The oven was a cooking appliance with quite a long history. To take the most obvious example, without ovens, people couldn't even make bread, the staple food of the West.

Ovens were invented to take cooking over a fire to the next level. Well, the real next step would be boiling things in a pot, but let's move on. The point was, having an oven made a huge difference to my quality of life.

“Oh, man.”

I let out a sigh of admiration at the delicious-looking roasted fish. Makeshift or not, an oven was still an oven: it had cooked the fish evenly all over.

When I cooked fish in the cast-iron pan, some parts would end up underdone or burnt. But an oven applied heat from every direction, so it was bound to cook evenly.

‘Maybe I could even make bread if I get the chance?’

I carefully moved the roasted fish, the mere sight of it making my mouth water. One careless move could burn me, so I hadn't forgotten my gloves. I'd even bought a new pair of oven gloves from the auction house for today.

I chewed a mouthful.

“Mmm!”

It tasted just as I'd expected. Which meant it was delicious. The fish had tasted meaty even when pan-fried, but now it really tasted like meat. It reminded me of the pork belly I'd splurged on back when I lived alone, scrimping and saving every penny.

Of course, it wasn't exactly the same. The texture in particular was different. Even so, the flavor itself was every bit as good as pork belly.

‘Even the parts that look burnt are tender inside.’

I could see myself getting a lot of use out of the oven. I happily enjoyed my meal, remembering to send a piece to the registered users along the way. This time, it was Heavenly Demon and the dwarf. They both praised the oven-roasted fish after trying it. It was objectively delicious.

‘How did people come up with ovens?’

I looked at the oven as I ate. The fire had burned down and was turning to charcoal, with little wisps of smoke rising from the chimney. Ovens had made an enormous contribution to human cooking. Without ovens, there would be no bread.

‘Could I make pizza in that thing, too?’

No. That would be a luxury. Unless I could grow my own wheat for flour and get eggs, too, it was a pointless dream. For now, I'd settle for oven-roasted fish. Besides fish, it would be useful for reheating smoked meat.

“La-la-la~”

As my quality of life improved, my morale naturally rose with it. And higher morale meant greater fighting strength. While singing the oven's praises, I planned my afternoon.

‘I need to find out where the gorillas' territory is.’

Lais Kraone, the Vulcan Kingdom's last scribe, had died by suicide. But I'd been told the infection had already left no hope of recovery, so the gorillas were effectively the cause. I needed to pinpoint their territory to keep myself out of danger.

‘Which means I need to learn about gorilla behavior first...’

I didn't know how gorillas had adapted to the Forest of Four Seasons. In other words, I needed to allow for the possibility that the behavior I knew about had changed, too. Still, it would be better than knowing nothing. I messaged the perfect person for the job.

Allfather, are you there?

Allfather

What can I do for you?

I wanted to ask about gorilla behavior.

Allfather

Gorillas?

Ah. You must have learned how the owner of the books died.

So the information Necromancy Is Love had given me seemed to be genuine. Did that mean I accepted that they were the Undying King? No. I could just think of them as a smart person doing some role-playing. Even if they really were the Undying King, it wouldn't make much difference.

Yes. I heard there's a gorilla territory here.

I have a vague idea of where it is, too.

Allfather

Among primates, humans included, gorillas stand out as exceptionally low in belligerence and aggression.

Of course, it varies by subspecies, but that is generally the case.

Does that mean they're safe?

Allfather

Not quite.

If gorillas have shown themselves, it means you have trespassed on their territory, Grylls.

And considering how the owner of those books died, you cannot afford to let your guard down.

So all I could do was be careful. I'd have to avoid trespassing on their territory if possible. But I had no idea where their territory began or ended.

Animals usually marked their territory with droppings. It looked like I'd need to keep a close eye out for those.

‘I'll have to bring Roundfur.’

With his excellent sense of smell, finding droppings would be easy for him. As luck would have it, he was bouncing around instead of napping, so I could just take him along. I started composing a message to thank Allfather.

Allfather

Incidentally, there is something that concerns me a little.

About the gorillas, that is.

Something concerns you?

Allfather

The books say the gorillas were observed behaving rather like humans.

Like humans?

What's an example?

Allfather

For one, they reportedly used “tools.”

They held animal bones in their hands and used them as clubs.

Uh... yikes.

Was this Planet of the Apes or what? I knew gorillas were smart, but that smart? That was terrifying. One wrong move and one of those bones could crack my skull open. Add aggression to the mix? The whole troop might gang up and beat the crap out of me.

‘... Maybe I should just stay home?’

Allfather's words had taken some of the wind out of my sails. But after that brief moment of discouragement, I shook my head hard. Times like these were precisely when I needed to take risks. There was a huge difference between having information and not having it.

‘I'll just establish exactly where their territory is.’

For now, locating their territory was my goal. I'd do that and nothing else. Even if I found some once-in-a-lifetime medicinal herb there, I intended to ignore it.

Thank you for the advice.

I'll have to be careful.

Allfather

I would advise against entering their territory, even out of curiosity.

I'm just going to check the boundaries and come back.

Allfather

I see. Very well.

I ended my conversation with Allfather and got ready to scout. It would be wise to prepare for the off chance that I accidentally wandered into the gorillas' territory.

‘Gorillas are herbivores, right?’

Allfather had told me they lived by stripping off and eating tree bark. They ate nothing but bark, yet had the greatest muscular strength of any primate. I felt a pointless twinge of envy, but forced it aside. Humans had far superior intelligence, after all.

I packed a few fasting pills as a gesture of goodwill. If things got tense, I planned to offer the pills to win them over.

‘The speed-sloth ate them just fine, so the gorillas should, too, right?’

Or should I buy a banana? Bananas were the fruit that came to mind when I thought of gorillas. Entertaining these pointless thoughts, I finished all my preparations.

The speed-sloth was on my back, and Roundfur was urging me to hurry up. All that remained was to set off...

GURGLE!

“Oh.”

It looked like departure would have to wait a little.

* * *

Only after thoroughly emptying his bowels did Grylls set off to scout. The cave he left behind was still, without a sign of anyone around. Only the occasional crackle of the fire broke the silence.

RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

Then it happened. Along the path to the river—not the one Grylls had taken—the thick bushes on either side began to shake. At first they stirred only slightly, but soon the movement became unmistakable.

Something finally slipped out through the bushes. Not its whole body—only its face poked out. It looked broadly human, but had a flat nose and pitch-black skin. Most tellingly, the hair across its face suggested it was an ape.

“... Ooh! Ooh!”

After surveying Grylls's camp for a while, the ape gave a quiet call. At the sound, the bushes shook more vigorously than before.

“Ooh-ooh!”

“Ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!”

It was a troop of apes—the very gorillas Grylls had been wary of. They seemed to communicate through their distinctive calls, then crept into the camp.

At a glance, they looked like ordinary gorillas, but a closer inspection revealed several differences. For one, the apparent leader held nothing, while the gorillas following him carried clubs. These came in all shapes: bones, wood, and even crudely fashioned stone axes. It was clear these were no ordinary apes.

“Ooh-ooh-ooh.”

“Ooh-ooh.”

The apes inspected Grylls's camp thoroughly, starting with the metal tub full of fish, then the container of collected charcoal, and even the oven.

“Ook-ee-aaagh!!”

“Ooh-ooh?!”

Then one of the gorillas screamed. The others hurried over at the sound. It was rolling on the ground, clutching its hand, with Grylls's newly built oven in front of it. Apparently, it had stuck its hand inside before the oven had fully cooled and burned itself. An accident born of curiosity. The leader rushed over to inspect the injury.

“Ooh-ooh!”

After examining it, the leader pointed to the metal tub full of fish, as though telling the injured gorilla to hurry and cool its hand in the water inside. The burned gorilla promptly plunged its hand into the tub.

SPLASH!

The moment its hand entered the water, relief spread across its face. The startled fish splashed about inside, but it didn't seem to care.

The leader looked relieved for a moment, then studied the oven closely. Perhaps he noticed the delicious smell coming from inside: he brought his nose close to the opening and sniffed repeatedly. But he merely tilted his head, apparently still unable to work out its purpose. In the end, he soon lost interest and turned his attention elsewhere.

“Ooh-ooh!”

One gorilla pointed to the metal tub full of fish—an important food supply for Grylls. But the leader shook his head in rejection, indicating that it would be difficult to carry away. Disappointed though it was, the gorilla accepted that.

The leader looked away from the gorilla to inspect another part of the camp. Then he spotted the laundry hanging on the line.

“Ooh.”

He studied the laundry, then slowly tugged on it. Unable to withstand the gorilla's brute strength, the makeshift drying rack collapsed without resistance. The leader examined the uniform Slutty Princess had given Grylls, then tossed it on the ground. He didn't seem particularly interested.

“Oooh-oh-oh!”

“Ooh-oh! Oooh-oh-oh!”

Then the gorillas exploring the cave came running outside. These were cheers, not screams like those of the gorilla that had burned itself earlier. When the leader showed curiosity about their find, they set down what they had brought: the sack of fasting pills that currently served as the speed-sloth's staple food.

“Hmm...”

“Ooh-ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!”

A gorilla urged the leader to decide, but he remained cautious. Then he picked a fasting pill out of the sack and put it in his mouth. Before long, he was chewing it thoroughly.

“Oooh-oh?! Oh-oh-oh?!”

The leader's eyes widened as he cried out. Anyone could tell his reaction meant “Delicious.” His expression was that of someone tasting the finest delicacy in the world.

At that, the other gorillas each popped a fasting pill into their mouths.

“Ooh-ooh-ooh?!”

“Oooh-oh-oh?!”

“Oook!!”

Just like their leader, the other gorillas reacted spectacularly. What was bitter emergency food to some was apparently a delicacy to gorillas.

“Ooh-ooh-ooh!”

“Ooh-ooh!”

After eating a few more fasting pills, the gorillas quietly picked up the sack. They couldn't keep something this delicious to themselves. They ought to share it with the rest of their kind. The leader agreed on this point, and took up the sack without hesitation.

“Ooh-ooh!”

“Ooh-ooh-ooh!”

And so the troop left Grylls's camp. They hadn't stolen his precious Elixir, inner cores, or the like, but the losses were still considerable.

“Ooh-ooh!”

“Ooh-ooh!”

Oblivious to all that, the gorillas headed home in high spirits.