I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary-Novel

Chapter 203 - Comatt III’s Local Specialty

Translator: SFBaka

The area around the table where the dishes were lined up was packed with people. It even looks like samples of all of the ingredients locally available on Comatt III was assembled on that single table.

“I sure hope there isn’t anything overly strange mixed in……”

“At least, I don’t see anything that looks like it might cause an upset stomach. If guests get food poisoned at a party like this, the Dareinwald House would lose a lot of face after all.”

“That’s true.”

Elma does have a point. I was relieved and approached the table with some peace of mind. But there was an item that immediately caught my eye. The item in question was a roasted caterpillar-like creature the size of a piglet. Its oily, white surface was lightly browned in some places, and it did seem well-cooked.

“……”

“What’s with those eyes? Oh c’mon. I’m sure it’ll be tasty.”

Elma exchanged glares with me. Eh…… You’re telling me this thing will taste good? You sure?

“Look, they’re starting to carve it apart. Go, go.”

“Seriously……?”

Elma pushed me toward the roasted giant caterpillar-like creature that was now being carved apart and served to the guests. Perhaps its appearance didn’t inspire any appetite, because the other guests were ignoring the thing altogether and Elma kept pushing me to try it for some reason. W-Wait. Where’s Mimi anyway……? There she is. But she desperately turned her gaze away the moment she noticed me. Damn. You’re gonna abandon me just like that, Mimi!?

“Here you are.”

“Y-Yeah.”

A chef expertly carved the roasted giant caterpillar and a portion was placed on a plate. The chef then handed the plate to me. It seems the chef placed the skin and the mushy insides of the creature on top of a cracker and they were supposed to be eaten together.

“Muh……?”

I dipped the serving on the green sauce placed on the side of the plate and ate it. The moment it entered my mouth, a refreshing aroma pierced my nose. Apparently, the green herb sauce used a basil-like herb as a base. The crispy texture of the cracker coupled with the creature’s savory well-roasted skin and a rich cheesy flavor spread inside my mouth.

“Despite its appearance, it’s actually quite tasty.”

“Isn’t it? It does look a bit grotesque, but the taste is superb.”

“Please give me another one.”

“Sure.”

I ate another caterpillar cracker serving. Un, it’s good. Elma had a skeptical look on her face. She was probably thinking ‘This guy can’t be serious, right?’ or something like that. C’mon, get a taste of it as well. I asked the chef to prepare another serving and handed a plate with a caterpillar cracker to Elma.

“Ara, it really is delicious.”

“See?”

Perhaps Elma’s positive reaction was the trigger. The other guests also started ordering caterpillar crackers.

“I think Comatt III will prosper if they can produce more local specialties like this one.”

“Hm? Are you suggesting they build a giant caterpillar farm or something? Somehow, just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps.”

“Stop that, you! We’re in the middle of eating you know……”

I wonder what size the adult creature would be with a larva like this. What kind of creature was this a larva of in the first place? I’m kinda curious, but somehow, I feel like I really don’t wanna know the answer.

“So a colonization project isn’t as simple as preparing a planet for wide-scale habitation huh.”

“I don’t think it’s all that complicated, but local specialties are still important, right? I mean, they’ll become an advantageous revenue source in the long run.”

“I see…… Anyway, it’s amazing that creatures like these actually survived the terraforming process. How surprising.”

“Some creatures are just more adaptable to new environments compared to others. I think there were also a lot of local species that didn’t make it in the end.”

“I see.”

So this caterpillar creature was adaptable enough to survive the long and rigorous terraforming process huh. Well, I guess its vitality was just that strong.

However, it seems that terraforming does come with its own set of troubles. It kinda feels like a topic environmentalist groups would make a huge fuss about. Well, isn’t it? Perhaps some groups already did protest in the past, but they were simply crushed by the power and influence of the nobles. A huge amount of money is involved in the terraforming business after all, and I think the ones who would profit from it would move to crush any form of dissent even without the nobles exercising their power in some cases.

As I lost myself in thought, Mimi and the others approached us. She already held a plate with a serving of the caterpillar cracker. You sure have grown, Mimi.

“Mimi…… Were you planning on ignoring us earlier?”

“A-Ahaha…… I’m sorry.”

“We just gave you first dibs, Boss.”

“You were really gutsy, big brother. It’s a bit too much for me……”

It seems Whisker didn’t get a caterpillar cracker for herself. All the dishes on her plate looked like safe choices and their amounts were just right.

“Whisker’s a bit picky when it comes to her food, Boss.”

“It’s not good to be too picky, okay?”

“Um, I’m just bad with bugs……”

Well, there’s no need to pressure her into eating it, I guess. But, come to think of it, the bug-like creatures we’ve managed to sample up until now all turned out pretty tasty. How surprising. I guess there isn’t any point to distributing anything in the market that does taste bad huh.

“Ara, it looks like our princess is here.”

“Oh?”

Elma pulled my sleeve and got my attention. I followed her gaze and saw Chris all dolled up in a beautiful dress. The dress wasn’t overly flashy although it had some frills here and there. It had a very modest and pure impression. It felt like she was a young girl who didn’t resemble girls of her age…… She had the air of a mature lady.

“How do you do, Captain. Are you enjoying the party so far?”

“Yes, Christina-sama. We were just sampling a specialty product of Comatt III.”

I then glanced at the roasted caterpillar in the middle of the table, and Chris seemed to have shivered slightly at the sight of it. It looks like the sight of the roasted giant caterpillar caused some mental damage to Chris, who was currently in ‘elegant noble lady’ mode.

“I-I am glad that you found it to your liking.”

“Sorry about that.”

I whispered an apology to Chris, whose smile was twitching. For the time being, let’s change positions so the roasted caterpillar doesn’t come into her sight.

Afterward, there were no other incidents worth noting, and I passed the time while having a friendly conversation with Chris and sampling various dishes with Mimi. The party ended without any particular hiccups. Though I only noticed them midway, it seems the media folks who came with us also filmed the party. But since they weren’t actually invited, they weren’t able to sample the various fancy dishes and alcohol. My condolences, guys.