Chapter 7 : Grilled Sweetfish and Soft Melo Grilled with the Hero Party

“Ugh, I’m hungry, let’s just grill it roughly and eat…”

It’s not that I don’t understand Maeve’s cute whining.

Since there’s a campfire anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to just grill it appropriately and eat it?

I’m sure you’re thinking that.

“Absolutely not.

Hero.

Mallowmallows are more delicious when grilled this way.”

“Aack…

Really, sometimes Saint Dominicus doesn’t listen to people when he gets worked up….”

Maeve gave up neatly and leaned her back against the rock, looking at us.

The hero’s deer hunt was a spectacular failure, but I can’t blame her for that.

“Purpure thinks it would be good if Dominicus could dig a hole.”

I cupped my hands together to explain the size of the hearth.

I was embarrassed to ask you to dig a hole as big as my body, but for delicious food, I have no choice!

“You want a hole to make a hearth.

Where do you think would be good?”

Dominicus brought a small shovel and asked with a look full of anticipation.

“I think over here would be good.”

I pointed to a place a little distance away from the campfire.

Since it’s digging a hole, it would be good to have some distance from the sleeping area too.

“Alright.

Leave it to me.”

-Thud thud thud!

Dominicus started digging the hole faster and more vigorously than I expected.

It’s a bit different from the time we ate Potake and instant death rabbit last time, isn’t it?

Could it be because we can eat Mallowmallows?

Or is it because of the sweetfish?

“By the way…

Purpure.

Can we just eat these as is?

Do we not have to prepare them like the instant death rabbits?”

“Of course, we have to.”

At the same time as I answered, I grabbed a Mallowmallow from the basket and showed it to Maeve.

“If you just eat Mallowmallows like this, they don’t taste good.”

“Hmm…

But it doesn’t look delicious even now.

It looks like a long, white, fluffy ball, doesn’t it?”

Maeve shook her head.

“Doesn’t it look like a bug egg?”

“No.

This is the Mallowmallow’s precious sweet home.

It’s not an egg.”

“That’s right.

As Purpure said, the Mallowmallow’s house is famous for its exquisite sweet taste.”

The saint, Dominicus, had already abandoned his digging and joined the conversation at an incredible speed.

“Ah, I don’t like it.”

“Do you know why Mallowmallows make such a sweet lump their home?

Some would say it’s God’s will.

But it’s not.”

Why are you suddenly talking so much when you were so quiet before?!

“The sweet smell these creatures emit is a means of protecting themselves from predators.

Moreover, this house contains a dangerous poison if not heated, so it can protect itself from birds and insects.”

“St, stop…

Stop…

I don’t want to know more about the ecology of monsters.”

“You shouldn’t say that, hero.

I won’t go as far as to say that knowing your enemy will help you defeat them.

But times have changed.

You know that fact better than anyone, don’t you?

That’s why, about monsters”

“Aaaaack!!!

Purpure!

Sa, save me!”

Maeve covered her ears with both hands and trembled.

It seems like this isn’t the first time this has happened.

“Purpure doesn’t know much about ecology.

I just know how to eat them deliciously.”

I brought a nearby branch and poked the Mallowmallow’s pure white house.

Looking at it like this, it really looks like roasting a marshmallow.

Anyway, Mallowmallows are also living creatures.

If you don’t prepare them carefully, you can’t eat them deliciously.

“As expected of Purpure.

You know exactly how to handle Mallowmallows.”

I nodded roughly at Dominicus’ praise and gathered the Mallowmallows stuck on the branch into one, then stuck it in the ground at an angle.

“Mallowmallows don’t like water.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Of course, there is.

The Mallowmallow’s house absorbs water like a sponge.

Also, it has the property of easily floating on water.

In other words, these creatures know that they have to abandon their house if it gets damp.”

You really know a lot about monsters, don’t you?

This saint.

I nodded and made a large water droplet on my palm with magic.

-Pop!

When I threw it at the Mallowmallow, as expected, the ‘body’ that was quietly hiding inside the house wriggled and showed its face at the bottom.

“Wow…

Something came out?”

“Purpure already told you that the pure white thing is just a delicious house.”

The Mallowmallow, which showed its face outside of its soft house, looked like a hermit crab.

It also felt a bit like a crayfish?

Anyway, the creatures wiggled their front paws diligently and eventually gave up their house and fell to the ground.

“Ugh, uaaack!

It’s a bu, bug!

A bug!

It was a bug’s house!”

“It’s not a bug.

It’s different from a bug.”

“No, no!

No matter how you look at it, it’s a bug!

It has legs!

And it looks hard!”

Maeve was terrified and shook her head.

“You’re not going to say you’re going to eat that too, are you?!”

“Should I eat it?”

“Hyaaack!”

Maeve covered her face with both hands and trembled.

“Oh…

As expected of Purpure the demon lord.

You know the habits of monsters accurately and prepare them.”

This saint…

is a little, a lot messed up.

You’re still squinting, but you’re admiring the scene of the Mallowmallows making a great escape.

Is this okay?

“Unlike the house it carries, the Mallowmallow is famous for not being delicious.”

“That’s right, you don’t have to eat it.”

“That’s a good mindset.

These creatures will soon make a new house.”

The saint, Dominicus, scooped up all the escaped Mallowmallows with both hands.

And he gave them a blessing.

“Mallowmallows don’t die just because they lose their house.”

“That’s right.

They’ll soon make a new, cozy, warm, and soft house.”

I nodded and this time reached for the sweetfish.

“That bug house…

Is it okay?

Can you eat it?”

“Purpure washed it with water once, and I’ll cook it over a fire later.

You can definitely eat it safely and sweetly.”

“You prepared it so perfectly that there’s not even a place to find fault.”

Dominicus smiled and even clapped.

Even Maeve stroked my head as if it were natural.

“Then I’ll eat it with peace of mind!

Purpure!

Thank you!”

“Ah, awawawa?!”

Maeve even hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

“Purpure is not a child!”

“Right~ right~ you’re a scary demon lord!”

You’re not scared at all!

Not even a little!

I got annoyed for no reason and pushed Maeve’s chest away with my palm.

“Have Maeve and Dominicus ever eaten sweetfish?”

“Hmm…

Well, I like all kinds of meat, so I’m sure I’ve eaten it before…”

Maeve scratched the back of her head shyly.

“I haven’t really eaten it knowing exactly what kind of meat it is!”

“Do you know what it tastes like?”

“Ahaha…”

So you’re the type of person who just eats meat if it’s good.

Well, there are people who can’t distinguish between pork belly and pork shoulder, or the difference between the front and back legs.

“Sweetfish is a light and savory fish.”

I lifted the sweetfish that Dominicus caught and examined its condition.

It was so long that I couldn’t measure it even if I spread my hand wide.

It might even be bigger than my face.

“Purpure thinks it would be good to have a needle.”

“A needle?

Hmm…

I have a knife, though?”

“……Are you talking about the holy sword?”

You must be joking, right?

“Yeah, that’s right.

This thing cuts surprisingly well, you know!”

Of course, it would cut well!

I can’t believe there’s an idiot here who suggests cooking with a holy sword!

Ugh, I’m so frustrated!

If the hero I met in the past was this kind of idiot, I wouldn’t be a squishy demon lord now!

“Just let Purpure handle it.”

When I lifted the sweetfish with my small hand, the shiny scales reflected the sunset and looked beautiful.

I never thought I could catch such a fresh sweetfish, the slimes always ate them even when I asked for them!

“Hey…

What were you going to do?

Can’t you explain it to me?”

Maeve crawled halfway on the ground and said.

“Ah!

I got it.

You were going to remove the internal organs, right?

Right?”

“No.

You don’t need to remove the internal organs of a sweetfish.

When you cook it, it melts inside the belly and the flavor becomes better.”

“Oh…

Really?

I didn’t know that.

Did you know that, Saint Dominicus?”

Dominicus quietly shook his head.

I see, so this saint isn’t very interested in anything other than eating ‘monsters’?

He’s digging the ground, bringing stones and branches, and making a hearth as if he has no interest in preparing sweetfish.

“Purpure was thinking of piercing the sweetfish’s gallbladder if I had a needle.”

“Gallbladder?”

“It tastes very bitter, so some people think the taste is better if you pierce it.”

But there were also people who thought that was part of the sweetfish’s flavor.

If I don’t have a needle, there’s no need to go through the trouble of removing it.

“Maeve, please do it.

Purpure is weak, so it’s hard to poke it through.”

“Make it into a skewer by poking it through like this…

on a branch, right?”

Maeve smiled and quickly turned the sweetfish into a skewer.

The hero’s overflowing power is no lie.

I wish I could sprinkle a lot of salt, but I can’t help it since I don’t have any.

“The preparations on this side are also finished.

Purpure.”

Dominicus wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

“You did well.

Purpure will praise you.”

When I looked at the hole that was deep enough to reach my chest if I went in, I was filled with anticipation.

“But…

Do you need to make a hole like this?

I understand that it makes it more delicious, but I’m curious about the principle.”

“If you dig a hole like this and light a fire in the center…

hot things get hotter.”

“The heat is trapped, so you can thoroughly cook the Mallowmallows, right?”

You’re not going to use sweetfish as an example, are you?

Saint?

“When you cook it over a campfire, you have to flip it many times.

You don’t need that, right?”

“It’s like an oven!”

“Wow…

An oven?

How does Purpure know about this?

Amazing!

Amazing!

Let me pat your head!”

Maeve smiled brightly and patted my head and back.

No, I told you, I’m not a child!

“Anyway, now the preparations are all done!

All that’s left is to cook it deliciously!”

Dominicus lit the firewood piled up in the hearth.

In my hands were Mallowmallows and sweetfish pierced on branches!

“Maeve and Dominicus should look forward to it!”

Soon, the sound of sweetfish oil sizzling in the hearth will be heard, and the sweet scent of Mallowmallows will spread, right?

And!

If you cook it in a hearth like this, the scent of smoke will permeate and it will be even more delicious!

-Grrrrrrr!

My stomach growled loudly at the thought of eating delicious food.