Chapter 344

344 – Masked Bird Roast

“……”

Aro sits in silence, both arms outstretched. At the end of her arms, a mass of earth slowly changes shape.

I’ve asked her to use [Clay] to make an earthen oven for me.

Since we have it, I want to roast the masked bird, but if I mess up and set the tree on fire it would be a disaster. As a result, I asked Aro to make me a oven, and while she’s at it, scatter a coating of earth over a portion of the branch so that there’s a place in front of my nest for the oven to go. After all, an oven is indispensable for my home. I need an oven for a comfortable dragon life.

The masked bird is already gutted, plucked, the bits from its below its thighs that have practically no meat attached have been cut off, and it is now hanging from the nightmare’s thread. The oven is big enough to fit the trimmed masked bird inside, super-big dragon-size.

“Dragon-god-sama, magic power…Not enough…”

Aro gently reaches out a hand towards me. Her complexion is a bit bad. That’s proof that she’s low on the magic power that she needs to maintain her body. Since she’s been using magic continuously for such a long time, fatigue is showing through in her complexion.

There’s no need to ask permission, feel free to take as you please. For that matter… Might it be a good idea to take a break? The scale of the magic isn’t as big as in battle, but since this requires constant precise adjustment, the mental fatigue is greater.

Upon being urged to rest, she puffs up her cheeks and shakes her head.

R-right… I’m happy that you’d do it for me… My partner glares at the half-finished oven in annoyance.

『Food! Food! Hey, isn’t fine to not roast it!? If so, then cutting it down now would be faster!』

No no, for something like this, cooking it properly makes it much tastier. The heat will pass all the way through to the centre. You can have the organs I pulled out, so please make do with those for now.

She reluctantly stretches out and scoops up the organs with her tongue and flips them into her mouth… For someone who ate it so unwillingly, she sure is savouring the flavour.

“…Please lend me your tail.”

Aro says, reaching out towards me. She seems a little angry.

H-hmm… For the time being, taking a break would be better. As I think that, Aro is approached by a single tree… Or rather, the treant. As Aro watches doubtfully, the treant faces the oven and slowly closes its eyes. An unfinished portion shines with light, and earth appears from thin air…

“…Ah, no… It’s okay, I’ll do it.”

Troubled, she asks the treant to stop. Her tone is plain. Approaching the oven, the treant grasps the newly made part from [Clay]. The hardened earth crumbles and falls apart

Dejected, the treant returns to the nest… W-well, I guess I see why Aro wouldn’t want to suddenly split the work on something she’s been working on. Those feelings are ones I can understand. Besides, Aro’s [Clay] level is 6, whereas the treant’s is only level 2. It’s hard to imagine that they could have the same level of precision.

Perhaps not expecting the treant to feel so down, Aro watches its retreating back apologetically. She then spins around and urgently reaches out towards me.

B-but wouldn’t it be better to take a break…? She seems worn out from her magic power deficiency so I need to give her some, but if I do that she’ll get back to work… Stopping her forcibly would feel a bit wrong. Right…

『Food! Food!』

Geh… She already finished with the organs? Aro shakes her head and looks at my partner as she flails, then stares at me… Sorry, please continue. I reach out to her with my tail and she hugs it to absorb MP with [Mana Drain].

After a while, the giant oven is completed. The [Clay] coating over the tree didn’t need much precision so was also finished in the blink of an eye. Right away, I use a measured [Scorching Breath] to begin heating up the oven.

After a few minutes of finding the right temperature with, I cut down the masked bird and push it inside then close the cover. After a few minutes, I remove the lid with my mouth and take out the masked bird roast.

Its surface is gleaming with fat. It seems this monster has a surprising amount of fat.

It’s big. Now that I’m looking at it again, it’s big. Food that seems big even with my current size is valuable. For me who flew for ages without eating or drinking, I’m grateful to be able to eat until I’m full. The oil on it improves it even more, making it absolutely perfect. The smell of roasted bird tickles my nose and I feel saliva accumulating at the back of my tongue.

I grab the left thigh with my foreleg and forcibly tear a portion off. As I’m about to put it in my mouth, my partner reaches out and snatches it away from me. Ah, h-hey!

She looks up, flicking the masked bird’s thigh meat into the air then skilfully bites into it, then eats it. As she licks the juices that drip from her mouth, a blissful expression floats on her face.

…If she makes it look that delicious, I don’t feel like reproaching her. Well, there’s plenty of the masked bird roast left. Naturally, some will end up in my mouth.

Beside my partner greedily devouring, I decide to slowly savour the taste. The moment I bite down, piping hot juices spread throughout my mouth. Delicious, this is delicious. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve eaten anything decent. Ideally I’d like to add some salt… The sea is nearby, so it might not be a bad idea to collect some.

After spitting out the licked-clean bones, I gaze out over the island. From this height, even the island’s vast forests look small enough to pinch between my fingertips. But all the same, the ocean’s immensity is overwhelming. In the distance, the gigantic waterfall where the ocean suddenly cuts off, the line of the 『edge of the world』 is visible. From there on, nothingness spreads out as far as can be seen.

When I first saw the adam I had all sorts of doubts about this place, but perhaps life here won’t be so bad.