Chapter 4

After shaking hands, we naturally let go.

I then turned my gaze to the dragon's corpse, once again recognizing the difference in Ray Silverhorn's level.

"Ray... said she was chasing that dragon."

"Call me Ray. I hate formalities. But what she said is true. I received a request to slay a dragon that had appeared far to the west, but when I went there, it had already fled."

A person who could make a dragon flee—most of what I had heard about her seemed to be true.

As we were talking, a sudden rumbling sound echoed around us.

It wasn't me, so...

"...Embarrassing."

"I'm hungry...—or are you?"

"Yeah. I chased the dragon non-stop for a week without eating or drinking."

"Ha?!"

What kind of body structure does she have?

Even though she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a week, her complexion looked perfectly healthy.

Yet, the sound of hunger kept coming from her stomach.

"Can you eat a dragon? I heard that the only parts worth recovering are the scales, claws, and fangs, so the meat shouldn't be necessary. I'm sure it's okay to eat."

"Eating it raw...—monsters can't be eaten raw. You need to rub them with holy water and cook them thoroughly."

"What happens if you eat it raw?"

"The magic in the meat would destroy your cells. Severe pain and nerve paralysis. If you're lucky, that's all that happens, but you could die."

"That's a problem. I definitely need to cook it."

I swallowed the words, "You'd be fine," because I realized this woman was a bit off.

If I said it was okay, she might really eat it.

"Is this holy water okay?"

"Hmm?"

Ray rummaged through the small bag on her waist and pulled out a vial filled with clear liquid.

The size of the bag and the vial clearly didn't match.

It was probably a magic bag whose capacity changes based on the user's magic power.

"Hey, that's 'Superior Holy Water,' isn't it?"

"Is it? I was told to carry one, so I bought it randomly."

"You have a different sense of money..."

Magic power is the energy that causes supernatural phenomena.

The magic power of monsters created by the Demon King is toxic to humans, so to eat a monster, you need to remove the poison.

For that, you need holy water, which purifies the magic.

This holy water removes the magic power from the monster's meat, making it safe to eat.

The holy water she handed me is the most powerful, called 'Superior Holy Water.'

It costs 200,000G.

That's about the same as a low-ranking knight's monthly salary.

I only received a quarter of that, 50,000G, because I was treated like a slave.

"Can we eat the meat with this?"

"Well... as I said, if you cook it thoroughly, it should be fine. I've never cooked dragon meat before, so I'm not sure."

"Have you cooked monsters before? If so, I'd like you to try."

"Huh?"

Ray said this and handed me the holy water.

200,000G, just like that...

"I can't cook. I've never done any housework. So, I'd like you to do it. I'll pay you if you need to."

"Wha... I'll do it even without money. You saved my life, so it's the least I can do."

If Ray hadn't been there, I would have died easily.

At that point, I owed her a debt I couldn't repay.

If there was something I could do to help, there was no reason to refuse.

"Is that okay?"

"It'll take some time, but if you're okay with that..."

"Okay, no problem. I've already gone a week without food, so I can last three more days."

"Don't make me wait that long!"

She said something I couldn't tell if it was serious or a joke.

I turned my back to Ray and approached the dragon's corpse.

I felt unusually calm, perhaps because the tension had eased.

Her overwhelming presence nearby also made me feel secure.

I could approach the dragon without any fear.

(The scales are hard... I need to dig from the cross-section to get them.)

I drew my sword and approached the cross-section of the arm Ray had cut off.

Dragon scales are used in the best armor, known for their hardness and strength.

My sword couldn't even scratch them.

The fact that Ray could cut them in one stroke only highlighted her extraordinary abilities.

"Here goes."

I managed to cut out a heavy block of meat and held it.

It felt as heavy as a brick.

Somehow, it seemed heavier than ordinary pork or beef.

I sat on a tree broken by the dragon and placed the meat on my knee.

I then sprinkled and rubbed the holy water on it.

With a hiss, the magic power escaped from the meat.

When the magic power, which had been rising like smoke, stopped, I stopped using the holy water.

The purification was complete.

"Sorry, can you hold this for a moment?"

"Sure, no problem."

I handed the meat to Ray and gathered some branches nearby.

I then took out a flint to start a fire.

Since I couldn't use magic, I had to rely on old-fashioned methods.

I scattered sparks on dry leaves and, after a few seconds of struggle, managed to start a fire.

The campfire was complete.

"Okay, do you have any cloth? Something clean, if possible."

"I do. ...A blanket, though."

"It's not for sleeping... but it'll do."

I placed the block of meat on the blanket Ray had spread.

I then cut it into small blocks with my sword and skewered them on sharpened branches.

As I worked silently, I noticed Ray staring at my face.

"...What?"

"Hmm, you're efficient. Are you used to this?"

"Sort of. In the knight's order, I was always in charge of meals. You said you've never done housework, but I've only done housework."

Even though I didn't want to.

"Amazing. I could never do that."

"I'd say the same about you. I could never fight like that."

I arranged the skewered meat near the fire.

It would be tricky to get the right doneness, but I could adjust after cooking one piece. There was plenty of meat.

"...Almost done."

After waiting a while, the meat turned a roasted color.

Fat dripped, and it smelled good.

I took one piece to test it and bit into it.

—Delicious.

Without any seasoning, the natural flavor was incredibly satisfying.

The inside wasn't red, so it should be safe to eat.

"Yep, it's fine. You can eat it now."

"...You tested it for me?"

"I don't want to make you sick with something I cooked. Here, eat it before it burns."

"Okay... thank you. Let's eat."

Ray clasped her hands and then took a skewer, biting into the meat.

Her eyes widened in surprise after the first bite.

"Mmm... Delicious."

"Right? I didn't expect dragon meat to be this good."

"The meat is delicious, but the cooking is perfect. Theo, you're amazing."

"R-Really?"

Ray happily chewed the meat.

I wasn't used to being complimented directly, so I felt a bit embarrassed and looked away.

"...By the way, I saw a carriage fleeing when I came here. People in the same armor as Theo were inside. Do you know them?"

"Huh..."

The fleeing carriage—probably them.

They might return with reinforcements.

They used me as bait and will come back...

"What's wrong, Theo? You look troubled."

"...Sorry. They are... or were, my acquaintances."

Ray tilted her head, puzzled by my words.

I didn't really want to explain.

I didn't want to ruin this rare meal with a boring story about my past.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But I want to know more about you."

"Huh?"

"Someone who knows how to cook meat and clean a house, I respect. I respect you, Theo, because you have something I don't. So—I want to know."

—Just out of curiosity, so you can ignore me if you want.

She told me this slowly, in her unique rhythm.

I hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to tell her.

This opportunity might never come again.

If I return to the capital, I'll be labeled a criminal.

Once she knows that, Ray will surely misunderstand and look down on me.

I didn't want her to see me that way.

"If it gets boring, just tell me to stop."

I prefaced this and then took a deep breath before speaking.