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Chapter 12 – Dinner Preparation
I decided to show my appreciation to Hippolius, as it had worked so hard today.
And so I shared a little magic energy while patting it.
“How is that, Hippolius?”
‘The magic is delicious!’
I was regularly offering magic energy to Hippolius.
Nearly half of my magic was taken away when I first tamed it.
However, the amount I needed to give daily was not particularly great.
It was just a tenth of what I initially gave. Sometimes even half of that.
And so I could share a little extra even after repeatedly using the crafting skills.
“Where do you like to be petted, Hippolius?”
‘My head! My belly!’
“I see, I see.”
And so I used both hands to pet its head and then its belly.
‘And inside of my mouth!’
“Your mouth
”
From what I understood, the hippopotamuses that lived near the rivers had birds clean the inside of their mouth.
Perhaps there were such birds that worked with sea hippos as well.
No, it was more likely to be a kind of fish.
However, if there were no birds or fish here, then I would have to do it.
“Hippolius, open your mouth.”
‘Kyuooon.’
Hippolius opened its mouth obediently, and so I started scrubbing the insides with my hand.
“Kyuu.”
Hippolius seemed to enjoy it a lot. It closed its eyes and looked sleepy.
Perhaps it was similar to a human brushing their teeth.
“You have a big mouth, Hippolius. I might have to make a brush next time in order to scrub your tusks.
“Kyu.”
But it did make me happy to see Hippolius looking so relaxed.
As I continued to play with Hippolius, Victor came to see us.
He looked at me, and then Hippolius.
“Theo. Will Hippolius eat the internal organs of the boar as well?”
“I’m not sure. Hippolius?”
‘I do eat. It’s very good.’
While Hippolius could eat plants, it mainly ate meat.
And so it ate both meat and organs. And if they were smaller animals, it would eat the bones as well.
“Hippolius does eat them. Why do you ask?”
“Kelly says that the boar that Hippolius hunted is very rare.
When it came to ordinary boars, the organs could be eaten by humans if they were treated properly.
But according to Kelly, the organs of this boar was supposed to taste very bad.
It wasn’t poisonous, so they could eat it if they had to. But she said that they were better off avoiding it.
“Hippolius. Which do you like better, the meat or the organs?”
‘The organs were delicious.’
It sounded like Hippolius had already eaten one before.
Hippolius must be very good at hunting.
So it had also captured a boar and found it to taste very good.
And Hippolius had then brought back an alive one so we could all enjoy it as well.
This was a very kind-hearted hippopotamus.
“Next time, we’ll want to take its skin and other materials first. So could you bring it back to us before you eat it?”
‘Okay!’
The hide of a boar was a good material.
It was the same with bones. As they were light and durable, they could be used to create all kinds of things with the crafting skill.
As Victor and I petted Hippolius, one of the Adventurers approached us.
“It’s almost finished cooking! What should we do with the organs?”
“Hippolius is going to eat them.”
“Should we cook them too?”
“Hippolius, which do you prefer, cooked or raw?”
‘Cooked!’
“Hippolius likes it cooked. So please cook the organs as well.”
“Understood!”
And then Victor, Hippolius, and I left the house.
The wonderful smell of cooked meat wafted around us.
“It’s been a while since we had meat!”
“Aye, fish is good, but meat is on a different level.”
The Adventurers were also very excited to have meat on the menu again.
“So you made a simple oven. I could have made a proper one if you asked me.”
The Adventurers had piled up large rocks to make several ovens in order to cook the meat.
It was something they would do often while on adventures.
And so it was hardly a difficult task for them.
“No, no. Surely you were tired from building the houses?”
“Indeed. Besides, this is something that even we can do!”
“I appreciate the consideration. But an oven really wouldn’t have been too much for me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So don’t hesitate to ask me next time. If I really can’t do it, I’ll let you know.”
“Understood!”
They had placed a large flat rock on top of their stone oven, and the meat was cooking on top of it.
There was another oven used exclusively to cook the organs.
If they cooked them together, the distinct smell of the organs would transfer to the meat.
“Kyu-kyu.”
“Hippolius. Wait a little longer until it’s finished. The organs take longer to cook.”
“Kyu
”
Hippolius seemed to find it difficult to wait, and drool was already falling from its mouth.
Shortly after, the meat that was cooking turned into the perfect color.
“It’s ready now! Everyone, eat!”
The Adventures said, and they all started to eat at once.