Volume 3 Chapter 4 Come And Eat
The moment I let my guard down slightly, it happened--
--RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
"...!?"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the air. It sounded like an avalanche had just occurred right in front of us. The ground shook violently, and even the air trembled.
"...! Get down!"
I immediately dropped to the ground and reached for the hilt of my Bloodsucker Blade.
I had no idea what was going on, but I didn't have a good feeling about it. Was some giant monster approaching, or had the extermination team done something?
I strained my ears and scanned the surroundings. Danger detection was one of my few specialties as a weakling. I held my breath and braced myself for whatever was to come.
But... nothing happened for a long time.
"Huh?"
Before I knew it, the sound had stopped.
'Um, excuse me...'
Cirrul hesitantly spoke up. She was covering her face with her front paws and wagging her tail sheepishly.
'T-this... is my stomach growling.'
--RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The roar echoed again. And then, it finally hit me.
The rumbling sound was coming from Cirrul's stomach.
* * *
"I can't believe you were too hungry to move..."
Apparently, Cirrul hadn't eaten anything for days. She had been drinking water and eating fruit, but that wasn't enough energy to sustain her massive body. It turned out that the goblins had been bullying her because she was too hungry to move. I didn't want to see such a pathetic dragon.
So, I went out and gathered some food (monsters) from the surrounding area. It was a simple task of using my Compass Eye (Ra Shingan) to find and hunt 'edible monsters'. The transporting was far more difficult than the hunting itself.
It took longer than I expected, and the sun was already starting to set.
I quickly made a campfire before it got completely dark. I hung a tarp over the fire to hide it and used alder wood that didn't produce much smoke.
After that, I started to dismantle the meat of the prey that I had cooled in the river. It was a big help that there was a water source nearby. Usually, I only gut and bleed the meat, but the meat of a hunted animal will start to smell bad if it is not cooled immediately. Conversely, if one guts and cools it quickly enough, the meat will not smell bad.
I would have liked to cool it for about half a day, but Cirrul's stomach was starting to growl, so I decided to dismantle it quickly. I peeled off the skin with hot water, removed the bones, and cut along the bones and tendons.
Cirrul, who was watching me do this with a frightened expression, asked hesitantly,
'Um, that meat... it's from a Manticore, a Shishiva, and a Unicorn, right...? They're all A-rank monsters, right?'
"Oh, yeah. I just happened to find them. I hunted them because they looked like they would be good to eat."
'Just like that... casually...?'
Rather, I couldn't hunt them unless they could withstand the minimum output of the Bloodsucker Blade. I tried to hunt lower-ranked monsters like the Horned Rabbit and the Sea Fish, but they just exploded when I lightly swung the Bloodsucker Blade from a distance.
Well, there's nothing wrong with hunting high-ranked monsters. Unlike normal beasts, they don't go into rigor mortis after they die, so you can eat their delicious meat right away, and spreading their blood and dung around will also repel monsters.
'Uh, can I really have it...? I think you could make a fortune if you sold it...'
'That's right, think twice while you still can! Don't be hasty! Which is more important, this reptile or money?'
"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it."
Even if I were to sell it, the meat would probably be spoiled by the time I got to a town.
As we talked, I lined up the chunks of meat rubbed with rock salt and herbs next to the campfire. It ended up being a very rough meal, but quantity is more important than quality right now. Since it hasn't been aged or dehydrated, the flavor may be thin, but it should be easy to eat without any strong taste.
Now, the key is how well I cook it. The taste and texture will change completely depending on how I cook it.
'Ugh, uuuu... slurp...'
As the meat cooked, a fragrant aroma began to waft through the air.
Stimulated by her appetite, Cirrul's drool flowed out in abundance. She seemed to be struggling to hide her drool, but the dragon without cheeks couldn't hold the drool in her mouth. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help but drool.
"Well, it should be ready soon."
I spread butter on the meat that had been resting away from the fire to let it rest, and finally, I grilled it over direct heat again. When I cut it a little after it was nicely browned all over, the cross-section of the meat was a beautiful rose color. Monster meat becomes tough and smelly if it is overcooked, so this color is just right.
--It's done.
"Now, eat up."
'...! Gulp, gulp, gulp...'
Cirrul started eating the meat without even saying grace. She must have been really hungry. Her eating style reminded me of a hungry, skinny dog.
'T-this, is monster meat...? What a rich meat! The abundant fat melts in my mouth, but it's not greasy, and it's actually refreshing...! And the tender, grilled red meat bursts with sweet meat juice with every bite... oh, no...! Two kinds of flavors and textures create a harmony in one piece of meat! Waaaaah!'
"......"
The dragon, who suddenly started giving a food report, then started writhing around like she was in heat.
That's a bit disgusting, honestly.
"Oh, I made a sauce. Do you want some?"
'With pleasure!'
It was an improvised sauce made with wine and herbs added to the meat juice and offal. I made the sauce to emphasize the wildness of the meat, but Cirrul liked it.
By the way, outdoor cooking is one of the miscellaneous skills I acquired during my G-rank days. Back then, I had to do everything to survive, so I was desperate, but it's nice to see it being useful.
'Uuu... it's been a long time since I've eaten... Sir Noroa, you're a lifesaver...'
"You can have more."
'...Yum... yum... yum'
If she's so happy, it was worth making.
'Oh, the manticore's tail is good! It tastes like crayfish!'
Juju continued to gobble up the meat with gusto, her eating style resembling that of a mischievous child. Some might even call it unmannerly or ill-bred. But hey, there was plenty of meat, so no worries there.
'Excuse me, Sir Noroa...? Is it okay for a doll to eat meat?'
"Hmm? Oh, this doll is an omnivore."
'A doll... an omnivore...?'
Cirrul's face contorted in disbelief, but she had no choice but to accept it.
And so, the feast continued--
'Phew, I'm quite satisfied now.'
'...Oh, god, thank you for the blessings of this meal.'
Before I knew it, the large amount of food that had been prepared was completely gone.
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