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The giant mimic was swiftly defeated.

Naturally, this was to be expected.

Conversations about the rewards that Catherine and Alfred had deliberately let slip spread throughout the campsite without any alterations.

Of course, the two top-tier forces of the escort unit did not step up.

No, they simply shouldn’t have.

However, someone must keep watch over the campsite.

Only adventurers could respond to the request.

This was Alfred’s command, considering various factors such as the combat strength of the caravan, the preservation of elite personnel, and morale.

However, it was inevitable that discontent arose.

The mimic guaranteed juicy loot as long as you could catch it.

In fact, the unusual size, at a building’s scale, made it strange that it had not appeared before.

Even the knights, who would treat gold like stone, flinched at such a sight, leaving the soldiers’ reactions abundantly clear.

“Can mimics grow that large?”

“Wow, how much treasure could we get after hunting it?”

“Oh no, oh no! I never thought I’d live to see the day I envied adventurers.”

“Why? Are you saying you want to quit if you have complaints?”

“Even so, quitting a public position is a bit…”

Fortunately, the rewards given to the participating adventurers were the highest, yet there was still something for those waiting at the campsite.

Everything was according to Alfred’s calculations.

But still, there were some who shamelessly held onto their discontent.

“My goodness! A mimic that massive? The taste must be phenomenal.”

“Sir, I heard that only adventurers participating in the caravan can join the hunt!”

“What!? Rimus, are you saying we must sit idle before such a creature we’ve never seen? That’s unfair!”

“Since you are the nominal head of the escort, it cannot be helped. You should consider letting it go.”

Among a very few knights complaining about being excluded from the honor of monster hunting.

Regardless of their thoughts, with the help of the adventurers’ burning passion, the giant mimic was completed in the end with only minor damages.

Glup- Glup- Glup-

The colossal cephalopod, draped in its rocky shell, continuously expelled loot.

A small mound composed of equipment that could have belonged to victims, magic tools, magic books, consumables, valuables, and coins of gold, silver, and bronze.

Alfred’s eyes were filled with admiration as he took in the scene of organizing all of it.

“I’ve heard of mimics.”

Originally, the looting was meant to be done by selected individuals, but those selected uniformly opposed it.

The reason they were eliminated as candidates was precisely that.

The pile of loot regurgitated by the giant mimic.

Upon seeing it, the conclusion was clear: they were simply unable to handle it alone.

There was just too much.

In the end, adventurers and workers were rallied, with even third parties from the caravan joining in to organize the site and classify the loot.

With guards keeping a watchful eye and knights and soldiers ready to use violence at any sign of suspicion, it was louder than the market.

“I feel like I understand a little why adventurers risk their lives to delve into dungeons.”

“My lord, I’ve seen very few mimics like that in my lifetime.”

“Indeed. Atanitas, you mentioned that as well.”

“For adventurers, the difference between a mimic and a treasure chest is solely whether it attacks them or not.”

“By the way, just the act of recovering and storing all the loot will be an enormous task.”

“Yet, there remains the task of distributing it fairly.”

At those words, Alfred automatically rubbed his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger. Opening his previously closed eyes, he sighed softly while observing the bustling scene before turning his head to Catherine.

“By the way, where’s Karem? Wasn’t he just with you?”

“…Over there.”

“Over there? You mean near the pile of mimic’s treasures?”

“No, not that.”

Alfred’s eyes, watching the working scene, followed the direction indicated by Catherine’s staff. Behind the giant mimic, obscured by its tentacles, Karem was with a group of adventurers.

“Surely, you’re not planning to sneak away the treasures, are you?”

“He says he wants to eat the mimic.”

“…What did you say?”

Alfred looked at Catherine with disbelief, as if he had forgotten all propriety. She nodded knowingly as if she understood everything.

“He argued that since it resembles an octopus or squid, its taste should be similar.”

“…Atanitas. Do you know about this?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Though I don’t know what octopus or squid are, I can’t help but feel disgust at myself for anticipating it after hearing you.”

“I see we share the same thoughts.”

Alfred and Catherine exchanged quiet words, and without determining who initiated it, let out deep sighs simultaneously.

“The Fire Witch Finger was certainly something.”

Alfred, having enjoyed the peculiarities of Karem, tried to understand it forcibly.

“Its value as a spice is overwhelming compared to the cold resistance potion. That goes for vanilla too.”

“The former was poison, and the latter was from the Grizzly Beaver—”

“There’s no need to finish that sentence.”

Alfred promptly cut off Catherine’s words.

During this exchange, Alfred’s and Catherine’s troubled expressions met Karem’s eyes as he unabashedly lifted a piece of mimic meat, heedless of the gazes of nearby adventurers.

The rocky shell and rough gray skin, unlike the tentacles, revealed pristine white flesh that sparkled like snow.

“So… what can we make with that?”

“To my knowledge, there’s only one place that serves dishes similar to that now.”

“There’s a place that eats that?”

“Much smaller than a mimic, yes.”

“What kind of creepy country would serve such a dish—”

“Servianus.”

“Oh, then I suppose that’s reasonable.”

Alfred collapsed into understanding immediately.

Servianus is famous for its gastronomy in Europa.

The place, which can be seen as descendants of a fallen ancient empire, is known for its culinary prowess, likely due to the heritage of ancestral civilization.

Some claim that Bersengzeto is the birthplace of fine dining, but that can’t be true.

Bersengzeto, which behaved like a true herbivore, only began to enjoy cooking after being conquered by the ancient empire.

Servianus, without a doubt, is the heart of fine dining.

“However… I have one concern.”

“May I ask what that is?”

“If what you said is true, then you have tasted octopus and squid before, haven’t you?”

“Yes. It was a while ago, but the recipe shouldn’t have disappeared.”

“Then… does it taste similar to the mimic’s?”

That was a perfectly reasonable question, to which Catherine scrunched her brows slightly and shook her head.

“Naturally, I wouldn’t know.”

“The Fire Witch Finger too. And vanilla. I expected you to have plenty of experience, but I suppose not.”

“Isn’t that to be expected? Who would ever eat a mimic?”

One would typically hunt it for loot rather than consider it edible. While there are edible monsters, at least no one in Catherine’s long life has even thought about attacking a mimic for dinner—until Karem.

“…On second thought, Karem did madly make pickles out of Grizzly Beaver because it smelled nice…”

“…Then I suppose its appearance is similar?”

“About octopus and squid? Yes.”

While it might be a problem if the tastes are similar or not, Catherine answered civilly for now.

“…Then at least the taste is guaranteed.”

“Dishes from Servianus made from octopus and squid are exquisite.”

“Does your significant other know how to cook Servianus cuisine?”

“He’s quite skilled at it.”

Catherine had been smart enough to retain that memory. The cuisine of Servianus is not only similar to Mediterranean cuisine but could very well be the same.

Like Alfred, she once more anticipated it.

But how unfortunate that the target was a mimic.

It really was dreadful, as she had thought before.

“What… what can we make with it?”

“…For now, we’ll grill it Servianus-style. They eat it as salad.”

The issue, considering the conclusions drawn from observing Karem’s previous behavior, was that at least the taste was assured.

*

*

*

Culture changes with the environment people live in.

Naturally, food culture follows suit.

Thus, it makes sense that people have a natural aversion to specific ingredients and food products they seldom come across.

Such as arthropods and crustaceans.

To those who have lived their whole lives inland, where fish was all they knew of seafood, these two delicacies seemed merely extensions of insects.

(Biologically, that statement isn’t entirely wrong.)

On the other hand, there’s the premium ingredient known as lobster.

In ancient America, it was so abundant, it was barely even food; it was often what the poor, prisoners, or slaves consumed, sometimes even used as fertilizer.

Thus, food culture is influenced not just by the environment but also by status, trends, prices, religion, and the era.

Octopus, squid, and octopus.

All cephalopods are no different.

Indeed, long before modernity, octopus and squid were viewed with dread due to their unique appearances, treated as demon fish.

Only a tiny fraction of people in the East and West have eaten cephalopods since the past.

Even today, there remains many countries that do not consume cephalopods; one could imagine how it is on Europa.

Catherine once mentioned that only one country eats them.

Karem understood too.

He was also averse to all cephalopods except for octopus and squid.

Even then, he disliked sashimi.

Little cuttlefish were too small for him to bother trying.

As for nakji, its texture didn’t appeal to him.

Squid was too tough.

In any case, even Karem, who enjoyed eating, couldn’t bear to eat what appeared so different from typical seafood.

Had it tasted horrible, he would have discarded it, but luckily, the mimic was similar to the taste of octopus and squid.

Due to its size, it was a bit chewier, but no problem.

He made plenty of crosshatch cuts to improve texture.

With many psychological barriers broken down in the end,

Amadeus’ and Nutella’s absence was promptly filled with mimic meat.

However, the others invited to Catherine’s tent still held their psychological barriers.

Clang.

Thus, she prepared dishes that had fewer dislikes.

Takoyaki, fried squid from a snack shop, calamari, and jjamppong.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Well then, you may eat.”

The gazes of Catherine, Mary, Alfred, Alicia, and Poppins converged on the dishes laid out on the table.

(Godwin and William had fled.)

The dishes appeared appetizing.

Various lengths of golden-brown and yellowish fried goods packed into a basket.

Small round buns piled on a plate, fully slathered with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise.

A pot of rich and spicy broth filled with generous helpings of vegetables and meat.

The tent was enveloped in the greasy, sweet-salty, and spicy aroma.

However, those seated still saw the original ingredients visibly clear.

The true form of the enormous mimic with its tentacles.

As a result, their hands hesitated to reach out.

Even Alicia couldn’t bring herself to touch it, while Karem unhesitatingly dipped a round bun into the takoyaki.

Crisp—

Food is at its most delicious when freshly made.

In that regard, the takoyaki made from mimics had sauce, and it wasn’t the time it would taste the best.

Still, its outer layer remained crispy, while the inside was moist as if it might overflow at any moment.

Like how a giant squid is tough, the pieces of mimic meat nestled within were similar.

Thanks to those grid-like cuts, it wasn’t unmanageable.

As Karem continued to eat the takoyaki, Alicia looked with confusion and asked,

“You seem to be enjoying it so much. Is it really tasty?”

“Of course, it is! I wanted some seafood, and this tastes similar.”

“Eh.”

Is this seafood? Alicia stared at Karem with wide eyes before swiftly reaching out for the pile of fried goods.

Before anyone else could jump in, the brown fried item was quickly pulled into Alicia’s mouth.

Crisp—

“…Oh?”

“Does it taste weird?”

“…”

Crisp- Crisp-

Alicia raised her hand to halt Alfred’s words and seriously chewed the fried item.

The batter was slightly tough, but with each bite, a touch of spice and subtle aroma burst forth.

The rough edges of the flesh were nutty and chewy, while it had a texture reminiscent of chewing shells.

Even though it was fried with the same ingredients, the yellow fried goods were equally compelling.

Crisp yet tenderly biting into the rich nutty goodness caused an explosion of flavors once dipped in soy sauce, intensifying the umami taste that mingled in her mouth.

After tasting both fried dishes, Alicia’s eyes widened. With curious gazes fixed upon her, she began to speak.

“Something about this flavor feels slightly off.”

“…Is it because it’s a mimic? Then Karem was just teasing after all.”

“Then I’ll be the one to finish off this takoyaki.”

“Even so, as a matter of courtesy, I should at least try it… Huh?”

What did Alicia just say?

And the sincerity of Alicia’s intentions was immediately revealed to everyone present.

“Alicia, Princess.”

“Poppins?”

“All of this food is for everyone to share.”

“Eeek.”

The dish of mimic takoyaki that had been pulled close to Alicia was swiftly returned to its original place.

 

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