CH 109.1

It’s all because of that potato feast.

“Ooh… ugh…” (Sou)

The guttural cries of Utsuki, with her head sticking out of the top of the carriage, mingles with the sound of rumbling wheels on the paved road. “Loli-puker, squeak!　Puker, squeak!” Tamiko, who had been squealing and slapping Utsuki’s butt, seemed to have been overcome more by pity than by contempt when she saw that she did not fight back or argue with her. Now she was rubbing the drunken loli’s back.

“Here, it’s good to have an acorn, squirrel.” (Tamiko)

“shoving inside”

It’s bitter, so she spits it out right away.

“Ey sista, we will be there ‘n a min’it. So don’ go throwing up on the carriage.” (Kaya)

The person driving the ostrich cart, not a horse-drawn cart, is Kaya Nozomi, the village chief of Rikugi Village. She herself had some business to attend to in Sugamo, so we asked her to give us a ride in the ostrich cart.

We arrived at Rikugi Village around noon yesterday. The others and I, who had gone through an experience that was dozens of times more chaotic than the actual time, didn’t realize it, but for the villagers and the resident hunters, including Kaya and Kurano, were surprised to learn that we had returned in less than a day.

Baphomet’s colony had already been destroyed. The boss had been killed by the us. However, it seems that a few remnants have escaped the annihilation, and they must continue to be vigilant. After reporting to them about the existence of the dangerous trap on the fourth floor, we fell asleep in the hunter’s hut. Fatigue and drowsiness were already at their peak.

When we woke up, the western sun was beautiful. With the villagers urging us to join the feast, so we had to give up the idea of returning to Sugamo that day. If someone was stopped with a bottle of sweet potato shochu in his hand, even a man whose friend was taken hostage by a king would say, “I’m sorry, my friend.” There is a saying that man loves liquor more.

So, a feast was held with the uncles who were not on night guard duty.

Many delicious-looking dishes were laid out for the guests to feast on, as if they were trying to stuff the warriors who had just returned from the land of the dead. Kaya’s homemade pickles, suiton soup, and dashimaki tamago [A/N: Japanese rolled omelet]. Baphomet stewed in a slow-cooked, soft and tasty sauce. And octopus sashimi and wasabi, fresh from this morning’s catch of Gracos.

“It’s light and fluffy! The vegetables are tender, and the chicken is soft, squeak! The umami from the broth soaked the white meat, squeak! Everything is so soft in the cheek pouches, squeak! Super yummy, squeak!” (Tamiko)

Tamiko was sticking her face into the bowl of suiton soup that was waiting for her, and she was getting sticky. It was indeed an exquisite dish. Both the root vegetables and the dumplings were cooked to just the right degree of tenderness, and the fatt chicken was refreshing. The slight aroma of ginger whetted my appetite, and I could go on eating it indefinitely. It also goes well with pickles and onigiri. The quality of the dish was so good that Noa asked for the recipe.

The elders called me “the benefactor of the village” or “the savior of the village,” and poured sake for me one after the other.

The old men and women, who had become happy, began to sing a chorus of a mysterious song, and the former mayor gave a loud lecture on the history of the village.

The drunken Utsuki began to seduce the men, and Kurano and the other virgin hunters who had come to show their faces after the night watch change.

Thanks to [Immortality], I do not get intoxicated, and even if I do get a little drunk, the alcohol in my body is quickly cleared. So, I was able to observe with sober eyes the lasciviousness of the loli-hag and the old men with their tanned, wrinkled faces dyed pink.

I myself didn’t feel anything strange, in other words, Utsuki didn’t seem to be using [Charm]. She just subtly leans her body and pulls the other person with precise affable and exquisite exclamations. She gazes up and sends a lecherous glance, along a sweet voice, and lets her warm breath reach her target’s skin. Her experience and tireless efforts that she has accumulated over many, many years, and her own skills are tightly condensed. In other words, Utsuki was Utsuki without relying on her Fungal Skills.

Kurano and the others began to squirm under her venomous fangs, and when Utsuki, completely happy to have all the men at her beck and call, could no longer hide her disgusting grin, even I had no choice but to put a stop to it. Even though they were apparently of an age that made it difficult for her [Charm] to be effective, she was still able to knock a young virgin down with her slutty techniques.

It was fortuitous for me to know the horror of her skills in advance. Since I was neither a virgin nor my first time seeing her, I would not give her any chance to take advantage of me in the future. For sure.

The feast continued until the date changed, and the next morning.

The next morning, the 48-year-old fake loli-hag, who had neither [Self-Regeneration] nor [Poison Resistance], suffered from a hangover headache and nausea, as if she was being punished for her actions of the previous night. She did not recover by noon, and now she is suffering additional damage from the shaking caused by the ostrich carriage.

“Because… it’s been years since I’ve had a drink and men… and I’ve been treated so chipperly…” (Sou)

“It looked to me like you were just getting into the swing of things and letting your true nature out in the open.” (Shuu)

“The old people ‘n oth’rs were also happy. Finally, the damage from the Baphomets would finally be und’r control. It’s all thanks to Abe ‘n the oth’rs.” (Kaya)

“That’s right, about Baphomet…” (Shuu)

However, not all the worries have been removed. I had to talk to Aomoto about that. In the meantime, the city of Sugamo, surrounded by moats and walls, approaches.

“…Behind the Baphomet Colony, such a thing…” (Aomoto)

“…sporangium of the demon’s “family” and the group of ruffians who control them…” (Heiya)

The Hunter’s Guild office, Sugamo branch.

The two top of the branch–Aomoto and Shimoyanagi–are sitting across from each other in the reception room, both of them with mysterious expressions on their faces. They look a bit alike in the eyes when they stand side by side, perhaps because they are told that they are related to each other as niece and uncle.

For the time being, I, who had finished talking about the circumstances up to this point, sipped tea while feeling nervous. Utsuki, who was sitting next to me, looked nervous. Tamiko, on the other hand, is lying comfortably in the empty tea basket. Her cheek pouches filled with cookies are puffed up to the limit.

Instead of heading for the branch office immediately after arriving at Sugamo, I spent an hour or so in a meeting with Utsuki. We discussed how much to report to the guild honestly and what to keep hidden.

First of all, we would keep Satou a secret. This was at the request of Utsuki and himself, and we had agreed to this. It was not directly related to this case, and it would be needlessly complicated if we talked about it. It is also a secret that Utsuki is Satou’s disciple.

We also cannot honestly divulge the information about the demon’s involvement as it is. The guild leader has directly told us not to tell anyone about his encounter with the demons in Ouji, and if we were to reveal the knowledge that only a few people have, that “black sporangium = sporangium of a demon’s ‘family'” it would raise unnecessary suspicions.

However, we cannot keep the possibility of the emergence of new demons under wraps just for our own convenience. It could become a major threat not only to Sugamo City and Rikugi Village.

We must report such matters that are essential, while concealing the parts we wish to hide. We needed to make sure that the right balance was reached in advance. If Noa, the brain of the team, had been there, it might not have been so difficult.

With that in mind, I made up my mind to enter the guild and reported to Aomoto (and Shimoyanagi, who came along without permission). It’s basically a retelling of what actually happened.

We went to investigate the Baphomet Colony and found a mutant boss. The advance party had been wiped out, and our party unexpectedly found themselves in a battle.

With the help of Utsuki, who just happened to be there, we managed to kill it, but were attacked by a mysterious group without a moment’s pause. A “cursed knife” blocked our Fungal Skills, and we had a hard time, but thanks to the Metro trap, we were able to escape unharmed, but we were never able to catch them or find out what they were up to.

“Hah, you just happened to be present at such a scene of carnage, you’re still quite the badass woman, Utsuki.” (Heiya)

“Ehehe, well, it’s been a while, Hei-yan…” (Sou)