The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 7
Episode 7: Manga Meat Reformation and Wild Vegetable & Rabbit Consommé Soup
“Hey, don’t you think it’s still a bit too early for this?”
“Shut up. Get used to the common sense of this world already. Even kids work here. I’m not saying we have to use what we bought right away, but it’s not like we’ve got the luxury to waste resources either.”
“Kou-chan, you demon! Monster! Virgin!”
“Huh? What was that? Nishida-kun, you got a death wish or something? Want me to gut you like a boar? Who the hell are you calling a virgin, huh?”
“Still… I kinda feel the same way. I’m not really comfortable with it either…”
It was early morning. The three of us had gathered in the dining hall.
The topic: what to do with the slave girl we’d bought the other day.
Nishida insisted we should get her healthier before adding her to the party. Azuma didn’t feel right about taking a little girl out hunting.
But as for me, I thought leaving her alone in this town was way more dangerous.
Not that anything bad had happened yet, but this is a world where pickpockets are the least of your worries. There are people who’ll break into inns without a second thought.
That’s why I argued it’d be safer to toss all our valuables into the magic bag and keep her close where we could protect her.
Sure, the slave girl we bought yesterday was painfully malnourished, not someone you’d expect to fight.
I get why they’re worried. But honestly, I’d worry more if we left her behind.
Besides, remember dinner last night?
She cried while eating meat that wasn’t even that expensive.
Wouldn’t it be better for her to eat with us, even if it’s out in the wild?
Honestly, with the right sauce, our campfire meat tastes better anyway.
If we’re going to feed her plenty, it makes more sense to take her with us.
That was my stance—and it clashed with theirs.
“I get what Kou-chan’s saying. But come on, there’s no way a kid like that can handle survival life. We barely survived ourselves, remember?”
“Yeah, Nishi-kun’s got a point. But I also get where Kita-kun’s coming from. If we were in Japan, I’d feel better about leaving her at an inn… but here, not so much.”
“Idiots. Why do you think we chose a girl who knows how to dismantle? If we’re worried about leaving her behind, it’ll be easier on her to come along and actually be useful. Plus, she’ll get to eat more meat that way. You really think giving her some money and making her stay alone in town won’t mess with her head?”
“”Hmmmmm.””
Our opinions were completely divided.
But honestly, none of us were wrong.
I understood not wanting to bring her somewhere dangerous, but leaving her behind felt just as risky.
Still, if I put myself in her shoes, being told “You’re too weak, so stay here” the day after joining us would probably hurt.
Then again, her life is on the line, so maybe I should back down…?
That’s what I was thinking when—
“U-Um, Masters…”
“””YES! WE ARE YOUR MASTERS!”””
The three perverts replied in perfect unison.
Standing before us was the slave girl who’d fallen asleep at the Yakiniku place.
Seeing her again—yeah, she’s pretty cute.
Big, bright eyes. Black cat ears twitching on her head.
Despite her young age, her features were striking even without makeup.
Her long hair looked a bit rough, probably from her past treatment, but a few good meals and a bath would bring back its shine.
She was still painfully thin, but her complexion looked better than it did last night.
Guess a full stomach does wonders. Food really is magical.
“If it’s about me, I’m fine. Please let me come hunting. It’s the least I can do to be useful…”
And with that, the problem was solved.
Her job was to dismantle, not fight like us.
As long as we kept her warm and avoided things like catching a cold at camp, we’d manage.
Though… the other two still looked worried.
“If this job seems too dangerous, we’ll head back immediately!”
“What about bedding? Kita-kun, let’s buy a futon! At least for her!”
Well… I guess we’ll manage somehow.
With that thought, we accepted our second job in this world.
Just like last time, it was an open-ended, ongoing request.
This time, boar hunting.
We’d fought them before, but this job was to hunt down a “Big Boar.”
Also known as the “King Boar.”
I wouldn’t call it easy, but with our past experience, we felt more confident.
Plus, we’d gotten stronger since then—both in skills and in spirit.
So, after finishing our shopping, we set out from the city with light steps, ready for our next adventure.
And then we remembered we hadn’t upgraded our equipment, so we rushed back in a panic.
Slave Girl POV
My Masters are abnormal.
This was the impression I had the day after I was purchased.
Normally, saying something like this would get you slapped or sold off immediately, but…I couldn’t help but feel the need to say it.
These people are abnormal.
I mean, really—who forgets to buy equipment before heading outside the city?
Panicked, we rushed to a shop that came with a letter of introduction.
Because of how we looked, the shopkeeper frowned and begrudgingly picked out some cheap armor.
What we ended up with was a full set of used, battered armor.
It was still full plate, but its rugged shape made us look even more like bandits.
After that, when my Masters started demanding a ridiculous number of weapons, the shopkeeper frowned again…
“Here, take as many as you like from this pile. One gold coin.”
A mountain of weapons in poor condition—clearly junk being cleared out.
Sure, he said we could take as many as we liked, but he knew we didn’t have a carriage or anything to transport them.
Even if we carried as much as we could with both hands, we wouldn’t manage to take much. That’s what he was betting on.
I thought, Surely, this will make the Masters angry…
But instead—
“Alright, we’ll take it all. Here’s your gold coin.”
Ignoring the dumbfounded expressions of the shopkeeper and me, my Masters gathered up the mountain of weapons and stuffed them into a magic bag.
I’ll never forget the shopkeeper’s face, mouth hanging open so wide it seemed like his jaw might fall off.
Finally, we managed to set out again—but a few hours into our journey, once we entered the mountains, we ran into even more problems.
“Azumaaaaa!!”
“Got it! Cover meeee!”
“Uooooorrrraaaaahhh!!”
Everyone, clad in full plate armor, charged straight at a Big Boar.
Wait, hold on—please wait!
This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.
Normally, you’d set traps or use decoys to attack from the sides.
That’s the standard tactic. This is basically a suicide mission.
And yet—
“Rrraaaaghhhh!”
“Take thissss!”
“Dieeeeeee!”
These people used a barbaric strategy, confronting the beast head-on and pummeling it relentlessly.
The fact that Master Azuma could withstand it was even more bizarre.
Even with his armor dented all over, he held the magical beast at bay.
Normally, this would be impossible.
Do they have any idea how powerful that boar’s charge is?
And then there’s Master Nishida.
“Whoa, seriously? Kou-chan, we’ve got a bunch of rabbits incoming!”
He looked like the weakest of the group, but he kept a sharp eye on his surroundings.
He was the first to notice the approaching “Horn Rabbits” and called out the warning.
Not only that—he dashed after the fast-moving rabbits, making sure none of them escaped.
I didn’t even know humans could run that fast…
“Alright! We’re eating both boar and rabbit tonight! Get fired up! Nishida, hunt the rabbits if you can! If not, don’t let them get near! I’ll take care of the boar!”
Then there’s Master Kitayama.
No doubt he’s the leader, but he doesn’t really stand out.
Still, the precision with which he drives his sword into the beasts’ vital points is nothing short of impressive.
Extremely plain—but incredibly accurate.
And so, the hunt proceeded smoothly.
I just watched from behind, but these people are incredibly wild.
They seem more alive here in the mountains than they ever did in the city.
Most of all, they never give me unreasonable orders, despite me being a slave.
In situations like this, it’s not uncommon for non-combat slaves to be ordered to act as bait or decoys.
Given my frail body, I hadn’t really expected it, but I’d even prepared myself for the possibility of being used for… other things at night.
And yet here I am—fed the same food as my Masters in the city, and during battle, all they tell me is to stay hidden.
If I’m bored, they’ll ask me to gather the bodies of the magical beasts they’ve hunted—and they even entrust me with the magic bag.
Normally, no one would ever hand something that valuable to a slave.
What are these people?
They look like bandits, repeating these “hunts” over and over again.
“Okay! Boar’s down! Azuma, you can let go now!”
“Phew, that one was tough! This armor’s not great—everyone, be careful!”
“You guys! Help with the rabbits! Ugh, they’re escaping! They’re gonna get away!”
Amid the chaotic flurry of movement, that day’s haul turned out to be two Big Boars and seven Horn Rabbits.
Elite Walkers or knights might laugh at those numbers, thinking it’s nothing impressive, but these are magical beasts that usually require large groups to handle.
And yet, without even using magic, just three people managed this.
Honestly, that’s pretty abnormal.
It’s not like today’s Big Boars were unusually small or weak either.
“Minami—let’s start dismantling!”
“Ah, yes!”
This too is a kind of change.
I never had a name.
Raised solely to be sold, without even being given a name, I was always called things like “no-name” or just “you.”
But today, I was given a name.
Though I’ve been bought and sold several times before, no one had ever given me a name.
My name is Minami.
Apparently, following Kitayama-sama, Nishida-sama, and Azuma-sama, the name Minami holds great significance.
And so, from today, I am Minami.
“Um, we need to drain the blood first… but with something this big—”
“Should we hang it? I’ll handle that. Just tell me the most efficient way to do it.”
“S-Sorry, Azuma-sama!”
“Then I’ll handle lookout duty and build the stove. Nishida, you go forage for wild herbs.”
“Got it! Maybe we’ll find some spices too? Oh, right—I heard from someone in town there’s garlic around here.”
“Find it, men! Search for garlic!”
They exchanged such casual banter while processing the freshly hunted beast.
The dismantling knife handed to me was far more expensive than everyone else’s gear.
I initially refused, but they insisted it was absolutely necessary, so it was purchased.
Do these people make their living by selling magic beast hides, magic stones, and such?
If that’s the case, I can understand why they’re so meticulous about the dismantling process.
But still, for a slave like me to be holding the most expensive blade and wearing a magic bag at my waist—it makes my stomach twist with anxiety.
“With an Ogre Boar, the main parts that fetch a good price are the pelt, tusks, magic stone, and bones. So, we’ll burn the rest, right?”
“Yeah, but the meat’s delicious, too.”
“…Huh?”
I think I just heard something unbelievable.
“Minami, don’t worry about the bones. Just cut the meat into large chunks for easy eating. Since we’re camping, leave them big, but make sure they’re manageable pieces.”
“Um, wait…”
“Boar meat again today, huh… Not that I’m complaining, it’s tasty. Oh, didn’t we buy mustard? Let’s try it with that!”
Everyone chatted cheerfully, but—what are they talking about?
This is an Ogre Boar, a magic beast. A magic beast, you know?
So, um, uh… wait. Am I the weird one here?
Now that I think about it, they were shouting similar things during the battle…
Wait—does that mean they ate the Horned Rabbit too?
“Hm? What’s wrong? If you’re tired, we can switch. Azuma, take Minami to the tent. I’ll handle the rest—I can manage after the pelt’s off.”
“Got it. Minami-chan, let’s rest until the food’s ready, okay? You did great.”
Azuma-sama, towering and strong, lifted me up and carried me into the tent before I could even process what was happening.
W-wait a minute.
This isn’t the time to relax!
“A-ah! Are you going to eat the magic beast?!”
I blurted out without thinking, causing all three of them to turn around with puzzled expressions.
And then—
“Yeah? It’s delicious.”
“At first, the smell might be strong, but you’ll get used to it. Actually, it’s more flavorful than regular meat.”
“We’ll handle the cooking, so Minami-chan, just rest, okay?”
Oh, dear god.
It seems I am about to eat the cursed flesh of a magic beast.
Is this the reason they bought me?
Am I a human experiment—to see if I’ll turn into a demon?
When this body reaches Your divine presence, please… please…
As I offered up such desperate prayers, a mouthwatering aroma began to waft into the tent.
Even more appetizing than the grilled meat I had yesterday.
“Heh heh heh, I’ve surpassed my former self—behold, seasoning, spices, and perfect grilling technique! Nishida, how’s the soup?”
“Kukuku, flawless, Kou-chan. Today’s a consomme with mushrooms, wild carrots, and rabbit meat.”
“Let’s set aside that bizarre enthusiasm. It smells amazing. Did you use garlic and soy sauce? The soup has a wonderful fragrance too.”
“They call it ‘shouyu’ around here!”
“Ah, yeah. Right. Totally irrelevant, but sure.”
Peeking out from the tent, I saw Kitayama-sama turning a huge chunk of meat while brushing on sauce, Nishida-sama stirring the soup, and Azuma-sama smiling wryly as he prepared the tableware.
Wait—this is magic beast meat, right?
That’s strange. It looks unbelievably delicious.
With that aroma and those sights before me, my stomach growled loudly in response.