Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Fenrir Returned, and a Chance for Acresia to Grow?
The first ingredient I used was the pincer leg of the Blood Scorpion.
I first peeled away the shell and separated out only the meat.
Then, to remove some of the toxicity, I boiled it for about ten minutes together with five Glace Mushrooms.
After taking out the boiled meat, I shredded it along the grain.
Next, I finely minced the Glace Mushrooms.
“Seon-u, your knife skills are truly a work of art.”
“Seriously, it looks like I am watching something on fast-forward.”
After my Second Awakening, I had become capable of handling a knife at the sort of speed that should only exist in comics.
That kind of performance was possible only because my Dexterity stat had reached a truly absurd level.
I had minced them so finely that it was practically the same as grinding them down.
The reason I minced them so finely was because I was making a mushroom cream soup.
What I was making now was a crab mushroom cream soup.
‘Except instead of crab meat, it comes with the meat of an extremely venomous Monster.’
I also minced the B-Rank onions Ria had grown so finely that there was no need to grind them.
Then I cut the B-Rank broccoli and celery into appropriate-sized pieces.
Once the pan had heated up, I added butter and first sautéed the onions and celery.
Then I added the minced Glace Mushrooms and sautéed them together before pouring in White Wine.
After that, I added fresh cream and milk and let it simmer.
Once I seasoned it with salt, I added the once-boiled Blood Scorpion pincer meat and the blanched broccoli, let them cook lightly, and finished it off.
“Did a stat effect appear……?!”
“Did it?”
“……!”
All three of them watched with faces full of anticipation.
Without a word, I ladled one serving of the cream soup onto a plate for each of them.
“See for yourselves.”
The three of them each picked up the plates I had placed on the wooden platform bench.
“Ohhh……!”
“Wow!”
“……!”
The three of them looked shocked.
Because the Blessing of Dexterity skill had triggered.
[Master’s Pincer Meat Mushroom Cream Soup]
[Blessing of Dexterity effect: Stamina +1]
[B-Rank Vegetable effect: Mana +0.1]
[Glace Mushroom effect: Toxin neutralized, then consumed]
Unfortunately, of the Strength-Agility-Stamina trio, the least appreciated stat had appeared: Stamina.
Still, what mattered was that it had appeared at all.
I had been right to use such a large quantity of Glace Mushrooms.
On top of that, I had also used a fair amount of B-Rank onions and broccoli, which raised Mana by 0.1 as well.
“It appeared! Though it is Stamina? That is a little disappointing.”
The Sword Saint immediately refuted Erik’s disappointment.
“You brat, do you have any idea how important the Stamina stat is? If your Stamina is high, not only do you tire less easily, but your defense and recovery improve, and your poison resistance and resistance to all sorts of attributes go up as well. It is an extremely important stat.”
“Ugh, old man, enough with the lectures. I get it, so let us just taste it.”
Stamina really was an important stat for survival.
It was just harder to feel directly.
The three of them each took a spoonful of soup.
“The aroma of mushrooms and cream blends together magnificently.”
“The pincer meat melts in your mouth.”
“It is delicious…….”
Thankfully, the taste seemed acceptable to them.
Then I should try it too.
I scooped up some pincer meat and soup together and took a bite.
‘The pincer meat is a bit dry, but it is still decent.’
There was also a slightly fishy, metallic taste to it.
That metallic taste meant blood.
Thankfully, it was hidden beneath the aroma of the mushrooms to the point that anyone without a sensitive palate would barely notice it.
‘Maybe because it is called a Blood Scorpion, the pincer meat tastes like blood.’
The reason Monster meat was dangerous was because of the blood.
Blood naturally flowed through the tiny vessels in the flesh.
No matter how thoroughly you drained it, removing it one hundred percent was impossible.
On top of that, the toxins Monsters carried did not disappear even when boiled at high heat.
‘That is why the role of the Glace Mushrooms is so important.’
Because they neutralized that inescapable toxicity and made the meat edible.
I finished the entire bowl of pincer meat mushroom cream soup.
The next dish was:
‘Basilisk Braised Tail.’
A dish simmered thoroughly in a soy sauce base with a huge amount of Glace Mushrooms.
I also added various medicinal herbs to suppress the gamey odor.
After cleaning the Basilisk tail and cutting it into sections to bleed it properly, I soaked it in water, parboiled it once to remove impurities, and then braised it thoroughly in a pressure cooker.
After simmering it for over an hour, it was finally complete.
The result was:
[Master’s Glace Mushroom Basilisk Braised Tail]
[Blessing of Dexterity effect: Agility +1]
[B-Rank Vegetable effect: Mana +0.5]
[Glace Mushroom effect: Toxin neutralized, then consumed]
It was another success.
As long as I cooked Monster meat together with B-Rank or higher vegetables and kept the overall quality high, it seemed to succeed most of the time.
I portioned the braised tail out onto individual plates.
When cooking in bulk, unless I served a sufficient amount onto each person’s plate, the Blessing of Dexterity effect would not apply, so I made sure to give them generous portions.
The one who cheered the loudest when he received his plate of braised tail was Erik.
“Yes! Agility!”
At that moment, the curtain to Ria’s room shifted slightly, and Ria stuck her head out the window and placed a finger to her lips.
A sign to keep it down at night.
Erik nodded awkwardly.
Then the curtain closed again.
‘If she is telling us to be quiet, Rin must be asleep.’
Ever since Rin had fallen ill that once, Ria had been taking even better care of her than before.
I took a bite of the braised tail.
‘Thankfully, the medicinal herbs keep the gamey odor from being too strong.’
Even so, there was still a very faint unpleasant taste to it.
So faint that nobody but a true gourmet would notice it.
The Glace Mushrooms, in particular, were delicious.
The Sword Saint also seemed to enjoy the mushrooms more than the meat.
“The meat is delicious, but these mushrooms braised with medicinal herbs are truly exceptional.”
“Please, eat as much as you like. There are still plenty of mushrooms left in the pot.”
There were more Glace Mushrooms than meat, really.
Then I charged them for the ingredients used in today’s two Monster dishes.
“And for today’s meal, I will only take one High-Grade Magic Stone per person.”
“You are only taking one?”
The Sword Saint was shocked that it was so cheap.
“What? You were charging us for this too? Even though we brought back the edible Monster meat?”
Erik, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded that I was charging them at all.
Their reactions could not have been more opposite.
I turned to Erik.
“Do you have any idea how much the Glace Mushrooms in the food you just ate are worth? On top of that, I used plenty of B-Rank vegetables too. Even if I charged three High-Grade Magic Stones per person, I would still be the one taking a loss. I am only charging one each because you brought the Monster meat.”
The Sword Saint nodded in agreement.
“That is true. At this price, it is practically free.”
The old man really did know what he was talking about.
“Ugh, fine.”
Erik finally gave in and handed over one High-Grade Magic Stone along with Santos.
So even though I had consumed a massive amount of Glace Mushrooms, I had still gained Agility +1 and Stamina +1, and made some High-Grade Magic Stones on top of that.
The remaining Basilisk Braised Tail and Blood Scorpion Pincer Meat Soup left in the pot, I later served to Ria, who had not been able to taste the food because she had been tending to Rin.
Just the two of us in the living room, sharing a glass of wine in a quiet atmosphere.
***
Word came that the rescue party and follow-up expedition had set out.
At the fastest, they would arrive within fifteen days. At the slowest, it could take over a month.
So I thought peaceful days would continue until then.
But then:
“Awooo! Awooo!”
Bell began acting strangely.
He ran around everywhere, wagging his tail furiously.
This was the first time Bell had reacted so intensely.
“Bell, what is wrong? Is a Monster approaching?”
“Awoo!”
Judging by how violently he was wagging his tail, it did not seem like a hostile or wary reaction.
There was no way the rescue party had arrived already.
So who on earth was it?
At that moment, Ria must have sensed the presence too, because she said to me,
“I feel a powerful presence. It is coming straight toward our house.”
If Ria said it was powerful, then it was truly powerful.
The three S-Rank Hunters instantly armed themselves, grabbing their weapons and shield.
“We will defend this place no matter what.”
At the Sword Saint’s solemn words, Erik and Santos nodded.
Erik added,
“Of course. Do you know how hard I have worked on this place?”
Except when they went out hunting, Erik and Santos usually helped with the farming, and even took the initiative to build fences along the boundary between the house and the forest.
They had even gone out of their way to do things Ria had not asked them to do.
They must have grown attached to this place.
Ria said to the three of them,
“The three of you, fall back and prioritize protecting Rin in case something happens.”
Ria had sparred once each with the Sword Saint’s group.
Because of that, all three of them knew just how strong she was.
“Understood.”
The Sword Saint picked Rin up and withdrew to the rear.
Then the Monster appeared at the top of the hill.
The moment Ria and I saw what it was, our tension vanished.
The Sword Saint and the others, however, remained tense.
“I have never seen that Monster before.”
“It looks incredibly powerful.”
“…….”
Then the Monster leapt and landed in the yard in front of the house.
It was Bell’s mother, Fenrir.
“Awoo!!”
Bell ran up to her, wagging his tail furiously.
“Bell! It is dangerous!”
“Bell! Do not!”
The Sword Saint’s group tried to stop Bell.
Then they noticed the resemblance between Bell and Fenrir.
“Huh? Why does that wolf-like Monster look so much like Bell?”
“It really does. Could it be……?”
Mother Fenrir licked Bell on the head, showing him affection.
Only then did they realize that the Monster was Bell’s mother.
“So it was Bell’s mother…….”
Ria then cast Sigil of Wisdom over a wide area and spoke to Mother Fenrir.
“I thought you would be gone for a long time, but you came back rather quickly. Did you miss Bell?”
“Bell? Is that the name you use for my pup?”
“That is right. We named him Bell.”
“A Fenrir with a name. So that is what happens when humans raise one.”
I approached Mother Fenrir as well and said,
“Would you like me to give you a name too, Fenrir?”
“I decline.”
Very firm.
“Then why did you come? Surely…… you did not come back now to take Bell away, did you?”
If that was what she wanted, there was nothing I could do to stop her.
What could I say if a mother wanted to take back the pup she had left with us?
“That is not why.”
“Then what?”
“I came because I have a request for you.”
“A request? What kind of request?”
“There is an evil being in the north that I cannot handle alone. Lend me your strength.”
An evil being Fenrir could not handle?
If even Fenrir, a Monster on the level of a Transcendent-Grade Monster, could not handle it, then the other being had to be at least a Transcendent-Grade Monster as well, or something even worse.
“What is it? What kind of Monster is it?”
“It is a Monster, yet it is not a Monster.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Fenrir continued.
“That evil being is an undying existence that crossed over from the Land of Death beyond the boundary. It is a Lich.”
“A Lich?!”
Ria looked deeply shaken at the word Lich.
“A Lich really appeared?”
“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes.”
I asked Ria what a Lich was.
“A Lich is what happens when a powerful dark mage on the level of one of the old Seven Demon Kings turns himself into an undead Monster. Even after becoming undead, it retains its sense of self.”
“So it was originally human?”
“That is right.”
Then Fenrir spoke to Ria.
“The place where I spotted the Lich was the grave of the Dragon that once ruled the frozen lands of the north. The Lich was excavating it.”
“The grave of a Dragon……? Then that means…….”
“What the Lich intends to do is obvious. It plans to unearth the Dragon’s corpse and turn it into a Bone Dragon.”
I could not keep up with Ria and Fenrir’s conversation.
‘What is a Bone Dragon now?’
Seeing from my expression that I was lost, Ria explained.
“Most dark mages are evil. They use human lives as expendable material for black magic experiments. And to become a Lich, they have to sacrifice many people as offerings. Once a dark mage becomes a Lich, its urge for slaughter and destruction grows strong. That is why every historical record says that whenever a Lich appeared, the surrounding land was inevitably bathed in blood.”
“I see…… Then what is a Bone Dragon?”
“A Lich can raise dead people or Monsters as undead. So if it is excavating a Dragon’s grave, that means it plans to revive the dead Dragon as an undead Bone Dragon.”
“Ah.”
Now I understood.
In that case:
“If we leave it alone, could it affect us too?”
This time, it was not Ria who answered, but Fenrir.
“Long ago, not long after I moved my territory into this Rift, a Lich crossed over from the Land of Death in the east and swept across all four directions of the Rift with an undead army made from the Monsters of the desert. The one who slew it then was the owner of the grave the current Lich is now excavating: a Silver Dragon. But now that the Silver Dragon rests in eternal sleep, if the Lich succeeds in raising a Bone Dragon, then there will be no one left in this Rift capable of stopping it.”
So if we left it alone, it could reduce the Fourth Floor of the Rift to utter ruin.
My dream of opening a restaurant would be over before it began.
And Ria, Rin, and our home could all be lost as well.
There was really no choice here.
‘But if I absorb the Lich into Acresia, would Acresia devour it too?’
The thought suddenly occurred to me.