LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 118
Chapter 118 Unicorn Tomato Stew – Mastery
I found out a bit late through a search on my smartwatch, but horses are fundamentally made of muscles and tendons rather than meat that humans can easily eat, making them very tough animals.
They weren’t originally bred for food anyway, and since they were animals strong enough to carry heavy loads or be ridden by humans, there were hardly any breeds of horses meant for consumption.
And in the case of unicorns, they were monsters dozens of times stronger than regular horses.
Moreover, since they were semi-spirit creatures with mana infused within their bodies, when I cooked them well-done, the meat became so tough that I could hardly sink my teeth into it.
On top of that, I accidentally broke my mom’s front tooth while trying to eat it, causing her trust in my cooking skills to plummet.
But still, the pride of the Saintess of the Dead is at stake.
I promised to be filial and serve something delicious, and now it’s turned into this mess. How could I just let it go?
Also, as a Korean, there must be a soup dish.
Just look at gukbap. With meat, broth, and hot rice, almost any dish can satisfy your belly and palate.
“Therefore, I will make gukbap.”
[Huh?]
[Gukbap?]
[Hey! Gukbap is no joke!]
Mom, chewing on raw meat, and Yane had opposite expressions.
As soon as Yane heard the word gukbap, she seemed excited, probably remembering the walker bone broth we made during the last mutated raid dungeon. But my mom tilted her head as if she’d heard something strange.
“By the way, girl, have you ever made gukbap before?”
“Yes!”
Neither Mom nor the viewers knew this, but I had already made gukbap once.
It was so delicious that even 19 A-rank hunters in the mutated raid dungeon were satisfied with it.
That gukbap was, in my opinion, even tastier than most seolleongtang. Unfortunately, there was no footage left, so I couldn’t show it to the viewers, but if I ever get the chance to visit a dungeon with a walker again, I’d love to broadcast the wonders of walker bone broth.
Of course, I couldn’t tell Mom about that…
“So, what kind of gukbap?”
She really had to ask.
Does she know that as the Saintess of the Dead, I can’t lie?
I was about to dodge the question, but Mom’s gaze was piercing.
“…Walker bone gukbap.”
“Walker? What’s that?”
“……”
Unable to explain what a walker was to Mom, I averted my gaze, but suddenly, Yane, who had been quiet, approached Mom.
Tap, tap.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Spit.”
“…Huh?”
Then, she spat something out.
“…What is… this…?”
[I dunno.]
[What’s that?]
[Is that a human bone?]
[Since when are human finger bones a meter long? LOL]
[Wait, someone just checked the wiki. It’s a humanoid monster registered a few months ago.]
Bones.
Walker bones.
Yane spat out the jawbone of a walker, a monster with unnaturally long limbs, out of her tiny mouth.
How had she been chewing on that all this time?
And weren’t you supposed to be a human now!?
Also, if you had that, couldn’t you have shared some with me…!
You heartless lucky centipede…!
“…Woooorker.”
“…This is a walker?”
“…Yup!”
Yane proudly nodded, as if asking to be praised, but I had to avoid Mom’s gaze.
“You crazy girl!”
Smack!
“Ouch!”
“You! What the hell!”
Whack!
“What do you think you’re eating!”
“Ow! Stop it!”
Smack!
“What are you always eating and wandering around for!”
Each time Mom’s accent rose, her hand slammed into my back harder, and it stung.
This was strange.
I was clearly stronger and more resilient.
Normally, I wouldn’t even feel pain, yet for some reason, Mom’s smacks went straight to my spine, ignoring all defenses, like some overpowered attack.
[Lolololol]
[Mom’s back smacks are no joke, LOL]
[Ouch, I felt that.]
After getting beaten for a while, I decided to make something other than gukbap.
“…This time, I’ll really trust you.”
It was only after Mom said she wouldn’t trust my cooking anymore if I messed up this time that I was freed from the back smacks.
By the way, the unicorn with blonde mane and tanned skin that Mom had chosen earlier was still quietly hanging around her and Yane.
[Neigh-neigh~]
No way, that unicorn’s face was annoying.
There was no way it could actually think that, but its expression somehow looked like it was asking, “Can you really pull this off?”
“Sigh, alright.”
Gukbap was out of the question.
After hearing the word “walker gukbap,” Mom had outright told me to make something else, so I had to come up with another dish I was confident in.
The safest option was frying, but since I had turned the unicorn meat into a rock when I cooked it well-done earlier, frying wasn’t exactly foolproof either.
That left dishes with broth.
If the meat hardened when cooked thoroughly, the solution could be a broth-based dish or a boiled recipe where the meat could absorb enough moisture.
Broth, broth… Gukbap is out.
‘Ah, stew…!’
Yes, stew.
I’d try making a horse meat stew.
Come to think of it, I had a tomato stew recipe saved on my smartwatch.
It used beef tenderloin, but unicorn meat should work just as well.
Probably…
“…First, I’ll sauté butter and garlic.”
Quickly and decisively.
I swiftly removed the garlic stems and threw a bunch into a large pot. I also added a big spoonful of butter.
[Oh, why does this actually look like real cooking?]
[Nah, watch her turn it into a rock again, LOL]
[Lol]
[Hmmm, noona… I think your cooking skills are improving…]
[Come to my house and cook for me…]
Sizzle!
Honestly, the smell was great.
If butter and garlic didn’t smell good, that wouldn’t make sense for any Korean. But considering the failure earlier, I had to be extra careful this time.
“…Hey, guys. Do you think Shia will succeed?”
“Kraaaak?” (Better than dirt, I guess?)
[Neigh-neigh!] (This one? Lol, you’re trusting the cooking of a failed girl? Come on, just ride on my back and pet me instead! Lolol)
Ugh, that was irritating.
“…Alright. The butter’s melted, and the garlic’s sautéed, so… now the meat.”
[Here comes the rock!]
[Well-done incoming.]
“Hey! Stop jinxing me!”
It couldn’t be well-done.
I had to sear it lightly, just on the outside.
Sizzle!
Earlier, I estimated that unicorn meat became well-done after about 3 minutes.
If I wanted it rare or medium-rare, the cooking time couldn’t exceed 1 minute.
So far, the unicorn meat was still soft when I poked it with tongs, so everything seemed fine.
“Now, for the vegetables… huh?”
[Where are the vegetables?]
[?]
At that moment, I realized.
Oh no, I hadn’t prepped the vegetables.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Goodness, what’s wrong?”
“Mom! The vegetables! The veggies!”
I quickly pulled out potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, cabbage, and mushrooms from the delivery drone and threw half of them to Mom.
Of course, I started chopping the other half myself.
“What… what do you want me to do?”
“Cube them quickly! It’s urgent!”
“Didn’t you say you’d handle it earlier?!”
“Hurry, hurry!”
“You crazy girl!”
Mom must have realized how urgent the situation was because she quickly started chopping the vegetables with a knife.
The problem was the large quantity.
But there was no other choice… I eat a lot!
I had to make at least 30 servings in a huge pot!
[Miracle – Descent of the Holy Body!]
[Lol, why is she pulling out tentacles when she’s not even fighting a monster?]
[Vegetables > Monsters]
[Lol, look at those tentacles moving around.]
Amidst the chaos, I summoned my tentacles to help chop, tear, and peel the vegetables.
If anything looked dirty, I used a purification miracle while battling the pile.
No way.
I had to get the vegetables chopped and into the pot before the unicorn meat turned into a rock!
“Huff, huff, huff…”
“I’m done. Is this good enough?”
“Yes!”
Now, time to add them!
I stirred the large chunks of vegetables, already sautéed garlic, and meat together with a ladle.
It was starting to look like a proper dish.
When I touched the meat with the ladle, it still felt tender, so it seemed I wasn’t too late.
“Fuuuu….”
[‘LeafFriedforSale’ has donated 5,000 won!]
ㄴUnnie, couldn’t you have just removed the pot from the heat and chopped the vegetables leisurely?
“Ah………..”
[Lololololol]
[‘Ah’ lololol]
[A….]
[Lololol]
[That donation was too wise, lol]
[The streamer’s sudden panic confused even us lololol]
[lololol]
Oh, this is so embarrassing…
Mom didn’t see that, right?
Okay. If she didn’t, then we’re good…
I pretended not to notice Olga’s donation and took out the canned tomatoes.
By the way, these canned tomatoes were a gift from the elves of the Great Forest.
It’s a bit strange for elves to have canned food, but anyway, canned tomatoes are perfect for making stew.
Since it’s for 30 servings, I opened about 20 cans of tomatoes and added an appropriate amount of water.
“Oh, it smells amazing!”
“Kkieh?”
[Heeiiiing…]
As the delicious smell started to rise, Mom’s face brightened considerably.
Even Yane started peeking over, curious about what was happening next to me.
“Alright, now we just wait for it to thicken.”
The unicorn meat wasn’t rare, but it was still medium-rare and had retained its softness while simmering in the stew, so it shouldn’t harden now.
Probably…
I gently stirred the stew with a ladle, waiting for it to thicken.
After stirring for about 20 minutes, I covered the large pot, and soon the sound of bubbling could be heard from inside.
“Phew, one worry down.”
[At least it looks good.]
[Wow, that looks delicious.]
[Out of all the dishes you’ve made, this one seems to be the best.]
[Nah, we don’t know about the taste yet lol.]
[You never know.]
[What if you bite into it and it’s a rock again? LOL]
[‘KawaiiHorned’ has issued a 500,000 won challenge!]
ㄴIf the stew succeeds, 500,000 won.
[‘Shishirobotang’ has issued a 100,000 won challenge!]
ㄴIf you finish that stew, 100,000 won.
Okay.
Now you’re putting up challenges?
Do you think I’ll get scared because of that?
I infused holy power into the fire heating the stew, increasing the heat even more.
[That fire is no joke.]
[Wow.]
[How many years have you been making stew?]
“Let’s see… 30 minutes of experience.”
[lololol]
Alright.
5 minutes… 10 minutes… 15 minutes…
“Shia, isn’t it time to eat that now?”
“No, it’s fine. It won’t burn, so I need to keep simmering it.”
“…Kkieh…”
[Purrrk!]
30 minutes… 1 hour.
[Hey, pay attention to us too.]
[Talk to us.]
[Communicate with us.]
“Shut up!”
I didn’t have the mental energy to focus on anything else; I only stared intently at the stew pot.
Alright.
1 hour and 30 minutes had passed.
Okay, let’s open it.
“…Wow.”
[Wow, holy crap.]
[Why does it look like you succeeded?]
[Why did it work? Give us a failure, return it!]
[It looks delicious…]
[Woahhh, woahhh.]
[This is killing me; I’m ordering chicken.]
[That looks way better than chicken.]
As soon as I opened the lid, the tomatoes, blessed by the Great Forest, had thickened into a rich stew.
The meat and vegetables were harmoniously blended into the stew, and just by appearance alone, it looked like something you’d see at a high-end restaurant, giving off a luxurious vibe and smell.
“Goodness? Did you really succeed this time? It looks delicious!”
“Kkieh! Damn!” (Give me some, damn it!)
[Puhihing!] (Oh c’mon, you wouldn’t leave me out, would you? Lolol)
I scooped the stew into bowls.
I served Mom’s bowl first, then Yane’s.
That beast can eat the leftovers.
“Please try it.”
“Okay, then… let’s see…”
Mom scooped a big spoonful of stew, adding some meat, and chewed.
Good.
The fact that there was no crunching sound meant that I was halfway to success.
“So… how is it?”
I bit my fingers nervously, waiting for Mom’s reaction as she chewed silently.
Chew, chew.
Gulp.
“Haaa…”
“Mom…?”
“Shia.”
“Yes?”
“…Quit being a hunter and open a restaurant with me.”
“!”
Kyaa! Success!
“This is like hotel-quality food! No, even better!”
“Hehehe… hehehe…!”
“Kkieh! Damn!” (Give me some, damn it!)
“Here, here. Hehehe, eat a lot.”
[Purrrk!]
Overwhelmed with joy and happiness, I shared the stew with Mom and Yane.
Why not?
I even threw a bowl to the unicorn beast.
It ate it happily.
Yane was so immersed in the taste that her face was smeared with stew as she buried her head into the bowl.
Mom and I were also too busy devouring the tomato stew to pay attention to anything else.
Above all, the meat was incredibly tender.
The unicorn meat, soaked in tomato and moisture, was not tough like the failed grilled attempt. Instead, it was soft and incredibly delicious.
The sweet, thick tomato broth, mixed with the vegetables’ flavors, complemented the meat perfectly.
Even the large-cut vegetables that Mom and I had chopped went so well with the meat.
This is what real meat should be like.
“Bite!”
“This is delicious…”
For the first time, I wasn’t worried about the stream. I felt pure bliss knowing that I had served my mom a properly cooked meal.
■■■■■■
After that, nothing special happened.
I just lived happily for a while.
It wasn’t that there were any major joyful events all of a sudden.
I just spent my days happily relaxing.
Happily eating.
Happily watching TV or using the computer.
Especially, it was incredibly comforting to snuggle and sleep together with Mom, now Yoon-jung, in the same bed.
When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I’d see was Mom’s face as she washed the dishes from the meal we had the night before.
“Oh, Shia. You’re up? While you’re here, set the chopsticks.”
“Okay… Yawn…”
“Goodness, look at your messy hair. This won’t do. I’ll take care of the chopsticks, so go wash up. Did you get a bomb perm or something?”
“Hehehe…”
Whenever my hair got messy, Menelapie used to come and fix it first before anyone else… Thanks to her, my personal maids in the imperial palace didn’t have much work to do.
She didn’t just fix my hair—Menelapie even helped bathe me… She was really good at scrubbing me down, especially since she was so strong.
“Kkie…eh…”
“Are you asleep?”
Poke, poke.
“Asleep?”
“…Kkie…eh…kurrr…” (Go…away…)
And if I went to the small room, I’d find Yane curled up like a cat, sleeping soundly in a pile of blankets.
If I teased her by gently tugging on her antennae, she’d hiss irritably like a cat whose nap had been disturbed.
Honestly, she wasn’t so much a centipede anymore as she was a grumpy cat.
By the time I finished washing up and came out, Mom would be done with the dishes and cooking doenjang stew, frying spam, and making scrambled eggs.
“Hey! Yane! Let’s eat together! Wake up!”
Only then would Yane stretch and join us at the table, along with me and Mom, to start eating breakfast.
Today’s side dishes were a big pot of doenjang stew, spam, scrambled eggs with ketchup, spring onion kimchi, and bracken in gochujang sauce.
“One more bowl, please!”
“Hey. We’re out of rice.”
Wait, but I’ve only eaten seven bowls today…
“Hmph…”
“We’re going through a sack of rice every three days. We might have to consider going down to the countryside and stocking up in bulk.”
“Kkieek!” (Delicious!)
Well, Yane and I were both bottomless eaters, so 20 bowls of rice disappeared by breakfast.
Just looking at today’s side dishes—10 cans of spam, 20 eggs—we always ate in large quantities.
Happiness. Happiness. Happiness.
Good.
This is what I wanted.
‘…Menelapie… Teresa… I miss you.’
Of course, there were still many people I missed.
There were still many people I wanted to see.
I missed Yeonhwa, even though it had only been a week since I last saw her.
As for Unnie Yeonseo, she seemed extremely busy, going back and forth between the government and China, so we hadn’t had proper contact.
I’d heard that, because of me, she’d been involved in some pretty high-level political issues, and though I didn’t know when it would happen, if she ever needed my help, I was ready to assist Unnie Yeonseo at any time.
“Sigh, it’s noisy until dawn. How are those kids not tired?”
“Seriously.”
“Is it because of the S-rank promotion match?”
“I heard there’s a fireworks display tonight hosted by City Hall.”
“Goodness… I guess we won’t be sleeping.”
“Wanna watch Jflix together? I heard Resident Evil 16 just got made into a movie.”
“Huh, they’re still making those?”
Because of the S-rank promotion match, the entire country was half in a festival mood, but it didn’t really concern me.
While I liked meeting people, unfortunately, I’d gained a bit of fame from my broadcasts. In this situation, where I
hadn’t formally quit the S-rank promotion match and hadn’t given a proper reason for stepping down, there were still plenty of toxic netizens, even though I had mostly brushed it off.
It’s not like I’m avoiding those nasty netrunners because I’m scared of them. It’s because they’re disgusting.
No matter how much those kids yap, to be honest, I’m not really afraid.
Try living in the imperial palace for over 60 years.
The way these toxic netrunners spread weird rumors to slander me is actually kind of cute.
While I was spending my time leisurely and comfortably…
Knock, knock, knock
A guest arrived.
Even though there was a hologram doorbell, this guest chose to knock on the door.
Maybe I was the only one who could even hear the sound.
“Yes, who is it?”
How strange.
Thump, thump.
Why is my heart pounding so much today?
It felt as if I were meeting a lover I had been separated from.
[Greetings, Hunter Shia.]
“Huh?”
It was a knight in full plate armor.
The knight looked like someone who had dropped straight out of a fantasy movie into the modern world.
But I knew who this knight was.
“You’re the Skeleton Knight, right?”
[Yes, that’s correct.]
The Skeleton Knight, known for having quite an unusual body even among returnees.
At first, he was mistaken for a monster and attacked, but after fighting against the Great Rift to protect humanity, he was recognized and acknowledged.
Today, he’s an A-rank hunter with a cult following even in the Genre Hunter Gallery.
Thump!
Thump!
Ugh. Why is my heart pounding like this?
“Come to think of it, I never got to thank you. You helped me out in the Great Forest of the Elves, didn’t you?”
[You knew?]
At the time when Entamia revealed her true nature in the Great Forest, countless Chaos Ants invaded the forest.
It should’ve been a chaotic situation, but it was prevented by the Skeleton Knight, who was working under Yujin.
“I’ve lived long enough to hear things from around me. And I think I sensed your presence back then too, Skeleton Knight.”
[I’m sorry for disappearing without a word. I had a lot of personal matters to attend to.]
“Come on in.”
[Excuse me.]
The knight was quite polite.
I’m sure he was popular even before he returned.
“Mom, I’m going to talk to this person for a bit, okay?”
“Want me to bring something to drink?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”
Even though he was wearing full plate armor, the Skeleton Knight entered the house so quietly.
Now that I noticed, even taking off his shoes showed that he had fully adapted to Korean customs.
[I’m sorry for showing up so suddenly. Feel free to speak comfortably. I think you’re older than me.]
“Is that okay?”
[You talk casually with Yujin, don’t you?]
“Well, I don’t mind. So, what brings you here?”
[…..]
“Relax. Even though I’m the Saintess of the Dead, I don’t mind talking to people. I like listening to worries too. Plus, you helped me out once, didn’t you, Skeleton Knight?”
Having received help once, repaying that favor is what a saintess should naturally do, right?
If the Skeleton Knight came to see me, it must be for a reason, and he might need my help.
I had a slight guess as to what it could be.
[It’s related to the fragments.]
“….”
Fragments.
Demon King Fragments.
Right, Yujin also knew about the fragments.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Skeleton Knight, working under Yujin, knew about them too.
[Considering you clashed with the Mountain Guild before, I thought you might already know. The fragments have already significantly infiltrated this world called Earth.]
“How did you know about my conflict with the Mountain Guild?”
[My superior, Yujin… Well, more like a business partner with aligned interests than a boss, but Yujin and I were originally in opposition to the Mountain Guild. Recently, they caused trouble in Korea, invading Yujin’s territory, so naturally, I heard a bit about your situation as well.]
I didn’t know that Yujin and the Mountain Guild were enemies.
[According to Yujin, the Demon King’s fragments have spread quite extensively across Earth.]
“However, the fact that they haven’t fully manifested yet is…”
[It’s probably because they lack the strength. Earth is filled with numerous Awakened and powerful individuals due to the Gates. It’s likely that the fragments haven’t matured enough to face them yet.]
“You know quite a lot, huh? Sounds plausible.”
The Demon King isn’t a fool.
He lurks in the shadows, infiltrates the powerful, causes divisions among humans, and weakens them repeatedly.
When he deems himself the strongest, he gathers all the fragments and manifests his true form in the world.
[And what I’ve learned over the years is that the fragments, like us returnees, infiltrate from other worlds.]
“That makes sense. The fact that Gates suddenly opened on the pristine Earth might be because of the fragments.”
The Demon King’s fragments are fundamentally a massive conglomerate of unimaginable malevolence and an endless source of energy.
At first, humans who came into contact with the fragments tried to use them like a giant power source or a power plant, but they became ensnared by the fragments, gradually paving the way for its invasion.
It was said that in the previous world, discovering and studying the fragments marked the beginning of the end.
[Moreover, lately, the movements of the fragments have been strange. Normally, they’d be active in various parts of the world, but recently, it’s as if they’ve become frightened and fallen silent.]
“They got scared?”
Wow, the Demon King’s a coward.
[This is just speculation, but I think a new fragment might invade Earth soon. Whether it transfers into a dungeon or creates a new dungeon itself, such incidents might happen more frequently in the future.]
“How do you know that?”
[Even though I look like this, being dead makes me more sensitive to such things.]
Well, that makes sense.
The Skeleton Knight was someone who experienced death and was reanimated through dark magic or magic from another world.
Given that, it’s not surprising that he can be sensitive to the movement of fragments.
It’s the same for me.
Thanks to having the body of the Saintess of the Dead, I can sense the presence of fragments more keenly than others.
“Alright, then let me know if a fragment invades.”
[Thank you.]
“Well, I don’t want to see that Demon King bastard causing trouble again. It’s hard to find the fragments that are already hiding on Earth, so it’s best to destroy the ones that try to invade from now on.”
[Then, I’ll contact you if I can pinpoint their location…]
“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”
[Sorry?]
“I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet. Your name isn’t actually ‘Skeleton Knight,’ right?”
[Well, that’s true, but…]
The Skeleton Knight shrugged and lifted the bottom of his helmet to take a sip of the tea on the table.
I’d heard the viewers chatting about this before, but apparently, even a Skeleton Knight doesn’t have issues with eating.
[My name is Tia.]
“Ah, I see. Tia… Wait, what?”
Tia…?
Where have I heard that name before?
‘Tia Lauria.’
“Tia… you said?”
[Yes, that’s right. Tia. My full name is Tia Lauria.]
‘Tia Lauria, captain of the 3rd Imperial Knights. A 31-year-old woman…’
“Shia? Is something wrong?”
‘She died trying to stop the berserk Saintess of the Dead from consuming her subordinates… She was someone who marched with me toward the Demon King’s castle. Tia… I knew her ever since she first joined the Imperial Knights.’
I couldn’t hear any sound.
At some point, my ears stopped picking up any noise.
I was just watching.
Staring at the knight in full plate armor in front of me.
The armor didn’t seem unfamiliar, nor did the helmet.
Now, I finally realized.
‘When Tia joined the knights… I was in the middle of fighting the Demon King’s army with Menelapie… That young girl became the captain of the 3rd unit, and I was so proud, like a mother watching her daughter graduate from elementary school… And then I ate her.’
“Shia? Shia?”
“Ugh, ha, ha… Take off… the helmet.”
[Sorry?]
“Take off the helmet, right now… quickly…”
[Understood. It’s not difficult, so…]
Click.
The sound of metal clicking together, and the face of the Skeleton Knight was revealed.
Pale skin, just as the name suggested.
Where one of his eyes should be, a cold blue light flickered from within a skull, but the rest of the face looked surprisingly human, with that pale complexion.
And I knew that face.
The blonde hair had turned ashen, the once bright skin had become pallid… but I still recognized that face.
Ah, ah.
It was you…?
‘Saintess, I passed! I finally became the captain of the 3rd unit!’
‘It’s all thanks to you, Saintess. I’m truly grateful for healing me every time I got hurt.’
‘The Emperor is fine, but he always finds something weird to nitpick. What? No, I only complain in front of you, Saintess!’
‘Saintess! Saintess!’
‘Let’s overcome this together, Saintess.’
‘Saintess, stay with me.’
‘It’s… okay.’
‘I don’t resent you…’
‘I forgive you.’
[……Saintess?]
“Ah…………………………”
What is it that’s pouring from my eyes?
Is it blood or tears?
It doesn’t matter.
My eyes, which were looking at Tia, were filled with an unrecognizable, burning liquid that wouldn’t stop flowing.
Tia, Tia. Lauria.
The girl I had devoured…
Was standing before me as the Skeleton Knight.