Matthew currently had his eyes locked onto the pillar of fire that was half as big as the kobold's house.
'If the old kobold used this against the human army, then I won't even have to do that last acrobatic move to kill the human commander… Just having this pillar of fire appears in the midst of their army will be memorable and intimidating enough for the human army…'
It's not like Matthew regretted helping the kobolds, but he just thought that if the old kobold had the capabilities to do this then why won't he use it to fight against the human army that had even killed his own son?
Matthew wanted to ask the old kobold directly, but seeing that the old kobold still had 5 remaining boars and deers to roast, Matthew decided to hold his questions first and waited until the old kobold finished with his official business being the village chief.
And for the time being, Matthew enjoyed the beautiful dance performed by the lines of fire magic that was controlled by the old kobold to skillfully cook the boars and the deers for the village to eat and celebrate.
Since the old kobold said that the feast had begun even before he started cooking the boars and deers, the moment the cooked ones were placed onto the table, the kobolds had already started cutting them apart and distributing it between themselves.
Some of the kobolds who were strong enough to withstand the steaming hot meat used their hands directly to grab a piece of meat that was cut using the bone knives while the other ones used some type of plant with a wide leaf as a plate to hold the meat along with some nuts, vegetables, and fruits.
Matthew grabbed a few cuts of meat while he watched the old kobold do his things and he could testify that the boar's belly that was cooked using the special kobold marinate does taste at least 2 times better than the raw ones that he usually eats.
After taking a few more bites of the boar belly, a few berries, and chucking some nuts, the old kobold finally finished cooking all the boars and the deers and they were all brought onto the tables for all the kobolds to enjoy.
Matthew wanted to approach the old kobold first, but seeing the old kobold had already walked towards him, Matthew decided to just wait for the old kobold to come to him. And while he waited for the old kobold to slowly walk to him, Matthew took another bite of the boar meat and chucked another nut into his mouth.
'These nuts and vegetables do give a different texture and taste to improve the eating experience up about one level.'
'But wait…'
'Can I even digest these things with my chameleon stomach? I've been eating meat all this time because of the monster data, but I don't know if I'm actually a carnivore or an omnivore…I shouldn't get an upset stomach because of this right…?'
Although Matthew didn't have any problems in the waste dumping department so far, he was worried that the sudden change of diet will interrupt the harmony in his stomach.
Fortunately, Matthew didn't have to worry for long as the old kobold finally arrived beside him. And the first thing that the old kobold said to him was,
"What do you think about my magic? Isn't it very awesome and cool?" He said to Matthew with a face full of pride.
Matthew wanted to give the old kobold a double thumbs up and nod his head while saying 'Yes that is one of the coolest things I've ever seen!', but then he remembered his question earlier so he instead said,
"Yes Mutt, it's very cool and from the looks of it, it's also very powerful."
"Of course it's powerful! The kobold's fire magic is not something you can underestimate!"
"Yes, yes, of course, I know it Mutt, But I do have a question though."
"What is it, Matthew? Don't be shy and just ask! You've done an incredible deed for us. Whatever it is, I will answer as long as I know the answer."
"Umm… About your amazing and powerful spell…"
"Yess? What about them?"
"Why don't you use it to fend off the human army?? With that kind of firepower, the humans will run away the moment they see the huge fire pillar!"
Matthew said as he pointed his fingers to the huge campfire that is still burning and giving the kobolds lights and heat to warm themselves while the feast is still ongoing.
"Come on Matthew, you know that if I was strong enough and was able to use it to fight the humans, I won't be desperate and the village won't even have to suffer that bad in the first place."
"What do you mean? I just saw you use it to cook meat perfectly! I don't know if magic is easy to control or something, but I don't think cooking meat using that amount of fire without burning them is possible if we're talking about ordinary fire. Not only the meat will be burnt, but even the sticks that were used to hold them together will also be charred and turned into charcoal!"
"I'm betting that it's not the fire that is special, but you're the one who is skilled enough to manipulate the fire to do something like that!"
The old kobold smiled, but his eyebrows were cast downward as if saying 'If only I were as amazing as you thought.'
But the old kobold didn't say that to Matthew, he explained to him patiently and told him the limitation of his fire magic.
"Well it's true that after being a kobold mage for almost 2 decades, my skill and control is quite good and I'm quite proud of it, but Matthew, I'm only level 19 remember? I'm able to use that much fire because I took advantage of the existing fire from the campfire and I just manipulated a small part of them."
"And I can only manipulate them perfectly for only about a minute before I feel a huge burden in my mind and only having a minor headache is considered quite lucky. Exactly like what I am feeling right now."
"But of course, I had also planned a use for the skill when the human army came."
Matthew tilted his head slightly as a silent gesture to ask what the old kobold meant and the old kobold soon explained,
"Why do you think the kobold kids are ordered to be with me in the back?"
After finally hearing the old kobold's question, Matthew remembered the favor that the old kobold had asked him the day before the war to ensure the first kobold kid's safety even if the village collapsed. With that, Matthew could vaguely guess what the old kobold was planning to do with the skill, but he decided to stay silent and waited for the old kobold to explain it to him.
"It was so that we could give the children a chance to live."
"If we had failed to defend the village and the human army had successfully broken into the village,"
"I would use the houses around as a fuel for the fire and I will use that one minute, maybe more if I force myself, to deal as much damage to the humans while giving the chance for the kids to run away towards the forest. I know that the forest is full of dangerous beasts, but it was a thousand times better than being the humans' slaves."
Matthew listened closely to the old kobold's explanation and it does make sense to him why he did what he did before. He fully understood what the old kobold meant, but he didn't know what the proper response was after hearing such a pure and noble intention.
And in the end, he only nodded his head while a feeling of admiration for the old kobold and the kobolds, in general, started to grow inside his head.
But after hearing the old kobold's explanation, Matthew wondered about one thing,
"But if controlling a huge amount of fire is a burden for you and you have to exert yourself to do that, why bother using it for just a performance to cook the deers and boars??"
"Matthew, the kobolds have gone through a lot of things these past few days and their minds must have been filled with a lot of thoughts and worries that were no less than what I'm having."
"But if I showed them that I'm still capable of such a feat and putting on a show of power, then I can at least show them that despite so many adversities and losses that we had, we still have power and we are still strong."
"I hoped that it could at least give them a little assurance and it will help them fight the despair that they had."
"And with your presence here, it will even have an even more impact for them."
"Me? Why?" Matthew asked.
"Matthew, this morning you had just fought against a human army alone and came out as the winner while remaining unscathed."
"Can you imagine how they felt when they know that such a strong and powerful person is at their side and living among them?"
Other than feeling content and relieved that he had successfully defended the kobold village and made the human commander pay the price for his actions, Matthew was actually quite proud of himself for what he did this morning since he was able to play around the human army as if he was playing around with the level 8 deers that he usually met near his old nest near the lake.
But he never really thought how great he was and how significant his actions were for the kobolds. The kobolds had accepted him as their savior and there won't be a single kobold that wouldn't accept if Matthew called himself a part of their family.
And in the end, Matthew only realized a part of his significance to the kobolds and he replied to the old kobold by just saying,
"I'm just happy that I succeeded and you guys are safe."
The old kobold could only smile as he heard Matthew's answer and he started to grab a piece of boar belly's meat for himself to eat.
Now that there's no known threat looming over them, the old kobold and Matthew just chatted casually about the kobolds' daily life, and Matthew even told the old kobold about the lies that he was a wandering kobold that was training to make himself stronger than Matthew even succeeded in getting the kobold's special marinade recipe from the old kobold.
They chatted merrily while munching on the foods available on the table until the campfire was halfway burnt.
And at some point of their conversation, the old kobold asked Matthew,
"What do you want to do after this? Will you leave and continue your training journey?"
The first kobold kid was still feeling awkward and guilty for doubting Matthew, he was trying to speak to Matthew and apologize to him about it, but Matthew was so busy chatting with his grandpa that he didn't have the chance yet.
But at that moment, heard his grandpa's voice and hurriedly came over from behind Matthew and his grandfather while hurriedly asked,
"Big brother Matthew, you're already planning to leave?" His puppy eyes that were still not as sharp as the adult kobolds and his smaller figure that was only half as tall as Matthew certainly made Matthew feel that the first kobold kid is a cute kid and if he was only focusing on the kid's face, it does look slightly similar to a husky puppy.
Matthew already had an outline of a plan in mind on the things that he wanted to do to increase his strength in the forest and if he was already strong enough and the circumstances support it, he would also explore the humans' territory in this world.
But after thinking about it, a thought also popped up in his mind, 'Should I stay here for a while?'
Looking at the happy kobolds around him that were still in a celebration mood and some of them were even drinking from the leather pouches on the table that turned to be weird tasting alcohol and merrily chatting and playing around with their comrades, Matthew felt that some type of comfort being in this environment.
Not only was he living alone in the forest where he could only let his guard down on his nest, but the fact that he had to talk to himself until he had developed a habit for it to cope with his loneliness is also a sign that Matthew wasn't really comfortable with his way of life earlier.
Meeting the old kobold who is like a grumpy but caring old guy, the first kobold kid that he had considered as his little brother, the kobold twins that is somehow not stuck with the first kobold kid at the moment, and all the other kobolds that he had saved and were nice to him, Matthew was somewhat reluctant to just leave them behind and continue on his lonely journey.
Matthew then released a sigh before saying,
"In the end, I can't leave yet. I will stay here for a while if you guys are okay with that."
The first kobold kid heard Matthew's voice clearly even though it was spoken softly,
"Really!? Yes! Of course! Big brother Matthew should stay here! Isn't that right grandpa?"
The old kobold then laughed then said,
"Of course Matthew! We accept you with open arms!"
The old kobold then turned to the other kobolds before shouting,
"Brothers and sisters! Our savior, Matthew, had decided to stay with us for a while, be nice to him, and let him enjoy his stay while he's here!"
The other kobolds all cheered and welcomed Matthew as if he was a long-lost family member, they chugged the weird tasting alcohol and the remaining boar's meat into his mouth while excitedly talking to him.
'Maybe I will like it here more than I thought I would…'