"...Perhaps it's 'Feed-the-wolf'[1]?" (Mile)
"Eh? That's like trying to trick a girl..." (Pauline)
Pauline reacted in surprise to Mile's muttering.
Yes, Pauline was often approached by men because of her physical features. Therefore, she was sensitive about such topics.
And…….
"Well then, let's just kill them!" (Reina)
Biku!
It wasn't as if the wolf could understand human language, but from Reina's atmosphere, tone of voice, and menacing gaze, the wolf seemed to sense some kind of danger and become frightened.
"No, no, I’m not talking about the reputational damage to wolves that humans added after the fact. I’m talking about the original, true meaning of the word! Some wolves have the habit of watching out for humans who enter their territory and following them until they leave. And when humans leave their territory, they return. It looks as if they are protecting someone who is lost in the forest and escorting them back to their home. Moreover, because the wolf is there, other wild animals and monsters won't come near. Other wild beasts and monsters know how furious a wolf can become if its prey is stolen during a hunt. Moreover, wolves hunt in packs, so there may be other wolves hiding out there, cornering prey, and no forest dweller would dare interfere with them. So..." (Mile)
"So, to those who have been tracked, they are truly guardian deity to be thanked for... Moreover, if it turns out to be a lost child, the gratitude from the parents will be incredible..." (Mavis)
Mile nodded in response to Mavis's words.
"Wolves have their good points too..." (Reina)
And Reina was impressed, but...
"But, well, if you stumble and fall, or make a sudden, big movement or yell, they'll reflexively attack and kill you. That's the negative meaning of 'Feed-the-wolf' and the habit that gave rise to the legends of the 'Mountain Dog'[2] and 'Feed-the-dog'[3]... Besides, if they're hungry, you'll probably be attacked and eaten right away. ...Ah, 'Mountain-dog' and 'Feed-the-dog' are wolves. Mountain dog is a wolf, and domestic dog[4] is probably what Reina-san imagines as a 'dog'[5], so don't get them mixed up!" (Mile)
"How do you know so much about it?" (Reina)
"Mile, you've only just arrived on this continent..." (Mavis)
"Mile-chan..." (Pauline)
Reina barked, while Mavis and Pauline look annoyed.
"Ah, no, that was just a story from my hometown… Well, I think the habits of wolves around here are the same, ahahaha…" (Mile)
"......" (Other 3)
Well, it's only now that Mile knew a lot of strange things.
And, it seemed the wolf realized that the danger had passed, and, although its eyes were teary, it looked relieved...
"Okay, let's go with this!"
Previously, when the topic turned to chain stores (not "chain shops"), Reina had bought a steel chain as a joke and forced it on Mile.
These were in Mile's item box, plus a variety of collars and harnesses that Mile had made in all sizes, ready for whenever she should meet a fluffy animal of any size—cat, dog, tiger, fenrir, or anything else.
Mile put it on the captured wolf.
…By the way, in order to be able to help any soaking wet little girls they come across, they had underwear and clothes of all sizes prepared in her item box.
However, there were no adult sizes available.
Adults were responsible for their own actions, and that was outside of Mile's responsibility...
"Just to be safe, let's put on a friendly face." (Mile)
Then Mile feed the wolf some meat she took out of the item box.
Wild animals had different tastes than humans, and overcooked meat might not suit their palate.
So, for just such an occasion, she prepared blue rare ogre meat... it had nothing to do with reproduction organ..
By the way, blue rare was closer to raw than rare. Rare was pink in the center but was cooked all the way through, whereas blue rare was only cooked for a few tens of seconds on the surface and the inside was mostly raw.
Beyond that was the surface which had only been cooked for a few seconds while the inside was still almost raw and blue.... the equivalent of the "powder removal" or "steaming" process for ramen.... but that's no different from raw meat.
Sometimes, when you order it rare, it comes out cold and raw, in which case you should ask for it to be cooked a little longer.
The wolf seemed to really like the blue rare ogre meat—it was slightly grilled on the outside and smelled good but was mostly raw inside—and didn't seem to mind the harness and chains that had been put on without its consent, as it devoured the meat while wagging its tail wildly.
Blue Rare... I think there was a space carrier with that name... (Mile's mind)
And as usual, Mile was thinking about things that the others didn't quite understand.
"...But, there are quite a lot of monsters and animals in this forest that could be targets for a group of wolves to hunt. Is there really a need to go to a faraway village and hunt one or two livestock every time?" (Reina)
"That's true. I guess one or two goats or sheep for the whole flock wouldn't even be enough for one meal... If I were the leader of a pack of wolves, I would kill 4-5 of them with my whole pack on the spot, kill 4-5 more, and drag them home. I would do that a few times a year, and then I wouldn't attack any more. And then they make the humans accept it as a 'Loss that has already been factored into their calculations,' and accept it as it is, and build long-term, good relationships with them. That's the trick to living well in a place like this..." (Pauline)
Pauline answered Reina's question, but...
"No, isn't that just one-sided exploitation of the humans? Of course, that would make you want to exterminate the wolves..." (Mavis)
Mavis flatly denied it.
"Of course……" (Other 3)
Then, led by the wolf that had finished eating the meat, the Crimson Vow moved forward.
Apparently, because Mile had put a harness on the wolf instead of a collar, the wolf did not think that it had been captured and chained, but rather that it had captured the four humans and was taking them back to its friends. This was why it was acting so confidently.
"......" (All CV)
"Ah, a wolf-like echo up ahead! Number: 1!"
"Battle stance!"
...And two wolves were leading the way, pulling Mile on a leash.
Of course, it had been already fed by the increased numbers of blue rare.
Since its comrades were already enthusiastically pulling the humans back with them, it harbored no doubts, and as an admirable servant who had presented it with delicious meat (blue rare), it seemed to be convinced to bring these humans back to the herd.
"There's a wolf-like echo up ahead! Number: 1!"
"Battle stance!"
...And six wolves were leading the way, pulling Mile on a leash.
"Oh, what was it called? The one where the number of animals accompanying you keeps increasing on the way to battle..." (Reina)
Mavis responded to Reina's mutterings.
"You mean the one who said he'd give me some Killer Bee honey dumplings in exchange for becoming a servant?" (Mavis)
"That's right! The one who will be on your side with 'Killer Bee Dumplings'!" (Reina)
Hearing this, Pauline muttered to herself.
"'Brave Peach's Ogre Extermination'..." (Pauline)
"That's it!!" (Reina + Mavis)
And so, having discovered a mysterious and convenient thing... where by tapping someone on the shoulder with their paw, an endless supply of delicious meat would come out, and having been able to bring it back to the pack, the six wolves were overjoyed, wagging their tails wildly...
Author's Note
...
Translation Note
[1] 送り狼 (Okuri-okami): sending off the wolf, seeing off the wolf
[2] 山犬 (Yama-inu): mountain dog
[3] 送り犬 (Okuri-inu): (similar to [1], but with 'dog')
[4] 家犬 (Ie-inu): house dog, domestic dog
[5] 犬 (Inu): (just) dog