

Oh well. I got the alcohol for Hephaestos, Vahagn, and Agni.

They wanted all kinds, so I started with canned beer. I got one each of dry beer (which was known for its sharpness), premium beer, and black beer, at 2 copper apiece. Also, a 720ml bottle of choice pure sake which cost 1 silver. After that, a 1 silver 700ml bottle of whiskey, and 640ml bottle of brandy that also cost 1 silver. And for the leftover 4 copper, some red wine from Spain. I got the same for all three of them.

“And lastly is Miss Ruka, right?”

＜The same as last time. Sweets and food. Extra food.＞

Sure, sure.

What did I have...... Ah, I still have some beef bowl, so some of that. Judging from the price of eating it in a store and the cost on my Online Supermarket, hmmm... this is an extra-large serving, so 5 copper should be fine.

After that, I still had some gyoza left, I think...... yep. 5 copper should be enough for twelve gyoza.

And then... side dishes from my Online Supermarket would be good. Oh, they have a cutlet skewer combo platter. That and... two each of yakitori thighs with green onions, liver, and chicken-meatball skewers. I also got her some soy-marinated karaage. With the rest, I bought the usual white bread and sweets.

Right, this should be good.

I lined up each god’s share on their own cardboard box altar.

Since the Blacksmithing God and the War God were now here too, that ended up being six altars in total.

“That’s right, I need to explain how to use these to you, Lady Kisharle. Uhmmm, you can see me, right?”

＜Yes, perfectly~.＞

“For the face cleansing foam, squeeze out about this much, lather with cold or warm water, and wash your face with it. Make sure to get out all the foam, by the way. Once you’ve washed your face and dried it, next is this facial lotion. Take a dollop about the size of a silver coin in your hand and apply it gently to your face. It might be good to apply more if your skin is really bad. After the facial lotion, is this milky lotion. Apply it the same way as the facial lotion, only use slightly less. You can also use extra with this if the state of your skin is especially bad. After that is this cream. Please use around enough to fit on the tip of your pinky if your skin is still dry even after the milky lotion. Also, as a special thing at night, it might be good to use a larger amount right before you sleep.” I explained the usage of her beauty products while reading the instructions on the back of the package.

“Ahh, I need to tell Hephaestos, Vahagn, and Agni something as well. This one, and this one are both very strong, so please be careful,” I said, holding up the bottles of whiskey and brandy.

“Also, this one should be poured directly into the glass and enjoyed. As for this one, it’s the same as the one I sent Agni before, so if you’re going to drink it straight, please add ice. It’s also good when cut with water.”

＜Sure, got it! Strong alcohol is always welcome!＞

＜That’s right. I’m looking forward to drinking it.＞

＜Tonight’s gonna be a feast, War God!＞

＜Yeah, of course!＞

Hephaestos and Vahagn were already talking with full intent to drink.

“Well then, here are your desired offerings. Please accept them.”

The offerings on top of the cardboard altars disappeared. After they did, I could hear the voices of the goddesses and gods making a huge fuss.

*Sigh* I don’t know why, but for some reason there’s even more of them now. Both the Blacksmithing and War Gods are scary, so I couldn’t just say no.

For some reason, I was even more tired than usual today.

I was curious as to my familiar’s statuses after they’d received blessings from the Blacksmithing and War Gods, but I was so tired right now all I wanted to do was sleep.

I’ll take a look tomorrow.