Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 40

To Sarah’s question, I answered confidently.

“I’m sticking with it. It’s heartbreaking to see rookies getting exploited and crying about it. Besides, wouldn’t it be lonely for you if we ran out of meat soup for dinner?”

“N-No way! I only get to have meat soup like every other day!”

Rookie adventurers, despite their physical labor, don’t get to eat particularly well. Typically, it’s potatoes or barley porridge, whole grain bread, and leafy vegetables processed with salt or vinegar twice a day. During adventures, if they manage to hunt rabbits or birds, they might add meat to their diet.

Eating monsters is taboo because they’re believed to be born from the impurities of the earth. When I asked in my previous party why we couldn’t eat monsters, a knowledgeable mage on guard duty explained it to me one night. It seems children in the village are told bedtime stories about people who broke the village rules and ate nothing but monsters until they turned into one themselves.

There are no statistics kept in this world, so it’s impossible to verify whether these stories are true. And unless you’re starving, there’s no reason to find out for yourself.

In a world with many monsters, it’s hard to find safe land for grazing, which makes animal husbandry difficult. In this city, meat is a luxury.

Considering she eats meat soup every other day, Sarah must be doing well financially now.

Looking closely, I noticed that Sarah’s face and hair have gotten a lot shinier. When I complimented her, saying “You’ve put on some weight.”

“Right?!” she responded, puffing out her stomach.

I think she really grew up in the countryside around here. There aren’t any overweight farmers in rural areas because they’re not affluent enough to gain weight. “You’ve put on some weight” is a compliment for farmers. I feel like I’m praising livestock.

“So, are you going to turn down the invitation from the Sword Fangs Legion? What a waste!!” She sighs, blushes, and then shouts excitedly. She’s a busy one.

“No, I’m really thinking about it. I want to think about it alone for a while.”

With that, Sarah backs off. Maybe I’ll have a drink and think things over for a while.

The members of the Fangs of War probably eat meat every day. In this world with few entertainments, inequality often shows in meals. I ate meat and drank ale while thinking about pointless things.

Sarah slyly sat down with me, ordered ale for herself as well, and stuck me with the bill, but I stopped caring halfway through.