#799 Wrapping Everything

All right, my year-long wish is finally coming to life.

I got the aluminum foil from Pops Edward.

I smoothly pull it out and tear off a suitable length.

The dwarves, who contributed to making this foil, hold their breaths in anticipation.

“A weapon? Or is it armor...?!”

“With the odds at 53:47, those betting on a weapon still dominate as we await Lord Saint’s demonstration...!”

“It’s gotta be a weapon! You’ll see it slice things with that thin edge!”

“Don’t forget the minority opinion! Some guessed it would be used to dazzle in a dance with its shimmer!”

“Pop’s theory about it being a magical disruptor is the most minor...!”

Many of the dwarves seem extremely curious.

It seems they’ve all made varied guesses about the mysterious use of this foil.

Let’s show them the answer!

On the spread-out piece of aluminum foil, I place...

A salmon!!!

“OHHHHHH?!”

Then, I throw in some pre-prepared onions, bean sprouts, cabbages, shimeji, and enoki mushrooms!

Maybe I’ll add some chopped carrots, too.

I dash a mix of condiments like miso and mirin, and to finish it off, a piece of butter that our satyrs are proud of!

Then, I wrap the foil and cook it!

Far-Infrared heat!

Far-Infrared heat!!!

After about 15 minutes, it’s ready!

My year-long dream: Salmon roasted in foil!!

“I’ve made enough for everyone! Consider this a token of gratitude for the foil. Feast away!!!”

And so, I line up the foil-grilled salmon for the dwarves.

The expressions on the faces of the dwarves seeing this are...

...utterly flabbergasted.

“This is the real answer...?!”

“The masterpiece we worked on for a whole year... is just for cooking...?!”

They seem visibly disappointed!

Uh-oh. It seems this humble reality did not meet their sky-high expectations!

Just how extravagant did they think this foil show was going to be?!

Trust me, dwarves, once you taste it, you’ll understand!

You’ll realize the marvel brought about by this aluminum foil!

The genius of humanity embedded within!

“If Lord Saint says so...”

“But honestly, we don’t really care much about the taste of food.”

“As long as it fills our bellies, it’s all the same...”

Not much excitement there.

But still, cautiously, they pick up a piece of the juicy salmon, bring it to their mouths, and...

“IT’S DELICIOUSSSSSSSSS!!”

Now, that’s the reaction I was hoping for.

“What is this...this taste?!”

“It looks just like grilled fish at a glance, but it’s soft as if it wasn’t grilled over fire! Yet it’s not as soupy as stewed fish. How exactly was this cooked?!”

“It’s like something between grilled and stewed fish! The best of both worlds!”

“The taste from the vegetables and seasoning inside the foil is also there! And the butter!!!”

“Even the veggies have absorbed the salmon extract and are sooo flavorfullll!”

Heh-heh, right?

Cooking ingredients wrapped in foil is similar to steaming.

The evaporated seasonings and juices from the ingredients fill the tiny space inside the foil, which makes everything soft and deeply flavored.

And aluminum foil is the key to this magic!

A taste that couldn’t be achieved without the foil!!!

You guys should be proud! It’s all thanks to the aluminum foil you made!!!

“This aluminum foil’s result is beyond imaginationnnnnnnnnnn!!!”

Even Pops Edward is devouring the foil-grilled salmon with immense vigor.

“Lord Saint! Do you have any sake? This calls for some rice wine!!!”

These dwarves sure can demand alcohol right away...!

Today’s SAKE is limited to sake-salmon, guys, not sake-alcohol.

As I say that, I secure my own serving of foil-baked salmon and prepare a big bowl of white rice.

On the bottom of the aluminum foil, a rich soup had collected... A broth rich with all sorts of mixed condiments, melted butter, and the tasty bits from the steamed and roasted salmon and veggies...! I scoop all that, and...

...mix it with the rice!

Then, I top the rice with shredded salmon, onions, bean sprouts, and...

...and dig in!!!

“Woaaaah! Lord Saint?!”

“What kind of serving is that?! It looks super tasty!”

“Can we have some rice too?! And some alcohol, if possible!!!”

Don’t demand rice and alcohol at the same time.

That’s rice on rice, you know.

But this is the foil-grilled dish I’ve been waiting a year for.

I was worried my expectations had risen too high after all this time, but those fears were needless.

The deliciousness of foil-grilled dishes easily surpasses both ideals and fantasies!!!

I feel it’d be a waste to wrap up the aluminum foil’s performance with just this one dish.

This calls for another.

I wrap “a certain something” in aluminum foil.

What’s inside is for you to find out later.

Setting that aside, I sweep up the fallen leaves scattered on the ground with a broom.

It’s autumn, so of course, tons of dead leaves are everywhere.

Into the pile of leaves, I sneak in the foil-wrapped something and light it up!

Burn, burnnnnn!

When it feels hot enough, I use tongs to part the leaves and retrieve the item.

Even when exposed directly to fire, the aluminum foil doesn’t burn; it only lets the heat through.

“Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot...!”

As expected, grabbing the foil fresh from the fire is hot!

I wait for it to cool...

Then I peel the foil to reveal...

“Roasted sweet potatoes!”

I roasted farm-grown sweet potatoes over a campfire!

Yeehaw!

Peeling the purple skin reveals the golden flesh inside.

The heat permeated through the foil, making it soft and creamy.

“Hot...! So hot!”

When bitten, it feels super hot and steamy in the mouth.

The sweet potatoes from my farm are high in sugar and taste sweet even when just roasted.

They’d be a hit as a snack.

The unsung hero that made such a roasted sweet potato possible is the steel garb of aluminum foil! It diligently fed the fire while shielding the potato, preventing any oxidation and scorching, only allowing the heat to permeate and protect it.

You really made something incredible, dwarves!!!

“My sensors have picked up on something tasty!”

And then Veil arrived, following the usual pattern.

Immediately fixated on the roasted sweet potato, sadly, the foil-grilled salmon was of secondary interest to her. Being a girl, she prioritizes sweets.

“Ohhh? Wrapping potatoes in this thin, shiny foil makes them tasty? I know a better method!”

What Veil takes out is...

...the prototype mana metal foil I made! When did she snatch that?!

“Those puny dwarves made that shiny stuff with common methods from ordinary minerals. So, this mana metal version should naturally be superior!”

That may be true, but...

“I’ll wrap the potato in thin mana metal and roast it with my dragon breath! Ordinary metals would burn to ash, but mana metal can withstand it!”

Reverting into her dragon form, Veil unleashes a fiery breath onto the potato wrapped in mana metal foil.

That same flame could obliterate villages in a moment, but the foil held its form.

After the flames subsided, the roasted sweet potato looked perfectly cooked.

“Guhahaha! This is my unique Dragon Cooking! Potatoes roasted in premium mana metal with dragon’s breath must taste far better!”

I dunno about that.

The mana metal might’ve neutralized the intense heat of dragon breath, so it might not taste that different from the usual foil-baked ones. 

Maybe it’s like the difference between gas and charcoal?

Regardless, the dwarves who were enjoying the foil-grilling witnessed the whole dragon cooking spectacle.

Especially Pops Edward, who was so moved and shocked by the use of mana metal that he seemed to have died from the sheer emotional impact once again.

We need to revive him.

I better call Sensei.