Chapter 355

Haruto climbed back onto the carriage.

"Let’s keep going. Oh, and we’re having Running Hawks for lunch today."

"Their leg meat is firm and springy. I bet it’ll make excellent roasted chicken legs."

Kagura and Kanna nodded in agreement.

Even Cecily was looking forward to it.

After all, Running Hawk meat was a popular ingredient among adventurers. Its tender texture and delicious flavor made it a common specialty at many taverns.

She had eaten it herself at a tavern in Alcanretia, and it really was quite good.

Surely a dish prepared by Haruto would taste even better.

With lunch to look forward to, the group continued their journey.

Having received an unexpected delivery of more than a hundred ingredients that morning, Haruto was in a considerably better mood. He spent much of the journey thinking about how he wanted to prepare the Running Hawks.

Around noon, just as Haruto stopped the carriage to prepare lunch, a group of enormous lizard-like monsters suddenly emerged from the distance.

These creatures stood taller than an adult human and ran on two powerful hind legs. Their purple bodies moved across the ground at remarkable speed.

Leading the group was an exceptionally large female with dark-red skin and a fin-like structure growing from her head.

She was the leader of the pack, known as the Runner Lizard Queen.

The Runner Lizards stared hungrily at the carriage, clearly regarding the four travelers as potential prey.

Haruto examined them briefly before frowning.

"Lizards carry too many parasites and bacteria. They’re troublesome to process, and their meat is pretty coarse."

He shook his head.

He could not even be bothered to fight them.

Instead, he simply released a trace of his overwhelming presence.

The entire pack froze.

Every Runner Lizard instinctively sensed an enormous difference in their respective levels of existence.

The Runner Lizard Queen let out a terrified screech, turned around, and immediately fled with her entire pack.

Within moments, they disappeared into the distance, moving even faster than when they had arrived.

Haruto shook his head and returned his attention to the Running Hawk he was holding.

"Let’s get back to cooking."

After enjoying a delicious lunch of charcoal-grilled Running Hawk legs and honey-glazed roasted wings, the four resumed their journey.

That afternoon, the weather gradually turned gloomy.

The wind picked up, bending the wild grass along the roadside and carrying a faint smell of dust through the air.

"That’s strange. Why has it suddenly become so windy?"

Cecily looked outside in confusion.

Haruto abruptly raised his head and stared into the distance.

The sky ahead had taken on a dusty yellow color, and an enormous wall of sand was moving rapidly across the landscape.

Noticing his reaction, Kagura, Kanna, and Cecily followed his gaze.

"That’s..."

Cecily stared for a moment before suddenly realizing what they were looking at.

"It’s a Sand Whale! Hurry, get out of its way!"

"Sand Whales don’t normally attack people. We just need to stay out of its path!"

Sand Whales were monsters native to this region.

They spent most of their lives underground, feeding on minerals found in the sand and various small organisms.

Their skin was extraordinarily tough and could withstand attacks from most ordinary weapons.

Fortunately, Sand Whales had little interest in humans. As long as nobody deliberately attacked them and travelers avoided their path, they generally posed little danger.

"Why would we get out of its way?"

Haruto answered calmly.

An ingredient had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.

There was no way he was letting it escape.

As the approaching wall of sand drew closer, the ground ahead suddenly swelled violently.

An instant later, a massive Sand Whale burst from beneath the earth, throwing sand and dust high into the air.

The creature was more than ten meters long, with a streamlined body covered in thick, hardened brown skin. Its hide was marked by countless wrinkles and scratches.

An enormous blowhole sat atop its head, currently releasing a powerful stream of air mixed with sand.

"S-So big!"

Cecily turned pale and tightly gripped the carriage’s handrail.

"What an interesting creature."

Kagura watched the Sand Whale with considerable curiosity.

Beside her, Kanna glanced toward Haruto and raised her Mirror of Death, ready to assist if necessary.

Haruto, however, was carefully examining the enormous creature with undisguised excitement.

According to his senses, this Sand Whale was an exceptionally promising ingredient.

Before it could retreat underground, Haruto jumped down from the carriage.

He stamped his foot against the ground.

BOOM!

The earth shook violently beneath him, sending powerful vibrations through the surrounding area.

The Sand Whale, which had been preparing to dive back underground, immediately became uncomfortable.

Although Sand Whales rarely attacked humans without provocation, this particular creature was not about to tolerate such an obvious challenge from a tiny human.

It released an enraged roar.

Opening its enormous mouth and exposing rows of sharp teeth, it lunged straight toward Haruto.

Haruto’s figure blurred as he effortlessly evaded the attack.

He immediately leaped onto the creature’s back, concentrated his Nen into his fist, and delivered a devastating punch directly to its head.

BANG!

A heavy impact thundered across the grassland.

The Sand Whale’s enormous body shuddered violently before suddenly going rigid.

The light disappeared from its eyes, and its massive body collapsed to the ground, throwing up another cloud of sand.

The entire encounter had lasted only a few seconds.

Cecily was completely numb with shock.

Sand Whales were nothing like the Giant Earthworms or Running Hawks they had encountered previously.

These were high-level monsters.

Yet this one had failed to withstand even a single attack from Haruto.

Haruto jumped down from the Sand Whale’s back and dusted off his hands with satisfaction.

He turned toward the others.

"Let’s set up camp here for today!"

Kagura and Kanna immediately understood.

Haruto was clearly eager to taste his latest catch.

Fortunately, they were just as curious about what Sand Whale meat would taste like.

As for Cecily, she thought it was rather early to stop for the day.

Unfortunately, she had absolutely no say in the matter.

Haruto summoned his kitchen knife, Myriad Worlds, and enlarged it before beginning to butcher the Sand Whale.

The first step was removing its skin.

Sand Whale hide was exceptionally tough. Ordinary swords and knives could barely leave a mark on it.

Against Myriad Worlds, however, the hardened skin might as well have been paper.

Haruto drew the enormous blade along the Sand Whale’s belly, creating a long incision.

He then grabbed the edge of the hide and pulled firmly, peeling the entire skin away in one piece and revealing the thick layer of snow-white fat underneath.

The fat was pure white and delicate, releasing a faint milky fragrance.

Haruto carefully separated the entire layer with his knife before cutting it into evenly sized cubes.

Next, he removed the Sand Whale’s two tenderloins.

These cuts came from its back, one of the least active areas of its body. The meat was exceptionally tender, with evenly distributed fat forming beautiful marbling patterns.

Haruto sliced the tenderloins into steaks approximately two centimeters thick, then seasoned them with Tri-Color Salt and Chocolate Black Pepper.

Meanwhile, Kagura had already started a fire and set a large iron pot over it.

Haruto placed the prepared cubes of Sand Whale fat into the pot and began slowly rendering them over low heat.

As the temperature gradually increased, the cubes softened and melted, releasing a clear, transparent oil.

An extraordinarily rich fragrance soon spread through the surrounding air.

Unlike the heavy richness of beef tallow or the distinctive fattiness of lard, Sand Whale oil possessed a uniquely clean aroma that stimulated the appetite.

Haruto continuously stirred the pot with a spoon to ensure the fat heated evenly.

Once the fat had completely rendered and the remaining pieces had turned golden brown, he removed the crispy scraps, leaving only the clear Sand Whale oil behind.

Now it was time to cook the meat.

Haruto gently lowered the marinated Sand Whale steaks into the hot oil.

Sssss!

The moment the meat touched the sizzling fat, it released an enticing sound.

The edges of the steaks quickly began curling upward, while their surfaces gradually changed from bright red to an appetizing pink.

The intense aroma of the meat blended with the distinctive fragrance of Sand Whale oil, producing a scent far richer than either the grilled Giant Earthworm or Running Hawk they had eaten before.

Haruto waited patiently.

After approximately one minute, he used tongs to flip each steak.

The cooked side had developed a beautiful golden-brown crust. Tiny bubbles covered its surface, promising a crisp exterior and tender center.

Thirty seconds later, Haruto immediately removed the steaks and placed them on a plate lined with absorbent paper.

"Pan-Seared Sand Whale Steak, finished."

He set the platter down in front of everyone.

"Eat it while it’s hot. It won’t be nearly as good once it cools."

Cecily had already been tortured by the aroma for several minutes.

She immediately grabbed a fork, speared a piece of Sand Whale meat, blew gently over the steaming surface, and carefully took a bite.

The crisp exterior came first, breaking with a faint crunch beneath her teeth.

An instant later, her teeth sank into unbelievably smooth and tender meat.

It was delicate, yet still retained just enough elasticity to give each bite a satisfying texture.

Rich juices burst across her tongue.

The Sand Whale meat’s natural sweetness blended perfectly with the deep richness of its own rendered fat.

The oil melted across her palate with a faint milky aroma, yet carried no unpleasant greasiness whatsoever.

Instead, it made the meat taste even richer.

The pure, concentrated savoriness lingered in her mouth long after she swallowed.

"S-So good!"

Cecily looked close to tears.

"This is the best meat I’ve ever eaten!"

Kagura and Kanna quietly sampled their portions as well.

Satisfied smiles appeared on both their faces, making it clear that they were equally pleased with the Sand Whale.

Haruto took a piece for himself and bit into it.

He nodded approvingly.

The quality of Sand Whale meat really was excellent.

And cooking it in its own rendered fat had brought out its natural flavor to the fullest.

The four quickly demolished the entire platter.

Once she had eaten her fill, Cecily leaned against the carriage with a blissful expression, rubbing her round stomach.

"I think hiring Haruto-san might be the luckiest decision I’ve ever made! I get to eat food this amazing every day!"

"It must be Lady Aqua’s blessing."

She turned toward Haruto, her expression suddenly becoming extraordinarily determined.

No.

She absolutely had to make Haruto join the Axis Cult!

Not only would Lady Aqua gain an incredibly powerful follower, Cecily would also get to eat Haruto’s cooking every day.

It was the perfect arrangement!

’Lady Aqua, please, please bless me with success!’

Haruto naturally had no idea what was going through Cecily’s mind.

He was busy cleaning up their equipment and setting up the tents.

The night passed peacefully.

Early the next morning, everyone got up, washed, and ate a simple breakfast of Sand Whale meat patties and meat porridge prepared by Haruto.

Afterward, they packed up the campsite and resumed their journey.