Chapter 60 Stop Scolding Me, Stop Scolding Me

Seeing Mutti mumbling away to herself, O랑 was at a loss for words.

What did she mean by a "fake three-star"?

He, of similar age, had just reached two stars and was already hailed as a genius by many. No matter how "fake" her three-star rank might be, she was still in a completely different league from a two-star hunter.

Besides, given that exquisite swordsmanship capable of suppressing a Barroth head-on, not to mention the monstrous strength with which she swung her shield until the Barroth's eyes rolled back in white, how on earth did she associate herself with the word "fake"?

While her peers were still training in camps or building foundations under their masters, she was already stressing out over failing to solo a Barroth?

Have some confidence!

Though he had many thoughts running through his mind, O랑 was not naturally good at praising others, so he did not voice them directly.

He picked up a palm-sized steamed bun from the bamboo steamer brought over by the fat man, Jala, and shoved it into her hands.

"Stop overthinking it. Eat first."

"Thanks..."

Mutti softly replied. Accepting the food, her expression seemed to brighten somewhat. With a single bite, she finished a third of the bun, chewed twice with bulging cheeks, swallowed, and took a second bite.

When O랑 picked up another bun to eat himself, she had already finished hers.

"?"

O랑 fell silent for a second, then handed the bun in his hand over to her.

Jala also stared at her in a daze. Her mouth didn't look that big? At the rate she was eating, two steamers of buns wouldn't last her more than a few bites, would they?

O랑 didn't mind Mutti eating a lot, especially since she had previously told him she had a huge appetite.

He was only worried that the food wouldn't be served fast enough and that she would finish both steamers of buns before long, creating an awkward situation.

Fortunately, that did not happen. The Felyne chef clearly knew Mutti, and when preparing and serving dishes, he noticeably favored their table.

Before the three of them and the Palico could finish their buns, a huge platter of mixed fried rice was placed on their table.

"Have this to line your stomachs first, meow! The other dishes will be ready in a moment, meow!"

The Felyne chef's figure darted rapidly between the cutting board, the stove, the grill, and the steamer, and the speed at which the food was served was astonishingly fast.

It wasn't just their table; the guests at other tables were not neglected either. Having been hungry all day, O랑 and the others could no longer hold back and dug in with their heads down.

"The grand finale is here, meow!"

A whole roasted leg of meat, still attached to the grill, landed with a "thud!" on their table. "You brought the finest Barrels of Barubare spices, so I roasted the meat in the most traditional way, meow! These two are the absolute best match, meow!"

Wielding his kitchen knife like a dual-blade user dancing in a frenzy, he carved the large roasted leg into thick slices and generously showered them with orange-red Barubare spice powder.

A rich, complex, and exotic aroma hit them instantly. Even though they were already seventy or eighty percent full, O랑 felt his mouth watering profusely at that moment.

Mutti, who had previously been depressed over her mission failure, lost all trace of her gloomy demeanor, let out a cheer, and buried her face in eating.

O랑 used his fork to spear a large chunk and shoved it into his mouth.

The punch of the spices hit his brain directly, almost making him sneeze. But after savoring it carefully, he could only conclude that this final Barubare roast was well worth all the twists and turns of the day!

Nearly half of a table overflowing with enormous portions of gourmet food eventually ended up in Mutti's stomach. Even so, O랑 was stuffed to the point of hiccuping continuously, while Saji lay flat on a chair with his belly out, looking utterly immobile.

Jala had also lost his previous liveliness, lazily leaning against the back of his chair like a fully fed Congalala King.

After resting for a little while, O랑 stood up to pay the bill.

Mutti and Jala hurriedly tried to get up, but O랑 pressed his hands down. "Alright, let this meal be my treat. Mutti, I told you before I'd invite you to a grand feast to show my gratitude. And big brother Jala as well—you showed us around for so long and even let us taste the finest roast meat; it would be too unreasonable to let you pay."

Mutti scratched the back of her head, somewhat embarrassed. "W-well, alright then. Next time, I'll pay."

"Hiccup—!"

A loud hiccup from Jala drew their attention. "Today, I sure got to bask in the glow of you two! Between the spices personally mixed by Granny Herb and the Felyne chef's full-throttle feast, your food luck is extraordinary! I consider the two of you friends for sure. Next time I score some rare ingredients, I'll host and treat you! I'm a native-born local of Barubare anyway, so if you ever want to ask about anything or need help, come find me anytime. I know all the owners of the food stalls; just ask them for 'Fat Jala,' and they'll tell you where to find me. You two look like you still have things to talk about, so I won't intrude here. I'm off!"

With that, Jala patted his belly, used the Insect Glaive leaning beside him to support his weight, struggled to his feet, gave a casual wave of his chubby hand in farewell, and walked away alone.

Watching the big fat man's carefree retreating figure, O랑 smiled. Earlier, Ms. Sophia had told him to take the opportunity to make more friends, and this certainly counted as one.

Finding the Felyne chef who had a little free time, O랑 took out his money pouch to pay, only to hear the Felyne say that, for the sake of the spices and Mutti, he would waive the bill for them.

After O랑 explained at length that this meal was to thank Mutti for her support in battle earlier, the chef reluctantly agreed to accept a small amount, though it was still absurdly cheap—barely covering the cost of the ingredients.

O랑 wanted to give him a bit more, but was shooed away with a wave of a large ladle on the grounds that he was "being a nuisance," and was sent off carrying two bowls of sweet rice cakes.

Scratching his cheek, O랑 returned to the table and placed both bowls of sweet rice cakes in front of Mutti.

He and Saji genuinely couldn't force down another bite...

"Are you very close with the Felyne chef?" O랑 asked curiously after sitting down and pouring himself a cup of tea.

It wasn't just about waiving the bill; from the chef's attitude when he discovered Mutti was injured earlier, it was clear they were more than ordinary regular customers.

But wasn't this guy from Dondorma?

"Mmm—" Mutti scooped up a large chunk of sweet rice cake with her spoon, popped it into her mouth, and muttered around the spoon, "The one who's close with the Felyne chef is my mother. They used to travel together." (Note)

"I see," O랑 nodded. "By the way, do you still plan to hunt that Barroth?"

This sudden change of topic almost caused Mutti to choke. Struggling to swallow the sticky rice cake blocking her throat, she whispered, "Of course I do. If I give up just because I failed, I'll never be able to break through my own limits."

O랑 uttered an "uh" and acknowledged the statement. "Actually, you could have just said so at the time—said that the Barroth was your mission target. It was already pretty weak back then; if the two of us had pursued it together, we would have had at least a ninety percent chance of resolving it smoothly."

Mutti shook her head resolutely. "That wouldn't be right. You accepted a commission to escort a caravan; protecting your companions is your responsibility. I couldn't possibly ask you to abandon your duty to help me complete my quest."

O랑 was slightly stunned upon hearing this, thinking that this girl had a remarkably upright way of thinking. "...Wait, with your swordsmanship, even alone, you should have been able to finish off that heavily injured Barroth. You didn't deliberately wait for its wounds to heal before fighting it again, did you?"

"Mmm..." Mutti whispered an affirmative.

"Are you an idiot?!" O랑's voice couldn't help rising a notch.

Even Saji, sprawling in his chair, couldn't help straightening his neck to see what kind of fool would actually wait for a monster to recover its injuries and stamina before hunting it, only to get beaten flat by the monster.

Mutti clutched her head in a pitiful "stop yelling at me" pose. "I just wanted to train myself, right? If the opponent is weakened too severely, it doesn't serve the purpose of training."

"......"

For a moment, O랑 couldn't tell whether this girl was foolish or possessed true ambition.

"Well then, when you plan to challenge the Barroth again, take me with you. The two of us teaming up should be able to suppress that guy smoothly. When you want to train yourself, I can stand guard on the side to prevent accidents."

Mutti raised her head and looked at him in confusion. "Why would you help me to this extent?"

O랑 flashed a grin. "It's not really helping you; I want to use a Barroth to practice my skills too. But being a stranger in Barubare, it wouldn't be easy to find another three-star hunter willing to take me along. Also, if you don't mind, how about teaching me the Long Sword? In return, I can teach you the Sword and Shield. Hmm, if you're not interested, Dual Blades are fine too, and I know Great Sword and Hammer as well."

"I am definitely not learning the Great Sword from you," Mutti muttered softly. "The way you use it isn't a Great Sword at all..."

"What did you say?" O랑 didn't catch her mumbling.

"Nothing!"

......

ps. A brief explanation for new readers: you can think of Mutti's mother as the protagonist of Monster Hunter 4, which is why she is so familiar with all the NPCs of the Caravan.