At dusk, before nightfall had fully descended, the successful Hunter squad returned to camp.
In addition to the expected Monster materials, the Hunters' arms, the Palamute's back, and the roof of that strangely cute cannon cart were piled high with massive slabs of deep-red fresh raw meat.
The scholars and technicians who had been busy all day in the camp watched on, somewhat dazed.
Weren't you out hunting? Why did you bring back so much meat? Wait, actually... there's nothing wrong with that, right?
Well, regardless, with all this meat, tonight's dinner would undoubtedly be a feast.
Scholars rarely indulged in gluttony, but who would refuse a better meal?
Everyone was happy, except for Sajji, who looked a bit depressed; its cannon cart had practically turned into a freight truck, and with so much raw meat piled on it, the entire vehicle had become greasy.
Hearing news of the Hunter squad's return, the Professor set aside his official duties for a moment and emerged from his tent.
He pushed up his glasses and glanced at the meat the Hunters had brought back. "Glavenus filet? Not bad, Altaïr."
"Eh?" Altaïr responded subconsciously.
"The investigation team didn't arrange for a full-time chef to accompany us this time, nor did we bring any complex tableware, but Wyvern Filet is delicious just by roasting it.
Roasting meat is what you Hunters are good at. It's hard work, but I'll leave this dinner to you.
However, there is an excessive amount of meat, and we have no way to store it. Remember to process the surplus promptly."
Having said his piece, the Professor prepared to go back into his tent.
"Professor!" Altaïr couldn't help but call out.
"What is it?" The Professor looked puzzled at first, then realized. "Apologies, I forgot. You've just returned from a hunt and must be exhausted.
I'll arrange for a few fellows who often run around the field to roast the meat; they're also skilled at it."
"That's not what I meant..." Altaïr didn't know where to start for a moment.
The Research Commission airship had arrived at the camp in the morning, the Hunter squad had set out after lunch, and then they had brought the Glavenus back, skin, meat, and all, before dark. And that was including the time spent traveling twenty-some kilometers round trip.
Under normal circumstances, completing a brief preliminary scout in that amount of time would be considered highly efficient, yet they had directly hunted a 5★ Threat Level Monster!
Why did it feel like the Professor's reaction was as if they had just taken a stroll around the camp entrance and hauled back a Mosswine?
As if he could read minds, the old Wyverian stared at Altaïr for two seconds and guessed most of what he was thinking.
"Looking for praise?" The Professor nodded. "Very efficient. Resolving the Glavenus so quickly and bringing back so much meat.
The preparations in camp are also nearly finished, which means the investigation can officially begin tomorrow morning. This is all thanks to the Hunters. Everyone, let's give them a hand."
Clap clap clap clap...
The surrounding scholars and staff laughed kindly, some clapping along with the Professor, while a young scribe put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle.
"..."
Facing the praise of the crowd, Altaïr looked helpless, while simultaneously questioning himself in his heart. Was I actually... honestly looking forward to being praised?
Isis scratched the back of her head, looking a bit sheepish, while Nymera helped Hibiki unload the meat. "We were just surprised that the Professor wasn't surprised," Nymera said with a smile.
"Hmm." The Professor nodded slightly. "If it were just the three of you, or Olivia alone, lacking intelligence, without a Cohoot to lock onto the target and guide the way, and you still completed the hunt with such efficiency, then this old man would indeed be surprised."
There was another half to that sentence the old Wyverian left unsaid.
With all those advantages, wasn't a swift hunt for a Glavenus only to be expected?
Olivia glanced at the three youths and their varying expressions with an amused look.
If you added up the ages of these three young people, even including the cats and dogs, would they even reach a third of the Professor's age? Probably not.
This, then, was the generation gap that came with age.
"Alright, enough with the chatter. Let's get the meat on the fire," Olivia interrupted with a laugh. "Fresh meat is best when it's just been roasted. If we keep talking, the flavor is going to slip away second by second."
"!" Isis's expression turned solemn. "I'll go start the fire!"
"Start a few more piles," Altaïr reminded her before looking at the others in the camp. "Anyone not busy, help us slice the meat and get it on skewers. With this much meat, the few of us can't handle it all alone."
Resources were limited, so they couldn't make anything too sophisticated. The Professor's idea was simply to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, skewer them on branches, roast them, and eat them with a dash of salt and seasonings.
Altaïr, however, wasn't content to stop there. As he searched for suitable tools, he flipped through the recipe book he had collected, racking his brain for ways to add more variety.
Sajji and Clawdia were dispatched to the riverbank on his orders, returning with loads of clean pebbles. These were meant to be heated and tossed into a pit to slow-roast large slabs of meat wrapped in leaves.
The only large pot the investigation team had brought along was used for a stew, the kind with only meat and no vegetables.
Athos helped find a large, suitable stone slab that could be used shortly to sear thick steaks.
He even thinly sliced a portion of raw meat, sprinkled it with pepper and herbs found nearby, drizzled it with a bit of oil, and prepared a dish of dragon meat sashimi.
Most people didn't dare try it. Isis really wanted to give it a taste, but unfortunately, the Professor tossed it out on the grounds that it might be infested with parasites.
What was originally planned as a light meal had somehow turned into a banquet consisting entirely of meat.
The members of the investigation team were used to living in the field. Some were good at roasting meat, some weren't, but there wasn't a single person who didn't know how at all, so they didn't need the Hunters to take care of them.
Nymera and Isis huddled around a campfire roasting skewers.
Whether it was an obsession with the number three or something else, every bamboo skewer in Nymera's hand held exactly three egg-sized, perfectly rounded chunks of meat.
At a glance, it didn't really look like barbecue.
The skewers in Isis's hands, meanwhile, were terrifyingly bold. She had found a crowbar used for opening supply crates to use as a skewer, and the chunks of meat on it were nearly the size of a fist. It was anyone's guess if she could actually get them cooked through. In front of Altaïr, a stone slab, scrubbed clean long ago, rested over the campfire, heated until it glowed white. After thoroughly greasing it with a piece of fat, Altaïr slapped down a massive steak nearly three centimeters thick.
The fat erupted with a sharp sizzle, and an enticing aroma began to drift through the air.
Isis looked at the giant, half-raw chunk of meat in her hand, then back at the tempting steak under Altaïr's care, which was gradually browning to a perfect crisp on the outside while remaining tender within.
She decisively stuffed her own hunk of meat into Hibiki's mouth and squeezed her way over to Altaïr's side.
Altaïr shot her a sidelong glance and started sprinkling seasoning onto the steak.
Searing meat of such high quality didn't require a wide variety of spices. All it needed was salt and ground pepper to push the wild, primal fragrance inherent to the Glavenus filet to its absolute peak.
"Give it a taste." Altaïr sliced a piece from the steak and offered it to Isis on the tip of his knife.
Isis opened wide and took the bite.
"Mmm-ph! Mmm-ph!"
Before Isis could even give her review, a second piece, seared slightly longer, was popped into her mouth, followed immediately by a third.
The moment the third piece hit her palate, Isis snapped her head back as if she'd been punched in the jaw.
"What are you doing?"
"The springiness! I just got punched by the meat in my mouth!"
"..." Altaïr was briefly speechless; Isis did come up with these strange metaphors from time to time.
Swallowing the meat with a forceful gulp, Isis gave a thumbs-up. "That's the perfect level of heat! The chew is incredible! So much juice! It's so fragrant!"
Altaïr tried a piece himself, nodded, and pulled out his personal notebook to record the findings.
"Glavenus filet. Best texture when seared to medium-rare. The muscle fibers provide a hearty chew, though it poses a significant challenge for those with weak jaw muscles."
For experimental purposes, he seared the remaining meat for a while longer and tasted it again.
"The texture becomes even tougher, and a vast amount of juices are lost; it is not suited for being well-done..." Altaïr finished his notes, muttering to himself, and then tucked the notebook away.
He looked up to see Isis watching him with sparkling eyes.
"...More medium-rare servings, right? I get it."
The scent of the roasting meat drifted a great distance away.
In a hidden, damp cave deep within the mountain forest, an elegant and mysterious creature twitched its nose and opened its eyes.
It lifted its neck, glanced around, and then promptly curled back up to sleep.
(Translated by yourtl.app)