Also, Goblin Subjugation

"How about a goblin subjugation quest as well? You could even do a boar subjugation while you're at it."

She was saying that accepting the rabbit quest (six of them) was basically going to get a certain fast food.

Still, though it's usually a subjugation quest, it seems that you're able to accept the commissions after subjugating them. Since you complete commissions by handing in parts for proof, nothing changes even if you accept it later on. Though since there's no toll on the gate for leaving if you accept it beforehand, you don't need to worry about having the quest withdrawn.

Well, looks like this is a recommendation.

Goblins are destructive things that ruin fields. It seems that the target for this is the ones that are spreading into the field outside of the north gate. Although there are fields inside the gates as well, the land is cultivated at all costs since plots are expensive. Since it was just goblins and boars (wild boars likely) that were wrecking the fields, having adventurers hunt them was enough. Comparing it to the costs of the land, it seemed to be considerably inexpensive.

Boars don't appear often and their meat appears to be delicious, so they would be purchased for somewhere between one to two silver coins each, depending on their size. The part for proving its subjugation was its nose, but that seemed to be the most delicious part.

Meanwhile, it seemed that goblins turned into pretty good fertilizer when carved up and scattered across the field. After you took the right ears off them, I'm told you only need to put the corpses near the field… What about undeadification? Is that okay?

Goblin and boar subjugations always appeared as F-rank commissions and when bringing in five goblins' worth of right ears you'd receive thirty copper coins.

Boars were ten coppers for turning in the snout, or one copper and the snout. It appears that they would segment the snout into three parts right then if you chose to keep it. (They would divide it into three to prevent people from turning it in as quest completion again. They didn't just divide it into two because it seems that usually happens while defeating it.)

Boars were delicious in two meanings, I didn't need to worry about transporting them due to [Storage] either.

And so, although we're heading west this time, we'll actively look for them in whatever direction we can find them. Ichika is brimming with motivation for the boars… though I thought that, it wasn't that much. I wonder why?

"I hunted those when I was an adventurer… probably not much now… un, it's nothing. Ah, I guarantee their flavor yeah?"

Looks like she's already given them her motivation.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Well, we headed out of the west gate for rabbit hunting.

Although I had huge hopes for Niku-sensei, I wanted to see how the newcomer Ichika worked.

Anyhow, she's a former C-rank adventurer, so she should definitely live up to it. Particularly when it's for something delicious.

Since she was unarmed for the time being, I lent her my sword.

"Ah, thanks. Well unarmed's alright for rabbits yeah? Their value goes down if ya mess up their fur. That's why it's common sense to defeat 'em without damaging them as much as ya can."

"Hmm? But you can't drain their blood that way."

"Drain their blood? What's that?"

… Eh, she doesn't know about draining blood?

"If you drain all of the blood from the meat, the meat won't smell bad. The taste improves too. It's mostly the blood that makes the meat smelly after all."

"Heeh! I didn't know that. Ya know a lot even though you don't have any common sense huh, I see, it won't smell… un, then a lot of kinds of meat will become tasty huh… Fufufu."

Ichika was drooling while imagining the meat. Seriously, her appetite is demonic.

"Well, how do ya do it?"

"It'll be easy if you see it happen… Niku, go hunt one."

"Yes."

Niku walked into the forest. Thirty seconds later, she brought back a rabbit. It's neck was magnificently severed in a single stroke.

I suspended it by its feet, causing blood to overflow from it and form a pool on the ground at my feet.

"If you do it like this, when you behead it and hang it upside down, its blood will flow out. When blood stops coming out, that's it… Easy right?"

"Ooh… Niku-senpai hunted something so small like it was nothin'. I mean, thirty seconds to get a rabbit, were ya a hunter before becomin' a slave? You knew where the rabbit was in the forest…"

"? Isn't it easy? You can find them from their smell."

"Right, Niku-senpai's a beastkin. I knew that… No, that was good with those tiny arms…"

She was saying stuff like that, but next was Ichika's turn.

Since I want to see how practical she is, I left Niku with draining the rabbit's blood and followed behind her.

Advancing into the forest, Ichika sometimes stopped and listened carefully.

After around five minutes, she suddenly brandished the sword and quickly swung it vertically down towards the ground near her.

"Alright, guess this is good? Oh, a ton of blood's comin' out—"

Quickly, the beheaded rabbit was lifted by its feet. As expected from a former C-rank, looks like she was able to end it with a single clean blow.

"Un, normal strength huh. Felling its neck with a single hit… you look like someone with finesse."

"That's right~, I was a scout after all. A dagger would'a been… well I could do with a carving knife. I can also use a bow to get birds or something to eat too."

A carving knife huh, let's make one when we return.

"I can also cook~, wasn't I just a great bargain~. Wanna know somethin'? My original price was fifteen gold y'know? Reeeally, fifty silver for me huuuh… I just bit 'that' off."

"It's the first time I've heard your original price, but isn't it definitely from biting it off?"

I tensed up hearing it even now.

"But even goblins taste good after drainin' their blood right? I didn't think it would be sooooooo bad though."

"You ate it…"

"Before I became a slave, I was in the Imperial Capital's underground arena to pay back my debt… well, Goshujin-sama held what he called a [Strange Eater] freak show… I had to fight against various demons, eating everything as a set. I ate goblins or other things like that, everything but the bones… Goblin roe is… really bad… Tahaha…"

Ichika laughed as though ashamed.

So there was even something like an underground arena too?

This world's amusement facilities stink of crime, too huh.

For now, we returned to where Niku was.

"Ah, welcome back, Goshujin-sama."

Surrounding Niku, who was standing up while holding the rabbit, were five goblin corpses. All five of their necks were severed clean.

Lured out by the smell of blood, moreover attacking since there was a small child, looks like the tables were pretty much turned on them huh.

"Yeah…"

"Ah~, it happened after all~. I had a feeling~…"

I didn't notice at all.

"Instant deaths huh… Niku-senpai, how'd you beat 'em?"

"They surrounded me, so, I had the rabbit in one hand, so I used my other hand."

Reproducing her movements, Niku held the rabbit in her left hand and the blade golem in her right hand. She whirled around like a ballet dancer with her left foot acting as an axis.

The blade's height was just enough to sever the goblins' heads.

Even though she was assisted by the clothes golem, I didn't teach her those movements.

… It doesn't have movement assistance like mine, just physical strength reinforcement.

"… Those aren't the movements of an F-rank… What kind of trainin' did ya do?"

"… I wonder?"

At any rate, the goblin suppression quest is done.

I cut off their right ears as proof.

"Well, I'll leave the remaining four rabbits to you two."

"Huh, what about Goshujin-sama?"

"… I'm not good with swords… the customer's demand is for delicious meat, so I'll be in charge of draining the blood here."

"Really? You looked trained from the way you were walking though."

Ah, that was the clothes golem's assistance.

Hmm? I'm not doing anything in this quest? Eating without working is the best!

… Ah, but being in charge of the draining is work huh…

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

"Niku~"

Finding a rabbit, its head was dismissed in the next instant.

Even though Ichika was a former C-rank adventurer, she was a bit worried about the feeling shown by Niku's performance.

"… Rather, Niku-senpai, is that a magic sword?"

"I don't know. I got this from Goshujin-sama."

Quickly shaking the sword in her hand, blood flew off of it beautifully. There was no need to use [Purify], evidence that the sword was a very good one. It was also proof that her sword technique could cut cleanly.

Niku held up her sword, once again looking for rabbits. Ichika was holding the rabbit meat.

Niku was excellent in searching for their prey. Being able to separate the smell of blood from those they'd hunted from the ambient rabbit smell, Ichika felt it wasn't just skill anymore.

"But, Niku-senpai was trained in various things despite being 'Niku' huh."

"? What do you mean?"

"Eh? No, 'Niku' is… ah. Aah~. I get it."

Ichika just realized it. Their Goshujin-sama probably named her [Niku] without knowing that meat meant [Sex Slave (Niku)].

And that her Goshujin-sama told her to teach him any common sense she thought of. If that's how it was, she would have to teach him for now. Slaves couldn't go against their owner's rules, even verbal commands.

"… Ah~. [Niku] means—"

More or less, Ichika taught her a slightly obscured meaning of was [Niku] meant.

Even though it was obscured, Niku definitely understood the meaning.

For Niku, she was aware of the significance of the act with her vague memories of it.

(So it was something like that?)

She understood as though it happened to someone else.

Then, she thought for a moment.

The head of a rabbit she just found flew away while she thought. The amount of corpses increased by one.

"Let's keep this a secret from Goshujin-sama."

"… Hoh?"

Ichika raised her eyebrows in inquiry.

As for Niku, she answered while staring at the rabbit.

"This name… is one Goshujin-sama gave to me for the first time, something I cherish. If my name changes now, or if it stays like this from here on, it's not a problem. So, it's fine to keep a secret."

It felt somewhat odd, but Ichika held back her response seeing Niku's bewitching smile.

She looked like a beastkin adventurer that Ichika used to know.

For beastkin, they instinctively felt that names given to them from their parents were valuable. He said that. In fact, he held pride in being given a name associated with the hero, continuing to always exhaust himself in fulfilling it.

Being proud of your name, you wouldn't be ashamed of it. Even she had lost her original name when she became a slave, beastkin absolutely wouldn't. Even if it looked like they cast it away on the surface.

However, Niku's current expression looked just as determined as his. At the same time, it felt glad.

If it was put into words, it would be something like [I can do it].

… To Ichika, she didn't think it was the expression of a child at all.

"But that's a problem huuuh, I promised Goshujin-sama. Niku-senpai also knows right? He said, 'Teach common sense'… I can't go against a verbal command as a slave, right?"

Niku tilted her head to the side and responded.

"Ichika, you taught him common sense. You aren't breaking the promise."

"… Goshujin-sama didn't say 'who' to teach. Kuku, quite the schemer huh? Niku-senpai."

"Will you keep it a secret from Goshujin-sama? If you tell him, I'll get mad, okay?"

Judging from the looks of it, Niku's collar seemed to constrict a tiny amount.

However, Niku simply smiled as she knocked away the final rabbit's head.