Chapter 69

Well, we've arrived at the campsite for the second day of the expedition. Only two more days to go. It's quite tough. In this world, it's normal, but the distance to the destination is really far.

I asked Koushin to set up the tent, and I went hunting. Rada started making anti-motion sickness medicine. If the road gets worse, Lady Nirba starts feeling sick. She's mixing the medicine while being watched over by Lady Nirba, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"What are you aiming for?"

Since I can't let you go alone, Katansu-san came with me. Of course, Koushin tried to come too, but I left him behind. He seems a bit reckless.

"Um, the one from yesterday had a lot of fat, so maybe a bird. A rabbit would be good too."

While occasionally stopping to sense the presence of prey, we moved through the forest. We shouldn't go too deep, so it would be nice to find something around here.

"Birds, huh?"

Katansu-san patted my shoulder with a spear and muttered.

"Are you not good with them?"

"No, I've eaten them so much that I'm tired of them."

Apparently, in his hometown, there were a lot of bird monsters in the forest, and they ate them almost every day. Being able to eat meat every day sounds enviable. Well, I guess you do get tired of it eventually.

Suddenly, I picked up a sound other than our own and stopped. Katansu-san also stopped. There were multiple sounds, light footsteps. Goblins, maybe. They don't seem to be coming this way, but it's recommended to hunt them as soon as you find them because they multiply quickly.

I glanced at Katansu-san.

He held up four fingers. Then he put up two fingers and pointed to himself and me. He wants us to take two each. I nodded to show I understood. Actually, he already knew the number.

Katansu-san started walking first. Soon, we spotted the goblins. Two were crouching down doing something, and the other two were standing on either side, probably acting as lookouts.

I aimed my finger gun. Katansu-san naturally did the same.

*Pew!*

A slight sound echoed, and the head of the goblin on the right exploded. The goblin on the left stiffened in shock. I aimed again, this time at the torso. At almost the same time, Katansu-san's figure disappeared. No, he moved so fast it seemed like he disappeared. In an instant, the two crouching goblins were cut in half.

The four goblins fell with a thud.

Katansu-san quickly turned around.

"Up there!!"

What, up there!? Looking up, I saw something large and black approaching.

"Kyaaah!"

I aimed my finger gun, which I hadn't even released yet, and fired with all my magic power. I saw multiple eyes and long, thin legs. After firing, I took a few steps back to put some distance between us. Even so, part of what fell hit my arm, which I had raised to protect my face. I immediately got back into a fighting stance.

"It's fine. It's already dead. Your shot hit."

On the other side of the monster, Katansu-san said this. I was relieved but didn't forget to check the surroundings. Then, I heard a chuckle.

"What, what is it?"

Katansu-san was laughing.

"No, I thought your battle cry was quite cute."

"Huh?"

"You were shouting 'Kyaaah!'"

No way, no way. I don't remember that at all. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.

"Anyway, this isn't the time to talk about that!"

"Haha, you're right. We've got some ingredients, so let's quickly finish with the goblins and head back."

Huh? Ingredients?

"Rishuspiders are quite tasty and have a light flavor."

No, no way! You're eating a spider bigger than me!? I can't handle insects. Wait, spiders aren't insects. Still, those hairy legs are a no-go.

I dug a hole and processed the goblins as instructed. Apparently, only the legs of the spider are edible, and the rest is discarded. Don't forget the magic stone. It doesn't produce silk, so there's nothing else to take. My shot had pierced from the head to the body.

"Alright, let's head back. It's been a while since I had a spider. Are you okay? No injuries? If you want, I can carry you back."

I'm fine. My mood is just really low. I just don't like having the spider legs in my magic bag. Hey, don't carry me, and don't run with me under your arm! I'll get dizzy, I'll get dizzy...

So, we returned safely, or so I thought.

Everyone was in an uproar at the sight of me being carried under Katansu-san's arm. No, I'm just exhausted from the shaking. I'm not injured. We have ingredients.

*Thud.*

The black, hairy spider legs were taken out of the magic bag. We were all repulsed, but Nergi-san and the others were delighted. Incidentally, Lady Nirba was repulsed, and Ji was smiling. Are they tasty? Have you eaten them before?

Since I don't know how to cook them, I left it to Katansu-san.

He peeled the shell, cut the meat into chunks, and boiled it in salt water. Then he skewered it and grilled it. Apparently, no seasoning is used. However, I was concerned about the scum that came out while boiling.

"Hmm, it's done. Let's eat."

Katansu-san, who had been watching the grilling, gave the go-ahead. Their movements were quick, while ours were slow. Can I secretly nibble on some dried meat?

"It looks like that, but the meat is quite tasty."

Panta-san, the only woman, laughed amusingly at our confusion. She was eating the skewered meat.

Men need courage. Remember the Japanese spirit of trying anything! Think of it as crab, me! I picked up one of the skewers in front of me.

The meat was white and chicken-like. The smell... yeah, it's not bad. I took a small bite of the charred part. Hmm, the texture is not what I expected. It's not bad, but the flavor is quite light. Too light.

Koushin and Rada, who were sitting next to me, also examined the spider meat before putting it in their mouths and tilting their heads.

"Doesn't it suit your taste? The sweetness will come out as you chew."

Nergi-san chuckled.

Sweetness, hmm, a little. I want to change the flavor a bit. We had fish sauce yesterday, and I don't want to use chili oil. How about rock salt? I got Katansu-san's permission and took the skewered meat out of the pan. While heating it, I sprinkled powdered rock salt. The spicy flavor, different from pepper, should go well. I quickly stir-fried it and took a bite.

Mmm. This brings out the sweetness even more, doesn't it? Everyone, please try it.

"Ooh, this is good. It goes well with alcohol."

Katansu-san smiled happily, a bit scary. Everyone else also seemed to like it. So, I quickly made more rock salt stir-fried spider meat.

"Rock salt, huh. I knew about it, but I didn't know it could be used like this."

Ah, I have some in stock. Powdered rock salt in a bottle. I took it out of my bag and tilted my head. Thank you for your purchase.

The spider meat was all gone. Good, none was left. Oh, Suvela and the others were eating the meat from Lady Nirba's magic bag. They don't like spider meat.