Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 19: Dining Table Of A Foreign Land II

Translator: Solo

Beriberi is a neurological disorder caused by vitamin B1 deficiency.

Symptoms appear in the peripheral nerves of the limbs, and in the late stages, the heart malfunctions, resulting in death.

In Japan, there was a time when it was the national disease.

The king's diet, which Lanseal told me about, was as I had expected. Every day, it was luxury sweets with plenty of sugar, and enormous amounts of alcohol.

According to her, it was not uncommon for the king to drink heavily.

Vitamin B1 is consumed to metabolize carbohydrates. It’s also consumed in large quantities to break down alcohol. However, it’s not a difficult nutrient to take in. Speaking of foodstuffs from this side, it can be easily obtained from wheat, pork and soybeans. It’s particularly abundant in pork.

It was all due to a biased diet, sweets and stress drinking.

I stood in the kitchen, which had been cleared of other people, and took a long look at the foodstuffs lined up in front of me. Since they were for the dining table of royalty, I had my hopes up, but they didn’t meet my expectations. I was envious of the large cooking stove, which looked easy to use, and the spacious cutting board.

Well then,

「Makina, what ingredients should I use?」

『If you can use pork, it’ll be easy』

「Lanseal, how does His Majesty feel about pork?」

Not once had it been mentioned when talking about his diet.

「His Majesty really hates it. He’s usually mild-mannered, but one time when the cook put small pieces of it into a soup, he flipped the bowl in a rage」

It was top-secret, but it appeared that, in the past, the king had been swung around by his cape after it was bitten by a large pig that had nested in the dungeon.

I was at a loss. It’s a water-soluble nutrient, so it would have been easy to take it in just by making it into a soup.

「Should I make Misuranika soup using soybeans?」

「His Majesty also hates beans」

Hmmm.

Something like bread would probably be too hard to digest for a weakened body. What should I do?

While I was deep in thought, Makina put forth a suggestion.

『Isn’t giving him supplements also an option?』

「You’re right. But since I borrowed the kitchen, I want to serve him food」

「Souya-dono, who have you been talking to since a while ago?」

To others, it would look like I was talking to myself, so I explained.

「A fairy lives inside my glasses, and it gives me advice」

「I see! That’s amazing!」

Impressed, Lanseal clasped both hands in front of her chest. I had the feeling that her expectations of me were getting higher. For this kind of thing, if she was disillusioned once, her evaluation of me would probably sink like a rock.

「What other ingredients contain vitamin B1?」

『After excluding pork and beans, the ones that you can obtain in this world are whole wheat flour, bird liver, red pepper, raisins, garlic and sesame seeds. However, the vitamin B1 content of any of them is less than half when compared to pork』

「Lanseal, does His Majesty eat things like beastkin bread?」

「Because that’s food for the poor, I think that it would be disrespectful to serve him that」

「Hmm」

『Souya-san. It's not food from this side, but we do have food that’s rich in vitamin B1』

When I heard that, I got worried that Ea would boo me. But I followed Makina's suggestion.

Riding a horse together with Lanseal, I went back to the camp.

Rana and Lanseal ran into each other and pandemonium ensued.

I managed to smooth things over somehow.

As expected, I got booed by Ea.

I managed to persuade her somehow, then returned once more to the royal castle.

「So, what exactly is that? Judging from Ea’s reaction, it must be something precious」

「It’s instant ramen」

Also known as instant noodles.

It’s unexpected, but instant noodles are rich in vitamin B1.

Not too long ago, a generation of youths, whose staple food was instant food and soft drinks, came down with beriberi. Learning their lesson, it seemed like the manufacturers added more of it to dispel that bad image.

「Lanseal, can you give me a hand?」

「Huh? Umm…… As a woman, it’s embarrassing to say this, but this body has only lived by the sword, so I know absolutely nothing about preparing food」

「It's easy so I’ll teach you. Besides, it’s not like the king's health will become better from eating one serving. For now, I have 30 servings on hand, so…… I can't be coming to castle for every single meal, right?」

「Th, that's right. I’ll give it everything I've got!」

It's not something that you need to get so fired up about though.

「Alright. First, tie your hair back」

She had beautiful long silver hair, but it would be a hinderance when cooking. I happened to have a rubber hair tie that Rana used in my pocket, so I handed it to her.

「Can you do it for me?」

「Is it okay?」

「Please」

I had a feeling that a woman’s hair wasn’t something that I should be touching so easily though.

I went behind Lanseal and gathered her hair. It spilled from my hands. It was smooth, just like fine silk. In this, she was evenly matched with Rana.

「Hnn, fufu~」

Lanseal looked happy. It looked misleading. It’s not like I particularly liked it, but I tied her hair into a ponytail.

「Then, next is to wash your hands」

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「Okay」

I took the soap and showed her how to properly wash between the fingers, nails and up to the elbows.

Beastkin’s animal hair typically grew in a way that made them look like a person who was wearing gloves and knee socks. Lanseal's hands were no different from an ordinary person’s. Perhaps it was because of that, but several scars caught my eye. They were probably the proof of many years of training.

「Washing your hands is very important! You must not let things like germs get into the food」

「What are germs?」

「They’re unclean things that cannot be seen. If you don't clean them off, they’ll cause an upset stomach」

「I see. I’m deeply impressed by how knowledgeable Souya-dono is」

She had a mysterious expression on her face.

「Pour water into the pot and put it over the fire. Prepare two pots like that, got it?」

「Yes!」

「You don't have to pour in so much water」

「Okay!」

Using the Shogaku stone ignition device, I started the fire in the stove.

「Leave the pots alone until they come to a boil」

「Understood」

「Next, is to cut the ingredients」

I prepped and placed some ingredients on the cutting board, then handed Lanseal a kitchen knife.

「Take two pieces of garlic. Crush them along with the skin using the belly of the knife, then remove the skin. Cut as close as you can when removing the stem」

「Leave it to me」

Gasun! With that sound, all the water content of the garlic spurted out as it was crushed into a pulp. Well, I suppose that’s fine. Probably because she uses a sword, she was wielding the kitchen knife with a practiced hand.

「How does His Majesty feel about spicy food?」

「His Majesty likes it」

「Then you can put in the red peppers as is after His Majesty recovers. Considering his body, we’ll make it a little less spicy today」

「What’s a red pepper?」

「This red one」

I picked up a type of capsicum that looked like red pepper, and showed it to her.

「Ohh, you mean the devil's little finger?」

「Is that what it's called on this side?」

「Yes, it seems like the hands of what's called a devil are bright red like blood. I've never seen one before though」

I became more well-informed about one piece of knowledge about the alternate world.

Following my instructions, Lanseal cut it and removed its seeds with the kitchen knife.

「Alright, put the ingredients into a frying pan」

「Okay」

She dropped the crushed garlic and red pepper<devil's little finger> into a frying pan.

「After that, put the nuts in too, then dribble some oil over everything」

She dropped some pine nuts in, then dribbled a moderate amount of olive oil into the frying pan.

「Cook it using low heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic」

「Yes, I'll do my best」

I entrusted Lansel with the frying pan. Her skirt had rode up because her tail was sticking up.

「H, how am I doing?」

「You don’t have to move it that much」

「Okay!」

It was the first time that I had seen anyone hold a frying pan with such enthusiasm.

The water boiled.

「Lanseal, leave the frying pan alone for now」

「Will it be alright?」

「It’ll be fine」

A frying pan is not an infant that you have to keep constant watch over.

Actually, it might be something similar.

「Put these dried noodles into the boiling water」

I handed it over.

She put it in.

「Okay! Hot!」

「Be careful, don't put your finger in」

「O, okay」

The hair on her tail had bristled up. Interesting. Also, I was troubled as I could see a little bit of her bare legs.

「Then leave it alone until this hourglass is empty」

I turned over the hourglass that Ea had made for cooking purposes.

「Okay!」

「Then, let’s take a look at the frying pan」

The oil was getting infused nicely with the smell of garlic.

「It smells delicious, don’t it?」

「Make sure that you don’t forget this feeling. Take the frying pan away from the fire」

「Understood」

She put the frying pan on the cutting board.

「And then, put this in and crush it」

I removed the seed of a pickled plum, then dropped it into the frying pan.

「Use a spoon to crush it, then mix everything」

「Okay」

I handed her a spoon. She stirred and mixed the contents of the frying pan seriously and carefully. Citric acid, which is abundant in pickled plums, improves recovery from fatigue when combined with vitamin B1.

「It’s done」

「Thank you very much」

「Well then, let’s make the soup. Although I said that, it’s pretty simple. You only have to open these sachets, empty them into a bowl, then pour in hot water」

「Is that all? It’s simple, isn’t it?」

She poured the powder into a deep bowl. The bowl looked expensive. The inside of the bowl had a complex pattern.

「Pour the hot water up to here」

There just happened to be a pattern that could be used as a guide, so I pointed to it.

「Okay」

Slightly trembling, she poured the hot water from the pot.

「Alright, the soup is complete」

「Fu, fu~」

Her forehead was wet with sweat.

By the way, it was salt flavored soup, which was mild.

「Oh, it's time for the noodles」

The hourglass was already empty.

「Wh, what, what should we do!?」

「It’s okay, it’s fine even if they're a little bit overcooked」

I soothed the panicked Lanseal. I found a colander that was just right, so I took it.

「I'll get rid of the hot water」

She was still flustered, so I demonstrated how to do it.

Well, it was just draining the hot water using a colander though.

「Shake it gently to drain off the hot water」

When I shook the colander, Lanseal’s head followed its movements. It was cute as she was like a cat.

「Then drop the noodles into the soup」

I used the chopsticks that I had brought to lightly mix the noodles with the soup.

「Pour the oil you prepared over it」

She poured the oil from the frying pan.

「Okay, it’s completed」

「Really?!」

Instant noodles with garlic oil, pine nuts and plum pulp.

Completed.

It was pretty simple, but it was food meant for a sick person, so I reduced the ingredients.

「We should let His Majesty eat it right away」

Then we went to the dining hall.

We had planned to bring it to his bedroom at first, but the king said that eating in the bedroom was beneath him. He had pulled his weakened body to the dining hall.

The king was seated at a long table in the spacious dining hall. Otou-san was seated near him. Seated even nearer was a middle-aged man that I didn’t recognize. He was a well-dressed rotund man that no one would mistake as an adventurer.

Also, there were maids lined up around the hall.

This isn't something that you eat with such a solemn air though.

It's just instant ramen, you know?

「Your Majesty, sorry to have kept you waiting」

Lanseal placed the ramen in front of the king. She added a fork and spoon beside it. Oh, I forgot to prepare a drink.

「Wait a minute, Lanseal」

The unknown middle-aged man stopped her.

「I’ve heard that this guy is a foreigner. On top of that, he’s married to an elf. Are you going to let His Majesty eat such a person’s food?」

「Yes, Souya-dono is a trustworthy person」

Lanseal declared resolutely.

With an insufferable look, the middle-aged man said to her,

「Who can guarantee that those beastkin eyes of yours aren’t blind?」

「I can」

Otou-san asserted with an indignant expression. The middle-aged man trembled at his intensity.

「B, but Medimu-dono......」

「Give it here, I’ll test for poison」

Otou-san moved the ramen in front of himself. He drank a spoonful of the soup.

He frowned.

「What’s this fruit-like thing? It's abnormally sour!」

「It’s plum that has been pickled with medicinal herbs and salt. It has the effect of aiding recovery from fatigue」

Otou-san drank one spoonful, then another of the soup.

「No, but it really enhances the deliciousness of the soup. I can taste a slight sweetness in the soup’s salty flavor. It’s strangely addictive. What’s more, there’s garlic, nuts, and devil’s little finger, right? Not bad. I won’t mind if it was a little bit spicer, I suppose」

No, it's not made for you though.

「Is this elongated thing made from wheat?」

「Yes, the main ingredient is wheat」

Otou-san twirled the noodles around the fork, lifted it up, lightly shook off the excess soup, then blew on it before putting them into his mouth.

He chewed the noodles silently.

「I see………」

Otou-san started to put the fork down, but then, he started eating the noodles again.

「?!」

The king had a surprise expression.

For a short while, the soft sounds of Otou-san slurping the noodles echoed in the dining room.

「I see, hmm. Although the soup is salty, its taste is balanced by eating it with this elongated wheat. Personally, I would prefer it to be a little bit harder and more chewy. But it’s short on ingredients. It needs meat. Adding a small amount of boiled vegetable would hit the spot. Well, it’s not bad」

The above was the critique of the ramen by the father of adventurers.

Finally, Otou-san took the bowl in his hands and drank it clean.

「Someone get me some ale」

「Medimu, testing for poison doesn't mean eating everything」

The king made a very reasonable retort.

My sympathies for your struggles.

「Lanseal, can you make another serving?」

「Yes, leave it to me」

At my instructions, Lanseal left the dining hall happily.

「Was this made by Lanseal?」

The king had a stunned expression.

「I prepared the ingredients and taught her how to make the dish. After that, I left everything to her」

While still facing me, the king slammed a fist into Otou-san’s side. Even though he should be weakened, it made a nice sound. Otou-san looked in pain, but he endured it and spoke.

「Chancellor-dono, it’s as you can see. This guy is not the sort of person to kill people using poison. Or are you still going to stand there and grumble some more?」

「E, excuse me」

The middle-aged man stomped out unhappily.

I waited for the footsteps to fade away before I asked.

「Umm, who was that just now?」

「He’s a Margrave(count of a border territory) of Elysium. He’s also a political advisor to the country. Well, he’s a naggy and annoying Chancellor-dono. Since Lemuria got bedridden, he has suddenly been loitering around the castle in high-spirits. Who knows what kind of no-good schemes are rolling around inside that fat brain of his」

「Stop that, Medimu. He’s a person of influence from an allied nation」

「Okay, okay」

I should be careful not to get embroiled in political issues. Because I would no longer have the time to explore the dungeon. For the time being, I’ll resolve the matter in front of me.

「Umm, Your Majesty. Please stop drinking for a while. It’s a major cause of your disease. If Your Majesty craves something sweet, please bear with it and eat raisins instead. It might be disrespectful, but the unrefined wheat used in beastkin bread is good for Your Majesty’s health. Your Majesty’s disease is what’s called a luxury disease. If Your Majesty is mindful of eating simple meals, it will be cured」

I didn’t give an explanation about vitamins and the like, as they didn’t have the concept of such things here.

「Also, you might hate it, but pork as well」

「……………I'll consider it」

He had an expression that looked like he hated it from the bottom of his heart.

I rattled off a list of foodstuffs rich in vitamin B1 and recommended them to the king.

After a while, Lanseal came back with a bowl of ramen.

Did everything go well? I tried to whisper to her, but when I looked at her beaming smile, I judged that there was no problem. It looked even more delicious than before. Could love be poured into something like instant noodles?

「Your Majesty, sorry to have kept you waiting」

Once more, ramen was placed before the king.

「Then, my king, I’ll test for poison」

「Medimu, shut up」

Slap! Otou-san’s outstretched hand got smacked.

「Souya, the order of things got mixed up, but what kind of dish is this?」

I answered the king's question.

「Ramen is a dish that originated in a country called China. After being introduced to my country about a hundred years ago, it underwent all sorts of independent developments, and there have been cases of locals saying,『Isn't this a dish from our country?』. The noodles won’t be nice if they get soggy, so please dig in」

I gave a quick explanation, then urged him to dig in.

The king stopped his hand from trembling with his spirit, and drank a spoonful of the soup first. He frowned, perhaps because he found the plum pulp sour. He drank a few more spoonfuls of soup to wash the sourness away. He ate the noodles. He didn’t slurp the noodles heartily, but brought them slowly and gracefully to his mouth.

He was silent.

Lanseal looked at me anxiously.

The king's meal proceeded solemnly while we watched in silence.

Approximately six minutes later.

「Your Majesty, it's better for your body if you don’t finish the soup」

「Is that so?」

My advice was ignored.

Unlike Otou-san, he didn’t drink from the bowl. He drank the soup dry by scooping it elegantly with a spoon.

「Hmm, someone get me some ale」

「Your Majesty, you can't drink alcohol. Someone bring him bean tea」

One of the maids bowed, then left the dining hall.

「But Souya, eating lots of this will cure my body, right? Then if I eat an even bigger serving of this, won’t it be fine for me to drink alcohol?」

「You can’t」

Because this is a dietary regime, that rationale of getting better just by eating more is not going to pass muster.

「I can’t, huh......」

The king had a mysterious expression on his face.

「Then, I'll drink the king’s share too. Someone get me ale」

「You can’t」

「Why?」

Otou-san, show a bit of consideration for others.