Just A Reincarnation Story (Summoning Japan Edition)

Chapter 25: Geloof

Bewakermaan 5, 380 Imperial Year (Fun. 5, 1615 CC), 09:06

Forest north Bosch Town, Doric Province, Parpaldia Empire

Irene Giovanni van den Bosch, the eldest daughter of a farming family in an Eastern Parpaldian town, was walking quietly among the snow-covered woods. Earlier in the morning, after seeing off her brother who went to the town in yet another attempt to search for a job, Irene picked up her bow and quiver and departed for the forest in order to try her luck and hunt some animals. However, against her brother's words, who forbade her to go further into the forest, Irene, after some deliberation that was mixed with a tinge of desperation, opted to venture deeper where she believed that the odds of encountering a game would be higher.

She'd been skulking around for three hours, leaving footprints on the calf-deep snow that covered the forest region. Her brown hair, which was typically done up in a high ponytail, was hidden beneath the fur hood of her winter coat, and she wore a face mask to keep the bone-chilling air at bay. But eventually, enduring the cold after being outside for that long paid off when she came upon what appeared to be trails made by a small animal. Following the tracks, Irene soon came across a clearing.

'This place... I don't think I've been here before,' Irene thought at the unfamiliar place, but as she remained vigilant and her eyes scanned the white-covered wilderness, she soon spotted a movement among the snow.

"!!!"

A small, white furry creature was seen hopping in the clearing. There's no mistake, it must be a Dorian wild hare. Readying her bow, Irene picked an arrow from the quiver hanging from her right waist and nocked it onto the string of her bow, her sharp brown eyes tracking the hare as it jumped around.

'Must be nice to be a hare... to be able to move around freely without a care in the world. However... for the sake of my family, I must strike you down!'

Irene's skill with archery showed itself, as after a quick aim, she pulled the string before releasing the arrow that split the air as it flew towards the hare, striking it square on the neck.

"Alright! Beginning of a lucky day!" Irene cheered with a bright smile under her mask as she approached her first hunt for the day.

The now dead animal, the Dorian wild hare, is a leporine species native to the Eastern Parpaldia, but can also be found as far north as the Kooze Kingdom's southern borders. It was a commonly hunted animal in rural areas across the Doric Province, where hunters accompanied by hunting dogs will come into the forest to hunt these critters. The meat of the Dorian wild hare, sometimes called the "poor man's chicken" among Parpaldian locals, has a stronger flavor than farmed chicken but can be served similarly.

Usually, Irene can find these roaming in the forest close to her home, but after the harvest failure resulting in food shortage and the price of daily necessities skyrocketing, more and more people come in and hunted all the game she once hunted so easily. In addition, sometimes they turn hostile at the presence of other hunters and harassed them to get out of their way. Even though Irene was aggravated by this, she knew that a young girl like her will be outmatched by these burly, scary-looking hunters and backed down grudgingly to pick what's left of these aggressive strangers' hunts. And now that she'd found one for herself, Irene was overjoyed after finally caught a game for the first time in a long time. At least, her family will be able to have some roasted wild hare meat for today's dinner.

As she approached the dead hare, Irene took out her hunting knife, making a quick incision on the base of the animal's neck before skinning it with her gloved hands and pulling the skin with all her might. After removing the head, she effortlessly snapped the legs and completed the process by gutting the belly to remove the internal organs. Having done this so many times despite her young age, field dressing this small herbivore came as a second nature for Irene.