Chapter 34
"Such a massive magical beast!!"
Having taken down an enormous magical beast, I could tell that the elven hunters' gaze towards me had changed.
The wariness in their eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by awe where fear once resided.
Elves, being a hunting people, respect hunters who bring down large magical beasts more than anyone else.
Honestly, I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but with the leader saying so and others chiming in with praise, I had no choice but to accept it.
Standing before the massive carcass that still towered over us even in death, the leader spoke with admiration:
"...I knew you were strong, but I never imagined to this extent. As a fellow hunter and a man, I offer you my respect."
"It's nothing. Besides, since I hunted this meat in your territory, I'd like to give it to you. Please accept it as a gift of friendship."
"No, that won't do."
"Pardon?"
"This prey is your first hunt in this mountain. It's the mountain's rule that the hunter keeps their first kill for themselves."
At first, it seemed like he was refusing because he didn't want to owe us any more, but the leader's face was too serious for that.
Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, it didn't seem to be an act.
"And, I'm embarrassed to say this, but we wouldn't even know where to start processing such a massive beast."
There was also the practical issue.
Even at a glance, moving the carcass of a magical beast easily over 15 meters long would be quite a chore.
Unfamiliar and this large, it would take days to butcher even if the entire hunting group pitched in.
While the elves couldn't accept the meat due to tradition and practical reasons, we couldn't take it either for somewhat embarrassing reasons.
The meat from a 15-meter magical beast is certainly a lot, but it's not enough to feed 30,000 people.
Even if we prioritized distribution to the craftsmen and knights, they might not dare to rebel or complain openly, but resentment would linger.
As the old sages said, if you gather more than five people, at least one of them is bound to be trash.
There would definitely be groups who'd commit crimes out of greed for meat or incite the refugees.
If unnecessary conflict arose over such a small amount of food, it'd be better not to have it at all.
When we honestly explained our pathetic situation, the leader cautiously said:
"There are several large magical beast herds in the area that we couldn't handle. If food shortage is the problem, why not take more? There are still many large beasts left."
"Hold on, since when did massive magical beasts become as common as wild boars in the backyard?"
As Baron David chimed in with a snarky comment, the leader chuckled and said:
"They're plentiful because no one can deal with them. So, what do you want to do? Their habitat isn't far from here."
"We'll go. Let's hunt them quickly."
We returned to the village after hunting more beasts that seemed to be wild boars, deer, and snakes.
When I came back carrying the huge magical beast carcasses with telekinesis magic, sounds that could have been either cheers or screams erupted from all around.
"These were all hunted by the pioneer lord!"
At first, everyone was terrified by the gruesome sight of the magical beasts, but when the hunting group leader shouted loudly, they soon calmed down, and the elves gathered around.
"D-did you really hunt these, my lord?!"
"Y-yes... That's right."
The sight of jewel-like beautiful eyes shining from all directions was quite overwhelming.
However, the feeling of being welcomed like a hero by those who had been wary of me until just recently wasn't so bad.
As elven children made a fuss about how amazing it was, and adults nodded in admiration, Pina came out of her house, drawn by the commotion.
"...What in the world?"
She looked up at the magical beast carcasses with an astonished expression.
Even Pina, who had shown little change in expression since we first met, seemed genuinely surprised for once.
After staring intently at the floating magical beast carcasses for a while, Pina finally spoke:
"...You're truly amazing."
"Ah, thank you..."
"Truly... I'd like to offer more words of praise, but with my limited knowledge, I can't even begin to fathom what else to say."
In Pina's calm eyes, I could see a hint of the admiration typical of children.
While her words were completely adult-like, her unconscious actions had a cuteness befitting a girl her age.
I'd heard that elves, being a hunting people, show respect to hunters who bring down powerful magical beasts.
But I hadn't expected the cold Pina to light up like a child to this extent.
No, she's not just like a child, she is one...
Having caught four huge magical beasts, we had gathered more meat than expected.
As I pondered how to handle this, I noticed the elves gathering near the beast carcasses.
If leaving the meat awkwardly would only sow seeds of discord, wouldn't it be better to share it all with the elves and eat it together?
"If it's alright with you, why don't you come down the mountain and eat the magical beast meat with us?"
"Would that be okay?"
I thought we might be refused, but surprisingly, everyone smiled and accepted the invitation.
Even those who had been reluctant to associate with us seemed to smile genuinely, at least for this moment.
Is bringing down big game really such a big deal?
Honestly, I couldn't quite understand that sentiment, but it was a good thing anyway.
When we returned to the pioneer settlement with the magical beast meat, screams erupted from all around at first, but once they understood the situation, cheers broke out.
As everyone cheered at the sight of an unprecedented amount of meat, the pioneer settlement truly felt like a festival.
Since we couldn't butcher this meat using normal methods, I flew up into the sky and used magic to disassemble it piece by piece, dividing it by parts.
Invisible, transparent blades mercilessly carved up the magical beast's body on the ground, scraping off every bit of meat stuck to the bones without leaving anything behind.
I planned not to waste anything, as even the innards and tendons could be eaten depending on the cooking method.
"Woooaah!!"
Though the sight of invisible blades mercilessly carving up the magical beast was a gruesome spectacle, cheers erupted from all around.
Am I the weird one here?
I'd always prided myself on having normal sensibilities, but now I wasn't so sure.
After draining all the blood from the processed meat using magic, we boiled it together with the wild vegetables the elves had brought.
The meat, eaten after so long, was delicious.
Actually, it wasn't that great since the gamey smell hadn't fully dissipated, but in these times, being able to eat plenty of meat at all was a luxury.
"The bones, we can boil the bones for broth..."
"Hey, let us help too."
"Ah, yeah... Thanks."
It seemed that in front of meat, racial differences became trivial, as the refugees and elves got along well.
Seeing everyone sharing the meat together in a friendly atmosphere felt like witnessing the ideal world I'd always dreamed of.
As the festive mood reached its peak, I couldn't help but think of the Hero's party.
We ate together every day in the Demon Realm, but the atmosphere was never this joyful.
Maybe we could have had a future like this...
No, that's not right.
At least as long as the Hero was that kind of person, I can say with certainty that it would never happen.
I wonder what they're doing now?
For some reason, I suddenly found myself concerned about something that shouldn't matter.
*****
After the meeting that didn't feel like a meeting.
Karin, having returned from prison, gritted her teeth as she waited for the coming moment within her limited freedom.
To ensure she'd never climb back up, her meals were restricted to the same as the servants', and there was always a knight by her side, making her life no different from a prisoner's.
However, even this lack of freedom was nothing compared to a real prison, so she could endure it somehow.
More importantly, the knights' behavior had been strange lately.
They seemed half-hearted in their duties, and even when she went outside on her own, they'd just follow without saying anything.
Recently, they'd started chatting outside her door, probably thinking she couldn't hear.
By quietly listening to their gossip, Karin could somewhat guess the situation outside.
It seemed Elang had received a large territory.
Hearing that he was living comfortably as a lord of his own land made her blood boil.
...That hypocrite bastard.
Threatening the king to receive vast lands and then pretending to know nothing about it.
To Karin, who didn't know the exact circumstances, Elang was nothing more than a hypocrite.
She couldn't fall like this.
She wanted to do something, but no one working in the palace would meet with her.
Who would dare, when an official had died just for contacting Karin, and a maid had been beheaded for lending her a maid's uniform?
In the end, Karin decided to seek help from someone powerful enough that they couldn't be easily executed.
Ironically, that person was the woman Karin hated most in the Hero's party.
"Hello?"
She went to see Meria.
Waving her hand lightly as if nothing was wrong, she greeted her, but Meria's response was cold.
She glanced at Karin briefly before turning back to look out the window as if nothing had happened.
For some reason, her forlorn appearance, as if waiting for a lover who had left for the battlefield, seemed oddly amusing.
"...What, not even going to return my greeting?"
"What are you here for? I don't want to be dragged down to the underground prison too..."
"Ugh...!"
Karin flinched at the mention of the underground prison.
As her body stiffened from the momentary recollection of that day's humiliation, Meria spoke with a small sigh:
"If you have nothing to say, leave. I don't want to invite unnecessary misunderstandings because of you."
"...Are you satisfied with this situation?"
"......"
"If things continue like this, the kingdom will be ruined. Shouldn't we at least try to survive?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Use your influence to spread some news outside. As a duke's daughter, surely you have at least one official or maid in the palace who's in your pocket?"
"Yes, I do. But I won't do it."
"Why?!"
"Because if that news reaches the count, this country will be destroyed."
As far as Meria knew, the fierce offensive had calmed down, and the front lines had entered a temporary lull.
This meant that every front had troops in reserve, preparing for the next offensive.
The corps commanders in charge of the front lines were all nobles from powerful families, and with their wealth, they might have even acquired a Hero Coin or two.
"...So what do you think the generals will do if such news reaches them? Will they accept the losses, saying it can't be helped? Or will they turn their troops around and march on the capital?"
Generals with no or small territories would use this opportunity to become landed nobility.
If that happens, this country is finished.
It's not just about the royal family falling—the entire country would be engulfed in a storm of plunder and violence.
Of course, with the Demon King's army around, it's hard to say when this would happen, but it was an inevitable future that would surely come someday.
"The people of the capital will all be massacred. And yet, you're saying such things—"
"Why should I care about that?"
Meria had explained it clearly, and Karin wasn't stupid, so she understood it all.
However, what Meria had overlooked was that Karin was just an ordinary bitch who couldn't care less how many commoners died.
"What do those lowly creatures matter? The nobles are the strong ones. The strong can do whatever they want. What exactly did you learn in your family?"
"You..."
"Don't look at me like you can't believe I'm saying this. You didn't say a word when that Hero bastard was running wild, did you? Or did you at first? You backed off as soon as he raised his hand, right?"
"...Stop it."
The memories of that time surfaced in her mind.
The memories she had tried so hard to ignore now appeared before Meria through Karin's words.
"What about on the front lines? While those precious commoners were being cut down, we were warming that bastard's bed in the rear, weren't we? Like whores."
"...Didn't I tell you to stop?"
Given that she had come to ask for a favor, angering Meria was absolutely not a good choice for Karin.
But now, she doesn't care about that anymore.
All Karin wanted now was to see Meria's pained expression.
What an annoying bitch.
She talks like a good girl, but her actions aren't much different from mine. It's utterly disgusting how she acts like the tragic heroine.
Ah, is that why I hated her the most?
I could tolerate the vulgar Hero, the goody-two-shoes Elang, and even the prim and proper Saint, but I can't stand this bitch.
"Is that why you called yourself a whore back then? Because you were crying like one? I'll tell you now, I saw right through your subtle flirting with Elang."
"Stop...!!"
"You slut, flirting with another man right next to your fiancé, how dare you—"
"I said stop it, you fucking bitch!!"
My vision dropped downward.
The world turned red, then everything fell into darkness.
Soon after, an intense pain shot through my left eye and reached my brain.
"Aaaaargh!!!"