35 — Victory Feast.

With an incredibly soft sensation, something sweet slipped past my lips and entered my mouth.

The pain in my back felt like it was fading, and I instinctively extended my tongue.

“Mmm… nh… nnn…”

I sucked greedily, desperately licking it up. Swallowing the liquid that entered my mouth, my tongue groped deeper, searching for more sweetness.

I found a soft protrusion there and tried to entwine my tongue around it to pull it out.

“Nn… Ah… My Lord.”

At the sound of that familiar call, I snapped my eyes open in surprise. My gaze met a pair of reddish eyes that were mere inches away.

“Wait… Paula?”

As I opened my mouth in shock, the familiar face slowly pulled away. At the same time, a thin thread of saliva stretched between our lips into an arc before snapping.

“W-what was that just…?”

“You’re awake? How is your body feeling?”

“I… I’m fine.”

Looking up at the gently smiling Paula, I finally realized I was being treated to a lap pillow by a beautiful woman. It seems I had been unconscious for a bit after being knocked off the watchtower by that monstrous bird.

Come to think of it, I should have been slammed violently into the ground, but the pain was mysteriously vanishing. This was the same effect as the Mana-Vitality Potion I’d experienced before.

The problem was how she had managed to get me to drink it while I was out…

But seeing Paula’s fine, chocolate-colored skin slightly flushed, I realized it would be poor taste to ask.

“Thank you, that help—”

“Master—!”

“Koo!”

Before I could finish a standard thank-you, two balls of fur and feathers dove onto my chest. Yoru and Kuu immediately began rubbing their heads against my cheeks with intense affection.

“You’re safe—!”

“Koo!”

My face softened at the fluffy, ticklish sensation as I gently stroked their heads and backs. After all, they were the MVPs of this victory.

I checked their status screens immediately; Yoru’s health had dropped to less than half. She didn’t seem injured, so it was likely from spamming her specialty, . Kuu, on the other hand, was completely out of mana. It seems that high-output lightning consumes a massive amount of energy.

However, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we grasped victory because of them. Despite being the same Wind element, the Terror-bird type’s weakness is actually Lightning. These two and their specialties were the very foundation of my plan for success.

Thanks to their hard work, Yoru had reached level 22 and Kuu had reached level 23. As a reward, I spent time scratching their favorite spots: just above the forehead for Yoru, and right under the chin for Kuu.

While I was pampering the purring and cooing pair, a face suddenly thrust itself forward.

“Whoa—you startled me. What is it, Gob-tchi?”

In response to my call, the Wicked Fairy monster curled its lips into a malicious grin. Then, abruptly, he leaned his cheek in and started rubbing it against mine.

“Huh? What?”

I suspect he was trying to imitate Yoru and Kuu, though I feel like this kind of “acting cute” doesn’t quite suit him. Just as I thought that, Gob-tchi pulled away.

The moment I worried my thoughts had shown on my face, the Red-Feathered Goblin appeared. My cheek was subjected to yet more rubbing. Then, Red-Feather pulled away just as quickly.

“Eh?”

I hurriedly looked to the side and saw a long line of goblins. For some reason, they were coming up one by one to nuzzle their cheeks against mine.

“Uhhhh… what on earth is this…?”

“It is likely a ritual acknowledging you as their Master,” Paula explained.

“Wait, since when!?”

“Well… if they saw what happened earlier, it is only natural that anyone would kneel before you.”

I let out another deep breath as I looked at the carcass of the giant bird dumped in the center of the plaza. I don’t want to over-inflate my ego, but it’s true that without my direction, we might have lost. Or rather, I’m honestly shocked we won. In my past life, I was just a game-loving employee; in this life, I’m a lowly alchemist.

I should probably feel some confidence from this victory, but it was more painful to realize how shallow my own resolve had been. Though, I feel like I’d probably do the same thing again.

“Hey—why is Hans-san in the line too!?”

“Well, I succumbed to the pressure to join the rank and file,” he said sheepishly.

“I’m just doing it for the vibes, Sensei!”

“Even you, Mia… what are you doing…?”

It seems they’ve become fast friends with the goblins. Also, my amulet had fallen off when I hit the ground, but the goblins lining up to nuzzle me didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

After finally being nuzzled by Hans-san and Mia, the mysterious ritual ended. The pain in my back was gone, so I stood up to survey the state of the settlement.

The fence, the watchtower, and several huts were in a terrible state. However, the goblins had already started repairs with timber they’d hauled from somewhere. Yo the Fairy and Imo-tchi were helping out, and they seemed to be highly valued. I had thought the fence and tower were part of the dungeon itself, but it seems they were the goblins’ own handiwork. It’s impossible in the game, but in this realized world, it’s common for monsters seeking mana to attack each other.

“The weapons and the fences… they were self-defense measures just to survive here…”

The goblin casualties for today were eight crushed to death and six petrified. They were to be buried in the ground next to the settlement. I had the two servant Assault Birds help dig the holes, and the burial was finished quickly.

While I was outside, I collected the scattered carcasses of the other birds. Thirty-eight in total. The haul was: Green Magic Stone x31, Assault Bird Meat x38, Assault Bird Hide x36, and Assault Bird Talon x161. The goblins happily hauled the remaining feathers, bones, and sinew back into the settlement.

Returning to the plaza, I looked up once more at the fallen Unique Monster. As I gazed at it, I suddenly felt famished. It was well past noon, after all.

“…Should we try eating it?”

The collection results for “Gluttonous Dreadbeak” were: Gluttonous Great-Hide x6, Gluttonous Talon x6, and Delicious Great-Bird Meat x6. All were three-star rarity, but I couldn’t just hand them to a craftsman to complete equipment like in a game. For now, they’d have to stay in my mysterious storage space.

I combined the remaining giant bird bones and placed the Great Turtle Shell on top with the outer side facing down. Next, I added plenty of Labyrinth Water, peeled Labyrinth Garlic, and some bird bones that weren’t suitable for processing after and them, tossing them into the shell-pot. For fuel, we used scrap wood from the broken fence.

When I lit the fire with , the goblins started an uproar. It was likely their first time seeing fire. Scum started floating to the top, so I left Hans-san and Mia in charge of skimming it while I went to the sixth floor with Paula and the monster-kids.

This was for the original plan: making salt by the water from the subterranean salt lake. Because we were motivated, we had five slime-pouches full of salt in no time.

When we returned to the settlement with the salt, the broth seemed to have developed a good flavor. I wanted to simmer it for another two hours, but I couldn’t wait that long. I pulled out the bones, added the salt, and used to thinly slice the “Delicious Great-Bird Meat” before tossing it in.

Once it was parboiled, the “Bird Shabu-shabu” was ready. We had no dipping sauce or garnishes, but…

“This is delicious.”

“T-this is…”

“Scary good! Super scary good! Whoaaa!”

The flavor of the meat was extraordinary. Hans-san, his eyes changing color, and Mia, who had regressed to total linguistic incoherence, started fighting over the meat every time I threw some in. Even Paula, who surely had a refined palate, joined the fray silently.

I gave a piece to the goblins who had gathered around timidly. They chewed it for a moment, then suddenly began rolling on the ground. Finally, they straightened their spines and started twitching. They had looks of pure ecstasy on their faces, so it didn’t seem harmful.

Just as I was grinning at the successful result, the goblins surged forward all at once like a horde of zombies. I became the designated server, throwing meat in and feeding everyone.

“Kee-hee-hee-hee!”

“Ge-he-ge-he!”

“Kee-hee-hee!”

“Feast—!”

“Koo-koo-koo!”

“More, please, Lord Nino!”

“Scary-scary! So scary!”

“This truly is exquisite, my Lord. I would like a second helping, please.”

They’re happy, so I guess it’s fine.