Published: August 2, 2025
Today, five chapters were updated simultaneously.
This story is chapter 4.
The next day
In the morning, Mr. Pioro gave me seasonings like miso and soy sauce.
Feeling good, I submitted the medicinal herbs I gathered and the smash boar’s tusks to the Guild, and they promptly told me they would prepare the reward. It seemed the male staff member from yesterday had properly notified them.
I had gone out of my way to come up with excuses to pretend it was all a coincidence, but it turns out I didn’t need to... Well, hindsight is 20/20. Normally, a bit of investigation wouldn’t have been surprising, but since Mr. Ken and the others were saved and I wasn’t suspected, I’ll consider it a win.
While I was thinking about that, the staff member in charge thanked me along with the reward. When I asked why, I learned that person was apparently a friend of those three. I also asked about the two adventurers who had been with them, and it seems those two had already been caught.
Apparently, last night, after work, a guild staff member stopped by a tavern and saw a pair trying to approach an e-rank party. They reported it, and the pair was swiftly captured. Upon further investigation, the two confessed to the crime, and their forged Guild Cards were also uncovered. Additional offenses were found, so they were expelled from the Adventurers' Guild. After a strict interrogation, they face at least five years of forced labor in the mines or indefinite slavery.
“Is it even possible to forge a Guild Card?”
“The Guild also records rewards and penalties on them and can add or remove information, so it’s not impossible. But it requires a specialized magic tool, so an ordinary adventurer can’t do it. In this case, it was simpler — they used ‘someone else’s’ card.
One of them used a found card as is, and the other deliberately damaged a card and pieced together the important parts... Some people handle their cards roughly and get them all scratched up, which isn’t commendable, but the joint was cleverly disguised to look natural. They apparently caused trouble and were expelled, but had been apprentices at a workshop.”
So it was a two-part piece made from genuine cards. Regardless of their character, they had the skill.
“We need to be careful with card management, too.”
“Hehe. Please do.”
“Thank you.”
I thanked the staff for the information and left the Guild.
Now then... what should I do? I’m done here for now. Maybe I should head back to Mr. Pioro’s shop for the time being.
“Lord Takebayashi, the head of the association was looking for you earlier.”
When I returned, the employees told me this. I said I could see him right away, and they led me straight to Mr. Pioro’s office, so I wondered if it was something urgent.
While sipping the tea they served, I asked what was up.
“Hey, Ryoma, can you make some kind of dish using smash boar meat and soy sauce or miso?”
“A dish?”
Strictly speaking, smash boar meat should be wild boar, but its taste and texture are almost identical to pork.
For Japanese cuisine, there are many options, but what I could cook quickly would be... pork miso soup, pork shabu-shabu, pork rice bowl, or ginger pork.
“There are a few.”
“Can you teach me? Grilled fish and miso soup are tasty, but if it’s always that, people get tired of it. I’ve thought before, if there were more ways to use soy sauce and miso, sales would go up, right?”
I see. I’d also be happy if Japanese food became easily accessible here, so I decided to teach him.
“How about ginger-grilled smash boar then?”
There’s pork meat, soy sauce, and mirin. Ginger can be bought at the pharmacy. So, it’s not just ginger-flavored meat, but proper ginger pork!
“I hate to ask a guest to do this, but would you mind making that ginger-grilled dish? You can use any ingredients we have.”
“Is that alright?”
“It’s beneficial for us to learn new dishes.”
And so, I ended up making lunch. To my surprise, Ms. Kurana and Ms. Miyabi would also be cooking. I thought I’d be teaching one of the servants, but when I said that, they just laughed.