Chapter 9

After waiting dazedly for about two hours, I went to check the trap.

It was getting close to dusk, and my hands were starting to feel unsteady.

I peered into each trap without much hope.

"Wow, it’s caught."

A larger quail was caught in one of the traps.

At least it would be enough for tonight’s dinner, so I decided to remove the other traps.

Incidentally, I was relieved it wasn’t in Japan, where capturing animals was prohibited until 2017.

Just to be safe, the 'Recognition' teacher also confirmed it was a quail, so I could start preparing it without any qualms.

This time, the 'Acquisition' teacher didn’t say anything, probably because I didn’t have the skill.

I started by draining the blood, plucking the feathers, and removing the entrails.

I separated the fat and then crushed the skin, entrails, meat, and small bones with a stone.

The knife was getting greasy and the blade was starting to dull.

"It’s a shame I don’t have a pot; it would make a great broth..."

I’ve always enjoyed cooking, even before I got married, so not being able to use good ingredients was genuinely sad.

Feeling a bit down, I built a makeshift hearth and threw in a large, flat stone.

Once the stone was sufficiently red-hot, I removed it and spread the fat on it.

When the oil was well-distributed, I spread the crushed meat on the stone in a tartare steak-like manner.

It started to sizzle and emit a different aroma from chicken.

"Even though they’re both birds, they’re completely different. I’ve heard that pheasants are delicious, and this does look good."

Each time the fat dripped onto the fire, a different aroma rose, making my stomach tighten.

"Let’s eat."

When both sides were nicely browned and the fat had dripped off appropriately, I took a bite.

"Ah, this is impossible with chicken. What is it, the aroma is just different."

I continued to eat with enthusiasm. The small bones, which I had thoroughly crushed, added a nice texture.

"Thank you for the meal. It was satisfying."

With my stomach full, I started preparing my bed.

There was a space under a rock where a person could barely fit, so I laid down some dry leaves to make a bed.

Even though I’m a bit overweight, it wasn’t so tight that I couldn’t squeeze in. It was a bit tight, but manageable.

To be safe, I set an alarm to go off every hour to keep the fire going and then went to sleep.

"It was a tough day, but good work. Good night."

Looking up at the sky, I saw constellations I had never seen before, realizing how far I was from Japan.

I woke up every hour to add more firewood, but around 4 a.m., a loud screech woke me up. I tried to get up quickly but had to wriggle out slowly due to the rock.

"I wish I were thinner in situations like this."

Feeling a bit down, I headed toward the source of the screech.

The sound was very familiar, and I had a good idea of what it was.

"Figures..."

The large boar I had seen earlier was caught in the live trap.

Compared to the tree securing the trap, the boar was overwhelmingly large and looked like it could break the trap at any moment.

"I can’t kill it or release it, so that’s a problem."

At least with this boar around, no other prey would dare to come near, so I decided to go back to sleep.

There was no way this massive creature would try to get into my bed.

I decided to sleep soundly, looking forward to meeting the intelligent being who set the trap.

"Good night, again."