Honey (1)
One day, after the sweltering heat had dragged on for over a month and a half, Chester and Monia felt the weather finally beginning to relent. It was still hot, but no longer the suffocating, unbearable heat of before. As the temperature gradually dropped, their outdoor activities naturally increased.
The beach was still too difficult to traverse because the sand remained scorching hot, but wandering through the forest along the cool river was perfectly fine. The river's flow generated a breeze, and the cool air rising from the water washed away the lingering mugginess. Thus, Chester and Monia decided to follow the river today and explore the opposite bank.
Simply crossing the river revealed a remarkably different ecosystem, almost as if someone had deliberately designed it like a curated garden. Of course, since the two banks were so close, a few familiar creatures from their side could be spotted here and there, but on the whole, the flora and fauna were vastly different. The contrast only grew starker the further they ventured from the riverbank. Last time, they had rushed through to find resin, so they hadn't looked around properly. Today, however, they took their time observing the local wildlife.
"Should we set up some traps here too?" Monia asked, spotting a rabbit nibbling on grass in the distance.
"Oh, a rabbit." Chester, who had been looking in the opposite direction, turned his head at Monia's signal. The moment he saw the rabbit, he loaded a stone into his sling. Since he still trusted his sling more than his bow, his hand naturally reached for it first. He gave the sling a light whirl and let fly. The stone zipped through the air and struck the rabbit dead-on.
With a sharp squeak, the rabbit tumbled over and went limp. Chester walked over to retrieve the instantly killed rabbit, while Monia covered her mouth with her hands, having just witnessed the cute creature's sudden demise up close.
"...Is rabbit tasty?" she asked Chester. Chester chuckled at her question and resumed walking. Together, they continued their exploration of the opposite bank.
The two had three main objectives for exploring the other side of the river. First was pure exploration—simply mapping out the terrain, plants, and wildlife. Since they had no idea what dangers might lurk here, scouting ahead was essential to prepare themselves.
Second was gathering more resin. Although the aqueduct was complete, they still needed resin to reinforce and seal their tools and structures. It would have been ideal if resin-producing trees grew near their shelter, but unfortunately, they hadn't found any on their side yet, leaving them with no choice but to search across the river.
Third was finding grains for farming. Since the flora and fauna differed so greatly here, they hoped to find wild grains that didn't grow near their shelter. If they could cultivate grain, the variety of dishes they could prepare would skyrocket, bringing much-needed joy to their meals.
Chester possessed a cast-iron stomach and could eat almost anything, but that didn't mean he was indifferent to the pleasures of dining. Good food was always welcome. A delicious meal could energize a person for the entire day, relieve stress, and boost motivation for hard labor. Now that their basic survival needs—like the aqueduct and pottery—were stable, Chester decided it was time to upgrade their diet. Naturally, finding grains was the top priority of this expedition.
Monia was equally enthusiastic about the prospect of finding grains. "Let's find some cheese and butter too!"
"Sure, if we can find them," Chester replied dryly. Monia, determined to find her beloved cheese and butter, had already harvested a large batch of sugar berries and pickled them in salt, just as she had planned. The salted sugar berries were currently sitting quietly in a corner of their storehouse, slowly curing.
"Hold on. Snake." Monia froze mid-stride at Chester's warning. Following his gaze, she spotted a snake coiled silently in the shadows of the undergrowth.
"Eek!" Monia recoiled in terror. Chester caught her gently from behind to steady her. "What do you think? Want to try catching it?"
"W-what? M-me?!"
"Yeah." Monia shut her mouth tight at his suggestion.
She had managed to kill a wild boar, but snakes were a different story. That repulsive, almost demonic appearance—so utterly unlike any other creature—filled her with an inescapable dread and disgust.
"It's fine. You can do it."
"..." Monia hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and pulled her club out of her basket.
Her club looked a bit different now. While it was still relatively slender with a sharp stone embedded at the tip, she had sanded down the wood against a flat rock to make it smooth and wrapped a cord around the handle. The cord-wrapped grip fit her hand much better than before, making it far easier and more comfortable to swing.
Whew... Monia took a steadying breath and recalled how Chester handled snakes. First of all, Chester never lunged forward. In fact, he kept his hips pushed back almost to the point of looking cowardly, extending only his stick. The most important rule of hunting was to minimize the risk of injury. One must never get so caught up in the hunt that they forget their own safety.
Chester had drilled into her that safety and physical well-being always came first, no matter what. One's body and health were the most precious resources in the wild. Once your health deteriorated, your body would collapse helplessly, and death would follow swiftly.
"I-I'll do it!"
"Go ahead." Monia pushed her hips back and aimed her club at the snake. She targeted the head. It didn't even have to be a perfect strike; just hitting near the head would be enough to disorient the creature.
Facing off against the snake, Monia carefully reached with her other hand for her empty water canteen. Chester always grabs the head when he subdues a snake, she thought. But she lacked the courage to grab it with her bare hands. Instead, she planned to pin it down with the canteen. Ideally, she should have pinned the head down with a longer stick first, but Chester's hunting methods were so deeply ingrained in her mind that she didn't think of that alternative.
I wish she'd prioritize her safety a bit more. Watching Monia wiggle her hips as if she were about to pounce on the snake, Chester pulled out a stick to intervene if things went south. Since he never knew what might come in handy, Chester's basket always contained various items alongside his canteen and bow: a sturdy stick, a long piece of bamboo, a fire-starting kit, and more. While he was confident he could fashion whatever he needed from his surroundings in a pinch, it was always best to be prepared for any contingency.
"Hah!" Monia swung her club, striking the snake. The serpent writhed in pain, and seeing this, Monia swung again. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! After a few more blows, Monia suddenly lunged forward, trying to pin the snake's head with her canteen.
"Ah!" But she missed. The canteen pinned the snake's body instead of its head, and the thrashing serpent bared its fangs, attempting to bite the overextended Monia.
"Rule number one: don't rush," Chester said, slamming his stick down hard onto the snake's head to stop it in its tracks.
"...Okay," Monia mumbled, nodding as she stared at the crushed snake head just inches from her face. Chester pulled her back out of harm's way, kept the head pinned, grabbed the body, and gave it a sharp twist. After snapping its neck to ensure it was dead, he tossed the carcass into his basket.
"Still, you did well."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You didn't just rush in; you kept hitting it with your club first. That kept it from lunging at you right away."
"Ah..."
"But throwing your body forward like that was a mistake. If you fall, you can't move quickly. That puts you in immediate danger."
"...But that's how you caught them before, Chester," Monia grumbled.
Chester grinned, completely unfazed. "That's because I knew I wouldn't miss."
"Oh, of course. My apologies, Your Majesty," Monia huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "Hmph."
"What's with the attitude?"
"Hmph, hmph!"
Chester let out a wry chuckle at her petulance and patted her back as she remained sprawled on the ground. "You'll get better with practice. Don't worry about it."
"Argh!" Jordy threw all dignity aside and rolled across the dirt to save his life. An enemy soldier's spear swept through the empty air right where he had been a second before.
"Haha! The prince isn't so tough after all!" Exhilarated by the sight of the noble prince groveling in the dirt to dodge his attacks, the soldier thrust his spear again and again.
"Eek! No! Aaah!" Jordy scrambled on all fours like a dog, desperately rolling to avoid the spearheads. He wanted to stand up and run, but the surrounding enemy soldiers gave him no breathing room. They cackled, mocking him as they took turns jabbing at him. Just as a spear was about to pierce him, a knight suddenly intervened, cutting down the soldiers and saving Jordy.
"Are you unharmed, Your Highness?" the tactical instructor asked calmly, stepping toward Jordy instead of pursuing the fleeing enemy. Jordy, his face a pathetic mess of tears and snot, nodded frantically.
"Damn it! How did they get all the way out here?"
"An army whipped into a frenzy by war will always have rogue elements running wild, Your Highness."
Jordy took the instructor's hand and pulled himself up. Clicking his tongue, he began furiously kicking the dead soldier's corpse. "You! Filthy! Piece! Of! Trash!!"
"Your Highness."
"I know! I know! These wretched rebels! Are you happy now?!"
"Your Highness," the tactical instructor repeated, his voice dropping to a stern, low warning. Only then did Jordy stop kicking the corpse.
"Since you're here, I assume the rest have been dealt with?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Though the ambush cost us a fair portion of our strength, we handled it without further issue."
"Without issue?! I was attacked! I was cut off from the main force!"
"Your Highness, there would have been no issue had you not wandered off alone to indulge in your drugs."
"Tsk!"
It was true. Jordy, who should have been heavily guarded, had been left to be toyed with by the enemy solely because he had slipped away from the army to secretly take drugs when the ambush occurred.
"But my arm hurts! I have no choice! If I don't use it, the pain is unbearable!"
Initially, Jordy had relied on the drugs merely to dull the agony of his amputated arm. However, the frequency of his use and the dosage he consumed each time were steadily, inexorably rising.