Bastard Swordsman

Chapter 59 : The Hunter's Luxurious Dinner

The Hunter's Luxurious Dinner

While drying my soaking wet clothes, I decided to start a fire and cook. It was still just past noon, but the stew would take time, and I had to marinate other dishes as well. I figured I could practice archery once I had everything on the fire.

Today, I planned to make a faux fried chicken with the breast meat, simply grilled skewers with salt using the drumsticks, and chicken broth with the leftover bones. As for the remaining meat, maybe I'd try making a pseudo-bang bang chicken.

However, without a proper sauce, it never tasted quite like I imagined. Still, it just ended up tasting somewhat Halperian, which wasn't too bad since the ingredients themselves were delicious. At least, it was much better than the meals served at any inn.

I cut the puff bird into portions and put the needed parts onto plates.

The breast meat was sliced against the fibers and dunked into the marinade. How I wished I had soy sauce.

I chopped the drumsticks roughly, tossing the bones into the pot. The skin was all stretchy and difficult to cut. Well, I could skewer and grill the skin separately. I decided to strip it all at once.

Then I tossed in some aromatic vegetables bought from the market and some pungent wild herbs I'd gathered on the way, and that was that for now.

「... I made this fire piston myself, but this is still faster.」

In this world, there were flint-like tools and disposable igniters similar to matches.

The fire piston I made was just as convenient, but I hardly used it.

Why? Because with my brute strength, using a hand drill method to make fire was quicker.

The hand drill is where you press a wooden stick into a socket and rotate it rapidly.

When I did it, I didn't tire easily, nor did my hands hurt. I could force it to ignite through friction heat, so it was convenient. No sense of civilization, but power solved everything for me.

「Well, I just need to keep the fire going now.」

I was using a thin, standing dead tree nearby for the firewood.

This was some barbaric wood splitting using my bastard sword and power. There was really no sense of civilization. But it seemed this was pretty much what guild members camping in this world did, too...

「I've never made chicken broth before. I wonder if it'll turn out well.」

The one time I tried with a marukko pigeon, there weren't enough bones, so I gave up.

This time, it should work. I was brewing up the big bones of a crater toad too.

「As long as it's ready before dinner, we're good.」

I placed the aromatic wood to ward off monsters at the entrance of the stovepipe oven, allowing the protective smoke to fill the area.

The smoke from this aromatic wood carried a repellent effect on monsters, making them think they just somehow didn't want to approach... It was about as effective as a cheap mosquito coil, based on my experience. A bit iffy.

「Guess I'll try practicing with the bow too.」

For a while, all I had to do was let the big bones simmer.

In the meantime, I decided to entertain myself with a little hunting game with the bow, just like Raina.

Raina was relatively nearby, having hunted two more puff birds near the water.

「... Mongrel-senpai, why are you just wearing your upper undergarment?」

「I got wet earlier, so I'm drying near the fire.」

「Ah... I see. Is it almost time for us to move? Looks like the birds have disappeared from around the campsite.」

「Oh, I think we've got plenty. You managed to bag quite a number.」

「Hehe.」

Despite aiming for birds for some time, I couldn't land a shot, always getting close but never hitting. When I tried to get closer for a shot, they'd fly away. It felt less like practicing archery and more like playing a punishment game of retrieving shot arrows.

「It's tough being an archer, huh.」

「Glad you understand the struggles of an archer.」

「I get it now. Regular practice is important.」

「Exactly. It's really tough to dive into real practice without proper training. This is crucial too.」

Twilight came earlier in the forest. After processing the birds and refilling our water supply by the riverside, we decided to head back to our base camp for the day.

「Wow, you've made a lot, haven't you?」

「Oh yeah, go ahead and sit down and relax. I've already got things going here.」

「... The camp feels so luxurious now!」

Raina seemed mostly to be referring to my triangular tent.

「... You're sleeping inside that?」

「Yeah, it can handle regular rain. A bit tough with strong winds, but no insects falling from above either. Safe and cozy.」

Imagine the triangular pyramid shape. Having just two adjacent panels makes a tent shaped just like the one I'm using.

The apex is supported by a longer tree branch, and the cloth's corners are fixed to the ground using smaller branches. A half-open tent it was.

Camping with just a cape as a bed was common here, but rolling over was subtly painful, and rain hit hard, so I started bringing this collapsible tent for camping-ready missions. It's a bit bulky but worth it.

「With the charge deer's rug mat spread out, the comfort here is top-notch.」

「Oh... ohhh...」

Raina was immediately drawn to the deerskin laid at the tent's base and rolled on it.

I totally got it. Smooth and comfy, right?

「Creating a wall with cloth like this catches the heat from the campfire, keeping it quite warm.」

「Oh, I see what you mean... Mongrel-senpai, you have all kinds of handy stuff, don't you?」

「'Also' you say? I only carry handy stuff with me.」

「Right?」

「Raina, how about browsing the market occasionally and picking up anything that speaks to you? Regor is full of inventors, so you could find quite a few hidden gems.」

「Hidden gems, huh...」

「You can't just let it slide, Raina! You should eagerly dive into new things more than I do. Regor's guild members need to set themselves apart through such pursuits.」

「New things... new things...」

Raina was earnest and attentive, always taking advice and applying it.

But on the flip side, it seemed her experience with anything revolutionary was limited. It's a slightly unlucky personality trait.

Well, she wasn't prejudiced or anything, so she'd change little by little.

「Hey, Raina, we've got some grilled chicken skewers for lunch. Eat up!」

「Yay!」

「The liver and heart are delicious too.」

「Ah, that's good.」

「Ah, if only we had some booze to enjoy this...」

「With just us camping... Maybe we should skip it today.」

「Yeah...」

In the gradually dimming forest, we enjoyed the skewers together.

Raina taught me about handling and caring for bows, only to find that the sword part of my bow sword was irremovable, making regular maintenance a chore.

Though Raina suggested a regular bow might be a better fit, I turned her down. I planned to become the best hunter in Halperia alongside this one.

「Well, first, I should actually hit a single target.」

「True.」

「... Speaking of which, how's the magic practice going? Are you still keeping it up?」

「Oh, yeah, kind of. Just a bit before bed.」

「Oh, really? I thought you might have given up.」

「Well, you know... with that practice method, I just fall asleep. Lately, it's been quite effective as a sleep aid.」

「Eh...」

「Maybe it's bad because I do it lying down in bed.」

「No doubt, that's why...」

The exact nature of magic power as described in the guide already eluded me...

It was often said those accustomed to physical strengthening had a drop in magic aptitude, and I was pretty sure I fit that category squarely.

「Well, enough of that. We've had the grilled skewers, so let's move on to making tonight's main dish.」

「Really? What's it gonna be?」

「Well... if I had to name it, it'd be puff bird fried with a crust, and puff bird with crater toad broth.」

「Ohhh...?」

「Just watch.」

I coated the marinated puff bird with flour and tossed it into the sizzling lard.

It was a bit shallow, but manageable. The popping oil sounded about right.

「At an open fire, managing the heat for a pot is tricky, but with this wood stove, it's much easier.」

「Wow...」

Fried in beast's fat, the flavor from the marinade all soaked into the breast meat, mixed with the lard. Shouldn't be too bad. If only that marinade had been soy sauce, it would've been perfect, but oh well.

「Here, Raina, have a taste.」

「Wow... Wait, is it really okay?」

「Don't hesitate. Eat up...」

「... Thanks. Mmm... yum!」

Is it good, Raina?... It tastes good, right, Raina?... It's the bird you hunted. Eat as much as you want...

「The crunchy texture is so good! Usually, this meat is dry... but it's so juicy inside! It's the best!」

「Right? Okay, I'll grab this big one... Ow, ow!」

「That looks super hot.」

「Ow... ow...」

「... Took a bite too big, and now it's too hot to chew, huh?」

Puff birds weren't small, but they didn't quite match a chicken in terms of quantity.

With two people eating, the fried chicken was gone before we knew it.

But it wasn't just enough; the amount felt just right.

「This tangy sauce goes so well with the light meat here too.」

「Right? Oh, and I boiled some wild herbs, so eat those too.」

「Okay!」

The pseudo-bang bang chicken was decent enough, perhaps even perfect as a snack.

Ah, I wanted a drink. Is whiskey on sale yet, Lord Regor? Selling to the capital and other countries is fine, but please fulfill the demand within Regor too...

「Next is this broth here...」

「... I've been curious about it for a while. The smell...」

「Good, isn't it? The flavor comes out when you simmer the bones, you know.」

「The marrow... That's why you put in the crater toad bones, right?」

「Uh, yeah, probably. Now I'm not sure what'll happen with those added, but...」

「Eh...」

Looking into the pot, it was... hardly attractive, to say the least.

Frankly, it looked like boiling garbage. But the rich aroma reliably asserted that it was indeed food.

「For now, let's get the bones out of here...」

「Wow, Mongrel-senpai, you're so good at holding those two stick things!」

「Huh? Oh, well, I found them in Black Shroud Market lately. Once you get used to them, they're handy for picking up food and stuff.」

「Wow...」

「With the broth, I just need to season it with some salt and...」

I dripped some soup on the back of my hand for a taste test... Yep, needs salt.

「How is it senpai? How's the flavor?」

「Wait a second, you'll see... yeah, this saltiness is just right. Now, simmer it a bit with the veggies...」

Cut turnips, some shabby carrots, and leftover puff bird meat all tossed in, adding pepper-like spicy seasoning, simmer on...

「Alright, Raina, give it a taste. It's Mongrel's special broth.」

「Weren't these dishes called something else just now... Let's dig in.」

By now, night had fallen, slowly enveloping everything.

The light from the firewood stove and newly added campfire was unreliable but enough to see each other's faces.

「Gulp, gulp... Yum! Delicious!」

「Told you so. Let me see... yeah, it tastes great.」

Chicken broth's flavor is simply unbeatable. Today's was more pot-au-feu-like, but I found myself wanting noodles with it.

Chicken leftovers, to venture into some Chinese noodle-making...? Order special gear...? Though maybe cutting it with a knife would suffice... Still, round noodles sounded nice...

「Sniff... It feels like the deliciousness of chicken is concentrated in this... It's better than any restaurant food!」

「Right? I never compromise on good food.」

「... I really think you could make a killing opening a shop, you know?」

「The food industry seems tough, though. I love cooking here in the wild.」

Hunting monsters, cooking with abandon, devouring and sleeping...

Usually, it's nothing to show others. Who knows what secrets might leak?

But with Raina, I couldn't help but want her to try it.

I caved into the niece-like spell. I always do, though.

「You've gotta keep this from Artemis' folks, alright? If they found out, I'd be Artemis' exclusive chef.」

「... That sounds good, actually.」

「Oh, come on—」

「Just kidding.」

Raina laughed as she started serving herself more soup.

There's quite a bit, so we'd have some leftover for breakfast too.

The annoying cleanup after all this would be tomorrow's problem, left for future Mongrel. I'm counting on you. You take care of the frying cleanup.

... Wait a minute.

「While we're at it, how about adding some lard into the broth?」

「Hmm... just a little then.」

「To make it richer... yeah, not bad.」

「... Oh, you're right. Broth as a standalone was fine, but this tastes good too.」

Sure, it didn't use up all the oil, but if it tasted good now, that was all that mattered.

Finishing our meal, night deepened. Though, if I had a clock, it'd probably be around 9 PM. Forest nights felt especially long.

Then again, with hunting early tomorrow, staying up late was out. The best way to deal with another world's nights was to sleep through them.

「Sorry for the imposition, Mongrel-senpai... joining you here...」

「Oh, it's fine. We fit if it's just the two of us. And it's warmer with company.」

「... Yeah.」

Raina and I decided to sleep inside the triangular tent.

It was cramped, but with Raina being petite, and adjusting the cloth, there was room.

Having two warm-blooded creatures curled up kept things warm too.

The wood in the stove quietly crackled as the aromatic wood atop it smoldered, warding off monsters. Full and sleepy...

「... I'm not much of a cook. What do you think of girls not good at cooking, Mongrel-senpai?」

「Huh? Is this about marriage or something?」

「Oh, well, yes... In Regor, women do house chores, right? But I'm mostly hunting... and I wonder if that's strange... and all.」

「I guess, for city folks, it might be a bit unusual.」

「Most in our party are good at such chores... but I'm just busy with bow practice and maintenance. Am I not very feminine or something?」

I see, so that's her worry.

「Artis-senpai has even stepped up, doing things like cleaning the bath recently, making potpourri and stuff... And here I am, a girl, without all that... and Artis-senpai seems more feminine, and it's like, what am I doing... trying things, but just not enough...?」

「... The fact you're aware and thinking about it at all makes you pretty awesome, Raina.」

Oblivious types never notice their actions, after all.

If she's got awareness, that's plenty.

「Besides, I think it's cool. You being passionate about archery.」

「... You think so?」

「Back in my hometown, men and women both worked. Not really roles specific to gender... maybe there were, but we really pushed to treat everyone equally as much as possible... Well, more or less.」

「... That seems complicated.」

「Yeah. Whether or not it had a positive effect on the hometown? I'm not sure... But, you know, I kind of liked that vibe. Everybody doing the work they wanted, chasing the dreams they held...」

Gender equality. Even in my previous world, there were inconveniences unspeakable publicly, swept under", but being able to choose their life's path without much flak... That was a sweet era.

「You saying that comforts me, Mongrel-senpai.」

「I'm glad.」

「Thank you.」

「I'm sleeping... Let's call it a night.」

「... Okay.」

Thinking earns heavy eyelids. I can't keep up with the youth anymore... Sad but true.

I'm done, I'm sleeping... Zzz...

「... Warmth.」

The sensation of Raina against my back lingered as I drifted off to sleep.

Skipping my routine magic meditation made this the second day in a row. Starting tomorrow, I'll give it another shot.