I Refuse to Be a Valkyrie!

But it was already dusk now. Yae Sakura carried Xia Ji on her back and yet hadn't encountered a single demon along the way, for some reason...

Logically speaking, Xia Ji should have been a tempting prize for those demons—even if not quite as potent as the legendary Tang Monk's flesh, she was still a decent catch.

Just as Yae Sakura was pondering this, suddenly a "gurrr~" sound rang out.

It sounded like a stomach growling from hunger.

Yae Sakura turned her head and saw Xia Ji hugging her own stomach, looking a bit shy, as if embarrassed.

"You're hungry?"

"I..." Xia Ji looked at Yae Sakura, wanting to say she wasn't hungry, but... she couldn't bring herself to say it.

She really was hungry.

"Let's look around for something to eat nearby! It's going to get dark soon, so we'll have to find a place to rough it for the night." Yae Sakura stood up and looked at the sky. Night was about to fall, and traveling now was hardly a wise choice.

"Mm."

Continuing to carry Xia Ji on her back, Yae Sakura's fox ears on her head twitched slightly, and she immediately caught the sound of a small animal.

She quickly dashed over with Xia Ji, leaped onto a large tree in an instant, stood on a branch, snapped off a twig... and threw it straight into a patch of grass knee-high.

A sharp cry rang out.

Yae Sakura jumped down and picked up the twig... It was stuck straight through the body of a black rabbit.

"This will be tonight's dinner!"

The rabbit in front of her was quite large, more than enough for two people.

Afterward, Yae Sakura brought Xia Ji to a small stream and began to dress the rabbit.

At that moment, Yae Sakura realized just how useful the fox ears on her head really were. Normally, they could filter out irrelevant noises, but when she focused, she could hear faint sounds from far away.

Like the sound of the rabbit, or the murmur of flowing water.

It was practically a survival tool for the wilderness!

After cleaning the rabbit, she also unexpectedly spotted a few palm-sized fish in the stream. Carrying these things... Yae Sakura used her ears to quickly find a suitable place to stay.

A dry cave.

She lit a fire inside the cave and roasted the rabbit meat and fish.

Yae Sakura took a small bite and then stopped eating. Compared to the food she'd had before, this meat, with only its natural animal flavor, was frankly a bit hard to swallow.

Of course... the main reason was that Yae Sakura wasn't hungry yet. If she were starving, maybe anything would taste good?

Like Bear Grylls—when there's no food, you can eat anything.

"Lord Yae, aren't you eating?" Xia Ji held the roasted meat in her hands, hesitating as she looked at Yae Sakura.