LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 87
Even when a person isn’t hungry, seeing someone enjoy a meal can naturally stir a desire for the same food.
If that isn’t the case, it simply means the subject isn’t eating deliciously enough.
In that sense, Catherine’s eating was utterly devastating for Narque, who had skipped breakfast and snacks after finishing research and analysis from dawn.
However, Narque hesitated.
People are strongly influenced by first impressions. In that regard, Karem’s balsamic seasoned fried chicken had a negative impact on Narque.
Instead of the usual appetizing scents that could stimulate the senses, there was a black hue that suppressed appetite. Some of the dark red sauce coating the fried chicken had clumped up like congealed blood, covering the chicken entirely.
Still, the scent was enticing in a positive way, reminiscent of the monstrous allure of man-eating plants like Alraune, Nepenthes, or Dryads.
But—
Crunch!
“Uh, all this juice is splattering!”
“I’ll wipe it right away.”
It was a sound not merely crispy, but a delightful coexistence of crunchiness and chewiness.
That sound was enough to stir the empty, fatigue-filled stomach of a person who had just awoken.
Moreover, it was reminiscent of Catherine’s soft smile as the juices burst forth from her mouth, which could only be described as delicious.
In that instant, a ray of light broke through the gloomy sky, whispering to Narque in a voice that he couldn’t hear.
“Wow, how reckless. You’re still holding back?”
“You could just honestly say you’re hungry.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Your body seems to be quite honest, Escarnah.”
Flustered by Karem’s playful tone, Narque blinked, suddenly feeling discomfort in his fingers.
“Ah, wait! When did that happen!?”
Just like realizing a wound after it starts to hurt, a flood of violent sensations rushed into Narque’s mind.
After a brief pause, Narque resolutely shut his eyes, which had been distracted by first impressions (not true), and brought a chicken leg to his mouth.
Crunch-Squelch!
Indeed, it was a different texture from the crispy fried chicken she had eaten over the past few days.
Though the crunchy sensation was diminished, the meatiness had multiplied. It had a chewy texture, somewhere between boiled or stewed chicken skin and rotisserie chicken.
It wasn’t tough at all, breaking apart easily with just tooth movements, yielding a sufficiently soft texture.
This flavor was completely different from the bland fried chicken.
The rich flavors and sharp acidity felt electrifying on Narque’s tongue, awakening his senses like a spider web.
Narque had felt a similar sensation before.
Back when she was still wandering the Europa continent, delicious meals had been a luxury for her, living a sloppy life as a necromancer without a proper place to stay.
While she had grown accustomed to various things, one thing remained utterly foreign: salt.
Surviving on a few thumb-sized salt crystals and dry bread for over half a year was her daily reality.
Then came the salty jerky, which pierced her tongue and awakened her entire nervous system.
As the sauce touched her tongue, that unforgettable sensation rushed back.
But just as her tongue began to numb from the overwhelming stimulation, the silky, tender flesh, bursting with hot, savory oil and juices, calmed it down.
“…!”
The intense stimulus nearly made her lose control, but somehow, Narque managed to swallow every last drop without spilling.
Her expression softened.
The harmony felt in the essence of the chicken and sauce traveled from her tongue to her throat.
The rich and warm flavor of the chicken hidden beneath the unpierced crispy coating engulfed her mouth like a flood.
And alongside the crispy coating that disappeared, only the chewy chicken flesh remained tenderly tearing apart.
Upon regaining her senses, Narque realized she had been holding the bone with just the ends left.
Quickly crunching the bone, Narque grabbed the remaining chicken leg.
Catherine looked at her with a bewildered expression.
“I’ve thought about it before, but why do you only prefer legs? You have a unique taste.”
“Well, there’s no need to fight over parts; it’s better to enjoy what’s good.”
Karem, who preferred chicken breasts just like Catherine, chimed in.
There were many on the Europa continent who favored chicken breasts.
The reason was relatively simple.
Simply put, that part had more meat.
“What? The legs are more tender and juicy? That’s because the cook messed up the breast and made it dry.”
Karem had always prided himself on his cooking skills with chicken breast, honed through his previous life’s dieting regimen.
From grilling, steaming, frying to everything in between, it would be a disservice to compare it to the sad, dry chicken breast from typical chicken franchises.
Nonetheless, Narque, with her peculiar taste for chicken legs, unabashedly picked up a leg nobody else touched.
Boom!
“Bwaaaahh!?”
As her body jolted from the shock and sound, Narque screamed, then screamed for another reason altogether.
“My leg!”
In a sudden shock, the seasoned fried chicken slipped from Narque’s hands and fell flat on the wooden floor of the command tower.
Narque silently howled in despair at this disaster.
How could such a thing happen!?
One precious leg, which only yielded two pieces from an entire chicken, had been ruthlessly sacrificed.
Regardless, Karem frowned, looking toward the depths of the forest.
A dark aura was slowly emanating.
“Sir Atanitas, what’s that coming from the forest?”
Catherine asked, not taking her eyes off the black energy seeping from the woods.
“Kid, are you saying you can see that?”
“If it’s that distinct dark, tentacle-like aura, then yes.”
“Then, that’s what it is.”
“Sounds like it can’t be good news?”
“Exactly, not good news at all. Manifesting spirit (or aura) of death. This is serious; follow me!”
Catherine grabbed her staff and dashed out of the command tower.
Karem promptly packed the seasoned fried chicken into a basket and pulled the still stunned Narque along behind her.
“It doesn’t seem overly chaotic, surprisingly.”
The village was indeed quite confused, but the staff from the Adventurer Guild dispatched from Coldon were running around, calming the situation.
This was aided by the self-defense force led by Fungusbee’s chief.
As the chief wandered around here and there, he noticed Catherine and rushed over.
“Your Grace!”
The chief urgently called out to Catherine.
“Gather the Adventurer Guild staff. Assemble all adventurers participating in the subjugation at the village square. I’ll be waiting there with my subordinates.”
“At the square?”
“Yes. It seems the cause of the problem has appeared, so we need to mobilize our top strength. I will also participate in the subjugation.”
“Y-You, your Grace, the Grand Wizard. Ah, understood!”
“And it’s not your Grace; it’s Chief Consultant. Also, have the soldiers waiting at the lodge summoned to the square.”
“Yes!”
Finishing her words, Catherine sent the chief off.
He nodded and immediately commanded the self-defense members to disperse throughout the village.
“Are you going to take action like during the Ice Worm subjugation?”
Karem, cradling the basket carefully in both hands, asked.
“Yes. When the spirit of death is so markedly visible to those who can’t handle magic, we can’t afford to delay; the forest could genuinely become a dungeon spitting out the undead.”
Catherine nervously walked toward the square, using her staff to guide her along the path.
“Yeah, a spirit like that should be enough to provoke the mushroom golem, which is left with only instincts. I’ve received reports over several days, but the forest could be more chaotic than expected.”
Unlike in the tower, Karem had little to do in the village.
His tasks consisted of preparing three meals and snacks, and chatting with the two wizards.
However, thanks to that, he had managed to gather light ice-breaking level knowledge about magic and necromancy.
Knowledge regarding the manifesting spirit of death was also included in that.
Typically, the spirit is energy created when the aura from corpses is corrupted and poisoned by magic.
Naturally, it would be invisible to those who couldn’t handle magic, and if it had manifested to that degree, it meant a person or object had intentionally worsened the situation.
“But the undead won’t appear.”
“Right. The magic of the person meant to have the undead would be forming with the mushroom golem.”
“However, we should prepare to face at least intermediate undead level golems.”
Narque spoke without trembling, nor caring about the surrounding eyes, her ears that had dipped down suddenly perked up as she expressed her frustration.
She was usually timid, but Narque had this side too?
Karem saw a new side of Narque.
“Be it the long-gone Demon King army, merely a nuisance of a collaborator, or the relic of a former mentor, I will definitely repay my grudge against the chicken leg.”
What? Was it a misunderstanding?
Though her stuttering had vanished, her tone and subject matter remained ridiculously naive, and Karem gazed at Narque like that was the case.
Oblivious to it, Narque ignited her grudge and followed Catherine.
Not long after, the chief came running, breathlessly with the Adventurer Guild staff.
“Whoa, I’ve relayed the message to all the adventurers in the village, and the self-defense members and several adventurers went to call in those near the village.”
“Better be safe, send any non-combatants to safe zones.”
“The self-defense members will send everyone to the watchtower to keep an eye on the forest. Just in case, the adventurers—”
“Don’t worry. Aside from those entering the forest with me, the rest can be mobilized to protect the village.”
As Catherine commanded the guild staff and chief, all adventurers except those in the forest gathered, and she immediately issued orders.
The target for subjugation had revealed itself.
Adventurers of grade C and above would head into the woods alongside Catherine.
Adventurers of grade D and lower, along with some C grade adventurers, would remain in the village, preparing for any unexpected situations.
Lastly, with warnings that Narque, the necromancer under Catherine’s command, would join, almost nobody protested, even with scowls or huffs.
A noble whose commands included wealth, position, and power, the highest magic consultant of the Felwinter Family—how could anyone argue with that?
Even the few who objected in front of her were not because of Catherine.
“Narcissist!”
A shrill scream echoed.
“You’re telling me that foul energy can be in the middle of the village!”
“Hey, why is this priestess suddenly acting up!?”
Karem immediately turned his head toward the source of the commotion.
The origin of the noise was an adventurer party at the center of the square.
The roles varied—warrior, wizard, archer, thief, priestess.
The races were a mix of dwarf, human, elf, and gnome—truly a quintessential adventurer party.
And then, a woman clad in white priest robes was wildly swinging a mace in the air, screaming loudly.
As the commotion erupted suddenly, all eyes turned to Karem, Catherine, the chief, nearby adventurers, and the soldiers who had just entered the square.
“Necromancers and demons are heretics! They are to be annihilated! This must not go on!!!!”
“Hey! Sorceress! Did you forget the warning again?”
“Ah, it seems so.”
“This must not go on!!! I can’t break the heretic’s head!!!”
“Dwarf. Knock her out.”
At the elf archer’s suggestion, the dwarf warrior swung the pot with reluctance.
Bang!
The suddenly frenzied priestess fell silent with her crumpled pot.
Karem instinctively turned his head.
In the midst of her rage, Narque had a face of nostalgia and detachment.
“Wow. Such a clear and pure hatred toward a collaborator, it’s been a long time.”
“Is this the usual treatment for necromancers?”
“It depends on the region and which god one believes in. Usually, it’s such from churches like the Church of Judgment or the Left Blades of Tyr.”
In an instant, the tension in the square dissipated.
Catherine let out a deep sigh.
“Right, over-tensioning won’t do anyone any good, kid.”
“Yes. I’ll go to the shelter as well.”
“Yeah. Keep the basket safe. Tsk!”
Yet, Catherine felt equally anxious.
Eating while dealing with such? Whatever they’ve stirred up, it should be smashed to pieces. Dammit.