Chapter 20 - Attack! Dinner on the Road, Part 1
This is a bonus story from Volume 2. The timeline is set between the end of Volume 2 and the beginning of Volume 3.
What in the world do our three travelers eat for dinner on the road?
This is the story of one of those very ordinary travel dinners.
Packed with comedy!
Prologue
The first hardship to strike the party after leaving Tushil Village was their massive amount of luggage. On the road from Saradio to Tushil, they had been nearly penniless, so their baggage had been negligible. This time, however, was different.
The things they had bought themselves, the things they had been given… all together, it was a considerable amount. They stared at the sheer volume of it all, dumbfounded. They somehow managed to divide among the three of them the items they had personally purchased. Everything else was gathered into a single bundle that now sat enthroned before their very eyes.
"The village chief really went all out for us…"
Anna and Franz both nodded at Ritz's murmur. It was true that they had refused any reward of money or goods, but looking at this much baggage, it almost felt like accepting the cash would have been less of a burden.
"Should we split it up?"
Ritz threw out the idea, but gave up when he saw the troubled looks on his companions' faces. After simulating how much more luggage the two of them could possibly carry, he realized the contents of the large bag would barely diminish. The vast majority of it would fall to him.
In that case, there was no point in breaking it down. They were already at their absolute limit with the gear they'd bought for themselves.
Not that it was a particularly large amount.
"…Looks like I'll be the one carrying it."
Ritz said with an air of resignation as he hoisted the luggage onto his shoulders.
"Ugh…"
Heavy. This was heavy.
But if they were to reduce the contents, they would face a crisis of a different, more painful sort. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. And so, Ritz decided to grit his teeth and carry it all.
"Are you okay, Ritz? Want me to carry something?"
He appreciated Anna’s concern, but he put on a brave face as if it were nothing.
"It's fine, it's fine. Don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay! You're so strong, Ritz!"
When she was so genuinely impressed, he couldn't very well complain to a child.
"My condolences."
Franz’s comment, made with a full understanding of Ritz's plight, was a little irritating, but it couldn't be helped. It would be a huge problem if they made the physically weak Franz carry any more luggage. They'd never make any progress.
"Alright, let's get moving. Let's get as close to the next town as we can."
The other two nodded at Ritz’s words. The road ahead was about twice as long as the one they’d just traveled, which was why they had so much luggage to begin with. They had no time to dawdle here.
For now, the three of them pushed onward. It was about a week's journey to the next town, Faldina. They would have to walk hard. Well, at least their baggage would lighten up a bit by then.
After all, the vast majority of it was food.
Day 1: Ritz Alster
"Alright, let's get some grub."
As evening approached, Ritz looked back at his two companions. As usual, Franz was staggering. Anna, on the other hand, was bouncing around energetically. Maybe I should have let her carry some of the luggage, he thought for a moment, but it was too late now.
"About dinner…"
He dropped the luggage with a thud and spoke to them in a serious tone.
"I think we should decide on a cooking rota."
"Aww!"
"A cooking rota?"
Ignoring Anna and Franz's surprise, Ritz continued.
"For lunch and breakfast, bread and butter or scones and herbal tea might be fine. But dinner is important."
They’d eat a light breakfast to prioritize walking, and lunch was combined with a rest break. Dinner was the only meal where they could take their time and eat properly.
"How will we decide?"
Ritz answered Franz's question with brimming confidence.
"By drawing lots."
With that, Ritz picked up three small twigs.
"Alright, I'm going to shave these down and write the numbers one through three on them. Number one is tonight's dinner, number two is tomorrow's, and number three is the day after. After that, we just repeat the order."
"But Ritz, if you're the one writing them, you'll know the order. That's not fair."
Ritz began his explanation to a disgruntled Franz.
"It's fine. I'll write them, then you and Anna will draw. I'll take what's left. See? Fair, right?"
"…Fine."
Ritz took a small knife from his bag and shaved the base of the twigs flat.
"Franz, lend me your pen."
Franz, who had been sitting down to rest, slowly got up and handed Ritz his favorite pen.
"Alright, no peeking."
After writing one, two, and three on the twigs, Ritz held them out to his companions.
"There, all done. Anna, you first."
"Okay!"
Anna deftly plucked one out.
"Aww, number three. I guess I'm the day after tomorrow."
Next, he held them out to Franz. Franz languidly drew one.
"Number two…"
Which meant, by default, Ritz was on cooking duty for the night.
"Me? …Well, whatever."
Ritz stood up, scratching his head.
"What should I make for dinner?"
First, he decided to build a hearth and start a fire. That part took a fair bit of time.
"Don't just stand there spacing out. At least help me build the hearth."
"Okay!"
Anna replied and immediately came to Ritz's side, starting to gather stones from the area.
"Franz, you gather some kindling."
Franz gave a weary shake of his head and finally stood up.
"…I'll go get some."
As Franz started walking towards the forest, Ritz called out a warning from behind him.
"Don't go too far!"
"…I'm not a child. Stop it."
From Ritz's perspective, Franz was well within the realm of being a child. But the real problem was not knowing what might emerge from the forest. That said, Ritz's warning was one part genuine concern and a large part enjoyment from teasing Franz.
"Make sure you gather it where I can see you."
He continued his warnings for his own amusement. Franz shot him a glare, but still dutifully began to pick up twigs.
"Alright then. It's the first night, so we should go all out."
He opened the heavy luggage and checked the contents, finding an even more robust supply of food than he'd imagined.
There were root vegetables and leafy greens. For staples, there was baguette, flour, pasta, rice, and so on. As for seasonings, not only salt, pepper, and sugar, but also a large quantity of chili peppers and mustard. From jars of processed foods to even some sausage—someone must have figured it would be fine since it was cool out—it was a pretty nice spread. A small, tightly packed box contained a generous amount of herbs.
"It's gotta be meat."
Muttering to himself, Ritz took out a large block of beef he had purchased just before leaving the village. He liberally seasoned it with salt and pepper, letting it sit before tossing it into a pot with some herbs. He drizzled a generous amount of olive oil over the top. He was making roast beef.
It was a bit of a waste to use it all at once, but it was raw meat and had to be used quickly. Besides, if he left it, there was no telling what it might become in Franz and Anna's hands, so it was better to make something he wanted to eat.
He knew that using too much at once would make things tight later on. But being frugal all the time would drain their spirits halfway through.
It was better to start things off with a bang. Besides, any leftovers could be used for sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch. Two birds with one stone.
Just as he finished the prep and took a breath, Franz returned with an armful of twigs—perfect timing.
"Oh, good work."
Ritz took the twigs and placed them in the hearth, then rummaged around for a fire starter.
"I'll light it."
No sooner were the words out than Franz held his hand over the hearth.
"O, Fire Spirit."
A flame born from Franz's hand bloomed and spread throughout the hearth. He really was a convenient guy.
To stabilize the flame, Ritz let Sara the Salamander out of the lamp and into the hearth.
"Kee, happy-kee!"
The fire stabilized, and Sara got her fill. Another case of two birds with one stone. Efficiency was the most important thing on the road.
"Now then, what else should I make?"
After setting the pot on the hearth, Ritz rummaged through the luggage again.
"Hm? What's this?"
The package he found was unusually large and heavy. Unable to tell what was inside from the outside, Ritz carefully opened it.
"…Smoked meat? That's a huge amount."
The contents were a whole chicken. It had to have been the Roubaix couple who had packed this.
"What a waste. Let's save it."
It would be good for a few more days.
But he didn't know that this very chicken would later become a major problem.
For now, Ritz chose pasta from among the staples. He picked out chili peppers and garlic for the ingredients.
"It's getting cold, so something to warm the body would be good."
Muttering, Ritz deftly sliced the garlic with his knife, then sliced the chili peppers into rings and removed the seeds.
"Alright, prep complete."
Now he just had to wait for the roast beef to finish, then clean the pot, boil water, and cook the pasta.
Once the pot was free, he'd fry the garlic to a golden brown in olive oil, toss in the chili peppers and pasta, and finish by mixing in some herbs.
"Well, I guess I'll wait for the roast beef to cook."
Ritz lay down next to the firewood to take a short break. Once the prep was done, all that was left was to wait.
Day one, Ritz Alster's menu:
Roast Beef with Aromatic Herbs and Peperoncino with Plenty of Garlic
"Let's eat."
Anna joyfully dug into the plate, from which a delicious aroma wafted. Atop a generous pile of peperoncino sat an equally generous portion of roast beef.
It wasn't exactly high-class, but it was certainly voluminous.
"Gotta build up our strength on the first day of the journey!"
Ritz also began to devour the meal he had made.
"This is delicious! Ritz, you have to teach me how to make it sometime!"
"Which one?"
"The pasta!"
It seemed Anna had taken quite a liking to the slightly spicy peperoncino.
"This stuff is easy. There's not much to teach."
As the two chatted happily, Franz, who had taken a bite of his pasta, wore a perplexed expression.
"…"
Noticing that Franz had sighed and put down his fork, Ritz asked him.
"What's wrong, Franz? Not eating?"
Franz looked at the curious faces of Ritz and Anna, then, with a troubled expression, picked up his fork again.
"What's the matter? It's delicious, isn't it?"
"…It is, but…"
His hesitant tone left Ritz confused. He took another bite of his own portion. It should have been perfect… He observed Franz and noticed a pattern: he'd take a bite of pasta, then a bite of roast beef, and repeat.
"…Is it bad?"
At Ritz's question, Franz raised his downturned face. It was flushed, and beads of sweat were breaking out all over his face.
"What the heck? What's wrong, Franz? Are you feeling sick?"
"Franz, are you not well?"
As the two put down their plates and came over to him, Franz opened his mouth as if he had resigned himself to his fate.
"…I can't handle it."
He muttered with a look that was both apologetic and sullen. This was getting more and more confusing.
"Huh? What can't you handle?"
"What's wrong?"
Franz hesitated. He looked strangely embarrassed, but then his eyes met theirs as if he'd made up his mind.
"…Spicy food…"
"Eh? What was that?"
His voice was too quiet for them to hear, so they asked him to repeat it.
"I said, I can't handle spicy food."
After a moment of silence, Ritz burst out laughing.
"What? So that's why you're sweating so much while you eat?"
"Wow, I never would have guessed!"
Looking at Franz's personality, they never would have dreamed he couldn't eat spicy food. It was so unexpected that both he and Anna couldn't help but utter the forbidden words.
"You're like a little kid."
"Such a kid…"
It was meant to be the usual teasing, but Franz's cheeks flushed a deep red as he genuinely shouted back.
"Don't call me a kid! Everyone has things they don't like!"
As Franz threw his tantrum, Ritz, unable to contain his laughter, got up and stood by the hearth.
He filled a pot with water and began to boil it.
"Here, give it to me."
"It's fine."
"I said, give it here."
"Just leave me alone."
Ritz sighed at Franz, who stubbornly refused to let go of his plate, his face still flushed with frustration. He forcibly snatched the plate from him and split the contents between his and Anna's plates. Both their plates were now piled high.
He left the roast beef on Franz's plate.
"Wow, I wonder if I can eat all this."
Ignoring Anna's cheerful cry, Franz clenched his fists. But Ritz paid him no mind and began to rummage through the luggage bag.
"You're okay with herbs, right? I'll make you some basilico."
"It's fine."
Ritz glanced at Anna as Franz sulked and turned away.
"If you don't eat, you'll get hungry, and then walking will be hard. Then you'll get all worn out, and it'll be really tough. It'll be miserable!"
"…I know."
He knew that all too well himself. Food was the source of vitality.
"So, you should just let him make you something. Okay?"
"…Fine."
Convinced by Anna, Franz nodded with his head down.
"Okay Ritz, one more order of a different pasta, coming up!"
"You got it! Leave it to me!"
Additional Menu Item:
One serving of Basil and Garlic Pasta
Day 2: Franz Lucina
"Alright, let's get some grub."
As evening approached, Ritz looked back at the other two. As usual, Franz was staggering, while Anna was bouncing around energetically. It was the exact same scene as yesterday.
"Sorry to bother you when you're tired, but it's your turn for dinner today, Franz."
Franz met the eyes of the turned Ritz with a resentful glare.
"…I know."
Last night, his rather childish weakness for spicy food had been discovered, and Franz now held a bit of a grudge against mealtimes. But a deal was a deal. No matter how much he sulked, he still had to cook.
With a sigh, Franz dropped his luggage. Beside him, the two inexhaustible travelers were energetically preparing to set up camp.
"Alright, Anna, let's build the hearth! Once we're done, I'll go gather some kindling."
"Okay, got it!"
As the two began their work with glee, Franz let out an envious sigh and sat down next to the luggage bag Ritz had dropped. He truly wished they would share a little of their boundless energy with him.
He wasn't bad at cooking. In the five years since he had become Orphe's apprentice, Franz, who had initially been unable to cook at all, had been trained thoroughly and could now say it was one of his strong suits.
But things were different on the road, and so was his level of exhaustion.
"What should I make…"
He checked the contents, finding an even more robust supply of food than he'd imagined.
There were root vegetables and leafy greens. For staples, there was baguette, flour, pasta, rice, and so on. As for seasonings, not only salt, pepper, and sugar, but also a large quantity of chili peppers and mustard. From jars of processed foods to even some sausage—someone must have figured it would be fine since it was cool out—it was a pretty nice spread. A small, tightly packed box contained a generous amount of herbs.
"Something simple. That's the best."
After all, Franz was tired. He didn't have the energy to spend a lot of time and effort on cooking. But looking at Anna and Ritz, he knew he probably couldn't get away with cutting too many corners. That was the dilemma.
"As long as they're full, it'll be fine. Something that looks flashy would be even better."
Muttering to himself, Franz continued to rummage through the luggage. His hand touched a large quantity of potatoes. He stared at them intently before pulling them out. They would definitely fill them up. After all, potatoes were heavy on the stomach.
"Three each, so nine in total…"
With the arbitrary conclusion that this could serve as the main course, Franz rolled the potatoes to the side. Filling and a main course in one—it was ideal.
But that alone was too plain. Franz racked his tired brain as he rummaged through the luggage.
"I wonder what this is."
The package he found was unusually large and heavy. Unable to tell what was inside from the outside, Franz cautiously opened it.
"…Smoked chicken? What are we going to do with this much?"
The contents were a whole chicken. It had to have been the Roubaix couple who had packed this.
"Anna will probably use it."
Since it was smoked, it would last for a few more days. Besides, carving up a smoked chicken and using it for something was a pain. Anna probably had the energy and stamina to cook without begrudging the effort. After all, she was that energetic.
Pretending he hadn't seen anything, Franz carefully rewrapped the smoked chicken and returned it to the luggage.
…However, he too had no way of knowing the misfortune that would later befall them.
"Sausage, huh."
Franz took out the sausages and examined them. These could be eaten with hardly any cooking. Simple and flashy—this was also one of Franz's ideal ingredients.
He was starting to get a vague idea of a meal. Just then, it seemed Ritz and Anna had finished their preparations. Franz dropped Sara into the completed hearth.
"Happy-kee!"
Sara's joyful voice echoed out.
"The hearth is done, and Sara's inside, so it's good to go. Cook to your heart's content."
"Got it."
He placed a pot of water on the hearth Ritz and Anna had built and tossed in the whole potatoes. As for the sausages, he decided to skewer one on each of the remaining twigs.
All that was left was to take out a large amount of cheese, grate it, and put it in a smaller pot with some white wine. The prep was complete.
Next to the bubbling pot, Franz spent his time in a daze. He occasionally checked the firmness of the potatoes by poking them with a twig. That was about all he had to do for the cooking process.
And so, Franz's dinner was complete.
Day two, Franz Lucina's menu:
Boiled Potatoes
Skewered Sausages
And melted, stringy cheese
"Here, dinner."
"…"
"Franz, is this it?"
Ignoring the dissatisfied Anna and Ritz, Franz served the freshly boiled potatoes onto a plate.
"You can pour as much of this cheese on as you like."
In the small pot was a large amount of bubbling cheese.
"Roast the sausages over the hearth as you like and dip them in the cheese to eat."
"This is quite a spread you've got here."
Ignoring Ritz's wry smile, Franz took the lead and placed a sausage over the flames of the hearth. After exchanging glances for a moment, Ritz and Anna, with resigned looks, silently placed their own sausages over the fire.
The fat sizzled and popped in the fire, releasing a pleasant aroma that pleasantly stimulated the nostrils of all three.
"Well, this might not be so bad after all."
Ritz finally said with satisfaction, looking at Franz's rustic dish. Inwardly, Franz was relieved. It seemed the two were somehow satisfied with the meal he had prepared on the verge of physical exhaustion.
"Franz, can I just dip the sausage in like this?"
Anna asked, holding a beautifully browned sausage. She had never seen or eaten a dish like cheese fondue before, so she didn't know.
Franz realized this and taught her.
"That's fine. But no double-dipping."
"…Double-dipping?"
Franz explained to the confused Anna.
"You can dip the sausage in the cheese before you put it in your mouth, but once you've taken a bite, you can't dip it again."
"Oh, okay. I get it."
Anna carefully dipped her sausage into the cheese. The stringy cheese clung to the sausage, releasing a very delicious aroma.
"This looks delicious, Franz!"
Watching the moved Anna, Franz felt a sense of satisfaction. Without letting his slight happiness show on his face, he went to pour cheese over his own potatoes.
"Hold on a minute, Franz. If we all pour as much cheese as we want, there won't be enough."
There were three potatoes per person, and cheese was essential for the flavorless potatoes. It was true, there wasn't enough.
"Should we add more cheese?"
Ritz took out more cheese from the bag. But then he put it back with a disappointed look.
"If we use it now, we won't have any for breakfast and lunch from here on out."
"This is a problem…"
As the three pondered, they all simultaneously came up with a way to make the potatoes delicious.
"Butter!"
All of them uttered the name of the same food and looked at each other.
"I think there was still a jar of it, a large one."
Butter, with its many uses, was stocked in greater quantities than ordinary seasonings.
"We can just put this on them. And if they're still bland, some salt and pepper too."
The three of them took some butter onto their plates and placed it on their potatoes. The potato problem was solved.
After stuffing themselves with potatoes and sausages until they were full, another problem reared its head. There hadn't been enough cheese to cover the potatoes, but there was too much for just the sausages.
"…We can't save it until tomorrow, can we."
Anna and Franz nodded at Ritz's murmur. It was the kind of thing that would solidify and separate just from cooling down. It was certain that they had to finish it now, with this dinner.
But there was nothing left to dip, and they were all close to being full. It seemed impossible to bring out something else and finish off this cheese.
Unfortunately, however, there was not a single person among them who could bring themselves to throw away the cheese.
Franz was a frugal penny-pincher, Anna couldn't bear to waste God's bounty, and Ritz hated being wasteful. They would have to finish it, no matter what.
"Let's eat it."
The other two nodded at Ritz's determined words, their minds made up. If it came to this, they had no choice but to eat.
"First, something to dip…"
Ritz rummaged through the luggage and pulled out a baguette about fifty centimeters long.
"When you think of cheese fondue, you think of bread, right?"
The three of them stared at the baguette with determination. The same bread they ate for breakfast every morning now stood before them like a monster, with an overwhelming presence.
Their dinner would not be over until they had conquered it.
"…Alright, I'm cutting it."
At Ritz's hands, the baguette was cut in two and, in the blink of an eye, diced into cubes. Each person's share was determined to be about four to five pieces.
"…Let's eat."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Filled with determination, the three of them bravely took on the cheese fondue with their twigs.
Additional Menu Item: Half a Baguette
"Ugh… I'm so full…"
Day 3: Anna Myers
"Alright, let's get some grub."
As evening approached, Ritz looked back at the other two. As usual, Franz was staggering. Anna, oblivious to them, was cheerfully bouncing around. It was the usual evening scene.
"Okay, okay! It's my turn today!"
Before Ritz could say anything, Anna energetically raised her hands and announced herself.
"You're really fired up."
Anna nodded at the smiling Ritz's words.
"It's because this is the first time I'm making a proper meal! I'm so happy! Hurry up and show me the luggage!"
Anna excitedly urged Ritz to drop the luggage. It had been a while since she'd made a proper meal after leaving the orphanage. What's more, she had a new menu she wanted to try.
"Here you go."
Ritz dropped the heavy luggage he'd been carrying and sat on the ground. The luggage looked incredibly heavy. Even though they'd eaten two days' worth, the road to the next town was still long. Heavy was heavy.
And to top it all off, there was no river along this road. To get to a river, they'd have to leave the forest, which would take an hour round trip. So, the luggage Ritz was carrying also contained about a week's worth of water.
"That looks heavy. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
Ritz laughed brightly. But was it just her imagination, or did his face look slightly tired? Still, she felt like it would be wrong to point that out.
So she deliberately changed the subject cheerfully.
"What should I make? Oh, Ritz, hurry up and build the hearth!"
"…Alright, alright. Franz, let's build it."
"Got it."
With the two of them gone to build the hearth, she opened the bag. Inside, she found a more robust supply of food than she had expected. There were root vegetables and leafy greens. For staples, there was baguette, flour, pasta, rice, and so on. As for seasonings, not only salt, pepper, and sugar, but also a large quantity of chili peppers and mustard. There were jars of processed food, and a small, tightly packed box contained a generous amount of herbs.
"Wow… What should I use?"
There were so many options it was hard to choose, but Anna had a dish in mind. She had even brought some of the ingredients herself.
"Hehe, I ate a little bit of it though."
What Anna pulled out of her bag was a paper bag filled with long, thin tomatoes. She had bought them herself with the allowance she'd gotten from Franz, but she had snacked on them when she got a little hungry on the road, so the amount was reduced by about a third.
"This should be enough, right?"
Anna muttered cheerfully and began to rummage for other ingredients.
"Let's see, it's this pasta, right?"
What Anna pulled out was a sheet of pasta. In other words, lasagna pasta. The truth was, Anna had been so taken with the lasagna that Philia from Tushil had made that she had been thinking she wanted to try making it herself.
That was why she had bought the fresh tomatoes.
"Let's see, then bacon, and potatoes, and onions, and… mushrooms!"
Looking at the notes she'd made after asking Philia, Anna began to pile up the ingredients. It seemed like a lot, but compared to preparing meals at the orphanage, it was significantly less.
"Okay, first, I need to peel the tomatoes… I have to boil water."
When Anna looked back, Ritz and Franz, who had gotten quite used to it over the past two days, had just finished piling up the stones for the hearth. Of course, they hadn't gathered any kindling yet.
"Are you done with the prep already? That was fast."
Anna smiled at the surprised Ritz with a troubled look.
"Not yet. I want to boil some water for the prep work."
Resigned, Anna continued her work, chopping mushrooms, dicing onions, and peeling and slicing potatoes. Before she knew it, the plates around her were filled with ingredients.
"Alright, Anna, it's ready!"
At Ritz's voice, she looked back and saw Sara chirping happily in the hearth.
"Okay!"
First, Anna started boiling water in a milk pan. Forgetting all about it, she became engrossed in her chopping again. A considerable amount of time passed.
"Anna, the water."
Franz, who had been vaguely watching Anna cook, pointed out the furiously boiling water in the milk pan. Only then did Anna notice it was boiling and hurriedly tossed in the potatoes.
"This looks like a lot of work."
Anna replied to the seated Franz with a wide smile.
"It's fun!"
Once the potatoes were cooked through, Anna carefully removed them from the water one by one and then placed the scored tomatoes into the same water. After a few seconds, the skins began to peel back.
"Is it ready now?"
She took the tomatoes out one by one again and waited for them to cool. Anna wasn't the type to peel hot tomatoes with her bare hands.
"It's fine if I peel them after they cool down, right?"
Muttering, Anna stared intently at the tomatoes. She was dying to peel them. The state of the slightly peeled skin was tempting her to peel it off.
It was like the feeling of picking at a scab.
"Hmm, what should I do…"
"…This is going to take a while."
Seeing the motionless Anna, Franz looked back at the reclining Ritz.
"Yep."
Ritz pushed himself up with a grunt and picked up his greatsword.
"Guess I'll get some practice in."
Occasionally, Ritz would swing his greatsword around under the guise of sword practice. He said it was good exercise and the secret to not letting his skills get rusty.
"Then I will too."
He was tired, but he was also bored. And he was confident that if he fell asleep now, he wouldn't wake up until the next morning. If he fell asleep here, it would be a disaster. Franz also stood up and decided to practice making a halfway decent Fireball.
By the way, an hour had already passed up to this point.
Anna finally resolved to wait for the tomatoes to cool and moved away from them. She placed a small frying pan on the hearth, heated some olive oil, and sautéed half the onions and bacon. Of course, she didn't forget the salt and pepper.
"The bacon smells so good!"
As she sniffed the aroma in a daze, it felt as if all the fatigue from the day was blowing away.
"Oh no, it's burning."
Hurriedly, she emptied the contents onto a plate. Then, she poured the water from the milk pan she'd left after blanching the tomatoes into the frying pan to wash it, and wiped it clean. She added more olive oil. She put the remaining bacon and mushrooms into the pan and sautéed them again. The pleasant aroma of bacon rose once more.
The overall picture of this dish was still not coming into focus.
By that time, Ritz and Franz were completely tired of waiting. Waiting with nothing to do was a painful experience.
"Franz, let's do something since we're bored."
"…Ritz, will you be my training partner?"
Ritz shook his head vigorously, refusing. Being Franz's training partner meant being the target of his Fireballs.
"I don't think so."
"Of course not! I'd get burned!"
After pondering for a while, the two of them casually glanced over at Anna. It was clear that dinner was nowhere near ready.
"Franz… don't you want to practice your swordsmanship?"
"Huh?"
Franz was perplexed by Ritz's sudden remark.
"Me?"
"Who else is there?"
After a moment's thought, Franz nodded. It seemed like the only useful way for the two of them to kill time. They could also play cards, but that wasn't useful.
"Alright. What do I do?"
Seeing that Franz was up for it, Ritz tossed him a wooden branch that was lying at his feet. It was probably about fifty centimeters long.
"I'll use this greatsword still in its scabbard. You use that twig to come at me. I won't attack."
"…? The meaning…"
"In other words, if you can touch any part of my body with that twig, you win."
No sooner were the words out than Ritz raised his greatsword into a stance. He wouldn't attack, but he would defend with his sword…
"Come at me!"
At Ritz's provocative words, Franz raised the twig with a serious expression.
Just as the two began their sword practice, Anna minced the peeled tomatoes and transferred them to the milk pan where she had heated olive oil and garlic. She finally began to simmer the tomatoes. This would become the tomato sauce.
"Don't burn, okay?"
She muttered as she stirred with a wooden spatula. This also took time. Thirty minutes after she started simmering, the tomatoes finally began to break down.
"Once it's simmered, I add the herbs, right?"
Another fifteen minutes after adding the herbs. She added salt and pepper, mashing it with the wooden spatula to make a sauce. It took nearly an hour, but the tomato sauce was finally complete.
"Oh, I have to boil water."
This time, she busily began to boil water in a large pot. This, too, took time to come to a boil. When it finally boiled, Anna took out the pasta.
"Let's see, I need to boil twelve of these."
Anna dropped the lasagna pasta into the pot.
"And then, I have to stir so they don't stick, right?"
She stirred the lasagna pasta with a wooden spatula.
"Huh, they're sticking?"
Confused, she continued to stir.
"Oh, right. Salt. I'm supposed to add salt."
Anna added salt and stirred the pasta again.
"They won't come apart!"
Giving up, she used a wooden branch and a spatula to separate the pasta, then stirred to prevent them from sticking again. By the time the pasta was cooked, three hours had passed since she began cooking.
"She's late…"
Ritz and Franz had taken a short break for the time being. Of course, Franz had yet to score a single hit on Ritz. On the contrary, he hadn't heard Ritz's voice calling for a break and had received a blow to the head.
"What is she making?"
Franz's question was a valid one. Both of them were getting quite hungry. They had arrived here in the evening, but now it was late at night.
"Anna! Is dinner ready yet?!"
Ritz, unable to wait any longer, called out from where he stood. Anna's reply came back.
"Just a little longer!"
"Haaa…"
A sigh escaped from both of them.
"Hey Franz, want to grab a snack?"
Ritz's suggestion was also valid. If it was going to take longer, there was no harm in having a little something.
"I think that's a good idea."
Unable to bear the hunger, Franz also agreed.
"Let's go?"
"Yeah."
The two of them quietly slipped past the engrossed Anna and reached for the bag containing their food supplies.
"Ah, come to think of it…"
Ritz muttered and took a package out of the bag.
"The smoked meat…"
Franz remembered it too. The whole smoked chicken.
"What, you noticed it too?"
"Ritz, you too?"
For now, the only thing they could eat as is was probably this smoked meat. The bread was for tomorrow's breakfast, and they couldn't just munch on raw vegetables.
"Let's just eat it."
"Good idea."
For once, the two of them agreed. Normally, one of them would have stopped the other, but their extreme hunger had numbed their reason.
Ritz took out a short knife he had on hand and began to carve the chicken. He was eating as he carved. Franz also reached for a piece. But Anna, who was nearby, finally noticed the two of them eating.
"Hey! What are you eating?! Dinner's almost ready!"
It was rare to hear Anna yell. She might be quite angry. Ritz and Franz were honestly very surprised.
"W-we just got so hungry."
Ritz made an excuse, flustered. Franz, with his mouth full of smoked meat, silently nodded in agreement with Ritz.
"That's awful! I'm working so hard to make dinner!"
"N-no, of course we're looking forward to your cooking, right, Franz?"
"Yeah."
Anna, with tears welling up in her eyes, showed no signs of forgiving the desperate duo.
This was a problem. They should have checked with Anna first. If they had just said they were hungry and asked if it was okay to eat, this anger might have been avoided.
"It's almost ready!"
Anna's dish was ninety percent complete. She had layered the lasagna in the pot and topped it with cheese. All that was left was to take Sara out of the hearth and bake it in there for a few minutes.
"You'd rather have smoked chicken than my cooking!"
"No, that's not it, Anna."
Anna strode up to the flustered pair. They instinctively took a step back.
"This is the problem, isn't it!"
It was true, there was nothing else they could have eaten as is.
"No, that's not what I meant…"
Ritz quietly put away the knife that was still stuck in the smoked meat and forced a smile, but it had no effect on the current Anna.
"So I'll do this!"
Anna lifted the smoked chicken.
"Whoa, you idiot, don't throw it away!"
Ritz couldn't help but shout, but what he imagined and what Anna was about to do were different.
Anna shoved the entire smoked chicken into the pot of lasagna.
"!"
Ritz and Franz were speechless for a moment. Anna, driven by emotion, continued to push the smoked chicken into the pot. Tomato sauce overflowed from the gaps…
It was a catastrophe.
"Anna… the fillings are coming out."
The tomato sauce and the fillings of bacon and onions were spilling out of the pot.
"I don't care! I'm going to bake it just like this!"
Anna finally let go of the chicken legs sticking straight up and topped it with cheese.
"Sara-chan, come out."
She took Sara out of the hearth, pushed the pot inside, and built a mountain of twigs around it.
"…Anna's scary when she's angry, huh."
Ritz nodded at Franz's whispered comment.
Day three, Anna Myers' menu:
A massive, ingredient-packed lasagna
with a smoked chicken sticking out of it.
After being coaxed by Ritz in various ways, Anna's mood finally improved, and she felt a little regretful.
Her lasagna, a recipe from Philia herself, had turned into something grotesque.
"This isn't how it was supposed to be…"
Ritz and Franz watched the lamenting Anna with wry smiles.
"Alright, let's eat."
First, he took out the smoked chicken, which was nicely browned with cheese.
"Oh, this actually looks pretty good."
Ritz said, placed the smoked meat on a plate, and carefully carved it. The smoked meat, tomato sauce, and cheese matched quite well.
"Yeah, not bad."
Franz also seemed satisfied. Anna ate the unexpectedly delicious chicken and smiled with satisfaction. It seemed her mood had completely recovered.
"Smoked chicken is delicious this way too!"
"Hahaha, yeah, it is."
Ritz laughed weakly and started on the lasagna. There was a huge amount of it.
"Anna, how many people did you make this for?"
Anna looked at him with a blank expression.
"Huh? I made it just like Philia-san did."
Ritz thought for a moment. He did remember Philia making it for them.
"You didn't make the exact same amount that Philia-san made back then, did you?"
He asked tentatively, and Anna's face grew even more confused.
"I did. Huh, was that bad?"
Franz, who had been watching their exchange, quietly peered into the pot. It was a massive amount. He couldn't help but look at Ritz. Ritz was laughing weakly, his face drained of energy.
"You know, the amount Philia-san made was for six people…"
"Was it?"
"The three of us, Philia-san, Morris-san, and the village chief who was visiting. Plus, she said there was enough for seconds, so it was probably closer to seven servings…"
"Oh. I didn't think about that!"
The three of them were at a loss, staring at the lasagna that remained even after they had eaten their fill. When they could eat no more, Ritz made a suggestion to the other two.
"…How about we have this for breakfast and lunch tomorrow?"
Of course, the other two, who were already full, had no objections.
"Anna, you're the one carrying the pot."
Anna nodded at Ritz's words. That was probably the responsibility of the one who made it. And so, Anna had Ritz prepare a strap for her to carry the pot.
"I bet it'll be delicious on bread in the morning!"
Ritz and Franz hung their heads at Anna's cheerful remark.
The next morning's breakfast: Ingredient-packed lasagna.
The next day's lunch: Ingredient-packed lasagna.
"I think I'm good on tomato sauce for a while…"
"Yeah."
"Me too…"
Attack! Dinner on the Road, Part 1: The End
It was a comedy about just making and eating food (^^)
I like stories like this.
Starting next time, Volume 3 begins. It's another long story, so I hope you'll enjoy it at a leisurely pace.