Volume 1 Chapter 37 All About Octopus Full Course
I start by cutting off a tender octopus leg, chopping it into pieces.
Since it takes time for the rice to cook, I'll start with the octopus risotto.
After that, I'll move on to the other dishes.
"...I wonder if I was helpful."
Sir Roxas stands a little behind me, watching as he says this.
"Of course! I really want you to be here when I make stews... With you around, I could make braised pork, simmered pork cartilage, beef tendon stew, beef tongue stew, and offal stew, all super tender... so very tender..."
Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Long-cooked dishes are delicious, but they take a lot of time, which can be tough.
I want people to eat them when they're perfectly cooked after a long simmer.
But that can take a whole day.
However, with Sir Roxas, just putting the ingredients in the pot and turning on the heat for one minute, and voilà, a stew that's been simmering for 8 hours is ready!
Isn't that amazing? It's the best. I thought about breaking his glasses, but right now, I feel like I could place them on an altar and worship them. They could be a new sacred object.
I could even decorate the walls of Lobelia Diner House with them as a sacred object for stews.
"Sir Roxas can make anything super tender... that's incredible..."
"Why do you say that in a way that sounds a bit off?"
"Off...?"
"However, if I could be of help, that's good. ...The power was avoided in the Duke Girard family, but to think it could bring joy like this."
"Were you not able to use it for cooking in the Duke Girard family?"
I heated olive oil in a deep frying pan and started to sauté chopped onions.
The onions sizzled as they cooked, turning from white to transparent.
Once they were soft, I added the washed rice.
I sautéed the rice a bit, then added finely chopped octopus legs, plenty of the octopus's cooking water, and a little white wine.
I turned the heat to low, covered the pan, and while waiting for the rice to cook, I cut the head of the octopus into bite-sized pieces and chopped the legs into chunks.
The octopus was so tender that the knife slid right through. It should become even more delicious and tender when cooked.
(Sir Rail might say it's soft and tasty... and enjoy it, right?)
What I aim for is a dish with octopus that even someone who has no appetite due to illness would want to eat.
It doesn't have to be octopus, but since I had fresh octopus, I decided to use it.
For Sir Rail, who doesn't want to eat anything, I think octopus, fish, eggs, and meat all seem the same.
"When I was still young, ...I couldn't think properly, and wanting to make my mother happy, I used magic in the Duke Girard garden. The flowers withered, the insects dried up, and died, and my mother screamed."
"B-but, that was because Sir Roxas was just a child back then..."
"Being small and young is not an excuse. I definitely took a life. ...A life that had no sin, like flowers and insects. ...If I had ever used this power against a human, I would be terrified of myself. If I feel this way, then... my family must feel even worse. It's unavoidable."
Sir Roxas said this and let out a small sigh.
It might not have been good to be happy about having such a useful power.
I was really happy when the octopus was cooked.
But maybe I was being careless.
I need to reflect on that.
I put the chopped octopus into a new pot.
I added the octopus boiling water, the soy sauce Mr. Tsukuyomi gave me when he helped with octopus fishing, katsuoboshi, sake, and sugar. I also simmered this on low heat.
Well, even if Sir Rail can't eat it, I think it would be good if Sir Roxas could.
Sir Roxas seems to be struggling too, so I hope he can eat something delicious and feel a little better.
"Other than having this cursed power, I am inferior to Rail in everything and useless. In the Duke household, I was treated like a sore spot, ignored by my father and feared by my mother. ...Only Rail, my older brother, was kind to me."
"Sir Rail is a kind big brother, isn't he...?"
Francois and I were not close, so I don't really understand what it's like to have a close sibling.
Sir Roxas seems to have gone through a lot, but I'm glad Sir Rail is there for him.
So, maybe that's why he feels he wants to help, no matter what.
"Ah... Rail was raised to be the next Duke, but he never got arrogant about it. He always tried to protect me. He secretly told me long ago that he actually wants to be an adventurer instead of a Duke. His dream is to become an adventurer, defeat the evil witch, and save the princess..."
"Witches and princesses, huh...?"
"He admired the myth of creation. They say God Theobart defeated the wicked witch Sylphina and protected the goddess Alexandria. He said he wants to be like God Theobart someday. That's why he trains his body."
"Well... heh, that's cute."
I chuckled softly while cutting the octopus into bite-sized pieces.
I poured plenty of olive oil into the pot and warmed it up.
I put the bite-sized octopus into a bowl, added grated garlic, soy sauce, and sake, and mixed it all together.
"...For you, the priest's family probably wasn't a comfortable place. Did the story of the creation myth make you uncomfortable?"
"Um... why do you think that...?"
"I thought you might resent Francois or His Highness, and the Head Priest."
"Well, I do resent them, but I also think about how they might fall into muddy water and get all dirty during their inspection of the town... But I don't resent the creation myth or God Theobart or Goddess Alexandria, okay...?"
It's not the gods' fault that I got my engagement canceled or that I had no place in the priest's family.
So, it's strange to take out my resentment on God Theobart and Goddess Alexandria.
"I hated it. My brother, until he got the White Moon disease, was raised with high expectations by our parents in the Duke family. But after he got sick... he was treated like an unnecessary person, locked away in a separate residence. And then, I was told to inherit the Duke family. My position and my brother's in the Duke family are completely opposite."
"...Why? Why would Sir Roxas's parents do that?"
"The most important thing in the Duke family is to pass on and preserve excellent blood. My sick brother couldn't do that, so it fell to me. I promised to bring my brother from the separate residence and help him. And so, to the Rest priest family... After that, as I mentioned."
Sir Roxas got engaged to Francois with the promise to cure Sir Rail's illness. But that promise was never fulfilled.
I seasoned the octopus and coated it in flour.
I put the flour-coated, bite-sized pieces of octopus into a frying pan with a good amount of olive oil and started frying them.
They sizzled, making a nice sound.
A delicious, savory smell began to fill the kitchen.
The octopus was already cooked, so once the flour turned golden and crispy, I quickly took it out onto a square tray lined with a rack.
The excess oil dripped off the fried octopus, making it even crispier.
"...My brother's condition kept getting worse. If only my power could take back time instead of just stealing it... I thought many times that if I could turn back my brother's time, I might have been able to save his life. But cursed as I am, I am of no use."
"...Sir Rail, can't your magic cure the illness?"
"I can't use magic on myself. Besides, my brother hates my power. So, after I made a withered flower bloom again for our mother just once, I never used it again. He said there's no point in turning back time. ...In terms of taking lives, my brother's magic, and even fire, water, or ice magic, they're all the same."
"...It's like how cooking tools can become weapons if used incorrectly."
Is it the same?
I feel like I said something really silly because I couldn't choose my words well.
But if I hit someone with a frying pan, even Mr. Lucian, the captain of the knights, would probably get hurt.
It's all about how you use it, right?
"Right now, I'm threatening the Duke's parents to keep them quiet. If they complain about my actions, I wouldn't hesitate to take their lives with cursed magic. ...Lydia. ...Aren't you scared enough to cry?"
"Sir Roxas, you're a pervert who likes to dress up kidnapped girls in maid outfits, so that's a bit scary..."
Actually, I've already cried.
I cried when I was kidnapped.
It's too late. That question is too late. Normally, you wouldn't ask that when you're in a friendly state, right?
"I've told you countless times I have no such hobby...!"
"But you looked a bit happy when you saw me in this outfit..."
"That's, um... never mind."
"Um..."
What does "um..." mean?
I don't really understand. I tilt my head while tossing onions and tomatoes into the pot with leftover octopus broth.
Then, I warm up the remaining olive oil in the frying pan where I fried the octopus, and season the leftover octopus legs with salt and pepper before cooking them.
"...magic, I think it's amazing, but isn't it scary? Sir Ciel can use amazing magic too, but he's kind. I would be happy if Sir Roxas could be here when making stew, if possible."
"I see... Is Ciel maybe your boyfriend?"
"He's a friend."
"O-Oh, I see..."
Sir Roxas repeated "I see" several times.
But──why didn't Francois help Sir Rail with his illness, even though Sir Roxas is so desperate?
Maybe it was because my father stopped her.
If she truly cared for Sir Roxas as a fiancé, wouldn't she want to go against father and help heal Sir Rail's illness?
Isn't that what love is... I think.
But I don't really understand.
I've never been loved, and I probably haven't loved anyone either.
I feel like love exists, but it was something fleeting and short.
Right now, I just want Sir Rail to eat a little, and I hope Sir Roxas's wish comes true.
If the goddess is watching me, I hope she can lend me a little strength, even just for now.
I swirl beaten eggs into the boiling octopus soup with onions and tomatoes.
The egg gently opens like a flower in the fluffy soup.
I season it with salt and put it in a soup bowl. Then, I serve the perfectly soft-cooked octopus risotto and sprinkle some parsley on top.
The soft stew goes into a deep dish, while the fried octopus is served on a smaller plate.
I place the one-legged grill on the plate and also sprinkle parsley for color.
"Sir Roxas, it's ready while we were talking. It's a gentle risotto with your heartfelt soft octopus, a soup full of octopus flavor, a soft stew of octopus, and the fried octopus that's super popular with Mx. Margaret, packed with garlic for great health, plus the one-legged grill that's thick but soft enough to eat without chewing!"
"Lydia... that's too long, I can't remember it. And don't give the dishes such problematic names."
"Problematic...?"
"...Why do you always choose words that can be misunderstood?"
"I don't really get it, but since it's long, let's just call it the Fresh Octopus Feast!"
I did it.
A feast using all the octopus. It looks so delicious.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)