Chapter 2

Kiri and I marched briskly through the Grass Forest.

We had to cross the border at the edge of the Grass Forest as soon as possible, since we were in exile.

The neighboring country was the Marita Kingdom. Unlike the closed-off Daido Kingdom, it was a country that accepted many ethnic groups and was more powerful.

At the center of the Grass Forest was a large cave known as the "Dwelling of the Monsters." It was filled with ominous magic, extended underground in multiple layers, and had become a dungeon. It was famous as the most dangerous dungeon on the continent, and the surrounding forest was home to a variety of monsters that had undergone strange mutations due to the vast amount of magic emanating from the cave. Over the years, the monsters that overflowed from the cave had expanded their habitat from the Grass Forest to human settlements.

The Daido Kingdom, which had a large portion of the Grass Forest within its territory, was the most affected by this. For years, the conquest of the Dwelling of the Monsters and the purification of the Grass Forest had been the kingdom's greatest wish. Members of the royal family had to join the Grass Forest extermination team at least once, and five years ago, the king appointed the third prince, Prince Lector, as the leader of the Grass Forest extermination team.

Since he became the leader of the extermination team, the Daido Kingdom has managed to hold back the monster invasion. Despite his appearance and personality, he must have been unexpectedly competent.

The next most affected by the Grass Forest was the neighboring Marita Kingdom. Although it did not have as much of the Grass Forest within its territory as the Daido Kingdom, it was still troubled by the monsters that emerged from the Grass Forest. While not to the same extent as the Daido Kingdom, the Marita Kingdom also had military outposts near the Grass Forest to protect people from monster attacks.

A city like Kailat in the Marita Kingdom, which was close to the Grass Forest, was a fortress city surrounded by a high wall, which might be able to prevent monster attacks. However, such fortresses only existed in large cities. Small towns had to create underground shelters to survive monster attacks, similar to air-raid shelters in wartime Japan.

Kiri and I were marching through the Grass Forest, where such monsters roamed. A 15-year-old girl specializing in holy magic and recovery, and a cute maid and bodyguard skilled in fire magic, it was surprising that we weren't attacked by monsters, right? Unfortunately, we were.

"Alright, head off!"

With a light call, I cast a wind spell and beheaded the monster that attacked us. I used the wind spell to contain the splattered blood and gather it in one place. If the smell of blood attracted other monsters, I would bury it all later.

The monster that attacked us was a pig-like creature, as big as a dump truck. I don't know its name, but its meat was high-quality pork. The perfect balance of fat and lean meat, with a refined taste. To prepare such delicious meat, I controlled the wind spell to hang it upside down and drain the blood. I then used the wind spell to skillfully peel off the skin. The fur could be sold in town, so I had to be careful. After the blood was drained, I disassembled the meat with the wind spell. I found a large magic stone. Lucky! Alright, done!

While I was doing this, a rabbit-like monster that had been detected by my detection spell charged at us. A rabbit the size of a large dog is not cute. Moreover, it had a vicious face with extremely sharp fangs and claws. But I wouldn't lose. I secured it as meat for stew. Although it was small, I also got a magic stone. Lucky.

I stored the meat, magic stones, and fur using storage magic. Alright, no time has passed. I can get as much as I want.

Kiri, who was following behind, had a perpetually open-mouthed expression. Yeah, sorry Kiri. I'll explain after we set up camp and get a bit more monsters.

◇◇◇◇

After setting up camp and burning monster-repelling incense, I was eating stew made from rabbit meat and bread given as a farewell gift while explaining the situation to Kiri.

"Hey, Kiri. What I'm about to tell you is a secret, but can you keep it? And it's quite outlandish, so I don't know if you'll believe it..."

"Milady Shina, I will not reveal your secret even at the cost of my life. I have no reason to doubt your words."

Kiri, that's too serious. No, you can't just throw your life away like that.

While feeling a bit overwhelmed by Kiri's loyalty, I told her about my reincarnation and the memories of my previous life. I remembered these memories when Prince Lector broke off our engagement, and at the same time...

"Apparently, I can use other types of magic now. And I can use detection, exploration, storage, and appraisal magic."

Kiri froze at my casual statement. She's been frozen for quite a while. Is she okay?

The moment Prince Lector broke off our engagement, I realized that Shina and Yui's memories had merged, and I could use more magic. No, it would be more accurate to say that I realized I could use them.

It seems that Shina's body was truly exceptional and had the potential to use these magics, but because of the rare holy magic, she had been trained to specialize in it, putting the other magics into a dormant state. The shock of the engagement being broken and the merging of Shina and Yui's consciousness allowed her to objectively reassess herself and realize that she could use other magics.

Shina had continued to use her abilities as a holy maiden for the kingdom, without looking at anything else. People, you can't just do what you're told. You have to think about what you want to do.

In my case, I think I was able to objectively see my own power thanks to the appraisal magic. By appraising my abilities, I could accurately determine how much of each magic I could use. Wow, I was surprised. I could use the highest-level magic in every attribute. Each one alone would make me a high-level mage, capable of serving nobles or the royal family. High-paying jobs, indeed. And I could use all of them! Hooray! A rosy life!

While Kiri was frozen, I added more monster-repelling incense to the makeshift incense burner. The makeshift incense burner was just a hollowed-out fruit with fire resistance added, and the incense burned inside.

The monster-repelling incense was made from herbs that monsters in the Grass Forest disliked and the oil of strong monsters. To mask the smell, I also mixed in fragrant herbs and weaker odor-neutralizing herbs. It was not noticeable to human noses, but it was apparently a stimulating smell to monsters with a good sense of smell. Oh, this was my original recipe. The stock we had from the extermination team was almost gone, but it would be okay. We'll manage somehow. Haha.

"Milady Shina, what do you intend to do from now on?"

"Huh? I'm going to the Marita Kingdom. I'll hunt monsters here and use the money to live in the Marita Kingdom."

"…May I accompany you? I would only be a hindrance… Today's meal was all prepared by you, and it was delicious, something I've never tasted before…"

Kiri hung her head. Sorry, I took away your job as a maid and bodyguard. I just wanted to eat and cook.

Today's meal was stew. Using the knowledge from my past life and appraisal magic, I used plenty of herbs to remove the gamey smell and added plenty of milk from a monster similar to a cow in the middle of raising its young. The young monsters also turned into delicious meat. Don't call me a monster hunter, they attacked us as a family.

I'm glad I was taught cooking by my mother, Yoneko, in my past life. She taught me everything from how to prepare fish to how to make dishes that appeal to men (Shōwa version). Sorry, Mother. Your daughter didn't even have a boyfriend for more than five days.

Still, milk really broadens the range of dishes. In this world, domestic cows were mainly used for farming, and there was usually only one in a village. I'll try to make cheese and butter. I'm glad I went to the "One Day Farm Experience ⭐️ Butter and Cheese Making Class" in my past life. It was something my mother, Yoneko, ordered me to do. My marriage hunt was quite misguided. I've never heard of a bride being sought after for her ability to make butter and cheese.

Wait, no. I should focus on Kiri. What does she mean by asking if she can come with me? She's already following me. Today, while I was dispatching the monsters, she helped with the cleanup and collecting magic stones, and even helped me cook. Most importantly, she's the only one who believes in me when no one else does.

"Of course. Kiri, is there somewhere you want to go? If not, come with me. It's reassuring to have someone I trust. I'll protect you from monsters, so please come with me. I don't want to be alone in a dark forest or go to an unfamiliar place alone."

When I said this with teary eyes, Kiri looked relieved.

"Yes. Kiri will follow you wherever you go."

Kiri, blushing, said with determination. She's so cute, I might go down a strange path.