The Paladin Owns the Relic

152 – Ancient Forest (12)

The mercenary swallowed the smoke and coughed. The fire-soaked wood produced more smoke than expected. The fire did not catch well either.

“I’m going crazy…Isn’t there a wizard?”

“Is it common to have such a high-class manpower? Paste it well.”

“A bastard who only cares for ingredients.”

“I can hear everything. Did you do it if you twisted it?”

If I hadn’t come in three days late…!

“Hey junior. Are you dissatisfied?”

“Oh, no. Senior.”

Huhu and blows strongly. The embers barely ignited in the wet wood spread throughout. Thick smoke rising.

Those who gathered one by one stole the embers waving their hands.

“Gee. Let’s borrow some.”

“This doesn’t burn well because it’s wet.”

“Hey you bastards!”

“Share it. Why are you f*cking sick with just a fire?”

Then you attached it yourself!

The mercenary huffed and sat down. He groaned and pounded the ingredients roughly into the pot.

There was only one dish to eat. A thick, nutritious stew made with all the ingredients available.

Of course there is no taste. Even if you soak the emergency food you brought and eat it, it doesn’t taste the same.

“…Isn’t there a piece of meat in the stew…”

“Put jerky.”

“Then it’s tough.”

“Toughness is still the same.”

Although he joined the B rank mercenary, his rank was still C rank.

Even if he is a promising player, he is a C rank in the end. I can’t complain about the mercenaries that accepted me. The mercenary sighed and tossed his jerky into the stew.

I want to eat something delicious. It would be better with a cold beer.

But it is impossible. It’s weirder to expect to eat your fill at camp. Unless you have a ‘pocket’ that rich people use, it’s the same as pushing something tasteless into your mouth.

No matter how successful a mercenary is, he doesn’t bring along his personal chef. Do you feel good about being able to put something in your mouth?

Better than starving…

“…Um?”

The mercenary flared his nostrils. I smelled something delicious. It wasn’t the smell of stew or emergency food.

A delicious smell wafting through the wind. The mercenary raised his head. I glanced sideways at the group of Rob and the others who were far away.

“…Are there any seasonings in it?”

“It smells delicious.”

“It kills me.”

The mercenaries quietly stood up. But I couldn’t approach it and hovered around it.

It wasn’t because of the people in the robes.

The mercenary stared at the camp far away. Aside from the robed party, there were others who licked their lips while watching the boiling food.

Sword hammer mercenaries.

It was a fairly famous mercenary group. I’ve heard that he’s normally quiet, but once his eyes roll, no one can stop him.

The number of monsters beaten by the sledgehammer mercenaries in this area was uncountable. Those who only rank B, but to be honest, I think they are closer to A rank.

Those who cook seemed to have connections with those mercenaries. If you get it wrong, you might see some blood.

In the first place, as they are the ones who are firmly established in their territory, they may get hit with a hammer just by approaching them.

The mercenary sat back. He sighed.

“It must be f*cking delicious, but I can’t even get close to it…”

“Ask for it.”

“If the dwarves hit you in the back, will you take responsibility?”

“Ashes are not some kind of beast.”

“Don’t you know the Iron Hammer Mercenary Corps? Hammering is faster than talking.”

“Well. After all, Rococo isn’t that tough of a character. Ah. Is it famous because of that? It was because the commander was a bit of an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There is a story that rookies do not know. It hurts to explain, so why don’t you go and see it yourself? Bring some of mine when you come.”

“……”

The mercenary secretly took two bowls. Exchanging food between mercenaries who received the same request was also an act of confirming each other’s trust.

It means to entrust your back by exchanging food. But now it was just something I wanted to eat.

“But if it’s food that smells so delicious… it’s rather rude to give it to me…”

“It would be a hammer to visit empty-handed.”

“……”

The mercenary finally cooked two bowls of stew. He walked slowly towards the camp.

Everyone glanced, but no one followed. The mercenary who suddenly became the leader of the other mercenaries swallowed dry saliva.

“Hey…”

The closer the distance, the thicker the scent. When I uttered my voice with courage, the dwarves spooked and looked behind me.

A hand creeping up on the hammer. But that’s when he saw the bowl the mercenary was holding and he immediately broke free.

“Are you here to get food?”

“Sit there for a bit.”

“At first glance, you are a newcomer. Have you ever participated in a large-scale expedition like this?”

“We haven’t even spoken yet. Wait a minute.”

“Did you bring this for us?”

“How many people, but only two…”

“Well, it’s better than dying of hunger.”

The bowl I brought was stolen. The stew ran out quickly.

The dwarves frowned.

“Who made it?”

“I, I…”

“It’s terribly tasteless. You don’t go to cooking.”

“……”

The man holding the ladle glanced behind him. The inside of the robe had been treated magically, so his face could not be seen properly.

“Don’t forget the 100,000 talent bet. Rococo.”

“I will decide after seeing the taste.”

“Uh huh. Change words?”

“…Eh. Tsk. You can’t do it In the first place, we took what we had for the ingredients… Did you forget you owed me?”

“You said that. If you can eat deliciously with these ingredients, I will pay you 100,000 or 200,000. Don’t worry, I’ll pay off what I owe.”

“Honestly, making something delicious with those ingredients is strange.”

“But something is a little strange… I put the same ingredients but it smells different, doesn’t it?”

“What is the problem? Is this the taste you heard only with those words?”

Rococo made an impression.

“You should try it first! Smell is not all about taste!”

The man scooped the stew into a bowl. After taking a bite, Rococo closed his eyes as if savoring it.

“……”

“How are you? Leader.”

“Tell me.”

There was not 100,000, but 150,000 talents in the hand that was stretched out.

Rococo took the large pot with his hand. Immediately kicked the ground.

Escape.

Those who were startled by Rococo’s quick action rushed after him.

“Hey you son of a b*tch!”

“Give me!”

“How the f*ck are you going to eat that much alone?!”

“It’s all about being the leader!”

The mercenary stared blankly at the backs of those walking away. The man stretched out.

“Hmm. Success this time too.”

“President. Did you put something in it?”

“No? Just look at how irritating my taste is.”

“Zahard. I’m hungry.”

“In the first place, I had no intention of feeding that grunt porridge. Now that you have money, let’s try a gluttony.”

“What’s for dinner?”

“The kind of meat is good.”

“I have the black hoofed meat I caught last time in my pocket… Let’s try this.”

“…As I said before, monster meat is difficult to eat…”

“I can do it.”

“Teacher. Can I help you with something?”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”

“I heard you don’t eat monster meat…”

“That guy will do anything. He’s that kind of guy.”

A complicated situation continues. Tables and furniture pop out of nowhere, and soon a small kitchen is formed in the encampment.

Pockets.

An expensive item called a subspace pouch.

I heard that the capacity and durability are proportional to the value of the pocket. As such, it is common to use it as a mobile storage for storing valuables or things.

As the capacity is limited, it is common sense to put valuable items in it.

But who is this person?

What kind of pockets do you put cooking utensils and furniture in?

“Hey there.”

The mercenary replied in amazement.

“Yes, yes?”

“Do you like monster meat?”

“…If it’s monster meat… Its distinctive fishy smell and the meat is tough enough to chew…”

“But you can eat it. Sit there I’ll make it delicious.”

“The first victim.”

“I can’t run away.”

A large man in a robe occupied the back of the mercenary. The mercenary gulped at the scale of seeing an overwhelming giant.

It didn’t take long for the food to arrive. A portion of thick meat grilled over an open flame.

The mercenary opened his eyes wide. There is no distinctive fishy smell. The scent was very strange, but not bad.

It looks like beef, but it feels different. The man who was tapping the spice muttered.

“It’s a prototype, but… well… you won’t die from eating it.”

“Yes?”

“You can save it anyway, so try it once. Ruler. Don’t hesitate.”

Is it poison?

Is it poisoned?

The mercenary sneakily looked for a way out. However, a group of black robes were gathered wherever they could see.

“Eat quickly.”

“I am hungry.”

“The leather will stick to your stomach. Ugh.”

“Can I help you?”

Your voice is beautiful. You can’t see inside the robe, but you can guess that everyone is a beauty just by looking at their silhouettes.

But the mercenary was more painful than ever. The feeling of being surrounded by an irresistible force.

Grab the fork. Cut the meat lightly. First of all, the touch of the fingertips is soft. It’s not too tough, so it’s lightly sliced.

I just need to take a bite like this… But that’s all…

“Now. Just close your eyes.”

“Eup… Ugh…”

The mercenary’s complexion turned pale. Unknowingly, he took a bite of the meat he had forced into it.

“Eup…Up…!”

A pale scream erupted.

And that…

From noble mtl dot com

“…Eup?”

I was immediately stained with admiration.

“Huh?”

The mercenary quietly lowered his fork. I took another piece of meat.

It’s delicious. It’s so delicious that I feel like an idiot for being scared.

“Excellent savory taste… Bursting gravy…”

What is it?

Is this monster meat?

“Oh, how did you do it?”

“I matured them separately. Since they cannot be eaten immediately, they are marinated in sauce to remove the fishy smell. I tried to solve the miasma through purification… But fortunately it seems to have worked.”

It’s not that soft. The firmness of properly chewed muscles is excellent.

The mercenary hurriedly ate two chunks of his meat.

“This is such nonsense…”

Even the food I ate at a high-end restaurant I had visited once did not taste as good as this.

A dish made by a talented chef with all his might!

“I want to eat more…”

“We have nothing to eat, so please leave. Ruler. This is for Stew.”

“Ha, but…That’s a sledgehammer…”

“It means to get along well. You know?”

“……”

The mercenary returned to camp with two pieces of meat on a bowl.

“What is it? That?”

“Do you grill meat too? You seem to have quite a lot. Sledgehammer.”

“Yeah…By the way…This…”

“What kind of meat?”

“I don’t think it’s a wild boar… wow…”

“Now, just a moment…”

“This is something strange…”

“What the f*ck?!”

Amidst the exclamation, the mercenary licked his lips. His eyes caught fire.

“I. I want to leave the mercenary corps.”

“What bullsh*t?”

“I will join the Rococo Mercenary Corps. I have no future here!”

“Stop talking nonsense…”

The mercenaries who tasted the meat lit up their eyes.

“Isn’t that just getting along with the guy who made this?”

. . .

“I found… I found…”

The forest shook. The great thief, Calvid, cut down the bush.

Bunny, Queen of Thieves, removed the fallen leaves from her hair.

I struggled for a long time to find the traces I had missed. They changed her wagon and changed her horse, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be followed.

The main unit consisted of 1,000 small elites. Bunny, who had only scratched the elite of the elite, checked the traces of the top of the bacon once again.

If the information is clear, he must have infiltrated as a mercenary and entrusted himself to the top of Bacon.

Fabian. This asshole.

While I haven’t seen it, only strange tricks have increased. You know what I’m tracking, so I’ve changed all my identities.

Bunny couldn’t stand the slight rise in her shoulders even as she frowned. If she dares to wash her identity…

Aren’t you afraid of me?

“Huh…Huh…”

“Boss. Is there anything that makes you feel good?”

“Shut up and fix the kids. It’s not far away, so I’ll chase right away and attack…”

I heard a voice. Bunny turned her head with a swish of her. A party of about a dozen people in black robes were diligently running down the street in a wagon.

Unusual attire. The horses they rode were also very expensive. Bunny patted her shoulders.

“Stop it.”

“Stop! Stop!”

“Hey you bastards! Aren’t you coming down right now?!”

Over a thousand people occupied the road. The running horse stopped.

“What is this again?”

“A group of bandits…it seems…”

“It’s a bit big.”

“It’s annoying.”

The old man in the lead frowned.

“Is that the boss?”

“Your tone is cheeky.”

Bernie tapped his hatchet on his shoulder.

“Get off first. How dare you raise your head in front of Calvid?”

“…Kalvid? This. It was a fairly large group of bandits. Can’t you just let it go?”

“Get down on your knees first.”

“Something… That doesn’t make sense. I can’t help it.”

Black magic power came out of the old man’s hand.

“The road is a bit busy here too, so please understand.”

Magic.

That’s black magic on an enormous scale!

Bernie threw his hatchet at once. A weapon containing magical power penetrated the barrier of the old man.

“Gorge! It’s a black magician!”

Warlock and Calvid.

Two groups collided.