Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 3  Chapter 3   Proposal for the presentation

“But, Igami-san, do you know about the ingredients or items that can be obtained in the dungeon and could become valuable?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like I don’t know anything. Besides, if I didn’t know, I could die in the dungeon if we run out of food.”

As I said that, I suddenly realized something.

“…Come to think of it, I haven’t really taught you guys much in terms of that kind of knowledge, have I?”

I have taught them about the enemies in the dungeon and how to survive, but I don’t recall teaching them much about what can be gathered or how to make use of it.

I had thought that if I only taught them during the first year, I would focus more on teaching them skills rather than knowledge they could acquire later… but it’s true that I neglected to teach them about it.

“Yes, that’s true. We’ve mostly focused on skills until now.”

“We didn’t have much time.”

Although Abe seems to be defending me, it doesn’t change the fact that I neglected the knowledge aspect.

If I dismissively tell them to look it up themselves when it comes to ingredients and such, it would be irresponsible, wouldn’t it?

…I guess there’s no helping it.

“Well, fine. I’ll tell you what I know for now. If you’re really serious about it, I’ll teach you things that don’t require a license, and if it becomes necessary, I can arrange for you to get one, so don’t worry.”

“Igami-san, do you have a license?”

“No? Not me, it’s Kei… Uh, well, you guys have experienced it too, but he was my former team member. He’s working as a chef using dungeon ingredients. If you’re serious about it, I can call him, and there won’t be any issues with the license.”

Kei’s family runs a restaurant. I’m not sure if he’s taken over the business yet, but for now, he’s working there. He got the necessary license for that, and I think he’d come if we asked him in advance.

“So, are you guys really planning to open a restaurant that specializes in dishes using dungeon ingredients?”

All four of them nodded in response to my question.

“We want to cosplay and run a food establishment that incorporates dungeon ingredients, while also making as much money as possible.”

They all nodded once again at my words, but it seems like they’re aiming for something quite challenging or rather ambitious.

Well, cosplay doesn’t really matter, but if they want to earn money with a small team, we need to think things through.

“In addition, it should be dishes that are easy to cook and can be handled by amateurs with a small team…”

If we have limited manpower and need dishes that are easy to prepare, while also being likely to sell well at a cultural festival…

Having Miyano there would probably guarantee success. After all, she’s the ‘Hero.’

A genius student who has been given the title of hero and runs a shop.

I think both spectators and those who want to establish connections would gather quite a bit.

However, I don’t think it’s exactly what these guys desire.

If that’s the case, we need to think about something that can genuinely earn money.

First, disregarding the effort involved, when it comes to things that can attract people even if the taste or appearance is not great, it would be high-end or rare items. Expensive or unique items have inherent value.

Regardless of whether they sell well or not, just the act of observing would draw people in.

At the very least, it should be something that is not ordinary, like what regular students would use.

Well, if it’s too expensive, it won’t sell, but we can claim that it’s the result of the students’ craftsmanship and maintain that the quality is… So even if it’s slightly more expensive than other students’ products, it can still be affordable for the general public.

If it becomes a high-end product that is several percentages cheaper than what is sold in regular stores, it should sell on its own.

If it’s suspiciously cheap, people might become skeptical, but as I mentioned earlier, with a less appealing appearance or by using the name of the “hero,” it shouldn’t be a problem.

People might hesitate to gather using the name of the hero, but I think that’s within an acceptable range.

If the price is high, it might reduce the quantity sold, but that’s okay.

After all, we have limited manpower. A decrease in sales quantity means a decrease in the workload, allowing us to manage with fewer staff, and each person’s workload decreases.

While wanting to run a shop, they would also want to enjoy the festival itself, so I think it works out well.

Well, in that case, if we’re going to sell high-end products, the cost of the ingredients might increase, but that shouldn’t be a big concern since we can gather them ourselves.

If it’s a place I have visited before, I can give advice or warnings, and these guys should be able to gather the ingredients easily. After all, they are first-class and special-class adventurers.

That’s their strength. Since they gather the ingredients themselves, there is no initial investment, and they can even advertise with that slogan, “From gathering to cooking and selling, it’s all done by students.” I think it’s great for a cultural festival organized by students.

So, among high-end products, it’s all about taste and appearance.

Earlier, I mentioned that even if the taste and appearance are not good, it’s still acceptable. However, having both good taste and appearance is definitely preferable.

If we consider which one is easier for amateurs to improve, I would say it’s the appearance.

Of course, it’s a different story when it comes to intricate candy work, but when it comes to regular dish presentation, we should be able to manage somehow.

Therefore, the basic strategy will be to create dishes that are “easy to cook using visually appealing high-quality ingredients.”

… It feels like the conditions have been narrowed down, but at the same time, they don’t feel very restricted.

Well, that’s fine.

If we want to use visually appealing ingredients that are relatively expensive… Hmmm. Were there any good ones among the ones I earned money with when I was adventuring with Hiro and the others?

“- Usuba Hana, Random Syrup, Warm Chocolate, Raindrop Candy… and well, that’s about it.”

Are these ingredients considered expensive? There were a few others, but using too many of them would require more manpower, so this should be sufficient.

“… I haven’t heard of any of those names.”

“That’s probably true. They are all high-end or rare ingredients from the dungeon, located deep inside dungeons with a moderate level of difficulty.”

Upon hearing the names of the ingredients I proposed, Miyano and the others tilted their heads. It seems they haven’t studied much in that area.

Well, in the case of the names I mentioned, it’s understandable. They are generally not available to the public, and even if they are used in cooking, the names of the ingredients alone wouldn’t usually come up in conversations.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to know at least one of them…

“But hey, you’ve heard of chocolate, right? It’s the kind that melts when it’s cold and solidifies when it’s warm, the opposite of normal chocolate.”

“Oh, what was it again? I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere… Ah! Chocomallow, right?”

“Oh yeah, I know that one. I saw it in a featured article before.”

“Was that the name? Well, probably.”

Out of the names I mentioned, chocolate is relatively well-known. As Kitahara said, it’s popular enough to be featured in articles.

Well, being famous doesn’t necessarily mean they have actually tasted it.

Although I had forgotten the name, it seems that Asada and the others knew the name of the dish, or rather, the confectionery.

It’s a confectionery where you dip marshmallows in melted chocolate, then bake it to solidify.

Unlike regular chocolate, warm chocolate has the characteristic of melting below a certain temperature, making it unsuitable for carrying around unless it’s in a place where the shop is located.

But that’s precisely why I think it would sell if we gather the ingredients ourselves and sell them. There aren’t any shops around here.

To be honest, I don’t think it’s worth that much, but it does have some popularity.

Well, it did have an interesting texture, didn’t it? It was my first time experiencing hot solid chocolate.

By the way, Asada mentioned “Chocomallow,” but it’s not just marshmallows inside. There are various variations, but for now, they are all unified under the name “Chocomallow.” Something like “Chocomallow Cookie.”

“You know, it’s quite expensive.”

“Yeah, I think it was around a thousand yen per piece.”

“So expensive! But can we make it ourselves?”

“As long as we have the ingredients. The gates where the mentioned ingredients can be obtained are located within a range of about four hours by train, even the farthest one.”

It’s expensive, but of course, there’s a reason for it.

The process of gathering the ingredients is incredibly troublesome. If we were to do it normally, there’s no way we could gather enough quantity for students to sell.

Well, in our case, we found a kind of loophole or easy method, so we were able to make a good profit.

“As for the ingredients… Oh yeah, what were the others?”

“Usubahana, Random Syrup, and Rain Candy.”

Without anyone asking, Abe answered briefly to Asada’s words.

“This is Usubahana.”

Immediately after I mentioned it, Miyano, who had been fiddling with her phone, placed her phone on the table where the four of us were gathered and showed us the image.

“Wow, it’s beautiful…”

“It’s a flower. Can you eat it?”

“It requires a special harvesting method.”

Usubahana, in simple terms, is a peony with extremely thin, translucent petals.

However, all of its petals are sharp blades, so if you touch it carelessly, whatever you touch will get cut.

That’s why there’s a special harvesting method, not just simply plucking it. But I know how to do it. I’ve actually eaten it before.

“Well, I know it’s a special harvesting method, so I’ll teach you when the time comes.”

After that, Miyano and the others enthusiastically used their phones to look up the other ingredients I mentioned and excitedly discussed them.

“Alright then, is that all?”

It seemed like they accepted the proposal, so I shifted my gaze back to the magazine, thinking the discussion was over.

“No.”

However, Asada’s voice interjected.

“What’s wrong?”

“You haven’t told us what we’re going to do and how to cook with these ingredients.”

“…Oh, right. I guess I only explained the ingredients.”

Come to think of it, I haven’t mentioned how to cook with the ingredients.

“Yeah, yeah. Are you getting senile and forgetting important things? Getting old, grandpa?”

Asada laughed mockingly, but I know there’s no ill intent behind it. It’s like a joke. It annoys me, though.

“Yeah, I’m getting senile. If you know that, then let me quit, will you?”

“That’s a separate matter. Didn’t I say it? I won’t let you go so easily.”

I was told that, but you know… the issues with my body are becoming more prominent.

Do you know? The peak of a human’s life is at twenty. I’m already in my late thirties. I can’t help but think that it’s okay to let me quit.

I’ve mentioned it several times already.

…Anyway, for now, let me explain what we’re going to do with the ingredients I mentioned earlier.