Chapter 555 – Tasting Event in the Boundary City

And so… for the rice tasting event, I ended up guiding Michelle, the Water Dragon Parent and Child, and even the Spirit Kings to my house. Of course, Princess Stephania and the others came along too.

The fact that it was a crop even the Spirit Kings didn’t know about, combined with their interest in seeing my house, made them all seem quite enthusiastic.

“Right this way, please.”

We traveled through the city by carriage and I guided them to my house.

“Thanks for having us!”

Luscinia entered the entrance hall while using surprisingly familiar words for a Spirit King.

“Well then, we’ll be intruding.”

“My apologies for visiting in such large numbers.”

Rakeld and Prophion also said this as they entered the house.

“Not at all, please don’t worry about it.”

Large numbers, huh. Yeah. With the non-manifested spirits also becoming active, things were getting quite lively. The groups of Salamanders and Gnomes following closely behind Rakeld and Prophion were rather heartwarming to watch. Of course, there were also many Undines and Sylphs around Marl and Luscinia.

“Welcome.”

Cecilia and the other servants bowed quietly to greet them. Since I’d already contacted them about today’s guests via the Communication Device, everyone remained composed.

Cecilia, being the representative of the servants, couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, and the other servants had originally lived under Claudia’s protection in the Labyrinth, so this was nothing new to them. Or perhaps, having never known the outside world, they didn’t fully grasp what it meant to be a Spirit King.

In any case, as long as they understood these were High Spirits and weren’t disrespectful, that was enough. They had been properly trained as servants and interacted regularly with Floria and Tephra, so they all knew how to handle such situations.

“It’s so beautiful…”

Lasnote stared wide-eyed at the chandelier, while Pernas and Invel watched their daughter with affectionate smiles.

Just like during the carriage ride, everything seemed fresh and new to Lasnote. Unlike her long-lived parents, this was probably almost her first time coming ashore.

Pernas and Invel also didn’t seem very familiar with human lifestyles, and appeared to be enjoying the current situation, including being in human form.

“Ugh. Ever since coming to Termwills, I’ve had so many shocks… I should have expected this after seeing you create the greenhouse, shouldn’t I?”

As for Michelle, she was muttering like that.

Having witnessed the greenhouse creation firsthand and being skilled in Earth Magic, she seemed to have noticed that my house was built with Magic Construction. She was looking around at the walls from corner to corner, surprised that all the servants were using the Humanization Spell, and well… she seemed genuinely astonished.

“Please, come this way,” I said, guiding everyone further inside.

“The tasting event preparations are complete,” Cecilia said with a smile.

A delicious aroma was drifting from the back of the house. For the rice dishes we could prepare at this stage, I’d consulted with Forset and decided on white rice, salt rice balls, fried rice, rice cooked with shellfish and mushrooms, doria, and also prepared snacks like rice crackers.

As expected… now that I list them out, rice dish tasting events tend to feature rather heavy foods. To address that, we decided to have a buffet-style standing party where everyone could try small portions of various dishes.

In the courtyard, we had tables set with large plates of various dishes and smaller plates for serving, allowing everyone to eat as they pleased.

We also prepared soup, grilled fish, cutlets, and other dishes that would pair well with rice.

“Ah, welcome back, Theo-kun.”

Alfred also peeked out from the Game Room facing the courtyard. Ophelia, Viola, Talcott, Cindy, Old Sigmund, Princess Elham – it seemed like all the workshop members were present.

Furthermore, Sion and the other two showed their faces, having apparently returned from Labyrinth training. Lindwurm and Alpha had also come to visit, making things even livelier.

I’d invited the workshop members at the same time I called Michelle here, telling them about the rice tasting event. Well, I’d introduce everyone who was meeting for the first time during the tasting event.

“—Even though it’s just steamed, it’s fluffy with a slight sweetness and delicious,” Michelle said with a serious expression as she carefully chewed the white rice.

“Rice… goes well with grilled fish, so I like it,” Sheila said, apparently enjoying the classic combination of Pacific saury and white rice. Having had rice as a staple food, Halvaronis also had a culture of seasoning in the mouth.

Since Forset and Sion were spreading the method of eating rice together with other foods, I was truly grateful.

“It has just the right stickiness… yet spreads apart with moisture. The flavor spreads along with it… it feels strange, but delicious.”

“Rice is our staple food. It can also be processed into alcohol and sweets.”

“If it’s a plant similar to wheat, it makes sense that it could become alcohol.”

“Which means… if we grind it into powder, it might be usable for other purposes too.”

Michelle, Forset, Grace, and Ashley exchanged words while nodding with serious expressions. Talking about cooking and crops that might be grown in their territories, both Grace and Ashley seemed very interested in potential uses. I’ve heard about bread made from rice flour too, and it seems like it could serve as a substitute for wheat flour in various ways.

“I like this one cooked with shellfish and mushrooms. It has good flavor.”

“That’s right. This one… you fried it and then baked it with cheese on top, right?”

“This one also seems to be fried, but it gives a different impression.”

Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana, and Princess Elham appeared to be comparing the rice cooked with ingredients, doria, and fried rice.

While Halvaronis had similar recipes for rice cooked with ingredients and fried rice, the doria was something I suggested we try making. You can create various variations by seasoning the rice and adding different toppings.

“It’s delicious even in its simplicity with just salt and ingredients.”

At Rosemary’s words, Marlene smiled and nodded repeatedly. They were standing together eating salt rice balls. Rosemary might unexpectedly like simple things.

“Human cooking is truly profound.”

“I’d heard that when you use the Humanization Spell, the taste of food changes too…”

“Delicious…”

The Water Dragon Parent and Child also seemed moved with each bite. Claudia and Marl looked somewhat happy watching them, so well, it couldn’t be a bad thing.

In any case, everyone seemed to be enjoying the rice dishes in their own way, and the overall impression was favorable.

The animal group was also eating. Lavigne, Belius, and Flamia were chomping on whole pieces of Labyrinth-Produced Monster Meat. Charlotte, who had positioned herself nearby to eat rice dishes, looked thoroughly pleased.

Ramriya and Eclair were currently receiving magical power from their masters, but Corulis was being fed Ore by Prophion and Luscinia. Whether they were being cherished by the Spirit Kings or being treated as entertainment was unclear.

“Well now, this is quite the privilege. I’m looking forward to when it becomes readily available.”

“I hope the experiments go well and it spreads. It seems to have high nutritional value and stores easily, so I think it has many uses.”

I nodded in response to Alfred’s words. I’d be happy if it spread too.

What’s left… is indeed soy sauce and miso.

There were plant-based monsters called Cannon Beans in the Labyrinth too… Those were definitely giant bean monsters. They’re edible too.

If we could use those as a substitute for soybeans, there shouldn’t be any problems with bean supply… I think. We have the biggest problem – koji – already, so it might not be a bad idea to go hunting and experiment with them.