#1034 A Gift to God

The grand yakiniku party, meticulously prepared and executed, has come to a peaceful conclusion.

Thanks to all the twists and turns along the way, the wives, who now carry new life, were soothed by the festivities, and I believe they gave them strength for the task of childbirth ahead.

So, is everything wrapped up now?

Not quite. A few loose ends still remain in the form of clean-up duties.

Dishes to wash. Rooms to tidy.

Those, however, are already done. Perfectly, might I add.

I even had the horned boars lend a hand, and together, we spruced up the place flawlessly.

But there’s one more thing left.

I have yet to thank those who helped along the way.

For that, I called upon the ever-dependable Sensei, who kindly summoned our usual guest for me.

“In days of yore, there was a raincoat made from woven straw... Verily, ‘tis called a mino!!!”

It’s Minos, one of the deities of the underworld.

We owe the yakiniku party to Minos, so I summoned him once again to express my gratitude properly.

“Lord Minos! Thank you so much for everything the other day!”

“Ah, ‘tis thou, saint. ‘Twas naught, for thou gave me the chance to aid the Minotaur tribe, whom I have long protected. For that, I owe thee thanks.”

What a humble god.

When you know the antics of the gods up in Olympus, you can’t help but doubt if this truly is a god at all.

“Still, you helped me out a lot, too, Lord Minos, so today, I’ve prepared a small feast in Your Mightiness’ honor.”

“A feast!!!”

Wow, he’s quite animated.

“Oh my, is it truly all right? When a feast is hosted by the saint, well, that means there shall be some of those delectable, home-cooked delicacies, aye? May I, a humble god, indulge in them all by myself? Fuhihi!”

Uh… his speech just got weird.

Maybe he’s that excited?

“In truth, I had secretly hoped for this! I watched from the shadows as the Minotaur beef gift sets were handed out. I was quietly waiting for the barbecue, ready to be summoned at any moment. But alas! The summons never came, and I was left... disappointed—not angry, mind you! Just... a bit let down.”

Minos, your tone’s getting a bit off there.

I feel bad now since he was looking forward to it so much, and I didn’t even call him.

But the wives were the stars of the show that day, and we had to keep the guest list tight… though it still ended up being a big crowd...

“So, I’ve set aside a separate day just for Your Mightiness.”

“Hmm, verily! The Judge of the Underworld grants thee pardon! NOT GUILTY!!!”

Phew, acquitted.

“So, what delightful banquet hast thou prepared, saint?”

“Since there’s still some of that Minotaur beef left from the barbecue, I thought we could use that.”

“Splendid! I have awaited those very words! Minotaur beef, cooked by the saint! Excellent ingredients plus excellent cooking equals guaranteed excellence!!!”

His excitement level is definitely off the charts.

It’s an honor that he trusts my cooking skills so much.

He’s visited the farm a few times as part of Hades’ entourage, and he’s tasted my cooking then.

When gods of the underworld and agriculture come together like that, it’s always a whirlwind of activity.

But for the gods, it seems to be an experience akin to heaven.

It makes me proud as a host, honestly.

“Speaking of which, Lord Minos, last time we met, you mentioned something…”

“Indeed.”

You said the Minotaur tribe used to offer a special kind of meat to the gods of the underworld.

That meat was…

Offal.

The innards, the guts.

“I’d like to offer you some offal today, Lord Minos!”

“...”

Huh?

Why the sudden grim expression?

“Ah... apologies. It was rude of me to pull such a face when thou art offering me such a fine dish. I must admit, it was ungracious of me.”

“Wait… could it be? Your Mightiness doesn’t like offal?”

“Nay! This Minos does not dislike it! Forsooth, mine own most favored dish is... mino!!!”

By the way, “mino” is a cow’s stomach.

Specifically, it refers to the first of the four stomachs.

The first one?

Yes, cows actually have four stomachs, each with a different taste and unique name.

You’d think they’d all taste the same since it’s the same organ, but nope—it’s surprising.

“Verily, though, when thou hast been served the same fare since time immemorial, one doth grow weary... And yet, the saint’s cooking doth taste ever more delightful...”

Oh, is that how it is?

In that case, leave it to this humble saint. I shan’t betray your trust!

Of course, I’m not just going to offer the ingredients as-is.

I’ll craft them into a dish worthy of your divine palate.

And that dish is...

“Hot pot! Motsunabe!!!”

The pot bubbles away, with morsels of tripe dancing in the broth.

White gems, plump and glistening, float in a soy-based soup—those are the fatty parts of the tripe.

They sparkle like pearls.

And to add color, there are vibrant greens: chives and cabbage.

“Lo! The tripe I thought so familiar now shineth with a newfound brilliance!”

Even Minos, the god, seems intrigued by the uniqueness of this motsunabe and deftly picks up chopsticks.

“Let us partake... Mmmm, DELICIOUSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

His reaction was immediate.

The cooked tripe has a firm, chewy texture, while the fatty parts melt in your mouth as if made from pure, heavenly softness.

Each bite releases juicy, flavorful fat, blending perfectly with the soy-based broth.

The crispness of the chives and cabbage adds just the right contrast, while a hidden sliver of garlic adds a deeper layer of flavor.

It’s like a miniature universe blossoming in the pot.

That is motsunabe.

“...Bene! Verily, it was most delectable! The saint’s skills art truly divine. Never before hath I tasted tripe so delicious!”

I’m glad he liked it.

With this, I’ve properly repaid Minos, who worked so hard to help us obtain the beef.

I feel much lighter.

“Lord Saint.”

Beside me, Sensei has also joined in on the motsunabe feast.

“We’ve been getting a ton of messages from the divine realm. I can’t possibly ignore them, so I’ll go and summon them.”

“Huh?”

“Funjarapoi.”

With a wave of Sensei’s staff, the space warps, and from the widening rift emerges... none other than the god Hades.

“MINOS! Thou darest feast without meeeeeeeeeee!!!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeep!”

Hades lunges at Minos with the vengeance of a damned soul, even though he is supposed to be the ruler of the underworld.

“Dost thou defy me, knowing full well that offal is my most cherished dishhhhh?! And now thou attemptest to hoard this saint’s cooking for thyself? I ought to cast thee into Cocytus for such treachery! Shall I seat thee beside Judas, Cassius, and Brutus for thy betrayaaaaaaal?!”

“B-But, today’s meal is a reward for mine own service in helping the Minotaur tribe, so naturally, I should have it all to myself!!!”

The judge of the underworld is suddenly on trial himself.

But they say nothing causes resentment quite like food.

It’s hard to deny Hades’ wrath.

“I am not alone in my ire toward Minos. Hast thou forgotten thou art but one of the three rulers of the underworld?”

“I-It can’t be!”

“Lend me thy strength, Immortal King.”

With that, Sensei casually casts another summoning spell.

“Behold, Radamanthys, one of the three great rulers of the underworld, hath arrived!”

“And likewise, the mighty Hachinos has appeared!”

“Thou art Aiaos, dolt.” “Hachinos is the name of thine favorite tripe dish!”

It’s all spiraling out of control.

But for now, what I need to focus on is preparing another round of motsunabe for the newly summoned gods.

Dealing with gods really is exhausting.