Chapter 30

Today's dinner is grilled mountain bird with herbs and a makeshift stew. I prepared the mountain bird, which I caught at noon, with herbs, wine, and butter. I found something like fish sauce, so I also made a stew.

"Quite a feast."

To repay my debt to Kokushin (emotionally), I used all my knowledge and worked hard. I was given the freedom to choose the ingredients, and even allowed to buy expensive pepper. Kokushin is so generous. I really need to be careful not to let him get too fat.

"Itadakimasu."

The mountain bird is undeniably delicious. Every time I bite into the elastic meat, the juices come out. The seasoning might have been a bit strong. Maybe because the mountain bird itself has a lot of flavor.

The stew might be a bit divisive. The fishy smell is noticeable. But I like it. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten fish since I came here. Are there no river fish? I'm starting to crave it.

"How is it?"

Kokushin is nodding and eating. It must be delicious. But the stew isn't being eaten as much. I'll work on improving it.

"That looks delicious. I've never seen someone do such serious cooking on a stagecoach before."

The young lady looks enviously. I'm not giving it to you. Maybe we can trade. I don't just give things away to women.

"Here, take this."

What she handed me was a candy. It exists in this world. Isn't sugar expensive? When I asked, she said it's a sweet extracted from grains. It's expensive, but it's a gift from a customer.

In return, I gave her some of the mountain bird. Since that alone seemed insufficient, I also added some cookie-like things I tried making. I made them when I got butter.

"Oh, this is delicious."

Both were well-received. Good, good.

I washed the dishes and pans with water from a life magic spell and put them away. The guard leader was staring at the magic bag attached to Kokushin's waist. Get to work.

"You've got something pretty cool there. It must be expensive, right?"

He's looking at it like it's prey. How disgusting.

I suggested hiding it to avoid such situations, but in the end, it was too much trouble to carry a dummy bag, so we decided to use it openly. Convenience outweighed the risk.

"Don't try to take it. You'll be castrated."

I warned the man who was licking his lips.

"Huh? Castrated? What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

I subtly glanced at the man's crotch. I don't want to look, but I have to. He seemed to realize the meaning of my gaze and hunched his legs.

"W-What...?"

"It's a cursed thing. If you try to separate it from its owner or harm it, you'll be castrated."

Scary, isn't it? I laughed, and the man, still hunched, backed away.

"I, I didn't do anything! I was just looking, okay?"

His gaze was fixed on the magic bag. Does he really think it's a cursed bag?

After the man left, Kokushin asked in a small voice, "Is that true?" Why do you believe it too? The guild wouldn't sell something like that.

"It's obviously a lie. He was definitely trying to steal it from Kokushin. If I say that, at least he won't try to steal it while we're sleeping."

"Ah, I see..."

A curse that targets so specifically is scary. I thought it might be related to some kind of girl hunt, so I brought up the topic of the lower body.

The night passed without incident. There were signs of someone lurking nearby. The two young ladies were sleeping between us. They seemed to feel some danger. I understand. Those guys were only looking at their chests.

For breakfast, we had round bread with rehydrated dried meat and crispy leafy vegetables. I want mayonnaise. Are eggs safe in this world? It would be nice if there was a skill like 'Purification'.

It started raining in the morning. I became a teruteru bozu (a traditional Japanese doll to stop rain) and, while taking care of my business, looked for meat for dinner. However, there was an annoying presence. One of the guards was following me. I acted like I noticed, so he didn't do anything.

The only thing I caught was a snake. I used to catch these in my hometown, so they're edible. I'll peel the skin and prepare the meat.

Night. The grilled snake was pretty good. Since there wasn't much, we also ate some dried meat. Rainy days make meals feel lonely.

The rain was still falling. We were resting in the carriage. The driver was resting on the driver's seat with a cover. The guards, of course, were outside.

"Kyaa!!"

A sudden scream woke us from our sleep. Kokushin and I jumped up at the same time. The two women woke up a bit later and clung to each other.

"Stay there."

When I tried to go out, Kokushin shook his head and pointed to himself. I nodded and peeked outside. It was strange that no one was there. Where did they go? And who screamed?

The driver? I looked forward, but he wasn't there.

Kokushin slowly slid out.

"We're fine, really."

She said that, but we can't just leave them.

"Giin!"

A high-pitched sound rang out from a distance. The sound of swords clashing. If it's a human, Kokushin can handle it.

Suddenly, someone attached themselves to the back of the carriage. They were covering their mouth, but it was clearly one of the guards. He was holding a dagger and pointed it at us. I remember he had a staff.

"Hey, stay still... Kyaaan!"

Like I would. I hit him in the face with a bowling ball-sized object. He tumbled backward.

"Hey, hurry up!"

That's the leader's voice.

"N-No, I don't want to be castrated~"

That's the other one, the dual-sword user. What a lowlife. He's making someone else do it because he doesn't want to be castrated. I made sure to say it loud enough for the three of them to hear.

Justice is aimed at the instigator.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could clearly see the three people outside. The rain was still falling. When I looked back at the women, they nodded.

I slid out without making a sound. The leader was watching the two men clashing swords, completely ignoring the carriage. Kokushin seemed to be handling it well.

I blended into the darkness and circled around.

I pointed and locked onto his crotch.

"Kyaa!!"

The man clutched his crotch and crouched. I quickly knocked down the distracted dual-sword user, and Kokushin looked at me. He's a good-looking man, even in the rain.