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Once Horial’s class was over, the next class was the Cooking Class.
However, for some reason, the class was held outside, not in the cooking room or the cafeteria. The students were gathered in their uniforms on the grass field.
The ground was covered with the blue sheet that I had seen at the Adventurer’s Guild before, and on top of it were the corpses of about ten magic beasts.
It looked like a one-meter-long raccoon. Its fur was dry and shaggy, and it was not very clean.
And it smelled bad. It was faint, but it smelled like rotten eggs.
This magic beast was called the Skunk Raccoon. Its meat smelled so bad that even if you cooked it properly, it wouldn’t be very edible. In fact, an ordinary adventurer would probably only collect its magic stones and poison glands and discard the rest.
The fur and other materials are of low quality and are not worth selling too.
But, could it be, they were expected to cook this thing?
A large woman was standing in front of the blue sheet. Her name was Yafi, and she was also a former adventurer.
「Today’s Cooking Class is designed to teach you how to process and cook the magic beasts you’ve killed in the field!」
It seemed that they didn’t just have to cook it, but they also had to dismantle it themselves as well.
「You have to dismantle and cook this Skunk Raccoon, remember what I’ve taught you so far! You can make anything you want with it!」
As I’ve expected, this Skunk Raccoon was prepared for them to cook. She’d prepared them a quite nasty prey, hadn’t she?
「Split up into groups and each group must take care of one of them! And make sure you make enough portions for all of us!」
It seemed that this class was meant to prepare for the times when they lose their food, as they were forced to cook and eat nasty prey.
When Urushi realized that, he quietly disappeared into Fran’s shadow.
「Umm, you must be Fran, right? I wonder what task to give to you… Have you ever dismantled a magic beast or cooked one?」
「I’ve experienced both of it」
「Huh? Really?」
「Nn」
「As expected of a solo high-ranked adventurer. If that’s the case, where should I place you then?」
「How about she join our group?」
It was Charon who raised her voice. Although her group’s members didn’t reject her idea, their faces looked a little uncertain.
「But, I wonder if Fran would like to join her group」
「Okay」
「Aaah, and also, you don’t have to hold back, okay? You can use whatever spices you have on hand」
「Is that so?」
「It’s pretty common for adventurers to have unexpected companions to join their party. But can you really ask them to hold back just because your share would be reduced?」
「I see」
「In fact, if you can’t draw out the abilities of those irregular companions and cooperate with them, you shouldn’t consider yourself as a pro」
That was probably true. I’m sure there are times when multiple parties will take on a joint request, and there are also times when a solo adventurer who knows a particular region will be temporarily added to the party.
「Well, I’d also like to have at least some good food too」
So that was her real intention!
Nevertheless, I’m not going to do anything to help Fran this time. Aside from dismantling, if I interfere with the cooking process, the food will usually taste better. But I want Fran to have to gain her own experience too.
「I look forward to working with you. Fran」
「Nn. Me too」
「Also, I’d like to introduce you to my group members」
「I-I’m Rellus. It’s nice to meet you」
「I’m Marquez」
「I’m Osless. Nice to meet you」
The frail-looking guy was Rellus. He seemed to be a magician from the Demon Kin. He was quite an unusual student of the Special Battle Class, as he was a pure magician type.
The serious-looking macho guy was Marquez. He was the opposite of Rellus and was probably a shield user.
The last man was a frivolous-looking gentleman. He’s Osless. And he looked to be in his early twenties.
Well, since the Academy of Magic does not limit admission by age, so some of them are older than others.
It seemed that these three people, including Charon, were a group in the Cooking Class. At first, I thought they were friends who had formed a party at the Adventurer’s Guild, but it seemed that was not the case.
「We don’t have a fixed party when we take quests at the Adventurer’s Guild」
「It’s also unlikely that we’ll be able to make a party with our classmates after graduation」
If they were to form a party with only their classmates, they would not be able to respond flexibly in times of need. In order to prevent this, the students of the Special Battle Class are required to change their combinations in turns when they take quests outside.
「I know in yesterday’s class that Fran has dismantling skills, but what about cooking?」
「Nn… It’s so-so? I’m not as good as Master」
「Hmm? Fran’s master? What kind of person is he?」
「Master is the best, he can do anything」
「Th-that is… Well, he’s Fran’s master, so I’m sure it’s true」
Fran’s master must be even more screwed up. That must be what she thought of me.
「So, what do you want us to do? We don’t mind you giving us instructions」
「Okay」
How could you ask Fran, who still hadn’t mastered her Cooking Skills to give you instructions…? Charon, you’re quite a gambler, aren’t you? No, did she decide to just follow a high-ranked adventurer, which was, in a sense, a natural thing to do for an adventurer?
Her group members don’t seem to have any objections as well. Rather, they were nodding happily. The one who was clearly happy with it was Osless
「Uwaah, we’re saved. All the guys in this group are really bad at cooking」
「Is that so?」
「Well, yeah. It’s because everyone except me is totally useless~. Well, all three of them are nobles, so it’s no wonder」
It seems that the three of them were children of small noble families, but still, they had a maid or two in their houses. But after entering this academy, they’ve worked a little harder, but they were not good at it.
Osless, on the other hand, was the son of a Chief Soldier and came from a commoner family. Therefore, he had been helping his mother in the kitchen since he was a child, and he seemed to have no qualms about cooking.
「I’m not really skilled at it, but I’m better than these guys. And I also have some useful skills as well」
And so, they choose Fran to be their leader, with Osless as her assistant, and the other three ready to take instruction.
「Are there any spices in this group’s inventory?」
「Yes. Each group has its inventory」
「Then bring them all. And bring some cooking utensils too」
「Understood」
「What should we do?」
「First, secure the prey, get the best one」
「Even if you tell us to get the best one, they’re the same magic beast, you know? And their size is about the same too. Will that really make any differences?」
「It probably took days to prepare it. So, obviously, there’s a difference in its freshness」
「How can we tell the difference?」
「The smell, the hair, the cloudiness of the eyes. And the color of its tongue」
「I see」
Now, I wonder what kind of food she’ll make.