Patiently waiting for Adam to cook her food, practically salivating as the succulent meat's scent wafted over the entire campsite, Bamb stood next to us, eager to try something she had never had before. We expected her to give up halfway, and we in fact even told her that she doesn't need to force herself if she doesn't feel comfortable, but for each reminder, she would simply brush it off, stating "It'll be alright!" or, "I wanna try it!", so we had no reason not to follow through ourselves.

"Well, I cut it up into tinier chunks to make it easier for her to consume just as Edward asked me to." Adam then served the meat on a larger leaf we found nearby as a sort of impromptu plate, "Just be careful, Bamb."

"Yeah, if you feel sick or anything, just spit it out immediately and we'll get you something more for you!" Issei also looked kind of worried.

"It'll be alright, she's not dumb or anything." I reassured everyone, "Now Bamb, shall we eat?"

"Mn!" She nodded with the deer equivalent of a smile, gently reaching for the food laid out before her before... stopping.

"What's the matter?" All three of us asked, "Crap, maybe giving her stray wolf meat isn't such a good idea after all..."

"Embarrassing..." She refused to look up at us, "Please, I dislike it when others stare at me when I'm eating. Would you mind...?"

"...Oh." I then burst out laughing, "Haha! What the hell, you're way more girly than I thought! Are you sure you're not a human that got turned into a doe or something!?"

"What, what?" Issei begged me to relay her thoughts to them, "What'd she say? Should we be worried or not!?"

"Alright, I see how it is." Adam read the room without me even having to relay the message, gently turning around on the log we were seated at as he instructed Issei and I to do the same, "A lady has her maidenly pride, human or not. And as men, we should have already learned by now that staring is improper. Bamb, I would like to humbly extend my apology, this was unsightly of someone like me."

"A-Ah, d-did I offend you!?" She got worried over nothing, "I'm sorry, don't punch my heart out! I'll be a good doe and eat whatever you want!"

"No, they don't mind." I calmed her down as I pointed to the food below her snout, "More importantly, you should at least try the food before it gets cold. Tell me your opinions on it when you're done."

"Whoa, Adam's cooking is surprisingly good!" Issei couldn't help but to munch on the meat like there was no tomorrow, "I tried stray wolf meat before, but it was always way too unsalted and rare! This is just perfect!"

"What do you mean when you say surprisingly?" Adam gave him a sidelong glance, still making sure none of us glanced back to steal a peek at Bamb eating her share, "Is it so odd for a king to know his way around the kitchen? For my kingly training, I'll have you know I was taught by three separate world-class chefs!"

"I don't think lumping Adam together with the other useless prideful kings of this world makes sense anymore, Issei." I chuckled as I savored my food, "This guy is really raising the bar for all the kings of the world."

"Well, the maids don't always let me cook the food due to it being their job and all, but even I'm a husband who likes to sneak into the pantry and whip up a nice breakfast for his lady." Adam smiled, "I only get to do it for special occasions though, since most of the workers get a day off away from the mansion to do as they please."

"Never mind the kings of this world..." Issei turned to me, "This guy is raising the bar for all the men in general. He's so perfect he's making me question my preferences."

"I'll take that as a compliment, though I must inform you that I have my Elaine, and you your own lady, so our love will never prosper." Adam joked, "And what of you, Edward?"

"What, so I'm fine but Issei isn't?" I felt bad for the guy, "I have Anna too, you know? Not interested."

"No, not that!" He guffawed, "The food, what do you think of the food!"

Well, this is embarrassing. Just kidding, it's simple banter between fellas. Well, The Boys, but still. Point is, the food is awesome, and though I don't fully intend on committing to Adam as much as Issei apparently does, I must admit that it truly is what I would imagine king-made grilled stray wolf meat to taste like. I'll give it 4.5 stars for now, not because it's lacking in any department, mind you, just because I think he has room to grow. I'm looking forward to his next feast, though judging by what he said, I might have to wait a long while before then.

"It's good." I nodded, "But more importantly, what does our newest companion have to say about it?"

I didn't turn around in fear of making her feel uncomfortable again, but the problem was that I couldn't quite see her thoughts like that. Waiting and waiting until I got a reply, I was stuck between breaking her trust she had put in me not to turn her way or just never getting an answer. After a while though, she ran around the log we were seated on to face us head on, all smiles as she looked at me.

"It's delicious!" She pranced about in place, "It's cooked! Cooked meat! I never thought I'd get to taste it again, and yet here I am!"

"Looks like she thoroughly enjoyed it." Issei smirked, "Judging by her reaction, she could go for seconds, it seems."

"No, banish the thought!" She winced.

"What is it now?" I asked with a wry grin, "Don't tell me you're looking to keep your frame in check as well now."

"No, it's not that." She shook her head, "I mustn't eat too much, despite how tantalizing the idea sounds. If I do, I might not be able to outrun a predator in the future. We deer are known for our speed and agility, after all, so I wouldn't want to fall behind on it because of something like overeating."

"Oh, that makes sense, yeah..." I bashfully scratched my head.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"What'd she say?" Issei asked yet again.

"So no seconds?" Adam dejectedly put the finely chopped meat he had prepared onto his plate.

This went on until everyone was done with their meal. I had originally thought to suggest an eating contest between the three of us, given we had a surplus of meat and all, but after hearing Bamb out, I kinda don't feel like it anymore. I'll take another plate though. I promise it'll be the last one!

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After finishing our hearty meal, we put out the campfire before opting to leave the forest. Now that we had gotten some substantial info, we thought it would be a good time to go check up on Aru and see how she's doing. Now that I think about it, just how will she feel when she sees a talking doe? Well, since Bamb can't actually talk, she wouldn't exactly be classified as a talking deer, but one that you can talk to nonetheless! Eh, we'll get there when we get there.

"Well then, this is goodbye." Bamb suddenly stopped following us, prompting me to turn back and see what was up, "Any further than this is the human's territory, and I can imagine that after what the animals did to them, they may not see me as favorably as I would hope. Thank you for everything, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"What do you mean?" I chuckled nervously, "Come on, Bamb! You're with us, so I doubt anyone would try anything. Besides, we could use someone like you on our mission as well, so why not just join us?"

"What? Bamb doesn't wanna come with us?" Issei looked a bit sad, but understood her reasons from her point of view, "Well, it'd make sense, though. She was pretty fearful of us before you told her you can understand her, and no other humans can do that, as far as I know."

"Indeed, it'd be dangerous for her to go with." Adam then thought of a cunning way to change her mind, "Though I'm sure I could reunite her with that farmer boy who took care of her as a fawn."

"Hm?" Her ears perked up, indicating she was interested in what he had to offer, "What does he mean by that?"

"Oh, caught your attention, have I?" Adam smiled wryly at her, "Well, I am the king of this continent. I am unsure if you are familiar with the pecking order in the human world, but this basically means that I am on-top of everyone. Abusing my powers to help reunite you with the person you're grateful to would be a cinch."

"B-But..." She glanced back and forth between the forest behind her and us in front, "What do I do...?"

"Adam, it's not nice to make her have to choose like this." I furrowed my brows at him, "If you're gonna go about convincing her like this, then at least be transparent - can you or can you not find the man she's looking for?"

Feeling thankful that I stood up for her, Bamb walked next to me before patiently waiting for Adam to say something in his defense. Now I'm not doubting Adam's power in this case, but he's not one of the Gods. In other words - he isn't omnipotent. The last thing I'd wanna see is a defeated Bamb slowly falling into despair as she steadily realizes that Adam simply couldn't find the guy. Though on the other hand, I'd rather she comes with us instead of leaving her in such a harsh environment to be eaten by a predator or something like that.

"Doubt me, don't doubt me, it matters not. If you wish for me to be transparent, then so be it, but from the look on your face, Edward, I can see you've already figured out the right choice yourself." He then explained, "Bamb, in front of you are two options. One is to come with us to live under our utmost care and protection until we find the man whom you owe your knowledge to. This is a guaranteed success. Of course, you also have the second option - to return to your life in the wilderness, to live out your days in solitude and without closure. For this choice, however, your life will be riddled with the constant fear of losing your life to a bigger and stronger animal than you. I am afraid there is no one to come save you if such a moment comes. The choice is yours, but I trust you will make the best decision, both for you and for everyone else."

Bamb was reasonably a bit lost, as one would expect, as she often glanced over to me, her shaky letters asking me to choose for her. I didn't say a word though, thus forcing her to make the choice herself. I know some may see this as cruel, but for such an important choice that will dictate the rest of her life's course, I'd rather it be a decision she herself is tasked with taking responsibility for. If I pushed her in a direction she would later come to regret, she would forever live in pain and sorrow, but you can never regret a choice you yourself have made. This is why she must face Adam head on.

"Alright." She nodded, "I'm counting on you, king Adam."

"Alright!" I couldn't help but to let out a relieved shriek, embarrassing myself in the process.

"Pheh, I take it she said she'll come with?" Issei teased, "I haven't seen you this stoked in my life. This must really mean something to you, Ed."

"Heh, I guess you could say I'm glad..." I scratched my cheek, "Then, let's go meet up with the girls."

"Wait, before that." Adam asked Issei for an Instarope capsule, launching it in the air to extract the rope from it before tying it loosely around Bamb's neck, "I am sorry for this, but please understand - just having an unleashed animal roaming around the city, no matter how well behaved it might be, is a pretty big red flag. By doing this, I'm keeping you from getting stolen from us as well as to quell the locals' worries."

"I understand." Bamb nodded, "Thank you for letting me know."

"She's grateful for you thinking about her safety." I translated, "Is that all?"

"Yes, let us commence forth." Adam smiled as he carefully led her down the path, with Issei and I following shortly behind.