After showing Rike how to make a custom model, we made a couple of high-end models and were about to call it a day when Samija and Deanna came home.
"Welcome back. Did you hunt your quarry?
I'm home. Oh, we got a pretty big deer.
Oh, that's great. Welcome back, Deanna.
I'm back. Yeah, I'm tired. ......
Hey, what's up?
Oh, I got Deanna to be my pimp.
　When you're hunting, you're supposed to drive your prey out in front of the archer. So, he must have done a lot of running and moving around. And in the woods. That must be exhausting. Samija is relentless.
That's a lot of work. Good work, both of you. Deanna, no practice today, okay?
"Yes. You're not gonna be able to move well with this.
I know. Then no practice today. We'll have dinner after we clean up the workshop, and then you can go to your room to rest after you get rid of the dirt.
Okay.
Okay.
　Then they both head for the kitchen.
Now, let's clean up the workshop.
"Yes, sir.
　And so the day ends.

　The next day. First thing in the morning, we all head for the forest. I have the water bottle, Samija has the rope, and Rike has the axe. Every time I see Rike with an axe, I feel like a dwarf. I guess it's because he's a dwarf. It's only natural, since they're dwarves.
　Only Deanna is empty-handed, but she can't hide her excitement. She's probably looking forward to retrieving her quarry, which she (and Samija) hunted yesterday. I've stopped trying to figure out if she was a ...... tomboy or not. I don't need to.

　Four of us in the woods. You have more eyes than three, and one more person who can sense your presence, so you might say you are safer. In the first place, there aren't many animals that would want to attack four people, so in other words, anyone who would try to kill us would be very suspicious.
　It's been almost six days since we hid Deanna. The Karelian camp must have figured out by now that their pursuers failed to capture Deanna. It is no wonder that the Kuro Forest is one of the candidates for the search for Diana.
　Even so, it would take a long time to reach the Kuro Forest, since an ordinary person would lose their life while searching for her, but since our house emits a lot of smoke, there is a possibility that she will be found easily like Helen was. Considering that, maybe it's time to be more careful.

　With this in mind, we arrived at the lake. While I, Samija, and Deanna pulled up the deer, Rike cut down the trees. While Rike and I built a platform, Samija and Deanna filled water bottles, and once everything was on the platform, all we had to do was pull it. Now that there are four of us pulling, it's much faster than before. We arrived at the house about 1.2 times faster than when we pulled it before. The rest of the process was done quickly and easily by the three of us, except for Deanna. All three of us were already familiar with the process, and the deer became meat in no time.
"So this is how meat is made.
　Deanna said with a sense of admiration and pondering. I thought that this would be something that a normal young lady would probably be overwhelmed with ......, but since I was there the day before when Samija pulled out the entrails and nothing special happened, I guess she's got a lot of guts.
"Right. This is how they are dismembered and turned into meat.
It was a live deer until I chased it yesterday and Samija killed it.
That's right. And it's the same meat that you've been eating, Deanna.
That's right. ......
　You've been thinking a lot. I'm sure the common people, but the nobility will never see the slaughtering and dismantling.
I'm sure you're not the only one.
"Taking life, huh?
Yeah. That's what we're living on.
I see. ......
　I'm afraid I'm being a bit preachy. This is why I don't want to get old.
"Eizo is talking like my grandpa.
　Samija's blow hurt my heart.
"That's what we're taught at home.
　"That's what we're taught in the North," I reply weakly.
"That's what they teach you in the North? You're like a beast.
　Samija says admiringly.
I don't know how it is in the North, but at least in my family we were taught that everything has a soul.
　I don't know about the whole of the North, but at least at home we were taught that everything has a soul.


In the forest?
"To the forest, and to the trees there. That's why we should be grateful for cutting them down, using them in various ways, and living in them, as my grandfather used to say. Of course, it's not just trees.
"I see. ......
　Now Deanna is impressed. I don't want to do anything that might infringe on the culture, but after living with it for over 40 years, I can't help but feel it.

　The mood is somber, so I try to be cheerful.
"It's my day off, and I'm going to make that for lunch with this meat, so you can look forward to it.
"Oh, yeah!
"Wow, I'm looking forward to it!
　Sarmyas and Rikke went along with it. Deanna, with a puzzled look on her face.
"What's that?
　But both Samija and Rike just say, "We'll find out at noon," and everyone heads back to the house with the meat.

　We dried and salted the venison for lunch and dinner, and had a well-received venison steak with strawberry sauce for lunch. The rest is unfermented bread and soup. One of these days, I'd like to try my hand at fermented bread, using either dried grapes or rye yeast.
　Before eating, Deanna said
Before we ate, Deanna asked me, "Do you have a prayer of thanksgiving at ...... in the north, or at your house?
　And I said.
I said, "Yes, I do. ....... Let's try it. Put your hands together.
　We all join our hands together.
"Itadakimasu.
"Itadakimasu.
　Everyone chants after me.
"Eizo, what does 'Itadakimasu' mean?"
Eizo, what does "Itadakimasu" mean? "It means 'I thank you for your life,' 'I thank you for nature's bounty,' 'I thank you for the food you prepared,' and so on.
Yeah. Well, let's keep doing it. It's Eizo's house.
I don't mind, but are you two okay with that?
Yeah. I'm fine with it.
Of course, master.
　And so, the Japanese way of saying "Itadakimasu" and "Gochisosama" became the greeting for meals in our house.