Chapter 374

The plate of Roast Leek Duck disappeared in no time at all.

After savoring the lingering flavor for a moment, Haruto picked up the remaining duck carcass, chopped it into smaller pieces, and placed them in a pot. He poured in the stock that had been drained from the duck’s body cavity earlier, added plenty of fresh water, and brought everything to a vigorous boil.

Once the broth was bubbling, he added softened sweet-potato vermicelli, then cut the reserved Leek Duck blood into small cubes and gently slid them into the pot.

The duck blood gradually firmed up in the boiling soup, becoming smooth, tender, and pleasantly springy.

When the vermicelli turned translucent, Haruto shut off the heat and ladled the soup into bowls. He topped each serving with the braised duck intestines, liver, and gizzard from earlier, then scattered chopped scallions over the surface.

A steaming bowl of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup was complete.

The milky-white broth was intensely savory, the tender Leek Duck blood almost melting on the tongue. The sweet-potato vermicelli was smooth yet pleasantly chewy, while the braised offal carried the deep fragrance of the master stock.

Every mouthful was packed with flavor.

A single sip sent warmth spreading throughout the body, while the slight richness left behind by the Roast Leek Duck was washed clean, leaving nothing but a lingering savory freshness.

Once they finished the soup, Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna resumed their search for ingredients and soon entered a vast forest.

They remained there for more than half a month before finally emerging.

After that, they spent several more days wandering without any particular destination, gathering whatever interesting ingredients they encountered along the way, until they eventually came across a village.

A smile appeared on Haruto’s face.

"A village. Perfect. We can ask around and see what kinds of monsters live nearby."

"In unfamiliar territory like this, local information is usually the most reliable."

The three quickened their pace and soon reached the village entrance.

It was a typical rural settlement.

A huge old tree stood near the entrance, its thick trunk broad enough that it would take two adults joining hands to encircle it. Beneath the branches, an aging yellow ox had been tethered in the shade and was leisurely swishing its tail while grazing on the grass.

The villagers paused in their work when Haruto’s group arrived, watching the unfamiliar travelers with curiosity and a trace of caution.

Haruto was just about to approach someone for information when a girl in a black mage’s robe caught his attention.

She had smooth black hair and crimson eyes.

At the moment, she was crouching on the ground with a small piece of bread in one hand, carefully feeding a stray kitten.

Haruto paused before recognizing her.

Yunyun.

A member of the Crimson Demons—and arguably the only normal person among them.

In a clan where nearly everyone suffered from terminal chuunibyou, Yunyun was a complete anomaly.

She couldn’t understand the Crimson Demons’ idea of what was "cool," and even their standard dramatic self-introductions embarrassed her so badly that she could barely force the words out.

Ironically, being too normal made her stand out among her own people.

From childhood, few of the other Crimson Demon children wanted to play with her because she wasn’t "cool" enough.

That had left Yunyun painfully self-conscious and desperately eager to make friends.

Haruto’s group had crossed paths with her a few times in Axel, though they had never really spoken.

Since they happened to meet again here, he naturally went over to say hello.

"Hi, Yunyun."

Yunyun visibly jumped at the sound of his voice.

She hurriedly looked up, and confusion appeared on her face when she recognized Haruto.

Her gaze moved uncertainly from him to Kagura and then Kanna.

"Y-You’re... Haruto-san, right? And Kagura-san and Kanna-san?"

Her voice was quiet and nervous, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her robe.

Although she had seen the three of them several times in Axel, they had never properly interacted.

She hadn’t expected Haruto to even know her name.

Haruto nodded.

"That’s right. I didn’t expect to run into you here. What brought you to this village?"

"I-I came here for a quest."

After leaving Axel, Yunyun had been traveling around and accepting various requests in order to train herself.

"I see."

Haruto nodded in understanding, then asked, "Do you know if there are any particularly strong or unusual monsters around here?"

Yunyun thought carefully for a moment, lightly tapping a finger against her chin.

"There’s a group of Lava Lizards near the foot of the volcano north of the village. They can spit fireballs, and they’re very aggressive."

"Someone also reported seeing a Tree Turtle out on the plains to the south, but Tree Turtles are very gentle and usually don’t attack humans."

"And there are Slimes in the forest to the west..."

Haruto had little interest in Lava Lizards or Slimes.

The Tree Turtle, however, immediately caught his attention.

"There’s a Tree Turtle nearby?"

While staying in Axel, Haruto had deliberately looked through this world’s monster guides, and he clearly remembered reading about them.

Tree Turtles were extraordinarily rare gigantic monsters with lifespans measured in thousands of years. They moved at an extremely slow pace and spent most of their lives wandering aimlessly across the land.

What made them truly remarkable, however, were the Golden Apple trees that grew on their backs.

The Golden Apples produced by those trees were worth a fortune.

They contained an extraordinary amount of magical power and were prized as top-class ingredients for making high-grade potions.

More importantly, though, Golden Apples were said to be incredibly delicious.

Back in the world of Toriko, Haruto had once obtained Golden Apples from a White Apple Tree.

He could still vividly remember their extraordinary sweetness.

Naturally, he was curious how the Golden Apples of the KonoSuba world compared.

Yunyun nodded firmly at his question.

"I actually saw tracks left by a Tree Turtle before."

She paused, then asked curiously, "Haruto-san, are you interested in Tree Turtles?"

"Very."

Haruto nodded without hesitation.

"The Golden Apples growing on their backs are extremely rare, top-quality ingredients."

He immediately turned toward Kagura and Kanna.

"Kagura, Kanna, let’s go find it."

Haruto was just about to set off when he noticed Yunyun hesitating.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her robe, and her lips moved slightly as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite bring herself to speak.

Haruto paused.

Then he understood.

She had finally encountered a few familiar faces in an unfamiliar place and was reluctant to see them leave so quickly.

Yunyun was still only a teenager, after all.

So Haruto stopped.

"Yunyun, do you remember roughly where you found the Tree Turtle’s tracks?"

"I know the general direction."

Yunyun nodded quickly and glanced at him hopefully.

"Then could you guide us? With you leading the way, we’ll probably find it much faster."

Haruto smiled sincerely.

Yunyun looked up and pointed at herself.

"M-Me?"

"Of course."

Haruto nodded.

"No problem! I’ll take you there!"

Yunyun nodded so enthusiastically that it almost seemed as though she was afraid Haruto might change his mind.

Watching how happy she looked, Haruto couldn’t help feeling that rather than him asking Yunyun for a favor, it was almost as if Yunyun were the one being helped.

The four set out together.

Yunyun was rather reserved at first, but after chatting with Kagura for a while, she gradually relaxed.

Before long, the two were talking and laughing comfortably as they walked.

After roughly half an hour, Kagura suddenly stopped.

"What’s wrong, Kagura?"

Yunyun looked at her curiously.

"There’s an enormous monster over there. It may be the Tree Turtle."

Kagura pointed toward the front-left.

Haruto had complete confidence in Kagura’s ability to scout through the wind.

The four adjusted their direction and headed toward the position she indicated.

Several minutes later, a faint vibration traveled through the ground.

Thoom... Thoom... Thoom...

The tremors came at regular intervals, each one slow, heavy, and steady.

As they continued forward, the vibration became increasingly obvious.

Excitement appeared on Yunyun’s face.

"That’s the sound a Tree Turtle makes when it walks! It must be close!"

Haruto scanned the area but couldn’t yet see anything.

"I’ll go up and take a look."

He cast flight magic and rose into the sky.

Once he reached sufficient altitude, Haruto hovered in place and surveyed the surrounding terrain.

It didn’t take long for him to spot an enormous figure roughly a kilometer ahead.

A colossal turtle, almost like a moving hill, was slowly making its way across the land.

Its shell was dark brown and resembled a massive slab of weathered rock.

More astonishingly, a huge tree dozens of meters tall was growing directly from the broad surface of its shell, which was wide enough to resemble a plaza.

The trunk was so thick that more than a dozen people joining hands would have been required to encircle it.

Its branches were dense with green leaves, forming an enormous canopy that spread over nearly the entire shell.

There was no doubt about it.

This was the Tree Turtle they had been searching for.

"That really is one enormous turtle..."

Haruto couldn’t help murmuring in amazement.

He had already known Tree Turtles were gigantic, but imagination couldn’t compare with seeing one in person.

Just then, a light breeze passed through the enormous canopy.

The leaves rustled gently.

A flash of gold slipped through the gaps and caught Haruto directly in the eyes.

He narrowed his gaze and looked more carefully.

Several huge Golden Apples hung among the lush branches.

Every apple was a brilliant golden yellow, as though cast from pure gold, with a perfectly smooth and rounded surface.

Sunlight reflected from their skins in dazzling flashes.

At the same time, a rich yet refreshing sweetness drifted toward Haruto on the breeze.

He swallowed involuntarily.

Those apples smelled incredible.