Chapter 361

Haruto’s expression became rather complicated.

The two people who had appeared in front of him were naturally Aqua and Satou Kazuma.

At that moment, Aqua was pointing angrily at several eris coins scattered across the ground.

"Because you bumped into me, my entire ten-thousand-eris paycheck fell everywhere!"

"Now hurry up and help me pick it up. And if any of it is missing, you’re paying the difference out of your own pocket!"

Kazuma turned his face away in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry about her..."

The adventurer apologized as well, then looked down at the handful of coins scattered across the street with a helpless expression.

"But there’s obviously nowhere near ten thousand eris on the ground..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly landed on Aqua’s long aqua-blue hair.

It matched the description he had received at the Adventurers Guild of the powerful Arch Priest everyone was searching for.

But a second later, he hurriedly shook his head.

No, no. What was he thinking?

How could a holy Arch Priest possibly extort money from someone like this?

Coming back to his senses, the adventurer sighed, pulled out some coins of his own, and slapped them directly into Aqua’s hand.

"I’m in a hurry. Just take this money and let me go!"

Before Aqua could respond, he turned and fled, clearly afraid she might call him back.

Aqua stared at the money in her hand, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Yes! This is what you call wisdom for surviving in society!"

After pocketing the coins, she hurriedly crouched down and began picking up the ones scattered across the ground.

"Come on, Kazuma! Help me pick these up too!"

Kazuma stared at Aqua gathering coins from the street, his emotions indescribably complicated.

At this point, where exactly was the dignity of a goddess supposed to be?

Had Aqua actually forgotten that she was one?

Kagura watched Aqua finish collecting the money and walk away with Kazuma before asking curiously, "Haruto, that girl extorting the adventurer... she’s the Arch Priest everyone is looking for, right?"

Kagura could sense an aura around Aqua similar to Cecily’s, only incomparably purer and stronger.

Kanna also watched Aqua’s retreating figure with faint curiosity in her eyes.

"That’s right. Aqua is the Arch Priest those adventurers are searching for."

Haruto nodded.

Looking at her now, it really was difficult to associate Aqua with the words Arch Priest.

"Come on. Let’s head home. It’s about time to make dinner."

Haruto withdrew his gaze and turned toward their rented house.

Kagura and Kanna quickly followed.

...

Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, the three prepared to complete the subjugation quests they had accepted.

Following the directions written on the quest notice, they left Axel through the western gate.

The plains outside the city stretched endlessly into the distance, green grass rippling beneath the wind like waves across an emerald sea.

They had not gone far when several deep croaks drifted toward them.

"Croak... Croak..."

Moments later, three enormous Giant Toads came into view.

Each stood four or five meters tall. Their plump bodies almost made them look comical, but each one was large enough to swallow an adult human whole.

Haruto carefully examined their thick hind legs and heavy bodies, rubbing his chin as satisfaction appeared on his face.

As far as he was concerned, the Giant Toads were nothing more than enormous pieces of fresh, succulent meat walking around on their own.

The three monsters were quickly dispatched and stored away.

"Kagura, search the northern side and try not to miss any. Kanna, you handle the west. I’ll take the south."

Haruto quickly divided up their search areas.

"And today’s lunch will be Giant Toad."

Kagura chuckled before dissolving into the wind and racing northward.

One Giant Toad searching for food barely had time to react before a razor-sharp wind blade severed its head.

It collapsed without even managing to struggle.

Haruto and Kanna were no slower.

Whenever Haruto found a Giant Toad, he simply approached and struck its head with a single palm, killing it instantly.

Kanna merely raised her mirror toward one.

A dark gleam flashed across its surface, and the Giant Toad immediately collapsed, all signs of life disappearing.

For beginner adventurers, Giant Toads might require teams of two or three people to defeat safely.

Against Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna, however, they posed no challenge whatsoever.

The real difficulty was simply locating them across such a vast plain.

Fortunately, that happened to be Kagura’s specialty.

Through her command of the wind, not a single Giant Toad within several kilometers could escape her perception.

Her efficiency was far beyond either Haruto or Kanna.

After spending some time searching, the three captured every Giant Toad they could find aboveground.

Plenty more remained buried beneath the soil, but Haruto saw no reason to hunt them all down.

"That’s enough. We should leave the rest for the beginners to practice on."

Haruto stored the Giant Toads Kagura and Kanna had brought back inside the Gourmet Restaurant.

"Next, let’s head north and deal with that One-Punch Bear."

The northern side of Axel was covered by a dense forest.

Ancient trees towered overhead, their vast canopies blocking most of the sunlight and allowing only scattered patches of gold to filter between the leaves.

The One-Punch Bear was one of the dominant monsters of this forest.

It was not much larger than a Giant Toad, but its enormous paws could easily shatter solid boulders, making it far more dangerous.

Even so, a monster of that level was still nowhere near enough to threaten Haruto’s group.

Kanna simply aimed her mirror toward the One-Punch Bear.

A faint light flashed.

The enormous beast crashed heavily to the ground and stopped moving.

Haruto inspected the quality of its meat, nodded in satisfaction, and stored the carcass inside the Gourmet Restaurant.

By then, the sun had climbed directly overhead.

Golden rays filtered through the leaves while the forest air carried the refreshing scents of vegetation and earth.

It was the perfect time for lunch.

"Let’s eat here."

Haruto expanded the Gourmet Restaurant’s kitchen facilities, then brought out one Giant Toad and a basket filled with fist-sized Punching Potatoes.

He had purchased the strange potatoes in Axel’s market the previous day.

Haruto placed the Giant Toad on the worktable and immediately began butchering it.

He removed the head, peeled away the skin, and cleaned out the internal organs in one smooth sequence.

The Giant Toad’s hide was thick and extremely tough. An ordinary person would have needed considerable effort to tear it away, but Haruto stripped it off without difficulty.

Once the skin was removed, he meticulously trimmed away every membrane and blood vessel before cutting the meat into evenly sized chunks.

Next came the marinade.

Haruto took out a large ceramic basin, placed the Giant Toad meat inside, and poured in natural cooking wine.

The clear liquid covered the meat and released a faint alcoholic fragrance.

He then sprinkled in Tri-Color Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Coarse grains of pepper scattered across the tender pink meat, releasing a sharp, spicy aroma.

Haruto reached in and thoroughly massaged the seasoning into every piece.

Once everything was evenly coated, he set the basin aside to marinate and allow the flavors to penetrate.

While the meat rested, Haruto turned his attention toward the Punching Potatoes.

Kagura and Kanna came over to help, washing and peeling the potatoes before cutting them into irregular chunks.

By the time the potatoes were ready, the Giant Toad meat had finished marinating.

"All right. Time to fry."

Haruto placed a large iron wok over the stove and poured in plenty of olive oil.

Once the oil reached roughly fifty to sixty percent of frying temperature and faint ripples began forming across the surface, with tiny bubbles appearing around a pair of chopsticks dipped into it, Haruto began lowering the marinated Giant Toad meat into the wok one piece at a time.

Sssssss!

The instant the meat hit the oil, a crisp frying sound filled the kitchen.

Golden bubbles surged around the pieces while a rich meaty aroma spread outward.

Haruto gently moved them with a skimmer so each piece cooked evenly.

The Giant Toad meat gradually changed from pale pink to an appetizing golden color, while the surface puffed slightly and developed a fragrant crust.

Haruto quickly removed the pieces and allowed the excess oil to drain away.

The meat was now crisp on the outside and tender within, its aroma alone enough to stir the appetite.

Next, the prepared Punching Potatoes went into the hot oil.

The chunks rolled through the bubbling oil as their surfaces slowly turned golden.

Haruto carefully controlled the heat and fried them for approximately two minutes, waiting until a firm crust formed around the outside before removing them as well.

He poured away the excess oil, leaving only a thin layer coating the bottom of the wok.

Then he added sliced Pagoda Ginger and Crystal Garlic, slowly stir-frying them over low heat.

The ginger and garlic gradually turned golden, releasing an intense spicy fragrance.

Haruto followed with a spoonful of his homemade doubanjiang and rapidly stir-fried it.

Bright red chili oil gradually separated from the paste and spread across the bottom of the wok, carrying a savory, spicy aroma far through the surrounding forest.

Once the doubanjiang had been fully fried until fragrant, Haruto returned the Giant Toad meat to the wok.

He tossed everything quickly, coating every golden piece of meat in the glossy red sauce.

A small amount of Tri-Color Salt and sugar went in next.

The sugar softened the saltiness of the doubanjiang and rounded out the flavor.

Haruto then added the fried Punching Potatoes, tossing them briefly until every surface was covered in sauce.

Finally, he added chunks of fresh green pepper and turned the heat to high.

The ingredients flew rapidly through the wok as the fresh aroma of green pepper blended with the spicy, savory sauce, giving the dish even greater depth.

Haruto killed the heat and plated everything.

A huge serving of steaming Dry-Pot Giant Toad with Punching Potatoes was placed on the table.

Glossy red sauce clung to the golden Giant Toad meat and potatoes, while vivid green peppers added splashes of color throughout the dish.

The appearance alone was mouthwatering, and its rich fragrance made it almost impossible to wait before taking the first bite.