A Done Deal
The answer was obvious from the start. There was no real dilemma. Thanks to the territory declaration, we had to subjugate the Sea Orcs. The status window currently showed fifty-one remaining, which matched the exact number of those damn pigs. The situation was simple: we had to deal with them within ten days.
“What do orcs eat?”
“As far as I know, Hyung-nim, they aren’t picky at all.”
Mino’s answer made sense, especially since there had been snow orcs living nearby. Pigs were omnivores, after all. They wouldn’t turn their noses up at much.
“Still, it’d be nice to know what they mainly eat if we want them to grow well.”
“Ah, Orabeoni, that won’t be a problem. The mana here is clean and abundant, so they’ll grow just fine even if they don’t eat anything.”
Diya’s reply hit me like a lightning bolt. It was the same thing I heard every time I summoned a new resident. The mana is clean and abundant.
“Wait… does that apply to all of you too…?”
I looked around at everyone as I asked. They all nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
So that was it! That was why the snow leopard tribe could survive on nothing but grass porridge and tree bark! They should have looked emaciated from malnutrition, but instead they were all curvy and voluptuous. It was all because of mana! They grew using mana, so they didn’t need to eat much at all!
“Um… then does that mean when I try to feed you, I’m basically forcing you to eat?”
“Minsoo, that’s not it at all. Eating proper food makes us even stronger!”
“Yes, that’s correct, my lord. While mana lets us survive without eating, consuming nutrient-rich meals is much better for us.”
I’d been worried I was just being nosy, but both Miya and Asne assured me I wasn’t. What a relief.
Now that I’d learned something new, the only thing left was deciding what to do with the orcs.
“For now, could a few of the snow leopards keep an eye on them?”
“Just leave it to us! Hyung-nim!”
Apparently an orc’s growth took about five days. After that, they needed another two days or so to mate, reproduce, and give birth. If left alone, they would multiply like crazy and devastate the surrounding area. So all we had to do was decide how to handle them over the next ten days.
Food supplies weren’t exactly abundant, but we had plenty of money. After dealing with the Sea Orcs, we’d have their magic stones too. The average rank of a Sea Orc was 7th-grade, and we still had all of them stored away.
Bogildo was practically in our hands already, so there was no need to waste magic stones to claim it. The same went for the next island over, Soando. The groks living there had adapted to land, so we should be able to obtain it through the territory declaration as well.
‘Right now… since the declaration is already in progress, I can’t use them immediately.’
I’d tried using one just in case, but the territory declaration didn’t activate. It probably meant I had to finish the current one first. Well, it didn’t really matter. Honestly, with our current numbers, we had more than enough people to live comfortably even if we only held Heugildo, let alone Nohwado. We’d simply divided the islands because we wanted to assign different living areas.
“Alright then. Time to make some curry, pork cutlets, and boiled pork…”
There were still decisions to make about the orcs and the magic stones, but they weren’t going anywhere. So I decided to take care of what I could do right now. That meant cooking with the remaining meat.
Even though they didn’t strictly need to eat, everyone always enjoyed my cooking. That alone made me incredibly happy. It was also adorable how they all wanted to learn how to cook too.
“Krrruu… This sungnyung stuff is no joke! It’s so savory and hits just right!”
“Krrruu~ My stomach feels so warm, I’m losing my mind~”
“That’s right~! It’s absolutely fantastic~!”
A few of the beastmen looked like they were getting bored, so I boiled the scorched rice from the bottom of the pot to make sungnyung. That immediately brought out some thick regional dialects from the older beastmen. I had no idea why they used different accents even though they’d all lived together in the snowy mountains. It was strange enough that their dialect matched this region at all. The last one I heard didn’t even sound like a local accent, but I decided to let it slide.
“Asne, when we’re all talking, is there something I’m missing that I don’t understand?”
“Our conversations? Hmm… I believe it’s thanks to my lord’s ability that our words are automatically translated so you can understand us.”
“Ah, I see.”
I was born and raised in Jeolla Province. But in college I’d made friends from all over the country, and I’d picked up bits of all kinds of dialects. I’d been especially influenced by my best friend from Busan.
‘I wonder if he’s doing okay…’
I thought of the guy I’d lost touch with after we both became working adults. Busan was a coastal city. It must have been hit hard by the Break. I thought about reaching out, but right now I had my hands full. I’d get in touch someday when things settled down and I had the chance. For now, the territory came first.
With that, I started preparing the rest of the meat. Everyone watched closely and immediately began copying me. Their dexterity really was impressive.
Thump thump thump!!!
“Kyahaha!!! This is so fun!!!”
“If you hit it too hard it’ll tear, so use just the right amount of strength.”
“Got it!!!”
Miya in particular seemed to love the process of making pork cutlets. Flattening the sirloin thin, then gently pounding it with the cutlet mallet. It was simple and fun.
“Wow~ My lord! This boiled pork dish is amazing! You just throw the ingredients in and boil them. Even someone like me who’s only ever been served can make this easily!”
“Indeed. My lord, does cooking really work if you do it this simply?”
Lei and Ruin both took a liking to the easy-to-make boiled pork. They said it seemed like something they could prepare for others. The way Lei kept glancing at Ruin while saying that made it pretty obvious who she wanted to serve. Ruin seemed to feel the same way about her. If there had been other black-winged folk around, they probably would have wanted to cook for them too.
Chop chop chop.
“My lord, it feels so satisfying when the ingredients are cut into pretty pieces.”
“Really? You’re quite good with a knife, Asne.”
“Hehe… Thank you.”
Asne was also catching on quickly to preparing ingredients for curry, which I found a bit tedious. I liked my portions big, so I cut everything into large chunks. But Asne sliced them into neat, uniform bite-sized pieces. They looked so pretty it was almost a shame to cook them.
By the time the sun began to set, we had used up all the ingredients. We’d made boiled pork, curry, pork cutlets, and several side dishes.
I’d already decided the order we’d eat them in.
“Let’s start with the boiled pork here.”
Boiled pork is best with freshly made kimchi, but I’d never made kimchi before. I could probably get a recipe from home, but it wouldn’t suit the residents’ tastes. None of them handled spicy food well. So I ate mine with kimchi while everyone else wrapped theirs in fresh vegetables.
“Whoa… The meat is so tender, but when you chew it, all that condensed savory flavor and rich meat taste explodes in your mouth. It’s pure bliss…!”
“And this blanched cabbage…! It’s incredibly sweet…!”
“This ssamjang? The sauce is a little spicy, but when you eat it together it’s insane!”
The reactions were, as expected, excellent. Honestly, simply grilling the meat was the easiest option, but cooking it this way brought out completely different flavors. It was hard to say which was better. Sometimes the grilled version tasted best, sometimes the cooked one did. It all depended on the mood that day.
Lei and Ruin, who had especially liked how simple the recipes were, enjoyed it even more.
“Hehe… Ruin, I made this one~! Let me wrap it for you~ Ahh~!”
“Lei… Thank you. Ahh~ Mmm…! It’s so delicious, Lei! I made this one, so let me wrap it for you too. Here~ Ah, ahh~”
The two of them created a heartwarming scene as they wrapped food for each other. Seeing that, Miya and Asne seemed to want to do the same. They prepared their own wraps and looked at me expectantly.
“M-Minsoo… Ahh~?”
“Thanks, Miya. I’ll eat it well. Nom. Mmm~ It’s delicious.”
“Really? Hehe… If Minsoo likes it, then I’m happy too~”
Miya looked a little shy, but she still fed me. When I reacted positively, she twisted her body happily, purring with delight.
“My lord, I prepared one too. Would you try it? Please say ‘ahh~’.”
“Thank you too, Asne. Mmm~ It’s so good.”
“Hehe~ Is it really?”
The way she held the wrap with both hands and offered it with a slightly serious expression was adorable. When I told her it was delicious, her cheeks flushed faintly as she broke into a bright smile.
Wraps hand-fed by such beautiful women? Honestly, I felt like an emperor. Even if they’d given me something terrible, I was confident I could eat it with a smile.
“Ahh~ My lord~ I want to feed you one too!”
“Please accept this humble wrap from your subject as well.”
Lei and Ruin, having watched us, also prepared wraps and fed me.
“Haha! Hyung-nim, you’re quite popular, aren’t you? May I offer you one too?”
“No thanks. I’m good.”
“What a happy-sounding refusal! In that case, I too shall…!”
“Darling. Ahem.”
“Ahem. My apologies!”
Just as Mino was about to go on another tangent, Diya smoothly shut him down.
“So only the lovely ones are allowed here? Right, Orabeonim?”
“Uh, um…!”
The subtle pressure in Diya’s words left me no choice but to nod.
After I swallowed the wraps from Lei and Ruin, another beautiful hand appeared before me.
“Orabeonim~ Ahh~♡”
“O-oh. Thank you, Diya.”
Diya was showing off her mature sex appeal, acting coquettish as she fed me. Mino watched with an expression like he was on the verge of tears. But since he couldn’t show hostility toward me, his lord, his ears and tail soon drooped as a gloomy look settled over his face. Diya watched him with a mischievous little smile.
‘Diya… what a scary woman…!’
If this were a romance manhwa, I felt like lightning would strike in the background and his eyes would turn into spinning spirals. A chill ran down my spine.
“Hehe~ Of course I saved one for my darling too~ Darling, ahh~♥”
Having had her fun, Diya clung to Mino even more seductively than she had with me. Mino immediately broke into a goofy grin.
“Darling~ Ahhh~! Mmm! It’s the best!!!”
He accepted the bite and pulled Diya into a powerful embrace. From within his arms, Diya wore the satisfied smile of someone who had everything perfectly calculated.
It seemed that within the snow leopard tribe, the most powerful being was Diya. I definitely shouldn’t get on her bad side.