Chapter 89

Sunshine Conch, Black Tray Clam, Club Trumpet.

These three were the representative specialties of Edlen village.

“The Club Trumpet needs to be purged of mud….”

“You’ll bite into mud if you just eat it.”

“That’s right. Iseur, would you help me?”

“Yes, of course.”

Iseur skillfully took the basket filled only with Club Trumpets and began the purging process.

Perhaps because it had been so long, he fumbled a bit, but his hands soon found their way and continued the work.

“We do a similar process on Earth.”

“Ah… is that so?”

“Although there are some differences.”

These representative specialties would only spit out mud if they were purged using the freshwater of Edlen village.

With water from other regions, the clams would wither, so it was slightly different from the purging method on Earth, where you just had to match the salinity of the water with salt.

Iseur nodded as if surprised.

“They spit out mud even though it's not the water from that region.”

“That's right, I think they just go with it and spit it out as long as the salinity is right.”

“Perhaps their ego is weaker than that of the clams from the Edlen region?”

“Let's not attach an ego to the clams we are about to eat.”

The basin full of Club Trumpets was soon covered with a black cloth.

“Now we just need to leave it until the stew is done.”

The Club Trumpet, the pride of Edlen village, was famous for being purged quickly.

Perhaps because its entire body was closer to a lump of flesh than innards, the amount of mud it swallowed was small, so it only needed to wait for a minimum of 30 minutes to at most an hour.

“It would be better to change the water in between….”

“I will take care of that. Would once every 10 minutes be enough?”

“Hmm, that’s right. Please do.”

Once every 10 minutes was a bit excessive, but there was no harm in being cautious.

‘There is nothing that makes me angrier than biting into sand while eating.’

Wasn't he Jio, a self-proclaimed gourmet and a glutton?

He aimed for a thorough cuisine that would not be disturbed in any way during consumption.

If one felt displeasure while eating, it was not qualified as a dish.

“Then now for the stew….”

Simply put, a stew was a Western-style soup.

“You just throw everything in and see.”

“I know the recipe too….”

“So, did you make it for yourself?”

“……”

“Quietly listen to my lesson.”

Sometimes people asked about the difference between stew and soup and it was easy to think of the main character of a stew as the ingredients, and for soup, the broth itself.

In a word, stew was a dish where liquid was added to boil the ingredients.

“Will you follow me?”

“Yes? To where….”

“To the vegetable patch.”

And so, Iseur saw Jio's vegetable patch.

“Tadah.”

“…A vegetable patch?”

“Yes, what is the problem?”

“No, a vegetable patch….”

“It is a vegetable patch.”

“…I understand.”

Iseur accepted it.

“You never farm in an ordinary way.”

“What did you say?”

“As expected of the smiling tyrant of the sea village….”

“Tyrant?”

“I did not say anything. What could you have heard?”

“You even know how to give lip service now, how admirable.”

He really did accept it.

“Now, there are cherry tomatoes in there….”

“In my eyes, I only see pumpkins imitating tomatoes.”

“Your eyesight must have gotten worse, don't be complacent just because you are a mermaid, get some glasses.”

“I am not sure if it is a problem with my eyesight.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Iseur asked.

“Why on earth is this a vegetable patch?”

“It's small and charming, isn't it? Then it's a vegetable patch.”

“It only looks relatively small because the crops are so large, and not a single crop is charming.”

“Our Elizabeth the 32nd might get her feelings hurt, so I would appreciate it if you would be careful with your words.”

“Who in the world is Elizabeth the 32nd….”

Creeaak—.

At Jio's words, the leaves of a tomato, as large as pumpkin leaves, curled up with a powerful sound.

At the sight that looked just like a clenched fist, Iseur finally lost his smile.

“…You are going to eat this?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he became as serious as when he watched his sister's research process.

“This?”

“They are all sacrificial and good kids, even if their personalities are a bit overflowing.”

“I feel like it will grab my uvula while I eat and refuse to go down to my stomach.”

“They are not that rebellious. They are very gentle, I tell you.”

“That….”

Iseur nodded his head.

“I understand.”

“You do, right?”

“Probably….”

“Then follow me.”

“If I were to die, I would prefer the sea.”

“Don't say such strange things.”

Jio greeted the crops in the vegetable patch, with whom he had become friendly through their communications, and approached his target.

The tomato, shining in a vivid red, seemed ripe yet was still firmly connected to its stem.

“Now accepting cherry-toms who wish to board the basket~”

At Jio’s words, a few tomatoes hanging on the stem expressed their intention by swaying slightly from side to side.

As Jio placed the basket right underneath them, a tomato the size of a small watermelon landed with a thud.

“……”

“Wow, it worked. So easy, right?”

“…Yes.”

And so, Jio was able to harvest a basketful of tomatoes in an instant.

“Personally, out of all the stews, I like tomato stew the most. It's partly because it's what I always ate in Edlen village, but it's also much easier on the stomach than cream stew.”

“Ah… that's right, I remember you liked it because it didn't give you heartburn even if you ate a lot.”

Iseur, who had regained a smile resembling Giovanni's, continued.

“You also said it was the best food to cook a lot of and eat for a long time.”

“You remember all of that.”

“It is difficult to forget things about you, Teacher.”

“To think I was such an easy person to figure out, I will improve further.”

“Please… don't… how much more are you going to improve from here….”

“No one can stop me.”

“Please let someone be able to stop you.”

“You couldn't stop me even when I was an ordinary priest.”

“Teacher.”

“It will be even more so now.”

Even if he was just a teacher in name, he didn't want to be a human whose development was slower than his mermaid disciples.

Jio was a bold adult who did not set limits for himself.

“The reason tomato stew is easy to eat is probably because it's mostly vegetables. Iseur, a strong and vigorous young man, might not know, but….”

“Ah, are you still considering me a young man? More than a thousand years have passed, though?”

“The family tree is getting tangled, so please be quiet. Anyway, when you get a bit older, having an upset stomach is really tough. It's an especially harsh ordeal for someone like me who loves to eat.”

“That is at least an ordeal that the Sun God has never bestowed.”

At the mermaid’s jab, Jio frowned as if genuinely hurt.

“Where has my student Iseur, who used to just smile shyly even when I spouted nonsense, gone?”

“…It's been… a while… since he's been gone….”

“Do not worry, Iseur. People can always regress.”

“What are you planning to make of me?”

“A plump pig?”

“……”

Iseur chuckled.

It was more mature and neat smile than Jio’s.

“You really have not changed at all. Including how you are different at home and outside.”

“…Uh….”

“You used to tell a lot of funny jokes like this when you were with people you were comfortable with. Very different from your public image as the Saint of the Sun.”

“……”

“When I was young, I didn't even know that was a sign of trust from you, so I was always just flustered. I still remember it vividly.”

Who are you?

Where did my little kid go?

Who is this unfamiliar gentleman?

‘Why did he grow up so much at that time?’

It was an epic joke that I expected him to laugh awkwardly at like before or be disgusted like Honey, so when it suddenly turned nostalgic like this, it was a bit difficult for Jio, who had no intention of getting nostalgic at all.

“…Well, anyway.”

“You are avoiding it because you are at a disadvantage.”

“You do not reminisce about the past before a meal. That is how the meal becomes uncomfortable.”

Jio, who had firmly cut off the nostalgic sentiment, continued.

“Even if it does not contain meat, tomato stew has a very outstanding umami taste, perhaps thanks to the main ingredients being tomato and onion. It also goes well with various types of side ingredients.”

Tomato stew went well with any kind of meat.

Slicing some beef and adding a little wine gave it a mature flavor, and adding chicken created a harmonious flavor combined with the juice of the tomato.

“Lamb is not bad either.”

“Isn't the smell a bit strong?”

“That is why I could not cook it often when I lived with you all, since you disliked strong smells so much….”

Not just these siblings, but the mermaid race as a whole avoided strong smells.

A light sprinkle of pepper or adding some fragrance was fine, but they hated it enough to run away if the smell became the main feature.

“Come to think of it, I, who was rotting, must have had a strong smell too, but you managed to eat me. Were you unable to help it because you were drugged?”

“……”

“…Th-that, yes, I think I was in the wrong this time. I did not mean anything by it, so please do not make that face….”

“…Yes….”

“I am sorry that your teacher lives so thoughtlessly.”

The ruined atmosphere was barely restored after a long while. Jio said with an awkward smile.

“The lamb on Earth does not have that strong of a smell, would you like to try it later?”

“…My tastes have changed a little since then. There is no problem even if the smell is strong.”

“Ah, has it changed?”

“Well, a lot of time has passed…. Humans too, they can eat things as adults that they could not as children, things like that happen.”

“It seems even mermaids cannot withstand the passage of time.”

Giovanni spouted nonsense with the noble face peculiar to a priest.

“You are growing old with me.”

“Ah….”

After thinking, Iseur replied.

“That is not bad.”

“I told you not to, but you keep being nostalgic, don't you? I do not like that kind of thing.”

“Ahaha….”

Iseur, who had laughed awkwardly, asked.

“Then were you planning to put meat in the stew this time? I expected you to put in clams or fish since you said you were making Edlen stew….”

“I am planning to make two types. The deer meat and sausage I have in storage are leftover, so I am planning to use them when I have the chance. Not bad, right?”

“That’s nice, I might feel full for the first time in a while.”

Mermaids immediately convert the food they eat into nutrients to maintain their strong and flexible bodies.

Even without consuming nutrients orally, they can maintain themselves through their skin when in the sea, but their stomachs tend to empty easily when they eat food.

“Tomato stew also pairs especially well with bacon or ham that has some smoky flavor. It also goes well with hard, dried meats that are difficult to eat raw, and especially since you can add various vegetables, it's easy to season in many ways….”

Jio held a tomato from the basket up to the sunlight.

“It is certainly different from the ones on Earth or in Edlen village.”

“…I ask again, but is that really a tomato…? It is very different from the ones I know from Edlen or Earth….”

“I planted seeds from Earth to grow it, so it should be a tomato for now.”

The cherry tomato lord that Jio had grown, no, that had grown on its own, was a little different from the ones on Earth.

It was as large as a small watermelon and slightly oblong like a grape tomato, it was strangely transparent so that light passed through it, and its taste was a cross between savory and sweet.

“I do not like sweet stew.”

“Me neither.”

“But we will have to make do with the ingredients we have, so I will have to solve it with other ingredients.”

“Ah, like adding more salt?”

“We already have sausage that is salty and flavorful. Let's use that for now, and hmm. What else should I add beyond that….”

Jio voiced the thought that had suddenly come to him.

“It would be fun to make bacon.”

“Your homemade bacon is excellent, Teacher.”

Iseur nodded.

“It was to the point where the villagers would gather and look forward to receiving a piece.”

“That is me. The genius priest of the sun who can do anything.”

“That evil one who, despite receiving the grace of such a person, could only do foolish things….”

“Calm down while eating a tomato.”

Perhaps because he had seen the robust ego of the cherry tomato earlier, Iseur, who had hesitated a little, soon bit into the flesh.

“Oh….”

“It’s delicious, right?”

“This is the first time I have eaten such a delicious tomato.”

“I am this good at farming too.”

The highly elastic tomato had a part that was slightly springy like jelly.

And yet, the distinct crushing sensation of a tomato with firm flesh was vivid and while it had a tangy taste like a citrus fruit, the subtle sweetness that soon enveloped it was harmonious.

“Now that I touch it, it is also soft like a slime.”

“Isn’t slime going a bit too far…?”

“The texture is fun.”

His disgust was brief, and it seemed Iseur quite liked the tomato.

It was because Iseur had seen too many things over the long years to be genuinely disgusted by a moving tomato.

“Then what else should we harvest? In fact, I think it is quite strange to use the word 'harvest' in a place called a vegetable patch, but anyway….”

“I am planning to put in various things.”

Indeed, a stew was best eaten as a hodgepodge.

“Carrots are the most standard choice. The unique, mild sweetness and faint, bitter aroma of carrots go very well with tomatoes.”

“What about potatoes? When you put potatoes in the stew, Teacher, I really liked that stew that became slightly thick from the starch that came out. I still remember it.”

“Then let's add potatoes too. The starch that naturally comes out of the ingredients is not too gooey or slimy but has a gentle sweetness like bone broth, so it is excellent.”

“And when they are cooked to a fluffy texture and soak up the broth of the tomato stew, they mash softly. I would really appreciate it if you would add potatoes, Teacher.”

Iseur held the tomato basket and smiled a faintly excited smile.

“Cabbage does not seem bad either. Cabbage cooked thoroughly in hot soup is both crunchy and soft, so the texture was really good.”

“It really is, isn't it? When the juice of warm, cooked cabbage fills your mouth, it's truly ecstatic in the winter. If you cook it until it's completely soft and mash it with your tongue, that's fun in its own way too….”

“……”

At this mundane and ordinary conversation, Iseur could not help but recall memories of the past.

“…It feels like we are at the market.”

“I think it is similar.”

“I see….”

He wondered if he was dreaming.

It was empty and frightening.

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