Chapter 19: The Doctor's Dinner (2)
“Would you like to stand up for a moment?”
Seeing her long ears, I realized the woman bowing before me was an elf. An elf in Greiks City, something I had heard of before but never seen.
Anyway, if she was an elf, the situation was clear. She must have figured out Rurin’s true identity with her ability to see through lies.
“Who exactly are you? How can you treat the great being like that…! Oh, could you be…”
“I am fully aware she is a dragon. Our relationship is rather special, and it’s a bit complicated to explain.”
“A special relationship?”
The elf blinked in disbelief, her eyes still filled with fear.
“But more importantly, Miss Elf. You know that the fact there’s a dragon in Greiks City is a secret, right?”
“Y-Yes, I don’t intend to bring doom upon my kin. Which bold elf would go around blabbing about a dragon’s leisure?”
That was obvious. Blabbing about a dragon’s secret would only lead to severe retribution.
“In that case, please stand up. Anyway, it’s best not to think too deeply about my relationship with the dragon.”
“Is that also a secret of the great being?”
“Indeed.”
“You are human, right? I mean, you do look human, but…”
“I am human. Definitely human. So, please don’t be so afraid.”
“But…”
“I used to be a renowned wizard, but now I’m a retired restaurant owner. I chose to retire because I was tired of fighting, so in a way, you could say I have something in common with elves.”
“A renowned wizard…?”
“I was also called a Grand Wizard by some. Maybe you’ll understand if I tell you I was a companion of Bedden, your elf hero.”
“Is that true?”
The elf looked at me with a face full of shock, finding it hard to believe everything she was hearing. But noble elves do not lie and have the ability to see through others’ lies, so she must have realized the truth after looking into my eyes.
“It seems to be true… You were really with Bedden!”
“Yes, so I am not a bad person. But beyond that, it’s connected to the dragon’s secrets, so could you let it slide? This could be considered a bit of a threat, but rest assured, there won’t be any rampaging dragons. That’s also the truth.”
I stared into the elf’s eyes.
She must have known I wasn’t lying. Only then did the elf cautiously, very cautiously, stand up.
“Everything you said seems to be true. Then I’ll pretend I don’t know. I don’t want to get too involved with dragons. It’s an unspoken rule, after all.”
“Exactly. Now, let’s forget about the dragon. By the way, Miss Elf, what’s your name?”
“I am… Elena.”
“Your name starts with an ‘El’ like mine. I’m El.”
“Oh, yes, I heard from Rein.”
The elf, who introduced herself as Elena, nodded. Then she looked around nervously, her expression turning awkward.
She was scared to stay in a place where a dragon lived, but leaving right after entering the restaurant seemed impolite.
She was the type whose thoughts showed clearly on her face. She probably couldn’t tell a lie.
“Please, relax. This is just a regular restaurant. That dragon’s name is Rurin, and she isn’t bad. As long as she’s with me, there’s no danger. So, are you here for a meal? If so, please sit down. I’m sorry for startling you, so I’ll serve you something delicious. You don’t need to be suspicious. I’m not a bad person, really.”
“That… seems true, but…”
Elena still looked hesitant, but she eventually sat down at the bar table I indicated.
Bam!
Crash!
From below the restaurant, the sound of construction echoed loudly. I told them to be gentle, but they were breaking things in their usual rough manner.
“W-What was that?”
The elf reacted sensitively to the noise, looking around nervously.
“It’s nothing. Just some ground shaking. So, what would you like to eat?”
“Oh, I can only eat vegetables. Rein told me this place could make delicious dishes with just vegetables, so I came to see if that’s possible…”
Elena mumbled in a very unsure tone, still subdued by Rurin.
Honestly, her reaction was the right way to approach a dragon. To be tense, to revere, that’s how one should deal with dragons.
But that wasn’t the issue now. Vegetable dishes…
Of course, it was possible.
There were many delicious dishes made only from vegetables. It wouldn’t be difficult at all.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make you a delicious vegetable dish. By the way, how strict are your dietary restrictions?”
This was important. To what extent she couldn’t eat certain foods. If she was a true vegetarian, she might only eat greens.
If not, the options would be broader.
“Just meat. As long as it’s not animal flesh, it’s fine.”
“Oh, you can eat anything except meat?”
“Yes, I’m not a vegetarian. I just can’t digest meat.”
That was a relief.
In that case, the range wasn’t too limited.
“Got it. I’ll make you a tasty dish without any meat.”
“Really? I’ve eaten many dishes without meat, but often I found raw vegetables tastier.”
As the elf nodded expectantly,
“Oh! What’s this? Customers today? Hahaha.”
A loud voice echoed. It was a familiar voice. Knoll had entered the restaurant, striding in.
Interestingly, he wasn’t with Rein this time. He was accompanied by a young man I hadn’t seen before.
“My nephew needed some advice, so we came! Now, bring out the ooba belly.”
Knoll, now a complete ooba belly enthusiast, spoke heartily and sat down with his nephew at a four-person table.
Elena, who didn’t seem to know Knoll was Rein’s husband, glanced at the two men and then lost interest.
“Got it. Please wait a moment.”
I headed straight to the pantry.
I planned to make Elena’s dish first. She ordered first, after all.
When thinking of vegetable dishes, many options came to mind. Since she could eat anything except meat, pasta seemed perfect. Strictly speaking, pasta is a noodle dish, but it can be delicious without meat.
If the tomatoes are tasty, that’s all that matters. If you bring out the best flavor from the tomatoes, you can create a rich dish without meat.
This world also had tomatoes, and they were quite delicious. The climate in this area resembled that of the Andes, the tomato’s native land, and the tomatoes here had a crisp sweetness similar to apples.
First, I coated the pan with olive oil. The best vegetable oil, olive oil, was perfect for her. The olive oil I used was top quality, extra virgin, with bits of olive flesh floating in it. I finely chopped onions and garlic and sautéed them in the pan. The key was to chop them quickly and finely.
Sizzle!
The smell that wafted from the pan as the onions and garlic sautéed in the olive oil was indescribable. Especially as the onions browned, the scent became incredibly appetizing. Combined with the aroma of garlic, it could fill one’s stomach just from the smell.
Next, tomatoes.
I crushed fresh tomatoes, let them simmer, seasoned them with pepper, and boiled the pasta. It was important to cook the pasta in hard water.
Even in modern times, particularly in broth-based Eastern cuisines, soft water is used, while hard water is used in most Western cuisines.
This made a significant difference.
The representative hard water was the underground aquifer water flowing beneath this hill. The groundwater here was rich in calcium and minerals. This hard water had the property of firming the noodles. It was an unwritten rule to use hard water for cooking pasta to achieve the perfect texture and firmness.
For everything else, soft water was used. Soft water referred to regular water, which I supplied using my Waterfall magic.
The distinction between hard and soft water was based on their mineral content.
With fresh ingredients, the right water, and some monten mushrooms, you could make a truly delicious pasta.
Watching the process, Elena seemed to have finally shaken off some of her fear of the dragon and let out a sigh of admiration.
“Oh my, the colors are beautiful.”
“Yes, the red is filled with sunlight.”
“I’ve never seen a dish like this before…”
I placed the finished dish in front of her.
Elena carefully twirled some pasta around her fork. The look on the elf’s face was filled with curiosity. She seemed genuinely interested in the dish.
Clearly, her desire to eat and get away from the dragon had been significantly overshadowed by her curiosity about the food.
Leaving her to enjoy her meal, I moved to prepare Knoll’s ooba belly.
“Here’s the ooba belly.”
“Oh, yes! Nelin, try this. It’s incredibly delicious.”
Knoll glanced at the ooba belly and gestured for some soju.
Elena was surprisingly slurping up her pasta noisily. The sound was quite satisfying. She gripped the fork tightly, slurping up the noodles. Even when her blonde hair dipped into the tomato sauce, she didn’t seem to care, continuing to eat with gusto. As this was her first time eating pasta, she hadn’t yet learned the technique of twirling it with a spoon.
“How is it?”
When I asked, Elena looked up from her plate and smiled. She was beautiful when she smiled. Though, thanks to Rurin’s training, I was unfazed by it.
“It’s delicious! This is my first time eating such a well-cooked vegetable dish. Is this what cooking is? I always ate raw vegetables…!”
Her enthusiastic reaction was incredibly rewarding. Elves had no concept of cooking. Bedden, the elf I once traveled with, had the same reaction.
Feeling satisfied with her reaction, I overheard Knoll and his nephew’s conversation. Their voices were loud, even considering the small size of the restaurant.
“Is your arm okay?”
“Yes, but I think I’ll need to take a break from the mines until it heals. I had to leave work early today because of it. But it feels uncomfortable going home.”
“You find your home uncomfortable? What do you mean?”
“Uncle, you knew that my mother isn’t my biological mother, right?”
“What? How did you find out?”
“I know everything. I’ve found out everything! So don’t lie to me. I thought she was my real mother for 20 years, but she wasn’t. Everything is so confusing, I don’t know what to do!”
“So, what did you do? How did you treat Mrs. Mei?”
“I don’t know. I was so shocked after finding out she wasn’t my real mother for 20 years. I just called her ‘aunt’.”
“What did you say?”
Judging by Knoll’s reaction, he seemed very flustered. Understandably so.
“Of course…”
Elena, who had overheard, mumbled something while wiping her mouth with a napkin. Her plate was clean.
“Pardon?”
“Humans seem to lack affection. If someone has raised you for 20 years, there should be a deep bond of love. I run a clinic in the city, but I constantly feel disappointed in humans. I don’t quite understand them. I haven’t made a single close friend.”
Elena whispered softly, shaking her head. She was about to get up, but I stopped her.
“Wait a moment, Elena.”
“Yes?”
“You have sauce in your hair.”
“What?”
The elf, flustered, took the towel I handed her. Meanwhile, Knoll and his nephew continued their conversation.