Redo Of Healer Volume 1 Chapter 14 – The Healer Reaches The City Of The Fittest
Part 1
I killed the one-horned rabbit that showed up, butchered the meat and then started a fire for cooking. Of course, it was for tonight’s dinner.
The miasma contained in the meat of monsters is poisonous to humans, so you can’t eat monsters. But, beside the miasma, it also contains a factor that helps humans get stronger.
Each monster has a different factor, so there’s no point in eating the same monster twice. For example, after taking in the factor of this one-horned rabbit…
“Hou, it seems my talent for physical attack went up by 2.”
And just like that, my talent value increased. The status is made up of multiplying the talent values by the level. My physical attack talent might have only gone up by 2, but it’s already good that the base value has increased.
The higher the level, the bigger the difference these small increases will make.
I use Transformation Heal on the meat that I’m handling. Using the foundation of a theory an ancient hero made, I remove the miasma and activate the factor. You can’t just go around eating any and all monsters, you have to check for the factor every time.
It’s terrifying that the ancient hero Souji managed to figure this out without the Jade Eye. There’s rumors he left many research papers, but he’s someone who lived hundreds of years ago, so most of them are gone.
I would like to look through his research one day. Souji is the ancestor of the Sword Saint. Maybe if I ask Sword Saint Kureha, whom I healed, she’ll let me look through the documents. I’ll ask her that if I see her again.
“Now, I should concentrate on cooking.”
I distracted myself a little. I should think about tonight’s dinner rather than the far future.
I cut up the rabbit’s meat and decided to use the best part, the thigh, for dinner. I’ll cut up the rest and keep it as jerky on stock. I want to keep a good stock of preserved food, and I’ll also let our new companion eat this to increase her talent values.
I cut the meat into thin slices, put salt on it and fry it. At the same time, I bring out our preserved bread and cut it in half. I put in the nicely grilled meat with some tomatoes and cheese.
It’s a simple dish, but it’s tasty. A one-horned rabbit thigh sandwich. I also made an impromptu tea by boiling some medicinal herbs.
It’s quite a good menu for people who are traveling.
“Freia, shall we eat?”
I smile at her. Freia was watching the whole cooking process with a blank face.
“It’s amazing. Keyaruga-sama is very skilled.”
“Well, it’s just a matter of getting used to it.”
“It looks delicious even though it’s monster meat.”
“It actually tastes good if you just eat it, you know.”
“But the miasma…”
“Trust me. I already removed the miasma.”
I give Freia a hot rabbit thigh sandwich. She’s no longer princess Flare, but rather Freia, my trusted servant. I’ll be in trouble later if I don’t raise her status.
Freia timidly accepts the sandwich. The aroma from the savory meat, the acidity of the tomatoes and the attraction of the melted cheese make Freia’s stomach rumble. That’s just what happens when you smell good food after getting tired from walking for so long.
She stares at the sandwich, blushing. Her expression was full of anticipation. It seems her hunger won over her fear of the monster meat.
“Um, Keyaruga-sama, do you have a knife and fork?”
Come to think of it, Freia used to be a princess. She probably has no concept of eating with her bare hands.
“This is how you eat it.”
It’s too much trouble to explain, so it’s easier to demonstrate. I bite into the hot sandwich.
The juices from the juicy thigh meat overflow into my mouth. The acidity of the tomatoes accentuated the meat’s flavor. The bread had been quite hard to act as preserved food, but the meat’s juices and cheese made it quite nice to eat.
Put simply, it’s delicious.
“You eat it in such a vulgar-looking way, but it looks so delicious.”
Saying this, Freia reservedly bites into the hot sandwich. Her eyes shine as she munches on it. And then…
“Delicious!”
She says with a face brimming with joy.
“I didn’t know monsters taste so good, and my stomach isn’t upset either. Let’s eat this all the time from now on!”
Freia ate the hot sandwich little by little like a small animal, albeit a hungry one.
“As long as you like it.”
“I didn’t know it was possible to make something so delicious with such ingredients.”
“Well, I can’t make anything elaborate, but I can do the minimum to make sure we’ll have a comfortable trip.”
“That’s still plenty, it’s amazing. To think I even forgot Keyaruga-sama’s amazing cooking skills, I’m no good as your servant. I hope I can get my memories back soon.”
Freia looked sad for a moment, but then she regained her composure and continued eating. She really seems to enjoy it. It made me a bit happy.
When she finally finished eating, I figured I should give her some advice.
“I agree that the monsters are delicious, but don’t eat any but the ones I cook for you. The miasma will kill you.”
Removing the miasma is something impossible to do if you don’t know how. It’s a complicated technique that you won’t just happen to figure out. And even if you did know how, the magic used is hard to cast. All of that explains why this method isn’t widely known.
At the very least, I would be too afraid to eat monster meat that was processed by someone else. Freia is currently drinking her after-meal tea.
I gave her that little warning on the off chance that she ever thought of hunting a monster for her to eat on her own. But well, if I tell her this much, I’m sure she won’t do anything strange.
Part 2
We spent the night in the forest. I slept while being partially awake and alert.
Even though the monster repelling incense I bought is still burning, the forest at night is still fearsome. There’s all kinds of beasts and monsters. This resting while being on guard is one of the techniques that don’t rely on skills I got through Imitation Heal.
I looked at Freia, who was sleeping beside me. She seems to be sleeping comfortably without a care in the world. She must have been tired from the unusual exercise. It’s a little cute even.
Today as well I enjoyed Freia’s body before she fell asleep. Since her memories are gone, she thinks of me as her beloved man and accepts my body into hers.
“I have to make sure I don’t become emotionally attached.”
Seeing Flare, whose memories have been erased, become the truly innocent Freia makes my heart flutter. I’m afraid my hatred might fade.
I chose to not kill princess Flare but to use her as Freia for multiple reasons.
First, her skills as the Magic Hero are excellent. She also has the ability to double the experience earned in the party she’s at, and that skill is stacked with my own.
Besides, it’s more humiliating to use her than to just kill her.
So I’m just using princess Flare to become stronger and to get revenge. So I’ll even use her as a shield if I need to. I’ll use her until the very last moment and then, when she’s as good as tattered rags, I’ll throw her away. It’s not that I hesitated to kill her.
This is only the start of my revenge. My revenge is not over. There’s still the Sword Hero and the Cannon Hero left.
Maybe they could also have their uses, but I think I’ll just kill them. I don’t want to bother my head with unnecessary things anymore.
Part 3
The next morning, we removed our camp and left.
For breakfast, we had soup made with the leftover meat from yesterday.
Before we left, I checked our status. The factor we took in from the monster yesterday had adapted to our bodies. The talent values for mine and Freia’s physical attack rose up by 2.
That brought my physical attack from 130 to 132, and Freia’s from 70 to 72.
It might not seem like a big change, but the more it accumulates the bigger the difference becomes.
But taking in any more of the one-horned rabbit’s factor is meaningless. Only new monsters with other types of factors will make us stronger little by little.
The next day, we progressed faster than I imagined. It’s due to Freia being more used to physical labor. This allowed her to show the real power of her high status and we were able to reach Ranalitta before the sun had completely set.
We were able to easily enter Ranalitta without any identification, as we’d need in any other city.
As we walked into town, a carriage suddenly came up behind us at high speeds. It was quite dangerous, but here in Ranalitta it’s a common sight. I looked at the back of the carriage and saw a cage there.
In that cage, cat-eared girls were chained together and crying as they held the bars with both hands. They must have been kidnapped from some demi-human village to be sold as slaves.
Immediately, I was almost overwhelmed by the chaotic liveliness of the city.
Instead of the orderly grid-like townscape of the capital, these buildings are clustered, with each owner thinking only of their own convenience. This city never sleeps, with constant voices trying to attract customers and angry shouts, even though it’s already night.
Ranalitta has many names. Such as the Dark City, where many crimes occur and illegal dealings take place.
It’s a city where the law is vague, so the only person who will look out for you is yourself, conflict is always raging. The City of the Strong.
Because of this, money flows more actively than any other city and wealthy people are born every day. The City of Gold.
Here, the price of life is cheap. And, if you’re not careful, someone’s going to take yours or make you pay for it. To be the one that takes, you need to be strong and smart. I will be the one who takes.
Now then, after I find an inn, I should immediately go buy a slave. I’ll need a good shield.