Shop 50.1

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Chapter 50.1. Rise In The Wilderness

"Alright, next up is raw fish sashimi and fried fish." 

White fish sashimi beautifully arranged on large plate-like flower petals, and a hearty fried fish from head to tail, all are guided to everyone on the palm of their hand.

Cherina avoided eye contact with the fried fish.

"Sashimi? Isn't it supposed to be for shabu-shabu?"

"No, you eat it as is... dipping it in soy sauce."

"Raw?"

Hagg raised an eyebrow, stroking his beard.

"Yeah, but be careful not to put too much soy sauce. Also, adding a bit of this green... herb called wasabi enhances the flavor. But it's spicy, so if you're not a fan, it's better to skip it."

"I see. Then I'll try just soy sauce."

Hagg unabashedly puts the sashimi in his mouth.

"Hmm, I thought raw fish would smell more fishy, but it doesn't, and this soy sauce brings out the sweetness of the white fish."

This guy is quite the food critic.

"Now let's try it with wasabi."

Swiftly manipulating chopsticks as if he were Japanese, he loads the sashimi with plenty of wasabi and puts it in his mouth. Hagg-dono eats it in no time.

"Hmm... Oh! This is good! The mysterious spiciness that tingles the nose, combined with the sweetness of the white fish, further eliminates the fishy smell! Raw fish tastes this good... Hmm, it needs some sake."

Hagg alternates between sashimi with heaps of wasabi and the sake provided by the company. Sashimi isn't a drink.

"I've eaten a lot of fish before, but I've never had it raw..."

Narnia looked anxiously at us.

"You don't have to force yourself to eat it. I'll eat it."

I put a little wasabi on and take a bite. 

Yeah, unlike sea bream sashimi, it doesn't have a complex umami taste, but it has a straightforward mild sweetness that hits the tongue. The Japanese way.

"Then I shall too."

Hugo takes a piece with a fork and puts it in his mouth as is.

"I sometimes taste it raw to confirm the freshness of the fish, but I never thought of cutting it in consideration of the texture like this... Still, confirming it raw is mostly for white fish like sea bream, so eating poisonous fish like monkfish raw is a first for me."

"Eh?! It's poisonous?!"

The inn's maid Narnia stood up in shock.

"Oh, it's only in the dorsal fin, so it's fine. But people from the slums who don't know that occasionally suffer..."

"There's no poison in the flesh. If you're worried, don't eat it."

"Ugh... but..."

Narnia's gaze was fixed on Hagg, who was quickly depleting the monkfish sashimi.

"Now, let's try this soy sauce... Oh! W-What is this! The white fish, which I thought was just bland with a slight umami earlier, blooms like a flower petal in taste when combined with this soy sauce! At first glance, you might think it's the taste of the sauce overpowering, but that's a mistake. This strong salty complexity perfectly complements the sweetness and richness of the white fish, bringing out all its flavors. Is this sauce a monster?"

"I-Is it really that delicious?"

"Yes, it seems to be used in the ponzu earlier as well, but it must be a secret sauce that brings out the flavor of the fish. Thanks to this sauce, even... no, it's not that, it's realizing that raw is the fundamental flavor of fish, that's the essence of its deliciousness."

(gulp)

Cherina and Narnia swallow simultaneously.

Hugo, you could be a hit on TV shopping channels as a taste tester.

Upon closer inspection, even Elven Yaralai was happily eating with his chopsticks.

"Huh? Yaralai, are you okay with wasabi too?"

"Wasabi, almost the same, found in the village."

I see, so you're also a big fan of wasabi.

"We'd better hurry, it's disappearing."

"Huh?"

Cherina looks at the plate, only to find that there's hardly any sashimi left.

"Hey! You dwarf over there! Show some restraint!"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, sorry. It was so good I couldn't stop! Hahaha!"

Cherina is amazing for being able to scold Hagg so nonchalantly...

"Anyway, let's dig in."

Cherina takes what little sashimi remains with her fork.

I take a portion for Narnia and add a bit of wasabi.

"If it's too spicy, feel free to spit it out."

"Yeah... gulp... gulp... sigh!"

A young girl with her hands on both cheeks, her face flushed as she tries to cool down.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah! It's really delicious! I used to underestimate raw fish, but—"

(sudden shriek)

Suddenly, a desperate, tragic scream echoes from next to us. No, I've never strangled a rabbit, but it's like that, you know, just as an analogy.

"!!!!!!"

It turns out to be Cherina, clutching her mouth and writhing in agony.

"What's wrong?"

"Veliero, wasabi, heaps."

Yaralai informs us in a whisper.

"Oh..."

After writhing for a while, she dashes off to the back kitchen.

"...Be careful not to put too much on."

"Y-Yeah."

"Adding this much wasabi enhances the flavor of the white fish even more! This unique spiciness that tickles the nose seems quite appealing, but it's irresistible to those who like it. It seems that Hagg and Yaralai enjoy it."

"...You could show a little concern."

"In times like these, quietly watching over is the best form of consideration."

Hugo with a composed expression.

And as if nothing had happened, Cherina returned elegantly, lifting the chair lightly and sitting down.

"I might not be suited for raw fish after all."

"Hmph."

I thought I'd shatter that illusion, but the sashimi was already sold out.

Damn. Just you wait.

...But seeing Cherina's amusing figure was worth it. Yeah. It's good to experience a bit of pain once in a while! Hahaha!

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