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Chapter 17
Arilletti looked around with a face full of disbelief.
Glen laughed heartily.
“See? What a surprise. Food just rolling in.”
Oh my. He’s serious.
“Sir Tombell, if there are any packs of wandering Frozen Wolves nearby, catch them all. We should distribute the meat to the households with the most mouths first.”
“Yes, Master. Should we light a fire in the front yard? To gut these guys, we first need to melt that hard ice skin.”
“Exactly. It’ll take all day burning to melt it.”
Eat it after roasting it over fire too?
Arilletti was completely shocked.
“No, you can’t!”
The shrill, piercing cry echoed, and the area went silent for a moment.
The knights, who had been grinning at the thought of a feast after a long time, turned to look.
Arilletti, clutching the Master’s collar with one hand, reached out desperately with the other.
“If you eat that… that…!”
“This isn’t scary, Aril. It’s delicious!”
Thinking the child was scared by the monster’s strange appearance, Duncan grabbed the Frozen Wolf by the throat and lifted it into the air.
The monster, twice the size of an adult man, dangled helplessly in midair.
“If we just melt the hard ice shield on the outside, we can get raw meat. It’s much tastier than dried meat. And if we freeze it quickly, it can be stored for a long time!”
“Why would you do that with something so precious…!”
Arilletti felt her heart break.
The skin of the Frozen Wolf is made of opaque ice, which also has built-in cold resistance.
Wearing a Frozen Wolf’s pelt means you can maintain body heat even in the polar regions. There’s even a minor attack immunity effect.
That’s not all.
Among monsters, elemental monsters have body parts—teeth, claws, eyes, even organs like heart, stomach, or lungs—that are traded at high prices as medicinal ingredients or potion components.
Potions containing parts of an elemental monster naturally inherit that element.
For example, a potion made from an ice-element monster’s remains will automatically have a freezing effect.
A potion with an effect comparable to elemental magic, even for non-mages?
Of course, it costs ten times more than a regular potion.
However, these elemental monster parts are weak against opposing elements. The ice-element Frozen Wolf is naturally vulnerable to heat.
If you put it near fire, that expensive body will melt away.
And yet, they were going to roast it over charcoal?
What kind of starving-for-generations nonsense is this?
“Bring it here!”
As Arilletti started yelling, the knights’ eyes rolled toward the Master.
“Uh… what should we do, Master?”
“What do you mean, what should we do?”
Glen chuckled lightly and crossed his arms.
“Seems like Aril-sensei has a good idea. Do as she asks.”
“Sensei?”
“Yes, something like that.”
No sooner had Glen nodded than a sharp command flew out.
“Bring it quickly!”
“Yes, Sensei!”
Duncan, Roel, and the other knights hoisted the Frozen Wolf onto their shoulders.
The group returned to the castle.
The long table in the banquet hall was lined with the bodies of the Frozen Wolves.
Arilletti stood on a baby chair and examined the monsters with their limbs spread across the table.
“Under the jaw, here, just melt this part gently to make it soft! Then, slice the belly horizontally with a knife.”
“Like… this?”
“Center around the ribs, left heart, right lower liver, both lungs. Teeth! Freeze all the byproducts, then the meat comes next!”
Sergio’s eyes nearly popped out at the sight.
“Good heavens, these are the organs of polar monsters we’ve only heard about. The royal graduate school rarely gets the chance to dissect such rare materials.”
“Rare? Frozen Wolves are one of the most common monsters of the snowfields. They travel in packs, so they’re tricky to hunt.”
“But they don’t live inland at all. The Teberta Snowfield is their only habitat! Plus, without northern temperatures, they spoil quickly, making transport and storage difficult. Goodness, if these frozen-element byproducts got out, mages from the Tower would rush over instantly…”
The frozen monster byproducts were neatly stacked on the table.
Next to them, chunks of quality meat stripped from the pelts were piled high. Being such huge creatures, the meat seemed endless.
The knights gathered across the table, watching the dismantling show with wide eyes.
“Look, if you remove only the bones and organs cleanly, there’s not a single wasted part! The skin comes off neatly too!”
“My goodness, that’s at least three more ‘geun’ of meat!”
Of course. Such monsters must be dismantled more carefully than ordinary beasts.
Arilletti exhaled heavily and slumped on the baby chair.
After shouting so loudly, fatigue washed over her. Perhaps her body felt the strain every time she used her powers because she was a fragile child.
“Now we can roast the meat. These byproducts need to be left outside all night to freeze solid. If they thaw, they’re useless. And, Mr. Sergio, do you know any ice or frost potion recipes?”
Sergio brightened and picked up the Frozen Wolf’s claws and heart.
“Frost or ice-element potion recipes are as rare as the ingredients themselves, but a few ideas come to mind. It’s hard to get a Frozen Wolf’s heart, so I haven’t practiced it, but it’s worth researching for a few days.”
That was enough. Having Sergio in this territory was a blessing.
“Indeed, you said we wouldn’t regret this.”
Glen murmured in admiration.
Wouldn’t regret this?
‘Does that mean someone recommended Sergio to Glen?’
Arilletti pushed the thought aside. There was still work to do.
“Uncle, what’s the nearest city from here?”
“Uh, the Nemar Duke’s territory is the closest, Sensei.”
Duncan’s tone became polite under Arilletti’s momentum.
“It’s considered one of the strongest northern territories. They have free trade with Hezeite, so most food and supplies come from there.”
“Not the noble territory, the free city?”
“If you mean a free trade city, there’s a city called Caspel, about half a month’s carriage ride from here, Aril-sensei.”
Half a month to reach the nearest city? Everyone would starve before then.
Arilletti knew well how hunger could drive people crazy. If they couldn’t resist, they might gobble up all these precious monsters.
Her eyes sparkled as she thought.
‘Then as a quick solution, selling some in Nemar’s territory isn’t a bad idea. What’s the usual price for elemental byproducts again?’
It had been so long, she barely remembered.
Arilletti, surrounded by monster innards, was happily lost in thought.
But the blessings of the Colden Mountains didn’t stop with the Frozen Wolves.
