#1159 The Taste of Nostalgia

According to an ancient proverb:
“Ramen and bald guys are quick to start cooking battles.”

Granted, there’s no bald guy here today.
Instead, it’s a ramen showdown between dragons.

Veil vs. Alexander.

Two of the strongest dragons in existence are about to face off in the ultimate ramen battle.
Who’s gonna take the crown?

“Waaaaaah-ha-ha-ha-haaa! Of course I’m gonna win, you foolsssssssssssssss!!!”

Veil’s triumphant laugh rings out.
You’d never guess she was cowering in fear just moments earlier; now, she’s all bravado.

“I can’t believe you went and set the stage up in my favor like this! It’s almost like you’re handing me the victory on a silver platter! As long as it’s not some weird disease, I’ll take whatever you hand me!!!”

Veil’s feeling pretty bold.

Well, it’s no surprise. After all, this match clearly looks like it’s stacked in her favor.
I’d say the same.

When it comes to ramen, the odds are about a hundred to one in favor of Veil.
She’s basically the leading expert on ramen in this entire fantasy world at this point.

How did she get this far into ramen obsession, anyway?

Originally, Veil was just your typical “supreme being” who’d devour any new dish I created in this world. Then, somewhere along the way, she started cooking on her own, dove headfirst into ramen, and came out the other side a bona fide ramen artisan dragon.

If we analyze her current skills honestly, Veil’s ramen-making prowess is good enough to open a shop in Ikebukuro back in my world and do just fine.

Alexander’s ramen expertise, meanwhile… I have zero idea.
I’m not even sure if he can cook at all.
He sure doesn’t strike me as the type.

In other words, he’s probably a total rookie...or even less than that.

Can the man who’s literally strong enough to create or destroy whole universes hold his own in a ramen contest?
I doubt those cosmic powers will do much good in the kitchen.

Which means we’re looking at a showdown between a seasoned pro and a complete novice.
It’s pretty obvious who’s gonna win when you compare Veil’s hard-earned skills to someone who’s never even touched a soup ladle.

“Gaaaaah-ha-ha-ha! This is in the bag, sturdier than a building with the highest earthquake safety rating! Alexander might be the strongest, but he got cocky! Haven’t you ever learned that even the strongest can lose if they get complacent? That’s Basic Lessons 101, my dear brother!”
“Losing can be a valuable lesson if it makes you grow. I’ll treat this as hands-on learning from a pro.”

And so, the one-on-one showdown between Veil and Alexander begins.

If it were a pure test of physical power, it would be a massive battle worthy of the top two dragons in the world, a real can’t-miss event…
Except in a straight fight, Alexander would pretty much win a hundred billion times in a row, so maybe it’s not that interesting.

But this isn’t a power contest, it’s a ramen cooking battle between dragons.

They’re not competing in a ramen-eating contest, or a “guess the flavor” challenge. They’re making ramen—a true artisan showdown.

“We’ll need a judge to decide which bowl is tastiest, yes? Would you be willing, Lord Saint?”

Huh, me?
I mean, I’m part of the farm crew, can I really be impartial?

“You are, after all, the Saint. Just and unbiased. We trust you won’t take sides. You also have a refined palate and vast experience with cooking. I can think of no better judge.”

Ah, geez, you’re flattering me here…!
But sure. I’ll gladly accept the job of official taste-tester!

And so, with dragons’ pride and honor on the line…
Ramen Fight, Ready...GO!!!

“Then I shall take this victory in style!”

Of course, Veil is the first to act.

She jumps right into the familiar routine she’s done a thousand times, starting with making the dough for the noodles by hand.
…Handmade?

“Ramen’s all about the texture in the noodles! It’s gotta have that bite, the kind that pushes back at your teeth when you chew. That’s what makes it ramen! To get that perfect chewiness, every detail—how you knead the dough, the exact amount of water to add, and precise timing—has to be flawless. And you only get that kind of precision through tons of practice and razor-sharp instinct!!!” says Veil.

She also needs to let the dough rest for a bit, but Sensei and others helped speed that up with some time magic.

“Next, you divvy up the dough to form the noodles! But that’s tricky, too! To nail that springy texture, every strand has to be the same width. Cutting it all the same takes machine-level accuracy!!!”

I’m surprised she knows what a “machine” is.
But indeed, Veil slices up the dough with an almost mechanical level of precision, creating noodles so thin they were practically threadlike (hyperbole).

It’s incredible she’s honed her skills to this point.
At the same time, I can’t help thinking, “Why’s this all-powerful dragon devoting so much effort specifically to ramen?”

“Now for the broth! This isn’t something you can just whip up in a minute. You have to simmer the ingredients for hours, extracting every bit of flavor. Some pros even keep adding to the same broth for years. We ramen artisans aren’t just building up knowledge and technique over time, we build up our broth, too!”

Veil’s got an endless supply of ramen trivia.
She’s absolutely fixated, maybe borderline obsessed, with this stuff.

“My special gonkotsu broth plus noodles cooked to al dente perfection! Next come the toppings! The type and amount of toppings depend on the base soup. It’s all about balance! For my ramen, the best approach is to keep it simple, add only the finest ingredients. That’s the best possible answer!!!”

And with that, Veil’s Gonkotsu Special Ramen is placed in front of me.
Time to do my duty as the judge.

I take one slurp…

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

It really is good-tasting, top-tier ramen.

The gonkotsu (flavor extracted from a dragon) broth is what really sets it apart.
It’s unbelievably tasty, though a little dangerous-sounding.
She’s added just the right veggies and seasonings to round out that rich broth so it’s not overpowering, making it palatable for everyone.

It’s seriously so good that if I ate a bowl of this at a restaurant, I’d be happy the rest of the day.

Thanks for the meal.

“Aww, Master, your reaction’s kinda weak…”

Well, can you blame me?
This isn’t my first time eating your ramen. I can’t do the wide-eyed “OMG this is amazing!” routine every single time.
But don’t worry, my opinion hasn’t changed.

So, Veil’s basically a perfect 10 out of 10.

Now, how is Alexander possibly going to match this?
Even if he’s the strongest dragon in the cosmos, if he has zero knowledge or skill in ramen-making, he’s got no hope against Veil and his fortress-level expertise.

What’s Alexander’s plan here…?

First, he casually sets a pot of water on to boil…

 Then he opens up a packet of instant noodles and drops them in!

“?!?!?!?!?!?”

Instant noodles?!
Why are there packaged instant noodles in this fantasy world?!

“I brought them, actually.”

The Butler did?!

“I’m nowhere near the level of the Three Wise, but as a Lifeless King, I do have a few tricks. One is the ability to slip between dimensions. Normally, I use it to send Lord Alexander to empty realms where he can fight at near-full power without harming anything.”

He said it so casually, but it was actually a bit terrifying.

"With this ability, I was able to fetch some instant ramen from another world. It was no trouble at all if it means helping Lord Alexander."

Thus, the instant ramen os ready...

Since Alexander has no skill in cooking, there are no toppings, just plain noodles. Ramen in its most basic, unadorned form.
But as the judge, I can't just skip tasting it.

I take a bite... Slurp...

“…!”

…
What... What the heck did I just taste…?

The moment I took a bite, it hit me.
The memories of eating instant noodles as a child...!

Late at night, after dinner had ended, I’d get a little hungry, and my mom would make me a quick bowl of instant noodles.
Simple, easy to make, yet so delicious.

As I grew up and learned how to cook for myself, I began making it on my own.
The taste of those instant noodles, tied to all those childhood memories...

There was something about eating instant noodles late at night, after the day’s work was done, and all that was left was the freedom to curl up in bed…
The taste of home, unfolding with every bite of instant noodles...!

For someone who lived through that time, it might be as close as I can get to the taste of my mom’s cooking.

“This... this was truly a delightful meal...!”

Veal’s ramen, without a doubt, was superb.
It was a flavor that could move you, something that would impress anyone.

But there’s a unique charm to instant ramen that’s made for the masses.
Something I hadn’t realized until now.
Alexander, you reminded me of that. Thank you.

...So, what’s the result of the battle?

Veil wins, of course.

The instant noodles are tasty, sure, but there's no way I can declare it a victory when it’s just straight-up ramen from a packet.

==========

"as long as it's not some weird disease~" is most likely a jojo reference. yes you read that right. said by okuyasu nijimura from part 4