Sytheros didn’t have the complex thoughts of adults.
She rolled twice on the somewhat prickly grass mat, only feeling that today was the most wonderful day of her life.
Not only did her missing second brother return.
He also brought lots of meat she loved to eat.
She had never eaten such fragrant and delicious meat in her life.
When she put it in her mouth, the meat was so tender it seemed to dance on her tongue.
Even though she was almost full, recalling the wonderful taste made her lick her tongue again.
How great it would be if she could eat such delicacies every day.
Of course, even though she was not yet nine years old, she knew that such thoughts were unrealistic fantasies.
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, she just wanted to remember that meat flavor at this moment.
"Sigh..."
Big brother Hawke sighed.
After Gauss left, his face showed deeper embarrassment.
Holding the little boy in his arms.
"Poor little brother, but luckily he’s ambitious. He’s made a good future for himself by venturing out alone."
"Hawke, you see Gauss is capable now, don’t you think..." Melin cautiously spoke up.
She actually wanted to say that the family’s situation was a bit difficult recently.
Especially since Host’s leg problem was getting worse, stopping the mountain hunting meant that the family’s food supply relied entirely on Hawke’s farming and occasional trap catches. Of course, the handicrafts she and her mother Rosa took on could be exchanged for some money, but it was just enough to eat, nothing more.
Otherwise, the family wouldn’t have lost their manners so much at today’s meal, even with Aaliyah and other guests present.
"No, I can’t lose face like that." Hawke abruptly interrupted Melin’s words. "When little brother left home on his own, we couldn’t help at all."
"Now that he’s worked hard and succeeded, how can we ask him for help?" Hawke said gloomily. "It’s enough that little brother remembers to come back and see us."
"Don’t say anything inappropriate in front of him, or I’ll get angry."
"...Okay." Melin sighed inwardly, looking at her stubborn husband, and said no more.
She knew that Hawke was just such a person, honest and straightforward, doing everything by the book.
Even with Host’s patient teachings on hunting skills, he never quite mastered it, as hunting required a lot of adaptability and quick responses.
He lacked this quality.
Amid everyone’s varied reactions, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the yard.
"Is it someone from the village coming over again?"
Preparing to get up and greet them.
A familiar figure suddenly entered from outside the door.
"Little brother, why are you back so soon?"
Seeing that it was Gauss in a black robe, Hawke asked in surprise.
Not much time has passed, and the goblin-gathering place is quite a distance from here.
This is also why Stone Creek Village is relatively less anxious; they are a bit farther away, and even if the goblins decide to act together, they would most likely hit the nearest village first.
In his perception, Gauss had clearly not been gone long.
"The task is done." Gauss shook the bag in his hand, filled with goblins’ left ears.
"So fast?" Even though he knew Gauss was strong now, much different than before, this speed was still unbelievable to Hawke.
Gauss’s relaxed posture made killing dozens of goblins seem as easy as breathing.
Hawke’s eyes quickly surveyed Gauss’s clothing and found not a single speck of blood.
If the speaker were not his own younger brother but a stranger adventurer, he would most likely suspect deception.
"Brother, can I see?"
Sytheros jumped down from the grass bed and walked over to Gauss.
"Go ahead, be careful not to get startled; there are goblin ears inside." Gauss contemplated for a moment at the little one’s curious gaze and handed over the bag.
It’s good for little sister to get some exposure to monsters.
Sytheros opened the bag and was first startled by the bloody ears inside.
Her face turned pale.
However, after a brief moment of fear, she quickly recovered.
She patted her heart and looked back into the bag.
"They really are ears, so many green ears."
The adults also glanced at the bag upon hearing this and saw a mass of ears piled inside.
A rough count showed dozens.
He really went and killed the goblins; seeing Gauss and his two teammates without a trace of dirt on them, they couldn’t understand how he managed it.
Therefore, they realized even more that Gauss had reached a level they could no longer comprehend.
"Brother, are these meant to be eaten?" Sytheros, for some reason, suddenly said blankly.
Gauss almost lost his composure upon hearing this.
Goodness...
Was the little one’s mental fortitude remarkable, or did she lack knowledge in this area?
"Of course not. These are for submitting the task; goblin meat is poisonous and can’t be eaten."
"Oh... that’s good." Sytheros breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Aaliyah, quietly observing the scene, wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead.
Is a preference for demon food inherited by bloodline?
What normal child would see the bloody ears of these green-skinned little devils and think of food, especially upon first seeing these organs?