by Inumajin
“Arwf?! (A-ah, wait, didn’t I tell you not to come out yet?!)”
Garo leaps out from the shadow of the boar before I can warn her off.
“Whoa, what the—?!”
The old man steps back in surprise.
“Woof! (Tch. Change of plans. You guys, get out here!)”
The pack of wolves appears on my command.
There are only about fifteen of them, but seeing as they’re all larger than I am, it’s a pretty amazing sight.
“Ahh?! Wh-who are you guys?! Don’t tell me you’re wol—”
Now! Just like we practiced on the way back!
One, two, three!
“““Grr-woof, woof!”””
“……Oh, you’re all dogs…”
The old man wipes the sweat off his brow.
We did it!
I strike a victory pose in my mind.
The old man seems as blissfully ignorant as ever. He’s so surprised that he’s completely taken in.
“Are these your friends, Routa?”
“Woof, woof! (Yep! They helped me hunt it!)”
“I see. You all worked together to bring this down.”
He walks up to the line of wolves.
“Grwwl! (L-lady Garo! Stand down, old man! Don’t you dare lay a hand on the princess, filthy human!)”
The brown wolf Bal jumps forward just as James is about to pet Garo.
“Woof, woof! (Hey! Bal! Heel! Get ahold of yourself!)”
“G-grw…… (Y-your Majesty… V-very well.)”
Bal’s ears flatten when I tell him to stop.
“Oh, what’s this? Do you want some pats, too?”
He crouches down in front of Bal and ruffles his head with a big hand.
Bal wrinkles his nose menacingly but can’t move because of my command.
“G-grwl… (As a proud soldier of the Fen Wolves…! This insult is…! I-I’ll kill you!)”
“There. Good boy. You worked so hard! I’m impressed!”
“G-grr! (S-stop…! Were it not for the king’s order—! You would be…! I—I can’t believe I must yield to a human…! Th-this is, this iiiiiiiiiiiis…!)”
The old man started at the head and is now rubbing both his hands around Bal’s cheeks, until Bal finally sounds like he’s going to melt, then collapses on the ground.
That must have been his first time being petted.
I think he just closed his eyes because of how good it felt…
“But you know, now that I’ve had a closer look at this boar, it’s not a monster, is it…?”
The old man stands up and touches the boar’s coarse bristles, expressing his doubt.
“And all these dogs managed to take it down… Where did you all come from? Do you live in the forest?” he asks.
Damn it. We managed to trick him so far, but he’s beginning to doubt us again.
We’ll be in trouble if he reports us to Papa or Zenobia…!
“Oh my, no need to worry about them,” says a bewitching female voice.
When did she get here? A woman with a wide-brimmed tricornered hat is suddenly standing next to the old man. She tucks her long silver hair behind her ear and smiles at him. She’s a real voluptuous witch.
“O-oh…! Miss Hecate. Oh my, is it that time already?”
It seems the old man is acquainted with this strange, sexy lady who appeared out of nowhere.
He quietly nods as if he knows something.
Hmm? Hecate? …Where have I heard that name before?
“These creatures are my friends. Be at ease.”
“I see, so they’re like your familiars? That’s good, then.”
“Grwl! Grwl! (Who’s your friend?! We’re not familiars, you infernal witch!)”
Garo growls at her.
So Garo knows this lady, too? Looks like they don’t get along.
“Woof? (Who’s this?)”
I stand next to Garo and whisper to her.
“Grw. (She’s an elf witch who lives in the western part of the forest. She just built a house and took up residence there one day… We’ve tried to chase her out, but…)”
“Woof. (So you were beaten at your own game.)”
“Grwl! (No! There’s no way we would ever lose! But this witch uses strange illusion magic. Her sorcery always confuses us…)”
“Woof. (Hmm. Well, that’s fine. Just let her live there. This whole land belongs to Papa either way.)”
As his beloved dog, it’s natural for me to protect what’s his.
“G-grwl! (But—! My king!)”
“Woof, woof. (You shouldn’t be so stingy. The forest is huge. And it looks like she’s a friend of the old man. There shouldn’t be any issue with a few other people living in the forest. It’s decided.)”
“Grwl…… (Very well. If that is what the king wishes…)”
She bows her head in acquiescence.
Everything she says makes her sound so selfish.
I need to change that.
Actually, this lady doesn’t seem as bad as Garo was making her out to be.
She did just save us, after all.
Getting a better look at this sexy lady reveals that she has emerald-green eyes. Just as I’m considering how nice they look, she gives me a mischievous grin.
Hmm? Hmm? I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen those eyes somewhere before…
“So these guys are all familiars. Then this boar is…”
The witch smoothly dispels his doubt.
“A creature that was warped by a stray drift of magical energy, a common occurrence. These drifts can come in from anywhere, you know.”
“Ohhh, so it was a monster after all… I’d heard monsters don’t appear in this forest, but maybe I should alert the master just in case…”
“Do not fear. These children will dispatch any monsters that turn up. I can tell Gandolf if you’d prefer.”
“Ahhh, right then. So it’s thanks to you guys that the forest’s safe.”
The old man praises them by petting Bal on the head.
“G-grw… (P-please stop…)”
He’s unable to move because the pats feel so good, so he tries to retreat by lying down.
“Hmm, I never imagined I would get this much monster meat. Is it even safe to eat monster meat…?”
“There aren’t any adverse effects in particular. They are creatures that form when magic binds to a soul. When they are alive, that’s one thing. When they are dead, though, they’re no different from regular animals.”
She quells his worries in an instant.
“Well, in that case, I guess I’ll have to face this challenge as a chef. It may be dead, but we can still give it a delicious send-off.”
He crosses his arms and closes his eyes. Then they snap open.
“Right, you guys! I require your aid! We won’t be having just any old meal this time. This shall be a true testament to culinary excellence!”
Yippee!
Old man James really is the best!
I can hear the soothing sounds of the babbling brook.
Gentle rays of morning sun filter through the trees. It will still be a while before the sun is high in the sky.
“All right, then. We’ll butcher it here.”
The old man had pulled a cart loaded with all his tools and stopped at an open area next to the river.
I didn’t know there was such a beautiful brook so close to the mansion.
The wolves carrying the boar let it down with a boom. The giant carcass rolls to the water’s edge.
The beast is so huge that it was impossible to butcher it at the mansion. There’s lots of water here, and it will prevent the mansion’s residents from seeing the wolves. Although, when I think about how oblivious they are, I imagine everything would be fine if they saw them.
But it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Especially with Zenobia running around. If she crossed paths with one of these wolves, there’s no way it would end well.
“Hmm. It’s so heavy; draining the blood is going to be an issue. It’s been a while since its heart stopped, so we’re going to have to find a way to get it off its side…”
The old man frowns, looking troubled as he holds a massive knife.
We could throw a rope over a branch and use that to hoist the body, but there doesn’t seem to be any trees that could bear the weight.
“Oh, so you just need it hung up?”
The witch Hecate, who accompanied us, pops her head out from behind the boar with her question.
“Yes. Do you have any ideas?”
“Tee-hee, what about this?”
Hecate pulls out a metallic wand. The large jewel adorning the tip begins glowing, and the boar’s giant body floats into the air as if lifted by invisible hands.
Whoa! Amazing! Magic’s incredible!
Its hangs from its back end, with its head toward the ground. It stays fixed in the air as if it were hanging from a tree.
“Well?”
“My, this is something! They don’t call you a witch for nothing!”
It really is incredible, but if she could have done that, then she could have helped carry the thing right from the start.
All the wolves that carried that thing are looking over, panting.
“Oh, no. Holding it in place is easy; carrying something like this would have been much more difficult. And I don’t like breaking a sweat.”
Hecate says this as if she just read my mind.
She stabs her wand into the riverbank to keep the boar in place, then moves over to stand beside me.
“Tee-hee.”
“…Arw. (Y-you’re too close, lady.)”
She flashes me a cheeky grin and a sideways glance.
She has a fine nose, long ears, silver hair, and an erotic aura about her. I’m sure I wouldn’t forget such a unique person if I’d met her before. This is definitely the first time we’ve crossed paths, but I still feel like I’ve met her somewhere before. The way she smiles, as if she can see right through me, makes her appear as mischievous as a cat.
Huh? A cat?
Wait? Could she be…?
“I did tell you I wasn’t a cat, didn’t I, Routa?”
She flashes me a knowing smile.
“I see you finally noticed. I was a little sad that you didn’t put it together sooner. We are friends, after all.”
“Woof, woof?! (No, but… Whaaaat? You’re really the cat from before?!)”
I’d thought she was a cat who was just calling herself a witch, but she’s the real deal! If this is her real body, then did she transform into the cat from before?
“I didn’t quite transform. I’ll tell you about my little trick later.”
With that, Hecate’s gaze moves back to the old man challenging the boar with his massive knife.
The way he handles the blade is truly spectacular. It’s a different kind of mastery from cutting down enemies with a sword, and before long, the giant boar has been turned into familiar chunks of meat.
The look in the wolves’ eyes as they watch is otherworldly. Drool flows from their mouths, and their tails are kicking up clouds of dust. Even the proud wolves are no match for the old man. All they can do now is be patient. Hold it in until we’re served an amazing meal.
“Hee-hee, what spectacular skills.”
Hecate looks like she’s in a trance as she praises the old man. Hearing him receive praise makes me happy, too, for some reason.
“This much meat should last the mansion quite a while…”
He says this admiringly as he looks up at the pile of pork.
It must weigh close to a ton. What an incredible amount of food.
The mountain of meat literally looks like a shrine.
“Of course, all of you helped catch it; you’ll get your fair share, too. But even you couldn’t eat all this in one go. I’ll smoke half of it. That should help get us through winter.”
That’s a good idea.
His smoked meat tastes amazing. The smoked suet he once made was incredible. It had a solid texture, which melted sweetly in your mouth, slowly spreading the umami over your tongue until it completely dissolved.
It was pure magic.
I wonder how the boar meat will taste once it’s been smoked.
I’m getting excited now.
Ah, but that’s for the future. My hunger right now is more important.
Old man! Hurry up! Hurry up and give me some food!
“To be honest, curing this will make it a lot more delicious. It will need at least three days in a cool, dry room. But you can’t wait that long, can you?”
“““Grwl! Grwl! Grwl! Grwl!!”””
The wolves voice their agreement.
Excuse me, everyone, your disguises are slipping. That should be “Woof, woof.”
“I’ll simply grill some of it. That’ll be best.”
He goes to the river and picks up some rocks, makes a hearth, then places a large, flat metal plate over it.
“The meat’s still tough, though, so I’ll cut it thin and grill up a big batch. I’ll cook a bunch of loin, rib, and thigh. You can eat to your hearts’ content.”
“…Gulp… (Y-you mean…)”
H-he’s making barbecuuuuuuuuuuue!!!
Yahoo! Routa loves barbecue!
The old man takes out a thin knife and begins carving up the meat, laying each slice onto the hot plate with the edge of the blade. As the pink meat sizzles, he flips it over, and the strips slowly curl as the fat drips away.
The wolves, who have never had barbecue before, watch the spectacle unfold in front of them, eyes glistening.
The meat dances on the hot plate, giving off an incredible smell.
It’s amazing. Everyone is drooling.
Me, too, of course. I want to stick my face into the fragrant smoke.
The thin strips are soon cooked through, and the old man quickly removes them from the hot plate. Now all that’s left is to serve it up.
The crisp victuals are slowly loaded onto a giant plate until a tower of meat stands before us.
“““Grwl! Grwl! Grwl! Grwl!!”””
“Whoa, hold your horses. I have to do the finishing touches.”
He holds the howling wolves back, then produces a knife different from the one he just used to slice up the meat. With his other hand, he takes out a large wheel of cheese. He puts the cheese, solid enough to be used as a blunt weapon, under the hot plate and grills it over the fire. The hard cheese begins melting over the flames.
The cheese is now so soft that it bubbles. The old man prunes off slice after slice and lays them atop of the tower of meat. The barbecued boar is now blanketed by a layer of gold.
Amazing! It’s calories covered in more calories!
It’s not every day the old man cooks something so fattening it could kill you!
It looks so incredibly unhealthy!
But that’s just fine with me!
The rich fragrance of the gamy meat and the bouquet of warm cheese combine to create an aroma so delicious that I might even consider going out hunting again!
The eyes of the wolves creeping closer and closer are getting scary. Their noses are sniffing, tongues are lolling out, and their breathing is ragged.
They never had such a look in their eyes when they were hunting the boar.
If they have to wait any longer, some might start dying of agony.
“All right, then—dig in!”
The moment he gives the okay, the wolves dive into the plate, tails wagging.
I figured it wouldn’t be hot anymore, but the meat has been sliced so thin that it’s the perfect temperature.
“““Grwl! Grwl! Grwl! (Delicious! Amazing! Humans are incredible!)”””
The wolves are completely engrossed in the grilled meat and cheeses.
“Grwl! (Y-you guys! The king has yet to dine! How dare you lay your paws on that! Et tu, Bal?!)”
Garo barks angrily at the pack
, but no one is listening.
I get it. Social rankings don’t matter when the old man’s cooking is involved. I forgive you. Eat to your hearts’ content.
“Woof, woof! (Which reminds me. Old man! Bring some meat over here! Garo, come sit by me!)”
“What’s that? You want to share with this black wolf? You flirt.”
No, that’s not it.
I’m not a furry.
“G-grw! (H-human…! What vulgar— Th-the king and I would never—)”
She says that, but her tail is half wagging.
“Bark. (No, Garo, it’s fine. Let’s get some food.)”
I’ve been holding back, but I’m at my limit now, too.
Garo and I eat the cheesy meat from the same plate.
“Mwaf?! (Th-this is…?!)”
Delicious!! Absolutely delicious!!
The wild boar’s meat is bursting with a flavor that is perfectly accompanied by the sweetness of the cheese, overflowing with umami.
To think something so simple could be so delicious.
“Grwl…! (Th-this is…! The same sensation as when we had the mysterious meat you brought us…! No—it may be even more wonderful…!)”
It’s so delicious even Garo is engrossed. She’s completely forgotten her embarrassment and is inhaling the meat.
Which reminds me, Hecate’s being quiet.
As I look around to see what she’s doing—
“It is quite delicious,” she says, enjoying her own plate of food.
I think she started eating before us.
She’s even piling on more cheese with some pepper.
A little bit of cheese drips from her mouth as she chews with an expression of pure bliss. It really reminds me of that crimson cat.
So this witch is a big eater, too. You wouldn’t think so at first glance, but she’s actually pretty childish.
This is how our early lunch went. We kept eating until our stomachs were about to explode.
“Wh-what the hell is thiiiiiiiiiiiiis?!”
Later, we had to make multiple trips to the mansion to carry back all the meat, but that’s another story.
I’m nervous.
I’m nervous, waiting outside my lady’s bedroom.
“Dr. Hecate.”
“Yes, Miss Mary?”
“That tickles.”
“Oh my, this tickles? Then what about here?”
