Chapter 223:
A Present
“Well, Ciel is once again a big-shot hunter.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, this is a rare monster. Some adventurer parties travel purely for the hope of catching one.”
They travel purely for the hope of catching one… Wait, and Ciel caught it, just like that? That’s super impressive, isn’t it?
“I think they meant it as a present for you, Ivy.”
“Why?”
“This monster is called a gooth. It’s known for producing magic that’s good for your health.”
“Magic that’s good for your health?”
“Yes, there’s a magic power that’s generated inside the gooth, you see. And when we eat its meat, the magic in it gives our stamina a boost.”
“Whoa! I didn’t even know magic like that existed.”
“Yeah, though the way it’s produced remains a mystery.”
Huh… I’d never heard of this type of monster. I kept an eye on the gooth corpse as I slowly approached it. Its legs were short and thick, but it had a very sturdy frame. From its physique, it didn’t look like it could run very quickly. Since it was lying on its side, I wasn’t sure exactly how big it was, but it looked at least as tall as me. I moved to get a good look at its face.
“Eek!” I shrieked. Its face…well, I can’t even describe it. Its most distinguishing feature was its giant mouth filled with misaligned fangs. Just the sight of it gave me the shivers.
“Potions are great for curing illness and injury, but if you want to restore your stamina or energy after a tiring day, gooth meat is just what the doctor ordered.”
So if you get sick, take a potion, and if you want an energy boost, eat gooth meat. But why are they called “gooth”? I’ve never heard that name before. I wonder if it has a different name in different regions?
“Are gooth called the same thing no matter where you go?”
“I think so. But dang, that grotesque face is always a horrifying sight.”
I couldn’t help but nod eagerly in agreement. For a monster with such a cute name, its face was a far cry from cute. It was a visage that nightmares were made of.
“I’ve just never heard of a monster called gooth before.”
“Their meat is well known among the elderly for its potency. The only reason younger adventurers don’t know about them is because not many living people have seen one.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. They never leave the deepest parts of the forest, you see.”
So gooth lived deep in the forest. That would mean the only people who ever saw them were veteran adventurers. And when a monster has very few witnesses to its existence, it also has very few rumors spread about it…which would explain why I’d never heard of them before.
“Catching one of these guys is a real ordeal. They always travel in packs.”
In packs…a whole pack of these horrifying faces? What a nightmare.
“Puuu?”
I looked over at Sora. It was staring right back at me with anxious eyes. I wonder what’s wrong… Oh! That’s right, Druid told me the gooth was a present, but I still haven’t thanked them.
“Is this gooth a present for me?”
“Pu! Pu, puuu.”
Mrrrow.
“Thanks, guys. That was really sweet of you.”
It was obvious just how suddenly their moods lifted. Sora jiggled quite cheerfully, and Ciel’s tail kicked up an incredible cloud of dust.
“Thanks. Ciel, can you please calm down a little?”
Mewww, Ciel whined, turning around and drooping its head. It was probably upset that it just couldn’t control its swishing tail when it was excited. And while the adandara’s high spirits did tend to cause a lot of trouble, I was still happy to know how it felt.
“Please don’t be upset, Ciel. I love your tail, you know.”
We were in the forest, so it was okay if Ciel caused some minor damage. What was a fallen skinny tree in the wake of Ciel’s tail in the grand scheme of things?
“But I wonder…just how far out did Ciel and Sora go to hunt this?” Druid said.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, you can’t find gooth anywhere near Oll or Hatow.”
Did they put forth even more effort for me than I thought? “Thanks, guys.”
I took time to give both Sora and Ciel plenty of pats on the head, and they contentedly closed their eyes all the while. Then I happened to look across from them, and I noticed that Flame was staring at the pair.
“Flame, thank you for making me that potion. You were a really big help—I mean it.” Then I gave Flame some thank-you pats. The slime jiggled for a while until I started to hear some contented sleepy breathing from it.
“Oh, Flame, you never change, do you?” I petted all three one after another…which was a frantic task, seeing as how I only had two arms.
“Ivy, I’m going to go butcher the gooth by the river.”
My eyes darted around and saw a river just a little ways away. The gooth corpse was ready for butchering.
Oh, darn. I was getting too cozy with the kids. “I’ll help!”
“No, you fainted. You need to take it easy.”
“But I’m okay now, so I can help!”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes.”
“Really?” Druid’s worrywart spirit was alive and well.
“Yes, really. I really am okay. If I feel even slightly off, I’ll take a break.”
“If you feel even slightly off you tell me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay…you can help me.”
I did get his permission, but he looked awfully worried. I need to make him understand I really am fine.
I was about to lift the corpse and carry it to the river for butchering, but Ciel helped us move it in the blink of an eye. Ciel was able to effortlessly carry a monster bigger than itself… The adandara truly was quite strong.
“Thanks, Ciel.”
Gee, my heart won’t stop racing… I’ve never butchered a monster this big before. I’d better do my best to stay out of Druid’s way.
“That should do it,” Druid said as he cut the rest of the meat into large, equally sized pieces.
Phew…I’m wiped out. Since I’d never butchered anything of this size, Druid gave me instructions as I helped him. But wow, look at all that meat. I counted it up as I wrapped it in bana leaves. We had eighty-five parcels, and that was after Ciel had eaten its share of the meat. It really was a huge monster.
“Okay, um…I guess I’ll use some of this meat for dinner tonight. I think I’ll braise it, since the pieces are so big.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“No, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay… Can you handle dinner while I clean up?”
Oh, good. I finally got him to understand I’m all right. “Sure. I’ll have it ready in no time.”
“If you feel even slightly unwell, take a break, okay?”
Ha ha ha…guess I spoke too soon.
The sun had fallen quite a bit while we were butchering, so I wanted to get dinner cooked as quickly as possible. The air was soon filled with the aroma of meat and vegetables. I tasted the meat. It was tender and a bit gamey, but very good. Braising it had been the right move.
“I’m back,” Druid said, returning to the mouth of the cave after cleaning up the aftermath of our butchering.
“Dinner will be ready soon.”
“It smells good.”
“I’ve made a braise of gooth meat and fruit tonight.”
“Meat and fruit?”
“Yes. Would you like to taste it?”
“No, I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Druid said as he stepped into the cave.
I’d already heated some water for us to wash up, so I told him to take it to the front of the cave. Whenever you butchered large animals or monsters, the stench of blood always stuck with you, so you had to carefully wash your clothes and body to avoid luring monsters.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
When I saw that Druid had returned to the cave with some hot water, I proceeded to finish off the meat. Okay. All done.
I took out our magic table and chairs. As I lined up the slimes’ potions, Flame stirred and woke up to eat dinner with Sora. Flame sure is good at waking up when it’s dinnertime… That’s a fine personality trait to have.
I piled the meat high on a plate. All I need now is…I think we still have some black bread left over, and also some tea.
“Wow, what a feast.”
“And we have Ciel to thank for it. Sorry, Ciel, but could you please not swish your tail during dinner?”
Mrrrow…
“Thanks.”
Sorry, but I’d rather not eat my dinner in the middle of a dust storm.
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