Chapter 192: Immaturity
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
As dawn broke, still shrouded in darkness, we set off toward the forest.
“This way?”
“Yeah.”
I pushed through the underbrush with my Ex-Staff, quickly passing through the grasslands before entering the forest from a spot slightly further south than usual.
The shallow parts of the forest are easy to navigate since even non-adventurers come here to gather firewood. However, once we step into the territory of stronger Demon Beasts like bears or wolves, the ground becomes treacherous.
“Do you see that? The spot where the fallen leaves are crushed.”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right, it’s a bit black.”
The crushed leaves revealed the damp, dark soil beneath. Once I noticed it, I could see that the black earth had been disturbed in a trail leading further in.
“It’s a beast path, probably from a deer.”
Retze pointed out the chewed leaves of the plants.
“Since it’s narrow, it’s likely a solitary one, and it’s still fresh. Are there any human footprints?”
“I don’t think so…”
I glanced around as I answered. The only disturbed leaves were from the deer’s path and where we had walked.
“New beast paths can be used again in two or three days. This area is still frequented by hunters, so be careful; traps might be set up here. It would be embarrassing to get caught.”
“Ugh.”
That must be the kind where you get hung upside down. I’ve seen it in movies.
Living creatures and Demon Beasts can trigger traps during Exploration, but what about inanimate objects like traps? Dangerous, dangerous.
Cautious hunters erase their footprints, so it’s best to check a bit away from the beast path.
Unlike boars, deer don’t have cloven hooves, and their stride is about 80 to 100 cm for adults. When setting snares, since deer dislike stepping on fallen logs or stones, placing these obstacles in their paths can effectively guide their footing.
Ah, so this is what the children of the Dinoss Family learned before becoming adventurers. I thought about this while listening to Retze’s explanation.
Once the sun rose, we took a break to eat a light meal.
“Is this the sfogliatella? Here.”
The pastry, made with lard instead of butter, was rolled thin, coiled, sliced, filled with ricotta cheese, folded in half, and baked. It had a crispy, shell-like texture.
“Yeah. It’s still delicious, but sweets make me crave coffee, which is no good.”
Retze said after taking a bite. He seems to be well on his way to becoming a caffeine addict.
I could take some out from Storage, but today I had packed everything neatly in my bag. I had cut off Exploration and was seriously studying.
“Can I call Rishu now?”
“Yeah, it’s about time.”
Alright, here we go!
“I’ll be right back.”
“Wait, here?!”
I Teleported back with Rishu.
“Could you at least try to hide a little…?”
Retze looked at me with an exasperated expression.
It felt a bit late for that, but perhaps it would have been better to conceal ourselves deeper in the forest first.
“Rishu, do you remember Retze? He’s our guide today.”
Rishu sniffed Retze’s scent, confirming it. After finishing, she looked up at him, tilting her head.
“It’s Retze, nice to meet you.”
Retze extended his hand for her to sniff. She sniffed again.
My little one is so cute.
“Rishu, stay close; it can be dangerous.”
I said, rubbing her face gently with both hands.
“Seriously, what kind of situation is it where a Spirit like me is in danger? If there were that much danger, I’d be dead by now.”
Our reliable guide grumbled.
I avoided the underbrush with my Ex-Staff while Rishu helped me identify traces of life as we made our way to our destination. Rishu sniffed here and there, and whenever a bit of distance formed, she would dash back to me before diving into the bushes again.
The mountain of our House is easy to walk on and feels safe, but it seems that a different scenery is quite enjoyable. I’m glad I brought her along.
Along the way, we took down a couple of weasel Demon Beasts but continued without any issues.
“We’re at the destination. Look, the grass we need is growing here.”
“Is this it?”
Among various grasses, there were thick, chive-like leaves, slightly reddish at the tips.
“There are similar grasses, but those have hollow insides.”
Retze snapped one off to show me the whitish, slimy cross-section.
“Humans can’t tell, but it apparently has a distinct smell. Let’s gather about thirty or forty of them.”
“Got it.”
I used my Ex-Staff to part the grass and search for the leaves I recognized.
There were so many similar grasses that I thought I wouldn’t find any, but it turns out they usually have green tips. The ones with a strong usable scent turn red.
Rishu scratched the ground and looked at me, so I went over and found the desired grass.
“Thanks.”
I patted her head and collected the grass. Rishu is not only cute but also smart.
After some time, I had eight, Rishu had eleven, and Retze had fifteen. Ugh… I need to step up my game. Rishu was distracted by bugs quite a bit, yet Retze was gathering not just the target grass but also medicinal herbs and edible wild plants.
“So, we do this.”
Retze wrapped the collected grass in cloth and began to knead it. Once the cloth started to soak with juice, he stopped and opened it to show me.
“After kneading to release the scent, place it in a spot where the Red Lizard is likely to come. Usually under the shadow of a fallen log or in a cool, damp area. Also, under this kind of moss.”
He said, scraping off the thick moss from a stone with his staff and creating a gap between the ground and the stone to set it up.
“Do the work with the staff to avoid getting too much scent on your hands.”
He handed me the remaining bundle of grass.
Following his instructions, I used my Ex-Staff to lift the moss and placed the grass a little distance away.
“Now we just wait. The Red Lizard will get intoxicated by the scent of the grass, and that’s when we catch it.”
And so, while we waited, it became lunchtime.
“Today’s lunch features chirashi sushi as the main dish.”
“Chirashi?”
“Yeah, this.”
When I opened the lunchbox, the first thing that caught my eye was the bright yellow kinshi tamago. There were also simmered shiitake mushrooms, vinegared lotus root, shredded nori, simmered anago, shrimp, and garnished with snow peas. I wanted to sprinkle some ikura on top, but it might make it smell fishy, so I left it out this time.
The shiitake mushrooms were dried ones I had specially prepared from the Pantry. Some things taste better when dried.
“What a beautiful color.”
Since using chopsticks seemed too difficult, I added a spoon.
“This is the side dish box.”
He handed me a box filled with shrimp tempura, and I opened my own portion.
“Oh? It’s delicious, but what is this? Was it rice balls before? That?”
“Yeah, it’s the staple food from where I lived. Rice.”
It seemed to suit his palate, so I felt relieved.
“Wow. Wait, you’re eating with a stick too? That’s impressive.”
It’s called chopsticks, you know.