Fish Butchering

Once our meeting with the Gutenberg guild ended, it was time for the winter coming-of-age ceremony. Between that ceremony and the spring Baptism Ceremony, I had planned to do the long-awaited fish butchering. At least, that's what I'd decided in my own mind.

"Chief Priest, when are we going to butcher the fish? And where?"

After helping out in the Chief Priest's room, I asked this question on a near-daily basis, and by the third day, he was staring down at me with a look of supreme irritation. But I was not the kind of person to be deterred by such a gaze.

"Chief Priest, when are we going to butcher the fish? And where?"

"...The day after tomorrow, in the afternoon. It will take place in your workshop."

"If possible, I'd like to finish the butchering in the morning so we can make it in time for dinner. I'll be inviting everyone to dine. Since we're at it, let's have the butchered fish cooked up so we can all eat together."

I laid out my plans and wishes regarding the fish dishes, including the need to prepare a large portion for the orphanage. The Chief Priest looked utterly exhausted but conceded that the morning would be fine.

"Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"Assemble all guard knights, have them change into rideable beast clothing, and tell them to tie their hair back in a single bundle. Do not let your guard down."

These were hardly the kind of instructions one would expect for food preparation, but I didn't think much of it and sent an ordonnans to the castle. I needed my Attendants to bring me my rideable beast clothing.

Leonore and Eudlit served as my guards, and Lieseleta brought the clothing over.

"Lieseleta, would you mind teaching me how to tie my hair? Monica said she wanted to learn the noble way of doing it."

"Certainly. ...Since it will take some time to practice until she gets the hang of it, would Lady Rozemyne care to enjoy some reading while she waits?"

Lieseleta giggled as she made her suggestion. While I was absorbed in my books, she would teach Monica the hairstyle. I began reading the books Fran had prepared for me.

"Lady Rozemyne's hair is very silky and has a wonderful texture, but it tends to slip away, making it rather difficult to pin up neatly."

My hair was being brushed, and Lieseleta gently lifted sections of it with deft fingers. I heard her first words, but once I became absorbed in my book, I quickly stopped paying attention.

Monica learned the hairstyle, and the day of the fish butchering arrived. I woke up bright and early, full of excitement, finished breakfast, had Monica do my hair, and had Nicola help me change into my rideable beast clothing. Everything was ready.

I turned my gaze to the guard knights in the room—Leonore and Angelica.

"Leonore, Angelica—are all the guard knights assembled?"

"Yes, everyone is present. I caught a glimpse of Eudlit arriving through the window just a moment ago, while she was still changing."

When Angelica proudly announced that she could now enhance her vision too, Leonore's face clouded with worry.

"Lady Rozemyne, you seem quite excited. I hope you don't collapse at a critical moment?"

"I'm fine. I won't collapse. Not until I've eaten the delicious fish!"

"...I'm glad to see Lady Rozemyne in good health."

Once I was ready, I had Syamel send word to the Chief Priest that preparations were complete, and had Angelica call the other knights.

"Lady Rozemyne, I have a message from the Chief Priest. He says to have the Magical Tools brought into the workshop. He also asks that this be brought to the workshop as well."

After hearing Syamel's message, I threw open the workshop doors. I had the Attendants line the tables and wooden boxes they normally used for mixing against the corners, clearing a wide space in the middle, and had them bring in the Magical Tools. For Hugo and Ella, I had them bring the sturdy lidded pots the Chief Priest had requested.

"Is fish butchering really something that requires such caution?"

"There are things that a chef simply can't handle, yes? If we're talking about edible magical beasts from Ahrensbach that are difficult for commoners to butcher, I can think of a few."

Leonore named several, but I had no idea what any of them looked like.

"Leonore, are any of those suitable for salt-grilling?"

When I explained my very simple cooking method—cutting cross-shaped slits in the skin, sprinkling salt, and grilling it—Leonore looked deeply troubled.

"Cross-shaped slits in the skin? And you grill it without removing the innards and eat it like that? ...I think that would be extremely difficult. Could you perhaps use a different cooking method?"

Being told that salt-grilling was very difficult, with such a troubled expression, left me bewildered too. I never expected salt-grilling to be rejected.

"I thought salt-grilling was the simplest cooking method. Stewing, frying... are other methods better?"

"If the skin and innards are properly removed first, then grilling is no problem at all."

So it wasn't grilling in general that was the issue—it was whole grilling that wouldn't work. In that case, I had no choice but to push forward with three-filet filleting.

While I was pondering cooking methods other than salt-grilling, the Chief Priest arrived with Justus and Brother Eckhart. They entered the workshop and lined up before the Magical Tools alongside the guard knights.

"Let's start by dealing with the troublesome ones first. Rozemyne, stay over there and observe without getting in the way."

I'd hoped to be useful by doing three-filet filleting, but if their common sense about cooking was so different that even salt-grilling was considered difficult, I should probably stay quietly out of the way this time. I was assigned Eudlit—my apprentice—as a guard and positioned at a table in the corner to watch.

"You lot—surround them with wind shields. Form a cage to contain the Taunadell."

"Yes, sir!"

At the Chief Priest's command, the guard knights summoned their shields with "Gevirtle" and formed a circle. It looked like a sports team huddling before a match. The Chief Priest opened the lid of the time-stopping Magical Tool, pulled out the Taunadell, and casually tossed them one after another into the circle. Once he'd extracted only the targets he wanted, he quickly shut the lid.

...Yellow sea urchins with tails? Or more like puffer fish?

As I squinted and tilted my head, the Taunadell's spines grew thinner and thinner, and longer and longer. The moment the color of the spines turned purple, they began shooting them out in every direction.

I gaped at these aggressively hostile fish, but since they were trapped in a cage made of wind shields, all the long, thin spines bounced right back at the Taunadell itself. The knights were simply standing with their shields up, so they looked rather silly from the outside, but fighting while blocking these attacks as a commoner would probably be quite a challenge.

"Wait until they've completely expelled all their spines. These spines are poisonous, so being stung would be troublesome. Do not let your guard down."

"Yes, sir!"

The guard knights answered the Chief Priest with solemn expressions. My ears perked up at his words. That was not something I could ignore.

"Um, Chief Priest. The poisonous spines appear to be thoroughly embedded in the Taunadell. Will the meat still be edible afterward?"

"I don't know."

He answered so tersely that I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I didn't come here to kill Taunadell—I want you to teach me how to butcher them so they can be eaten!"

"I have never considered edibility when butchering materials, so how would I know? There's no problem at all for material harvesting. ...If you absolutely insist on eating them, you could test the meat with medicine to determine whether the poison has spread."

It wasn't that I wanted to eat it even if it was bad—I wanted to eat it deliciously. Grilling a fish that had been doused in chemical agents, even if technically non-toxic, would not be pleasant to eat mentally.

...What a disappointment! This is the most disappointed I've ever been with the Chief Priest!

Once the Taunadell had fully expelled their poisonous spines, the knights donned gloves and began removing and collecting them. Apparently, these too were valuable materials.

"What you wanted was the meat, right?"

"...I don't want poison-covered meat. That wouldn't be edible, would it?"

I glowered at him with a "hmph," and the Chief Priest muttered something about me being a spoiled brat while placing several of the poisonous spines into a materials box. But that wasn't right either. What I wanted was edible fish meat.

...Is any of this fish actually going to be edible?

I heaved a sigh, and the Chief Priest came over to me.

"Here—this Reigish is for you. You've been wanting to butcher something, haven't you? This one has no poison, so if you butcher it, it should be edible."

"Really!?"

I leaned forward eagerly, and the Chief Priest thumped two roughly thirty-centimeter rainbow-colored fish onto the table. Perhaps the effects of the time-stopping magic hadn't fully worn off, because the fish barely reacted.

"Eckhart, Cornelius—hold the Reigish's tail. Don't let it get away."

"Yes, sir!"

"Rozemyne—pour your Magic Power into it all at once."

"Okay!"

The scales were apparently extremely hard—so hard that no blade could cut through them. Moreover, they absorbed Magic Power and grew even harder.

"But once they're completely filled with Magic Power, the scales swell and expand. You slam in a large amount of Magic Power, then peel off the bulging scales."

This was apparently a fish that only nobles could butcher. I couldn't fathom what Aurelia had been thinking, packing such an impossible-to-butcher fish into her luggage.

As I tilted my head and continued channeling Magic Power, the Reigish—now free of the time-stopping spell—suddenly began thrashing wildly.

"Whoa!"

Cornelius, caught off guard, desperately held the tail down. I drew out even the Magic Power I normally kept compressed and stored away, slamming it into the Reigish in a torrent.

"Stay still!"

The next instant, the scales puffed up and took on a rounded, teardrop shape, like magic stones. Having been hit with my Magic Power, the Reigish twitched feebly with its tail still pinned by Cornelius.

"Go ahead and pluck them."

The Chief Priest was simultaneously channeling Magic Power into the other Reigish. At his words, I began popping off the stone-like scales with satisfying clicks. Removing scales before eating is absolute basics. There was no hesitation whatsoever.

...Though this was my first time plucking round scales that were clearly over five centimeters in diameter.

The Reigish's iridescent, gleaming scales were not only beautiful but uniform in size, and there were so many when you counted both sides that I immediately wanted to have them crafted into earrings and necklaces—proper jewelry.

"These scales are so sparkly and beautiful. With a bit of craftsmanship, they could make lovely accessories."

I pinched a scale between my thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the light, thinking I'd have Zack or Johann design something for me. Around me, everyone turned to look at me simultaneously with expressions of utter disbelief.

"...W-what? Did I say something strange?"

"It's a rainbow-colored magic stone, you fool? It has all attributes, and on top of that, it contains your own Magic Power—a priceless material. Don't waste it on something so frivolous, you simpleton."

I knew the rainbow color meant it had all attributes, but I had no idea the scales had become magic stones. It seemed my Magic Power had transformed them.

"Everyone used their Magic Power against the Taunadell earlier, so distribute these magic stones one by one to each of them."

At the Chief Priest's instruction, I handed out the magic stone scales I'd plucked. Naturally, I gave one to Eudlit, who had been serving as my guard, but she looked more confused than anything.

"...I wasn't fighting at all. Is this really acceptable?"

"You were protecting me, weren't you? It was the same during the Tarnisbevaren incident—it's not just those who attack and defeat an enemy who deserve recognition. Those who support and fulfill their roles in bringing it down need evaluation too. If everyone only wants to be the one to defeat the enemy and no one wants to serve as guard, that would be a problem."

"I was recently scolded by Lord Bonifatius about how I evaluated the Tarnisbevaren incident. So it applies in situations like these too."

Eudlit nodded, seemingly impressed. It didn't seem like the scolding had fully sunk in for her yet. I might need to have a word with Grandfather about that.

In front of me, the Reigish lay twitching, its scales stripped away. Once the scales—which turned out to be the valuable material—were removed, the Reigish was just an ordinary fish. It looked like a white-fleshed fish. It would probably be delicious grilled with herbs or salt-grilled. Fried would be good too.

"Chief Priest, would this be okay for salt-grilling?"

"Before you think about cooking methods, you need to cut it apart and recover the meat right now. Once it's completely dead, it'll turn into a magic stone."

"Oh, that's right!"

I'd completely forgotten because it was fish-shaped, but magical beasts became magic stones once they died completely. Which meant they'd no longer be edible. Now I understood why it was so difficult to do whole-grilled fish from Ahrensbach.

...In that case, I'd just do three-filet filleting as originally planned.

I summoned my Staff and chanted "Messer." Infusing the knife in my hand with Magic Power, I moved to cut off the Reigish's head.

"You fool! What are you going to do with the head!? Cut the flesh!"

"Oh."

I'd been planning to remove the head and pull out the innards, as one does with three-filet filleting, but doing so would kill the Reigish completely. Knife raised, I froze in place, looking around helplessly.

"Please leave it to me, Lady Rozemyne. Butchering is my specialty."

"Your master's master—just trust her and leave it be."

Angelica stepped forward smoothly with Stenluke at the ready. Then she grabbed the Reigish by the tail, tossed it lightly into the air, and swung Stenluke with a swift whoosh. In an instant, the Reigish's flesh had been perfectly separated from the bones.

"Here you are, Lady Rozemyne."

Angelica presented me with the fillet, her expression sharp and composed.

...Oh my. How wonderful. Angelica has never looked cooler!

Just as I was struck by Angelica's magnificent poise, Brother Eckhart appeared equally moved. He compared the fillet to the remaining Reigish carcass with an appreciative look.

"You've got a surprising talent for this, Angelica."

"I practiced a great many times with my master."

...Grandfather! How splendid!

From now on, I was leaving fish butchering entirely to Grandfather and Angelica.

There were several other unusual fish as well—a sea serpent-like Meerschlaan over a meter long, covered in eyes like the Tarnisbevaren, and a flounder-like creature with eyes all over its back—but aside from their slightly unusual appearances, they were butchered fairly normally. Apparently, processing all those eyes was the real challenge for commoner chefs.

Just as Angelica had been impressive, the Chief Priest was equally magnificent while butchering the Meerschlaan. I'd seen many battles, but I could declare with certainty that this time, when he showed off his skill like a master chef filleting an eel, was the most dashing of all.

...My heart races! Ahhh, fish!

The slightly different one was a fish called Spresh. After the Chief Priest chopped the Meerschlaan into chunks and placed them in the sturdy lidded pot, he took several Spresh—each about the size of a small mackerel—and slammed them into the pot with great force. Then he immediately closed the lid and ordered the knights standing by.

"Everyone—press down on the lid!"

The knights all pressed down on the pot's lid simultaneously. It was quite a surreal sight to behold, and as I was watching, a tremendous BANG! erupted from inside the pot, making me jump. After that, more explosions—BANG! BOOM! BOOM!—continued as the pot shook violently.

"Um, Chief Priest. There are explosion sounds coming from inside..."

"We wait like this until they subside. Hold that lid down firmly—don't let it come off."

After the explosion sounds finally died down, we carefully opened the lid a short while later, and oh—what a wonder. Fish paste had formed inside.

...Wow, I want tsukimi soup! But there's no miso! If I had soy sauce, at least I could make a clear soup.

The fact that this was my first thought told me I'd become quite accustomed to this strange world.

I'd hoped there might be shellfish and shrimp among the seafood inside the time-stopping Magical Tool, but there weren't any.

If there had been shellfish, I'd planned to have them make bouillabaisse—the kind that had been common during my time as Urano. But if there weren't any, nothing could be done. I'd make a fish-only bouillabaisse. It would be fine. Even the Bouillabaisse Charter of Marseille stated that "the fish used for bouillabaisse shall be limited to those inhabiting Mediterranean rocky reefs; shrimp, shellfish, octopus, and squid shall not be included." Using only fish should be perfectly acceptable. Well, using only Mediterranean fish already put us outside the charter, but I didn't care. The point was the spirit of making it with fish alone.

I had the scraps of leftover fish bones used to make dashi to deepen the bouillabaisse's flavor, and the fish paste was formed into dumplings and dropped into the soup.

That evening's dinner, prepared by Hugo and Ella, was an extravagant spread of fish dishes. Although we'd be eating in shifts, the knights who had helped with the butchering would also be served fish.

For the main courses, we had various preparations including the Reigish and the ordinary-looking leftover fish—herb-grilled, fried, and more—so everyone could choose according to their preference. My portion was, of course, the salt-grilled fish I'd been longing for.

"Chief Priest, how is it? The method is nearly identical to Zantebelsuppe, but fish dishes are delicious too, aren't they?"

"...We obtained some valuable materials, and the result isn't bad."

He snorted while saying this, but I noticed his hands were moving at quite a brisk pace. Well, as long as he was satisfied.

"Ahhh, this fish is so good. I've started wanting Ahrensbach!"

"Gah!? What are you suddenly saying, young lady!?"

The Chief Priest choked on his food, the guard knights all stared wide-eyed, and Hartmut said, "That sounds wonderful"—which was when I realized I'd made a terrible remark.

"Oh my? Perhaps I misspoke a little. What I meant to say was that Ahrensbach is wonderful because you can eat fish there anytime."

"That's not at all how it sounded."

I laughed it off with a "ho ho ho" and waited for the salt-grilled fish to arrive on my plate. Fran gently set the plate with the salt-grilled fish before me.

"So that's the salt-grilled fish you kept going on about wanting?"

"Yes, it is."

It was simply white-fleshed fish fillets with salt sprinkled on them and grilled. I had implored them not to do anything beyond that, and the result was this salt-grilled fish.

"It smells good."

The Chief Priest said this while glancing at my plate. "It does, doesn't it?" I answered with a smile and took a bite. It was the kind of flavor that made me really want white rice, but for me, it was a taste that felt wonderfully nostalgic and comforting.

Savoring my salt-grilled fish, I suddenly realized something. I felt as though I'd been in a situation like this before.

...When was it again? Let me think—oh, it was Father!

It must have been when Father, disguised as a blue priest, had made that uniquely noble, roundabout demand of "give that to me" using his characteristic subtlety.

...Well, Father is one thing, but would the Chief Priest really want the food on my plate?

I glanced at the Chief Priest, who was continuing to eat with an impassive expression. Then I stared down at my salt-grilled fish—the only one that had been made. The correct response would be to offer my plate if he asked, and wait for him to return it after he'd had his fill. But I didn't want to give up my plate.

"I can't give you the whole thing. Half is fine, though."

I returned the same words I'd said back then, and the Chief Priest raised an eyebrow slightly.

"If you remember that much, then you should know what the correct response is?"

"Pretending not to understand is the correct response, isn't it? It's my salt-grilled fish."

Hmph! I bit into the salt-grilled fish. I kept eating until only about half remained, all the while basking in the Chief Priest's inscrutable gaze.

"Here, Chief Priest. Half is fine."

When I held out my plate, the Chief Priest let out a small, sharp laugh and accepted it readily.

"Rozemyne, this isn't 'halving.' This is the High Priest bestowing something upon the Chief Priest."

"Eh?"

"Well, never mind. In the Temple, you are technically the superior. I shall graciously accept your generosity."

I hadn't intended to be so condescending as to bestow something upon the Chief Priest—give it back! But I couldn't very well say that, so I watched him eat the salt-grilled fish with a complicated mixture of emotions.

Satisfied with the delicious fish dishes, and having eaten the salt-grilled fish I'd been longing for, I was sipping post-meal tea. The Chief Priest was drinking tea as well, his gaze sweeping over me and my attendants.

"Rozemyne, after this comes the prayer ceremony. Leisegang will welcome you with open arms, I'm certain, but whether he'll extend the same welcome to Wilfried—carrying Veronica's blood and bearing the stain of having entered the White Tower—remains to be seen. Keep a close eye on things and make sure Wilfried is properly supported."

Just as Wilfried and Charlotte had shielded me during the winter social season when I was still new to it, I was being told that I needed to stand in the line of fire at Leisegang.

"And you lot—protect Rozemyne as well. As she stands in her position as Lord's wife."

The Chief Priest's gaze turned stern as he delivered a final warning: "Do not be taken in by Leisegang's sweet words."

"Understood."

That concludes the fish butchering.

Thinking about what kinds of fish to serve turned out to be quite enjoyable.

The Spresh came from my personal wish that it would be nice to easily make fish paste, but if they actually existed, I'd be too scared to use them.

Next up: the prayer ceremony.