Chapter 43

Mari and Karina were returning to the Adventurer Guild with lively steps.

Although their bodies were tired, their hearts were fulfilled.

“Hehe. I think Kurt will like this, right?”

“Hmm. Definitely. It’s the meat of the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer, after all.”

The truth was, they had left Kurt behind and taken on the request because his presence would drastically lower the difficulty, making it feel hollow. But that wasn’t the only reason.

During the subjugation of the Sea Golem, Kurt’s overwhelming martial prowess was on full display. If he had fought with such overwhelming strength, even if he had taken most of the reward for himself, the other two wouldn’t have been able to say a word.

But Kurt, being a fair companion, insisted on splitting the reward equally among the three, even though the other two had contributed less.

Not only that. From Kurt’s perspective, he had done the hunting and even the cooking, yet he didn’t get angry when the two complained about the side dishes.

At the time, they were too busy whining about not wanting to eat bug dishes to notice, but after finishing the request in Leila and reflecting on it, they realized how petty they had been.

So, they planned a surprise.

They decided to gift Kurt, who was obsessed with cooking, some special ingredients.

And what caught their eye on the guild’s bulletin board was a sighting of the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer.

The meat of the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer was highly valued among gourmets for its exceptional flavor.

However, due to its rarity and the fact that it didn’t inhabit areas near human settlements, it was a difficult meat to obtain.

If they hunted the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer and gifted it to him, it wouldn’t even come close to repaying half of what they owed him, but it would still be some form of gratitude, right?

If they hunted the monster and gifted it to Kurt, he would surely be surprised and grateful.

Maybe he’d even blush, or perhaps he’d be so moved he’d shed tears.

Imagining Kurt’s happy face upon receiving the gift, the two decided to keep it a secret from him and headed to the location where the monster had been sighted under the pretext of a separate mission.

The hunt was harder than they had initially anticipated.

Although the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer itself was only of a low subjugation rank, its rarity and naturally skittish nature made it incredibly difficult to catch. At the slightest hint of humans, it would vanish without a trace.

For Karina, who specialized in hunting strong monsters, and Mari, who was still a novice adventurer, this was no easy task.

Normally, Kurt was the best at tracking monsters, so the two usually left such tasks to him.

But this mission was a surprise for Kurt.

Asking for his help would defeat the purpose.

After much struggle, they finally managed to hunt one Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer.

“That was so hard……. I didn’t think we’d be playing hide-and-seek in the mountains all day.”

“Exactly. It would’ve been easier to just fight a strong monster head-on and take it down.”

“Hehe. But Kurt will be happy, right?”

“Of course. He’ll definitely be happy.”

Their faces were dirty from running through the mountains, but they wore the most beautiful smiles as they opened the door to the Adventurer Guild.

And what they saw was…….

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.

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Gulp gulp gulp.

“Phew~! This is the taste!”

Serena, who had finally given up and ordered beer, immediately chilled it with magic and downed it without hesitation.

The refreshing coolness of the beer as it went down her throat.

After finishing the beer, her mouth was so cold it felt like she could exhale a chilly breath.

Taking a deep breath, the aroma of the beer’s grains filled her body, refreshing her mouth and nose.

The intense flavor of the barbecue meat she had been eating was washed away by the beer.

Her refreshed palate was ready to eat more meat.

It was a small paradise made of meat and alcohol.

“Hmm. You’re really enjoying it.”

“W-what?!… Got a problem with that?”

Kurt, who had been watching Serena enjoy her beer with a satisfied smile, spoke up.

Hearing his voice, Serena finally realized she was in front of Kurt and blushed deeply, shouting.

Even though a Dwarf’s body shouldn’t get drunk so easily, Serena blamed the beer for the heat rising to her head.

Although she didn’t regret downing the beer, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for showing such an unladylike side in front of Kurt.

While she was internally panicking about whether his opinion of her had dropped, her outward attitude became even sharper as she glared at him.

But contrary to her worries, Kurt smiled sincerely and said.

“No. It’s nice to see you enjoying the food I made. It makes it all worth it.”

“R-really?… Hehe…….”

‘He thinks I look pretty eating?’

Not expecting such a response, Serena started giggling.

She even added her own favorable interpretation to his words.

Realizing that Kurt genuinely liked watching her eat, she resumed her meal even more happily than usual.

And there were two people watching this scene.

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.

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“K-Kurt……. He’s eating with another woman…….”

“Ah……. Aah……. Aaah…….”

Mari, shocked by the scene, tried to speak, but Karina, even more shocked, couldn’t even form a proper response, only managing to let out incoherent groans.

“H-how……. How did this happen? That meat she’s eating… that should’ve been our dinner, right?”

“Aah……. Aaah…….”

The sight of Kurt happily eating meat with another woman left the two frozen in shock at the guild’s entrance.

Fortunately, they weren’t stuck there forever, as Kurt soon noticed them and called out with a bright smile.

“Oh. Mari, Karina. Did you finish the mission?”

“H-how did this happen! Kurt!”

“What do you mean?”

“W-who is that! Why are you eating with some stranger instead of us!”

“Ah, that? Let me introduce you.”

As Kurt was about to introduce Serena to the two, Mari, afraid he might say he had formed a new party and left them behind, interrupted without waiting for his answer.

“Sniff! Kurt! I was wrong! I won’t complain about side dishes anymore and will eat anything, so please don’t leave me!”

From Mari’s perspective, the situation was akin to a child being abandoned by their parents.

The fear a child feels when their parents pretend to leave them behind in a supermarket.

She felt the same.

Of course, Kurt, who had never even thought of such a thing, was just confused by her sudden outburst.

But since Mari often said strange things, Kurt ignored it and handed her a bowl.

“Whatever. Sit down and eat. I made enough for you too.”

“Really! Can we really eat with you!”

“…What are you talking about? Did you eat some weird mushroom on the mission? Go wash your hands.”

Seeing Kurt’s look as if he were pitying a foolish half-elf, Mari finally realized her worries were unfounded and smiled brightly, feeling like a soul mistakenly sent to hell only to be pulled back to heaven by a 9th-grade angel.

“But! What’s on the menu today! The smell is incredible!”

Karina, who had been making strange noises like a toy with dead batteries, also regained her composure and subtly showed her appetite.

“That’s a good question. The aroma alone is so intense, it looks incredibly delicious.”

“Heh…! Good question. Today’s menu is none other than Awakened Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer barbecue!”

“…Huh.”

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong? Why the sudden reaction?”

Hearing Kurt’s answer, the two awkwardly smiled and tried to hide the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer Karina was carrying.

But no matter how tall Karina was, she was still just a tall woman, and it was impossible for the two to hide the monster’s appearance.

“Oh. Isn’t that a Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer? Must’ve been hard to catch.”

“W-well…….”

“You see…….”

Though they had been proud when they brought the monster to the guild, seeing the Awakened meat Kurt had cooked made them feel ashamed.

The monster they had hunted looked pitiful compared to the magnificent meat Kurt was eating.

After hesitating for a while, the two finally confessed in a small voice.

“Actually……. We wanted to give this to you as a gift…….”

“We’ve been in your debt, so……. We wanted to repay you somehow…….”

“This thing?”

“N-no! If you don’t like it, you don’t have to accept it!”

“Right! We didn’t catch anything impressive today, but next time we’ll get something better…!”

The two stumbled over their words out of embarrassment, but Kurt quickly assessed their appearance.

The scratches from dirt and branches showed they had gone through a lot to catch the monster.

Despite appearances, Kurt was an experienced hunter and knew how wary the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer usually was.

Reading their efforts from their appearance, Kurt smiled brightly and accepted the Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer from Karina.

“No. This is a wonderful gift. There’s a special part in the meat that yields only a few kg per animal. I was just short of enough to cook it, so this is perfect.”

“R-really…?”

“Have I ever lied about food? Go wash your hands.”

“…Yes!”

“…Got it!”

Reinvigorated by Kurt’s words, the two quickly washed their hands and sat at the table.

“Hello! Nice to meet you! I’m Marisia! Call me Mari!”

“Hi. I’m Serena. You can call me Rena.”

“Okay! Rena!”

Mari, with her capybara-like friendliness, quickly became friends with Serena, the Dwarf.

“Serena……. Why are you here?”

“Is there somewhere I can’t be?”

“Hmph. You probably just schemed to get Kurt to cook for you.”

“W-what! I wouldn’t do such a thing!”

Though it was true, Serena defensively retorted.

Karina, who seemed to have known Serena before, bickered with her.

And so, the four of them filled the table, each eating their share of meat and enjoying a lively time.

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After the meal, I was in the backyard of the Adventurer Guild.

Well, Karina and Serena had been bickering, but it didn’t seem like they were on bad terms.

In fact, they seemed close enough to bicker.

Despite the new addition of Serena, the meal was lively yet peaceful.

It was good that they got along with the new member.

Thinking this, I looked at what I held in my hand.

It was a fruit I had never seen before.

The last thing the Awakened Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer had left behind.

Before I beheaded it, instead of struggling, it had grown this fruit from its antlers.

It stood still, pouring all its energy into growing its final fruit.

It was literally the seed the monster had left behind.

Though I was curious about the taste of this unfamiliar fruit, I decided not to cook it.

The seed it left behind should be allowed to grow.

I dug a hole of appropriate depth in a corner of the backyard and buried the Awakened monster’s fruit.

I didn’t know what would grow from this fruit.

If it turned out to be a plant harmful to humans, I would have to cut it down without hesitation.

But if it grew into a harmless plant.

Then it would be fine to let it grow.

And if it bore delicious fruit, that would be a bonus.

After burying the Awakened monster’s fruit, I returned to the guild.

Mari was clamoring for more meat.

Seriously.

And so, another day came to an end.

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