The Hunt for the Gourmet Deer
The North felt incredibly welcoming after so long away. The powerful monsters we encountered on the journey, the people who breathed mana as naturally as air, and the adventurers roaming every corner of the region—it was all a joy to see again.
“Well, the request is finished, so shall we split up? I need to write my report.”
“Let’s do that. Everyone worked hard these past weeks.”
With the commission complete, we each went our separate ways. I headed to the dining hall with Adela and Neon.
The place was as lively as ever. Watching adventurers happily devouring mountains of food was enough to make anyone’s stomach rumble. I took a familiar seat and flagged down a passing cook.
“Three of the chef’s specials, please!”
“Wait, is that Argo? Looks like you’re finally back from that long-term job.”
“Argo’s here? Then we’d better stuff him till he bursts!”
The cooks, who had known me since my guild-employee days, broke into warm smiles and got to work. Every chef in the adventurer guild was a first-rate talent. As proud of their skills as they were, they whipped up a meat-heavy feast in no time and set it before us.
“Chef’s recommendation, as ordered! We received a big shipment of quality meat today, so I grilled them into steaks!”
“Ooh! This is exactly what I wanted!”
“Hahaha! Eat hearty!”
The cook left with a booming laugh. I cut into the thick steak; it sliced like butter. The meat had a satisfying chew, and the special sauce that flowed out lit up my mouth with delight. Crispy fried potatoes drizzled with something like ketchup, a sweet-and-sour salad, and a fizzy drink all balanced the richness perfectly. By the time I demolished the side dishes, soup, and rice, I felt like I had finally eaten a proper meal again.
“Central food isn’t bad, but Northern cuisine is still the best.”
“I agree. I lived in the Central region my whole life, but after tasting Northern food, everything from back home feels lacking.”
“Food tasty.”
Thanks to my inventory I hadn’t gone hungry, but after distributing most of it to the kidnapped victims from the black-mage raid, supplies had run low quickly. Compared to food fresh off the stove, the stored meals tasted noticeably inferior. The Central dishes had been decent, yet nothing matched the adventurer guild’s kitchen.
Having finally filled the hollow in my stomach, I declared with absolute certainty, “Now that I’ve been to the Central region, I can say it for sure—the food at the adventurer branches is the absolute best.”
“Obviously! Every Northern branch serves top-tier meals, but the Edenberg branch is the greatest of the great!”
The chef grinned in satisfaction at my praise. As a special service for the famous rookie, he brought out cold noodles and sat across from us, quietly studying our group.
Argo, who kept growing through outstanding talent and exceptional mysteries. Adela, the War Ant Queen who would reach at least Silver-class once she reached adulthood. Neon, a black mage from the Central region who possessed decent talent and improved through steady effort. All of them were promising talents.
No one knew how they had come together, but with these three forming a party, their names would soon echo across the entire North. The chef wondered if he might be witnessing the birth of a legendary hero’s tale with his own eyes. Suppressing his itching curiosity, he asked, “So, what’s your next goal?”
“Goal, huh… We just got back from a long commission, so we’ll rest a few days and then talk with the artisans about new equipment.”
“New equipment?”
I pointed at Adela and Neon. “Adela’s basically wearing cloth, and Neon only has a Central-made robe. Their gear is too weak, so we need proper custom pieces.”
“I can see that. With all the money you’ve saved, you shouldn’t have any trouble covering the cost.”
“Money’s meant to be spent, not hoarded.”
I had started with plenty, but the amount had grown dramatically during our travels through the Central region. I sold some monster materials to merchants in Harmun, then offloaded even more from my inventory to Elicia, the second daughter of the Golden Merchant Guild. Add in the haul from the black-mage hideout, and my pockets were very full.
“I sold the materials at ridiculously high prices in the Central region, so we’re sitting pretty.”
Northern materials carried a huge premium down south. They were exceptional enough that both skilled fighters and master artisans wanted to handle them at least once before they died, so the prices had been generous. With a fortune stored in my inventory, money was no longer a concern. The real issue would be securing the right crafting materials.
“Demand for good materials is far higher in the North. So I’m planning to knock out a few subjugation requests that drop usable monster parts.”
“Hooh. I see.”
The chef’s eyes sparkled with interest the moment I mentioned gathering materials. He smiled. “I happen to have information on some excellent materials. Interested in a request?”
“A request?”
“Yes. I guarantee it’ll be mutually beneficial.”
We exchanged quick glances, then nodded. There was no way we could pass up an interesting commission.
In the North lived a monster called the Gourmet Deer. Its meat was legendary—countless cuts compressed into a single, perfect flavor. Every aspect, from the rich juices to the texture, taste, and aroma, was said to rival food from the heavens themselves. Its fame had spread far beyond the North across the entire continent. Records claimed that the Emperor of the Empire, unable to forget the taste, had even dispatched the imperial knight order to hunt one.
Among gourmets it was known as the ultimate dream ingredient, and kings and nobles sought it for both culinary delight and ostentatious display. Yet its reputation did not stop there. Even among monsters it was famous; some would lose their minds at the mere sight of a Gourmet Deer. Because of that, the creatures had become extremely rare. It would not have been strange if they had gone extinct, but the Gourmet Deer was, after all, a monster. And quite a strong one.
“If we had to rank its strength, it would be nearly Silver-class.”
“Silver-class? That’s high-knight level.”
“It’s right on the edge, and since it’s a monster we should assume it’s even stronger.”
“Hiiiiek…”
Neon’s face twisted comically at my words. He looked as if he wanted to ask how we were supposed to hunt something like that, but no amount of staring would change the facts. If he had wanted to refuse, he should have done so when the chef offered the designated request days ago. Besides, the Gourmet Deer’s horns and hide were superb materials; I had never considered turning it down.
Light yet elastic, with defensive power solid enough to handle Silver-class threats. Thanks to its unique regenerative tissue, ordinary scratches would heal on their own with enough sunlight. It was exactly the kind of material artisans drooled over.
I had already sent word through the birds to Elin, the master of Fairy’s Tail workshop on Artisan Street, and to Charlotte of Charlotte’s Tea House. I told them I would soon bring Gourmet Deer materials, so by the time we returned from the hunt, everything should be ready for crafting.
While I was happily imagining what kind of equipment they would create, Neon voiced his concern. “If what you said is true, the competition for a Gourmet Deer must be fierce, right?”
“It probably is. The difficulty is real, but it’s not impossible to catch.”
“Still, how can we be sure we’ll be the ones to hunt it? Other adventurers or even monsters might get to it first. There aren’t exactly a lot of them.”
It was a reasonable doubt. Even if the deer was Silver-class, the North was teeming with monsters of equal or greater strength. But I had not accepted the request thoughtlessly.
“That’s precisely why your role is so important on this commission.”
“Me?”
“The Gourmet Deer is a monster.”
And monsters absolutely loathed black mages. The moment Neon understood my meaning, his face filled with grievance. He hid behind Adela just in case and protested.
“Uuu! The party leader must protect this poor black mage’s human rights!”
“The chef promised to cook us dishes made from the Gourmet Deer if we succeed. Just think about that.”
“Ah, crap. I really do want to try it…”
Perhaps because he came from the Magic Tower, Neon had a deep appreciation for fine dining. Having heard of the Gourmet Deer’s reputation, the thought of a full course prepared by the chef’s skill quickly eroded his resistance.
In any case, his refusal didn’t matter. Adela, whom he was using as a meat shield, was already drooling with clear motivation.
“Argo. Let’s go quickly.”
“Don’t you need to prepare?”
“Time is everything if we want to beat the competition. We can’t let anyone steal our Gourmet Deer.”
Having learned the true value of food after tasting Central cuisine, Adela stared at Neon with eyes burning with strange zeal. There was no one present who could stop a queen who had awakened her gourmet cravings.
“Don’t you agree, Neon?”
“Actually, I have wanted to hunt a Gourmet Deer for a very long time.”
After meeting Adela’s gaze, Neon flipped his attitude without the slightest hesitation and now burned with hunting spirit. I couldn’t help but admire how cleanly he switched stance; no one could match Neon’s talent for instant attitude changes.
With almost no preparation needed, we rose from our seats in high spirits. We spent the next few days resting and making thorough preparations. The fatigue we had accumulated in the Central region melted away completely, and we even obtained temporary armor for Adela and Neon. After commissioning usable pieces from Elin’s Fairy’s Tail, every detail was ready.
“Then let’s move out!”
“Let’s go!”
“Ooh!”
For the growth of the party, for the sake of gourmet food, and for the simple desire to eat well and live well, the three of us set off toward Broke Village, the Gourmet Deer’s known habitat that the chef had told us about. Our reasons differed, but our goal was the same, so our steps were light and full of anticipation.