Chapter 232: Chapter 231: Unpalatable Bear Meat
Oak Heart led the way. Colin, who was less injured, carried Aidan on his back, while Kase carried the luggage. The group pressed on.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any monsters along the way and eventually arrived near Aidan’s Forester cabin. It was also the closest safe location for the party.
Colin, still carrying Aidan, walked to the door.
Ale stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Excuse me, are the lady and the young lady still here?"
"Coming! Miss, is Aidan still with you—"
The door creaked open. Aidan’s mother stopped mid-sentence when she saw her son on Colin’s back, the rest of her words catching in her throat.
"This..."
"We ran into a bit of trouble," Colin said. "Could you let us in first?"
"Then please, hurry." A flash of sorrow crossed Aidan’s mother’s eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a look of calm resolve.
She opened the door wide and entered the room, quickly clearing off a bed.
"What happened to his wounds?"
"We gave him some basic treatment. There are herbs on the bandages," Orelia said. "We should be able to use a Divine Art to treat him tomorrow. That will heal his injuries completely."
While Orelia and Aidan’s mother were talking, Colin, with Kase’s help, laid Aidan on the bed.
Fortunately, Aidan’s father wasn’t here. Otherwise, Colin could only imagine the chaos that would have erupted.
"We’re out of Magic for now. We need to rest for a day," Colin said.
’The party isn’t in good shape right now, so resting here for a day is the best option. There surely won’t be any powerful monsters around a Forester’s cabin.’
"Do you need anything? Food, water, beds... just tell me if there’s anything you can use."
"We still have supplies. It’s just the Curse that’s a bit of a problem," Colin said. "It’s nothing to worry about. We just have to wait until tomorrow."
After speaking, Aidan’s mother trotted back outside, pointed to a spot under an oak tree, and said, "You can make camp here. No one will disturb you."
A moment later, she added, "If you need anything, just call for me."
With that, she hurried back into the house to take care of her child.
’As expected of a Forester’s wife,’ Colin thought. ’She’s remarkably composed.’
Colin breathed a sigh of relief and joined the others, sitting on a protruding tree root at the edge of the clearing.
Taking advantage of the break, he checked the Task Log in his mind.
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[Quest: Hunt White Frost]
[Rating: 7 (Local Hero)]
[Reward: Skill Level +400, Tier Two Magic "Shatter"]
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Colin glanced at the rating and was a little surprised.
’A difficulty of Level 7? Back in Snow Deer Valley, dealing with the Frost Giant Skeleton and the Druid only got a final rating of eight.’
’Also, maybe because there are no Attributes to increase this time, the Skill Level reward is much higher. After I put it all into Armor, I’ll probably be close to getting a new Specialty.’
’On top of that, there’s a Tier Two Magic I’ve never seen before. I’ll check out its effects after I turn in the quest.’
So far, Colin felt most of his Tier Two Magic spells were utility-based.
’They’re useful, but I was kind of hoping for something that deals Damage.’
After reviewing the rewards, Colin silently replayed the recent battle in his mind.
’First off, as the ones who were ambushed, we were definitely at a disadvantage.’
’If we had tracked the great bear from the start and hunted it down, I feel like we could have won much more easily. Though, probably not so easily that we could’ve handled it without Oak Heart.’
’But I don’t know if White Frost chasing us was just a coincidence, or if it was Lady Rime’s doing.’
’If it was, that goddess really knows how to hold a grudge.’
"HUP..." Kase, who had walked over carrying a few logs, grunted as he dropped them on the ground. He then began arranging them into a pile.
"Are you really going to start a fire to roast meat today?" Colin stood up to help him build the fire. "I was thinking of just eating some rations."
"You gotta eat Bear Meat while it’s fresh. Want some of this? The flavor is really something else. A rare treat." Kase pulled out a piece of raw Bear Fat he had cut off himself.
The stuff had already solidified in the low temperature. It was pearly white with a yellowish tint, and red veins crawled all over the lump of fat. Both its appearance and smell were... hard to describe.
Colin waved his hand. "I’ll pass."
"Give me some," said Oak Heart, who was sitting nearby.
Ale, who was reading a book beside them, lifted her head, glanced over, and said, "I’ll have some too."
"See, Colin? Stone Face is much smarter than you." Kase cut the block of fat in half and handed a piece to each of them.
Then, setting Oak Heart aside, Ale—the gentle and graceful little Elf girl—took a bite of the raw Bear Fat right before Orelia’s and Colin’s astonished eyes. She chewed, nodded, and looked like she was thoroughly enjoying it.
Colin swallowed hard.
’Could it be that this stuff is actually good raw? But then again, what about parasites?’
’Back in Snow Deer Valley, the only reason I dared to eat that raw fish "ice cream" was because I knew the extreme cold would kill any parasites.’
"So, what’s been going on these past two days, anyway?" Kase asked as he expertly roasted the Bear Meat.
"Basically, Oak Heart lost his mind because of the winter disaster, turned into a white bear, and was wandering the forest. Then White Frost also happened to show up in the area. We don’t know if the local Adventurers saw White Frost or Oak Heart, but either way, the wanted poster said there was a white bear here."
Colin explained, "So we went after the wrong bear at first. We were supposed to be looking for White Frost, but we ended up fighting Oak Heart instead. Then we got ambushed on our way back."
"Oh." Kase scratched his head, looking like he understood.
But Colin could tell from his expression that the Half-Orc still didn’t get it at all.
A moment later, Kase handed him a skewer of roasted Bear Meat.
Colin took the skewer and examined it closely.
The party had bought some salt mixed with pepper as seasoning before they set out, but they didn’t have any other spices. This roasted meat was basically just salted.
He took a bite and began to chew.
An indescribable gamy flavor oozed from every fiber of the meat, filling his nostrils. The meat itself was frighteningly tough and completely unchewable. For a moment, Colin felt like he was eating the beef of some cow that had lived for several hundred years.
He looked around. Orelia had the same pained expression as he did.
The other three, however, were eating quite happily.
Colin silently took out the leftover rations from yesterday. Seeing this, Kase commented from the side, "You’re such a picky eater. No wonder you’re so weak."
"Then let’s buy some chili peppers for seasoning next time."
Hearing this, Kase immediately shot him a look of disgust.
"Not only are you a picky eater, but you also like to waste food."
"Adding chili peppers isn’t a waste," Colin retorted.
The group ate their dinner, chatting and laughing. Except for the one on watch, the others soon fell asleep.
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「The next day, just as the sky began to brighten.」
Colin woke up groggily and pulled his head back into his warm sleeping bag. After a moment, having mentally prepared himself, he poked his head out again and pulled himself out of the sleeping bag in one go.
While he was putting on his Armor, he turned his head and saw Aidan’s mother sitting at the doorway, sorting some acorns.
The woman was staring blankly at the acorns in her hands.
Colin glanced to the side. Orelia’s small blanket was already empty.
He finished putting on his Armor, hung his weapon on his person, and walked into the cabin.
Orelia and Oak Heart were standing by the bed. Aidan was still unconscious on it, and his younger sister was standing not far away, watching them nervously.
"Can’t he be healed?" Colin walked closer and saw that Aidan was still wrapped in blood-soaked bandages.
