LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 27
When guests arrive, you must entertain them.
The residents of Drywood, who were neither poor nor affluent, tried to host the dispatched subjugation team again, but Joric, feeling flustered, persuaded the villagers.
The current subjugation team was merely a continuation of the previously missing exploration group.
He argued that the hospitality was treated as what the lost ones had received, so they need not extend it this time. Moreover, winter was approaching faster than anticipated, and it was crucial not to expend their stored food.
However, for such a trivial reason to cease the hospitality was out of the question.
“More than anything, the number of subjugation team members is also considerable. Hospitality—”
“To abandon the custom of hospitality is akin to inviting death…!!!”
“No, see here, aren’t we already counting what the previous subjugation team received?”
Of course, there were ulterior motives, like wanting to look good in front of Alfred or being grateful for finally settling the territorial disputes, but the village chief and the residents were very serious.
Indeed, it was customary that guests must be entertained even in droughts and storms.
After much debate, Joric decided to accept a portion of the food stockpiled in the village and finally concluded the nerve-wracking standoff between the unyielding guests and the willing hosts.
The next morning, after the subjugation team had settled on site.
“I’m skeptical about whether we can eat this jam.”
“Um, is this Antler Droplet Jam?”
“Are you familiar with it?”
Catherine rummaged through the jar with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah, I’ve never tasted it, though.”
“Um, it certainly looks like it.”
Karem watched the small, cone-shaped fruit, resembling sticky honey, curling around just as Catherine dabbed it with a butter knife.
He’d heard it was a common winter preservation food near Antler Forest.
How on earth do you eat a pine cone? One might say the Russians are so starved they resort to eating that, but that might actually be true regarding where it all started.
But this was not something that had hardened; it was likely made from young pine cones that still resembled fruit. This was probably the same.
While they had been moving, now that they had arrived in the village, Karem rolled up his sleeves and focused on his actual task.
Today, Karem prepared pancakes.
Combining eggs and milk purchased from the village with flour brought by the subjugation team, he made the dough and repeatedly cooked it on a butter-greased pan until both sides turned golden brown, stacking them thickly on each person’s plate.
He placed a piece of butter atop the piping-hot pancakes and generously drizzled not syrup, but Antler Droplet Jam over it.
Every time Karem moved his spoon, unlike maple syrup, the thick jam spread and the spiral-shaped antler droplet rolled about.
It certainly looked appetizing.
Yet, it felt extremely strange.
Curiosity, doubt, could I really eat this? No, but others were eating it just fine.
“Karem, why are you hesitating?”
“Um.”
“It has a unique smell and texture. It’s just honeyed fruit.”
“That’s true.”
After all, this was food meant for humans. Karem closed his eyes tightly and ate a large bite of the Antler Droplet with a piece of pancake.
And the taste, surprisingly, wasn’t bad at all.
The honey accounted for the sweetness of the pancake, which was devoid of sugar.
As the crunchy texture disappeared, a soft one took its place. The more he chewed, the chewy and nutty taste reminiscent of ginkgo seeds emerged, alongside a rich, refreshing herbal scent.
Catherine, initially hesitant due to the appearance, surprisingly seemed to enjoy it as she calmly ate the pancake topped with Antler Droplet Jam offered by Mary.
“Um, this deep forest aroma from the rain is hard to adapt to.”
“Contractor. Yet, you’re eating it well.”
“Once the brief scent passes, the autumn leaf fragrance comes rushing in. It feels like I’m consuming all the seasons except winter.”
However, Karem had another thought.
This scent was exactly that. The kind that has a strong preference—like a classy sauna that gives off a pine smell blended with sweet jam.
Without further hesitation, Karem cleaned his plate.
It might not be now, but someday, it would be a taste he’d crave again.
It was exactly that kind of flavor. Just, his tongue tingled from being overly honeyed.
*
*
*
Once breakfast for the subjugation team was done, they immediately began work under Joric’s command.
That meant Catherine also had to work hard.
Mmmmm-! Mmmmm-!
“Sir Atanitas?”
“What is it?”
“You mentioned work, right?”
“Yeah. Hah, better finish this and get back to my concoctions.”
“But what does the amount of work have to do with it?”
Indeed, it was the quantity.
Various sizes of sheep were tied up, with their legs bound and muzzles on.
Multiple sheep lay shivering from the cold, their wool shorn to reveal their skins.
“What’s it? Bait. Bait.”
“Bait? Sheep?”
“Yeah.”
Unlike during breakfast, Catherine had a gloomy expression now.
She began painting circles on the sheep’s skin, using it as her canvas.
Suddenly, Karem recalled something from a documentary he had watched.
He had heard that in some areas, when hunting carnivores, people would tie up live bait like sheep, pigs, or cows along the paths that the beasts traveled to ambush them.
“However, it may be insufficient with just sheep, so additional processing might be necessary.”
“Are you referring to the drawings and symbols on this skin?”
“Correct. Using sheep and goats as sacrifices is a classic method. The necessary symbols are abundance, vitality, and liveliness. It’s all about maximizing that effect.”
Catherine didn’t stop at just completing the circle. She continued painting, overlapping triangles around the blue circle.
She wrote letters in each space created and then set down her brush, taking a small pouch from Mary.
Just like someone with inadequate skills blaming materials, magic works similarly.
If you lack the necessary skill, the required mediums, materials, and reagents increase considerably, especially if the magic you’re trying to develop has no relation to your expertise or talent.
Yet Catherine, being a Grand Wizard, had no issues even if this wasn’t her specialty craft. Thus, the required materials were exactly three.
Diluted chicken blood drawn from a kid goat that inhibits and distorts magical power.
Dried powder from the first buds that sprouted when spring arrived.
And the essence of all magic, life energy.
Scattering the dried bud powder from the small pouch, Catherine snapped her fingers.
As friction created green sparks that fell upon the kid goat’s body, the blue magic circle turned green, and soon lightened into a soft pale green.
“Alright. It’s done.”
“…And you say this isn’t your specialization?”
“Research is enjoyable, but my major is ice magic, you see.”
“Um, it gives off the feeling that all roads lead to one.”
“Oh, that’s a good saying. Now, cover the sheep with that cloth.”
Karem, unable to conceal his admiration as he pointed to the kid goat, and Mary let it go.
“Contractor. While it’s delightful chatting—”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t time pressing?”
“Hah.”
Catherine expressed her exasperation.
While flat is one thing, despite the skin being exposed, sheep were still three-dimensional.
Naturally, the complexity of drawing the magic circle increased, and she couldn’t guarantee the sheep would stay still. No, they wouldn’t stay quiet at all.
Baaaaaaaaaaaaak—!!!
What they needed urgently was bait preparation; they had to get the materials ready for use.
Even after that, many tasks had been brought from Coldon that still awaited them.
An all-night endeavor was a certainty, as always.
Catherine’s eyes turned dull.
*
*
*
“Well, we somehow managed to meet the deadline.”
“…I feel sorry for the sheep that was subjected to random violence.”
“There’s a reason, Karem. Time is short, and the contractor mentioned that magic shouldn’t be used for this task. This is the quickest way to do it calmly.”
Karem involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut, recalling the horrific scene from the previous day due to time constraints.
The spectacle back then was undoubtedly something that any animal protection association would rise up in protest against if it were modern day.
After all, the sheep must feel it’s unjust to be used as bait and sacrificed.
Mary later harshly struck the sheep on the head with a pot, knocking it unconscious because its movements were bothersome.
To put it bluntly, the sheep was pitiful.
“Mary.”
“Yes, sounds like you are filled with complaints.”
“It’s just sad for the sheep.”
“Karem, aren’t the meats you eat every day also sad?”
Karem resolutely shook his head.
“That’s not sad at all.”
“It’s biased.”
“There’s a stark difference between knocking someone unconscious and handling already butchered food.”
“Animals are indeed creatures of life, Karem. You’re being heartless.”
“In that case, you should feel sympathy for that Ice Worm monster holed up in Antler Forest too, right?”
A childish verbal sparring match occurred between Karem and Mary.
This back-and-forth argument continued indefinitely until it abruptly stopped.
Boom-!
An earthquake, no, a tremor.
The once-noisy campsite fell into an instant silence.
According to plan, the current tremor indicated that the targeted Ice Worm had taken the bait.
Of course, Karem and Mary, who were waiting in Catherine’s tent at the campsite, felt that tremor too.
“I hope the subjugation goes smoothly.”
“Karem, that bit of thought as a seed isn’t worth much.”
“Excuse me?”
At Karem’s question, Mary closed her eyes.
“A seed must believe in its master, as long as the master does not break the contract first.”
“Um, then I have only one thing to take care of.”
Naturally, after vigorous outdoor activity, one tends to get hungry.
Especially in winter, where standing still burns calories, he surely craved heavy food.
“Could you help me with the ingredient preparation?”
“Kare—”
Boom-!
The tremor rang again.
This time, the tremor felt stronger, as a bag resting in the corner of the tent toppled over, spilling its contents.
Fortunately, everything inside was tightly tied and packed into small pouches, so nothing fell outside.
However…
“Um, Mary?”
“What is it, Karem?”
“Those are the magic mediums prepared by Sir Atanitas, aren’t they?”
“Hah…”
Mary let out a long sigh.
Understanding the meaning behind that sigh, Karem smacked his forehead without thinking.
The Ice Worm was a death worm adapted to Iceland.
It had developed resistance to ice magic.
Just to be safe, Catherine had prepared materials for deploying other powerful magic, but why were they here?
The answer was simple.
Catherine had just forgotten, being human too.
In the blink of an eye, Mary snatched the bag at the speed of grabbing falling plates and dashed outside the tent, generating a gust. The destination was obvious.