Chapter 295: Banquet and Hunt


    Maria, Marnie, and the women of the Aligerous tribe worked together to cook the copious amounts of ingredients that we prepared.


    「<em>Uwaa</em>! Mama! So much meat!」


    「You’re right, how nice.」


    The little children’s eyes sparkled seeing food cooked one after the other.


    「Monsters have been running rampant for 200 years, making it difficult to hunt, therefore securing enough foodstuff has been challenging…… we have been doing our best to keep the children from feeling hungry, but……」


    Just as with Vart-kun’s group when we met, the Sky Inders’ weapons were mainly the bow, so their offensive ability against wild animals was meager, and even less so with monsters. It would have been different had they at least used magic steel for their arrowheads, but there was no one among them that had advanced smithing skills.


    「Valzak-niisan, could you leave the hunting to us?」


    「He’s right, Uncle, we got this. The monsters in this ce are easy peasy with our weapons.」


    Valkan-san was filled with confidence as he asked Valzak-san to entrust the hunting to them. It was then that Vart nced at Valzak-san’s son, his cousin Valto, boasting proudly as he pounded on his chest and said he’d hunt monsters. Valto-kun red at him with a frustrated look.


    <em>Haa</em>, I wonder if they’ll be able to get along……


    I couldn’t see it directly, but from the presences I sensed, the monsters inhabiting the forest that swallowed the ruins of the ancient civilization were not strong in our eyes.


    There was a reason for this. The forest is not a monster nest. Naturally, mana is thin innd that isn’t a monster nest. Dense mana is an absolute requirement for strong monsters to live.


    It was then the voice from the other side called out.


    「Old man! I’ll hunt too!」


    「……no Valto, it was only just recently that you were injured by a monster, right?」


    「<em>Kuh</em>! It’ll be fine this time! If that guy is going hunting, I will hunt too!」


    Valzak-san’s son, Valto-kun stated he too would join the hunt so he couldpete with Vart-kun.


    From now on, in order to live in the Sky Ind, they must not avoid hunting at this forest.


    Originally, the Sky Ind was home to many wild and domesticated animals before the forest spread. The residents of the ancient era provided meals by hunting a portion of them. At some point in time, with the ancient civilization bing a relic of the past and the Sky Ind uninhabited by people for a long time, the forest spread out and even domestic animals turned feral.


    「Until the monsters overflowed 200 years ago, our tribe’s life wascking yet still stable because of the bountiful forest.」


    Valkan-san and Valzak-san spoke in yearning. Since that was the case, if we thin out the monsters in the forest and regain control of the dungeon core, the Sky Ind would surely be a ce that would be easy to live in for them.


    「Hmm, that oniichan is unreliable.」


    「Yeah, Bagworm is barely ok nya.」


    「Wha!? Yo-!?」


    When Kaede and Lulu-chan judged him, Valto-kun retorted, but he only just now noticed Kaede.


    「Y-you………」


    We were probably the only ones who could perceive Kaede, who had gone so far as to wear the Overcoat of Existence Concealment and use her Stealth skill to not scare everyone, until she talked. Seeing an Arachne, an S rank monster, right in front of him all of a sudden, Valto-kun looked like he would faint at any moment.


    「Kaede-san, please stop with the “bagworm”. I beg you……」


    On the other hand, Vart-kun was begging Kaede with sped hands and a pathetic expression. Being coiled in threads and hung from high above at our first meeting had be Vart-kun’s trauma.


    「Anyway, let’s think about the huntter, we should enjoy the food now」


    「Ah, yes, you’re right.」


    「Niisan, Kaede-dono is Iruma-dono’s familiar, so please calm down.」


    「I-is that so? I-I see.」


    Perhaps to be expected of the chief, Valzak-san did his best to collect himself in one way or the other, though he was still pale faced.


    Additionally, among the Aligerous Tribe in the Sky Ind, the women and children soon grew familiar with Kaede and began toe together to enjoy the food. It must have been fine since Berkut and the others were together with us.


    That day, I offered wine from my Item Box. The adults grew excited and the feast continuedte into the night.


    ***