Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 271: A Night With the Beasts

Following the lead of Woodsorrel and the others, we made our way toward their territory deep within the forest. However, as the first day drew to a close, the darkness forced us to set up camp in the wild once again.

Though we were indeed moving at a slow pace, none of us had anticipated that we wouldn’t reach our destination in a single day. After Gardenia returned to report, Woodsorrel arrived at our camp the next day…

“We really ran for it!”

…or so she said. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her subordinates who had been dragged along. One of her monkey subordinates must have remembered that time and heaved a deep, very deep sigh.

As night fell, it became necessary to prepare our meal. While we had provisions for ourselves, accommodating Woodsorrel and the others would be difficult. This was because what they ate varied from one race to another.

Some, like the mountain cats, were carnivores, while others, like the turtles, were herbivores. Even among the omnivores, certain ingredients common in human food were unsuitable for them, so we had no choice but to separate them rather than examine them one by one.

But hunting was merely an extension of their daily routine for them, so it posed no problem. The carnivorous mountain cats ate mice and small birds, while bears and the like dug up fallen nuts and buried tubers to eat.

Interestingly, the meat they consumed was limited to creatures with intelligence too low to comprehend telepathy. It seemed that those forest inhabitants with higher intelligence were regarded as their comrades.

“Humph! I’m glad I learned the transformation technique!”

[Oh, how I wish I could use transformation technique too.]

But Woodsorrel who had mastered the technique of transformation was an exception. The technique of transformation changed her physical structure, which allowed her to consume the same type of food as humans. After all, if one descended to human settlements in human appearance and was seen crunching on raw meat, suspicions would arise.

That would defeat the purpose of transforming into a human. Developing the technique of transformation was challenging, especially in this aspect. But thanks to the efforts of her predecessors, Woodsorrel could now enjoy human food.

“What are we eating today?”

“Nothing special. Just some hard bread with a soup made from wild vegetables and mushrooms we gathered nearby.”

“Mu-Mshrooms?! Can you actually eat mushrooms?!”

As we built a fire for the camp and set up tables and benches for our meal, Woodsorrel who was now in the form of a girl asked what was for dinner. Although Mika and the others tried to keep things interesting, the staples remained the same: hard bread and soup.

Woodsorrel seemed more surprised by the fact that mushrooms were edible than by the menu itself. Was it really that surprising? Mushrooms often appeared in our soups during camping, didn’t they?

“Yes. There are many mushrooms that become edible when cooked.”

“Wow, really?”

“Huh? Are there mushrooms that can’t be eaten raw?”

“You shouldn’t eat mushrooms raw.”

“Only someone like boss would eat raw mushrooms and be fine.”

When Woodsorrel dangled her legs from the bench and asked her questions, Chris responded, and my newfound curiosity was met with retorts from Julius and Magna. So, not all mushrooms were edible raw, huh? Having consumed my fill of poisons as a scorpion, I had assumed that anything that could be thrown into a pot was safe to eat raw.

Julius and Magna looked at me with eyes that seemed to say I was beyond help. At the same time, Woodsorrel and Gardenia also stared at me with disbelief, as if they couldn’t fathom what they were seeing. Chris was giggling, but I was unable to stand it anymore and silently assembled my chair.

“It’s not that there aren’t mushrooms that can be eaten raw, but they are rare.”

“Can someone who isn’t a weirdo like Antares eat them too?”

“Yes, they can be eaten. So, please refrain from using that nickname.”

“Alright! But I’ll be asking for a large serving of soup!”

“Understood.”

Mika’s attempt at support, though ambiguous, cleverly secured her a promise for more soup. How cunning.

As this was happening, the camp was set up and cooking began shortly after. Woodsorrel’s comrades had finished their meals and were resting, but the enticing aroma of unfamiliar food prompted many to sit up and watch the pot intently.

“I’ve brought it.”

“Wow~! So this is human food!”

After fetching our dinner, I returned to them with my portion, Chris’s portion, and that of Woodsorrel. Ever since she was scolded after being dragged into the cargo, Woodsorrel seemed to have grown fond of Chris. Chris herself didn’t seem to mind and they had become quite close in just one day.

When I placed the meal before her, she couldn’t wait and bit into the hard bread as if there was no tomorrow. Hold on a second. We, being demons, might be able to chew through it, but isn’t she currently in the form of an ordinary human? In that case…

“Ha-hard?! My teeth—ah!”

The hard bread, designed primarily for preservation, was as hard as a rock and not easily chewed by human teeth. After biting into it strongly, Woodsorrel clutched her mouth in agony.

This is what happens when one doesn’t listen to others and rushes ahead. It wasn’t just me who was dumbfounded; half of our comrades and Gardenia were surprised as well. The other half looked on with concern.

“Listen to me, will you… Alright? You’re supposed to soak hard bread like this in soup before eating it. Like this, see?”

“Uh… I’ll try… mm-hmm?!”

Following the method Chris had shown her, the teary Woodsorrel cautiously brought the bread to her mouth. The bread, now softened from soaking up the soup, was manageable for her to eat this time, and she did not scream in pain.

But now she let out a loud cry for a different reason. Her taste buds had transformed to match those of humans, and it seemed Mika’s cooking was to her liking. And so she voraciously began to slurp down the soup.

“Please help yourself. This soup is made entirely from the bounty of the forest.”

“Much obliged! I won’t hold back then!”

As Woodsorrel devoured her meal, Mika ladled soup from a large pot and offered it to Gardenia and the others. It appeared he had prepared a soup that could be enjoyed by species other than humans as well.

Moreover, the soup was thoroughly cooled to a temperature where you can drink it right away. It seemed that Gardenia and Woodsorrel’s monkey comrades were also curious about human food as they began to sip the soup with evident relish.

“Delicious! I’ll have seconds!”

Woodsorrel, having swiftly finished her soup and bread, did not hesitate to ask for more. Mika swiftly prepared another serving of soup without a hint of displeasure. His accommodating skills were nothing short of impressive.

In the end, Woodsorrel managed to consume three bowls of soup and four pieces of bread. She was now lying on the bench with a clear swollen belly. It seems like she ate so much that her body shape changed.

“Ah, that was delicious! Human food isn’t half bad, is it? What do you think?”

“It was really good! I’d love to learn how to make it!”

Woodsorrel who was lying down posed the question, and one of the monkeys responded on behalf of the group. Its belly was just as swollen as Woodsorrel’s, and it seemed to be in discomfort as it lay on its back to sleep. Such a state was hardly what one would expect from creatures accustomed to living in the wild.

Exposing their belly which was a vulnerable spot carried inherent risks; this was something they surely understood. Every wild beast I had observed, as well as the creatures that were synthesized with my comrades, always slept on their stomachs. This meant that Woodsorrel and her comrades’ territory must be safe enough to allow for such carefree sleeping postures.

When I thought about it, it seemed natural that a territory inhabited by a group of powerful beings like Woodsorrel and her kin would be safe. Watching them made it easy to forget the dangers lurking in the forest.

“By the way, when do you think we’ll arrive at our destination?”

“Hmm, we should get there by tomorrow. Next time, it’ll be our turn to treat you… yawn…”

Perhaps due to a full stomach, Woodsorrel’s usual daytime energy had subsided. However, I was able to gather the desired information that we were expected to arrive by tomorrow, which was reassuring.

In the midst of this, Woodsorrel yawned loudly and then fell asleep. It seemed that eating her fill had made her sleepy. She was moving purely on instinct.

Chris and I shared a wry smile beside her, and I fetched a thick blanket from the cargo to cover her with. Given that her transformed state matched that of humans, sleeping out in the open like this could lead to catching a cold, unlike when she had her fur.

Looking around, I noticed that Gardenia and the others were also sleeping with full stomachs. We cleaned up and prepared to sleep while being careful not to make too much noise so as not to wake them up.