Al-sama continued to laugh for a while until he started coughing and choking.
ââWas funny~?ââ
â... Cough. Sorry. I was too surprised by the words I had not expected.â
ââUniyu?ââ
âI was expecting that you would reply to Takumiâs âYou did well bringing it overâ with âItâs done~â or âWe brought itâ like usual, so I did not think you would say âSomehowâ there.â
ââI see~ââ
Allen and Elena found the laughter strange, but it seems that they understood(?) with Al-samaâs explanation.
ââOnii~chan.ââ
âN? Whatâs up?â
âWe want to.â
âEat that~â
âThat? This thing!?â
ââThat~ââ
After Allen and Elena understood, they changed their mind to âDonât care about the laughter anymoreâ and started saying that they want to eat the Water Horse meat they got for me.
ââAs is~ââ
âA, as is!?â
ââYup!ââ
By as is, do they want me to whole roast the meat of this size?
I have no confidence that it will get cooked properly in the middle, you know!?
âTh, that would be a bit impossible, I think~â
ââEhhh~~~ââ
âEven if I only use salt and pepper, it would take a long time for the fire to cook the insides, and itâs likely that the outside will get burnt in the meanwhile. It might be possible to cook the inside nicely with fire magic, but I have basically not used fire magic before~â
ââDo it~ââ
I have been granted âFire Magicâ by the Fire God Salamanteel-sama, but I have used it only a couple of times. I wouldnât have a problem using it to thoroughly burn monsters to defeat them, but thatâs totally different from a minute adjustment of the heat level. Vector is surely much more capable in that aspect than me. Well, Vector is still undergoing special training, though!
But, it does not seem that Allen and Elena will give up. Now then, this is troubling.
N~... what do I do~ âAh!
âNajack-sama!â
âYes, what is it?â
Najack-sama is a person of the Ignis Household. The Ignis Household is famous for producing knights specializing in fire magic one after another!
âYou specialize in fire magic, right?â
âYes, but I am still considered a greenhorn.â
âWhat are you sayingââTakumi, Najack is quite the master of fire magic.â
Najack-sama was humble, but Al-sama promptly objected.
If Al-sama says so, then he must be considerably skilled. Then, letâs have him roast this meat!
âWonât you cook this meat inside out as it is, please?â
ââRoast~ââ
â... Eh?â
Allen and Elena looked up at Najack-sama and pleaded.
âThese children want to eat this meat as it is no matter what, it seems. As I said before, it wonât cook properly on the open fire, and I am not that skilled with fire magic myself, so I would like to ask you to do it, Najack-sama.â
âNo, however... I have never used fire magic for cooking myself before, so...â
I thought so. Few people would use fire magic to cook their meat. Most likely, the son of a noble would never even cook himself.
âWe wonât say a word of complaint if you fail!â
ââWonât say~!ââ
Allen and Elena are saying that they wonât complain if he fails. They probably wonât sulk even if the meat gets wasted.
âAhh, cooking it in hand might be difficult, no? I will prepare it right away.â
I placed a tray-like thingy made from iron on the ground, placed the meat on top of it, and carried it before Najack-sama who had a hard time rejecting.
âPreparations.â
âComplete~â
Allen and Elena stared at Najack-sama as if saying âGo ahead!â.
âEeeh!?â
âKukuku.â
Al-sama started laughing at the baffled Najack-sama.
âYour Highness, please stop laughing and help me out here!â
âY, you just have to do it, no? Fufu, they are saying that even a failure is acceptable anyway.â
âYour Highness!?â
âThe magic used should be the elementary level âHeatâ, all thatâs left is to adjust the temperature with magical power, yes? Certainly, a degree of skill would be necessary to cook it whole equally.â
âClaudio, please stop with that calm analysis of yours!â
Najack-sama showed frustration he had not shown up until now.
Allen and Elena approached such Najack-sama and pulled on his clothes.
âIs fine~â
âCan do it~â
Being assured by the two, Najack-sama hung his head down despondently.
âHaah~ I got it, I got it.ââAllen, Elena, you really wonât complain if I fail, right?â
ââWonât!ââ
Al-sama was holding back his laughter, but Allen and Elena reaffirmed.
âWill get.â
âAnother one~â
The two declared âWonâtâ but what they meant is that they wonât give up on the manga meat and will hunt more of the same meat without any problems.
â... I, I see. Well, fine.ââNajack, you are trying to cook, but there wonât be a problem if you turn it to ashes! Think of it as testing your skills.â
â... I understand.â
Being pushed by Al-sama, Najack-sama reluctantly acknowledged and extended his hands towards the meat.
âOh fire, raise up âHeatâ.â
When Najack-sama activated the magic, steam raised from the meat, and the fragrance of roasted meat spread around.
âI am not sure about the central part, but... how about this?â
ââOhh~ ama~zing!ââ
âThank you very much, Najack-sama.â
âYep, yep, it looks good, Najack.â
Being praised by Al-sama, Najack-samaâs expression turned a bit shy.
âAllen, Elena, you guys should properly thank Najack-sama too.â
ââYea! ââThank you!ââ
âNo, I am glad I could be of use. Rather than that, you said you wanted to eat that meat as it is, but how will you go about that?â
Now that I think about it, how do Allen and Elena want to eat that meat?
If they wanted to cut it up, there was no need to roast it as is in the first place, no?
ââNibble~ââ
â......â
Najack-sama who confirmed with the children sunk into silence while Al-sama burst into laughter once again.
Well, I thought so. Thereâs no other way~
The manners are not too good, but itâs not like I donât understand the feelings of wanting to try to eat it as it is, so I will shut my eyes this time.
âAllen, Elena. Are you fine with salt and pepper then?â
ââYup!ââ
âItâs hot, so be careful not to scald yourselves.â
ââYeee~s.ââ
When I sprinkled the meat over with salt and pepper, Allen and Elena immediately held up the meat on both ends and bit down.
Seeing the children bury their faces into the meat that was bigger than their heads was one of a kind of spectacle.
âIs it tasty?â
With their cheeks stuffed, the children nodded while chewing and bitting.
ââDelish!ââ
After sinking in their teeth to satisfaction, they chewed for a while then finally gave their impressions.
âOnii~chan too.â
âSay ahh~â
âMe too!?â
ââYup!ââ
Then, the pushed out the meat to me and urged me to take a bite.
ââQuickly~ââ
It couldnât be helped, so I also took a bite of the meat.
The two who watched me with smiles of all people presented the meat to Al-sama next.
âOh, I can have a bite too?â
ââYea!ââ
Unexpectedly, Al-sama was very willing as he bit down without any hesitation.
âYeah, itâs tasty. Rather, eating in a way like this is quite a unique experience.â
Allen and Elena continued and presented the meat to the three knights. Well, Kevin-sama was immediately on board, but Najack-sama and Claudio-sama were hesitating considerably. But, being stared at by Allen and Elena who were urging them âQuicklyâ, the two had no choice but to have their turn.