Chapter 269
After everything else was finished, I added the sauce and stirred . The stew was now complete . The sun had come down by now and the crackling fire alone illuminated our little campsite . When it was just me and Daniela, it really felt like we were on a journey . But with more people, it felt like some kind of vacation . Of course, the wildlife that surrounded us weren’t animals, they were monsters . So it really wasn’t a time to relax…
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“It’s ready . ”
“We have waited long enough . ”
Daniela marched to the fire immediately and pulled out the red bowls . They were a little on the large side, but carried the stew nicely .
I poured some into Manager’s bowl next . She had a wooden bowl . It looked like it had seen a lot of use .
“It’s been a while… The last time I had it was when I was staying in a town with lots of farms . ”
“I’ve yet to see a place like that . ”
“Yes . This town was in the center of a large prairie . They had a lot of sheep and cows . It was a very quiet place . ”
That reminded me of the city in the plains . Though, that place wasn’t really a town . In any case, livestock meant you had to worry about monsters . One town we visited was threatened by a lesser wyvern . So having a farming town meant there was some reason that they were able to maintain their peaceful existence . Perhaps it was in a place where monsters didn’t go . Or they had the power to fight them off…
“The mayor of the town was also the Master of the Adventurer’s Guild . And he had an alias . ”
“Right…”
So it was the latter . It sounded like an interesting place…
I listened to Manager talk while I poured stew into Lemon’s bowl as well . Then I poured some for myself .
“Alright . Let’s eat then . ”
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“Yes . Thank you . ”
“Thank you!”
“Mmmggmm…”
Daniela was already on it and seemed to be enjoying herself . Manager seemed to savor every bite . Lemon looked quite happy as well . So, no one was hating it, at least . And so I took a spoonful and brought it to my mouth . …Hmm . It was good . The creamy texture and the sweetness of the milk went well with the saltiness of the chicken stock . But I wasn’t a food reporter, so that was about all I could say about it . It was good . That’s all .
Of course, stew didn’t seem like it would be enough, and so I had another thing prepared .
It was chicken that I had seasoned with a variety of spices we had bought in the capital . After cooking it on a frying pan, I cut it and served it on plates which I passed around .
“I was wondering what that was . ”
Daniela said happily as she took a bite .
“Mmm…! This is delicious . The tenderness of the chicken and the savoriness of the fat are wonderful, but the calculated seasoning with the spices has an almost violent impact on the senses . It is more than appetizing… The hot spices and oils combine in a most satisfactory fashion . Is it the chicken’s flavor that allows it to mingle so perfectly with the light, and yet also rich, stew? This combination cannot be matched…!”
I won’t say that her impassioned food review was not in the least bit embarrassing, but I then tried it out for myself . Hmm . It was cooked perfectly . I looked to the side and saw that Manager and Lemon were also alternating between stew and chicken . Well, this was the kind of reaction that filled this cook’s heart with joy… Well, Adventurer .
Dinner continued rather quietly after that until we had all eaten as much as we could . I stared at the crackling flames and thought about what we would do next . What was happening in Reserentrible now? It would be so much more dangerous if the town had been reversed completely . There would be high-level monsters nesting on the surface . Hell, they could be scattering all over the neighboring lands by now .
As a larger group, I knew that we weren’t quite as fast as when it was just the two of us . Still, it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to speed things up . Maybe we should leave earlier in the morning? I might have to suggest it . And so I brought it up with the others .
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“Hmm… Yes, I think Asagi may be right about this . ”
“However, we’re going into a forest . Yes, it’s not exactly uncharted territory, but it will take at least half a day on foot . And isn’t there still some distance between the forest and the town?”
“Yeah . About half a day…I think? Uh, Daniela?”
“Yes . We should arrive in the afternoon if we leave in the morning . ”
“So, we won’t save that much time…”
“That’s where Daniela and I come in . ”
“Oh?”
I told them what I had been thinking about .
“Daniela will use wind magic to launch herself and you two into the air, and then I’ll use Legs of the God Wolf to carry you all over the forest . What do you think?”
“Hmm…you want me to carry Lemon and Rindo?”
“I will be able to pull you all if there’s no weight pulling me down . But I can’t carry all three of you at once . ”
“Well, it would save a lot of time . And I’ve experienced the power of Asagi’s skill firsthand . ”
Manager said with a chuckle . Well, I had been very serious at the time… But I could be even more serious… I think . It was actually scary that I still didn’t know the limits of this skill . But I didn’t have the best imagination, so I often didn’t get anywhere unless there was a barrier to overcome .
“Very well, we will do that tomorrow . So, what about after we get past the forest?”
“I think I might just keep going until we reach the town . ”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so . What about you, Daniela?”
“I should be fine . My equipment has enhanced my wind magic capabilities . It is a good thing I won that tournament . ”
That jade wind dragon cape was crazy… Daniela was already a master at wind magic . And yet now she could use it more efficiently and likely do even more damage . Yes, I would lose to her if we fought . Well, I couldn’t even beat her during the tournament .
In any case, we decided on what we’d do the following day . And thanks to that, Daniela and I were allowed to have a good night’s rest, in preparation . Manager and Lemon took turns on the watch . We also had the barrier tools, so it seemed like a good, peaceful sleep was all but promised to us .
…There was a time when I believed that .
“Asagi! Wake up!”
I jumped up as Manager’s frantic voice reached me . I grabbed the demon armor sword and flew out of the tent .
The sky had brightened a little, the dawn was close . I looked down again and then activated Presence Detection . Naturally, my eyes shifted towards the forest .
“Sorry . I can’t use Presence Detection as well as you and Daniela . I didn’t notice until it got this close . ”
“No, it’s fine . Hell, you should have seen me not too long ago . ”
Being on the brink of death several times had helped raise my skill level . But Manager seemed to have traveled with much fewer thrills . It was better not to take such risks .
What Manager had detected was a high-level monster . It was currently in the forest . While it wasn’t moving in a straight line, it was definitely getting closer to us . The fact that its path seemed to sway from side to side had probably made it harder to detect .
By now, Daniela had also come out of the tent and had her bow ready . Lemon was holding her spear . She was a veteran guard and spear-wielder . It was her chance to show what she was capable of .
I unsheathed my sword . Manager also unsheathed her twin shortswords . During the tournament, she had been using blades made of shadow magic, but these were made of actual metal .
“These things? They were from a dungeon . ”
“Nice . They were a pair then?”
“Yes . They came out of the same box . ”
I see . Dungeon treasures were in boxes . The appraisal glasses I had found were also in a box . Though, the Automata was just discarded . That place had been an ancient elven building . I have no idea if it counted as a dungeon or was something else .
In any case; monsters . Judging by what Presence Detection was telling me, it would come out of the forest soon .
It happened in just a few minutes .
“Woah…I’ve never seen a real one before…”
I couldn’t help but mutter . I had never seen one, but it looked so familiar .
The thick head and two horns . The bushy hair that grew on its back and the muscular body . The massive arms carrying a double-bladed axe . The bare legs that appeared under the loincloth were also thick .
“Minotaur…”
The monster breathed heavily as it took in its surroundings .