Chapter 6: Chicken and Palenque (2)
“Did you come alone?” I asked.
“No, I brought this guy along,” Ment said, introducing his companion.
“Hello, I’m Miltein,” said a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. If Ment was the charming middle-aged man, Miltein was the fresh-faced, handsome youth.
“He’s a junior mercenary, but he’s still a greenhorn who can’t do anything on his own yet,” Ment said, giving Miltein a playful smack on the head.
“Hey, that’s not true! I’m fully capable now,” Miltein protested.
“Not quite! Anyway, is there food available? I want to show this kid what good drink tastes like.”
Ment asked as he lightly scolded Miltein. He was a very humanly person, much like how he helped Knoll.
“You’re asking if there’s food at a restaurant? Come on in.”
Ment chuckled at my response, and I led them to a four-person table since the bar table was occupied by a sleeping dragon.
As I seated them, an idea struck me. Why not have these locals try the Palenque? It would be a good test to see if they liked chicken as much as we did.
“Actually, I’m cooking Palenque right now. Would you like to try it?”
“Palenque? You mean that monster that flies so fast it’s almost invisible?” Ment’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, that Palenque. I heard it was spotted in Limont Forest and managed to catch one.”
“Wow, the Palenque that even specialized hunters struggle to catch because it’s so fast? And you’re offering it to us?”
“Yes. I figured out how to catch it, but I’m not sure about the taste yet. So, I’d appreciate it if you could taste it for me.”
I bowed slightly, and Ment quickly stood up and returned the gesture, scratching his head.
“Well, if you insist, we’d be honored to try it.”
“Senior, what is this Palenque exactly?” Miltein asked.
“Palenque is a flying monster known for its incredible taste, according to legends.”
“And we get to try it?”
“Even I have never tasted it. It’s not a common ingredient for people like us.”
Ment started explaining the legend of Palenque to Miltein. With my goal accomplished, I headed back to the kitchen.
Preparation was already done. All that was left was to fry it.
Since I didn’t have a deep fryer, I poured cooking oil into a deep pot and started heating it. I then created a dome-shaped barrier above the pot, a simple protection spell that anyone studying magic could use. Although I focused on combat magic, I could still perform basic defensive spells.
This barrier prevented oil from splattering everywhere.
Once the oil was hot enough, I carefully dropped the battered pieces of Palenque into the pot.
Sizzling sounds filled the air as the chicken hit the hot oil.
The aroma of frying chicken began to fill the restaurant, rich and mouthwatering.
Ment and Miltein kept glancing towards the kitchen, clearly intrigued by the smell and sound. I fished out the golden-brown chicken pieces with a strainer. The aroma was intoxicating, a combination of garlic, pepper, and the unique scent of Palenque.
I sampled a piece of shoulder meat to check the texture and flavor.
Crisp.
The skin was perfectly crispy, and the meat was tender with a depth of flavor surpassing regular chicken. It was not just the seasonings; the Palenque itself had a rich, natural taste, somewhat like a savory oyster sauce but entirely unique.
No wonder it was called legendary. It was indeed better than chicken.
Feeling triumphant, I wiped the oil from my mouth. The experiment was a success. Now, I had to see if the locals liked it as much as I did.
I set aside some chicken drumsticks, wings, and a piece of breast for our dragon friend. Palenque was about twice the size of a regular chicken, similar to a turkey, so there was plenty left for our guests.
I plated the chicken beautifully and brought it to Ment and Miltein’s table, along with glasses of beer.
“You mentioned you came for soju, but this Palenque dish pairs better with beer. Try it with your hands for the best experience.”
“Is that so?”
I handed them cloth napkins to clean their hands and stepped back. Ment stared at the chicken, and Miltein followed suit.
“It looks incredibly crispy. I’ve never seen a dish like this.”
“Senior, I can’t wait any longer. Please, try it so I can too.”
Miltein’s eagerness made Ment nod. They both picked up pieces of chicken and took a bite.
“Oh! Senior, this is amazing! I’ve never tasted meat like this. The skin is so delicious!”
“Ugh! And the beer is perfect with it, Senior!”
While Miltein was vocal about his delight, Ment silently enjoyed the food, alternating between chicken and beer, clearly impressed.
“Ugh?”
Roused by the noise, Rurin stretched and looked around groggily. She glanced at the two at the table and then back at me.
“Wake up already. Otherwise, you’ll be up all night again.”
“No, I’ll sleep.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What is ‘yeah, right’?”
“Never mind. Here, try this.”
I wiped the drool from her mouth and offered the chicken I had set aside. Rurin looked puzzled.
“What is this? It looks strange!”
“It’s the Palenque dish I mentioned.”
“This?”
She scrutinized it before popping the whole piece into her mouth.
“Hey, you’re supposed to remove the bones.”
Even though her human form had human teeth, she shook her head.
Her cheeks bulged as she chewed. She pulled out the cleanly picked bone with a satisfied grunt.
“Oh! This is delicious! The crispy outside and the chewy inside are fantastic. It really does go well with beer!”
Watching her expertly eat the drumstick, I was amazed. She was a true foodie. As I stood there stunned, Rurin gestured for more.
“Hehe, it’s tasty. But there’s not enough!”
“I gave the rest to the customers.”
“What!”
She waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry. We’ll catch more tomorrow. Now that I know it’s good, we can get plenty.”
“Alright. I’ll be patient for a day. I’m generous, you know.”
“Generous? Our dragon, generous?”
“In my dream, you were on your knees begging me to hug you. It made me feel magnanimous. Hehe.”
Rurin laughed as she sipped her beer.
What kind of dream was that? Me on my knees, begging for a hug? Ridiculous.
As I shook my head at the dragon’s wild dreams, Ment and Miltein finished eating and stood up. I left Rurin to approach their table.
“This was an unexpected treat. Haha.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
Seeing them enjoy the dish so thoroughly was rewarding. I felt a sense of accomplishment.
“This dish goes perfectly with beer. I might want to eat it again, but it’s such a rare ingredient. By the way, how much do we owe you?”
“Well, as I said, it was a tasting, so just pay for the beer.”
“What?”
Ment looked shocked and shook his head.
“We can’t possibly. This was so delicious.”
“I did say it was a tasting. Charging you would be more absurd.”
“But… no other place would fill us up with a tasting menu, and it was so good.”
Ment looked troubled. Then he had an idea and clapped his hands, turning to Miltein.
“What if we held the pre-festival here?”
Miltein, wiping his greasy mouth, raised his hand eagerly.
“If Senior says so, I agree! I also like this restaurant. Have I ever disagreed with you? Haha!”
“You cheeky brat!”
Ment playfully smacked Miltein again before turning back to me.
“We have a mercenary group’s dinner in three days. We’re guarding a large caravan, so the whole group is mobilizing. We thought it would be nice to have a pre-festival to wish for success and boost morale. Would you be able to prepare for that?”
“Are you the leader of the mercenary group, Mr. Ment?”
“Oh no.”
Ment quickly waved his hand.
“We’re just a group of like-minded people. There’s no real leader. I’m just one of the seniors, so they tend to follow my suggestions. A leader’s title wouldn’t suit me. Haha.”
“I see. How many people are we talking about?”
Whether Ment was the leader or not didn’t matter to me. I’ve seen mercenary leaders from the capital bow their heads to me before, but now, I’m just a chef. What mattered was the number of people I’d be cooking for.
“Fourteen, including me.”
Fourteen was the maximum capacity for the restaurant.
“Fourteen is doable.”
This would be the largest group since I opened the restaurant.
I felt a bit nervous, like I was stepping onto the battlefield for the first time.
It was a bit of an exaggeration, of course.
Back then, I was just a rookie who couldn’t do anything from nerves.
