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Chapter 452: Cheers

「 Hi Jean! You’re here. 」
「 Ou, lemme just put away my stuff first.」
「 Welcome home.」
Chris and Retze had returned.

Retze greeted us first then he promptly went upstairs. Chris briskly strode into the living room.

I saw Hauron loosening up, clearly relieved. Hey Grand Sage, really?

「Oh, Jean! 」
「Hm? 」
Chris seemed to have something to say to me. I wonder what it is.

「Seems like the red rash issue in Erchika finally cleared up! 」
Chris announced while beaming, his arms wide open.

「Ooh, that’s good to hear.」
I almost forgot about it, what with everything being so hectic. There had been an outbreak of heat rash in Erchika when Chns and the others went there temporarily to take refuge a while ago.

Glad it’s over. It’s worth capturing all those hidden red lizards then getting mistaken for bringing a sackful of pill bugs by Hauron.

「Dinner? 」
I cheerfully pulled out some sparkling wire. This calls for celebration, a celebration it is!

「 I already ate, but if it’s Jean’s dishes then I still have room for it!」
Chris jubilantly grinned as he sat down.

That’s my cue to start setting the table ー roasted duck, buttered crabs that looked like they’re king crabs ーor hermit crabs? , smoked salmon wrapped with cream cheese, marinade with cherry tomatoes, avocado, yuzu zest and chili peppers, thinly sliced baguettes with all sorts of dips.

「Mmm, looks so scrumptious as ever. And the presentation, so beautiful!」
Chris heaped praises on the spread, but it’s only beautiful because of the assortment of colors, right.

My impression of the dishes here was that they’re mostly light brown or tawny in color. They would stew the food until the vegetables changed color too.

「What’s up, are we having a party after all?」
Retze returned from upstairs, and he also sat down.

「Isn’t the level of enthusiasm too far apart? 」
Hauron, with a complicated expression plastered on his face, shuffled over to another chair by the table. Khan had been facing the fireplace, but he also turned towards us.

「Nah, it’s not too bad, it’s fine. 」
I poured the chilled sparkling wine into tall, slender champagne flutes.The pale gold bubbles were gorgeous as they fizzed up.

「Here’s to celebrating the end of Erchika’s heat rash! 」
Once everyone had a glass, I raised mine to make a toast.

「Cheers! 」
「Ahh, I get it now. Cheers. 」
Chris and Retze.

「…Cheers. 」
「…Cheers. 」
Khan and Hauron also happily toasted, although there’s a subtle tension, as if they’re not entirely convinced.

「The butter smells so good. Not sure what this is though, just that it’s definitely not a shrimp. 」
「It’s crab, crab it is. 」
Technically, king crabs are also hermit crabs, but let’s not get into that.

「River crabs don’t get that big, even when they monsterfy. Ah, but there are some that do in some areas of the Northern Continent. 」
Hauron.

Ahm, I believe there’s the ocean first before you reach the Northern Continent.

【Appraisal】said it’s a species related to king crabs. It’s even firmer and juicier than your regular king crab, and grilling it enhances the flavor. These enormous crabs have thick legs, about the size of Tina’s arm.

I basted those thick legs in butter, pressing down on them lightly with a spatula as they cooked. The orange-ish red shell split, revealing the fibrous white meat inside. With every bite, the tantalizing aroma filled my mouth, followed by the rich taste of butter.

「Ahhh, this salmon is the chef’s kiss, and even the crabs are so scrumptious. It doesn’t matter even if I’m already done with dinner, there’s always room for more.」
Chris set his glass on the table.
Chris is originally from an island far to the west, across the sea beyond Canum, apparently. Seafood reminds him of home and it makes him happy, and he seems to have a lot of favorite dishes made with those.

「Jean’s recommended pickled veggies are great too. 」
Retze tried the marinated dish.

The marinade had an assortment of colorsー green cucumbers and light green avocados, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and it had a refreshing taste with a slight kick thanks to the yuzu zest and pepper paste.

「Unusual wine, novel crystal-clear glassware, rare ingredients… yes, rare ingredients… 」
Hauron muttered as he slumped over the table.

「Hey, what’s wrong? Jean, did you say something to him? 」
Hey, why do you always assume I said something, Retze? Well, I did say something, though.

「I just asked for their opinion on whether it’s okay to eat some meat that I picked up. 」
「Stop eating random stuff you find! It might have some sort of disease, you know. Wait a sec… that’s not the whole story, right? What kind of meat is it? 」
Retze pressed me for answers.

「I was watching two animals fighting and they ended up killing each other, so they probably don’t have diseases or something.」
Okay, it’s true that I picked them up, but I’d feel awkward if you say it’s scavenging!

「Ahh, lucky you. 」
Yes, it’s precisely profiting from someone else’s fight.

「Yup. Oh, and I can also have【Appraisal】, so I can recognize if it’s contaminated with germs, like the ones in sausages that can make your stomach upset. 」
It’s the superior kind; it can even tell that there’s norovirus in the oyster.

「… 【Appraisal】. 」
Khan’s eyebrows shot up as he muttered.

「So? What meat? 」
Retze asked again.

「Dragon. 」
One black, and one the color of this boiled crab.

「Huh? What meat again? 」
「Dragon. 」
Retze asked once again, so I answered him again.

「… 」
「Dragon. 」
Retze fell silent while pressing his forehead.

「Jean, by dragon, you mean the ones found in the Southern Continent? 」
「Yup, that dragon. 」
Chris gingerly asked, so I also answered him.

「I heard you’re gonna go dragon-watching, but nobody mentioned you’d be picking one up and bringing it back. And why are we talking about eating it? 」
Retze sighed deeply as he stared at me.

「 【Appraisal】said it’s delicious, and come on, who wouldn’t want to try dragon steak? 」
「My goodness, the thought never even crossed my mind! 」
Chris’s jaw dropped in shock. So dramatic as usual.