The Ant-wolf Territory (1)
"My wounds have completely healed."
It had been a few days since the incident with the Ant-wolves. Fortunately, they were only minor injuries, so except for a few bruises that hadn't fully faded and a laceration on his shoulder, everything had healed.
"What do you mean, completely healed?!"
Of course, Monia grumbled at Chester, asking how on earth that counted as fully recovered.
"This is more than fine."
The laceration on his shoulder was nothing compared to the wound on his palm from before. It had scabbed over cleanly without any swelling or complications.
"Please take better care of yourself!"
He didn't know what her problem was, but Monia had been nagging him like this a lot lately. Naturally, Chester ignored her.
And so, their daily routine of foraging for food and searching for crops continued.
"Where are we going today? Across the river again?"
"No. Now that the Ant-wolves are gone, we can explore the areas we couldn't reach before. Let's head over there."
"Eek."
Yes. Chester's plan this time was to explore the Ant-wolf Territory.
Regardless of the pup left in the den, the Ant-wolf pack, now reduced to only three members capable of hunting, wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. In fact, being the intelligent creatures they were, they would likely flee the moment they caught wind or sight of Chester and Monia from afar.
"A-are you sure we'll be okay?! Going back there of all places!"
Of course, Monia was filled with nothing but worry, but Chester firmly assured her it would be fine.
After eating breakfast, checking their fish traps and snares, and gathering some wild plants, the two set off toward the Ant-wolf Territory.
With the apex predators of the area gone, the Ant-wolf Territory had transformed into a bustling haven overrun by various other creatures.
"Should we set some traps?"
Her fear of the Ant-wolf Territory seemed to have vanished entirely; seeing the abundant wildlife they usually ate scurrying about, Monia spoke up with enthusiasm.
"Let's look around first. If we have time left over, we'll set them."
"Okay! I want to try setting a Figure-4 trap."
"You cried when you failed last time."
"I-I'll succeed this time!"
The moment a Figure-4 deadfall trap fails, there is a high probability of the heavy rock collapsing and crushing one's hand. Monia had been lucky. She had only scraped the back of her hand. But if things had gone slightly worse, she could have fractured a finger or suffered a deep, painful laceration.
Because of that, Chester hadn't asked Monia to set any Figure-4 traps since.
"I can do it! Really!"
"Alright, shall we give it a try then?"
"Yes! Just watch me!"
Chester smiled, glad that for some reason, Monia seemed overflowing with motivation lately, even without the incentive of honey.
The Ant-wolf Territory contained many familiar plants, but there were also plenty they had never seen before.
"The potatoes here are quite large."
"They really are."
"Maybe we should try cultivating these... No, wait."
He had never seen this kind of potato on the Floating Island before, though he had seen plenty of Kkae-gamja.
That means Kkae-gamja are much better suited to the island's climate than regular potatoes.
This potato had likely managed to grow successfully only because it happened to take root in an exceptionally lucky spot. The chances of the garden plot Chester had cleared being another one of those 'lucky spots' were incredibly low.
Even if we can't farm them, we can still eat them. Chester harvested the potatoes.
"Potatoes, potatoes..."
Monia seemed to be pondering what she could make with them.
"I've never eaten a potato dish before."
"Really?"
"Yes. High society looked down on potatoes, treating them as mere livestock feed."
"Hmm."
Chester took the potato from Monia's hand and said,
"Then I'll cook them for you."
"Pardon?"
"My mother used to make all kinds of dishes with potatoes."
Of course, "all kinds of dishes" mostly meant different types of stew. But unlike Kkae-gamja, which didn't release starch when boiled, these regular potatoes would yield a thick, rich broth.
"It's just going to be stew anyway, isn't it?"
"..."
"Hello?"
After walking a bit further, they discovered an unfamiliar plant.
"Oh, I know what this is."
"You do?"
"Yes."
Though foreign to Chester, Monia, who had enjoyed delicacies from all over the world, had seen it quite a few times.
"They're called chili peppers. They have a spicy taste."
"Ho. Spicy, you say?"
If he used a spicy seasoning with the potatoes they had just gathered, could he recreate the stew his mother used to make? Chester examined the appearance of the chili peppers with interest.
The red chilies were wrinkled, pointed at the ends, and strangely curved.
"They look like a witch's fingers."
"Ahaha! What on earth is that comparison?"
"No, look. They really do."
The two gathered every single chili pepper growing there.
"Can we grow these?"
"Who knows?"
"Maybe I'll plant some in a corner of the garden."
Eating spicy food keeps sickness away. This wasn't scientific knowledge, but rather a truth Chester had experienced firsthand. His mother was always good at making spicy food, but whenever Chester caught a cold, she would make something exceptionally spicy. The moment he ate it, his clogged nose would clear up, and he could feel his body recovering in real-time as he sweated profusely.
Besides, eating spicy food is great for beating the cold. They had made a great find.
Of course, not everything they found was pleasant.
"Stop."
"Huh? Why?"
"A spider."
"A spider?"
At the word 'spider,' Monia looked in the direction he was pointing and shrieked in horror at the sight of an eight-legged, hairy arachnid.
"Hieeeek! Why is it so huge?!"
This wasn't the first time they had seen a spider on the Floating Island, but they had never seen one like this.
"I-it's too big! Is that really a spider?!"
"It's a spider."
It was of a terrifying size, easily large enough to cover an entire palm if placed upon it. Since getting too close and being unlucky enough to get bitten could prove fatal, Chester decided to take a detour.
"Aren't you going to kill it?"
"There's no meat on it, so there's no reason to kill it."
Taking a wide detour to avoid the spider, Chester and Monia left a marker near the web, just in case they forgot its presence on their way back.
"Don't forget this."
"Okay."
Spiders aside, both Chester and Monia walked through the forest with light steps.
"It's so nice to have a wider variety of food!"
"Indeed."
"Hey, it's about that time. Shall we have some lunch?"
"Shall we? Potatoes taste great even if you just roast them over a fire. Want to try some?"
"Yes!"
In every army, there existed a certain "slop" that the soldiers absolutely detested. For the Royal Army, that detested ration was none other than potatoes. They would dump a mountain of potatoes into a massive, rusted cauldron, boil them haphazardly in water, and serve them up.
It was the Royal Army's go-to ration because it was easy to prepare and provided quick energy for physical labor. Of course, there was no way they would waste precious salt on mere soldiers, so they ate the potatoes plain. Worse, it was rare for anything else to accompany the potatoes.
Staple: one potato. Side dish: one potato. Snack: one potato. That was their diet.
"Is it potatoes again today?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
This was the reality for Jordy, who had been conscripted as a common soldier for this campaign. Under the pretext of having him experience war firsthand, the King had sent Jordy to the battlefield as a common soldier.
Of course, since it would be disastrous if he actually died, knights disguised as common soldiers closely guarded him. Still, fighting on the front lines as a grunt was on a completely different level from issuing commands from the safety of a royal command tent.
Above all, the sheer physical exhaustion meant that no matter how much he ate, his hunger never truly vanished.
Starvation. Though he had felt a taste of it during their previous retreat after being defeated by the Duke's army, it was still an incredibly foreign sensation to Jordy.
To think that I, a prince, am starving.
To make matters worse, despite his hunger, the only thing available to eat was a single potato—food fit only for livestock!
Feeding me fodder... Royal Father is truly too cruel.
Jordy, whose very thoughts had begun to mimic the haughty, archaic speech of royalty due to his lifelong education, swallowed his resentment and aggressively chewed on the unpeeled potato.
"Ugh..."
Jordy shuddered with every bite, as if he were consuming poison. However, his brief moment of peace did not last long.
"Ambush! Ambush!!"
"The Duke's army is advancing!!"
"Everyone, grab your weapons! Grab your weapons! You bastards! Move your asses, now!!"
An advance? Suddenly? As Jordy sat there in a daze, a nearby soldier delivered a harsh kick straight to his back. It was the squad leader of Jordy's squad.
"Gah!"
"You lazy recruit! Get the hell up right now!"
After stomping on Jordy a few more times, the squad leader ran ahead to gather the rest of his men. Trembling from the sudden assault, Jordy forced himself up, desperate to avoid another beating.
That bastard! The moment I return to the castle, I will have him executed! It is treason! I will exterminate his entire lineage!
"Move it, you bastards! Move if you don't want to die! Anyone who doesn't move, I'll kill you myself!"
The roars of squad leaders echoed not just near Jordy, but across the entire camp. The soldiers hurriedly threw on their armor, grabbed their spears, and rushed toward the battlefield.
Regardless of the screams of men and the blood splattering the earth below, the sky today was infuriatingly, beautifully clear.
If you're going to work us to death like this, at least feed us something other than livestock fodder!!
Grumbling inwardly, Jordy raised his spear and ran forward.
"Aaaaaaargh!!"
"How is the roasted potato?"
"It's delicious! At first, the savory flavor spreads, and the fluffy potato warms up my whole body. But as I keep chewing, there's a strange sweetness to it!"
"Do you like it?"
"Yes!"
After eating a few roasted potatoes, Chester and Monia gathered their strength and continued their exploration of the forest.