Part XXII Cooking Coconut Camel

The academy's youth hunt commenced on the fourteenth after all tribes had received their quotas. Students assembled in the courtyard to view the team assignments. Arriving late, Lazuro quickly scanned the board and was shocked.

"Lazuro Akutagawa, Trion Mavin..."

Lazuro's jaw dropped when he saw the familiar names next to his. He gulped, searching for Trion, and found the young man standing with a white-haired woman. Reluctantly, Lazuro finally approached Trion.

"Seniors, please guide me." Lazuro bowed his head.

"Just because I'm ranked low, don't think we're equals." Trion tugged at Lazuro's collar. "Just so you know, my first opponent is Princess Fiore."

"I..."

"Shut up." Trion pushed Lazuro away. "Remember, I'm the leader of this team, and I'm clearly more experienced and skilled than you. Follow my orders, and you'll be safe."

Fiore approached Lazuro as Trion left.

“Are you okay, leaf boy?” Fiore asked.

“I’ve never felt better. I think the hunt is going to be fun.” Lazuro made a tired expression.

Selene suddenly stood in front of Lazuro, giving him a very sharp look.

“W-why?”

“I want to pay my respects to you.” Selene clasped her hands. “You are an extraordinary fighter, despite your unknown background. I just came here to say that you can befriend Lord Tristan. I even allow you to become his personal bodyguard. With your abilities and Lord Tristan’s wisdom, we can surely bring humanity into a new era.” Selene left after giving Fiore a scornful look.

“Is that girl crazy? Her delusions are truly extraordinary.” Fiore shook her head.

“I think what Selene said is true. Tristan might be the one who can bring humanity into a new era,” Lazuro said.

“New era, you must be joking. You are a hundred times better than that red-haired kid with the flamebreaker.” Fiore Say.

“Princ—I mean Fiore, shouldn’t you trust the new Flamebreaker heir more than a commoner like me? Your ancestors would be sad if they heard what you said.” Lazuro said.

“Listen carefully, Leaf Boy. The old era is over. Back then, only Master Alaire could wield Mythbreaker. Now, humanity has advanced, and there are far more Mythbreaker users. Don’t compare this era to the past. By the way, be careful with Davina.”

“Davina?” Lazuro looked confused.

“Davina Vanadis, the one in your group,” Fiore replied.

“Ah, that white-haired girl. What’s wrong?” Lazuro is curious.

“She’s a mysterious girl. She always loses when it comes to rankings in tournaments. However, she always gets the most bounty among the students in the end.” Fiore replied.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“The problem is, her teammates always end up dying.”

Fiore explained about the Mavin family, the clan leader of the Eastern Clan. The Mavin family is a mysterious family. They rarely attended noble gatherings but often received a personal invitation from the king. In Davina's first year of hunting, both of her teammates died.

"Since you advanced in the first round, you must have missed the second-years' determination to escape the bottom. Even in my year, Davina is called a death curse. You must be careful with her."

After explaining everything, the teachers gathered the students and journeyed to the underworld. The students seemed relaxed, chatting with their friends to pass the time. After six hours of travel, they arrived at the southern gate guarded by the Greattower family. After obtaining permission, they were finally able to pass through Huanlong's tailgate and arrive at the underworld. Once there, the students began to gather in their assigned groups. They were ordered to line up while Djuana gave instructions.

"The hunt will begin soon. You may feel unfair regarding the hunting spots and the groups we've formed. But you must accept the results of yesterday's tournament. It's clear that we give hope to qualified students and protect the less competent. That's why the tournament was created. If we form groups randomly, we fear that less than half of you will return home. I, Djuana Yard, declare the hunt open. I expect students to stay within the designated area."

After giving my speech, the students began to enter the forest. Lazuro followed only Tion and Devina.

"Listen, you just have to follow my orders, and I can assure you that you'll be safe. Including you, Davina. Even though you're a senior, I won't let you do anything you want."

Davina didn't answer but suddenly jumped into a tree and lay down on a branch.

"What are you doing? We have to hunt and gather. Don't relax like that, you idiot senior!" Trion shouted.

"The hunt will begin soon. You may feel unfair regarding the hunting spots and the groups we've formed. But you must accept the results of yesterday's tournament. It's clear that we give hope to qualified students and protect the less competent. That's why the tournament was created. If we form groups randomly, we fear that less than half of you will return home. I, Djuana Yard, declare the hunt open. I expect students to stay within the designated area."

After hearing the speech, the students began to enter the forest. Lazuro followed only Tion and Devina.

"Listen, you just have to follow my orders, and I can assure you that you'll be safe. Including you, Davina. Even though you're a senior, I won't let you do anything you want."

Davina didn't answer but suddenly jumped into a tree and lay down on a branch.

"What are you doing? We have to hunt and gather. Don't relax like that, you idiot senior!" Trion shouted.

Davina seemed unconcerned, which made Trion even more annoyed.

"Damn it, you bastard upperclassman. I'd definitely be calculating if she wasn't the daughter of a nobleman. Then it can't be helped. We'll hunt for food first. Let's go, loser!"

Lazuro glanced at Devina, then followed Trion. He'd almost forgotten the forest's comfort: the cool, still breeze, the sounds of birds and leaves, the sweet scent of dew. But his enjoyment was cut short when Trion abruptly pulled him behind a tree.

"Looks like we've caught our first prey." Trion grinned.

"That's…"

Lazuro spotted a camel with a tree between its humps. The camel was four meters tall and appeared to be eating a fallen bird.

"That's a Coconut Camel. It has humps with delicious, fresh juices. It also has a pretty filling belly. Let's catch it, loser!"

Trion drew a spear with two upper blades and sneaked behind Coconut Camel, followed by Lazuro. Trion bit his finger, and a tendril appeared and pierced Trion's neck. Trion threw the spear he was holding at Coconut Camel, aiming for its stomach. However, Coconut Camel suddenly moved, and the spear only grazed its rear. Coconut Camel gave a command and stomped its hind legs.

"Loser, use your weird mythbreaker and kill him!" Trion shouted.

Lazuro immediately grabbed the staff hanging from his back, bit his index finger, and dripped blood onto the staff he was holding.

Davina seemed unconcerned, which made Trion even more annoyed.

"Damn it, you bastard upperclassman. I'd definitely be calculating if she wasn't the daughter of a nobleman. Then it can't be helped. We'll hunt for food first. Let's go, loser!"

Lazuro glanced at Devina and then followed Trion. Lazuro had almost forgotten how comfortable the forest was. The cool, yet breathless breeze, the sounds of birds and leaves, and the sweet scent of dew soothed Lazuro. However, Lazuro's enjoyment of all this was short-lived, as Trion suddenly pulled him into hiding behind a tree.

"Looks like we've caught our first kill." Trion grinned.

"That's…"

Lazuro spotted a camel with a tree between its humps. The camel was four meters tall and appeared to be eating a fallen bird.

"That's a Coconut Camel. It has humps with delicious, fresh juices. It also has a pretty filling belly. Let's catch it, loser!"

Trion drew a spear with two upper blades and sneaked behind Coconut Camel, followed by Lazuro. Trion bit his finger, and a tendril appeared and pierced Trion's neck. Trion threw the spear he was holding at Coconut Camel, aiming for its stomach. However, Coconut Camel suddenly moved, and the spear only grazed its rear. Coconut Camel gave a command and stomped its hind legs.

"Loser, use your weird mythbreaker and kill him!" Trion shouted.

Lazuro immediately grabbed the staff hanging from his back, bit his index finger, and dripped blood onto the staff he was holding. The staff transformed into a sword in an instant. Lazuro immediately swung his sword, delivering several slashes at Coconut Camel. Coconut Camel attempted to flee as soon as Trion's spear was released. However, Trion made a swift move. He pulled out his spear and swung it at Coconut Caramel's leg. Trion's spear fragmented into small pieces, connected by a long strip of flesh that bound Coconut Camel's leg. The fallen Coconut Camel finally surrendered its life at Lazuro's hands. Three of Lazuro's slashes caused Coconut Camel to fall to his death.

"You know, loser, if you stop bothering Fiore and become my servant, your future will be bright. You're quite qualified to be my servant. How about it? Are you interested?" Trion asked slyly.

"I…" Lazuro lowered his head.

"You… do you think you have a better future than what you're offering? Think a little more, loser." Trion slapped Lazuro's head.

“I… I just want to go to the world tree. That’s why I can’t accept Senior’s request. I’m sorry.” Lazuro’s tone changed from excitement to fear.

“You’re just as crazy as the redhead. No wonder you’re friends. You’re both so messed up.” Trion looked at Lazuro with disgust.

“What’s wrong with Tristan?”

“That redhead bastard shouted that he was going to the world tree when he fought my sister. Of course, that idiot became the butt of ridicule. You should be much smarter than him. Just be my errand boy, and I guarantee you won’t be short of food. You’ll even receive an invention from the Vanadis family. Our family is a group of extraordinary scholars. The elite among the elite, remember that!”

“Sorry, Senior, but I’m completely serious about my dream.”

“Never mind,” Trion spat. “A fool like you won’t understand how to enjoy the world. Since it’s getting dark, you pick up the Coconut Camel and prepare some food and a campfire.” Trion sat down against the tree.

Lazuro sighed and reluctantly complied with Trion's orders. He gathered firewood, built a fire, and prepared to cook.

"There's no stove or frying pan, so I can only cook something grilled."

Lazuro looked around and began gathering some of the herbs that grew naturally. He then looked at the Coconut Camel and remembered a recipe from his time working part-time at a restaurant run by a foreigner. Lazuro drew his knife from his hip, intending to skin the Coconut Camel. However, Trion suddenly stood up and stopped Lazuro.

"Before you skin it, transfer the contents of the Coconut Camel's hump to the water pouch for us to drink!" Trion threw his two water pouches to the ground.

Lazuro followed Trion's instructions and began to dissect the Coconut Camel's hump. However, Lazuro was surprised by the Coconut Camel's incredibly hard hump.

"So that's why this beast is called the Coconut Camel. This hump is so hard, it resembles the texture of a coconut."

Lazuro finally used his Mythbreaker to open the Coconut Camel's hump. Once split, a clear liquid similar to water emerged. As instructed by Trion, Lazuro filled the water pouch with it. Curious, Lazuro took a sip of the Coconut Camel's liquid from the water pouch.

"This is amazing!" Lazuro shouted.

"Stop shouting, loser! You startled me."

Lazuro bowed in apology and looked back at the drink pouch he was holding.

"It tastes similar to coconut, but a little sweeter. No... no, it's not the sweetness that's surprising, but the liquid is very cold, like it's been in the refrigerator. Not only is it cold, it's also refreshing. I feel energized. But unfortunately, this coconut camel's hump doesn't have a fruit, like a head—"

Lazuro squinted and saw a fruit on the tree located on the hump of the coconut camel. He then picked it up and cut open the outside. Unexpectedly, it looked like a round coconut without water. It was all coconut flesh.

"Then I can make that dish."

Lazuro peeled off the flesh and placed the coconut camel flesh with the crushed leaves and spices on the leaf. Lazuro then took the coconut flesh and grated it on a rough stone, scooping out the liquid from the head and wrapping the remaining leaves together with the flesh and spices. Lazuro then skewered the leaf and grilled the entire wrapped flesh over a campfire. The fragrant aroma wafted over, prompting Trion, who had been sleeping, to approach Lazuro.

"Have you finished your cooking?" Trion asked.

"It'll be ready soon."

After a few minutes, Lazuro lifted the wrapped meat and placed it on a cloth.

"Senior Trion, the food is ready," Lazuro called.

Trion stared at the wrapped meat with a curious expression.

"Is this edible?" Trion asked.

Without hesitation, Lazuro unwrapped the meat and took the first bite.

"Hmm... it tastes amazing. The tender texture of the meat, the savory flavor of the coconut... incredible." Lazuro ate with gusto.

Trion gulped, watching Lazuro devour it. Finally, Trion unwrapped the meat after his stomach growled loudly. The blond-haired youth took a small bite and stared wide-eyed.

"What do you think, Senior?"

"It's adequate; the food at my house is much better." Trion ate gracefully and slowly. "I didn't expect you to be able to cook. You'd make a useful errand boy. You should reconsider my offer."

Lazuro didn't care about Trion, as the deliciousness of the Coconut Camel had hypnotized him.