“Master Jonas, how do you like raw crab?”
“Very. Delicious.” The way he punctuated the two words, Jonas must have been telling the truth. His right oxide-colored pupil turned vertical for a split second. He took an extra large serving from Volf—who must’ve noticed Jonas’s delight—and he thanked the knight.
“Here you are, Chairwoman Rossetti.”
Next was the steamed crab. Both the shell’s exterior and the membrane were red, while the interior was white. The sword-steamed crab was still warm to the touch, with a wisp of vapor rising from it. She began breaking off the meat with her fork, but she met with resistance from Volf.
“Try not to tear it apart but instead sink your teeth into it, Dahlia. That way, you won’t lose any of its savory juices.”
“Good to know; thank you.” It wasn’t the most elegant way to dine, but she took his advice to heart; everyone else was doing the same anyway. “Oh, that’s good...”
The gentle cooking method helped the meat retain all its juices. It lacked the brininess of saltwater crabs, but that wasn’t anything that couldn’t be fixed with a generous application of salt. The flavor was very much armored crab, but perhaps due to its freshness, it was richer than the norm. How extravagant was it to have a mouthful of crabmeat? She reminisced about ponzu, which would go so well with it, but that was why the drink of choice today was a citrusy white wine.
“The captain sure cooked it perfectly.”
“Indeed. It could not be better.”
“Ash-Hand sure is nice...”
Dahlia had compliments to pay as well, but her mouth was filled with crab. It truly was delicious. She looked around her—many were silently feasting on the steamed too. Although shelling the meat required some effort, the deliciousness was enough to keep the chatter down.
Volf saw the empty pail and went to fetch more food. “I’ll go get some more of the steamed crab.”
As he watched Volf walk away, Jonas looked terribly emotionless. He took two bites of the steamed crab, then washed them down with a gulp of wine.
Dahlia hurried to bring him a big plate of the raw. “Here, Master Jonas!”
“Thank you very much...”
She took his unfinished plate of steamed crab and swapped it with the plate of the raw. “Have you eaten much crab before?”
“Not much since my sense of taste changed.” A change in his sense of taste—that was to say when he had received his blight.
“Do you find all cooked foods unpleasant, Master Jonas?”
“Yes, unfortunately, cooked meat tastes very burnt to me. If it is sautéed, then the texture is like biting into cotton or cloth. I quite enjoyed steamed crab before, but the texture is rather difficult for me now.”
“And vegetables are a matter of texture too?”
“That is part of it, but the grassiness and sourness are also overwhelming.” He paused to sigh. “Please forgive me for uttering such unappetizing words during a meal.”
For Jonas, meat could only be raw or rare, and it sounded like anything else was difficult for him to force down. Since he seemed to be enjoying his raw crab, Dahlia wondered if he’d enjoy similar foods. “Master Jonas, have you ever tried sashimi?”
“Sashimi? What Esterland calls the dish of raw fish with its head attached?”
“Huh?”
“I saw it once when I was a child. The fish’s head was still moving about—trust that I can’t forget about it, though I have yet to try it again.” His rust-colored eyes wandered into the distance. Jonas’s first experience with raw fish must’ve been something prepared live—what Japanese people called ikizukuri. But how could anyone possibly have served that to a kid? It was no wonder the experience had left him permanently scarred.
“Oh! Um! Most sashimi is served without the fish’s head. Since you enjoy raw crab, I’m confident that you would very much enjoy it if you tried it again. It may be rather pricey, however.” In Ordine, places that offered Esterland cuisine tended to be expensive. Serving seafood as sashimi necessitated the freshest product possible, so given the price point, it could be had only at Esterland restaurants in nobles’ quarters.
“Then I shall try my hardest to talk Lord Guido into it.” The way Jonas had said it so nonchalantly made Dahlia snicker.
At that point, a mage approached the group to replenish their pails with ice. “Forgive me if I am overstepping boundaries, Chairwoman Rossetti, but may I ask why you address Lord Jonas as ‘Master’?”
“Umm...”
“I had the opportunity to explain a few things, as Chairwoman Rossetti knew nothing about weapons, and I have had the privilege of her gratuitous respect ever since.”
Lying came as easily as breathing for Jonas; Dahlia shrank a little. Of course, it wasn’t like they could tell people the truth: that “Master Jonas” had stuck in her mind because Volf had started calling him that. There was also the fact she used his first name, though she only realized now—a little late—that it might have been rude on her part.
“Hence ‘Master Jonas’?”
“Yes—although, considering that she is an advisor to the Order of Beast Hunters and an outstanding magical toolmaker, I ought to be the one calling her Master Dahlia.”
“Ah, indeed, Master Dahlia!” He seemed to have really taken a liking to that title, though Dahlia herself had begun squirming at the conversation. As others needed refills of ice too, the mage dipped his head and then took his leave.
“Erm, might addressing you as Master Jonas be disrespectful?”
“There is no problem at all with that. If anything, it’s a great honor for someone like me to be addressed that way.”
He was quite casual about it, but that somehow made her feel even less at ease with the prospect. “Um, Master Jonas, please feel free to use my first name as well.”
“What an honor. Would you prefer Master Dahlia? Or perhaps Miss Dahlia would better befit a lady as comely as yourself?” Nobles sure were good at flattery. She was actually envious of how collected he was, sitting there enjoying his crab.
“Master Jonas, I think I ought to learn how to lie from you.”
He nearly choked on his food—a very novel reaction.
“It should be almost finished simmering.”
The cauldron that the mages were so gently bubbling had begun to let off a delicious aroma, drawing longing gazes from Volf and the others. Just then, knights came by with buckets, and everyone knew to swiftly retrieve the shallow pots for their camp stoves, into which went pieces of crab. With armored crabs being the size that they were, a single segment of the legs was plenty. One side of the shell had been removed, so maybe the plan was to grill them on the lid-skillet—so thought Dahlia, but then a mage came with a silver case, from which he spooned a mound of rich yellow butter onto each piece of crab.