Chapter 102

“Impressive, indeed! But this hunting competition isn’t just about catching the most prey!”

Aisia, unable to accept her defeat gracefully, clung stubbornly to her loss. From a human perspective, her behavior was unbecoming for someone who had lived 260 years, but by elf standards, 260 was still quite young, so it somewhat fit her age.

The ugly part she clung to was that while she had proposed a hunting competition, she hadn’t specified exactly what aspect of hunting skill would determine the winner.

“Oh? If it’s not about catching the most prey, then what will decide the outcome?”

Kurt, intrigued by Aisia’s words, asked with interest.

“That, that is…”

‘Quantity isn’t enough. Quality isn’t enough either. Then…’

Even if she combined all the monsters she had hunted, the number would still fall short of what Kurt’s party had hunted. Moreover, even if she tried to compete based on quality, the value of all her prey wouldn’t match a single Sky Swimming Python.

Though she had denied the outcome of the competition with Kurt’s party, no matter how she tried to change the criteria, Aisia couldn’t imagine herself winning.

“That is…”

Then, a sudden thought struck her.

“That is, how much damage was avoided while hunting the prey intact!”

Aisia proudly showed Kurt the prey she had hunted.

“A true hunter knows how to hunt without damaging the prey’s body! That’s the proper respect for the hunted creature, allowing its body to be fully utilized without diminishing its value!”

She compared the wounds left on the monsters’ bodies.

She reasoned that, apart from Kurt, a Lizardman whose weapon she couldn’t guess, Karina with her massive Battle Axe or Serena, a Mage who couldn’t control her magic finely, would have severely damaged the prey they hunted.

In contrast, her tools were just a lasso and arrows.

Comparing the two, it was obvious who had hunted the monsters more cleanly.

Of course, from an objective standpoint, Kurt’s party were adventurers, not hunters, and how much that had to do with a hunting competition was unclear. But to Aisia, it was the perfect excuse.

“Mom…”

“Now! Let’s check the condition of the prey you hunted!”

Ignoring Marisia, who was blushing in embarrassment beside her, Aisia confidently began inspecting the prey Kurt’s party had hunted.

“Let’s see…”

But soon, Aisia’s face stiffened.

It was because the prey they had hunted showed no serious wounds, only a few shallow scratches.

“No, no… It’s not about the wounds…”

As Aisia slowly examined the monsters, she soon looked at them in disbelief, and when it came to the Sky Swimming Python Kurt was carrying on his shoulder, her expression turned as if she had seen a ghost.

“My, my goodness… All these monsters are still alive…”

“If it’s not for eating but just for a competition, there’s no need to take their lives. We just knocked them out so we could release them after the competition.”

Thud.

“…I admit defeat.”

Aisia knelt, acknowledging her defeat.

It was a complete defeat.

In skill and in the mindset of a hunter.

In truth, she had lost long ago, but only now did Aisia admit her defeat.

Mari felt a bit embarrassed watching her mother kneel and admit defeat.

…

…

…

Although Aisia had acted a bit ugly by not admitting her defeat until the end, the situation was resolved quite smoothly.

We were able to prove our strength without much embarrassment.

Hmm. Quite smooth.

To persuade Aisia, Mari’s mother, three things were necessary:

Resolve the emotional issue of her hostility towards us.

Show our strength to ease her worries about Mari’s companions.

Persuade her to trust and support Mari herself.

The first was somewhat addressed by continuously offering her food, and the second by proving our strength through the hunting competition.

The remaining issue was convincing her about Mari.

Aisia still saw Mari as a child, not an adult…

Even in elf culture, that was considered correct, so it wasn’t easy for us, a different race, to intervene.

“Sniff… Sob…”

“…”

Then, with a lighter heart, I pondered how to persuade Aisia…

“Sniff…”

“Mom, this is embarrassing.”

Pondering…

“Sob…”

“…”

This won’t do.

Aisia was sniffling, holding back tears, whether from frustration over losing the competition or embarrassment over her own ugly behavior. It was hard to ignore her pitiful state.

While proving our strength was important, hurting Aisia’s feelings would be counterproductive.

As if thinking the same, Karina and Serena whispered to me.

“Sh-she’s not crying because she lost the competition, is she…?”

“Mr. Kurt, shouldn’t we do something?”

That’s true.

I never imagined a grown adult would sniffle over losing a mere competition.

But considering Mari is still treated as a child in elf society, Aisia’s age is akin to a young adult in their culture, so it’s understandable.

Environment shapes a person…

To some extent, one’s mental age is greatly influenced by their upbringing.

So, no matter how old one gets, if treated like a child, they’ll think like a child, and if treated like a young adult, they’ll think like one.

“Aisia, don’t be too disheartened. It was just bad luck with the opponent.”

“…Hmph! I’m not disheartened at all!”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

“Enough of this, let’s prepare to go home!”

“Since we’re outside the Elf Village, how about we make some fire-cooked food? How about some fried food for a change?”

“Hmph! I’m not really interested…”

“What!? Fried food… You don’t mean…?”

Before Aisia could refuse, Mari reacted and clung to me.

We had avoided fried food to save on oil expenses, so it had been a long time since we last had any.

“No, why are you more excited than your mother? I’m trying to cheer her up with food.”

“Th-that’s…! Of course, I’m excited to show Mom some delicious food!”

“Not just because you want to eat fried potatoes?”

“No! Of course not! Sure, fried potatoes are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with a crunchy crust and just the right amount of salty grains that absorb the glistening oil, making them shine beautifully. Freshly made, they’re crispy and delicious, and as time passes, the coating becomes soft, and the salt grains melt into the coating, creating a unique delicacy! But even so, I wouldn’t be grinning over food while Mom is upset about losing the competition!”

Mari was grinning so brightly it seemed like she might glow.

And Aisia, who had been quietly organizing the hunted monsters, also approached us, seemingly intrigued, forgetting her earlier distress.

Of course, she didn’t openly engage but pretended to organize the monsters near us in an obviously unnatural manner.

This might work.

I patted Mari’s head, unintentionally playing a key role in piquing Aisia’s curiosity.

Mari just said, “Why are you patting my head? Just make the fried food already.”

…

…

…

Time passed, and after bringing potatoes, cooking oil, and utensils from the Elf Village, I prepared a spot and made fried potatoes.

And then…

Crunch.

“What, what is this!? This fried food…!?”

Aisia, who had been sneakily watching me cook with barely contained curiosity, trembled all over as she ate the fried potatoes I served.

“How is this so delicious!? Is this really made from potatoes!?”

“It’s real~!”

“This isn’t potatoes…! It’s divine!”

“Agreed~!”

Enchanted by the taste of the fried potatoes, Aisia demanded them not just for dinner that night but also for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next day.

And when she heard that the oil had gone bad and we couldn’t make any more fried potatoes,

She sniffled again and, together with Mari, made a grave for the oil.