Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 163 'The Chef's Work' - S01E06

So, what is it that needs to be discussed?

You gaze at the luscious red apple in your hand, but remain silent.

It's clear that Alastor's ambiguous attitude and his habit of not making things clear for the sake of interests have influenced you to some extent.

Aside from his sharp and hilariously bad jokes and his horrific yet unique attitude towards life, you seem to have long since come to regard him as a rather experienced "elder."

So, what interesting things have happened in your life that are worth telling the broadcasting devil?

Looking at Alastor in front of you, whose expression held a certain mocking "expectation," you couldn't help but think this to yourself.

You should know that since you turned into a black dragon due to an accident, you haven't found anything that can make you happy for a long time.

……

...However, from the day your misfortune began, every action you took and every mess you created must have been the broadcasting devil's favorite source of amusement, right?

“I find it difficult to bring up interesting things that are more likely to harm someone than to watch a movie or look at restaurant review cards with you, sir.”

Annoyed by Alastor's tendency to stir up trouble, you lowered your eyelashes in annoyance, rubbing the bright red surface of the apple in your hand with your calloused fingertips.

The broadcast demon didn't reply to you immediately; he seemed unhurried.

It's like a torture test deliberately set up to make people anxious.

In the silence, your skin feels the damp metal in the sink; the cool water seeps into your fingerprints, leaving no gaps.

The red light reflecting through the kitchen window bathed everything in its glow.

Outside the kitchen, the little devils were laughing and joking noisily.

The radio demon seemed to possess a conscious shadow, stretched long in the bright kitchen.

Unlike its owner's elegance and composure, the shadow now resembled a materialized ferocious beast, its eyebrows arched and its sharp teeth bared in a wicked grin.

...There probably isn't anyone in this world who would want to be alone with the broadcasting demon in such a cramped and narrow environment, right?

And it's quite obvious that even for you, being in his silent presence like this isn't very comfortable.

"..."

"I believe that for the devil, conversation can never compare to the screams of others and the pleasure of having blood on his hands."

After a few seconds of silence, the aloof dragon girl suddenly turned on the tap.

Accompanied by the sound of rushing water, Alastor heard the other sigh and saw her long black tail curled up on the ground.

As if on vacation, Wendigo shifted slightly to the side, seemingly intentionally avoiding the python-like dragon's tail.

The rustling sound of clothes rubbing together was fleeting, like the opening of a secret conversation.

"However, to avoid further rambling...would you be willing to spend some time listening to me talk about what it's like to be a chef? After all, I guess that's all I can discuss with you—"

The dragon girl asked him this question without any warning.

"...At least at this moment?" she continued slowly.

"..."

'Although the topic was somewhat different from what I had imagined, it wasn't unacceptable.'

Thinking this, Alastor rolled his eyes seemingly naturally, and then shrugged his right shoulder.

It's like a kind of tacit acceptance tinged with impatience and compromise.

“…Very good.”

Although she kept washing the apples, a faint look of surprise and astonishment did flash in the Dragon Girl's eyes.

After all, this topic is really boring.

She didn't expect Alastor to be willing to listen to such a strange topic.

"First of all, to be honest, cooking is not a particularly simple thing."

You twitched your ears and slowly used your fingernail to remove the lumps that seemed to grow on the apple.

The excess parts are removed, just like a scalpel cutting away a lesion, exposing the flesh like a wound.

But apples don't scab over; they are simply swallowed.

So, the bright red apple, with the parts that affected its appearance removed, was put back into the pool by the Dragon Girl, awaiting the next round of washing.

However, at this moment, this seemingly ordinary apple caught the eye of the sinner lord.

—At least for now, it has surpassed those mediocre souls that even the devil wouldn't normally look at.

"Although you can make many dishes with just a few basic ingredients and seasonings."

"When it comes to eating, some people like to swallow it all in one gulp and enjoy the feeling of finishing everything in an instant."

"But some people are naturally inclined to savor their food slowly and carefully..."

During the silence of Wendigo, the dragon girl, who had been narrating something in her flat, emotionless voice, suddenly scooped a seemingly perfect, bright red fruit from the pool.

She turned off the tap and then slowly placed the apple in front of her eyes—to block her golden right eye.

"But is cooking really such a simple thing?"

"of course not."

The Eastern sinner asked and answered himself in a detached tone.

She flipped the seemingly perfect apple over, revealing its back riddled with wormholes.

The female demon toyed with the rotten apple, displaying it to the broadcasting demon under his nose. Then, she casually lit a black fire in her hand, squeezing the rotten apple into a small flame that quickly disappeared.

So Alastor listened with a normal expression, but the smile on his face widened in an ambiguous way.

Intelligent people don't seem to worry about not understanding what each other is saying.

Or at least they enjoy the process of guessing each other?

"The book states that, at least before the 19th century, my compatriots were among the best-eating peoples in all of Asia, and even in the world."

"The staple foods are rice and wheat, and people prefer hot food, which means they need a lot of fuel. Fresh fruits and vegetables are eaten occasionally, and tofu is used to supplement the lack of animal protein."

"When one is abundant, the soul will have thoughts that transcend mere survival."

"Whether it's because of its delicious taste, its health benefits, its religion, or its art."

"You know... people from all walks of life, regardless of wealth or poverty, have a discerning and complex pursuit of food." (Note 1)

After crushing a rotten apple, the Dragon Girl did not stop what she was doing; she simply picked up a cutting board from the wall beside her.

Her movements were practiced and skillful, as if she knew perfectly well where the cutting board should be placed.

...It seems that the group of little devils has retained a certain lady's habit, even though she hasn't visited them in a long time.

'Huh, how strange, that such feelings could exist in hell?'

With his arms crossed, Alastor watched the dragon girl's movements while listening intently to her often enigmatic remarks.

"despair."

He saw the Eastern sinner cleanly and efficiently slice the apple in half with the cleaver in her hand, just as her verbal rationality had become almost tangible.

"Eating is a life instinct, the most primitive and ferocious desire."

"This 'should' be a right that every life has, regardless of beauty or ugliness."

When the word "should" was mentioned, ■■■ took a moment to make a forced smile and casually placed quotation marks around her face with her hand.

"The recipes seem to be just a few, and most people eat them in rotation without getting tired of them. They may even fall in love with the feeling of quickly tasting delicious food and then think that other foods should taste the same."

"...but that's what a real chef does."

"There's definitely more than that."

At this point, you lowered your eyelids and gave the knife you had just pulled out a quick look.

Westerners use different kitchen knives than Easterners.

Or rather, the kitchen knives used by people in China are different from those used in most other countries in the world.

Chinese people are accustomed to using a straight kitchen knife to complete all the steps, but Westerners are accustomed to using all kinds of knives to complete the work that can be done with a single knife.

It is indeed a very sophisticated and well-reasoned division of labor.

...but it means nothing to you.

You are holding a narrow, slender Western-style kitchen knife.

To suit the cooking habits of Westerners, it was designed to be cut into strips from top to bottom.

Alastor might enjoy using this "weapon" for something.

With a blank expression on your face, you met the devil's ambiguous gaze, lowered your head, and skillfully made a few cuts on the apple in your hand with the kitchen knife.

And just like that, a deer with a simple appearance but a lifelike form finally appears between your fingers.

The dragon girl silently tossed the transformed apple deer in her hand to the sinner lord who was leaning against the cabinet, and then, without a second thought, picked up another one from the sink.

Before the broadcasting demon caught the apple slice that was clearly deer-shaped with just a few cuts, the sinner from the East was already slowly peeling the apple, leaning against the counter behind him.

"..."

The soft rustling sound quickly faded away.

After catching the apple slice that ■■■ threw to him, Alastor simply tilted his head and stared at the dragon girl for a while—

But he quickly threw the apple deer into his mouth.

Even though he doesn't really like sweets.

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1. Mou Fuli, "Food in Chinese Culture"