I Became a Druid in Another World

There were plenty of snacks to buy in the city, and the innkeeper's cooking skills were excellent, so there was never any need to cook myself. However, at this late hour, there was nowhere open to buy food, nor could I ask someone to cook, so I had no choice but to do it myself.

I headed downstairs. Since it was closer to dawn than night, the dining area was dim.

"Legion."

I picked up a candlestick. With a small burst of Legion flame, the candle was lit and the room was illuminated. I walked around, lit the candles on the wall, and then went into the kitchen.

True to the innkeeper's skill, the kitchen was neatly organized with various tools. I reached for the sharpest of the well-maintained knives.

"Who's there?"

Just then, someone appeared from beyond the dining room. It was a familiar voice. The innkeeper who looked like she had just woken up rubbed her eyes as she stared at me. In her other hand, she was holding a sturdy hammer.

"It's me. Theodore."

"Th-The druid?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What are you doing at this hour…?"

Phew. The innkeeper let out a sigh of relief before clutching her chest as she set the hammer down on the table with a heavy thud. It made a rather intimidating sound.

"I'm sorry. My companion is very hungry…"

"Your companion… Ah, that handsome guy?"

Handsome… Well, to be honest, Lloyd was quite good-looking. I was the "druid guy" and Lloyd was the "handsome guy". I felt a bit awkward but nodded my head.

"He's been eating nothing but jerky and biscuits for days."

"That's not right!"

"Exactly."

"He's got to eat well if he wants to keep that body in shape!"

…When did she even get a look at his body? I glanced at the innkeeper with an awkward expression again, then nodded. Ahem, ahem. Why did I feel the need to clear my throat?

"That's what I've been saying. So…"

"So?"

"If you wouldn't mind…"

"Oh my, cooking at this hour is a bit difficult."

The innkeeper waved her hands dismissively. I hastily intervened.

"Of course. I'm not trying to be shameless and ask you to cook for us. I just wanted to borrow your kitchen for a bit. And some ingredients. I'll pay you properly for them, of course."

"…Hmm."

The innkeeper tilted her head from side to side as if pondering.

"I'll be very careful with everything. And I'm not asking for ingredients you need for tomorrow's business."

"Well then… Hmm. I do have some fish."

"Fish would be perfect."

"But I wonder if outsiders will be able to eat it."

The innkeeper hummed thoughtfully for a while, then pushed past me and went into the kitchen. She rummaged around and pulled out a wooden box. Inside the box that was covered with ice from a cold-preserving spell were some ordinary fish and…

"That's…"

"You know what it is?"

The innkeeper pointed to one that looked quite different from the others. It was black, long, and sleek, the kind of thing most people would find off-putting unless it was already cooked.

Eel. It's eel.

Yes, eel. The very thing known for its great restorative properties! What do they call it here again…?

"Long blackfish. It's caught in the river around here every fall. Outsiders wouldn't know about it."

"Haha, I've seen it somewhere before."

"So, you really have been a mercenary for a long time! It must be true!"

"It is true."

I had eel before. Only occasionally. Like when there was someone to treat, or for my father's birthday. Times like that.

"This one's not meant to be eaten right away, so it's fine to use it…"

"Thank you."

"Oh my, do you know how to cook it? That's really surprising!"

"Hahaha. People who don't know that eel…I mean long blackfish is a delicacy are missing out."

"Right, right!"

The innkeeper excitedly pulled out the eels. One, two, three. I gulped as I watched the three eels laid out on the cutting board.

"But long blackfish has a lot of bones, so you have to boil it for a long time to eat it properly… Will that be okay?"

"Well, I plan to cook it a different way."

"A different way? There's another way? Is it Roshan-style?"

If I had to be specific, it's Korean-style. I shrugged and gave a small grin.

"It's just something I picked up somewhere."

"Oh my… I'm curious now. If you have time later, you must tell me how it's done."

"I'll do that."

"Yaaawn, I'm getting sleepy. Well then, good night."

"Goodnight."

"That man sure has a good friend, a really good friend…"

The innkeeper picked up the hammer that had been left on the table and went back.

".….."

Alright then, it's just me and the eel now. A one-on-one battle.

I stared at the eel laid out on the cutting board for a moment, then picked up the gleaming sashimi knife.

When it comes to eel, there's really only one thing.

Grilled eel.

Sure, you can make soup or steam it, but nothing beats grilled eel when it comes to eel dishes. It's the best for restoring energy, and it's exactly what Lloyd needs right now.

First, the head…

I used to be someone who couldn't even grill a single mackerel properly, but during my time in this pseudo-medieval land, I had become proficient at preparing fish. I could probably open a sashimi restaurant if I ever returned to my original world.

-Thwack!!!

-Thwack!!!

-Thwack!!!

I chopped off the eel's head and skillfully sliced open the flesh. Just like the innkeeper had said, eels have a lot of bones. Especially small, fine bones. In this world, people usually considered fish with too many fine bones as low-quality, often discarding them or, like the innkeeper, boiling them down until they practically dissolved.

However, for grilled eel, the bones and small spines must be meticulously removed. Of course, being Korean, I could easily chew through fine bones without any trouble, but… since it's been a while since I've had eel, I figured I'd put in a bit more care!

After carefully deboning and trimming the eel, it transformed into the familiar sight I knew well. A thin elongated fillet. I took out coarse salt, scrubbed the slimy residue off the eel's skin, rinsed it thoroughly under running water, and then patted it dry with a cloth.

Prepping eel takes longer than I thought.

In the past, I only knew how to buy it ready-made; I never realized how much work went into preparing it. I wiped away some sweat and made a few shallow cuts into the well-prepared eel. It was to remove any remaining bones and make the meat even more tender.

Just finishing the trimming felt like half the battle. I grabbed the eel and went out through the small door at the back of the kitchen. After setting up the firewood neatly, I called out.

"Legion, full power on the flames."

[Theo, be careful.]

"Mhmm."

-Whoooosh!!!!!

Legion's black flames erupted over the firewood. It quickly turned into perfect charcoal that was emitting just the right amount of heat. I placed a thin metal grate over the coals and set the eel on top.

Eel should always be grilled starting with the flesh.

That was something my father used to say every time we went to a grilled eel restaurant. He insisted that grilling the skin first caused it to curl up and ruin the dish. He always said that if you grilled the belly until it was golden and then flipped it, everything would go smoothly from there.

Come to think of it, he also told me that the "Pungcheon" in Pungcheon eel wasn't a place name but referred to eels that swam into rivers carried by the wind. "Pung" meant wind, and "cheon" meant river. Thanks to his little trivia, I always shared that story with people whenever we ate eel. When I recalled those memories, a bittersweet smile crept onto my face.

While the eel was grilling, I started preparing rice and seasoning. There wasn't any rice, but I figured if I mixed wheat and barley and steamed it, it would at least resemble rice somewhat. After all, you can't eat grilled eel with bread. As for the seasoning, I planned to make an approximation. Without soy sauce or red chili paste, it would just be a poor imitation, but I thought I'd give it a try.

Fortunately, the kitchen had demi-glace sauce and some well-dried peperoncino. I ground the peperoncino into powder and added it to the demi-glace sauce, bringing it to a boil. Then, with a little salt and pepper, I thickened it into a paste…

"Hmm, this should do…"

When I tasted it, it wasn't bad. I could probably pass it off as a spicy soy sauce.

[Theo. Me too. Me too.]

"This is spicy, though."

[Theo. Spicy. What is it?]

"Oh, you don't know what 'spicy' means yet, huh?"

[Theo. I don't know. Spicy.]

"Spicy is… well, it's like… it feels like fire is coming out of your mouth…"

[Theo. My mouth. Fire comes out.]

"…Right. You do breathe fire, don't you?"

How could I explain this? After thinking it over for a while, I came to the conclusion that the only way to understand it was to experience it. In the end, I dipped my pinky into the sauce and gave it to Legion to taste. And then…

"...!"

-Whoooosh!!!!!

Legion stretched his neck upward and breathed out fire. Yeah, exactly. That's what happens when something's too spicy, fire comes out of your mouth. I chuckled quietly and waited for the flames to stop. Legion puffed out his chest; he started flapping his wings wildly and swinging his tail back and forth.

"See? I told you it was spicy."

[Theo! Theo!]

"Alright, alright. Just wait a moment."

I pulled out some milk from my pouch and fed it to Legion. After nearly downing the entire bottle, Legion finally seemed to calm down as he stuck out his tongue.

In the meantime, the eel's first round of grilling was done. I carefully brushed the hastily assembled sauce over the nicely cooked eel, then flipped it over a low flame and let it grill slowly so the seasoning could seep in. As the eel cooked at a slow pace, the delicious aroma filled the air.

This should be a success!

I cut the grilled eel into bite-sized pieces and placed them on a plate with thinly sliced ginger on the side. Instead of green onions, I sprinkled a little parsley powder on top… and that was it.

"Wow, it actually looks pretty good!"

The smell was sweet with a hint of spiciness, and though it didn't match my memories perfectly, it looked familiar enough. Gulp. Without realizing it, I swallowed my saliva as I scooped the prepared "rice" into a stew bowl. It wasn't real rice, so it lacked any stickiness and was rather crumbly… but you make do with what you have. In this pseudo-medieval world, replicating this much was an achievement in itself!

I placed the food on a wooden tray and carried it upstairs. Lloyd was waiting in the room; he looked much cleaner than before.

"This is…"

"It's grilled long blackfish. And this is rice, well, actually steamed grains."

"This is the first time I've seen such food."

"It's something I used to eat occasionally in my hometown. I found some downstairs, and though it's not perfect, it should be decent."

"…Thank you."

We sat down at the table and began eating.

"Mm…"

"How is it?"

"It's delicious. A taste I've never had before."

Fortunately, it seemed to suit Lloyd's palate. I picked up my fork feeling relieved. Eating grilled eel with a fork felt pretty awkward, though…

"Ah…"

The moment the eel that was coated in a sweet and spicy sauce touched my mouth, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of satisfaction. Ah, this would go so well with soju! Well, in its absence, white wine will have to do. I pulled out some white wine from my space ring, poured myself a glass, and downed it in one go. Incredible!

"By the way, Theodore."

"Y-Yes? What is it?"

"…Why are you only eating the tail?"

Cough. Cough. Gulp. I nearly choked. Whew… I rolled my eyes a bit, cleared my throat, and calmly replied.

"Well, naturally…"

"Naturally?"

"Since the body should go to Lloyd, who worked so hard."

Even if I seem shameless, I can't give up the tail!

[Theo. Then. Me too.]

"O-Oh, right. Here, here. Ah~."

But I can't say no to Legion. I fed him a piece of the eel tail and wiped the sauce from his mouth. He sure knows what's good!

"Eat plenty, Legion."