Chapter 5

"Hey, I was just wondering, is it okay for rabbit people to butcher and eat rabbit monsters? Is it okay from a racial standpoint?"

While gnawing on the well-roasted meat of a Graton Rabbit, Noein asked Matilda, who was also eating the meat in front of him.

After that, the Graton Rabbit had been bled, gutted, and skinned by Matilda, and was now reduced to a carcass.

Considering that she had only learned the process of butchering monsters through knowledge, her handling was quite proficient.

"Sir Noein, while rabbit people and Graton Rabbits do have similar ears and legs, it's only a matter of appearance. Just as humans and goblins are completely different despite walking upright, there is no connection between me and this monster."

"…Well, that makes sense. Sorry for the weird question, Matilda."

"No, not at all, Sir Noein."

The origins of beastmen are unknown. Their roots are said to date back to the age of myths.

Some say that they were created by a god who whimsically mixed humans and animals, while others claim that beastmen are the ancestors of humans, from whom the various races branched out to create modern humans.

In any case, beastmen and monsters or animals are vastly different. They share no more than a superficial resemblance. Noein's question was merely driven by curiosity.

After finishing lunch with the Graton Rabbit meat, it was time to resume the development work.

……

Clearing the forest, plowing the fields, and securing enough land for Noein and Matilda to live on.

Planting cut potatoes and other crops like onions, beans, and leafy vegetables.

The rest was just continuous logging to expand the habitable area. They would run into the river they first found if they went west or south, so they focused on clearing the eastern and northern sides.

During the day, they cut trees and turned them into lumber, occasionally hunting when monsters approached. At night, Noein would admire Matilda and heal both body and soul. This routine continued for about two weeks.

"Pretty soon, we need to go to the Count Koenitz territory for supplies."

The remaining food they had stockpiled was running low.

The crops in the fields wouldn't be ready for harvest for another three months. They couldn't live on monster meat alone until then.

Even in the forest, they wanted to maintain a semblance of human life. For that, they needed essential supplies like bread, barley, pickled vegetables, salt, and spices.

Therefore, they had to leave the forest and go to a human settlement.

"Sir Noein, what about the fields? Should I stay and watch over them?"

"No, if a dangerous monster were to come, Matilda would be in danger. I won't leave you here alone. Let's go to the town together."

While it was rare for large, dangerous monsters to appear in the shallow parts of the Bazel Great Forest, it wasn't impossible.

Even if it were, multiple Graton Rabbits could pose a threat to Matilda.

So, Noein decided to take Matilda and his golems with him, leaving the territory completely unattended to go shopping.

It would be ideal to leave the golems as guards, but Noein could only control them within the range of his sight and magic, which was one of their few drawbacks.

Leaving the fields unguarded was somewhat unsettling, but with the cut wood arranged as a wall around the living area, the likelihood of monsters ravaging it was low.

……

It took less than an hour to leave the Arquvist territory by following the trail they had made when entering the forest.

Then, it took about half a day to travel east from the forest.

Noein and his group arrived at the capital of the neighboring Count Koenitz territory, Retvik.

With a population of about 5,000, Retvik was not a big city, but it wasn't a small town either.

When Noein and his group entered the city, they inevitably drew attention.

A well-dressed young man, leading a beastman with a slave mark on her neck and controlling three golems that moved like real creatures. It was impossible not to stand out.

Even though they had gathered attention when they stayed in this city before entering the forest from the southern part of the kingdom, the people of the city still found them novel.

"Look at that…", "I know, it's the 'Forest Lord', right?", "I can't believe he's trying to develop such a forest.", "What's the point of acting like a noble when he doesn't even have any subjects?"

Bathed in a mix of curious and disdainful gazes and words, Noein walked through the city without showing any concern.

Proudly following her master's dignified demeanor, Matilda walked behind him with a composed face.

……

"Welcome… Oh, it's the Forest Lord."

"Hello, Eliza."

Noein entered a store near the west gate of the city.

Two weeks ago, before entering the forest, he had bought supplies here and was impressed by the cheerful service of the owner, Eliza, so he decided to visit this store again.

"I'm here to buy more supplies. I need enough for three weeks for me and Matilda. I want barley, salt, herbs, pickled vegetables, and some cabbage and onions. Can you prepare that for me?"

"Of course, please have a seat… Marco! Help load the items onto the lord's cart! And Anna! Bring the lord some tea!"

She cheerfully answered and gave instructions to her children, who were also employees of the store.

Eliza, who had been running the store with the help of her children since her husband passed away due to illness, had a fairly large store for a personal business. In addition to her children, there were several other employees, and the store even had chairs and tables for negotiating with suppliers.

She had Noein sit at one of these tables, and her daughter, Anna, brought a wooden cup on a tray.

"Here you are, my lord."

Anna, with her green hair tied back in a ponytail, placed the cup of tea in front of Noein with a simple but intelligent face.

She also placed a cup of tea in front of Matilda, who was a slave. This kind of treatment during his previous visit was one of the reasons Noein became a repeat customer.

"Thank you, Anna. How old are you?"

"Yes, I'm 17 years old, my lord."

"Is that so? Then you're older than me. Since you help in the store, you must be able to read, write, and do calculations?"

"Yes, I can handle inventory checks and bookkeeping to some extent…"

While chatting with Anna over tea, the loading of supplies onto the cart parked in front of the store was completed.

Eliza's son, Marco, who was also Anna's brother and a serious young man, came to call Noein.

Noein went outside to check the load and was informed of the contents and price of the supplies by Eliza.

"…The total comes to 200 rebores. Is that acceptable?"

"200 rebores, right. Here you go."

Noein placed two 100 rebores silver coins in Eliza's hand.

"…Yes, I have received them."

"Thank you again. I'll be back."

"Yes, please do come again."

"And if you ever want to move to my territory, you're welcome to let me know anytime."

"Hahaha! That's a kind offer. I'll think about it."

Eliza laughed heartily at Noein's playful suggestion.

Noein didn't miss the gleam in Anna's eyes as she watched him leave with her mother and brother.