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 49

We were in the garden of the Marquis Periste’s estate.

Today was the hunting and barbecue event that Brother Al and I had promised to do again in the summer.

We were gathering here before heading out. The group had grown a bit since last time.

From the Gustique family, the participants were Risty, Lyla, Aria, Lyla’s maid Amolla, and me—a total of five people. Amolla was a towering woman over 180 centimeters tall with a muscular build and red hair. She looked incredibly strong and was, in fact, very strong. Rita, who might be in the early stages of pregnancy, was resting today, so Amolla joined us in her place.

From the Periste family, Brother Al was accompanied, as before, by his attendant, Donald.

Princess Felicie arrived on her white horse, Marsphy. She dismounted gracefully. Somehow, Risty, ever thoughtful of her younger sister, had invited her along.

“Thank you for inviting me, Sister.”

Princess Felicie beamed with a broad smile, clearly thrilled to be going out with Risty.

Before long, another pair of participants arrived on horseback—Selena and Lasha. The two had stayed in the royal capital since the meeting and were invited to deepen their connection with everyone.

“Thank you for the invitation, Folca. It’s been a while, Lord Alvy and Princess Felicie.”

The twins had shied away from interacting with other nobles due to their insecurities about their figures, but they couldn’t stay in hiding forever. This group seemed like the perfect environment to ease them back into socializing.

“Ah, Selena, Lasha, it’s been a while. I’ve heard about everything. Folca’s a good guy, so I trust you’ll get along well.”

“Please take care of my sister.”

With that, the group was complete.

“Well, five grandmaster-level mages and even Princess Felicie in the mix.”

Brother Al muttered to himself. Truly, an incredible lineup. I wondered what the deer we were about to hunt had done in their past life to deserve this. Perhaps they had committed some grave offense, like going to a convenience store to buy cigarettes and refusing to state the number on the pack. If so, no mercy would be necessary.

“Well then! Let’s head out!”

Princess Felicie’s cheerful voice rang out as we all began moving together.

Risty, who was pregnant, rode a carriage driven by Amolla, accompanied by Aria. Donald, meanwhile, drove a separate wagon carrying supplies. The rest of us were on horseback.

“Our first stop is a construction site. I wonder how things are progressing.”

Before the hunt, we planned to visit the greenhouse construction site, which was conveniently on our way. We had also prepared gifts to deliver to the workers.

We proceeded leisurely and arrived at the construction site. The foundation work was already complete, steel beams imbued with magical processing had been assembled, and some sections were already fitted with sheet glass.

“We are honored to have you here for an inspection.”

The project’s manager bowed deeply. These workers were retainers of the royal family, responsible for construction projects. As formal nobles, they were skilled Earth mages capable of advanced construction work, and they could be trusted to maintain confidentiality.

“So, this is Father’s strawberry shed.”

Princess Felicie muttered as she looked around. Apparently, it wasn’t a greenhouse to her—it was a strawberry shed. In fairness, the name was fitting given its primary purpose.

“If Father’s allowed to build something like this just for snacks, shouldn’t I be allowed to sleep in the same bed as Sister?”

She whispered something under her breath.

…For the record, the Gustique family had proposed the greenhouse as a way to impress foreign dignitaries. Hopefully, the Rolique retainers would also use it for diplomatic purposes—or so we hoped.

“Impressive. They’ve made a lot of progress.”

Ignoring Princess Felicie’s muttering, I offered my thoughts on the construction. At this pace, it would be completed soon. Earth-attribute magic really made a difference in construction speed.

“Yes, we are very fortunate that everything is proceeding smoothly. The sheet glass you provided, Lord Folca, is of exceptional quality and perfectly uniform in size, making the work much easier.”

“That’s great to hear.”

It felt good knowing my efforts were appreciated.

We handed out a large quantity of baked goods to the workers as tokens of thanks. Initially, I had considered giving them alcohol, but bringing liquor into the forest seemed impractical, so cookies were a better choice. Princess Felicie handed them out, saying, “Here you go!” while the project manager accepted them with a bow.

After the site visit, we moved on to the royal hunting grounds in the forest.

We arrived at our destination after a steady journey. The summer forest was lush and vibrant with deep green hues.

Just like last time, we parked the carriages by the lake. Donald and Amolla quickly unloaded the supplies.

“Alright, we’ll handle the cooking preparations.”

“Thanks. Alright, let’s go gather ingredients. Brother Al, why don’t you and Lyla try fishing again?”

Subtly—or rather, blatantly—I paired Brother Al and Lyla together.

“I don’t mind.”

“Got it!”

The two were quick to agree.

“Oh, but Lyla, no stone-throwing this time. That’s cheating.”

“Aw, but it’s so easy to just ‘bam!’”

When I added the restriction, Lyla protested.

“That’s not fishing—it’s indiscriminate destruction that damages fish other than your target.”

I wouldn’t allow it. Stone-throwing would wrap things up too quickly. It’d be better for her to spend some time leisurely waiting for the fish to bite alongside Brother Al.

“Alright, fine. I’ll do my best.”

Lyla responded with a slightly disappointed tone before heading toward the river with Brother Al, fishing rods in hand.

Their retreating figures exuded a sense of fun and excitement.

“Hmm, they seem to be getting along well.”

Princess Felicie remarked with her arms crossed.

“During the soirée celebrating the first king’s coronation, I heard the young ladies who had their eyes on Lord Alvy were panicking after watching him happily dance with Lyla. This might already be decided.”

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m letting Brother Al go to some random noble lady.”

“Oh, Folca, you’re taking that stance?”

“Well, Brother Al is a grandmaster-level mage, kind, handsome, and comes from a good family.”

Unless it’s my adorable little sister Lyla, no one else is a good match for Brother Al. The reverse holds true as well.

“Alright, let’s look for some deer or boar. Risty, take it easy.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

Leaving the attendants and the pregnant Risty behind, the rest of us ventured into the forest.

We spread out to search for prey. Deer or boar would do. Even Aria seemed to be taking the hunt seriously this time—perhaps because Princess Felicie, Selena, and Lasha were present.

We wandered through the forest but struggled to find anything.

“They’re not here. I thought it would be a bit easier to find them.”

Princess Felicie grumbled.

Could this be some divine message punishing me for joking about reincarnated deer who don’t say the numbers on cigarette packs? Maybe I shouldn’t have thought that.

Then I caught a strange smell. It was likely the scent of rotting meat.

“There’s a smell. Let’s check it out.”

Princess Felicie marched toward the source of the odor, and we all followed.

After walking for a bit, we came across two deer carcasses. One of them seemed to be a fawn, likely the offspring of the other. The remains were heavily damaged—half-eaten by wild animals and already beginning to rot, giving off a strong stench.

“Judging by these wounds… a bear, perhaps? Although the damage is severe—it looks like they were crushed in one blow.”

Suddenly, I felt a surge of mana.

Someone other than us was using magic nearby.

I focused on the direction of the mana. The trees rustled. A loud noise followed as something approached.

It wasn’t long before the creature came into view. A bear. And its body was coursing with mana. It was likely using a wood-attribute body-strengthening spell.

“A magical beast, then.”

I muttered. Magical beasts referred to non-human animals capable of using magic. Just as humans could be born with magical abilities, so too could certain mammals or birds.

The bear seemed to perceive us as a threat to its claim on the carcasses. It charged toward us at an incredible speed. Moving too fast to dodge, it slammed into a tree, but the tree shattered while the bear’s momentum remained unbroken.

It was massive, standing over 2.5 meters tall.

The bear lunged at Princess Felicie, the closest to it, raising its right paw to strike her.

A deep, resounding thud echoed, as if a log had slammed into the ground.

“Magical beasts are quite rare. Its aptitude would be around a Wood 4 if we were to compare it to humans.”

Princess Felicie spoke nonchalantly.

Having activated her body-strengthening spell, Princess Felicie effortlessly stopped the bear’s attack.

Of course, the result was unsurprising. As a mage, Princess Felicie’s magical prowess far exceeded that of the bear, completely negating any advantage its physical strength might have given it.

In the next moment, a blade of Holy light shot forth from Princess Felicie, piercing through the bear’s chest. Judging by the position, it had completely destroyed the bear’s heart and spinal cord.

The bear collapsed to the ground, causing the earth to shake.

While magical beasts were rare and killing one felt like a waste, the cost and risk of taming or training a bear were far too high. If it had been a horse or something similar, capturing it would have been the logical choice, but for a predator like this, killing was the standard procedure.

“Well, we’ve got meat now.”

Selena remarked. Indeed, despite being a magical beast, a bear was still a bear—and bear meat made for excellent game.

“Alright, time to drain the blood.”

With that, I used Water magic to drain the bear’s blood. Princess Felicie then cast an “instant-kill” spell to disinfect the carcass.

“Maybe this bear is why we haven’t seen any deer around here.”

I wasn’t an expert, but a bear capable of using body-strengthening magic was undoubtedly a fearsome predator. It might have hunted the surrounding deer and boar to near extinction.

“Perhaps.”

In any case, we had eliminated a dangerous magical beast and secured meat.

“What should we do now? We already have more than enough meat.”

This enormous bear likely provided hundreds of kilograms of meat. There was no way we’d be able to finish it all.

“If we catch anything else like deer or boar, there might not be enough room left on the wagons for the meat.”

Lasha pointed out. She was right—if we hunted anything else, we’d likely have to leave some behind. Better to stop here.

“Alright, let’s head back.”

“That sounds good. I’ll handle carrying the bear.”

“Thank you, Princess Felicie.”

The bear was far too heavy for me to carry. While I could technically brute-force it with Water magic, having the body-strengthened Princess Felicie carry it was the most practical solution.

“Lord Folca, no need to be so formal with me. It’s no trouble at all.”

With a cheerful smile, Princess Felicie said, “Hup!” and hoisted the massive bear above her head with both hands. The sight was almost comical and oddly endearing. Aria even clapped her hands in admiration as she watched.

Each step Princess Felicie took caused the ground to shake. With her arms raised, her chest—which was already emphasized by her stance—jiggled slightly with each step.

We returned to the lakeside where the carriages were parked.

“Sister, we caught a bear! And it was even a magical beast!”

Princess Felicie proudly boasted to Risty, who had been waiting with the attendants.

“It’s so… big…”

Risty’s eyes widened at the sheer size of the bear.

“Oh, this is impressive. It’ll be a challenge to butcher this one.”

Donald seemed delighted as he pulled out a large knife and began cutting into the bear with Amolla.

“But we didn’t do anything, did we?”

Selena remarked, looking a bit sad. Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t done much either.

“Well then, Sister, let’s catch that.”

Lasha pointed upward. Following her gaze, I saw a flock of birds flying high in the sky. Selena responded enthusiastically, “Let’s do it!”

The twins began constructing a spell together. Their combined mana was immense, forming a single, powerful magical force.

A strong, cold wind blew through the air. Several birds flailed as they were knocked out of the sky. Using wind-attribute magic, the twins manipulated the atmosphere to disrupt the birds’ flight while also controlling where they fell.

Six birds landed near us, their movements ceasing upon impact.

…Ah, so that’s how they hunt. My wind magic couldn’t reach anywhere near that height.

The birds the twins had caught were migratory game birds, commonly known as “sleepy birds” for their habit of passing through the Rolique Kingdom at odd times. While little was known about their ecology, they were known to be delicious.

“You two are amazing.”

Now, the only ones who hadn’t contributed were Aria and me. At the very least, I could prepare the birds.

I began plucking feathers from the birds.

By the time I finished, Brother Al and Lyla had returned.

“Brother Al, catch anything?”

“I only caught one with the rod, but I managed to grab nine by hand, so there’s enough for everyone.”

Catching fish by hand? That sounded like fun.

“I caught one with my hands too!”

Lyla exclaimed happily.

Young men and women wading into a stream, catching fish by hand—it felt like a typical summer memory. I was glad they’d had such a good time.

“And what’s that… a bear?! It’s huge!”

“Prepare to be amazed, Brother Al. It was a magical beast. Princess Felicie took it down instantly. Selena and Lasha brought down some sleepy birds, and I… well, I didn’t do much beyond plucking feathers.”

“I see… tough luck, Folca.”

Meanwhile, Risty was slicing thin pieces of meat that Donald and Amolla had butchered. Risty cooking—it was adorable.

As preparations for cooking continued, it was time to start the fire. Before Brother Al could take my chance, I lit the wood myself.

The barbecue feast began.

We started with thin slices of bear meat, seasoned with salt and herbs, and grilled them over the fire. The bear meat was a bit tough but packed with flavor—delicious.

The birds were grilled next, also seasoned with salt and herbs. Their light, tender meat had a subtle charred aroma that was delightful. Another hit.

“This is so good.”

Risty smiled. I smiled back and agreed, “It is.”

The fish that Brother Al and Lyla had caught were grilled and simply seasoned with salt. Simple and delicious.

We finished with bear stew. Eating stew in the summer made us sweat, but there was something satisfying about it. The vegetables and bear meat had melded into a rich broth.

As we enjoyed our meal together, the hunting event came to a cheerful close.