Episode 7. Delicious.
Hunters, in reality, have more free time than farmers.
This is because most of their work involves setting traps to catch prey, requiring less labor time overall.
While hunting may bring to mind the image of tracking and chasing animals, this method is less efficient compared to trapping.
As such, hunters rarely pursued animals unless they stumbled upon nearby prey or highly valuable game.
Ar primarily used the method of periodically checking animal tracks in the forest and setting traps.
During the remaining time, she would prepare the animals she caught, crafting leather goods or preserved food to sell.
Her steady mindset of utilizing every spare moment for profit was the key to her modest wealth.
While having more money was always a good thing, Ar never had a specific amount she aimed to save. She didn’t earn money to save it, but rather because she had nothing else to do.
Now, however, she had something she wanted to spend her free time on.
Ar had been spending the money she’d saved generously in recent days.
She bought cookbooks that Leon desired, along with new bedding and clothes to make him more comfortable.
She enjoyed preparing ingredients for meals alongside Leon and practically spent her entire day by his side.
Leon turned to look at Ar, who was trailing after him.
“…Shouldn’t you be working?”
“It’s fine. I’ve already finished.”
Having risen at dawn to check her traps in the forest, Ar spoke confidently.
It was evident she intended to follow Leon around today as well.
Leon glanced down at Ar, who was looking up at him with a determined gaze.
Troublesome.
The way she wanted to stay by his side and look only at him was both troublesome and endearing.
Silently, Leon turned back to focus on preparing breakfast.
Leon hollowed out a hardened piece of bread from yesterday’s baking and used it as a bowl for the meal.
He recalled a noble household using a similar method to serve food at a banquet.
The bread absorbed the oils from the meat placed atop it, preventing the sauce from spilling over while enhancing the dish’s presentation.
“This is interesting,” Ar remarked.
“Oh, but that bread isn’t meant to be eaten—!”
Before Leon could explain, Ar had already bitten into the bread along with the meat on top.
After chewing a few times, her eyes widened, and she eagerly took another bite.
“It tastes even better together!”
Seeing her eyes sparkle, Leon swallowed the words he had been about to say. Instead, he followed her lead and tried the bread and meat together.
The hardened bread had softened after absorbing the sauce, complementing the meat wonderfully.
The two quietly savored this new dish.
After finishing breakfast, Ar leaned back in her chair, enjoying a moment of leisure. Watching Leon’s back with a satisfied expression, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.
She needed to replace a damaged snare she had seen that morning.
I have to go out.
But she didn’t want to leave. Ar didn’t want to part from the house where Leon was.
After some hesitation, Ar suggested that Leon join her for a trip to the forest.
Bored from staying in the cabin all the time, Leon readily agreed.
Ar led Leon through the paths she frequented in the forest, explaining everything in detail—where animals passed, what she had caught there, and where traps were set.
She hid nothing, sharing secrets of hunting that hunters typically only passed down to family members.
The two ventured deeper into the forest, farther from the cabin than before.
Though the sun was high in the sky after their hearty breakfast and leisurely departure, the dense trees provided ample shade, keeping the heat at bay.
A refreshing breeze carried pleasant air into their noses.
Ar walked more slowly than usual, ensuring that Leon, unaccustomed to the forest, wouldn’t trip over exposed roots.
She pointed out anything that caught Leon’s attention, explaining what it was.
“That’s a lantern mushroom. It glows at night and then dissolves.”
“A mushroom that glows?”
“Yeah, it shines blue.”
“That’s a mimosa. Try touching it lightly.”
“…!”
“It closes its leaves when touched.”
“What’s that creature? Is it a crocodile?”
“Oh, that’s a monitor lizard. There’s a water source nearby.”
Leon found everything fascinating.
Things he hadn’t noticed in the forest before came into view after Ar’s explanations.
Then, suddenly, Ar crouched down to the ground.
“What’s wrong?”
Before Leon, startled, could check on her, Ar brushed away leaves near a tree stump and pulled out a pouch she had brought along.
“It’s an edible mushroom.”
She lifted a layer of seemingly barren leaves to reveal a large mushroom, as if by magic.
It was hard to believe something so big had been hidden there.
Leon recognized it immediately.
“Isn’t that a Black Forest Mushroom?”
This rare ingredient, known for its strong aroma, was highly sought after by gourmets.
Often used sparingly in sauces due to its high price, it occasionally appeared whole in extravagant feasts.
Ar picked the mushroom with ease, placing it into her pouch.
Knowing its value, Leon warned her of merchants who might cheat her out of its worth.
“I’m not selling it.”
Having tasted the Black Forest Mushroom before, Ar knew how delicious it was. Although it would fetch a high price in the village, she had no intention of selling it.
She had picked it to feed something delicious to Leon.
Ar’s skillful gathering continued to amaze Leon, who whispered quiet exclamations of admiration.
Encouraged by his reactions, Ar worked harder, searching the forest for more edible treasures.
As Ar crouched to pick another mushroom, Leon spotted a rabbit watching them from a bush near a tree stump.
Its twitching nose and perked ears made it look incredibly cute.
Carefully, Leon approached the rabbit, avoiding the thorns of the bush. He reached out to stroke its head, and the rabbit’s soft fur felt like cotton.
Apparently enjoying the touch, the rabbit lifted its head, nudging Leon’s hand with its nose.
Feeling a deep connection with the animal, Leon was moved.
But then—
Thwack!
The rabbit opened its mouth wide just as a dagger flew through the air, striking it squarely in the neck.
“!!”
“This is a silent outcry.”
In an instant, Leon’s awe vanished, and he stared at Ar, his mouth opening and closing in shock.
Ar, who had approached quietly, picked up the rabbit in front of Leon and drew her dagger sideways from where it had struck.
Blood flowed in a stream from the neck of the now-certainly lifeless rabbit.
“…”
Feeling Leon’s gaze on her, Ar spoke as if making an excuse.
“This one could’ve bitten you.”
The cotton-furred rabbit, a rare sight in the forest, was known for its vicious nature despite its adorable appearance.
It would attack animals much larger than itself with its large teeth before fleeing.
Worse, it carried a mild venom that, while not particularly strong, was enough to affect humans.
“You shouldn’t touch things you don’t recognize in the forest.”
Though the venom would typically cause only mild illness for a few days in healthy individuals, there was no telling how it might affect an outsider like Leon.
Since the flower poisoning incident, Ar had firmly believed that her partner had a weaker constitution than most. She was determined to eliminate anything in the forest that could harm him.
Although cotton-furred rabbits were small and not particularly meaty, their pelts fetched a decent price.
Normally, Ar would take her time to catch them without damaging the fur.
However, concerned that Leon might get bitten, she had rushed to kill it, even at the expense of the hide.
Looking down at the now-useless rabbit pelt, Ar decided to skin it and store the meat in a sack. Though there wasn’t much meat, rabbit was undeniably delicious.
On their way back, they also stumbled upon a wild boar caught in one of Ar’s traps.
“Oh, this one’s a good catch.”
It was customary to skin and butcher the animal at the site for better-tasting meat. However, Ar glanced at Leon, who stood nearby.
“?”
Seeing her partner’s innocent smile, unaware of the work ahead, Ar decided to haul the boar back home as it was.
Once they arrived, she immediately dragged the boar to her workspace.
With Leon’s help, it was much easier to hang the boar on the hooks compared to doing it alone, which usually required ropes and considerable effort.
It was now time to skin and butcher the boar.
Leon, anticipating what was coming next, watched the hanging boar with a tense expression.
Though he had hunted before, Leon had never witnessed the actual process of butchering an animal.
Resolving to bear the full weight of the life they had taken for food, he steeled himself and stayed.
But Ar simply shooed him outside.
“…?”
Leon, pushed out of the workshop, looked confused.
“You don’t need to see this,” Ar said firmly.
“What are you talking about? If it’s something you must do yourself, wouldn’t it be better for me to learn and help—”
“It’s a trade secret.”
With a click, Ar closed the door and latched it shut.
Despite Leon’s lingering presence outside, she sent him off to the kitchen before returning to the boar.
Slice. Swish.
She expertly skinned the boar and cut open its belly with practiced movements, dividing the meat into various parts.
She separated what they couldn’t consume right away to sell later, preparing only what they could cook and eat at home.
When Ar finally brought the cleaned meat into the kitchen, Leon was struck with yet another shock.
“We’re eating… that?”
Among the items Ar carried were the blue-tinged entrails of the boar.
Animal offal was often considered low-class food, something noblemen like Leon had never encountered. He likely hadn’t even considered it edible.
Even among commoners, offal wasn’t particularly popular.
Only the very poor would buy it, and even then, only when meat prices were prohibitively high.
Most people who brought their livestock for butchering would take the meat and leave the innards behind, which usually became the butcher’s share.
For Ar, offal was a nostalgic taste of her childhood, something her grandfather had often prepared for her.
She didn’t notice Leon’s pale expression as she explained the flavors of the liver, lungs, and intestines, enthusiastically recounting how to cook them.
Leon’s face grew even paler, but seeing Ar’s sparkling excitement, he resolved to go through with it.
With trembling hands, he wielded his knife, using his culinary knowledge to transform the grotesque ingredients into a delicious dish.
“…It’s done.”
“Wow!”
Ar’s eyes lit up as she tasted the nostalgic dish.
Leon, having honed his cooking skills through experience with fine royal cuisine, had quickly adapted and elevated the humble offal into something worthy of a palace banquet.
As he watched Ar eat with delight, Leon reluctantly picked up his utensils.
“…”
Even though he had cooked the dishs himself, knowing the nature of the ingredients made it difficult for him to bring the food to his mouth.
After a long moment of contemplation, Leon finally steeled himself and took a bite.
The dish was surprisingly delicious.
