Chapter 39: Procuring Food
free webnovel.comBy the time we got through the forest, the sun was already setting.
So we decided to set up camp by the lake a little further down the road.
This area is relatively calm and there are few monsters. Even if they did appear, it would be easy to deal with them because of the clear view.
The carriage are park by the lake.
We unloaded the food from the carriage.
I offered to pay the fee after I returned to the coachman.
「No, no, no. I've already been paid enough money. I can't ask master for more.」 I was turned down.
If that's the case......
I'll take your word for it.
We built a bonfire by the lake and sat around it. We ate emergency food such as hard-baked bread and dried meat.
「Uee, it's not very good.」
Meryl said disgustedly as she ate the dried meat.
She sticks out her tongue.
「The meat is tough and the taste is bad because it's only salted. It's not good for my gourmet taste buds.」
「Hey Meryl, that's rude」
「But...」
Indeed, Meryl is right.
To be honest, this dried meat is not very tasty.
That's just the way it is.
It was just a dried meat and salted, so it tasted nothing like delicious.
If these were peppered and preserved, the taste would be much better, but they are too expensive for the common people to afford.
「I wish I could eat more delicious food, but most emergency rations don't taste as good.」
「I was used to eating papa's homemade food, I wouldn't be able to eat something like this. It's papa's fault for making delicious food.」
「Eeh!? It's my fault!?」
「Meryl. You shouldn't be so extravagant. You have to be as grateful as possible. We have to force it into our stomachs.」
「A warrior's way of thinking.」
Anna affirmed Elsa's words.
「Well, it's true that it's tasteless.」
She said.
She seemed to agree with Meryl's opinion itself.
In fact, the hand that eats the crusty bread has not progressed.
「That's right......」
Food is important.
It will also affect the morale of the girls tomorrow.
「Okay. We'll get some food ourselves. There's a lake and a forest nearby. We can gather fish, nuts, and other things that will add up.」
I decided to start moving as soon as possible.
I snapped off a branch from a nearby tree.
Sharpen the tip of it.
「Papa. What's that?」
「It's a harpoon. You dive into the lake and stab the fish with it.」
「Heee. But wouldn't it be faster to use magic? I can freeze the lake with my ice magic, or use my lightning magic and we'll have a big catch!」
「That would wipe out all the fish in the lake...... We need to catch only what we eat. We don't want to do anything that will destroy the ecosystem.」
「You're so kind papa」
「Everyone should take a walk around and look for something that could be eaten. I'll be back in about an hour.」
I took off my jacket and stripped down to my top.
I jumped into the lake.
When I opened my eyes, I looked around the water.
There should be fish around here.......
Ah. There it is.
I chased after the fish that crossed the corner of my eye. Then I released the harpoon in my right hand. A flash of lightning pierced the fish's belly like a thread through a needle.
Got the first one.
I put the fish in a basket I brought from the back of the carriage. I dive again.
When I found a good-sized fish, I chased it and speared it with my harpoons. In less than an hour, I had a huge catch that overflowed our baskets.
I think it's about time...
I put my face in the water and went back to the lakeside.
The girls were already gathered at the bonfire.
「Ah. Papa, welcome back~? Did you get the fish? Uwaa! There's a basket full of fish!」
Meryl hugged me around the waist.
「That's enough to keep anyone full. How'd it go over here? Did you find anything to eat?」
「Yes. We've been foraging for nuts and mushrooms.」
「Oh. That's a lot.」
There were piles of nuts and mushrooms in a basket made of woven straw. I wondered how they had managed to gather them in such a short time.
「Elsa and Anna did a great job!」
Meryl says.
「I had spent a lot of time in the mountains with father when I was a child. It was easy for me to find where the nuts and mushrooms grew.」
「It is my job to determine if it is edible or not. The knowledge papa taught me when I was in the village came in handy for me.」
They are reliable girls.
We cooked the food we had harvested over the bonfire.
We grilled mushrooms and fish stuck on tree branches. The nuts were left intact. All of the food was fresh and incomparably better than emergency food.
The girls seemed to be satisfied with their full bellies.
Now we can fight again tomorrow.
After we finished eating, we decided to take a dip in the lake.
The girls go to the lake first, and the coachman and I wait by the carriage. We could hear the squealing and giggling of the girls.
「Ah. Elsa's breast are getting big again! That's good...」
「This is unnecessary for a swordsman. They get in the way of fighting. I envy those who are as light as Meryl.」
「That's what you mean by flat-chested! Irritating!」
「You know, Meryl. You're just a kid, so you might not understand. A woman's charm isn't just about the size of her breasts.」
「Buu. Anna, you're talking like you know what you're doing. Even though, you don't have a lover.」
「Wha!? What does that have to do with anything? Why does the presence or absence of a lover have anything to do with a woman's charm?」
「It's working, it's working ?」
「Damn you! Wait for me! I will punish you!」
「I won't wait ?」
I can hear the sound of water being splashed.
I'm glad to see that everyone is getting along so well.
「Three beautiful girls are having fun cackling and giggling without a stitch of clothing. Master, as a man, I have to go take a peek at this.」
「You're not going anywhere. They're my daughters.」
I said.
「I'm warning you, though. If you try anything weird like going for a peek, I won't let you get away with it, okay?」
「Un... understood. Master, your eyes are scary.」
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