Chapter 93

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

When Haruka learned fire magic, they headed to exterminate the orc lair.

They defeated 28 orcs and 3 orc leaders without any trouble.

We divided the tasks, with Toya and I, who are the strongest, taking on the dismantling of the makeshift huts and collecting the debris, while the women took charge of the orcs' dissection.

The pile of orc entrails and debris grew.

When it accumulated to a certain extent, we set it on fire.

The smell was surprisingly good, which made for a rather odd feeling.

"Hey, Naoto. Is this okay? It's burning quite vigorously."

Indeed, it was burning more intensely than a campfire. The orcs, rich in fat, might be serving as fuel.

"It's pretty open here, and there's not much wind. It should be fine. If anything happens, we have the 'Extinguish' spell."

This level 3 fire magic spell, as its name suggests, is used to extinguish fires.

The description reads, "A spell highly appreciated at fire scenes," and unlike other fire magic, it emphasizes non-combat uses.

I've only tried it on small campfires, but the fire disappears instantly, with no smoke or smoldering. It seems to cool the temperature below the ignition point, so there's no risk of re-ignition.

However, the charcoal was still hot enough to not be touched, so it doesn't completely cool down.

"Then, let's throw more in without worry."

"Yeah, we still have about half left."

The wooden branches used for the roof were still green, but the other parts were dry and burned well.

We repeatedly demolished the huts and threw them into the fire.

"Looking at the campfire, it's kind of calming... it's nice, isn't it?"

"I understand. In some country, there's a TV program that just shows a burning fireplace. Maybe it's a human nature thing?"

"......I can understand your feelings, but is this really a campfire?"

"......Hmm, the flames are a bit too big?"

"That's a possibility."

We mercilessly threw in more wood, and the campfire, with its well-arranged logs, roared with flames that easily exceeded Toya's height by two times.

"In my hometown, the bonfire is like this."

"I want to grill some mochi."

"The fire is strong. Be careful it doesn't collapse."

"Alright, leave it to me."

The dismantling of the huts was almost complete, so we secured longer poles to adjust the campfire.

Even if the structure collapsed, it wouldn't be dangerous as long as we were two meters away, since the poles were only about two meters long.

By then, the women had finished their dissection, and the chunks of meat and skins were being stored in the magic bag one by one.

A total of 38 orcs and orc leaders. The amount of meat was enormous.

To be precise, it was measured in tons, not kilograms.

Once the cleanup was done, Natsumi and Haruka cast 'Purify' on everyone to remove the dirt.

We could return once the campfire was done, but...

"This will take a while to burn out, right?"

"Yeah. There were quite a few huts."

There were nearly 30 in total. Each had four pillars and about four beams to support the roof.

They weren't very thick, but there were hundreds of them. When we gathered them and set them on fire, they naturally burned intensely and roared.

"Shall we have lunch here? The smell of blood is a bit concerning, though."

It was after the battle, after all.

The main battle area was around the nest, but we burned the debris in the center of the nest to prevent the fire from spreading. Although we were a distance away, the dissection was done near the campfire to burn unnecessary parts, so the smell of blood was actually stronger here.

We've gotten used to it, so it doesn't make us feel sick anymore.

"I'm in for a barbecue. Let's have some grilled meat."

"Sure, we haven't used the cooking gear much since we bought it."

We used it only a couple of times during our adventures.

Rather, we used it more during training. We received construction debris and used it to build a campfire, drinking tea or roasting potatoes during breaks.

"Grilled meat, huh? Sounds good."

"I've heard about it, but we haven't done much since we joined forces."

Natsumi and Yuki, hearing our conversation, approached with happy expressions.

"Come to think of it, that's right."

When we first arrived, we often ate skewers of Task Boars, but we got a bit tired of it, and starting a fire every time was quite troublesome. Since Natsumi and the others joined us, we mostly settled for buying lunch.

"Let's prepare then. We have a grill, so let's use it."

"Got it."

We moved to the opposite side of the campfire from where we were dismantling and built a simple hearth with stones we picked up. We pulled out some embers from the campfire and placed them in the hearth, then set the grill.

The meat sliced by Haruka and the others was arranged on top.

The fat melted quickly, dripping onto the charcoal and producing smoke.

It was a bit smoky, but that was part of the charm!

"Ah, this is the essence of grilled meat!"

"Agreed!"

Meat can be cooked on a griddle, but there's something different about using a grill over charcoal.

"However, with only meat like this..."

"Yeah, I want some vegetables."

"Maybe we should have bought some."

In response to our enthusiasm for the meat, Haruka and the others seemed a bit dissatisfied.

Indeed, it was quite a sight, but it might be nice to have something else to break up the monotony.

"What vegetables do you use for grilled meat? Cabbage, onions..."

"Peppers, eggplants, carrots, and asparagus are also good."

"I like sweet corn. It's sweet."

"Sweet corn, right? But it might be difficult."

First, there's the question of whether there are sweet varieties of corn.

Then there's the issue of storage after harvest.

Sweet corn loses its sweetness over time after being harvested.

To prevent this, it needs to be managed at low temperatures or cooked immediately after harvest.

"So, the best way is to harvest it early in the morning and cook it right away. If you grow it in a home garden, you can enjoy really delicious sweet corn."

"That's why some corn I've bought from stores isn't sweet at all!"

"It's a problem that you can't tell the taste just by looking at the kernels."

I've heard that corn with a lot of silk is good, but it's hard to know the time since harvest and the storage method.

"In this world, there's no cold supply chain to expect."

"Right. Magic bags are great, but they're not something ordinary farmers can use."

"......Alright, let's grow it in the garden! We have a large plot of land, after all."

"True, we have enough space for a home garden... Toya, can you do it? Do you have any experience?"

"None!"

Toya confidently denied it.

"Because my house didn't have a garden big enough for a field!"

We all lived in houses, but Toya's garden wasn't very large.

Haruka and I had reasonably sized gardens, but no experience with home gardening.

"So, what do we do?"

Toya looked at Yuki and clasped his hands together.

"Yuki, isn't gardening your hobby? Can you do it? I'll help too."

"Uh! I do like growing flowers, but vegetables are a bit different..."

"Natsumi seemed to have some experience, right?"

"Yes, a little. But in my case, I just bought the fertilizer, soil, and seedlings and planted them, so I'm not very knowledgeable..."

Asked by Toya, Yuki and Natsumi looked a bit perplexed.

There's no fertilizer or soil for sale, and the varieties are not the same as those improved for home gardening. The chances of failure are probably higher. I understand their hesitation.

But, surprisingly, it was Haruka who encouraged them.

"Why not give it a try? We're not farmers, so even if we fail, it won't affect our lives. We've been working a lot, and it would be nice to have a hobby to add some variety to our lives, don't you think?"

Indeed, until now, we've been saving money and focusing on work and training. It would be nice to have some leisure time once we have a house.

I should think of something too. There's no internet, no easily available books, and no games in this world.

"......If it's okay to fail..."

"I'm fine with a relaxed approach."

"Alright, alright. Let's do it with the mindset that it's a bonus if we succeed."

Toya laughed, and the two of them smiled wryly.

I want them to try hard, especially since I want to eat sweet corn. But first, we need to find out if the variety even exists.

"Well, the meat is almost done. Let's eat."

"Itadakimasu!"

As soon as Haruka said that, Toya quickly grabbed the meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. ——By the way, chopsticks aren't sold, so they're homemade.

"Yum, it's delicious!"

I followed suit and took a bite.

The seasoning was just salt and a little spice. Simple, but delicious.

"Occasionally, it's nice to have a barbecue outdoors!"

"Yes, it's a bit monotonous, though."

"It would have been nice to have some lemon juice to make it a bit lighter."

Indeed. It's mostly just salt.

We have some sauce, but it's a bit too strong for grilled meat.

"I want some grilled meat sauce."

"That stuff is amazing. If you season meat and vegetables with it, you can eat several bowls of rice."

"Some people even eat it with just the sauce. ——Can we make it?"

I looked at Haruka and the others, but they all shook their heads.

"It's difficult."

"Fruits and vegetables might be manageable—"

"But without soy sauce or miso, the flavor won't be right."

Soy sauce and miso are indeed great.

"The ingredients are rice, barley, and soybeans, right? If we have those, can we make it...?"

Haruka and Yuki shook their heads, but Natsumi raised her hand modestly.

"I've made it before. However, we need to find koji mold."

"Koji mold... It's not sold, is it?"

"Probably not. But koji is a type of yeast, so it can be found with some effort."

Haruka explained, but... yeah, it sounds really difficult.

It's not impossible, so I'll take it as a positive. For now, all I can do is support and help with any chores.

"Well, putting the soy sauce aside, what do we do from tomorrow? We can't make money from orcs anymore since we've destroyed their lair."

"Yeah. Orcs won't disappear completely, but they won't be as frequent as before."

Orcs were a good source of income for us, even though they were unpopular with others.

We considered leaving the lair intact and periodically culling the orcs to use them as a sustainable resource, but we gave up when the guild issued an extermination request.

If left alone, the guild would take care of it, and we wouldn't benefit. It's better to destroy it ourselves.

"What do adventurers do after they move on from orcs?"

"The southern forest, I think. Regular adventurers move there once they can defeat hobgoblins."

I remember orcs weren't popular because they weren't profitable.

Thanks to that, we had no competition and made a lot of money.

"The southern forest... What's there?"

"If we're talking about the next level, it's mostly guarding lumberjacks. There are also more valuable herbs than in the eastern forest, and hunting monsters for magic stones."

"Hearing that, it sounds a bit underwhelming..."

"True. To be honest, I don't think moving to the southern forest will be as profitable as hunting orcs. That's why there are no high-ranking adventurers in this town."

"Orcs are a good source of income..."

Selling four orcs would easily net over 1 million yen in Japanese currency.

Considering the amount of meat, it seems reasonable, if not a bit cheap. But for us, who used to have a few thousand yen a month for pocket money, it's a lot of money.

"Well, let's think about it slowly. We have a lot of orc meat in stock, so we can take it easy until it runs out."

"Right. Since we have money, we need a break. ——Hey! How about a victory party to celebrate the successful extermination of the orc lair? Let's make a reservation at Aera's place."

"Sounds good! Aera's food is delicious, but I've only had the breakfast and lunch options."

Yuki smiled and clapped her hands, and Toya agreed.

We had no reason to object, so we all nodded in agreement.

"Then, let's sell the meat and make a reservation when we get back."

"Agreed!"

After that, we took a break by the roaring campfire until it died down.

Once it was mostly burned out, we used Yuki's earth magic to bury the remaining ashes in a hole and left the forest.