It was just the usual boiled meat.
But that meat was tender and clean without any gamey smell.
Moreover, it was juicy, with moist lean meat and chewy fat that melted softly, creating the perfect harmony.
Gulp.
Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
After that, the usual monster meat started tasting gamey, and his appetite vanished.
He had vowed not to succumb to temptation, but in the end, he gave in before the delicious food.
He even wagged his tail at a human, leaving the greatest black mark on his life.
“Argh! This is driving me crazy!”
Alek shuddered, clutching his hair in embarrassment.
Knock, knock—
While wrestling with the blanket, someone knocked on the door.
“Captain Alek.”
“…Ahem, wait a moment.”
Alek straightened his disheveled hair and walked to the door.
Opening it, a wolf soldier stood there.
“What’s the matter?”
“Chief Balbo is looking for you.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Leaving the wolf warriors’ dormitory, Alek headed straight to Chief Balbo’s room.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Alek.”
“Come in.”
Entering the room, Chief Balbo pointed to the sofa.
“Have a seat there.”
As he sat on the sofa, Chief Balbo spoke.
“I called you because I wanted to hear about the task I entrusted to you recently.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry. I should have reported earlier.”
Alek reproached himself. Recent bewildering events had made him completely forget about the report.
“No need to apologize. Anyway, how was it spending time with the human merchant these past few days?”
“Well….”
Alek hesitated.
In a flash, the sweet potato and boiled pork incidents came to mind. Telling it as is felt like exposing his shame, making it embarrassing to speak.
Then, Balbo smiled as if amused and opened his mouth.
“Perhaps you’re wondering why I brought him here?”
Right now, everyone in the beastkin village probably had this question in their hearts. Alek did too.
“Yes, actually.”
Alek had already accepted that the human merchant was no ordinary person, but that wasn’t enough reason to invite him to the beastkin village.
Chief Balbo began.
“I met him recently when I went to the Elf Forest.”
Normally, Alek would accompany as an escort, but that day, someone else had taken his place.
“He was at the meal Sharin arranged. It was surprising to see a human in the Elf Forest, but seeing her entrust the hospitality to a human while ignoring me made my blood boil.”
Balbo’s voice started to rise slightly.
“Moreover, when he said he’d cook himself, I couldn’t hold back my anger and raised my voice. It felt like an insult to me.”
“That’s understandable.”
Alek’s brow furrowed slightly. If he had been there, he would have surely exploded in rage.
“But you see, the moment I ate the food he made, my anger vanished, and a smile spread across my face.”
Balbo chuckled softly, still finding it absurd even now.
“It was truly strange. The boiling emotions subsided in an instant after eating the food.”
Alek nodded secretly to himself. Balbo glanced at him sidelong and raised one corner of his mouth.
“…You seem to know something too.”
Flinch.
“Ah… Well, that’s….”
“No need to explain. More importantly, let me finish my story.”
The flustered Alek blinked and shut his mouth tightly.
“That’s when I vaguely understood why Sharin introduced the human merchant to me. So I immediately proposed that he do business in the beastkin village. Do you know why I did that?”
“..?”
“I thought perhaps… that human merchant could do something essential for us.”
“…I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Balbo smiled meaningfully.
“A while back, I had a conversation with Chief Sharin. She said it felt like our beastkin were full of pent-up anger inside.”
“I tried to deny it, but deep down, I somewhat agreed.”
Balbo’s tone became somewhat calm.
“Whether it’s due to the long conflicts with the empire or accumulated grievances between tribes… there are many reasons, but they’re all filled with anger, busy growling at each other.”
“…So that’s why you brought him here?”
“Yes. I thought perhaps he could ease our anger. I hoped he might restore the ‘harmony’ that’s essential for our village, made up of different tribes.”
“Harmony…..”
Living together with various tribes isn’t easy. Acknowledging and accepting differences is hard.
Only then could Alek vaguely understand the chief’s true intention.
“…It will surely happen.”
The positive energy emanating from the human merchant and the captivating food he creates have a certain power.
The power to change people.
“You think so too? It’s a relief to have at least one on my side when everyone is suspicious.”
Chief Balbo burst into hearty laughter.
“So, what did he say he’d do today?”
“Well… He suddenly said he wanted to go to the dock.”
Having realized Chief Balbo’s true intention, Alek thought he should treat the human a bit more comfortably today.
Upon arriving at the beastkin village, as promised, I headed to the nearby seaside dock with Alek. A salty sea breeze blew into my nose.
“This area is inhabited by the penguin and sea lion tribes.”
A penguin beastkin was unloading boxes full of fish from the boat.
Since the beastkin village is a community of five tribes, their diets vary as much as their diversity. Among them, the penguin and sea lion tribes mainly eat fish.
So today, I planned to tour the dock and survey their tastes.
“They all look busy with work.”
“It’s the peak busy season, as they need to catch and store fish before the sea freezes.”
No wonder I hadn’t seen penguins or sea lions at the village market. Preparing for winter is one of the important tasks in human society too.
“Can I watch up close?”
“As long as you don’t interfere, it should be fine.”
I peeked into the unloaded box. There were so many kinds of fish that I doubted if they had just grabbed everything they caught.
“Hmm. Some look familiar. With these, I should be able to cook without much trouble.”
A few, like cod, were familiar.
I’d still need to think about proper cooking methods to handle the fishy, salty taste unique to fish, but they seemed much easier to handle than monster meat.
“How do you cook fish here?”
“Mostly grilled. We also salt or dry them for storage. Freshly caught ones are boned and eaten raw too.”
“You eat raw fish here too? I’ve had sashimi in the eastern regions, and it was really fresh.”
“Is that so? I didn’t know humans ate raw fish too.”
Alek looked a bit puzzled. Understandably, since in the empire, beastkin who ate raw fish and meat were often mocked as barbarians.
“Human societies have diverse cultures coexisting too. In the eastern countries, they dip sashimi in gochujang sauce, and the taste is amazing. I’m sure people here would like it too.”
“I don’t eat raw fish much, but somehow it makes me want to try.”
“I’ll definitely bring some next time if there’s a chance.”
For Alek to readily say he’d eat it. I was worried he might still hold a grudge from last time.
I don’t know the reason, but it was clear his wariness had softened.
“That’s my share!”
“Why is this your share? We have to divide it fairly.”
Suddenly, the dock became noisy.
Turning my head, a penguin beastkin and a sea lion beastkin were arguing.
The penguin frowned and snapped at the sea lion, who was twice his size.
“We caught the fish together, so how does it make sense for you to take more? If we caught it together, we split it equally!”
Pointing at the box of fish and heating up, the sea lion snorted and countered.
“I contributed more to catching the fish, so it’s only natural I take more, right?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Was I just playing around?”
“Anyone can see I’m bigger and stronger than you. I put in more effort pulling up the net, so taking more is fair.”
“I did my best pulling the net too! And I moved at least twice as fast as you! Do you know how frustrating it was watching you move so slowly? If it weren’t for me, the fish would have all escaped the net by now!”
“I eat twice as much as you. You eat so little, why complain so much?”
“I have a big family too!”
Both beastkin vented their grievances for their own reasons.
The two stood firm, neither yielding an inch.
Worried something might happen, I asked Alek.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?”
“If we interfere unnecessarily, it might make things worse. Issues between tribes should be resolved by the parties involved.”
The two growled at each other, engaged in a staring contest.
“This is why I shouldn’t work with penguins.”
“What? You think I’m putting up with this because I like it?”
In the end, they turned their backs on each other in a huff.
Murmur, murmur.
“It’s happening over there too. How many times is this?”
“The grudges built up and exploded, what else.”
The onlookers clicked their tongues and returned to their work.
“Does this happen often?”
“It’s an everyday occurrence. Such commotions are routine here.”
“…I see.”
Looking closely, penguins were working with penguins, and sea lions with sea lions.
Alek said quietly.
“It’s not easy for diverse races to live together. They’re just worn out.”
From touring the beastkin village so far, I’ve felt that the people have a somewhat rough side.
I couldn’t tell if this was their innate nature or if the harsh environment had changed them.
But one thing was certain: their faces looked somewhat shadowed.
Even minor issues, if they keep happening, inevitably build up stress.
“…They probably need some healing too?”
Suddenly, I recalled what adventurers said. For adventurers weary in body and mind, healing is essential.
Perhaps the beastkin need healing right now?
Just as I brought joy to adventurers with kimbap, maybe I can give something to them too?
After all, only when the mind is at ease can one concede and overlook mistakes.
“…Yes, probably.”
Alek nodded.
His eyes sparkled unknowingly. As if he had been hoping I’d say that.