Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

20 – There’s No Place to Throw Away a Cow.

“Wild Touro?”

“Yes! It’s a complete mess right now! Of course, this happens when the Earl and the Commander are away…”

In this world, there were various types of cows.

The Black Cow, a domesticated descendant of a powerful ancient cow, helped with farming and livestock.

The Milk Cow, which contained an enormous amount of milk, took care of the main milk production in the empire’s dairy industry.

And the Meat Cow, raised solely for food in the large cities, including the imperial capital.

All of them referred to the domesticated cows that could not be separated from humanity.

However, there was a cow that the people of this world could never domesticate.

That was the Touro.

The Touro was not just a big cow.

It had a fierce temperament and loved freedom, so it could never be confined in one place.

Practically classified as a monster, they were famous for being impossible to tame.

Their numbers were not large in addition to not forming herds, so even if they succeeded in domestication, mass production was impossible.

“But isn’t it not their mating season?”

“That’s what we’re wondering, too. It’s not the time to deal with them, so we don’t have any prepared traps… The only one in the Earl’s domain who could possibly deal with them is Commander Lancelot, but he went to a nearby city to protect the Earl… We sent a signal to Commander Lancelot, but it will be too late by the time he arrives.”

I could understand why Liana had rushed to me so urgently.

The Touro was a monster that could not be easily defeated by even the most skilled knight without the proper trap tools.

The four knights, including Haimer, were merely inexperienced apprentice knights.

They had never faced a Touro in battle.

Nevertheless, I went out because it was a knight’s duty.

Liana looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Hmm.”

Even though Taurus was a fierce animal, it rarely caused any harm under normal circumstances.

Due to their aversion to humans, they spent most of their lives living in deep forests or roaming vast plains, keeping their distance from human society.

Well, except for one thing: the mating season.

During the mating season, both females and males would wander in search of a mate, which was a headache for farmers.

A Taurus in heat could wreak as much havoc as an entire orc tribe, as the saying goes.

And now, a Taurus has appeared in the agricultural fields?

It meant that not only the fields but also the nearby village would be devastated.

In the viscountcy of Britten, where agriculture and livestock made up the majority of the income, damage to the fields and farmers was not a simple matter.

‘This issue is also connected to the sales of our store.’

Moreover, if the knights and soldiers who were regulars at the store got injured, it was obvious that the sales would drop the very next day.

How could the injured ones eat pork cutlets?

They’d have to eat bland hospital food instead.

For a brief moment, Liana’s thoughts shifted, and she earnestly pleaded with me.

“Please, I heard you were a former royal knight. Please help us. We’ll make sure to compensate you well.”

Not all royal knights were strong.

Of course, I had never fought against a Taurus before.

I had volunteered to be a cook in order to avoid killing people or causing injury to others, but that didn’t mean I had completely disconnected from the battlefield.

-Even a cook should be ready to join the battle at any time!

So said Captain Luke, but my personal curiosity was piqued.

After all, it’s just a bull. A bull.

One of the best ingredients among terrestrial animals.

I couldn’t just let this go.

“You said you’d give enough compensation, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then, I’ll take all the meat obtained from catching the wild bulls.”

“Of course! You can have it all! I’ll be responsible.”

Liana answered without hesitation.

As expected, it was certain.

Since there was no small master in the family, it meant that she, the practical worker, was in charge.

“Understood.”

It was deflating to have work on a long-awaited holiday, but if it was to obtain high-quality ingredients, it would be different.

“Let’s set off immediately.”

I prepared my sword.

Including the Lake Sword I received from Lancelot.

***

The bull was a popular ingredient, despite its bad reputation.

Not all parts were popular, but the bones, sirloin, ribeye, and tenderloin of the bull were the most sought-after.

The deep, distinct taste compared to other beef made it a dish often sought by nobles.

However, other parts were not as highly favored.

The reasons were simple.

-The meat of the bull is tough.

-The meat of the bull is a destructive ingredient that is difficult to handle unless you’re a high-level chef. Even tenderloin becomes tough if cooked incorrectly.

-Isn’t bull meat particularly notorious for its strong smell?

-Even with proper cooking, it’s hard to get rid of its unique smell.

It’s known to be tougher than other cows’ meat.

And the strong smell.

So, in general, most of the bullfighter’s meat, excluding the four parts mentioned above, was discarded.

All that could be done was to boil the less smelly pieces for a long time, extracting their unique rich flavor to make a broth.

But what if one knew how to debone and disassemble the meat in a way that preserves its tenderness?

What if one knew how to process it without leaving a bad smell?

Then it becomes the ultimate ingredient with an exquisite taste.

‘Just imagining it makes my mouth water.’

I swallowed my saliva as I rode the horse Liana had lent me, galloping through the countryside.

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“We’re almost there!”

Soon, a distant cheer could be heard.

Wow!

Stop it!

“If it’s that direction, it must be Conwell Village. We must have come all the way down to the village.”

There was no time to have second thoughts.

“Then I’ll go ahead and check it out.”

“Excuse me? Boss!”

I tightened my grip on the horse’s reins and increased our speed.

If we could hear the noise from that far, it meant that the confrontation with the bullfighter had already begun.

‘It would be troublesome if they got hurt.’

Our store would lose customers.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the village, I saw a bull, at least twice the size of an ordinary one, snorting and confronting the soldiers.

Under Haimer’s command, they were holding long spears and maintaining their distance, trying to prevent the bull from entering the village.

‘They’re holding up better than I thought.’

Lancelot had taught him well.

He was employing the basic tactics required when facing a bullfight properly.

He took advantage of their fear of sharp objects, using a long spear to keep distance until the beast calmed down, luring it into a trap.

The problem was that there was no trap to catch the monster.

‘It’s not about catching the trap. It’s a tactic to hold out until Lancelot comes.’

It was an effective tactic, but the problem was that it would be a while before he could arrive.

I took a deep breath.

“Awwoooooo!!!!”

As I let out a howl like a wolf, the gaze of everyone, including the bullfighter, turned towards me.

“Knight Lucas?”

“Run away! It’s dangerous!”

The second method to hunt the bullfighter.

Lure them by imitating the sound of a werewolf, their natural enemy.

I learned this hunting technique from Captain Luke.

-Werewolves seek to kill bullfighters during their mating season. They kidnap and eat their young to protect themselves from this predator.

It was said to be the best method for luring mating bullfighters.

The bullfighter’s gaze was now focused on me.

Perhaps it thought that I would be an easier target than the tightly-knit spears?

*Swoosh*

I drew the longsword I had been using since my novice knight days.

“Hoo.”

I gripped the sword as I stared at the approaching bullfighter until the very end.

Focus.

Failure would lead to serious injury.

Mana gathered in the sword.

Cooking Sword Technique, Recipe 2.

Chapter 1 of the Meat Dish.

When slaughtering a cow, always finish with the head.

The body of the bull closed in, and I accurately thrust my sword into its head.

The mana-infused sword pierced straight into the bull’s head.

-Moo!

The bull, trying to head-butt me, couldn’t overcome the force and rolled over to the front.

Koong!

As the bull fell, everyone’s gaze focused on the scene.

At times like this, it’s fitting to say this line.

“Hm, hm, enemy general! Repelled!”

I always wanted to try this once.

In the brief silence that followed,

Waaaa!

A cheer erupted.

That’s right.

This is the taste.

“Haa, haa. Boss! If you leave like that alone… Huh?”

Arriving late, Liana had a dumbfounded look on her face as she alternately looked at the fallen bull and me.

“H-how did you?”

“Liana, do you know? There’s no place to waste a cow. Even if it’s a monster grown in the wild.”

She blinked her eyes in surprise.

“…Yes?”

Why are people so slow to catch on?

***

In order to tenderize the matador’s flesh, two conditions were necessary.

First, the matador had to die before feeling any pain.

When a matador suffered pain and fought for a long time, they inflated their muscle tissue to increase their size.

The heat generated in the process rapidly melts the fat and makes the muscles even harder.

It was precisely for this reason that the matador possessed such an unfathomable strength.

During this process, the muscle tissue swells and tears, resulting in flesh that is harder than necessary.

With the disappearance of the fat, the rich taste of oil is lost, and the meat becomes tough due to the hardened muscles.

Furthermore, during this process, blood flows into the torn muscles, causing the unique, bitter taste associated with matador meat to intensify.

Most of the foul smell coming from matador meat originates here.

“I have done the most difficult part.”

Once this process was successfully completed, it was only left to fulfill the second condition.

That is, to swiftly disassemble the matador using a sword imbued with mana during the slaughtering and deboning process.

I can confidently say that only one person in this world could accomplish this.

“I will begin the deboning.”

After making sure that enough blood had drained from the matador, I drew the sword I received as a gift from Lancelot.

A large, sharp sword was needed for such a large animal.

Luckily, such a sword was available.

The Sword of the Lake, given by our Knight Commander Lancelot.

It was apparent that the sword was more than capable enough to cut straight through the bone.

“Is that sword from Commander Lancelot?”

“Why is that sword with Lucas?”

Applying the second technique of deboning swordsmanship.

Chapter 2 of the Carnivore’s Guide.

Disassemble the meat quickly and concisely during slaughter.

The Sword of the Lake pierced through the dead matador’s flesh and bone.

Whoosh!

The mana-infused lake sword sliced through the meat as easily as tofu.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

I couldn’t help but admire it.

At this rate, it would be well worth the price of pork belly, right?

Swish, swish.

Quickly, I removed the unnecessary fat using the lake sword and cut the meat into parts, sorting them by type.

The reason for cutting the bull using a mana-infused sword was simple.

It was for the same reason as when preparing pog meat.

When infused with mana, the meat’s texture seemed to come to life.

The same was true for the bull’s flesh.

Before the bull’s meat could turn tough, the mana would slip in between and loosen the muscle tissue, making it clear.

If there was a difference between cutting the pog meat and this one…

“Huff, huff.”

It was due to the enormous size that I had to exert myself completely.

If it weren’t for the lake sword, by now, I would have been broken and battered.

As everyone watched, I presented them with a demonstration of dissecting the bull using all of my skill.

Was this not also a part of promoting the store?

‘Come to think of it, the knights and soldiers are already regular customers.’

Ah, a pity.

Head meat, neck meat, front leg, strip loin, ribeye, tenderloin, ribs, front leg, sirloin, flank, short plate, tail, and so on.

As the dissection show was nearing its end.

“Is everyone alright?”

Viscount Britten and Lancelot hastily approached on horseback.

Having made a detour in a hurry, the horses were foaming at the mouth.

Is it horse foam because the horse is biting?

“I’ve finished everything.”

I spoke, tapping the ‘thing that used to be a bull’ with only a skeleton left with the Lake Sword.

“Do you really use that sword…?”

“Wasn’t it a good sword? There seems to be nothing better to debone with.”

Lancelot blankly stared at the Lake Sword and the skeleton remains of the bull, seemingly shocked.

“Oh dear.”

Wobble.

He staggered greatly.

It’s the revenge of the pork belly.

Can this be called revenge?

Anyway, the sword is just doing its job well.

Slice and dice.

Ah, it cuts so well.