Aiming for a Cozy Life in a Dangerous Forest in Another World! - Chapter 8
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- Chapter 8 - Let's Try Hunting
Chapter 8: Let’s Try Hunting
I created a lump of earth about the size of a basketball, positioning it 10 meters above the Fangrabbit’s head.
As I imagined it, I focused on making it as solid as possible, pouring my will into it.
The moment the envisioned form materialized, the lump of earth plummeted, striking the Fangrabbit directly on the head.
It seemed a single blow wasn’t enough to finish it off, as it was still moving, but it had definitely been effective.
The Fangrabbit, unsure of where the attack had come from, looked around frantically.
Seizing the opportunity, I made three more lumps of earth rain down on its head.
After being hit with a total of four earth projectiles, the Fangrabbit finally collapsed with a thud, unmoving.
To be sure it was dead, I told Kaito and Pola to wait where they were and cautiously approached it.
One of the Fangrabbit’s two fangs, which protruded from both sides of its mouth, was broken, likely from getting stuck in the ground when it was hit.
Blood oozed from the spot where the lump of earth had struck.
Perhaps because it had been hit multiple times, its eyes and nose were crushed, making for a rather gruesome sight.
However, it was definitely dead.
My first hunt was a resounding success!
I called Kaito and Pola over and we brainstormed about how to get the Fangrabbit back to the cave.
Incidentally, when I told them the name of this rabbit, Kaito had flipped out.
Apparently, a single one of these rabbits could reduce a large town to ashes.
…Just what kind of creatures lived in this forest?! I wanted to scream.
Kaito explained that he used to help butcher the game hunters brought back to Canaan Village, so he could probably handle the Fangrabbit.
Except for one thing, its internal structure seemed to be the same as a regular rabbit.
That difference being the presence of a magic stone.
“Every magical beast has one magic stone in its body. The magic stone of a large magical beast is big and merchants will pay a lot of money for it.
In the village, we would extract and sell the magic stones from Ealbirds whenever they were caught in traps. It happened every few months or so.”
“Ealbirds?”
“Yeah. They’re small bird-like magical beasts, about the size of your two hands. They’re not that strong, so they sometimes get caught in traps.”
“Hmm. So, what exactly are magical beasts, anyway?”
“Magical beasts are animals that have magic stones in their bodies, which allows them to use magic.
There are also monsters, which are similar but more human-like.
Some people use the terms interchangeably, but both magical beasts and monsters always have magic stones.”
Speaking of humanoid creatures, I wondered if goblins or orcs existed here. They typically attacked women on sight in stories. I’d rather not encounter anything like that.
As we were talking, Kaito used the Fangrabbit’s broken fang as a makeshift knife to sever its head.
Then, he sliced open its belly and removed its internal organs.
I didn’t want to think about eating its head or organs, and I couldn’t think of any other use for them. I used 『Earth Magic』 to dig a hole and bury them.
Kaito effortlessly drained the blood from the Fangrabbit before expertly butchering it.
I was amazed that he could dress it so cleanly with just that curved fang.
I buried the unusable parts in the hole with the head and organs.
We put the butchered Fangrabbit meat into a box I made with 『Earth Magic』 and headed back to the cave.
It was the size of a large dog, so we were able to get a good amount of meat from it. It was pretty heavy.
♢ ♢ ♢
When we reached the cliff, I created stairs and we climbed back up to the cave.
I thought about cooking the meat right away, but using fire inside the cave would fill it with smoke and make it smell.
In the end, I decided to cook the meat on the flat ground in front of the cave entrance.
I quickly went down the cliff again and gathered some firewood and dry leaves.
I piled them up and started a fire with 『Fire Magic』.
I used 『Earth Magic』 to create a base and a thin earthen plate, on which I placed the Fangrabbit meat to grill.
I cooked it a bit longer than necessary, just in case of parasites, and took a bite.
The Fangrabbit meat was incredibly delicious.
Even though I had cooked it well-done, it was tender and very juicy.
…But unfortunately, it lacked salt.
Well, it’s to be expected, considering I just grilled it as is.
Kaito and Pola seemed to enjoy it as well, devouring it in silence.
They said they hadn’t had much opportunity to eat meat since coming to Canaan Village.
Come to think of it, Pola was so thin.
We had no choice but to forage for food in the forest, but I wanted to make sure they were well-fed.
Lost in thought, I ended up finishing the generous portion of Fangrabbit meat.
Well, we didn’t have a refrigerator, and I didn’t know how to make jerky or anything, so we couldn’t save any.
In that case, it was better to finish it all.
I used 『Water Magic』 to fill everyone’s cups and we had 『Amaju Fruits』 for dessert.
According to Kaito, the meal we just had was worth several months’ worth of food for an average villager.
Of course, he was only referring to the Fangrabbit meat, since the Amaju Fruits were priceless…
♢ ♢ ♢
Satisfied with our meal, I put out the fire and erased the earthen cooking area.
I didn’t want to attract any other magical beasts with the smell, so we went back inside the cave and sealed the entrance.
Back in the depths of the cave, I thought about our next move.
We should be able to gather 『Amaju Fruits』 for a while.
But honestly, we were incredibly lucky to have been able to hunt that Fangrabbit.
It was by pure chance that we stumbled upon it while it was preoccupied with digging, and it was fortunate that I was able to land those consecutive hits with the earth projectiles.
…I really needed to think of a better way to attack.
As I was thinking about this, Pola’s head began to nod slowly. She was falling asleep.
She was only a six-year-old girl, after all.
She had been swept down a river, attacked by a tiger, and walked a long way through the forest. It’s no wonder she was sleepy.
I was getting sleepy too.
I used 『Earth Magic』 to create beds and pillows for Kaito and Pola.
“They’re probably not very comfortable, but you two can sleep there.”
“…No, they’re more comfortable than the beds at the village… I mean, the mansion…”
Seriously…
Were beds in this world that uncomfortable?
Well, even if it couldn’t compare to a modern Japanese bed, I did put a lot of effort into imagining it and making it soft.
“I’m glad you like them. We’re going back into the forest to look for more food tomorrow, so let’s go to sleep.”
“Okay, good night, Onee-chan.”
“Good night, Kotoha-nee-chan.”
…It’s been a while since anyone said “good night” to me.
A warmth spread through my chest.