The eastern side of the Subnock Plain. On a small hill overlooking the wetlands.
The party of five—Rest, Yuri, Urula, her attendant Arlie, and a knight named Ostray—chose the spot as their base camp and began pitching their tents.
"Time for dinner! Let the cooking begin!" Yuri declared.
"Cooking... yay," Urula added, raising a small fist into the air.
Behind them, the attendant—Rest had finally learned her name was Arlie—offered a polite round of applause.
Rest and Ostray, however, stood in stunned silence.
The two men remained a short distance away, tending to the manual labor of setting up the camp while casting fearful glances toward the makeshift kitchen.
"I want... to cook," Urula said.
"Oh? Have you ever cooked before, Urula?" Yuri asked.
"......Burn, bread?"
"Oho! The fact that you say 'burn' instead of 'toast' tells me everything I need to know about your experience! Don't worry, I'll teach you everything!" Yuri thumped her chest confidently, causing her ample bosom to bounce with a heavy thud. "I’ve been cooking for ages! Lately, I’ve even been taking lessons from Primula. It’s no exaggeration to say I’m practically a master!"
It’s a massive exaggeration, Rest thought, unable to stop himself from retorting inwardly. Both Viola and Primula had warned him that Yuri’s approach to the culinary arts was far too reckless.
"Now then... for tonight’s main dish, I’ve decided to use this! Behold, Worm meat!"
"Gah!" Rest let out an involuntary yelp.
Yuri had produced a portion of the Worm they had harvested earlier. While most of the carcasses had been handed over to Margrave Lavender’s soldiers, it seemed she had carved off a choice cut for themselves. She plopped the eerie hunk of flesh onto a stone counter Rest had fashioned with Earth Magic.
"When you’re camping, you’ve got to have a barbecue. We’re making skewers!"
"......Suspicious," Urula remarked.
"Ah, you’re wondering if it’s actually edible? Don't worry, my gut tells me this is going to be great!"
"......Surprising."
"Exactly! It’ll be a flavor that surprises everyone. Now, let’s get to the prep!"
Yuri brandished a massive meat cleaver, the kind of heavy blade designed to hack through the thick bones of cattle or horses.
"Oh, I almost forgot. We need to wash the mud off before we start cutting. Rest, a little help?"
"Do I have to...?" Rest muttered.
Yuri’s voice drifted over from the cooking station. He desperately wanted to pretend he hadn't heard her, but she only raised her voice louder.
"Rest! Rest! Are you listening, Rest!?"
"Alright, alright! I hear you!"
Reluctantly, Rest trudged over to the table. He used Water Magic to rinse the grime from the surface of the Worm meat.
"Thanks, that's a big help."
"Are you... are you really going to eat this? Now that the mud's gone, it just looks even worse. It’s all mottled black and purple."
"Of course we're eating it. Why wouldn't we?"
The meat looked even less appetizing now that it was clean, but Yuri was clearly undeterred.
"Do the vegetables, too. Oh, and get the fire going so we can heat up the iron plate. Just sit tight, I’ll have a delicious meal ready before you know it!"
"......Right."
Rest performed the requested tasks with a strained expression before quickly retreating to the tents.
"Now, we need to peel the skin. This part is too tough to eat," Yuri explained.
"Skinning," Urula repeated.
"Oh, you’re quite good at this, Urula."
"Hunter."
"I see, I see! You’re a natural because you’re used to dressing game. Next, we’ll cut it into bite-sized chunks."
"Surprise."
"Oh, would you look at that? A whole swarm of tiny insects just crawled out from the inside! Rest just finished the fire, so let’s toss them in and burn them to death."
"Sizzle, roast."
"That’s the spirit. Though, it does have a bit of a stench, doesn't it? We’ll soak it in a garlic-heavy sauce to mask the smell. I’ll chop up some herbs to sprinkle on top, too."
"From where?"
"Where did I find them? Oh, they were just growing nearby, so I picked them. I’ve never seen this species before. The leaves are red as blood, and if you leave them alone, they grow little legs and try to run away... but I'm sure it’ll be fine."
The snippets of conversation reaching Rest’s ears were increasingly horrific. He caught Ostray’s eye; the veteran knight was trembling just as violently as he was.
"C-Count Clover..."
"......Let’s just stop paying attention. Empty your mind. We have to stop listening to them."
The two men threw themselves into the task of pitching the tents with hollow eyes, desperately trying to block out the sounds of the hellish cooking session taking place behind them.