A Hearty Feast at the Outpost
Pina and I returned to the outpost and met with Adelaide and her attendant.
We explained the circumstances of our exploration.
We had wandered the coniferous forest region all day, yet not so much as a single hair that looked like a trace of Neveumano had appeared, so we had come back empty-handed.
For the next exploration, it seemed right to head for the tundra region in secret from the royal army.
It was a somewhat sensitive matter, since it meant breaking a promise, but Adelaide nodded readily without a moment’s hesitation.
“Mm!”
Adelaide said.
“As long as we find it, that’s all that matters! Who finds it doesn’t matter one bit.”
It was an amazing answer.
I was thoroughly satisfied with Adelaide’s bold reply.
“No, wait a moment, Your Highness……”
It was the attendant who stepped in to stop her.
“Even so, there is the agreement with General Gero. If any unnecessary movements are discovered, we will surely be criticized.”
“Eeh, you. You’re usually quiet, so why speak up now? Wasn’t it all with tacit consent?”
“……”
Drip—.
Tears welled and spilled from the attendant’s eyes.
Adelaide continued in a serious tone.
“And this is an operation. It is not a contest to see who finds it first. We must locate the monster that threatens the country as soon as possible. Who knows? A monster like Disastro might appear again.”
Adelaide nodded toward me.
“If that is your thought, I will cover for you. Even if you run into the royal army, give my name and no one will dare say a word. As for the general, I will handle him somehow.”
I shook my head lightly and answered.
“…I don’t plan on getting caught.”
What hunters excelled at was stealthy movement.
Avoiding unnecessary trouble by exploring without being detected by monsters and striking precisely at the target was also an important part of the craft.
Of course, until now I had never felt the need, so I had simply swung my sword at whatever I ran into….
But I could not swing a sword at people and commit wholesale slaughter.
Moving without drawing anyone’s eye was something I was confident in.
Just then Pina started in surprise and looked at me.
“Huh, don’t tell me… you’re not thinking of killing them if you run into them, right?”
What the heck do you take me for?
Do you even see me as a fellow human?
At Pina’s words, Adelaide and the attendant’s expressions hardened.
I lightly flicked Pina’s forehead.
“Ow—”
“Your jokes go too far.”
At my reaction, Adelaide, who had stiffened, stroked her chest in relief.
“It was a joke, phew.”
The attendant chimed in from the side and nodded.
“That’s a relief.”
So that’s how you all saw me….
In my opinion, this was not my problem.
In the end, all of this was Miteraos’s fault.
The reason I received this kind of treatment was entirely because of that damn lizard.
I had to find it and kill it soon.
“Hehe, even so, refrain from killing people.”
“…I’m just going to avoid them carefully. Avoid them.”
I pouted at Adelaide’s joke.
Adelaide grinned at my reaction and changed the subject.
“Then how about we have a meal? Oh right, I believe I asked you for meat last time.”
“…You remembered?”
“Of course—. Naturally.”
“Your Highness….”
The attendant called the princess in a small voice.
Adelaide looked disgusted and scolded her.
“We’re out of the capital, so I can eat a bit!”
“Even so, you eat far too much. Shall I send a letter to the palace chef?”
At the attendant’s not-quite-threat, Adelaide quickly wilted.
“I have a constitution that doesn’t gain weight easily, so isn’t it fine……”
“Ah!”
At those words, Pina’s eyes turned fierce as she glared savagely at Adelaide.
More precisely, her gaze locked onto Adelaide’s chest.
Certainly, even though Adelaide ate a great deal, there was no sign of her putting on weight.
Her chin and fingers were slender, her neck delicate—she was a lovely young lady through and through.
The only place that might look a little plump was…….
…….
I lowered my head and looked down at my own chest.
It felt like gazing at a round, snow-covered hill on a snowy plain.
Tsk tsk. Breasts are organs that are of no help whatsoever to hunter activities to begin with….
I stroked Pina’s fluffy hair with my hand.
“Don’t be discouraged.”
I soothed her in a quiet voice.
But my encouragement seemed ridiculous to Pina.
“…Alice-nim is not in a position to say that.”
What did you just say?
“Ah, I misspoke…!”
Pina bowed her head and apologized.
I decided to simply let such a slip of the tongue pass.
But why was it?
At first it had been fine, yet when I thought about it again, an uncontrollable sense of defeat washed over me.
Have I become too accustomed to this body?
I squeezed my eyes shut and cast the sense of defeat far away from my heart.
I mustn’t forget that I was originally a man.
I am a broad-minded man.
Cheering myself on, I spoke to Adelaide.
“…Anyway, I prepared plenty of meat.”
“Oh, really! Then tonight’s dinner will be luxurious. I’ll tell the cooks in advance.”
“Your Highness, it would be good if you ate in moderation.”
“There need to be days like this once in a while.”
Adelaide shook her head and wiggled her index finger left and right.
Yeah, she must have grown sick of nothing but healthy palace cooking, so loosening up a little wouldn’t be bad.
I thought the attendant was being stingy.
“Do you know what ‘once in a while’ means? Last time as well……”
“Aaah, I don’t want to hear it—. I can’t hear it—.”
“Ugh, Your Highness…!”
The attendant’s suffering voice continued.
Listening quietly, I changed my mind again.
For now, it seemed Adelaide was at fault.
After the sun had hidden itself below the horizon.
In the end the attendant lost, and dinner became a meat-filled meal thoroughly steeped in Adelaide’s tastes.
Of course, rather than simply Adelaide’s preferences, it carried a greater meaning of relieving the hard work of the royal army and hunters who had been suffering.
“Mm, the smell of meat is really good.”
Adelaide said as she speared a well-cooked piece of meat with her fork.
The cafeteria was packed with people, and everyone was enjoying a luxurious meal for the first time in a long while.
Adelaide looked around, chuckled, and spoke to me.
“Everyone has much better faces than usual. I was worried because they always wandered around looking so dejected. This is all thanks to you.”
Adelaide had not simply wanted to eat meat.
If the request to bring meat had been nothing more than Adelaide’s stubbornness, I would not have intended to fulfill it either.
But given the princess’s personality, it was obvious she meant to share with everyone, so I had not broken the promise and had prepared the meat.
My thoughts had matched hers exactly.
“It’s really super delicious!”
Pina, who had just swallowed a piece of meat, marveled and then stuffed more into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out round.
Adelaide smiled at her and said casually.
“There’s plenty of meat, so don’t eat in a hurry.”
Clunk—.
Just then the door opened a little roughly.
Adelaide examined the face of the person entering beyond the doorway.
Since I had my back turned, I did not particularly turn my head.
“…Is it the general?”
Hearing Adelaide’s quiet whisper, it seemed General Gero had come in.
I slightly turned my gaze back.
Just then my eyes met General Gero’s.
General Gero looked at me with somewhat curt eyes, then took his tray and sat down beside Adelaide.
The ten-captains accompanied him and took their places as well.
“You were dining first.”
“Ah, sorry. The Master Hunter returned, you see.”
“I see.”
General Gero nodded and looked at me.
I was more concerned about the surroundings than about General Gero’s gaze.
Perhaps because General Gero had entered, the atmosphere in the cafeteria felt a little chilly.
The hunters were not sending particularly friendly looks, and among the soldiers silence hung because a superior was present.
“…It’s quite quiet.”
Adelaide opened her mouth as if the silence made her uncomfortable.
“Why is everyone watching General Gero’s mood? You—what on earth do you usually do to make them……”
“…I don’t particularly do anything.”
The general shrugged his shoulders.
Adelaide clicked her tongue looking at him.
“The general being too stiff is the problem. Every time I talk with you it feels like speaking to a wooden statue. In fact, that’s why I came to eat secretly from the general.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. But today is a good day. It’s a dinner to relieve the hard work of those who labor for the outpost. Of course the cooks grilled it all, though.”
Adelaide looked around and raised her voice.
“Everyone make a bit more noise. You’re all so dejected that I can’t even feel energized. General Gero, say something too.”
The general shook his head.
“…It’s fine.”
“Hmm, is that so.”
Adelaide did not press General Gero further and let it pass.
Still, thanks to treating the situation like a joke, the atmosphere naturally recovered as well.
Adelaide looked relieved at the cafeteria that had returned to liveliness, then glanced at General Gero and asked.
“By the way, General, you must have been quite hungry.”
On Gero’s tray, meat was piled a little high.
Not only meat—vegetables were also heaped in a balanced fashion.
Meanwhile Adelaide’s plate was a completely meat-centered mess of balance.
Gero replied in a low voice.
“I skipped lunch, you see.”
“You skipped lunch?”
“I prepared the equipment for the ten-captain heading out on the operation.”
“Hmm, you mean Evan. You only take care of your own people too much. When our Master Hunter returned, you didn’t even come out to greet her, did you?”
Gero made no reply.
Adelaide snorted looking at him and added a word.
“Come to think of it, do you know that this meat was prepared by the Master Hunter?”
“…Was it?”
Gero looked at me as if that were unexpected.
“…Well, procuring supplies is a natural thing.”
“It’s not simply procuring supplies. When else would we enjoy something this luxurious here? It wasn’t just brought—it was prepared for us. You did a great thing right after arriving.”
“I see. ……Well, it seems like a good thing.”
It was the first time in my life I had heard praise from General Gero.
Even in the game he had always spoken curtly.
“But don’t you like the meals here in their own way? I like it here better than the kingdom’s meals.”
At Adelaide’s words, General Gero tilted his head.
“Even so, the kingdom’s meals are better, aren’t they?”
“The palace chef’s cooking isn’t to my taste. It’s tasteless.”
“That’s the healthy taste. Your Highness is still young, so you wouldn’t know.”
“Yes, health must be taken care of. You’re of that age.”
“It’s a seasoned age where one can distinguish what is good.”
“Isn’t it rather that one’s vision narrows and becomes narrow-minded?”
Hey, what are you two doing fighting like that.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria quickly turned chilly.
Cold, sunken eyes locked on each other.
In the middle, the one who first laughed and let it pass was Adelaide.
“Haha, it was a joke.”
“The jokes of the recent generation are quite sharp.”
Stop it, stop…….
Now I truly could not tell whether I was swallowing the meat through my nose or my mouth.
I quickly finished the meal and stood up from my seat.
Adelaide asked.
“Leaving already? You’re quite fast. Do you have something to do?”
“I have to prepare.”
Pina started at my words and set down her fork.
“Eh, already?”
“No, just me. Eat slowly and come.”
“Yeees—.”
Listening to Pina’s reply, I left the table.
There was not much to do after finishing the meal.
The only thing worth doing here was preparation for the next exploration.
It would have been good to depart as soon as preparations were finished, but I decided to take a little more time.
Because it was about time for the special greatsword to arrive.