Translator: RANZAN
Chapter 35 - Hydra Meat
The most fun thing about beating a strong enemy is the battle treasure.
Everyone quietly collects what's left behind.
It's an important role of an adventurer to find useful and important parts you might need later.
In a way, all adventurers are also appraisers as well. The value of each battle treasure fluctuates on how good your eyes are.
Usually one person is charged with being on guard. You never know if you've defeated everything or could be ambushed while focusing on collecting treasure.
However, since Femm and the pack were here, we could all focus on collecting.
「With all these heads collection should be pretty profitable.」
「Yeah.」
Cruz looked happy.
Luka looked up from slicing up the body.
「Al, could you help me over here?」
「What is it?」
「The hydra's gall bladder…I think I might break it.」
「Sure.」
The hydra's gall bladder is the treasured gland that creates all that poison. If you have a high quality one, it brings in a lot of money.
It's a very expensive magical item.
「Where?」
「Be careful, okay? I know you probably know already…but it's poisonous.」
「Roger.」
If you took it out bare-handed, you'd die. However, if you used a knife or other tool, you could easily break it.
I covered both my hands in magical barrier.
I took it out carefully, and put it undamaged into a magic bag.
「Thanks.」
「This is definitely a role for a magician.」
I said to Luka, and,
「Wow…you did that with no problems.」
Cruz had come up behind me to watch without me noticing and now complimented me.
Luka spun and quickly chided Cruz.
「YOU need to hurry up with gathering those heads! Not just the fangs! Get the scales and all!」
「Okay, already!」
There were many precious parts to a hydra.
With all the collection pretty much complete, the wolf pack roamed around the remains with tails wagging.
There were wolves with dripping drool from hunger as well.
「Wait, do you want to eat this hydra meat?」
「RAWF RAWF!」
It seems that they did.
「It's not good though.」
「「WHAT?」」
Cruz and Luka said to me at the same time.
「Rawf?」
Femm looked confused as well.
「Al, don't tell me you've eaten hydra…」
「Yeah, when I was younger.」
「Whaaa? You had some guts to eat something like this.」
Luka pulled back a bit from me.
It was a long journey where there was little food left. I had to eat a fallen hydra.
It was absolutely disgusting.
…it tasted like fish guts…left in vinegar for over a week.
I told Luka about the experience.
「From that I learned how important logistics were. You have to buy all the food that you need ahead of a long quest.」
「Wow.」
Luka said with very little interest.
But Cruz looked confused.
「I think it tasted good.」
「「What?」」
Now Luka and I jumped back, surprised.
Cruz was just surprised at my comment that it tasted bad.
「Wait, Cruz…you ate hydra?」
「Yeah.」
Cruz was a hero. She always had sponsorship money behind her adventures since she was younger.
From her first adventure, another superior adventurer had become a patron for her, I thought.
It was obvious that an older adventurer would do that because you didn't want a young hero to die from lack of funds…that only hurts everyone else in the city that depends on her to take care of monsters.
So there was no way that she'd hit such hard times that she'd need to eat hydra meat.
「Why? Why did you have to eat hydra?」
「Well…don't you think it tastes a little like eel?」
「That's an insult to eels.」
「I just thought that hydra would taste good like an eel, so since I was already wondering…I tried some.」
「Whaaa?」
Luka jumped back, disgusted.
「It's a little gamey and hard, but it was good.」
「What kind of person thinks hydra is good?」
Maybe a hero isn't really a person.
I heard Cruz gulp in anticipation.
「…wait…do you want to eat some, NOW?」
「What? Can I? Yaaayyyy…」
Cruz' eyes shimmered.
I don't remember telling her she could…but she was already ready to go.
「Raouf?」
Femm looked perplexed.
Aren't you giving the meat to me? Femm's face seemed to say.
In fact, Femm looked like it was begging me.
「Since I don't like the taste, you and Femm can split it. Right, Luka?」
「Uh….yeah…Right…I don't want any either. None of it.」
「Thank you!」
「Rawf!」
Femm still looked a bit confused.
It thought it was going to get ALL the meat.
「Ok, Femm, let's split it up.」
「…roff.」
Cruz looked super happy about it, but Femm was down in the dumps.
The other wolves were seated, somber, tails drooping. They were wagging them away just a while ago.
It was kind of a sad scene.
「Um…Cruz?」
「What is it, Al?」
「I said you can split it with Femm, but, Femm needs a lot more. Try to give Femm as much as you can.」
「…sure.」
Cruz now seemed a bit down too.
How much of this hydra was she planning to eat?! What a weird girl.
As soon as Cruz got back to the village, Millet's delicious food would be there for her.
「If you eat a lot now, you won't have appetite for dinner.」
「Okay.」
Femm started wagging its tail again.
「Okay, I'll take this much then…」
「Cruz?!」
「Okay…then just this much.」
She was going to take a big chunk of meat for herself until Luka yelled at her.
So Cruz only cut herself a small bit, and left the rest for Femm.
「Waoww Ruff!」
Femm happily started giving meat to the pack.
The pack started eating the meat happily.
Cruz looked at them eating…with jealousy.
「Cruz, do you want me to cook this with some magic?」
「Oh…yes, please.」
After cooking the meat a bit for Cruz,
「Rawf Ruff Waow Wuff Roaf」
All the pack surrounded us.
「Wait, you want me to cook it for you wolves too?」
「Rauf」
I guess the wolves liked cooked meat more that raw meat too.
Maybe these magic wolves really are quite different from normal ones.
「Okay, then I can cook it for you.」
And so I used some fire magic to cook their meat as well.
『Thanks.』
「Don't mention it.」
After cooking the meat, the foul smell of hydra emerged.
I cooked the meat until it was about half cooked, and the magic wolves started "wolfing" it down.
Cruz started eating it happily as well.
「You want some, Al?」
「No…I'm fine.」
「I see.」
Cruz looked to be really enjoying the meat, even though I was sure it was disgusting.
That's why there was no way I was going to touch it.
「Uwaggghhh」
Luka also backed off…gagging down her urge to vomit.