It's time for lunch.

　I was mindlessly picking grass when I looked up at Haruka's words.
　I looked up at the sky and saw the sun through the trees, just past midnight.

"Yes!　Finally, food!

　Toya, who was working beside me, shouted loudly and sat down on the ground.
　I rub my stomach and breathe heavily.
　I've been trying not to think about it, but I'm actually quite hungry.
　Even though I'd packed some bread, it was still very early in the day.

"You were that hungry?　You should have told me.

　You should have told me." Haruka says, a little dumbfounded, but Toya smiles as she sits down.

No, it's hard to complain when Haruka's working so hard. I'm just relying on you.
It's not like I'm slacking off, so don't worry about it. ....... Let's all gather firewood and move along the road. It's safer that way.
Yeah.

　I guess not many people come to this area to collect firewood, so it didn't take much time to collect the firewood.
　We moved to the side of the road, we prepared the fire, and Haruka started preparing the meat.

"Good. I'll start my ignite!

　I combine the wood and activate Ignite.
　The gas-burner-like flame ignited the twigs without a crater, and the thicker branches soon began to burn.

No, it did literally start a fire, but is it more useful than a ...... lighter?

　Toya gave him a subtle look, but he could appreciate it a little more, couldn't he?
　The cheapest fire-starting tools I've seen at the grocery store were flintlocks, and the magic tools that were supposed to work like lighters were quite expensive.

　The flint requires a consumable, unraveled fiber-like tinder, and you have to be very careful to make a fire, you know?
　It's quite convenient to do it in this little time. --I've been trying to convince Toya that it's useful, but he says it's too simple.

　It's true that flashy attack magic is more "magic", but I think this kind of useful magic is more important in real life.
　Realistically, as an adventurer, you'll only be fighting for a period of time in your life.
　Of course, it's important to have magic that can survive that period.

Okay, we're ready. Are the fires ready?　You can burn yourselves.

　With that, Haruka handed me a chunk of meat on a spit.
　Each of us was handed two pieces of meat on skewers, smaller than the palm of our hands and about three centimeters thick.

You can cook them as you like. But make sure it's cooked all the way through. No rare. If they know what they're doing, 75 degrees for at least a minute.

　Haruka cautioned us while sticking her own skewer into the side of the fire.
By the way, what's the norm here?
What's the rule of thumb over here? There's nothing scientific about it, but it's the same.

　We don't have a thermometer, and we have no experience cooking over a fire like this, so should we cook it a little longer?
　After a few minutes of cooking the meat, turning it over every now and then, the fat started to seep out and I could hear and smell it sizzling.

It looks pretty good!　I've never eaten meat this way before!

　I've never had it this way before!" Toya said, staring at the meat happily.
　As if he can't wait, he frequently turns the meat over to look at Haruka.

The barbecue is usually on a griddle or a net.

　Come to think of it, I've never had a barbecue with skewers.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. .......
　I've never had a barbecue with skewers.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding too happy, but don't get your hopes up.　It's only seasoned with salt, and I think the meat itself tastes better than regular pork or something.

　While we were all a little nervous, Haruka was calmly watching the meat cook.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.　So this is pork on a spit?

It's okay!　It's a good thing I'm not the only one.　...... Hey, are you ready to go?
You're not a child, so calm down a bit. You can't help it if you only burn the surface.　It's not safe if the inside is raw.

　After a few more minutes of waiting, we bit into the meat as soon as Haruka gave her permission.

It's hot!　But it's delicious!
This is more than I expected ......

　As we bit into the meat, the juices and fat came pouring out.
　The only flavor is simple salt, but is it the fat that tastes so good?
　The aroma is appetizing and the flavor is delicious. The fat dripping from the meat makes the surface of the meat crispy and fried, and the texture is indescribable.
　The meat is a little tough, but not so tough that it is difficult to bite through, and it gives you the feeling that you are eating meat.

I thought it would be more difficult to eat, but it tastes much better than I expected. Maybe it's what you're eating?
"Isn't there some high quality pork fed on acorns?　If you think about it, a boar that eats good food and exercises is actually high quality meat?
"Well, that's one way of thinking about it. As long as you don't screw up the tightening process, it might be delicious. ....... If you cut the muscle and marinate it in the sauce, it will be a very tasty meat. It's a shame we don't have soy sauce or miso. ......



　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.

I agree. I can live with rice, but soy sauce and miso are important. Most of the seasonings I use usually contain one or the other. The only ones I don't use are mayonnaise and ketchup.

　I say, recalling the contents of my refrigerator.
　I like salad dressings that contain soy sauce, too. I don't like salad dressings that contain only oil, vinegar, salt and pepper because they are tasteless.

There's no Worcestershire sauce in it. I don't use it much.
"But yakiniku sauce and my favorite seasonings, soy sauce and miso, are important. Do you have any?

　If you have yakiniku sauce, you can surely put up with some bad meat and vegetables.
　In fact, you can eat a meal with it.

What do you think?　I don't know if it's made from rice, wheat or soybeans.
I don't care what it tastes like, as long as it tastes like ...... Haruka can't make it?
I know how to make it.　I know how to make it, I helped my grandma make it once. I know how to make it because I helped my grandmother do it once, but she used dried koji mold.
You can't buy koji mold at .......

　I've never seen it sold even in a Japanese supermarket.
　I've never seen it sold even in Japanese supermarkets, much less on other worlds. I don't think you can find it.

I know how to isolate koji mold, so I can try it when I have more money and free time. I'm not sure if I can really do it, so it will be many years before I can try.
"I see. Well, it's better to have hope.

　I'm sure I'll get tired of eating only salt and herbs all the time, but I'll have to deal with that later when I can afford it.
　For now, this meat is tasty enough.

I'm not sure what to do.　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. ...... You're both elves, aren't you afraid of meat or something?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

What?　Do you need more?　I still have some if you want to cook it yourself.
No, I was just wondering, that's not what I meant. ...... But I'll take the meat.

　I'm not saying that, I'm just wondering.
　I'm sure each skewer was as big as a pound of steak. ...... Is it because I'm a beastman?
　You didn't eat this much before, did you?
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how to get it.
　I'm pretty full after one and a half.

I don't think my tastes have changed, but what do you think?
I don't think I've changed my tastes in any way, but what do you think?" "Well, ......, the conventional wisdom here is that Japanese people like fish, and elves like vegetables.
"I see. I see. In a way, I understand. Then you don't need to worry about your daily diet.
I see. Now, when Toya's done eating, we'll leave for the day.
What?　You're leaving already?　The sun is still high.

　It took some time to build the fire and cook, but it was still light enough.
　It's still light enough for us to get back to the city in about an hour.

There's basically no light, so we have to finish our errands while there's still daylight. Buying and stuff, you know. It's our first time, so let's give ourselves plenty of time.
Okay.

　Then we waited for Toya to finish his meat, and after a short break, we returned to the city.

　　　　In the evening, a little before dusk, we found ourselves in the city.

　When we arrived back in town a little before dusk, we immediately went to the adventurer's guild and asked to buy some herbs.
　The person who answered us was the same lady from yesterday.
　She must have remembered us, because when we entered the guild, she noticed us and beckoned to us.
　When Toya put the bag on the counter, the lady looked inside and rolled her eyes.

Oh my!　You've taken a lot of stuff. Please wait a moment while I check.

　She took the bag I gave her and retreated to the backyard, returning a few minutes later with an empty bag.

Yes, everything is fine. Please wait a moment for the calculation. I was a little worried because you're a rookie.

　He smiled and handed the bag back to Haruka.

"Is that so?
Yeah. I give a brief explanation to first-time herbalists, but there are many who don't listen to me, and sometimes they take things for nothing. For example, just weedbane leaves.
"Oh, really?

　Weedbane.
　It is a medicinal herb that Toya found to be in need of roots.


　If it weren't for the appraisal, we would have been the "rookies who don't listen".
　It is inevitable that Haruka's gaze swam slightly.

I'm not going to warn you beforehand because I think you'll learn from it.

　That was really good.
　If we hadn't been so lucky, we'd have been camping out today.

I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that if I were you. ...... By the way, you haven't collected any weedbane, have you?
I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for you. I'll get around to it when I can afford it.
Oh, I see. As you may know, thick roots - usually thicker than your thumb - can be sold at a high price, so you can make a lot of money if you do well.　Well, if you can only get thin roots, you may make less money because you need to spend time digging them up.

　Yes, I didn't know that.
　If it wasn't for the appraisal, I wouldn't have even known that weedbane requires roots.

Thank you very much. Is there anything else you think would be good for this time of year?
"Well, at this time of year, maybe dindle berries.

　She thinks for a moment, takes out a book from under the counter, opens it to a page and tells me.

It's hard to recommend for rookies because you have to go a little deeper into the forest around here. ....... Especially for those who don't know what they're capable of.

　You understand, don't you?　We nodded in unison at the woman who smiled at us.
　It went well today, but that doesn't mean we're too careless to go deeper into the forest tomorrow. At least as long as Haruka is around. ...... Toya is a bit dangerous.

As you can see in this picture, the ding dong is a red fruit the size of a fist, and is a rather expensive fruit that can be eaten as is or dried.

　The illustration in the book shows a fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a tomato.
　The description says that the fruit grows on the tips of trees that are at least five meters tall.
　However, "five meters" only means "at least," and the actual dindle tree is said to be tens of meters tall.

But as you can see here, they grow near the tops of very tall trees, so you need to be a good climber to pick them. Fortunately, there are two elves in Haruka's party, so if you can climb it, I think it's pretty good.　They'll be 100 to 300 rares each.

　That's expensive!
　If the purchase price is that high, the selling price might be over 500 rares each.
　If you can harvest more than one, you can make a lot of money.
　If you can harvest more than one, you can make enough money, so you might as well go for it.

It seems that you have finished your calculations.

　When we looked up from looking into the catalog, a person from behind the counter was handing her a tray with money on it.

Let's see, that's 8,730 Reais in total. That's amazing!　Not many people make this much money from herbs alone, right?
"Is that so?

　Haruka tilted her head at the startled woman.
　Even though we had help, we were not experts in the distribution of herbs.
　If this is the first time we've done this, I'm sure someone more experienced will be able to make more money.

"Yeah. When the rookies get used to collecting herbs, we will shift to more profitable requests. If you only need to make a moderate amount of money, you can make relatively safe money by becoming a professional herbalist, but there are many young people who dream of getting rich as adventurers. ......

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to buy any more.　I've picked up a lot today.
"Yes, that's... Yes, that's because we basically dry them and use them, so they can be stored for a long time. Besides, as I said before, there are no people who mainly collect medicinal herbs.
I understand. I'll do my best tomorrow. Also, I hunted down a task boar, can I buy it?
"Yes. You can buy the tusks and fur here, but the meat will cost you a little more if you take it directly to the butcher. If it's too much trouble, I can buy it here too.
Then just the tusks and fur, please.
Yes, sir. Please wait a moment.

　Haruka urged me to put my bag of skins and tusks on the counter, and the lady took it back to the backyard and came back with the money.

I checked it out. They were large without any damage, so the total for the two will be 3,500. Is that all right with you?
"Yes.
All right. Then this is the price. --But it's amazing. How did you beat it?

　While handing the money to Haruka, he looked at us behind him quizzically.
　The way he was looking at us, I'm guessing he was referring to our equipment, which didn't even have proper swords.
　Well, it doesn't look like the gear of an adventurer, does it?
　We're all dressed in cloth, and our only weapon is Toya's wooden sword.
　But that's the way it is in RPG games at first. ...... No, it's usually the game that's weird.

It's...
I put my wooden sword in the boar's eye and stopped it from breathing!

　Toya suddenly interjected, showing off his wooden sword and showing off his chest.


　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.
　I'm sure you're a charming person, but you don't have beast ears.

I'm sorry.　--Oh, I'm sorry. I'd like to introduce you. The boar over here with his chest out is Toya, and the elf behind him is Nao.
　Basically, our style is Toya in the front and Nao and I in the back. I'm sure that Haruka will continue to be the one to negotiate with, but I'd appreciate your help.

"I'm Nao. It's nice to meet you.
I'm Toya!　Nice to meet you!

　I was introduced by Haruka and bowed with the friendliest smile possible, while Toya smiled and raised his hand lightly.
　Is that a character development, Toya?
　In a way, it suits you, but don't you think you're being a little unpolite?
　The woman smiled and bailed out of my thoughts.

This is very polite. I'm Diora. My main job is to work at the counter, so I'm sure I'll be seeing you all relatively often.

　I'm Diora, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you relatively often.　I'll tell you later.
　I'll be sure to tell you later that if the lady at the counter gets less friendly, it'll be a big problem for us naive people, affecting our survival rate.

　Then, after asking Diora for a recommendation for a butcher shop, we stopped there on our way back to the inn and sold all the meat we had left.
　We were a little disappointed, because the meat we had roasted over the fire was quite tasty, but there was no way to preserve it, and if we had left it behind and got food poisoning, it would have been useless.
　Because of Haruka's skillful handling and the fact that there was a good amount of meat, the boar meat sold for a good price, and we were even asked to bring it back if we had a chance in the future.

　After that, I went straight back to the "Slumbering Bear" and secured a room for a few days.
　At least now we would not be stranded for a few days.
　Feeling a great sense of relief, the three of us entered the room, sat down on the bed, and breathed a sigh of relief together.
　You're so evil, you're always on the edge of your seat with your money!