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Chapter 009: The change in Aruna

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Translator: Denryuu

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An aroma wafted through the air, making my stomach growl and waking me up. Ah, that’s right… I’m in my yurt. The sunlight streaming in through the skylight told me that morning had arrived. The next thing I noticed was that my bed was unbelievably soft — so this is what a bed made of Meia wool felt like. My armor was lying next to me.

I wondered what had led to me being here, for I could not remember. Rubbing my eyes, I slowly shrugged off the last dredges of sleep and tried to recall what had happened the previous day.

Aruna had returned with the men from the village, then set off in the general direction that I had indicated. While they were gone, Mohr had taught me how to take care of the Meias. Yeah, I remember now — the male was Francis and the female was Francois (t/n note: pronounced fran-swa). I had patted the Meias a lot. Then, Aruna and the men had showed up while I was refilling the water trough. After that, Mohr, Aruna and I had counted the number of carcasses and discussed the quantity of yurts and supplies I would receive in exchange.

Aruna and I had dined together once Mohr retired to the village. She had whipped up something using some dried meat and a bunch of yams, of which I had eaten too much because it was simply too delicious.

I had then grown sleepy and… fell asleep on the spot.

Who could have removed my armor and laid it next to me, though? Aruna was the only answer. The aroma of what I had yesterday still permeated the yurt, which probably meant that she was preparing something again. Mhm. I was no longer groggy, so I decided to get up.

I looked outside to see Aruna cooking at a stove complete with a ventilation pipe pointing towards the sky. She looked like she was having fun.

「Morning, Aruna!」

「Morning, Dias!」, she replied, keeping one eye on the stove. 「The food will be ready soon — we have some leftover medicinal herbs from yesterday. It just needs a little more cooking!」

Stirring the pot as she talked, she explained that having medicinal herbs for breakfast served to keep the body warm, and thus shielded us from disease. She whistled as she cooked. When the food was ready, she placed two large wooden bowls of it on the table. The table, which had short legs, was designed to match the monsterfolk’s habit of dining while seated on cushions.

We sat opposite to each other and began eating the herb-infused food that Aruna had cooked. I shoveled some of it into my mouth with a wooden spoon… and boy, was it delicious! I had been expecting the contrary due to the herbs used, but the refreshing taste and slight hint of spice made it perhaps even better than yesterday’s dinner.

「I’m surprised, Aruna. This is even better than what I had yesterday!」

「R-Really? This is considered a simple dish. I don’t mind the praise, though… mhm…」

Blushing, she fidgeted in her seat. Her expression and attitude was a world apart from what I had experienced at the very start — to think that a display of masculinity could induce such a change! She continued to squirm until she noticed that I was staring at her, then cleared her throat and sat upright again.

「A-Ahem. So, uh… when are we going on the hunt today, Dias?」

「Hm? We received lots of food yurts from yesterday’s hunt. Isn’t that enough?」

「Not if you want to gather people」, explained Aruna. 「First and foremost, you will need a well. Wild beasts living upstream of a river make the water a vector of disease, so a well allows you to secure safe drinking water. Having a functional toilet is of the utmost importance, too — excrement is another source of disease, and proper disposal of it is required. I believe that you need to put in more work if you wish to engage our handymen to construct these facilities.」

「I see. Are we going to hunt more Black Ghees, then…?」

「We have enough of those. You’ll also make life difficult for those in the village if you keep trading in the same creatures.」

She paused.

「You’ve hunted monsters in the past, right? How did that go?」

A ‘monster’… in other words, a creature imbued with miasma. Birthed from pits of miasma, they seemed to hate all living creatures other than their own kind. They could be seen emerging from dungeons and attacking whatever they hated, which was essentially everything.

Though their miasma-infused meat was unsuitable for consumption, other parts of their bodies including their hides, claws, horns and the gemstones found in their hearts had many applications to our lives.

「That doesn’t sound bad. But can you find monsters here, Aruna?」

「Not many, but you can if you look.」

「Won’t it be really time consuming to look for monsters in this wide grassland, though…? Especially since they’re scarce? Might it be better for us to use the matabi powder to attract something other than Black Ghees?」

「I can use magic to locate magical beasts, so you can leave that to me. We’ll be done in no time if we go as a team.」

「I don’t mind, but… can we leave Francis and Co. alone?」

「Don’t worry! We can get the men bringing the yurts over to look after them. They’ll be here before noon, so let’s prepare now and set off immediately once they show up!」

Her face had turned red again.

「The two of us are going on a hunt together!」, she gushed. 「I’m so excited!」

「Okay, okay, I get it.」

She had placed a lot of vocal emphasis on the ‘two of us’. I wondered if things would be fine once we set off together…

Having finished her meal, Aruna went to wash up. She began rinsing her bowl with water from a jar, doing so enthusiastically. She also cleaned our cutlery, then the stove. After that, she told me that it was time to clean ourselves. Handing me a toothbrush made out of animal fur and a small knife for shaving purposes, she more or less chased me out of the yurt and towards the nearby river.

「What about you, Aruna?」

It seemed common for women to use many devices and spend a lot of time cleaning themselves, so they did so in the yurt. I left her alone — or was kicked out, in fact — and headed for the river. Once I had brushed my teeth, I used the reflection of my face in the river to shave.

For the record, it was not easy.

Anyway, I noticed from afar that the men had arrived. Aruna, who had emerged from the yurt to talk to them, was in plain sight too. The men cheered when they saw her, and I, too, uttered an exclamation of surprise.

She had put on makeup, and looked like a completely different person.

The other monsterfolk decorated themselves with a dye that reminded me of a burning flame. But Aruna had washed all of it off. She had painted the area above her eyelids a shade of bluish-red, and her lips a shade of crimson.

Even I knew what it meant.

I sighed in anticipation of what was to come.

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