Chapter 87
Seeing that Marcille clearly did not believe him, Haruto decided to demonstrate.
"It’s actually quite simple."
He walked over to a nearby Mandrake, bent down, and gripped its leaves.
"Wait—!"
Marcille cried out in horror when she realized what he was about to do.
Before she could finish, Haruto yanked the Mandrake straight out of the ground.
"AAAAAHH—!"
A brief, piercing shriek rang through the air.
Haruto cleaned out one ear and turned toward Marcille with a helpless look.
"You startled me! For a second, I thought I’d been too slow."
"W-What did you just do?"
Marcille stared at his empty hand with a complicated expression.
The others had finally caught up with what had happened and were watching him curiously as well.
"Nothing special. I simply stored the Mandrake inside my personal space."
There was no need to explain the ability in greater detail.
Marcille suddenly remembered their previous encounter. Haruto had produced the Swamp Fish Beast from thin air then as well.
"Make sure you cover your ears for the next part," Haruto warned.
He moved twenty meters away from the group and released a Mandrake from Gourmet Restaurant, placing it another ten meters ahead of himself.
Haruto immediately retreated to widen the distance.
The Mandrake unleashed another ear-splitting scream. Its sound waves battered the surrounding air, making Laios and the others instinctively clamp their hands over their ears.
The shriek faded after several seconds.
Haruto walked over, picked up the Mandrake, and shrugged at the four of them.
"That’s what I did earlier."
Marcille studied him with growing curiosity.
Whatever ability Haruto had just used did not appear to be magic.
Before she could question him, however, she noticed Senshi approaching another Mandrake and reaching for its leaves.
Marcille’s face drained of color.
She was about to shout a warning when steel flashed in Senshi’s hand, severing the Mandrake’s head before he pulled it from the soil.
"If you cut off its head before it can scream, it won’t make any noise," Senshi explained calmly, holding up the root for Marcille and Haruto to see.
Marcille opened her mouth, wanting to object that none of her books mentioned such a method.
Then she remembered that Haruto’s technique was not recorded in any book either, and her shoulders slumped.
Laios and Chilchuck immediately began copying Senshi’s method.
They needed to gather enough ingredients for the journey ahead.
Haruto watched without stopping them.
Senshi’s method reduced the Mandrake’s flavor and spoiled part of its texture, but it was simple, practical, and suitable for ordinary adventurers.
Not everyone possessed an ability like Gourmet Restaurant.
Haruto, of course, continued using his own method.
Before long, Laios’s party had gathered enough Mandrakes.
Senshi looked at the time and suggested, "Let’s cook something with the ingredients we collected."
He took out his portable cookware and built a simple stove on a flat rock before getting to work.
Senshi peeled the Mandrake roots, diced them, and rinsed them clean. He stir-fried the pieces until cooked, then removed them from the pan and set them aside.
Next, he whisked several Basilisk eggs in a bowl and poured them into the pan.
Once the egg had begun to set, he spread the fried Mandrake pieces over it.
When the egg was nearly cooked through, Senshi folded the omelet around the filling.
The Basilisk Egg Omelet Rice with Mandrake was complete!
Haruto had noticed from the beginning that Senshi had prepared an extra serving, clearly intending to include him.
That made Haruto want to show off a little of his own cooking as well. Since they had invited him to eat, it was only fair that they taste something he made.
This was not the right setting for an overly complicated dish, however.
After considering it briefly, Haruto came up with an idea.
He moved some distance away and released several Mandrakes. Once their screaming ended, he peeled and washed them thoroughly.
Haruto cut the Mandrakes into evenly sized chunks and poured oil into a pan.
When the oil reached the proper temperature and tiny ripples appeared across its surface, he added the Mandrake pieces.
They struck the oil with a sharp hiss, scattering droplets as a faint, refreshing fragrance rose into the air.
Haruto continually turned the pieces with his spatula until their exteriors became golden and crisp while the insides cooked through.
He then removed them and drained away the excess oil.
After pouring the oil out of the pan, he added sugar and a small amount of water.
He heated the mixture slowly over low flame, stirring without pause.
The sugar gradually melted into syrup.
Once it changed from clear to pale gold and finally deepened into amber, Haruto quickly returned the fried Mandrake pieces to the pan.
With rapid movements of his wrist, he tossed them until every piece was evenly coated in a glossy layer of amber caramel.
He transferred them to a plate, drawing out delicate strands of sugar as he arranged them.
The Candied Mandrake was complete.
"I didn’t realize you were such a capable cook, Haruto," Senshi remarked.
Appreciation flashed through his eyes as he studied the golden Mandrake pieces, each glistening with fine threads of caramel.
He had not tasted them yet, but the rich fragrance of cooked sugar and their inviting appearance were already enough to promise something delicious.
"I’ve studied cooking properly," Haruto replied casually as he placed the dish before everyone.
Senshi distributed the Basilisk Egg Omelet Rice with Mandrake at the same time.
Haruto examined the serving in his hands.
A vivid orange-red omelet wrapped around soft pieces of Mandrake, making the dish look especially appetizing.
He scooped up a spoonful and took a bite.
The intense richness of the Basilisk egg blended beautifully with the Mandrake’s natural sweetness.
The root was soft and tender, while the omelet remained smooth and delicate, creating a wonderfully layered texture.
Senshi, meanwhile, picked up a piece of Candied Mandrake and placed it into his mouth.
The thin caramel shell cracked crisply beneath his teeth, releasing the fragrant sweetness of toasted sugar.
Inside, the Mandrake was soft and pleasantly dense, sweet without becoming cloying.
The contrast was excellent.
After tasting it, Laios, Marcille, and Chilchuck all brightened with surprise and showered the unfamiliar dish with praise.
Once lunch was over, the four packed their belongings and prepared to continue toward the dungeon’s third floor.
Haruto intended to descend as well, but he had no plans to travel with them.
Laios’s party had chosen a route where monsters were scarce.
Haruto, who wanted to collect monster ingredients, naturally needed to take the more dangerous path.
"Oh, right. You can have this."
With a wave of his hand, Haruto produced a massive Giant Bat in front of them.
"A Giant Bat! Thank you."
Senshi’s eyes lit up. He accepted it without hesitation and hoisted the carcass onto his back.
With the Giant Bat as provisions, they would not need to search for more food for some time.
Aside from Marcille, Laios and Chilchuck also thanked Haruto for the gift.
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