Read Novel Full Vol 22 Chapter 12
Vol 22 Chapter 12
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Chapter 12 – Tempura Party
I invited Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Adalicia to the Chris. The Queen and Princess went to the church to pray to Sea God-sama while I went out on a houseboat to cook tempura to welcome them. The preparations were almost complete, and just as we were about to enjoy ourselves, Creator God-sama called me in a rather inappropriate manner. It was decided that I would invite the gods in three days’ time. I was left with only fear.
“Welcome to the houseboat. I’m afraid the food I’ve prepared is rather simple, but I hope you enjoy it.”
“Oh, thank you for inviting me, Wataru-sama. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Her Majesty looked relieved when she saw my face. I think she was worried about what happened in the church.
I don’t mind if she is worried about me. I’m serious.
“Thank you for inviting me. This is a very unusual boat, by the way.”
Princess Adalicia looks at the houseboat with sparkling eyes. She seems to be very interested in the paper lanterns that are lit around the boat.
I had thought about inviting her to a tempura party on the second floor of the houseboat under the starry sky, but I think it was good that I decided to give her a chance to experience the slightly Japanese atmosphere inside the room.
“Fufu, it’s interesting inside, too. Please come in.”
I invite Her Majesty the Queen, Princess Adalicia, and the mermaid escorts inside.
I show Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Adalicia to the tables by the sea and have the escorts sit a little further away.
Ines and Felicia help serve. Marina-san, Carla-san, and Claretta-san are at the next table, along with Rimu and the others.
…Carla-san, Rimu, and the others have just finished eating monjayaki, but I guess they’re still eating… They’re waiting for their food with childlike expressions, looking happy.
I take out the tempura assortment I had stored in the rubber boat and have Marina-san, and the mermaid companions serve it to their table.
Then I take my place in front of Her Majesty the Queen.
“Now I’m going to start cooking. First, please try a little of everything, and then I’ll fry the ingredients you like, so please feel free to make requests.”
“U-um, I’m not sure if I understand everything, but I’m looking forward to it.”
It seems that they don’t understand the style of cooking in front of them, and they both look a little confused. Well, they are royalty, so it’s already unusual to cook in front of them. Besides, frying is something they probably don’t get to experience very often underwater.
I adjusted the flame on the portable gas stove, lightly removed the batter, and checked the temperature. Yep, perfect.
After a quick bow, I dip the shiso leaves in the batter and quickly drop them into the oil. I feel like a world-class chef.
Well, from the outside, I guess my movements look a little clumsy.
The sight of me frying the food seems to be a rare sight, and Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Adalicia seem to react with interest.
I plan to fry the vegetables, mushrooms, and seafood in this order. This is a different order from the traditional tempura course, but I don’t really understand the order, so I decided to fry them in an order that won’t dirty the oil.
I’ve been frying tempura since around noon today, so I’m confident about the frying.
“Please dip in your choice of salt or tempura sauce and enjoy.”
The shiso tempura is placed on a paper-lined colander in front of them.
Her Majesty the Queen has also been invited on a luxury liner several times, so she uses her chopsticks to grab the shiso tempura despite her clumsy hands.
Salt first? What a connoisseur.
“Mmm, the crispy texture and the fresh yet strange flavor of the herb… I thought it would be an oily dish, but it’s surprisingly light and really delicious.”
“That’s right, Mother. It’s only the first dish, and it’s just a leafy vegetable, but it’s surprisingly delicious.”
The mother and daughter exchange smiles as they talk. The tempura seems to have gone down well with both of them.
Looking around, it seems that both Marina-san and the mermaid escorts are enjoying the tempura to their hearts’ content and that there are no complaints about the food.
Claretta-san is over there explaining and helping, so I think it’s safe to leave it to her.
Next is the onion… It’s not good; it’s a big mistake.
“Excuse me, would you like some alcohol? I recommend beer, but… Oh, Princess Adalicia can’t drink, so I’ll get you some juice.”
Even if you just eat the tempura, it’s delicious enough, but you can’t forget to drink beer with the tempura on the houseboat, even if you can’t drink alcohol.
“Hmm, that refreshing bitterness seems to go well with this dish. I’ll have a beer then, please.”
“Then I’ll have a refreshing drink, please.”
Refreshing? Something like grapefruit or other citrus. The atmosphere seems to call for something carbonated, so I’ll have a lemon soda.
While the onions were being fried, I asked Saporabi to bring me a glass of draft beer and a lemon soda.
…The image of the mermaid queen holding a glass of draft beer is somewhat surreal.
The onions are fried to perfection, and it looks like Her Majesty and the others will enjoy them with the tempura sauce.
Her Majesty takes a bite of the tempura onion and chews it, then closes her eyes and enjoys it. Then she opens her eyes wide and swallows the draught beer.
“Hmm, the seafood aroma and just right saltiness of this tempura sauce, the subtle sweetness of the vegetables, I’ve enjoyed the complex flavors of all of these, and finally, the bitterness of the beer brings it all together and makes me look forward to the next course. It’s brilliant.”
I don’t know what’s going on, but Her Majesty seems to be acting like a food critic. But isn’t that just a comment about how the draft beer is the best?
Princess Adalicia nods admiringly without suspicion, but it’s not quite right. I can understand that her mother loves it, but I don’t think you should blindly follow her.
After that, we went through lotus root, eggplant, pumpkin, shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, and finally came to seafood.
By the way, Princess Adalicia liked the pumpkin, and Her Majesty said that all the dishes were delicious, but she seemed to enjoy the eggplant and the draft beer the most.
First, the shrimp. Well, I’m not sure if they’re really shrimp. This is another world, after all.
“Mmm, the crispy batter goes well with the juicy meat… I can tell because I’m used to eating seafood. The batter must be what keeps the shrimp fresh even after cooking.”
Her Majesty the Queen is a bit impressed.
I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it’s true that the batter prevents the ingredients from losing their moisture.
If you grill shrimp or fish without batter, they can end up a bit dry, depending on how they’re cooked.
“Wataru-sama, please bring me another beer.”
And Her Majesty the Queen drinks her beer very quickly. While Princess Adalicia is only on her second glass of juice, Her Majesty has already emptied five medium-sized beer mugs.
I’m worried that she’s drinking too much, but since she’s staying the night and I know that even Her Majesty likes to drink from time to time, I ask Saporabi to bring her another round.
“Next is the whiting.”
It’s my favorite kind of tempura.
“Wow, it’s crispy and fluffy and melts in your mouth.”
“Mm. Whiting has a unique flavor, but tempura is so different. I like that flavor too, but this elegant flavor is good too.”
Princess Adalicia’s adorable comment is followed by the Queen’s more serious comment. Well, it seems that Her Majesty the Queen is quite drunk.
After all the seafood, it’s time for the last dish, the tempura.
Claretta-san and I have practiced this a lot, so I’m confident that we can make a large quantity.
It’s a shame we didn’t have any small shrimp, carrots, onions, or mitsuba, but it’s still delicious.
I poured the batter into the oil so that the mold wouldn’t collapse and waited quietly… when it was just right… I quickly turned it over.
I can’t make the big kakiage you get at specialty tempura or udon restaurants, but I think this is a great kakiage in its own right.
“It’s hot… but it’s a wonderful combination of different vegetables and shrimp. I can’t stop drinking beer, so I’ll have another one.
I’m really proud of my kakiage, but it’s a bit of a shame because Her Majesty the Queen is already completely drunk.
This is the last one for today, right? Getting burned after eating so many different kinds of tempura… well, I’m glad she seems to be enjoying it so much…
“Wataru-sama, it’s very tasty.”
Princess Adalicia’s simple comment really touched my heart. I think Her Majesty the Queen might make a fool of herself if I go on, so I think we’ll call it a day here.
Her Majesty the Queen was carried away by the mermaid soldier.
I’m a little worried about her dignity as a mother since she was also taken care of by Princess Adalicia, but I think it was a great success as a reception.
“Wataru, it was delicious.”
“Yes, I want to eat some more.”
“Wataru, the tempura was delicious, of course, but I also enjoyed cooking together. Let’s cook together again sometime.”
I’m happy to hear Marina-san’s simple but heartfelt comments, and I’m also a little worried about Carla-san’s appetite, but I’m most happy to hear Claretta-san say that she enjoyed cooking together.
After parting with Marina-san and the others, I sit down in a chair and take a breather.
“Ara, aren’t you going back to your room?”
“Yeah, I’ve been frying tempura all day. Since I’ve gone to all this trouble, I’ll just eat it here. Ines and Felicia haven’t had much to eat, have they? Why don’t you join me?”
“Fufu, that sounds good. I’ll have some.”
“I’ll join you too.”
“…What about Rimu…?”
“Shuu.”
After Ines and Felicia’s answers, Rimu and Pent send their thoughts as if to say, “Don’t forget about us.”
The two of them must have eaten a lot with Carla-san, but… Well, it’s okay, as long as they don’t force themselves to eat, it’s not like it’s bad for their health. After all, they’re monsters and high-level ones at that.
I summoned a rubber boat and laid out the tempura assortment I had prepared. I ask Saporabi to bring me a bottle of beer.
I like draft beer, but for some reason, I always picture houseboats with bottled beer.
I pour my own drink.
“Ara, let me pour it for you.”
I drink it with a beautiful woman pouring it for me. Pouring your own drink isn’t bad, but it tastes even better when a beautiful woman pours it for you.
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