Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 145: A Respite From Adventuring VII

I plopped my head down on the worktable in the kitchen and rolled Yukikaze around.

「Aaah, I can't think of any good ideas」

『Have you reached your limit, indeed?』

「I’ve reached my limit, indeed」

I had thrown some random ingredients into a pot and left it simmering away, but I don't think I can make a ramen broth that will impress anyone. It'll probably turn out to be just an ordinary broth.

『Isn't that fine? Your existing cooking skills are more than helpful enough for your adventures』

「Is it okay if I give up now, I wonder?」

『It's okay, indeed. Team member Souya, you have a strangely strong sense of professionalism and you're terrible at loosening up. For something like ramen broth, simply throw enough salt into vegetable broth and it’ll be just fine』

「No, that's problematic in its own right, isn’t it?」

Your cooking sense scares me, you know that?

「Ummm……」

I was startled by a voice from behind me.

Turning around, I found Rutsuko-san and the Gunmerrys.

「I'm sorry………………In a lot of ways, I'm sorry」

She had become so depressed that she looked like she had lost some weight.

「Oh, no no no, I did win the bread contest in the end. You accepted my request on short notice and baked bread for me so early in the morning, so there's nothing for you to apologize for」

If anything, I'll have to give her a big "thank-you" reward. That perverted baldy………I'm going to tell on you to your daughter that you tried to get my friend to become your mistress.

「I wonder if working people like Souya-san and myself are going to get killed off?」

「What are you talking about?」

Why on earth would we get killed off?

「Because! We were so rude to the king. In an anime I saw a long time ago, there was a guy who got thrown into a pit just for making a pun in front of the king! ………He probably died from that」

Which anime is that?

「Rutsuko-san, don't worry. I once snuck into that king's bedroom and drove my sword into his pillow. But look, I'm still alive, right?」

「Hearing that makes me all the more worried!」

Ehhh.

「Don't worry. That king, if there's someone he’s displeased with, I'm sure he'll go and kill them personally」

「NOOOoooo!」

Rutsuko-san was trembling like a small animal.

Somehow or another, she's starting to look like an otter to me.

「Think of something! Souya-san! Think of something that’ll make the king happy! It seemed like he was pleased with the bread, but is there anything else?!」

Oh, what if by any chance………

「King Lemuria really liked the randomly-made ramen I cooked some time ago. As a result, I'm now trying to making ramen on the king's orders. I'm having a hard time with the broth though, so do you have any suggestions?」

「My mom's family runs a ramen store」

Jackpot!

「Goddess………」

「Eh?」

I grabbed Rutsuko-san's hand without thinking.

「The goddess of ramen!」

「Eh? Eh?」

The second day of making the ramen broth, morning session.

Rutsuko-san looked through every inch of the food storage and……

「It's no good」

……she said dryly. She decided to head out and go to the dungeon.

Together with the Gunmerrys, I went with her.

The destination was the 3rd floor of the Odoriji spire.

It was a safe but gory slaughterhouse.

The valuable bodies and corpses of monsters are brought here to be processed before being given back to the adventurers. Even materials that can be easily carried by individuals must clear quarantine here before they can be taken out of the dungeon.

In addition, most of the meat consumed in Lemuria is supplied by the butchering department here.

Another department here is the processing department, where monster bones, shells, and other materials that can be used as building materials or made into weapons and armor are processed.

There's also the medicinal department, which produces medical supplies and potions using the monsters' bodily fluids and excretions, as well as plants from the dungeon.

Then there's the research department that studies and analyzes unknown materials to determine if they'll have any impact on the city. There are several more smaller departments, but I don't know anything about them.

The bounty of the dungeon cannot be wasted, so the employees of the Adventurers' Guild work day and night here.

But no matter how many times I come here, I still find it a strange place.

The goods for sale are completely different from those in the city above.

Hanging from the eaves of stores and in the stalls are all sorts of monster bones, skins, scales, shells, fangs, claws, wings, eyes, tongues, ears, intestines, and brains. All in all, the lineup of products sold here is both very grotesque and fresh.

Since it's inside the dungeon, it's dimly lit, which makes it feel even more eerie.

And for whatever reason, the designs of the stores here consist of bones and flesh in shades of gray and pink………In short, they look pretty gross.

As an intermediate adventurer, I can commission things from the craftsmen here. But as Otou-san had mentioned before, many of them are eccentric people. I've never asked them to do any work for me because I don't trust them.

When commissioning weapons or armor, one is entrusting one's life to the craftsmen. I can't rely on their reputation, and I don't have the time to get to know them.

Well, because I have Makina and the dwarf-san, I may never have to worry about this.

「Souya-san」

「Yes?」

We had arrived at our destination, the butchering department. I had only been here once before to help out with something the merchant company needed.

Rutsuko-san looked unusually serious, so I answered her seriously.

「I'm rather shy, so please talk to the storekeeper for me」

「………Okay」

Now that I think about it, that's right.

Your facial expression is the only part of you that's fired up, huh?

「Sorry(excuse me)」

「What are you sorry for? What did you do?」

I misspoke, and got glared at by the middle-aged storekeeper.

Along with the Gunmerrys, Rutsuko-san hid behind my back.

「I want some dungeon pig bones」

「Bones? You'll find those in the processing department. Not here」

「No, what I'm looking for are just normal unprocessed bones」

「Then we've got some, but they're all stuff we were going to throw away though」

「May I have a look?」

「Uhhh, what do you guys want them for?」

This middle-aged guy is a pain in the ass. This isn't going to earn him any money, so I do understand why he doesn’t feel like entertaining us, but what should I do?

Offering money to a person with a peculiarly strong artisanal spirit can have an adverse effect.

Oh, I know.

「To tell you the truth, I'm trying to develop a new dish at the request of the flame religion, so if it won’t interfere with your work, I'd like to take a look」

「The flame religion………」

I brought out the name of the flame religion as a test. Considering how influential it was, I figured that I should be able to hook someone with it.

「My old man's a follower. Now that I know that, I can't just dismiss you out of hand. Come on, they're in the back. It stinks though」

I walked through the store of the butchering department and went out the back door.

I almost gagged at the strong smell of blood.

It was a strange sight. There was what looked like a pool of flesh in one area, with lots of bones sticking out of it.

「What is this?」

「This is the flesh wall of the dungeon」

Flesh wall?

「Parts of the Odoriji spire are biological. Hidden within the dungeon’s walls, it grows then forces its way out of the structure. Even the hardest dungeon pig bones will get dissolved without a trace in three days and become nourishment for it. After that, it goes round and round within the dungeon and forms into new monsters. Or at least, that's the rumor. No one has actually seen it happen though」

That's kinda scary……

「Rutsuko-san, what do you think?」

In a corner was a pile of bones that had yet to be stuck into the flesh wall, and she started picking out the ones she wanted without hesitation, giving them to the Gunmerrys to carry.

「Here's a pig knuckle bone, and another pig knuckle bone. They're cracked, which is perfect. Oh, there's a spine! I don't think I have enough pig leg bones, but I can't find any……」

She was fishing through the pig carcasses like she was picking through a bargain bin.

I watched her work for about five minutes. The whole time, the middle-aged guy was looking at Rutsuko-san with a strange look on his face.

「Souya-san! For now, I've got everything I need!」

The Gunmerrys held up the pig bones.

「Alright, I'll take all those」

「Oh, go ahead, take it」

The middle-aged guy was generously giving it all to us for free, but……

「How much for them?」

「Huhh? I'm not going to take your money for things that we were going to throw away」

「No, I'll pay for them. If they are recognized to have value, they'll become offerings to the flame religion. Considering you have followers in your family, that would bring more virtue, you see?」

To be honest, I don't think that these pig bones are of good quality. People treat garbage like crap, but the moment they find some value it, it changes the way they look at it.

It's a materialistic way of thinking, but that's just the way it is.

「O, ooh. That's true. What are you gonna do with all of that?」

「We're going to use them to make broth」

「………………Hey, is everything alright? Are things so rough at the flame religion?」

The middle-aged guy was seriously worried about me.

「It's all good. This is just one of the steps in the making of the new dish, and has nothing to do with how the flame religion's kitchen is doing」

「Then I guess I don't have to worry about my old man going hungry」

If you're going to worry about your family members, do it by their sides.

「Souya-san! Hurry, Hurry! They're just barely fresh enough, so I want to get them into the pot as soon as possible!」

「Hurry up!」

「Whoo!」

Rutsuko-san and the Gunmerrys were in high spirits.

I pressed five copper coins into the middle-aged guy's hand, and then we left the dungeon.

We stood out like a sore thumb carrying the bones through the streets, but Rutsuko-san was too excited to notice.

When we returned to the temple of the flame religion, the miko and priestess regarded us skeptically.

Not paying them any mind, we went to the kitchen and started prepping.

「First is to wash them thoroughly. Then, remove any flesh still on them and drain the blood completely. This step must be taken very seriously. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. For the knuckle and leg bones, crack them before washing」

「Understood」

I cracked the thigh bones with a hammer, then washed off the flesh and blood clinging to them. The other bones were thoroughly cleaned in a similar fashion.

The Gunmerrys were getting in our way, so I brought them out of the kitchen and had them play with the grandchildren of the followers.

「They're all clean now. The next step is to pre-boil them. They'll need to be boiled for 30 minutes, an hour, or maybe even two hours depending on how it goes. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. This is a very important step」

「Got it」

It was a trivial detail, so I didn't retort her.

The cleaned bones were put into a washed stockpot, which was then filled with water and put on the fire. And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

『………………』

Unable to bear the awkward silence, I opened my mouth.

「Rutsuko-san, when you said your mom's family runs a ramen――」

「Souya-san, be quiet. I can't hear the ingredients」

「Oh, I'm sorry」

I was scolded for talking frivolously by Rutsuko, who was standing with her hands on her hips.

What's with this vibe coming from her? It's like she's a battle-hardened warrior.

The pressure was so great that sweat was beading on my forehead, and time flew by.........not. I had woken up really early in the morning and was feeling drowsy, so I plopped my head down on a table and took a quick nap.

When Yukikaze woke me up, an hour had passed.

I helped Rutsuko-san throw out the hot water, which had a lot of scum floating on top.

Its distinctive, unpleasant smell was difficult to bear right after waking up.

「Now it's time to begin making the broth in earnest. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. I've prepared the vegetables while you were slacking off, Souya-san, but please take note of one thing」

「What is it?」

「The bones and vegetables cannot be cooked together. It takes 6 to 8 hours to make broth from the bones, but vegetables should only be boiled for less than an hour. Any longer than that and they will fall apart and spoil the broth. This time, I'm going to prepare another stockpot and boil them in a different broth, then mix them together at the end」

「Umm」

Did you just casually drop the bomb that it would take six to eight hours?!

I was hoping to have the prototype ramen done by noon and have it completed by evening though……

「Can it be any faster?」

「It can't. Souya-san, are you underestimating ramen? This is the first ramen made with ingredients from the alternate world. The fire is different from what I’m used to, and we lack the seasonings to adjust its taste. The only way to make up for the lack of ingredients is to put in more time and effort. If you make excuses about how you don't have what you need or that you can't do it, and don’t put your heart into it, the customers won't take kindly to it!」

Errr, hmmm.

Technically speaking, we aren't serving customers though.

「Also, I'm going to add pork belly to the bone broth and simmer it for two hours to let the fat and flavor mix into the broth. I was thinking of using the pork belly to make chashu[1] as well, but the seasoning………」

「Oh, right, we don't have soy sauce, do we?」

I have some soy sauce that was brought over from the modern world and some fish sauce made from sardines, but I only have enough for household consumption. If I used them for making ramen here, they wouldn't last more than three days.

「I still have some concerns, but I'll make a sweet and spicy sauce using the ingredients here and use it to marinate the pork. But I'm really worried because, for ramen, it's no exaggeration to say that 80% of the flavor is determined by the taste of the chashu」

「I'm counting on you」

I'm not going to make any rude retorts.

They must all be important, I suppose.

「From now on, it's a test of endurance. I'll keep on scooping out the scum to increase the purity of the broth. I can manage on my own, so you can go home, Souya-san」

「Huh?」

I was suddenly informed that I wasn’t needed.

「No, Rutsuko-san, if it's just removing the scum, I can help too」

「Haaa~」

She let out a deep, deep sigh.

「Souya-san, what do you mean by "just"?」

「Eh? Huh?」

I couldn’t figure out why I was being scolded for that, so I fell into confusion.

「At the bottom of your heart, you look down on ramen as a low-class dish, don't you? It's true that ramen is a dish for the masses. It's a cheap, tasty, and filling dish. But that's no reason for those cooking it to cut corners! Something like that isn't ramen! It's not! Errr………………I’m angry! That's right, I’m angry!」[2]

I guess I didn't think of it like that.

Actually, I'm kinda curious to know what your mum’s family's ramen store is like.

「Are you sure there's nothing I can help you with?」

「There isn't. You'd just distract me, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me do this alone」

「If you say so……」

It feels kinda lonely, but I don't want to participate in the broth-making process so badly that I would get in her way just to do so. This is the extent of the passion I have for ramen.

『Team member Souya, Yukikaze will stay behind and record the broth-making process』

「I'll leave you to it then. Rutsuko-san, I'm leaving Yukikaze here, so contact me if you need anything」

「………………」

Rutsuko-san was staring intently at the stockpot.

Ahh, she's not listening anymore.

[1] Japanese chashu, or braised pork belly, is made by rolling the meat into a log, then braising it over low heat in a sauce seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and sugar. That’s in contrast to the Chinese char siu, which is roasted over high heat. (pic courtesy of justonecookbook.com)

[2] She says “ぬー(nuu)” at the end there, which is a sound effect that can be used to express either anger(like “grr”, maybe?), or questioning(like “huh?”). Just making her go Grr there is really weird, and she is expressing that she’s angry, so it became how it is.

In case, it wasn’t clear, the Japanese term used there, すみません, can mean “sorry”, but it can also mean “excuse me”. Souya meant “excuse me” of course, but the storekeeper took it as “sorry”. As for Souya not retorting, I’m sure you got it after a few times, but he’s talking about how Rutsuko keeps saying that 80% of the flavor is determined by the step they’re talking about at the time, which of course, doesn’t add up.

Haha, Rutsuko to the rescue again. I loved how the goddess part was almost a word-for-word repeat of the previous chapter. But with Rutsuko in serious mode, does that mean that the broth is settled? Or will there still be problems? Stay tuned!

P.S. I know this is turning into a cooking story, but I assure you there’s plot coming lol. And it’s probably not what you’re expecting!