Meat Festival and the Weak.
After going on a rampage, I finally calmed down. My brother scolded me for overdoing it.
But come on! I didn’t hit anyone, and it’s not like I could even hit Dirck if I tried. I’ll fix the torn-up ground later! And I achieved the miraculous result of zero casualties, so it’s fine, isn’t it? When I actually argued back for once, he accepted my reasoning. Better this than someone dying, right? I wasn’t wrong this time!! I made sure to avoid hitting allies while attacking!!
For now, Valkyrie and Rosie-kun helped transport the fresh meat that had already been drained of blood. As for the ones that hadn’t been bled yet, I decided to have the Shamcats’ wives handle them.
"Everyone, it's meat! All-you-can-eat meat! Hurry up and start cooking!!"
By now, a crowd of meat-hungry wives had already gathered in front of the castle gates. They snatched up the meat and immediately began processing it.
"We can take 20% for ourselves!?"
"Huh!? We get some!??"
The ladies from Wolfanea were already used to this.
"Twenty percent is the processing fee! But you’ll have to cover the cost of salt and seasonings yourselves!"
[Okay!!]The wives were highly motivated. The transported monsters were rapidly being turned into meat.
A merchant—probably from Wolfanea—was already selling spices with a keen business sense.
Among the wives, soldiers from the castle and adventurers were also helping with the blood-draining process.
"Should we carry in some more?"
"Yeah, let’s do that."
After discussing it with Dirck, we decided to bring in some of the frozen meat as well. Since this was a large-scale hunt, there was plenty of meat.
The processed meat was quickly grilled and distributed to everyone. The Wolfanea natives had apparently already built makeshift stoves. Their adaptability was amazing.
"The people around Wolfanea’s royal capital call Rosarin ‘Meat Saintess,’ right?"
"Huh?"
"In the north, they call you ‘the Goddess,’ in the west, ‘the Oracle,’ and in the east, ‘the Savior.’"
"The people of Wolfanea name things too freely…"
I neither denied nor affirmed it, just averting my gaze. I wish they’d just call me normally.
"Pfft! Those are some ridiculous titles. And now you’re also ‘the Hero Who Saved the World.’"
Without a word, I landed a shining wizard kick on Rinka.
"Gallop!?"
"You’re a hero too! Don’t pin it all on me!!"
Rinka rolled on the ground but quickly healed herself, taking almost no damage.
"I’m not as famous as Rosarin-chan! If anything, I’m Lavita-kun’s hero!"
"Ugh… what am I supposed to do…"
I had been trying so hard to stay out of the limelight lately! How can I lower my fame…?
[Why not just give up?]Everyone said it in perfect harmony. I have no allies! But I won’t lose! I will stand against the injustices of the world!!
"If I give up, it's game over!! I will never give up!!"
My desperate cry echoed futilely into the sky above Shamcats.
The castle town of Shamcats, now turned into a meat festival, was filled with people enjoying themselves.
"Um… c-can we eat too, nya?"
The voice belonged to a young boy, likely an orphan. His clothes were dirty, and he smelled terrible. I cast a purification spell on him, then grabbed a serving of meat, placing it on a large leaf as a makeshift plate before handing it to him.
"Th-thank you, nya!"
The boy held the plate joyfully and started running off.
"Aren’t you going to eat here?"
"I have to feed my little brother and sister, nya! They can't move, so I’ll bring it to them!"
"Niisama…"
I looked up at my brother, pleadingly. He nodded in understanding.
"I'm a doctor. Since it's a festival today, I'll examine you for free as a special service."
Since I do have a medical license, it's not a lie. My main profession is an herbalist, but I sometimes help with Gator’s volunteer work.
"Really, nya!? Please, nya!"
The boy's living conditions were terrible. When I asked, he admitted that they were orphans after all. They survived by taking shelter in a crumbling building and relying on the older boys’ thefts to scrape by. The boy was kind, speaking gently to the weakened little fluffballs.
"Here, eat. It’s meat."
"Myuu…"
"Nii-ni, you eat, nya… Myuu is done for, nya…"
The younger brother, though frail, took a bite of the meat, but the younger sister tried to give hers to her brother. She was so weak that she barely had the strength to chew in the first place.
"That’s not true! Niichan brought a doctor! Myuu will get better! And Faa too!"
"Hello. Let me take a look at you."
Their heads were infested with lice, their wounds were festering with maggots, yet their older brother only slightly grimaced. I quietly cast a purification spell and proceeded with the examination.
"The most serious issue is malnutrition. The wounds should heal with a little magic. The insects will be fine with some medicine. And you probably have lice too."
Once again, I prepared the mysterious rainbow-colored porridge. The older brother said nothing. This was a dire situation. When I probed their magic levels, I found they were on the verge of complete depletion.
"Blow, blow, aaah~"
Since it was doubtful they could eat on their own, I tried to feed them, but the kitten froze.
"Here you go."
Since their mouth was already slightly open, I gently placed the porridge inside.
"Nom… it’s yummy, nya! Oneechan, please give some to my little brother too, nya!"
"It’s okay, it’s okay."
My darling was helping feed the younger brother. Rinka and Mary had also started assisting the other weak children of their own accord. Their older brother continued to examine them one by one.
The diagnosis was unanimous—everyone was severely malnourished.
"Alright, it looks like Rosairn’s outrageous porridge has taken care of the malnutrition. Rosarin, use healing magic."
That was quite the way to phrase it, but who cares about that right now? Healing the injured little fluffballs comes first!
"Aye aye, sir! Valkyrie, staff mode!"
I amplified my magic with my staff and deployed wide-range healing magic. The soft light spread through the area, soothing everyone.
"Ooooh! My back pain is gone!"
"Don’t run, old man! You’ll throw your back out again!?"
It seemed I had healed some unrelated people too… but that’s not a problem, right? The maggots were pushed out as the wounds closed. Good riddance…
"Still, after pulling off those insane attacks, you still have energy left? You’re a monster, seriously."
"Hm?"
"Sorry! I give up!!"
Armbar! The terrifying move that, if you resist, will snap your bones!!
"I give up, I give up, I give up!!"
※He didn't resist at all.
"Rosarin, stop. You’re scaring the children."
"Ah."
They were terrified. Scaring the cute fluffballs was a grave mistake on my part!
However, regardless of that, I had to do something they would hate even more. It couldn’t be helped. This was for their own good. I steeled my heart and activated Thousand-Hand Kannon Mode.
"Fleas and lice infesting the fluffballs, I shall annihilate you with my special shampoooo!!"
"Iiyaaahhh!!"
"Save us, nyaaa!!"
"So scary, nyaaa!!"
"Alright, no running! Once you’ve been through it once, it’s not scary at all! Keep your eyes closed, or it’ll sting!"
Dirk caught the fleeing nyankos and passed them to me. I grabbed each one and dunked them into a tub, thoroughly scrubbing them with the flea-and-lice-killing shampoo I had developed. Even when they struggled and scratched, my Thousand-Hand Kannon defense and Rinka’s reinforced protection kept me safe.
"Funyaaa…"
"Myyaa…"
"Unyuun…"
And so, the once-infested nyankos were dried by their older brothers, transformed into soft, fluffy furballs.
They were still wary and wouldn’t let me pet them, but that’s part of the fun with nyankos… I’ll definitely befriend them and fluff them up someday!
What do you think about this chapter?
