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In the distance, a Giant Horned Rabbit was approaching the Temporary Camp. Its massive hind legs, which were certainly bigger than those of a gorilla, were especially noticeable.

With every step it took, its furry hide quivered.

As it pressed against the ground and moved forward, its robust muscles were clearly visible through the fur.

“Is it starting again? Karem.”

“What did you just say?”

Hearing this, Catherine’s expression and Mary’s gaze turned lukewarm, but Karem paid no mind.

Karem wasn’t particularly fond of rabbit meat.

However, that didn’t mean he didn’t eat it.

It’s not like he had been reincarnated, but after spending ten years in a Serf Life on Europa, in order to survive and grow, he had eaten birds, insects, rats, and snakes, so what was the big deal about rabbits?

He just didn’t prefer it, which didn’t mean he didn’t want to eat it when it was right in front of him.

It was more about the fact that there were so many other delicious meats available; why bother with rabbit?

Chicken is known for having no gamey smell, but rabbit has even less odor than that. It might just be the least smelly meat among land animals.

And as for yield, there’s no need to mention that. Even a wild rabbit the size of a hunting dog, once processed, yields only about one-third of its weight in meat.

In that sense, the Giant Horned Rabbit approaching the Temporary Camp was quite impressive.

The Giant Horned Rabbit right before him was a perfect counterexample to the biggest drawback of rabbit meat, which is the low yield. Once the yield issue is overcome, all that’s left is to reap the rewards.

“I’ve never seen such a gigantic rabbit—or a Horned Rabbit, for that matter.”

“Where exactly are you finding the wonder in all of this?”

“I can’t say much about other things, but that hind leg looks quite delectable.”

As expected, it was just as he thought. It was almost reassuring to see it look the usual way. Mary stole a glance at Karem, who was musing with a “Hmm,” then turned her gaze back ahead.

“I can guess what you’re thinking, Karem, but I assure you, that hind leg won’t taste as delicious as you hope.”

“What do you mean?”

“The source of the speed that both Horned Rabbits and rabbits possess is the heavily muscled hind legs. Considering its size, the density must be comparable to horse meat, right?”

A high density of meat means it’s tough.

As rabbits primarily use their hind legs to run, it was said that the meat could be so thick and firm it would be hard to chew.

However, there was no problem with eating it.

“Tough and firm meat? That’s even better.”

There are countless ways to prepare meat with solid texture. Horse meat, wild boar meat, all delicious. Karem could feel his mouth watering already.

“Just because it’s thin as paper doesn’t mean it’s tough. What if I marinated it with a heap of high-acid fruit juice? Buttermilk works too. Still, if the meat is tough, there are ways to physically tenderize it. There are plenty of other methods.”

There’s even dialogue in Japanese manga that says cooking exists to make difficult-to-eat ingredients easy and tasty.

Thus, a mere tough meat wouldn’t be enough to suppress Karem’s appetite for a giant rabbit that looked like something out of a movie.

Karem imagined making bulgogi, sukiyaki, and stir-fried pork with the Giant Horned Rabbit’s hind leg while cheese fries lay right in front of him.

“More importantly, that Horned Rabbit’s hand…”

Catherine tilted her head slightly, took a bite of the cheese fries Mary presented, and reached out. She examined the Giant Horned Rabbit with her thumb and forefinger, magically enlarging it with primitive magic.

The head had already been torn off, making it unidentifiable.

However, the long body with a diameter like a radish.

The somewhat soft shell that covered its entire body.

“An Ice Worm larva.”

It wasn’t strange at all. Drywood had sent out a Subjugation Team just a few years back because of Ice Worms. If that Ice Worm had laid eggs, it all made sense.

But that wasn’t what concerned her.

“Hmm? Wait a second, an Ice Worm?”

Karem, lost in thoughts of appetites, suddenly snapped his head up.

“Not a giant earthworm?”

“Yeah. More precisely, it’s its larva, a baby.”

“Rabbits are herbivores, right? Horned Rabbits must also be herbivorous.”

“Just because they’re herbivores doesn’t mean they only munch on grass. There are cases where they consume meat to replenish their strength.”

Catherine shrugged, saying that there were also cannibalistic horses who only ate humans.

But Karem couldn’t help but recall a scene from a video he had watched in his previous life.

The video had a pastoral barn setting.

A cow chewing a hapless chick, symbolizing the peaceful atmosphere, while an enraged hen rushed at the cow listening to the last gasps of the chick.

Meanwhile, Catherine discovered other Giant Horned Rabbits being pursued by noblemen on horseback elsewhere on the prairie.

“So it’s not just one.”

Though there are several conditions for a typical animal to become a monster, if one had to pick one representative condition, it would be mana.

To be precise, it’s about accumulating mana.

There’s no need for it to be enough to form a magic stone.

Rabbits that manage to survive for a long time, chewing on herbs and poisons, accumulate mana in their bodies and grow into Horned Rabbits.

Once Horned Rabbits accumulate enough mana to form a magic stone, they evolve into Giant Horned Rabbits.

However, such Horned Rabbits are quite rare, with only one usually found in a group. Typically, that’s the leader of the pack.

“If there are more than one of those…”

Catherine rubbed her chin, intrigued.

Though the time was short, there were indeed circumstances that led to the emergence of Giant Horned Rabbits. About the Ice Worm’s larva that they were holding in its forepaws.

If it was a strong individual capable of breathing on its own, it wouldn’t be surprising for a Horned Rabbit that consumed it to mutate.

Still.

“There’s likely dozens of them wandering around.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Giant Horned Rabbit, I mean.”

Catherine explained to the bewildered Karem.

“Think about it. Rabbits give birth to dozens of offspring at once. Ice Worm’s variant, the Ice Worm, also lays hundreds to thousands of eggs at once to increase their offspring’s survival rate.”

“Eggs? I had a feeling that would be the case.”

Ice Worm larvae scatter into the wild immediately after hatching from their eggs. But what if a Horned Rabbit made its nest in the Ice Worm’s tunnel beforehand?

Most of those Ice Worm larvae would become the regular meals of the Horned Rabbit before they ever saw the light of day.

In other words, this meant a significant number of Giant Horned Rabbits were approaching the Temporary Camp to be hunted by the nobles.

“But what could be the reason they’re coming this way?”

Even, the Giant Horned Rabbit was periodically thumping the ground as it made its way toward the camp. The sound echoed due to its size, reaching the camp long before its arrival.

“It’s nothing major. It’s merely a warning to get out of my territory.”

“Is there a need to call for reinforcements?”

“No. There’s no need for me to act. Even with the threat they pose, the remaining forces at this camp can take them down without issue. They’re just the boss monster of a beginner hunting ground. However…”

Catherine tilted her head while looking at the bottom of an empty plate.

“The plans of the Adventurer Guild might experience some setbacks.”

She gestured toward the soldiers and knights who were keeping a close watch on this side, signalling them to take care of it before they arrived. Suddenly, her expression twisted in dismay.

“Tsk, my lord’s hunt might take a bit longer.”

“What? What do you mean suddenly?”

“The Adventurer Guild is planning to establish a branch in Drywood for the purpose of training novice adventurers. There will surely be significant investment from nobles in this hunt.”

If it were just a single Giant Horned Rabbit, it would not have mattered.

Even novice adventurers who formed a party could defeat a leader of that caliber.

The problem was that Catherine had already spotted four of them.

Considering the breeding potential from rabbits and the minimum hundreds of Ice Worm larvae, if you think about it…

“There will be at least dozens of them.”

“Seems like it’s bad news for the contractor.”

“I already know that without you saying it.”

Catherine, looking at the Giant Horned Rabbits that were about to be hunted, held her head in her hands, then swept her face.

After all, she wouldn’t have come out here unless it was to congratulate Elizabeth on her pregnancy.

So now, would she have to act instead of just doing nothing out of courtesy?

Of course, it wasn’t just the Giant Horned Rabbits that were an issue.

Besides those about to be hunted, there were already monsters and predatory beasts charging from around, eager for a free meal.

The real problem lay with the underground Ice Worm tunnels.

The Giant Horned Rabbits that had taken root in a tunnel akin to a spiderweb maze, and that were producing offspring in considerable numbers, while simultaneously gorging on newly hatched Ice Worm larva to grow larger.

And the anxieties of the nobles who had invested in the establishment of the training branch for novice adventurers.

“Surely, your lord has also invested funds, have they not?”

“Considering Your Grace’s business acumen and execution, it’s only natural. I had no idea the ruby farm business and Cold Resistance Potion venture would stabilize so successfully in such a short time…”

Catherine could not complete her statement. Karem and Mary were silently staring at her.

They had anticipated what Alfred would say upon his return. That was also the reason Karem and Mary were directing their gazes at her.

Deficits began the moment plans were halted midway.

And as time dragged on with plans in a standstill, that gap only continued to widen.

And Alfred, who was uprooting the shithole called Iceland, would certainly not tolerate such deficits.

“Sigh, I can’t refuse this.”

*

*

*

The three’s assumptions were spot on.

“Catherine.”

“The cause of the Giant Horned Rabbits is determined to be the Ice Worm larvae. I’ve already made tracking talismans before you arrived.”

“You, did you just walk into my head and walk out?”

Even though the nobility invited to Alfred’s hunt would be attacked en masse by beasts and monsters looking for prey, there was a clear difference between above ground and below ground.

Hunting the Giant Horned Rabbit out in the open would undoubtedly be easy. They wouldn’t even need to intervene. In fact, it often happened that other monsters were the ones to attack first.

However, the problem lies in the uncertainty of how long the Giant Horned Rabbits would keep showing up, and how that delay would affect the Adventurer Guild project that Alfred and the nobles had invested in.

As expected, Alfred could absolutely not allow that.

No matter how limitless a goldmine the Kingdom of Adobice might be, not a single waste could slip by in the upheaval of all Iceland.

Thus, Alfred’s command disguised as a request was only natural.

After all, there was a former S-Class Adventurer right here; there was no need to contact the Adventurer Guild.

The target was clear.

Eradication of the Ice Worm larvae in the underground tunnel.

To this end, they would recruit Catherine, a former S-Class Adventurer, as the leader and gather the adventurers hired by the nobles along with some skilled individuals familiar with dungeons.

The quickly assembled party for attacking the Horned Rabbit nest stood at one of the dozens of entrances.

A gust of air laden with a terribly humid breeze blew from within the hole, thick enough for several people to easily fit inside.

“Can I say one thing honestly?”

“What is it?”

“I have to go in, don’t I?”

Karem, asking it like he was poking a fruit he didn’t want to eat, was utterly serious.

Yet this humidity. The wind felt as heavy and humid as a sea breeze laden with mist.

“Will it be alright?”

“It should be.”

Even before entering, he already felt as if his whole body were being weighed down by the moisture.

 

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