Heading toward the royal castle while gazing at the barrier.
Sepia and the others seem to be making some progress with their work, but it looks like they’ll need a bit more time.
Arnella and Noel, who appear to manage themselves well, don’t show any signs of exhaustion, but unfortunately, Sepia seems to be in the same state as Mira, utterly worn out.
It’s like their souls are slipping out of their mouths.
The workload and the number of mages simply aren’t balanced.
Sepia joining in didn’t make things easier; it merely allowed them to finally tackle the untouched tasks.
I guess this just goes to show how remarkable those two are.
I leave Sepia in their capable hands and head to the throne room.
I’m here to report the completion of my duties.
Entering the throne room, I meet with Queen Rafa. It’s a bit more relaxed than an official audience.
“Is it already finished?”
“Yes.”
When I reported that I’d finished setting up the barrier, she asked back with a serious expression.
Since it was completed far sooner than expected, she might be skeptical.
But in reality, the barrier is indeed covering the capital. She’ll likely send someone to check, just to be sure.
“You’re fast… I thought it would take at least half a year.”
“Well, I’m known for my speed.”
“I don’t think that’s quite the point.”
“Do you have any other tasks for me?”
Having wrapped up the major task so quickly, I now find myself with time on my hands.
There’s no need to drag things out if there’s a way to complete them efficiently.
There’s also no need to push myself to exhaustion, as I mentioned to Mastema.
As long as I handle things properly and effectively, the results will be more than satisfactory.
Though it seems this time I’ve exceeded even that.
“No… there doesn’t seem to be.”
Not only is she checking her own documents, but she’s also confirming with her secretary.
“Well, with the barrier in place, sheep herding can finally resume, but that’s a matter for the future. The truth is, we’re currently short on meat in the capital.”
Now that I think about it, the meat I had was preserved.
“Imports from the empire have their limits. The knights are taken care of, but the citizens don’t have enough.”
“I see.”
“So, could you go hunt for edible beasts outside the capital? The capital’s butcher shops have plenty of storage capacity.”
She wants me to supply enough meat to fill every butcher in the capital.
Quite the bold request.
“Understood.”
Food is essential, after all. And fortunately, my main occupation is that of an adventurer.
I know more about monsters than most people around here.
Not only those that are edible, but those that taste good as well.
After the audience, I stand up with Mastema.
Come to think of it, I’m surprised they let Mastema in here so easily. Maybe they’re resigned to it in a way.
“By the way, is it alright for you not to return to the empire?”
“Not particularly.”
“I see. I’d like you to stay for a while, so I’m counting on you.”
That question was hard to interpret.
Leaving the throne room, I head with Mastema to the food storage.
There, a large man was busy butchering meat. He must have some spare time, as he’s cracking bones and simmering them in a huge pot.
When I asked how much meat I could bring in, he confidently said as long as the storage isn’t filled, it’s fine.
Since the meat will be distributed to the butchers from this storage, I’ll just keep bringing in as much as I can.
“Should I leave the back open for you?”
“Yeah, I’ll bring it in from there.”
“Got it. I’ll get things ready.”
With the arrangements made with the person in charge of the storage, all that’s left is to gather the meat.
The barrier is keeping monsters away from the capital, so I’ll have to start by locating some.
Studying the map, I make an educated guess about where they might be.
“If anywhere, they’ll be in this forest.”
A vast forest lies north of the capital. Before the kingdom was affected by the demon summoning, they were slowly clearing it, but now it’s left untouched.
With a forest this large, there are bound to be monsters living in it.
Upon arrival, I find the forest to be quite impressive.
The trees are huge.
Each tree is several times the size of an ordinary one, making the ground dark even in broad daylight.
One of these trees alone would be enough to build a house.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I enter the forest with Mastema. This much doesn’t faze us anymore.
The forest is quiet.
There’s only the faint chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the distance.
But I sense the presence of large monsters lurking within, watching us.
I use fire magic to illuminate the forest.
Suddenly, a rabbit appears at my feet, with no warning.
“A head-hunting rabbit!”
This isn’t a place where such creatures should be.
Just as I notice the rabbit moving, I feel a strong impact on my neck.
The rabbit had moved behind me in that instant.
Luckily, I managed to reinforce my body using Victor’s blessing just in time. Had I been standing there idly, my head would have been taken off.
The rabbit looks at me, curious. It must be surprised that a human survived its attack.
Too bad, though—this time it picked the wrong opponent.
Mastema lunges at the head-hunting rabbit and easily finishes it off.
The strength of the head-hunting rabbit lies in its single lethal strike.
Against Mastema, though, regular attacks don’t work at all.
This head-hunting rabbit, known as humanity’s nemesis, was taken down in an instant.
Thanks to Mastema, we dealt with it easily, but if this rabbit had appeared in the capital, it would have been chaos.
If it were left unchecked, it could spell disaster for the kingdom, so it’s a good thing we eliminated it here.
Head-hunting rabbits are few in number and don’t share territories. How they multiply is unknown, but they’re monsters, after all…
Incidentally, rabbit meat is delicious.
I cut a branch, hang the rabbit on it, and head deeper into the forest.
It feels like a picnic.
With preservation magic, it won’t spoil.
While we leisurely continue through the forest in search of meat, an unprecedented crisis unfolds in the kingdom.
We wouldn’t learn of it until we returned with our spoils.
