Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 50 “Idle Talk / The Lord of Trieste’s Banquet”

On a Sunday evening,

In the city of Trieste, there resides a lord.

Count Zeckenbauer of the Kingdom of Merlia.

The capital of Count Zeckenbauer’s territory is Trieste City.

However, Lanierda lies outside the city walls of Trieste.

The once bustling city of Trieste was transformed into a fortified citadel, with the establishment of city governance within its walls.

Henceforth, it became known as ” Trieste City.”

This transformation took place over 50 years ago, during the time of the count’s predecessors.

However, the space within the city walls is far from expansive.

Most vegetables are imported from the surrounding rural areas.

And there is always a shortage of meat.

Lord Thomas Zeckenbauer gazes as today’s dinner is being brought in.

Already, on the dining hall altar, there is holy water, white bread, and dried meat set in place.

“To Raffalier-sama, we offer our daily gratitude.”

“Every day, you watch over us. Thank you very much. Mereshir La Brael.”

Following the lord’s deep voice, his wife and children also recite the sacred words.

His wife, Cathy, their eldest daughter, Marieelle, who is ten years old, and their second daughter, Eleanor, who is about to turn six.

“My Lord, please use this Noichigo jam for today’s bread.”

“Noichigo(Srawberry), huh? I’ve never seen it turned into jam before.”

“Yes. One of the knights found it in the town below and brought it back as a souvenir.”

“Oh?”

“It seems there was a limited quantity available at a shop called Dridon General Store outside the eastern gate.”

While strawberries do grow within the city, they are not abundant enough to be made into jam. That’s why apple jam and grape jam are more commonly seen, but Noichigo jam is unheard of.

For the people in the city, the area outside the city gate is perceived as a dangerous zone where monsters roam, despite the fact that slums and riverside areas are located there.

Deep down, they often wonder why the slum dwellers choose to live in such a place.

“Hmm, let’s see.”

The lord generously spread the jam on his bread.

The translucent, bright red Noichigo jam looked delicious at first glance.

Seeing this, his wife and children followed suit and spread plenty of jam on their own bread.

“I used to pick and eat Noichigo a lot when I was a child. Yes, it has a wonderful aroma.”

“Hehe, it brings back memories of our childhood, Thomas.”

“Yes.”

The lord’s words were met with a response from his wife.

The lord’s estate had a spacious garden, where Noichigo plants grew intentionally in a designated area. These were mainly left for the children to enjoy as snacks.

The two of them had picked and eaten Noichigo together when they were young. Now, it must be a sweet and sour memory, just like strawberries.

They had never thought of gathering them all at once and turning them into jam, and they didn’t yield a large quantity at once either. Even when eating them, they could only have them one berry at a time, so the amount was small.

They began eating their bread.

“Mmm, it’s delicious. The balance between sweetness and acidity is superb.”

“So tasty! Father, this is incredibly delicious. The taste of strawberries spreads throughout my mouth, it’s like paradise.”

“Oh, Eleanor, really? Mmm, it’s truly amazing, delicious.”

Both Eleanor and Marieelle were amazed by the taste of the strawberries. It was much richer and more flavorful than when they had eaten a single berry.

“I have eaten apple jam before, but it was overwhelmed by an excessive amount of sugar, turning it into a sugary mess. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it felt like eating a lump of sugar, excessively sweet with no flavor.

In contrast, the aroma of this strawberry jam is irresistible, as if being enveloped by strawberries. The sweetness is also subtle, and as the lord mentioned, the perfect harmony of acidity and sweetness is beyond anything I’ve tasted before.”

Then, they proceeded to eat salads and moved on to the main dish.

“Lord, today we have a fillet steak from a large wild boar.”

“Oh, I’ve grown tired of chicken. That’s good news then.”

To others, growing tired of chicken might sound luxurious. While pork is occasionally consumed, there are few pigs within the city, and their owners are reluctant to slaughter them, making it a rare delicacy. The same applies even to the lord. If rumors spread that the lord is monopolizing the scarce pork, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone were to stab him in the back. The grudges over food can be frightening.

As a substitute, dried meat of unknown origin, often imported, dominates the scene. Although much of it is said to be mutton, there is also a considerable amount of monster meat in circulation. It is said that some even contain monster meat that requires courage to consume.

It is a matter of reputation and the pride of the head chef that the lord’s meals cannot consist solely of dried meat.

Eight years ago, Eldania was devastated by a monster stampede and went into chaos. Many of Eldania’s residents became refugees and flowed into neighboring cities.

A significant number of refugees also gathered in Trieste City, which is located to the south and is a neighboring city. Emergency measures such as providing food were carried out under Thomas’s instructions. However, fearing a deterioration in security, access to the town, specifically the castle, was restricted for those suspected to be refugees.

Naturally, the refugees left stranded in front of the city gates were forced to build makeshift houses outside the gates and live there.

Food distribution continued for a long time but gradually became limited to just Ilk beans. However, the shortage of food became severe and affected the city as well.

In particular, meat was heavily restricted.

To address this issue, Thomas took the lead as the lord and constructed chicken coops to enhance egg and poultry production. They wanted to raise hens for egg production, but distinguishing between male and female chicks proved challenging. As a result, they ended up raising chicks with mixed genders, and the surplus male chickens were used for meat.

As a result, all the chicken meat produced was limited to a few shops, such as the Adventurers Guild, and not widely available outside the lord’s manor.

While it was considered a luxury, the lord grew tired of eating chicken meat every day.

In the tavern of the Adventurers Guild, the cheapest option on the menu, the fried chicken set, was priced at 500 Darils. This was made possible thanks to the lord’s support. Initially, it was a first-come, first-served basis, but an unwritten rule emerged over time, prioritizing young rookie adventurers. As a result, veterans rarely placed orders for it. Instead, they opted for slightly more expensive rabbit fried chicken sets. Despite the higher price, many adventurers preferred chicken over rabbit meat.

“The sirloin steak is exquisite.”

“Yes, it is. This was brought by adventurers who hunted down a wild boar in the nearby forest. I’ve heard it was quite a formidable beast. They must be skilled adventurers.”

The lord nodded in satisfaction at the butler’s response.

“I see. I should have them go boar hunting regularly.”

“The meat is tender and delicious, big sister.”

“Yes, indeed. It’s great to have meat other than chicken available for us to enjoy.”

The sisters also savored the highest-quality meat with utmost satisfaction.

The wild boar meat brought by Ed and others ended up on the lord’s dining table, delighting the entire lord’s family and satisfying their appetites.