Adelia was standing in front of Nekoya’s door, as always. Thinking back on what’d happened seven days earlier, however, made her hesitate. “Jeez. What am I going to do?”
It’d all started when she’d slain a flying dragon that appeared in town. Flying dragons were frequently called “false dragons.” Their forms mirrored the gods’, but false dragons lacked the latter’s intelligence and ability to breathe fire. They were extremely vicious. Only someone who could soar through the air could fight false dragons with any ease, so Adelia had defeated it using the wings, talons, and tail she’d acquired through the Lord of Green’s power.
False dragons were fierce foes, but their bodies were extremely useful. Their scales could produce armor harder than steel. Leather acquired from flying dragon carcasses made for tough coats, and their bones and tendons were great for crafting powerful bows.
Adelia had felled the flying dragon with a powerful kick, cracking its skull and sending it tumbling to the ground. Its carcass was butchered and given to the townsfolk. Since Adelia’s physical strength exceeded the power of any equipment that could be crafted from the carcass, the locals had given her a ton of dragon meat instead.
Adelia was a beast person with the blood of wolves flowing through her, so she didn’t mind eating meat, up to a point. However, she’d received too much to eat dried, given dried dragon meat’s saltiness. Even if she shared the meat with Carlos and the others, she still would’ve had way too much for her lifestyle in the mountains.
Adelia had then thought of some friends who might appreciate the dragon meat. Her fatal mistake had been remembering that idea after exiting the restaurant; she’d meant to tell the master about her gift for him and his employees before she left.
According to a human she’d gotten to know at Nekoya, the master held on to items forgotten at the restaurant for years at a time. He wouldn’t just take something without confirming that it was a gift. But the dragon meat wouldn’t last long raw. Now, seven days later, Adelia was sure it would be spoiled.
“Still, I have to say something,” she murmured. She steeled herself. Opening the door to the sound of a bell ringing, she passed through. Aletta, the waitress with horns like those of a follower of Chaos, noticed Adelia right away.
“Welcome, uh…Adelia!” she said, face surprised. “Um, do you have a moment? The master told me to let him know as soon as you came back. It’s about the bag you forgot last time.”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Adelia smiled apologetically. She assumed they’d treated the bag like a forgotten item, since she left it without explaining. “Um, I’m really sorry about all this. It’s…”
Aletta’s response wasn’t what Adelia expected. “Um…so, the master preserved the meat in the bag. He’d like you to take it home with you.”
Adelia cocked her head. “You mean…he dried the meat?” She realized that the restaurant cooked more than just the Spanish omelets she loved, but she hadn’t known it sold preserved foods.
“It looks like dried meat, but…well, the master said he didn’t want to feed a customer anything that tasted weird. So, he got me to try it, and it was delicious! Let me take you to a table.”
“Oh…all right,” said Adelia. “Huh.”
Aletta’s words were a relief; the meat apparently hadn’t gone to waste. If it was still good, Adelia wanted everyone at the restaurant to have some. Before she could say as much, Aletta left to call the master. Soon he came out holding the bag of preserved meat.
“I’m really sorry about this,” Adelia said.
“The raw meat wouldn’t have lasted until you came back, so…”
“No, no—it’s fine that you preserved it! Actually, I’d gotten my hands on some fairly rare meat. I couldn’t eat it all myself, so I wanted to share it with you,” she explained. “I forgot to tell you before I left last time, though.”
“Wait—really?”
Adelia’s words were a relief to the master, since he’d touched a customer’s property without asking. Luckily Adelia was fine with it; he couldn’t have done anything if she’d been displeased.
“Hmm…that does present a puzzle,” the master continued. “I made this jerky specifically for you.”
The jerky tasted perfectly fine; he’d checked the flavor and was quite happy with it. But since Adelia brought the meat to Nekoya specifically for him and his employees, just giving it back would be rude. Still, as far as the master was concerned, it’d be weird to keep all of something he’d planned to return since last week.
“Well, that meat was for you guys. So, please, enjoy it.” Adelia smiled.
“Hmm.” After thinking for a moment, the master came up with a solution. “Since we got our hands on something rare, how about we share it?”
“Huh? No, it’s totally fine,” Adelia demurred.
“To be totally honest, when I made this, I really hoped you’d give it a try,” the master continued. “I’ve never made jerky with that cut of meat before, so I was eager to see what someone else from the other side thought. Aletta, one of the waitresses, said it was delicious. It might not be your thing, but could you try it anyway?”
Adelia felt it’d be rude to keep turning the master down at this point. She nodded. “All right, if you insist.”
“Thank goodness. I’ll bring some out after your meal. What would you like today?” the master asked with a smile.
“Uh, the usual, please.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
Adelia enjoyed her Spanish omelet to its fullest. Afterward, the master brought her a pretty box full of her portion of the gift they’d shared. She took it home just after noon.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day, in her simple room, Adelia shot a puzzled look at the gift she’d received from the master. Inside the box was a bag of a material she’d never seen. It was clear enough to see through and had been tightly sealed without a string or seaweed.
“What’s this made from?” she murmured. According to the master, if I pull the top parts of the bag to the sides, it’ll open. And if I pinch the round part running across the top and slide it, I can close it.
Within the see-through bag was what appeared to be thinly shaved dried meat made from the raw flying dragon Adelia had left at the restaurant. The meat had originally been pink but was now as dark as her own skin.
Dried meat, huh?
The flying dragon was seasoned with who knew what. Upon further inspection, the red dots decorating the meat were likely a spice. Adelia sniffed them; they were, in fact, chili pepels. Their smell mixed with the scent of garlik, a vegetable often used at the Restaurant to Another World.
To a beast person like Adelia with a great sense of smell, the dried meat also had a mysterious aroma—the same scent that came from a few dishes served at Nekoya. She tried to suss out the seasoning from smell alone.
If I remember right, one of the bottles on the restaurant tables has the same scent. I think it’s called soy sauce. Many moons ago, the master had told Adelia that soy sauce was used to flavor certain dishes, but was tremendously salty and often didn’t complement the foods Nekoya served.
Dragon meat itself was uncommon, so overall, Adelia couldn’t be sure how the master had seasoned it. Yet she also knew he’d never give her something unappetizing; he always served customers bizarre-but-delicious dishes.
I suppose I’ll give it a shot. Determined, Adelia bit into a piece of jerky.
Yeah…it’s salty. However, the taste was different from plain salt. It permeated the jerky completely and fused with the spicy chili pepel and aromatic garlik, creating a totally unfamiliar flavor. Mmm…but it’s actually kind of good.
As the beast woman’s powerful jaw chewed the jerky, its flavor transformed. The bone-dry meat moistened in her mouth, and flavor poured out with each bite. Dragon meat was typically lean and mildly flavored, but the dried meat’s strong seasonings gave it a gentle but rich taste. Adelia felt as if she wanted to keep chomping on it forever.
Soon, she swallowed the meat and its mysterious flavor. When the jerky vanished from her mouth, its taste did, too, which left Adelia feeling slightly abandoned. If someone had asked her whether she was satisfied, she would’ve answered that she wasn’t.