"I think I can see the gates of Al-Flare now."

"Ah, you're right! We're back, Tetsuya-nii!"

"Yeah, Fia-chan. I'm really glad we made it back safely."

We successfully made our way back to Al-Flare from the royal capital. On the way back, we took a different route and visited a different town than we did on the way there.

Since we planned to supply outdoor shop goods there as well, they introduced us to a good inn and gave us a grand welcome. Other than a few encounters with monsters along the way, there were no major issues.

Well, even if something had happened, I feel like we could have handled it as long as everyone was with us.

"It's only been a week, but it feels like it's been forever."

"Fufu, that just means you've grown attached to Al-Flare, Tetsuya."

"...Yeah, Lilia, you might be right. Visiting the royal capital and the towns along the way was a lot of fun, but on the way back, I just kept thinking about how I wanted to get back to Al-Flare."

This town has already become my home.

"Oh, that's cheap! This is the price it should be!"

"No, Tetsuya. I think the price is exactly the same as before."

"...Really? The cost of goods in the royal capital and the towns we passed through was so different from Al-Flare that I must have gotten used to those prices."

After safely arriving in Al-Flare and checking the shop, I found no signs of it being disturbed or broken into. So, I parted ways with Fia-chan, Dolph, and Angel there.

Dolph took Fia-chan home, carrying some royal capital souvenirs for her mother, Rea-san. The capital had all sorts of rare goods and ingredients, so I ended up buying way too much.

Since the sun was starting to set, I decided to report to the Al-Flare Adventurers' Guild in the morning. For now, I headed to the marketplace with Lange and Berna to buy ingredients. After being in places where prices were higher, everything in this town felt cheap.

Thanks to Ferry’s summoned beast, Sleip, our journey was much shorter than usual—what would normally take two to three times longer was cut down significantly. Because of that, I almost felt like prices had suddenly dropped.

"The guild master’s souvenir was a Red Basilisk."

"Red Basilisks inhabit the mountains a little outside the royal capital. They’re quite formidable, and since encounters with them are rare, they’re considered a high-class ingredient even in the capital."

"...A high-class ingredient from the already expensive royal capital? I don't even want to know the price."

The souvenir we received from the royal capital’s guild master, Ruhail, was an extremely high-class ingredient—the Red Basilisk. Its distinct red skin had already been removed, and it had been processed into boneless meat blocks for us.

I’ve never eaten snake meat before, even in my original world. From what I’ve read, it supposedly tastes like mild chicken breast, but this is a Basilisk… I can’t even begin to imagine what it’ll taste like.

For now, we still needed ingredients for the coming days, so I decided to pick up whatever seemed useful.

"Thanks for waiting! First, I made simple grilled Red Basilisk and a teriyaki-style version."

After finishing our shopping, we returned to the second floor of the shop. While we didn’t have a full bath, being able to wash off the sweat with a portable shower was refreshing. Everyone else also freshened up, and, of course, Lange didn’t try to peek. Despite his casual attitude, he was a gentleman.

After that, we cooked the Red Basilisk.

"Oh, it smells amazing. This is my first time eating Red Basilisk. I wonder what it tastes like."

It seemed that Lilia had never eaten Red Basilisk before either. That showed just how rare and luxurious an ingredient it was.

"Mmm, it's so tender, easy to bite through, yet has such a rich flavor! And the skin is crisp, with just the right amount of fat—it’s delicious!"

"Keeping the skin on makes it even better, right? I seasoned it with our usual outdoor spice blend. Since the meat itself has a strong flavor, even a little seasoning goes a long way."

I had grilled it as a test, and it turned out incredibly soft, without any tough tendons. Despite not being overly fatty, the meat was moist and packed with umami—definitely a high-quality ingredient.

And as expected, the outdoor spice mix went perfectly with it. I never imagined it would work so well with another world’s ingredients too.

"This one is amazing too! The sweet and salty flavors blend together into something I’ve never tasted before!"

"That’s called teriyaki. It’s a cooking method where you grill meat while basting it with a sweet and salty sauce. The sauce includes sugar, and as it cooks, it gives the meat a glossy appearance—hence the name 'teriyaki'."

For the teriyaki version, I used the soy sauce and sugar I got from the royal capital, along with some cooking wine to make the sauce. By coating the meat while grilling, it locks in the umami.

"Both are truly delicious! Tetsuya-san, you're such an amazing cook!"

"I’m glad you like it. I’ll season the rest of the meat tonight and smoke it tomorrow, so look forward to it."

Smoking it would make it last longer while also adding a rich aroma. I planned to give the smoked version to Rizac and the others. I was already excited to see how it would turn out.