A Flat-Chest Believer Reincarnated in a World Where Women with Small Breasts Aren't Treated as Women ~ I Ended Up with a Flat-Chested Harem. - Chapter 19

I went hunting with Risty, my two younger sisters Lyla and Aria, and Brother Al.

Accompanying us were Rita, Mariel, and Donald from the Periste household. Donald was Brother Al’s retainer—a man whose face resembled an elderly bookstore owner but whose body was built like a rugby team captain.

Aside from Donald, who was driving the carriage, everyone else was on horseback. Since Aria couldn’t ride a horse on her own yet, she sat in front of me.

The women were all wearing trousers for horseback riding today, and Risty, with her hair tied in a ponytail, looked adorable.

Taking our time, we arrived at a forest near the royal capital.

Although it was winter, it rarely snowed in this area, and today was sunny—a perfect mild day. At the forest’s entrance was a small lake, fed by a stream. It was a lovely spot, ideal for both hunting and fishing. We parked the carriage by the lakeside and tied up the horses.

Incidentally, this forest was part of the royal hunting grounds. While the founding six houses had blanket permission to enter, ordinary people were not allowed.

“Well, let’s aim for some deer.”

I’m sure my fellow Japanese readers would understand, but I find it distasteful to kill animals for reasons other than food. So, I planned to hunt only what we could use as ingredients. The idea was to turn this into a sort of BBQ with freshly sourced meat.

“Sounds good. Donald, please prepare for cooking.”

At Brother Al’s instruction, Donald responded with a polite “Understood” and began unloading the carriage. The back was loaded with all the necessary cooking equipment. Rita and Mariel also joined in to help.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

“Woohoo!”

Leaving the three attendants behind, the rest of us ventured into the forest. Sunlight filtered through the trees, creating a shimmering, pleasant atmosphere.

Despite the word “hunting,” my gear consisted of just a knife, and Risty carried the same. As for my sisters, they were completely unarmed. Brother Al brought a short bow, but that was it.

Of course, we planned to hunt with magic.

“We’ll leave it to you, Folca.”

“Sure. If Brother Al takes the lead, we might end up setting the forest on fire.”

Brother Al had a Fire attribute aptitude of 10, the highest level, and was the strongest Fire mage in the Rolique Kingdom. Fire magic was a devastating force in war, capable of obliterating enemy armies or even burning down this whole area if he went all out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very suitable for hunting.

“I could take down a deer if needed.”

Risty chimed in. Holy magic was immensely powerful, even for offensive purposes. If she wanted, she could probably take down not just deer but elephants or even magical bears with a single strike.

“Well, we definitely have enough firepower. The real challenge is spotting the game. Lyla, Aria, do your best to help.”

Aria, my youngest sister, exclaimed, “Yeah! I’ll find something,” and dashed off deeper into the forest.

Lyla called after her, “Aria, don’t go off on your own!” as she chased after her.

“You’re going to scare off the game!”

I called out to them, but Aria paid no attention. And just like that, a game of tag between Aria and Lyla began.

“Can’t catch me, big sister!”

“Stop right there, Aria!”

Can we even manage to hunt like this? Well, worst-case scenario, we’ll just have a BBQ without any meat.

However, just then, we heard a rustling sound. Something darted out of a nearby thicket—a deer, sprinting away at full speed.

There it was, but the distance and the obstructing trees made it a difficult shot. As I thought about how challenging it would be, Risty calmly raised her hand.

With fluid movements, she concentrated her mana and formed an arrow of light.

Her magical construction was stunning.

With a soft “Take this,” Risty released her arrow of light. It shot straight toward the deer’s future position.

The target was far, obstructed by trees, and moving. Under normal circumstances, a hit would be unlikely. Indeed, Risty’s arrow initially appeared to miss, flying slightly ahead of the deer. However, the arrow suddenly exploded.

Countless tiny needles of light scattered forward like a shotgun blast.

Several of the needles struck the deer’s head, causing it to collapse and thrash its legs. The wounds were fatal but not instantly lethal. A second arrow followed, this time striking directly without exploding, and the deer fell still, its throat pierced.

Wow. My wife is amazing.

“Well, that takes care of the meat.”

Risty’s voice held a hint of pride.

“As expected of Lady Risty.”

Brother Al seemed mildly surprised. Since Risty was often associated with healing, her proficiency in offensive magic was unexpected.

“Risty, that was incredible. Thank you.”

I praised her genuinely. Together, we jogged over to the fallen deer.

“First, we’ll need to bleed it. Folca, I’ll leave that to you.”

I responded with a simple “Got it” and channeled mana into the deer’s body.

Most mammals and birds have a slight amount of inherent mana, which makes it difficult to directly manipulate their bodily fluids with magic while they’re alive. However, this restriction doesn’t apply to corpses.

Using Water magic’s “Liquid Manipulation,” I drained the deer’s blood. The extracted blood was discarded onto the ground, and the process was completed in no time.

We hung the deer’s carcass from a tree. While this alone would suffice, there was one more step to take.

“Lyla, take care of the ‘Death’ process.”

Lyla cheerfully replied, “Okay!” and activated her magic. A gray mist enveloped the deer’s body.

This was “Death,” a Wood magic derivative spell. While ineffective against living animals with even the slightest mana, it was highly effective against parasites and bacteria. It was an invaluable spell for preventing decay and food poisoning.

“One deer should be enough. Shall we go fetch some birds or fish?”

“Sounds good. Let’s split up. I’ll take Risty and Aria to look for birds, and Brother Al, you and Lyla can go fishing.”

“Hmm, fine by me. Lyla, are you okay with that?”

“Yes. I feel I’d be more useful fishing than hunting.”

With that, we divided into two groups.

Now, while Brother Al seemed interested in Lyla, Father’s policy regarding marriage was to prioritize personal preference.

Of course, as members of prominent noble families, it wasn’t entirely up to them to choose freely. However, the Periste and Gustique families were of similar status and already had a good relationship. Lyla’s magical aptitude was more than sufficient for her to become the primary wife of a great noble.

Moreover, the Marquis of Periste, Brother Al’s father, seemed to view Lyla favorably. If the two of them got along, a marriage proposal would naturally follow. I wasn’t going to force anything, but if opportunities arose for them to spend time together, I’d make sure they had the chance.

That was my goal for this hunting trip. Mission complete. Now to look for some pheasants.

While carrying the occasionally bored Aria on my shoulders, Risty and I managed to take down three pheasants—two by me and one by her.

After the hunt, we returned to the lakeside, carrying the deer. By then, the cooking setup was ready, with stoves, griddles, and tables in place. Rita and Mariel had also prepared the vegetables.

Just then, Brother Al and Lyla returned. Brother Al carried a basket with about ten fish, so the fishing had been a success. Judging by Lyla’s smile, the atmosphere between them seemed good.

With everyone gathered, it was time to start cooking.

Under Donald’s guidance, we butchered the deer into manageable cuts of meat. The pheasants were plucked and cleaned.

Donald took charge of the cooking. With surprising delicacy for his tree-trunk-like arms, he seasoned the deer meat with salt and dried herbs. The pheasant meat was rubbed with salt and pepper.

The meat and vegetables were arranged on the griddle, and Brother Al used magic to quickly start the fire. The fish were skewered and grilled directly over the flames with just salt.

The aroma of roasting meat filled the air, making the wait worthwhile. Once cooked, Mariel portioned it out, and we all dug in, including the attendants.

I bit into the deer meat first. Its wild, gamey juices combined beautifully with the herbs’ fragrance. Delicious. Next was the fish, perfectly seasoned with salt.

“Brother Al, you caught a lot of fish.”

He must have fished in the forest stream, but despite having little time, he’d managed to bring in twelve fish—a great haul.

“Oh, about that. Lyla strengthened her muscles and smashed rocks together to stun them.”

So it was stone-throwing fishing. Back in my previous life in Japan, indiscriminate underwater attacks like that were prohibited. But here in the royal forest, with no one else around, it should be fine.

Risty smiled and said, “Lyla, you’re surprisingly bold.” Lyla responded with a sheepish “Hehe.”

We chatted and laughed as we enjoyed our meal. It was a fun BBQ.

“By the way, how long will you and Risty stay in the capital?”

“Lyla and Aria are leaving tomorrow with our parents. Risty and I will probably stay another ten days or so.”

“I see. I’ll be heading back to my territory at the end of the month. Let’s do this again in the summer.”

At the beginning of summer, there’s the anniversary of the coronation of the first king, during which many nobles from across the country gather in the capital.

“Sure. Next time, maybe we can make it even grander.”

Summers in Rolique don’t have the high humidity of Japan. Early summer, before the real heat sets in, would be the perfect time.

I got to see Risty in a ponytail, and I managed to support Brother Al. Today was a good day.