Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Volume 1 Page 2

  “No matter how small your box is, it should be at least three times bigger than what I can carry with this wooden backrack that I have, so from my point of view anyone with an Item Box is someone to be jealous of.” Saying that, the peddler laughed.

  I see, so the Item Box skill does exist among people, even if it’s rare. As long as I pretend that my Item Box’s capacity is small, it should be fine to use, I thought.

  “If I was to become a merchant, having the Appraisal skill would be a great boon, wouldn’t it?” I was able to ask about Item Boxes, so I tried bringing up Appraisal in the same way.

  “Ahh, that’s something every merchant dreams of. But that’s something that only summoned heroes from another world who only exist in fairy tales can use. Although I do think that it’s not Heroes who should have the skill, but merchants. Appraisal, it’s the dream of any merchant, no? Even without the Appraisal skill, it would be nice if the Appraisal tool becomes more widely available. People find them sometimes in ancient ruins, but they’re so expensive your eyes’ll pop out of your head, so only countries or guilds are able to obtain them.”

  Whew, that was close. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief in my head. So Appraisal is something only summoned heroes have, and magic tools with Appraisal also exist. But they’re so expensive that it’s impossible to own one privately. It seems they only rarely come out of ancient ruins (or in other words, highly difficult dungeons), so of course there wouldn’t be a lot of them.

  It was good that I asked. So now I know that there’s basically no chance that I would ever get appraised.

  While we talked about this and that, I eventually found out that the peddler was also aiming to cross the border. He leaned over and told me a secret in a whisper.

  “This country’s become pretty suspicious lately, you know? It would have been out of the question if I had a family, but luckily I’m single, so I’m thinking of getting out of this country early. There’s rumors that they might close their borders soon, after all.” Closing their borders? I thought, this country is dangerous as all heck. It’s a good thing that I gave up on this country early and decided to move.

  On the way to Kiels, monsters like goblins and wolves appeared (as I would expect from a fantasy world of swords and magic, monsters do exist here), but the adventurers guarding us defeated them without trouble, so the ride went smoothly.

  ◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

  When we arrived at Kiels, I headed over to where the old peddler told me the stagecoach for crossing the border would be.

  “No way...” At the station, a notice saying, “Stagecoach services currently on hold” was displayed.

  What do you mean, “On Hold?” Is this what the peddler meant by closing their borders? But if that’s really the case, would the town really be this calm?

  At any rate, I needed more information. I headed over to a restaurant where a lot of adventurers that have probably been to many different countries gathered so I could fill my stomach while I was at it.

  I took a seat at the bar, and called out to a group of two adventurers who just happened to be sitting next to me.

  “Hey, you guys have a moment?”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “I’ve actually just arrived here a little while ago, so there’s a few things I’d like to know...” I promptly waved the barkeep down and bought the two some ale. When I did that, the adventurers happily said, “Ah, you know your stuff,” and promptly started talking...

  “I see. So stopping the stagecoach is in order to help stop the flow of people leaving.”

  “Yeah. If the population decreases, so does the number of soldiers and the amount of taxes. Right now it’s just the stagecoaches, but they might really shut down the border eventually. Even though this country is already warring with the demonfolk, it seems they’re planning on starting a war with the kingdom of Marveil too.”

  “Right right, it’s only a matter of time before war breaks out.” It might have been because they have some liquor in them, but the two adventurers were very talkative.

  The country of demonfolk borders this country’s northern end, while the kingdom of Marveil is in the west. My plan was to head to the kingdom of Veenen to the southeast.

  “We’re also planning on saying goodbye to this country soon.”

  “Hunting monsters suits us more than fighting in a war, you know? You should leave as soon as you can, too.”

  I’d have left this country already if I could have, but if a monster appeared on the road there would be nothing someone like me, who was just a little stronger than average, could do about it. It seemed to be a significant problem, but as I looked at the adventurers, it came to me:

  Why don’t I just make a request to the Adventurer’s guild? It’ll probably cost quite a bit of money, but there’s no point in being stingy here. My first priority is to leave this country before they close their borders for good.

  I decided to put out a request to the Adventurer’s guild to guard me while I crossed the border.

  ◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

  The next morningーー

  Well then, let’s go put up the request at the Adventurer’s guild.

  The guild was facing the main street and I found it immediately, but it was early in the morning, so the building was jam-packed. In a rather clichéd development, I was stared at by the adventurers when I entered, but I tried to ignore them.

  I’m just here to post a request, I swear. If they realize I’m a client from my conversation with the clerk, nobody should mess with me. Probably.

  After I stood in line for a while it was finally my turn.

  “Excuse me, I’d like to make a request.”

  “A request, is it? What are you asking for, sir?”

  “I’d like to hire guards while I cross the border into Veenen. Also, I don’t have a carriage, so the journey will be on foot... This is my first time putting out a request, how much should I pay for a job like this?”

  “An escort mission on foot, yes? For that kind of request, you’ll need at least a C-rank party or above, and on top of that it’ll be on foot, so it’ll take quite a while. At the very least, you should probably offer 7 gold coins.” While I was thinking to myself that 7 gold coins would hurt my wallet quite a bit, the receptionist started talking again.

  “However, because the stagecoaches are stopped, we’ve been getting more of this kind of request. Taking that into account, a reward of 8 gold coins might be more appropriate.” I see, because if the number of the same kind of quest increases, adventurers will bite at the one that pays more.

  But 8 gold coins? Hrm...

  It honestly hurt me to pay that much, but you need to break eggs to make an omelet; there was really no choice.

  “Understood. I’ll pay 8 gold coins. Also, could you let them know I’ll handle the food?” From the receptionist’s choice of words, it sounded like 8 gold coins might have been a tough sell, so I tried adding food onto the table. I don’t hate cooking, and I did have that skill so as long as I were to choose cheaper ingredients, it should be fine.

  “Alright then, I’m in your care.” Leaving reward money at the desk, I left the Adventurer’s guild.

  ◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

  The next day, I got called to the Adventurer’s guild. When I arrived, I was surprised to find that my request had already been accepted. I didn’t expect to have it accepted this fast, but I wanted to leave as soon as possible, so I was actually grateful.

  At the guild, I was introduced to the C-rank party, “Iron Will.”

  “I’m the leader of Iron Will: Werner. Pleased to meet you.”

  “My name is Mukohda. And the pleasure is all mine.” It seems only nobles get family names, so in order to avoid suspicion, I only gave them my last name, and also made sure to pronounce it in a foreign way.

  Werner was a densely-packed, 190cm tall man in his early 30’s. He had a large shield on his back, and a sword hanging from his hi
p. His thick arms carried many old scars, so he really felt like a seasoned adventurer.

  From Werner’s introduction, the members of his party were: a man wearing leather armor with a longsword on his hip named Vincent, who I thought was a swordsman; a young girl who was probably a scout named Rita, who wore a chest protector and carried a knife; a stoic old man with white in his hair named Ramon, who donned a robe like a mage; and a woman named Franka in her early 20’s who was probably their healer, as she wore white clothes that reminded me of a nun’s habit (by the way, she had a huge chest).

  It seemed to be a pretty balanced party. I didn’t think the guild would introduce me to people who they didn’t think would be able to complete the request, so I decided to hire them.

  After I talked with Werner, we decided to leave tomorrow at 7 in the morning, after meeting up in front of the Adventurer’s guild. If that was to be the case, I would have a lot to prepare, as I would be the one preparing all the food for the trip.

  On the way back to the inn, I bought the things I’d need for the trip.

  First was a mantle: it could stave off the cold, and when sleeping I could just wrap it around me, so it seemed pretty necessary.

  I also bought all the cutlery and plates I’d need at a general store.

  While I was doing that, I also found a lot of other stuff that seemed useful, like a magic stove. Just like the name implied, it was a stove that produced fire when one ran magic power through it. They came with either one or two stovetops, but both models were expensive. Just then, I suddenly thought: Why not just buy a mini-stove from the online supermarket? It looked exactly the same, so if I were to tell the adventurers that it was a magic stove, there wouldn’t be anything suspicious about it.

  Okay, let’s do that. Buying a mini-stove from the online supermarket is way cheaper, too.

  With that decided, all that was left was to actually buy what I needed with my skill, so I hurried to return to the inn. After I got to my room, I proceeded to buy up a storm: A mini-stove and the accompanying gas canister, a pot and frying pan, knife, chopping board, and the all-important ingredients. I was buying for a party of five adventurers plus me, so I made sure to get a lot. I got vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, and Japanese scallion), along with cheese, ham, sausage, and eggs. I also bought some pre-prepared side dishes. Lastly, I got some salt, bouillon cubes, and other spices.

  All in all, I spent a little over 2 gold coins. I was down to 8 gold coins, 5 silver coins, and a few copper and iron coins each to my name.

  My wallet’s getting tighter and tighter. I considered, but it’ll only be until I reach Veenen. Once I get there, I’ll register at the Merchant’s guild and sell my heart out. And after securing funds, I’ll move again once I’ve seen the state of things.

  Let’s work hard for my safe and peaceful life.

  ◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

  When I arrived in front of the Adventurer’s guild at the agreed upon time, I found the members of Iron Will already waiting for me.

  “Sorry I’m late.”

  “No, we just arrived early. Don’t worry about it,” said the leader, Werner, laughing. Apparently, they’d drilled the habit of doing this quickly into their bodies. That’s a good habit to have, I thought.

  “Okay then, let’s go.” I nodded, and set off on the road to Veenen.

  Leaving the town of Kiels, we made smooth progress.

  Iron Will’s formation had no holes. I was in the center, with Rita the scout in front, Vincent the swordsman to my right, Ramon the mage to my left, Franka the healer behind me and to the right, and Werner behind me and to the left. They were set up to protect me, the client, at any time.

  “We should take a break soon.” At Werner’s suggestion, we decided to rest.

  As promised, I started to prepare food. That said, there wasn’t much time, so it was going to be a simple meal. I took the mini-stove that I bought earlier out of my Item Box.

  “Oh? So you were an Item Box user, Mukohda. And that’s a magic stove. You’ve got something pretty neat, there.”

  In response to Vincent’s comment, I nodded, explaining, “My capacity is pretty small, though.” I did hear that Item Box users exist, so I decided to make it out that I have an Item Box, but that it’s small. That way, it would be more convenient to hold my stuff, which has been increasing, and this way, it should also probably better than going to weird lengths to hide it.

  “I got the magic stove from an acquaintance. He said he probably wouldn’t have any chance to use it anymore, so I got it for pretty cheap.” I readily used the excuse I prepared beforehand for my mini-stove. “The end justifies the means” applies here.

  While I talked with Vincent, I brought out a loaf of bread and some ham and cheese to make sandwiches. I also made some instant consommé soup in wooden cups. Of course, I made sure they couldn’t see while I made it.

  After I poured in water that I boiled with the mini-stove into the cups, lunch was finished.

  “Everyone, food’s ready.” I handed out a cup with soup in it and a plate with a sandwich on it to each adventurer.

  “All right, I guess I should dig in.” At Werner’s signal, everyone began eating.

  “D-Delicious!”

  “This bread is very soft and delicious.”

  “Yeah, yeah, this bread is crazy soft and tasty!

  This soup’s good too.”

  “Oh, this is pretty good.”

  “Delicious...”

  Those reactions in order were Vincent, Franka, Rita, Werner, and Ramon. It’s good that they liked it. I cut so many corners making this though...

  They were especially surprised about the bread. Apparently, only nobles got bread this soft. Certainly, all the bread I’ve eaten up till now in this world has been black or brown and hard as a rock. In order to avoid further questions, I told them, “This bread is made from a secret recipe from home. I bought a bunch before I left and put them in my Item Box.”

  Everyone froze up, and somebody uttered, “Something so precious...!” But I just replied to that by telling them that “food is meant to be eaten.” I mean, I can get more bread any time with my skill.

  “At any rate, it’s really great that we can get hot food while traveling.” Werner said, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

  “Too true. We were right to take this quest.” Evidently, while traveling, it would be normal to have rather tasteless foods like hardtack or jerky, so the food I put out is quite the feast to people who are going places. It seems that good food breaks the ice anywhere, as conversation flowed freely.

  Apparently, the members of Iron Will had felt the unrest in the country too, so they had recently discussed moving to a different country as well. It was then that they saw my request, and thought it was perfect timing, so they accepted it. Actually, there were other requests that paid more, but they didn’t really need money that badly at the moment, and since I promised to provide the food during travel, they ended up taking mine. It seems that food fees for five people is no joke, I noted.

  “No, no, I’m the one that’s thankful for you guys taking my request. I also came to Kiels because I wanted to get out as soon as possible, but seeing that the stagecoaches were stopped, for a while I was panicking, wondering what I should do. So it’s thanks to all of you that I’m able to travel to Veenen. Even though I look like this I’m pretty confident in my cooking, so leave the meals to me.” After I said that, everyone smiled.

  They had good food to look forward to for the rest of the journey, after all.

  I’ll try my best, so please get me to Veenen safely.

  Chapter 2: For Some Reason, A Legendary Beast Contracted With Me When I Made Ginger-Fried Pork

  Three days have passed since leaving Kiels.

  If I had ridden the stagecoach, we would be in Veenen by now. And from there, it would have been another half day to Veenen’s border town, Falliéres. However, we were walking, so we’d finally passed the halfway point.


  It was taking a long time because we were on foot, but other than that, there had been no real problems. The members of Iron Will were pretty skilled, so they quickly defeated all the goblins and wolves that had appeared thus far. As expected of C-rankers, monsters of that level probably didn’t even serve as a warm-up.

  “The sun will be setting soon. Let’s stop here.” At Werner’s words, everyone started preparing camp.

  I was on food duty, so I was going to be a little careful picking out the menu this time. Anything too eccentric or complicated might have been considered bad by this world’s standards, so I made sure to make it as simple as possible.

  I’m thinking today should be grilled sausages, pot-au-feu, and bread. Everyone seemed to like meat, so there shouldn’t be any complaints.

  ~◇~◇~◇~

  First, take the preheated pot and cut bacon into it, and then put in vegetables and sausage. After giving the ingredients a little while to cook, put in the water. Once it starts to boil, throw in the bouillon cubes and let it simmer on low heat.

  “Yeah, this is looking good.” I gave it a taste test, and the saltiness of the bacon and sausage had seeped in, so it didn’t seem like I would need to adjust the taste at all. All that was left was to grill some more sausage on the side...

  ~◇~◇~◇~

  “Dinner’s ready.” I handed out the pot-au-feu in wooden bowls, along with the grilled sausage and bread on plates.

  “Ahh, it’s delicious. Mukohda’s food is great, as usual.” Vincent said, talking between vigorous bites of his food. Rita nodded heartily at his words.

  “It really is delicious. It might be because I’ve got such good food in my belly, but I feel like my body is moving better than usual.”

  “I’ve also been feeling more powerful ever since I started eating Mukohda’s food.” Franka said, agreeing with Rita.

  “Eating is the most important thing to humans. Depending on how delicious the food is, people’s moods will definitely change.” The normally silent Ramon chimed in seriously.