CH 4.39

Journey and Whim

Translated by Mlzkzr

Edited by Mlzkzr

Monsters, are beasts that have changed under the influence of a power called magic(mana), or from their descendants.

Most are larger and more powerful than the beasts they hail from, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are evil.

Magic(mana) itself was also a kind of power that existed in nature.

So to speak, a monster can be said to be the evolved form of a beast that has taken on magic power.

But although I said they are not evil, many monsters are rabid.

Because they are strong.

The pride that no ordinary creature could defeat them made the monsters arrogant and belligerent.

Hence, to protect their lives, people need adventurers skilled in battle who can defeat such monsters and reduce their numbers.

……Nonetheless, it seems that the adventurer won’t be able to make it in time at this rate.

The Greedboar must have felt annoyed with the farmers, who could not leave the place because they were worried about the fruit trees, even though they should have quickly fled.

It paused its eating, turned its angry eyes on them, and is beginning to kick the ground in a gruff, threatening manner.

If the Greed Boar attacks as it is, the consequences will be a tragedy.

I was forced to leave my load on the ground, took out my bow, and readied my arrows.

I’m not saying that Greed boar is guilty of something.

I think it wandered out of the forest and moved on to this place with its curiosity, only to find out, by chance, that there’s an abundance of food and a row of fruit trees here.

It is impossible to tell beasts and monsters that do not know and understand the human world not to eat the food in front of them.

But still, that Greed boar must be hunted.

If a monster were to come close to attack me during my trip, I could try to deceive it and let it pass by and send it away.

In fact, if I sense the presence of monsters during my travels, I try to hide and get away from them.

However, since it was targeting the farmers, the only way to stop it was to hunt it.

With a hyu sound, I released the arrow.

The arrow I shot did not miss its aim and pierced the left front leg of the Greed Boar from the side.

It has a thick and hard skin of a monster that can repel even iron arrows depending on the angle.

However, the arrowhead of the arrow I just fired was specially made by sharpening the fangs of a Gran wolf, which is also a monster.

Depending on the skill of the archer, it will even pierce the bones of monsters.

The sudden pain and immobility of its left front leg stopped the Greed boar’s rush.

Its eyes burn with anger as it catches the hateful person who hurt it, in other words, me.

But now that it has seen me, the uproar it has caused is over.

Another arrow, which I aimed and fired at it, also pierced between the Greed Boar’s eyebrows, and the skull underneath it, and reached its brain.

No matter how high the vitality of a Greed Boar is, if its brain is destroyed, it will die.

It can no longer command its body to move, so its breathing and heart will stop.

Some monsters have multiple brains …… ah, no, there are other species of creatures, not just monsters, that have more than one brain, so one can never be too careful, but the sight of its fallen figure means that the Greed boar was stopped completely.

In case you are wondering, the creatures with multiple brains other than monsters are the octopus, which I ate the other day, the thing they called eight-legs in this world.

Something like having one brain on one leg.

Well, let’s leave it at that. From here on out, it’s a race against time.

This time, I killed a Greed boar.

However, even though it was meant to save the people, the death of the Greed boar would be useless if it just ended with its kill.

Therefore, I have the responsibility to peel off the Greed Boar’s skin, eat and digest its flesh, and turn it into my own flesh and blood.

…… I want to eat it in the name of that, but I have to eat it anyway.

Even the peeled skins can be tanned and made into cloaks and boots.

That was my nature, my style.

If I can, I will eat the prey I hunted.

Even if it cannot be eaten, I would strip off their skins, tusks, and other usable materials and put them to use in some way.

I don’t want to make killing it futile, because I don’t want it to become something that won’t be of use.

I must do the dismantling of the Greed Boar as quickly as possible.

Of course, if that were the case, then there would be nothing in the world that is useless.

When a living creature dies, its soul returns to the cycle of reincarnation, and even if its body is not eaten, it will eventually turn into dirt.

People, beasts, and monsters are no different, and from the world’s point of view, their life and death have no meaning, yet none of their existence is in vain.

…… If I think like the wind spirit, my nature and manners would be nothing more than sentimentality.

After all, I’m an oddball, so I didn’t like being so divisive.

I wonder if the High Elves of the Deep Forest would say that since human life and monster’s life are no different, there is no point in getting recklessly involved with them.

“O,ooh! I’m sorry, you, saved us!”

The farmer, who was being intimidated by the Greed boar, finally grasped the situation and came running toward me while thanking me.

I put my bow away, pack my luggage, and head for the Greed boar.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Err, I apologize for being rude, but I want to dismantle the prey I hunted and cool the meat, so I’m going to have to go to a watering hole…… I’d appreciate it if you could help me carry it, though”

I was happy to hear that he was safe, and I asked him for a favor, although it was a bit brazen of me to say so.

Because it seems impossible for me to carry it alone.

Even though the Greed boar has ravaged the area, we are still in the orchard.

If I were to dismantled it and blood flowed beside the trees that the farmers were painstakingly caring for, they would never feel good.

“Oh, I got it. I’ll bring the trolley, so please wait a moment. It is such a big one. Surely, it’s better to dismantle it in a hurry.”

So with that, the farmer agrees to my request, and even lends me a trolley.

I can’t eat it all by myself anyway, so I’ll share the meat from the Greed Boar with the farmers as a thanks for the trolley.

In order to split the hard monster’s skin, I pulled out a large knife carved out of the Gran wolf’s fangs, just like with the arrowhead.

I guess the menu for tonight would be Greed boar’s steak.

I think I’d like to eat the wild boar’s meat in a pot, but there is no miso around here, at least not in this area.

Mountain lodge, hot spring, hot pot dishes with wild vegetables and wild boar meat…… Is there a place in this world where I can satisfy the extravagant desires that have suddenly occurred to me?

The world is a big place, and High Elves have a long life span, so if there is one, I would like to go looking for it, or so I think.