Chapter 55: Eggs. Eggs. Eggs. And more eggs.

『Egg Dish. 』

Since ancient times, people used eggs in various dishes both in the east and west regions.  Eggs were now called an indispensable part of cooking. However, not many dishes had eggs as the main ingredients. Eggs had usually a supporting role in a dish in order to make the protagonist ingredient shine.

However, egg was presented as the main theme. Therefore, making a dish where the egg was the star was sufficient to display the arrangement power and creativity in respect to cooking.

「I can say that it’s a fair match, since my master’s specialty is seafood. This theme won’t put me at a disadvantage in that way. However, I have one problem. What kind of egg am I going to make in an egg dish?」

Indeed. There was no way that she’d avoid using eggs since it was an egg dish. Which egg was she going to use? The egg selection in an egg-cooking event was so important that the outcome could be decided immediately.

「As you know, the famous exceptional egg among all eggs is said to be an egg from the Rock bird. However, Rock birds are a precious existence and are not easy to find. It’s even more difficult when it comes to their eggs.」

「The only eggs I have now are the Cockatrice eggs I bought from Mister Kyou, and a few eggs from the bird Kiwi.」

By the way, the bird Kiwi was the infamous kiwi, which attacked me when I first came to this different world. People said they were a degraded species of Rock birds, but in fact, these two species of monsters had no connection at all. By the way, there wasn’t much difference between them in terms of taste. But, I preferred the Cockatrice eggs.

「Actually, I’ve got an egg from the C-ranked monster Peryuton who lives in the eastern forest from here. And I got one from the B-ranked Radon, the owner of the southern cave. I was able to get these two eggs yesterday. For the time being, I would like to use these eggs to verify which one fits my recipe the best. If you don’t mind it, I’d like you to try my dishes, is that okay with you?」

「Of course, I don’t mind it. 」

「I’m going to help you as well. 」

「Me too! 」

「Oh, oh. How nice. I’m an old man, but I’ll gladly eat the young lady’s homemade dish too!」

For some odd reason, my old man was also mixed in this. Well, I let it pass through since I didn’t want to get irritated. With this, Fitis’ training with egg dishes began during the next consecutive two days.

—

「This omelet-rice dish made from the egg of Peryuton has a soft and delicious taste. I can feel the crispiness inside. Since the Peryuton egg is half-boiled, I think the flavor is very rich.」

「This French toast is also excellent. It is quite fluffy and has a sweetness as if I were eating a candy. This flavorful taste makes this food a delicious side dish.」

「This seasoned boiled egg is also delicious because it has a very strong taste. This Radon egg tastes a lot richer than the other egg in my opinion.」

「Thank you very much. Everyone’s opinions are very important. But, I think there’s still room for improvement.」

From that point on, I tasted Fitis’ cooked egg dishes, and they all tasted better than I had imagined. It was obvious that her cooking level was much higher than before. Above all, she improved her cooking methods, since she made full use of her ingredients. However, each egg had its own flavor, and it was impossible for me to determine which one was the best. Fitis herself seemed to be aware of it. That’s why she was a little bit confused and was still wondering what egg she’d have to cook.

「Hey, they are all delicious. But for me, eating an egg on rice is still the best because it’s quite simple!」

Then, I heard my father’s voice who ate various eggs on rice. Oh father, wasn’t he supposed to evaluate Fitis’ cooking? And yet he was eating his on experiments on Fitis’ dishes? However, Fitis gazed attentively at the egg, which my father used for eating the rice.

「…This egg that Lord Kyou’s father is eating is the one from the Cockatrice, which is bred at Lord Kyou’s place, is it not?」

「Yeah. After all, when it comes to an egg over rice, the chicken one is the best.」

I wondered if I shouldn’t have called it a chicken. While I thought deeply about it, Fitis grabbed the egg and analyzed it. And then, she grabbed another egg and compared them. Eventually, she turned around at me quickly as if she noticed something.

「Lord Kyou. If you don’t mind, can you guide me to the place where you are raising the Cockatrices right now?」

—

「This area is where I raise the current Cockatrices. I have two different places. One where the free-range Cockatrices are. They roam free inside my garden’s fences. And the other is a recently renovated hut where I keep some Cockatrices inside.」

That being said, there were two types of Cockatrice bred in the area I showed to Fitis. The Cockatrices housed in the hut were part of the remodeled hut, which I used on my training ground for the previous Grand Cooking Tournament. This particular hut was perfect for the Cockatrices to lay their eggs, and also easier for me to harvest them efficiently. It felt as if I created a chicken breeding facility like the ones I saw on Planet Earth. Thanks to that, the production of eggs here grew much higher than before.

The other part of the garden was where I kept the free-range Cockatrices. I kept them outside because they couldn’t be inside. But, I’ve made only one shed for sheltering them from the rain, and at night, everyone gathered under the shed to sleep. Other than that, the free-range Cockatrices were out in the open, but without crossing the garden’s fences.

Fitis, who saw the Cockatrices kept in two different places, declared the following as if she realized something relevant.

「Lord Kyou. Do you allow me to try one? 」

—

「This is… 」

「Amazing. Who knew that the same egg could change this much.」

「This is unbelievable for me.」

We opened our eyes with surprise when Fitis presented a different egg dish. We were surprised because the taste was totally different from the egg we’ve tasted before. I didn’t even realize that there was such a secret in making this dish. But, in any case, this recipe should determine Fitis’ choice in the dish. I looked thrilled at her, but she looked like she wasn’t convinced yet.

「…Sure, I’ve decided on the egg recipe and its cooking method, but there is one thing that I’m not satisfied with. I can’t do it with my own ability.」

What on earth was she worried about? When I tried to ask her the reason why she was having doubts, I heard a high-pitched voice from behind my back.

「Hi, hi. So, everyone is here. I heard that my dear Lily had returned to the town where she lived. But, I couldn’t find anyone when I arrived in town. I searched and nothing. But, I’m glad that I found you here. So, you were outside the town. No wonder that I had difficulties in finding you.」

When I turned around, I saw Amines, the hero who had gone somewhere unknown a few days ago. However, what surprised me the most was the huge Crystal Golem, which she dragged with one hand. It was probably 5 meters in length.

「…Excuse me, Miss Amines. What is that? 」

「Hmm? Can’t you see? It’s a monster that I’ll use in the next cooking battle. I had a hard time bringing it down. After all, it’s an A-rank Crystal Golem. In terms of hardness, it is comparable to the strength of an S-rank…」

「Ah no, that’s not what I meant. Can you eat a golem in the first place? 」

I knew for a fact that we couldn’t eat golems. Golems in this world were materials for weapons. They used them for processing armaments and for daily necessities. As the name suggested, this Crystal Golem was made entirely of a special crystal ore, and the weapons made from it were comparable to magical weapons. Therefore, this particular monster was never used for cooking. As I pointed it out, Amines gave me a good laugh.

「No, no. That’s not it, wrong. Cultivation Hero. It isn’t about cooking per se. I already told you before. This monster is a monster where I can take full advantage of my abilities.」

「What does that mean… 」

「Well, it will be faster if I show it directly. 」

When asked Amines what she meant, she touched the Crystal Golem with her hand and that part began to shine brightly. From that, a sword made of crystal ore was born.

「What’s that!? 」

「This is my creation skill “Sword-made Creation”. With this power, I can freely create weaponry from the original material as much as I envisioned. Of course, the performance is composed of the material from which it is based on. So, in other words, to make a better weapon, I need better materials as well.」

After explained her creation skill, Amines touched the Crystal Golem once again, and at the same time, she destroyed the part she touched. That part transformed the mass into another mass.

「See! This is a knife made of Crystal Golem! You won’t find such a rare object in the whole world! If you use this kitchen knife, you will be able to cut anything you want!」

No, I didn’t need a knife as a weapon. So, when I tried to decline her offer, Fitis grabbed Amines’ hands right next to me.

「Lady Amines! Is it possible for you to make other tools besides this Sword-made Creation weapon and kitchen knife!?」

「Eh? Well, it’s possible if I can envision it. 」

「If it’s possible, then I have one request. 」

In preparation for her confrontation with her master, Fitis finally found the last missing piece of her recipe. With one day left for Fitis, her fate in the cooking battle was approaching soon enough.

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Eggs and more eggs…Can’t wait to know what kind of tool Fitis requested for her cooking match…