011 The Hunter’s Workshop

Just a little further and I’ll be home. His steps quickened automatically.

‘Will they be happy?’

On modern Earth, money is everything. The bigger the number that goes into your bank account every month from a good job, the better you are treated as a prospective groom.

But here, the wolf he was carrying would be quite a fortune.

Even if he couldn’t process the hide properly and it was of slightly lower quality, it would at least make a rug for the house, and most importantly, there was plenty of meat. Food is the best thing.

Even though the dead wolf was lean, there was still plenty to eat because of its large size. Just one leg was quite big.

‘I wonder if wolf meat tastes good.’

He didn’t know for sure, but he thought they could eat wolf meat anyway.

At the very least, he was sure Lizzie and Dorothy would be happy. They would definitely be more surprised than when he brought out the water bucket. He even thought they might respect him. Of course, he wasn’t aiming for that. He just thought it might happen.

He walked cheerfully, and just as the house came into view between the trees, he heard a sudden scream. It was a child’s voice, Dorothy.

His heart started pounding. Could it be that a wolf had come down here? Or a wild boar? Or a snake? What if it was a viper…

Without even thinking of putting down the water bucket, he just started running.

Soon, he saw Lizzie running out of the house, and she started screaming too.

“….”

Juhwan was still running. Just in case, he was running. There might be a wolf. But no matter what, Lizzie and Dorothy…

—

It looked like a small body rolling and clinging to Lizzy. It was Dorothy.

Lizzy was holding a knife with trembling hands, pointing it into the air. More precisely, in the direction where Joo-hwan was.

Dorothy was clinging to Lizzy’s waist, crying and shouting something.

There were no wolves to be seen anywhere around the two.

Joo-hwan stopped walking at a slight distance. It seemed he had scared Lizzy and Dorothy. The two were crying because of him. Was it because of the wolf? It wasn’t alive, it was dead, but was it still scary?

‘Because both of them are women.’

It seemed he lacked consideration. On modern Earth, of course, you wouldn’t bring such a beast’s carcass in front of women. But he thought it would be okay here. He thought Lizzy and Dorothy would be happy to see the wolf.

Joo-hwan put the water bottle and the wolf carcass on the ground. Come to think of it, he was covered in blood. The wolf’s blood and his own blood were mixed, making his whole body red. There were also some liquids that weren’t blood. Probably something from inside the wolf’s head. Was it okay to show himself like this?

As he hesitated and took a few steps forward, suddenly Lizzy dropped the knife and started running.

“Joo-hwan! Joo-hwan!”

She cried out his name while running. He didn’t quite understand what was happening. As he stood there awkwardly, Lizzy ran and fell forward.

Startled, he ran to her, and Lizzy stretched out her skinny arms.

“Joo-hwan!”

She was crying loudly. He didn’t know why, but no, it must be because of the wolf. Could it be that killing wolves was forbidden in this forest? Was Lizzy scared and crying because of that? Maybe the wolf was the guardian of the forest or something. Or maybe it was an animal that only high-ranking people could hunt.

He felt uneasy. If only they could communicate, he would have understood the situation quickly, but not knowing the meaning made him restless.

As he thought that, Lizzy saw the wound on his arm and screamed.

Then she started checking his face, neck, and chest frantically while crying. Her small, thin fingers fumbled over his body from bottom to top, then back to the middle.

Before he knew it, Dorothy also came running and fumbled over his shoulder. It seemed she was imitating Lizzy.

Dorothy went around to his back to check for wounds, while Lizzy fumbled over his whole body from the front.

‘Were they simply worried about me?’

It had been a long time since someone worried about him. His heart felt ticklish. He felt a bit embarrassed and a little happy. His face seemed to blush without him realizing it.

‘Right. If someone who went to fetch water suddenly comes back covered in a wolf, of course, they’d be surprised and worried.’

Lizzy, being from this world, would know better than him how dangerous wolves were.

In fact, if it weren’t for the sudden burst of flames, it would have been dangerous. He could have been bitten by the wolf and died, or he could have been severely injured.

Joo-hwan gently held Lizzy’s wrist.

“It’s okay. I’m not hurt. Well, I was hurt, but I’m okay now. I was only bitten on the arm. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

As he repeated that he was okay several times, Lizzy finally stopped her flailing hands. Ignoring the blood staining her, Lizzy put her arms around his neck, hugged him, and cried.

“####. ####”

Lizzy kept repeating the same words. It seemed like she was saying something like ‘thank goodness’ or ‘I was worried.’

Dorothy, either imitating Lizzy or just acting on her own, also stretched out her hand to Joo-hwan’s neck and cried on his back.

—

Sometimes, Dorothy would pat his back with her hand. When she said something that sounded similar to Lizzy, it seemed like she was imitating her. This must mean she was worried too.

After the three of them clung together for a while, Juhwan slightly moved his body.

He had to deal with the wolf. If he didn’t quickly remove the entrails and blood, they might not be able to eat the wolf meat they had caught.

Grandfather had mentioned it several times. If you neglect to drain the blood, the meat will become too gamey and lose its flavor.

When he pointed to the wolf and mimicked using a knife with his hand, Lizzy seemed to understand. She hurriedly stood up.

As Juhwan approached the wolf and shouldered it again, Lizzy’s mouth opened wide in surprise. Her eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the wolf and Juhwan.

At first, Dorothy looked at the wolf with slightly frightened eyes. She didn’t move.

But the child seemed to decide it was okay when the adults remained calm. Watching Lizzy and Juhwan, she ran around Juhwan in a circle, making a slightly larger circle.

When the wolf hung limp and didn’t move at all, her fear seemed to disappear. She came closer. Looking up at the wolf with sparkling eyes, Dorothy shouted something. She jumped up and down in excitement.

Indeed, even when a man becomes an adult, a part of him remains a child. Seeing Lizzy and Dorothy’s surprised faces made his shoulders involuntarily shrug.

He thought he looked a bit foolish, but his excited heart didn’t calm down.

Heh heh heh, don’t I look cool? His lips curled up slightly with that thought.

But Lizzy’s face wasn’t very bright. She kept looking at the wound on Juhwan’s arm. Her face, messy with tears, was once again on the verge of crying.

“….”

From now on, he should try not to get hurt as much as possible. It might not be something he can control, but he should try his best.

*

Lizzy led him towards the forest. A little away from the cabin, there was a small hut near the forest. It was made of wood and wasn’t very big.

Lizzy pointed to a door with a wooden latch. Then she mimicked cutting something while pointing at the wolf. Yes, I understand what you mean.

The fact that the cabin was a hunter’s house meant there was a space for processing game. Grandfather also had a small space behind the country house for handling carcasses.

‘But.’

When Juhwan opened the door, a strong stench wafted out from the dark, narrow space. It was the smell of animal blood that had permeated the building for a long time.

‘I thought this was a bathroom.’

When he first came, he had seen this building, but since it was far from the house and a bit small, he thought it was a bathroom.

I thought they had built a very large bathroom. I thought it might be a bathroom and a storage for compost.

But if this isn’t a bathroom, then where do they go? There are no other buildings around here that look like bathrooms.

‘There can’t be no bathroom. Then where do they…’

Thinking that, Juhwan shook his head. He felt like he might imagine something strange. Stop it.

Juhwan went inside and opened the wooden shutter. The window was larger than the one in the cabin, probably for ventilation.

Light poured in through the large window, and he could see even the corners that had been hidden. There were black marks that looked like traces of blood and entrails in places.

In the corner, there was a wooden barrel that smelled musty. It seemed to be a place to store the by-products that came out while disassembling animal carcasses. He didn’t know for sure, but that was the feeling he got.

—

On one side of the wall, there were two knives hanging. One large and one small. They seemed to be used for skinning animals and cutting bones. Unlike those on Earth, the knives were incredibly thick. They looked like just thick pieces of iron with only the ends sharpened.

Below them was a workbench made from a cut tree, resembling a desk. In the corner, there was a small water container and a flat stone. It seemed to be used for sharpening the knives.

On the front wall, there were several wooden sticks protruding like wall hangers. They seemed to be used for hanging animal fur or meat. It didn’t seem to be a storage place, probably used during work.

On the remaining wall, there were items whose uses were unclear, mixed with familiar ones. Leather pouches, oddly shaped wooden sticks, something that looked like a net, ropes, long sticks with snares attached, etc.

Why did the villagers take the items from the house but leave everything here untouched? It’s a bit strange.

Maybe there’s some kind of superstition. Like, if you touch a hunter’s belongings, you’ll be cursed, something like that.

Or maybe the village economy runs by periodically exchanging the animals the hunter catches with the crops the villagers grow. The hunter supplements the meat that the village’s livestock can’t provide, like a butcher. Or maybe not.

“….”

It would have been nice if I could understand the language. Then I wouldn’t have to be anxious about not knowing the situation.

A sigh came out naturally. Wherever you go, if you don’t know the language and letters, you’re just ripe for being scammed. Even if it’s not this time, I should learn it as soon as possible.

But, even if I learn to speak from Lizzy, where can I learn the letters? It seems that there are few people who can read and write.

Maybe the village chief knows. Even if he knows, he might not be willing to teach. The saying “knowledge is power” fits especially well with letters. If only the village chief and a few others know the letters, they might not want to teach for their own benefit.

“Sigh.”

Anyway, let’s start with handling the wolf. I need to remove the entrails first. That’s the most urgent task right now. Let’s hurry.

Juhwan frowned as he carefully examined the workshop. It seemed difficult to remove the entrails or blood here.

There were no holes for the blood to drain out. Maybe the previous hunter just collected the entrails and blood in a container and took them outside. But if that’s the case, it’s better to do it outside.

Moreover, the smell was too strong, probably because it hadn’t been used for a long time. It seemed impossible to use without disinfecting it with hot water. For now, I’ll have to open the door and windows for sunlight disinfection.

Juhwan went outside and headed towards the forest. Looking around for a suitable place, his eyes caught a tree in the forest.

Someone had tied a rope to a thick branch and let it hang down. There was a large rock right next to the tree. It was the perfect size for working.

Juhwan looked at Lizzy, who was right behind him. She was following him like a chick following its mother hen. She seemed worried about his injured arm.

But the forest is dangerous. The smell of blood might attract other wolves. In that case, if Lizzy and Dorothy are outside, they won’t be able to fight properly.

Juhwan pointed to the cabin with his finger. He repeatedly gestured for them to go inside.

Lizzy looked at Juhwan’s face with an anxious expression, then at his arm, and then alternately at the distant wolf carcass. Finally, she nodded slightly as if she had no choice.

She hesitated and headed towards the house. She kept looking back several times, seemingly worried.

After confirming that Dorothy and Lizzy, who were standing near the house, had entered the house together, Juhwan headed towards the tree with the rope.