KoushaRyouri ~C7

 

Chapter 7: 60 years later... (Part 2)

 

 

I prepare hot water with a little salt and sake.

 

Come to think of it, over the past 60 years, I've acquired a wide variety of seasonings.

 

Not to mention I've tried to make sake, vinegar, mirin, miso (a traditional fermented soybean paste from the east), and soy sauce. After many failed attempts, I finally succeeded in making it 20 years ago.

 

I also tried to make sauces with sugar and condensed vegetable flavor.

 

Thick slices of Giant Boar meat coated with a crispy batter, deep-fried, and finally topped with a homemade sauce are delicious.

 

Not good. I'm drooling. ......

 

Ponzu sauce is my favorite now.

 

It's just a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar with a bit of citrus juice, but it's delicious.

 

It is a must-have item for me now, as it makes any kind of meat taste refreshing.

 

I cut the Grand Dragon's tail into thin slices and dipped them into the hot water. When the meat turns white, it's time to eat.

 

I dip it in the ponzu sauce and eat it.

 

"Mmmm.～～～～～ Mmmm. Yummy!"

 

I couldn't help but slap my knee repeatedly.

 

A dragon's tail is good for shabu-shabu. The only thing that goes well with shabu-shabu is ponzu.

 

When you think of dragon meat, you probably think of hard meat, but it is much more tender than your expectation.

 

It does not just melt like pork loin. It is firm and chewy, and the more you bite it, the more the flavor oozes out.

 

The taste itself is as light as a chicken breast, but that's where the ponzu comes in.

 

The tangy, sweet and sour taste runs through my mouth.

 

It seems to go especially well with this light taste meat.

 

"FUOOOOO......"

 

It was really worth the effort.

 

Finally, I can eat the Grand Dragon meat I've always wanted.

 

Furthermore, I cooked it into shabu-shabu.

 

If I am as energetic as I used to be, I would cut it into thick slices and cook it as a dragon steak. Unfortunately, my stomach is not that energetic.

 

I can't even eat tough food anymore.

 

 

 

Lonely......

 

 

 

"Hmm?　Did I just say something?　Did I speak to myself......? Am I getting old?"

 

When I muttered to myself, suddenly...

 

My thin and wrinkled hands expand, they begin to show signs of strength. I feel my skin tone is improving and shining.

 

"I guess it's the effect of eating the Grand Dragon. I see. It has the effect of temporarily increasing muscle mass.

 

At that time, I had three misunderstandings.

 

One, I did not gain muscle mass.

 

The effect of Grand Dragon's meat is rejuvenation.

 

"OOH, OOOOOOOOO!"

 

My skinny and weak body is getting back to normal. My body was trying to regain its youth and strength.

 

My blurry vision became clearer. My hearing that sometimes fails can now hear the sounds of the wild birds.

 

My thin and almost-white blond hair grows back like wildfire, and my slightly drooping eyes become sharp and clear.

 

The air I breathe feels better than ever.

 

I feel as if I can eat anything now.

 

In fact, I heard a "kuu" sound in my stomach that I hadn't heard in a long time.

 

I turned around.

 

There is still a lot of Grand Dragon meat there.

 

"Shall I eat Dragon Steak?"

 

I said in a questioning tone, but I had already decided on that.

 

Before that, I take out a mirror from my magic bag and check my appearance.

 

I look like a 16-year-old boy.

 

This is what my body looked like when I was in my prime.

 

But thanks to the Monsters Food, my body has become much more strong compared to that time......

 

The frequent seizures have gone and I am now in perfect shape.

 

I laugh confidently.

 

The second mistake I made was that I am not only regained my youth but also became immortal.

 

I would discover this fact later.

 

And my last mistake.

 

After defeating the Grand Dragon, I got a little carried away. Can I beat my father now? I had such faint expectations.

 

But the next moment, that confidence is shattered instantly.

 

DONG!

 

 

There was a loud explosion that sounded like a roar.

 

However, on the scale of the explosion, it was far more terrifying than the destruction caused by the Grand Dragon.

 

Everything in front of my eyes instantly turned white, and the next thing I knew, the sky was dyed in a deep red.

 

The explosion spread out, creating a huge mushroom cloud that reminded me of spores.

 

The impact scraped the mountain field, and the explosion blew away the Grand Dragon's giant body at my side.

 

Even I can barely stand.

 

"What, what the hell just happened?"

 

I didn't understand anything.

 

The explosion, the impact, and the power contained in the phenomenon are beyond my ability to comprehend.

 

The next thing I know, I am crawling like a frog that just got hit by a wagon.

 

I finally stand up, but I don't know how long I've been doing this.

 

It feels like a minute or even an hour.

 

Anyway, I use [Levitation] and head for the center of the explosion.

 

There, I see the traces of everything that has been destroyed.

 

I stood at the edge of the center of the explosion and fell to my knees.

 

The scale of the explosion was so huge that the claw marks left by the Grand Dragon looked like the work of a baby.

 

"What the hell..."

 

I am in despair.

 

I've been training for 60 years.

 

I've defeated a dragon.

 

I had never neglected my training, and I believed that my sword would reach the highest level one day.

 

But I was wrong.

 

There is such a dangerous power once you get off the mountain.

 

The one who reigned on top of the outside world is my father, Yalom, the Sword Saint.

 

My father may be dead now, but there must be a Sword Saint that my father acknowledged or has surpassed him.

 

I don't know if this power was unleashed by the Sword Saint, but what I can say for sure is that I am not at this high level.

 

My father called me a defective product.

 

Apparently, he was right. Even after 60 years of training and using the effects of the Monsters Food, the best I could do was defeat a Grand Dragon.

 

"I have no choice but to give up."

 

I guess I don't have any talent for the sword after all.

 

Then, what's left for me if I throw away my sword?

 

Well, it's okay.

 

I'll think about it slowly.

 

Fortunately, it seems that I have more than twice as much time as other people have.

 

I'll think about it while eating dragon steak.