Chapter 134

The innkeeper ate my meatball and, with a face that didn’t match his rough appearance, his eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“Kyaa. This is really delicious. This meatball you made!”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“Dad! This is super tasty!”

“The meat is so juicy inside! It’s tangy and sweet! So, so delicious!”

The innkeeper seemed quite satisfied, and the kids weren’t just satisfied—they were completely overjoyed.

Seeing them enjoy the meal so much, I felt a sense of accomplishment as the cook.

Indeed, a chef’s joy comes from the moment the people eating their food feel happiness.

“The meatball isn’t dry at all—it’s moist and tender. Did you use breadcrumbs and eggs for the mixture? But I can barely smell the bread, so you must’ve used white wheat bread. The meat’s aroma spreads subtly, and the gamey smell isn’t overpowering. It must’ve been tricky to handle, but you did it well.”

“Oh. You can tell?”

“Of course. The light flavor is strong, and naturally, with each bite, oil seeps out in your mouth. The texture isn’t too tough or too soft. This patty isn’t made from just one type of meat but two. I’d guess you used a lean, light-flavored meat and a fatty, tender one… Considering the aroma, it’s deer and pork, right?”

“Hahaha. You can sense that much? But unfortunately, the meatball uses three types of meat: deer, wild boar, and rabbit.”

“What!? Three types, not two! I see! The strong aroma and tough texture of wild boar and deer were balanced with rabbit meat!”

The innkeeper seemed more knowledgeable about cooking than I had thought.

To deduce all that from just one meatball…

His appearance, like a scarred, menacing criminal, closing his eyes to savor the dish, felt oddly unbalanced.

Next, the innkeeper scooped a spoonful of the meatball sauce and savored its aroma.

“This red color and the tangy scent I can smell even before tasting it. Is this a tomato-based sauce?”

Then he tasted the sauce I had made.

“Indeed! It’s a tomato-based sauce. When heated, tomatoes enhance their umami, making them perfect for sauces. Hmm? But what’s this tanginess…? Tomatoes are naturally tangy, but not this sharply. Did you add something to intensify the sourness?”

“You can tell that too? Yes, I added vinegar to make it tangier.”

“I see… This tanginess stimulates the appetite, making the rich, heavy meatball easier to enjoy without getting overwhelmed. No matter how delicious a meatball is, it’s still a chunk of meat. Eating too much can feel heavy. This sauce overcomes that.”

As I had noticed earlier when he praised the meatball, his confidence in cooking was no joke.

With this level of culinary knowledge, he could surely succeed as a chef even in a big city…

I couldn’t understand why he was in this remote Firewood Gatherer’s Village.

“Dragon Uncle! Dragon Uncle! Can I have more meatballs?”

“I want more sauce!”

“Of course. I made plenty, so eat as much as you want.”

“Yay!”

“I’m so happy!”

“Ha! Do you kids really like that uncle’s meatballs more than Dad’s?”

“Umm… I like Dad’s better!”

“I like Dragon Uncle’s!”

I felt a slight shock at the kids’ verdict.

I didn’t expect a tie here.

Honestly, even though the innkeeper seemed confident in his cooking, I thought my meatballs would be superior.

Considering the judge was the innkeeper’s own child, a tie was unexpected.

Perhaps his confidence in meatballs wasn’t just empty talk.

As I looked at the innkeeper with newfound respect, he noticed my gaze and gave me a subtle look.

From his perspective, he probably didn’t expect my meatballs to be on par with his either.

“Ahem. Your meatball-making skills are impressive.”

“Ahem. To be honest, meatballs aren’t my specialty… but my meatball-making skills aren’t something to be underestimated either. And you seem quite skilled yourself, judging by the tie with my kids.”

“Hahaha. Kids always love new food, especially when they’ve been eating the same thing every day at home.”

“…”

“…”

As we exchanged words, an awkward silence soon enveloped us.

“Let’s continue the meal.”

“Agreed.”

And so, our last night in the foggy village ended in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.

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The next day arrived.

Ultimately, we gave up on searching for the werewolf and prepared to leave the village.

As a final lunch, the innkeeper offered us a feast in return for my cooking…

But we didn’t get to enjoy that feast.

Early in the morning, the innkeeper’s two kids, who had been playing, reported seeing a suspicious man and woman lurking near the village.

Hearing this, we stopped packing and headed straight to the location where the suspicious pair had been spotted.

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Arriving at the spot the kids mentioned, we found traces of people.

Even the innkeeper, who had been oddly uncooperative during the werewolf search, looked tense and stern as he questioned the kids about where they had seen the strangers and what they looked like.

This reaction was definitely unusual.

“Is this the place where the suspicious pair was seen?”

“…Yes. There are clear human traces here. And judging by the size, they’re not from a child.”

At Mari’s words, I carefully examined the broken branches and trampled grass.

This is strange… The man-eating werewolf shouldn’t exist.

Because that village…

Rustle.

At that moment, I heard the unnatural sound of bushes rustling.

It was clearly not the wind but the sound of someone deliberately shaking the bushes.

“Who’s there!”

I immediately dashed toward the sound, parting the bushes to find someone hiding and spying on us.

“What, what is this!?”

“…Humans?”

It was a man and woman dressed as hunters.

They were likely the suspicious pair the innkeeper’s kids had seen.

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Having found the suspicious pair more easily than expected, we quickly questioned them.

“So, what were you doing here?”

“Well, hunters hunt. What else would we do in the forest?”

“Hunters?”

“Yeah! Can’t you tell by our clothes?”

The man and the woman beside him were indeed dressed as hunters.

Their clothes weren’t just for show—they faintly smelled of blood and animal fur, so their claim seemed genuine.

“I see. My apologies. The kids said they saw suspicious people near the village.”

“Tch.”

The man stood up, brushing off his clothes in annoyance.

Mari whispered cautiously to me.

“Kurt, do you think they’re the man-eating werewolf the village talks about?”

“Hard to say. At least they seem sane enough to hold a conversation.”

“But they’re suspicious. We’ve never seen them around the village before.”

Mari had a point.

Honestly, I doubted they were the werewolf, but it was clear they weren’t from the village.

I’m not bragging, but over the past few days, I’ve questioned every villager at least once.

I could confidently say these two weren’t among them.

If they were villagers, the innkeeper’s kids wouldn’t have found them suspicious.

We needed to talk more, but…

As I looked at the hunter couple, they glared at me with clear displeasure.

“What do you want?”

“Sorry for barging in like this.”

“If you’re sorry, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

“How about we make it up to you by having lunch together? Our treat.”

Maybe I could coax some information out of them over a meal.

Honestly, they claimed to be hunters who happened to wander here, but my seasoned hunter instincts whispered that something was off.

I needed to confirm whether they were truly suspicious or just innocent bystanders…

And maybe I could learn something more about this secretive village.