With the voice that plagued him gone, Asmodeus and his large group travelled through the Eldorai plains with much less hassle. Though monsters road this beautiful green landscape filled with flora and vivid grasslands, they didn't attack intruders easily.
"That deer is so huge!" Sariel's cheerful voice echoed through the air.
She leaned out the carriage window while the others rode on horses. Her bright voice caused them to gaze at the mutated deer, one of the many monsters living on the plains.
Five carriages and carts carried supplies and gifts from the empire to Grigor. Because of her unstable health, Asmodeus, and the others, let her sit in the carriage with Fuuka.
The animals that used to live in these plains beca deford and mutated after the demon queen appeared, corrupted Mana swept into the plains from their drinking water and infected both the animals and the greenery they fed upon.
'Strangely enough, though, the grass and field didn't beco monstrous like that deer.'
Asmodeus pulled the reins of his horse, gazing at the massive beast, despite being a herbivore munching on the grass happily. Its body stood over six feet tall, with a muscular build and bloodshot eyes.
"Such an ugly creature." He couldn't help but shudder at the sight of it.
"I wonder what it tastes like…" Beside him, Asmodea muttered while tapping her chin.
"Asmodea?"
"What, My dear?"
Sohow, without him realising, the won he loved beca more feral as the journey progressed.
"Do you want to taste it?"
He couldn't help but ask, while grasping his right hand and wrapping his fingers around a blood spear, ready to kill the beast so she could sate her curiosity.
Asmodea and Vinea gazed at Asmodeus with shining eyes, their reaction causing his lips to twitch before standing up. He took a deep breath, using the stirrups, his thighs, and his core muscles to remain upright. Asmodeus dragged his right arm back, gathering more and more power at the tip of his spear.
Vwoom!
The spear tore through the air, filled with such ferocious force it howled like a beast, before piercing the deer's throat, tearing off its head.
"Wow!"
"Amazing, My dear~ it's head went pop!"
Velvet's eyes flickered as she grasped at the air, creating a magenta spear of flas, gazing around for another.
Asmodeus himself couldn't believe how grueso the beast's death was. He wanted to make the death instant, but half its neck and lower face vanished from the destructive force. He felt no guilt because they planned to eat its body.
'Though, did we need to kill it?'
If asked before, he might have said no.
At least until he saw the Asmodea's and Vinea's sparkling eyes, he tossed those feelings and thoughts out the window.
'It had to die!'
"Can you—"
Before he could ask soone to fetch it.
The feathered winds on Asmodea's back unfurled and flicked rapidly, sending her towards the deer, grabbing it like an avian predator. She carried it back with a wide grin and tossed it onto the back of the carriage.
Thud!
"Phew~ I guess dinner is sorted for tonight." Asmodeus chuckled to herself, dropping onto her warhorse, which maintained pace.
'These horses are smart.'
Because the entire army following them needed to eat, it beca a quasi-competition, with Velvet, Ciela and a few others hunting the deer while trying to mirror Asmodeus who took it down with a single spear. Thanks to the size of the deer, one of them could feed almost ten people. In the end, their group killed five deer, but hundreds of them road the fields, so their hunting wouldn't damage the ecosystem.
"I can't wait for dinner~ what taste will they have?" Even Erika muttered, looking at the massive deer.
What shocked the knights who served as chefs was how beautifully marbled the at was. Despite their legs being so muscular, their bodies were packed with nutrients and protein.
Almost like they emulated how a cal stored water in their humps, their bodies stored the fruits they grazed on for long periods, breaking down to result in sweet, aromatic at with a soft marbling and texture.
" either, now that the butchers and chefs are starting to season and prepare them." Asmodeus couldn't lie because the scent of the at was nothing like anything before.
They didn't sll like beef, chicken, pork, or goat… and the sweet fruit aroma of their oil being friend only enhanced the appetite. He almost wondered why no other predators would eat them when their fur slt like sumr berries and apricots.
"Erika, how is the periter"
Because they stopped in a slight basin in the central parts of the plains, they needed to create a large camp and scout for monsters or any dangers. The previous travellers left small campsites and places with old tools and equipnt as a guide, so Asmodeus and his group used them to avoid too much danger.
"It is secure as always. No need to worry about anything," Erika responded to his worries before jumping at him and hugging his chest. They filled the area with several tents, while dozens of knights guarded each direction.
"We've travelled far in these five days."
He and the others travelled non-stop for almost five days, covering over 100 kilotres across the Eldorai plains. Though a place with no villages or towns, the plains were vast.
Many of the human nobles on the mainland wished to expand their empire to this part of the continent. Their first attempts failed with an outbreak of humans that transford into living corpses after consuming too much of the water and becoming corrupted.
Asmodeus learned this information from the Elven knights who spoke to him when Ciela was asleep. They would offer gratitude and tell him about how they found the truth.
Although Asmodeus saved their kingdom and cleared the trial, he didn't want all the glory, so he also ntioned Ciela and the empress fighting so hard.
'To think the elves themselves were aware of an issue with Aristella.'
That shocked Asmodeus the most when one young, pious knight broke into tears while holding his hand and thanked him for restoring the balance for all elves.
'Well, his mother was a descendant of the dark elves, they must have faced hardships in the past.'
Even though the fair-skinned elves were masters of magic, their physical power and stamina were lacking compared to the dark elves.
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This mixture of skills was the reason elves dominated thousands of years ago.
The Dark elves focused on cavalry and vanguards, with High elf archers and mages to protect them.
Whether demon or human, they fought them off with ease.
"How does it sll Ciela, Vinea are you hungry?" Asmodeus smiled at them and asked a question. He noticed everyone would gravitate towards him, but wouldn't get too close until he spoke to them.
'I wonder why.'
Sizzle
The sealing of the steaks and cuts of at started, filling the air with the fruity scent of fruit, followed by the delicious scent of at being cooked on hot stone slabs.
Ciela looked at the grill, then up to him, and couldn't stop from drooling.
"Ahhh, I've been so tired from riding horses, I don't think I've ever ridden a horse this long…" Erika complained while the knights and elves watched from the corner of their eyes with envy. "I didn't even ride the horses back ho."
"Well, it wasn't sothing common back there, right?" Fuuka joined in with a chuckle.
Asmodeus was happy, the two started to speak again. In the past, they were friends but because of a misunderstanding and not communicating it caused an issue. Luckily, that issue was now correcting itself.
The elves purified the at, removing any toxins or parasites that might linger in the at before putting them onto the cooking slabs, but after they started cooking, the camp beca more like a little festival ground. The humans started drinking ale, and Asmodeus and his group beca rowdy as the at reached perfection.
Fluffy, juicy and cooked to a dium rare.
With the visuals of beef and the aromatic scent of fruits, Asmodeus could no longer wait. He dragged the knife and fork and sliced so at from the bone.
"Soft…"
The at almost slipping apart but with enough texture to feel like a real steak.
Chew~
"OHH!?" His voice echoed, causing everyone's eyes to focus on him before biting in themselves.
The taste was divine, the perfect mixture between the sweet, acidic fruity sauce and the soft, slightly bloody at lting in his mouth. The flavours ford a conflicting yet complintary relationship that created a unique and delicious taste in his taste buds.
He had no ti to even consider how good it tasted because his mouth was already moving, wanting to shovel the rest into his stomach to get to seconds.
"Delicious!" His voice and the group echoed, filling the campsite with cheerful noises.
Chuckle
The won chuckled, enjoying his cheerful expressions, though the best part was how he seed so in awe at how good it tasted because Asmodeus rarely enjoyed food after he beca a demon. His taste beca strange, with delicious human foods tasting dull or flavourless.
"Is it that good, darling?" Ciela asked him, while Erika and the other won nodded about to try it themselves, but the strange Asmodeus made them curious.
Asmodeus couldn't explain it because he didn't react just because of the taste. It was the fact he could taste the at and flavours in the pan. From the salt to the pepper and other garnish and food.
"Take a bite and you will understand."
Though for the human knights, the taste seed a little strong, as they showed a sharp reaction at first, but even with that they didn't leave any at behind.
'Is it because of the corruption… or Mana inside the at?' Asmodeus noticed that large amounts of magic filled each bite. An amount of Mana that might be too much for an average human, but for a Demon, it was heavenly.
After his words…
The rest of the won also experienced heaven, once again able to taste food as if it were normal, rather than acting to make the surrounding humans not doubt them.
Of course, they could taste and identify delicious food, but it was like eating through a paper filter before.
This was heaven.
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