CH 55

In the next town we visited, I got shocked by something I spotted.

“……….Eh??”

I rubbed my eyes and took another look.

“……….Eeehhh??”

Sword looked at me with a puzzled expression, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“…T-That’s…”

I pointed ahead of me with a trembling finger…

At the milk over there.

“Ah, the milk?”

When Sword asked as if it was nothing, I snapped.

“Yoooouuuuu!! Y-Yoouuu knew about it, and yet didn’t tell me!? Whyyyy?”

I grabbed his collar and violently shook him back and forth.

“W-Wait, I-I give up! Stop it! I’m gonna die!”

“Do you know just how much I wanted to get my hands on miiiiiilk!?”

Sure, it’s not indispensable since I can somehow work around it with soybeans. But you see, if I got milk, the taste is totally different, especially for butter! The taste!!

If it drops with plop due to its flavor, the taste really comes out. Also, sometimes I do have a craving for using fresh cream and similar.

“Well, I knew about it, but it woulda been pointless to tell you. I mean, it’s a local speciality which you can’t get anywhere else.”

“There has to be animals who produce it, right!? Get those! Now is the perfect time for you to flaunt the power of an S-Rank adventurer! Show me that you aren’t just a self-alleged 『Bigshot』!”

“How terrible of you!”

When are you going to use it if not now!? Haven’t you been using that authority even at times when you didn’t have to!?

I sighed deeply and walked onwards, now with a dry throat.

“…You gettin’ so agitated means you can make somethin’ delicious out of it? I’ve drank it in the past, and well, it’s decent, but for you to desire it to such an extent…”

“Right now I’m substituting milk with soybeans, but the taste differs. For starters, I’ll sample it. After all, it’s unlikely that it’s actually 【Cow Milk】.”

＊

I went to a milk stall with Sword, bought it, and gave it a try.

“…Hmm, I see, I see!”

“Is it good?”

“It’s a tiny bit different from the taste I know, but this is great in its own way! Alright, we’ll get our hands on this! Come on, hurry, put that S-Rank of yours to work!”

Sword scratched his head.

“…The merchant guild then, huh? But they’re definitely gonna take advantage of this. That’ll suck badly.”

The stall boy, who had been watching with an astonished face, called out to us, “……Are you possibly Sir 【Thunderclap Whitefang】?”

“Huh?”

The one reacting to that was me, whereas Sword instantly turned his face away.

“…Sorry, but I sometimes fail to hear certain words. What did you say just now?”

“Eh? I mean, he’s Sir 【Thunderclap Whitefang】… …isn’t he?”

Feeling dumbfounded, I looked at Sword.

“……What’s that? This super embarrassing name? What? Thunderclap? Whitefang? I totally don’t get the meaning. The name 【Bloody Witch】 is way cooler than that, isn’t it? Rather, it’s so grating on the ears that I’m tearing up. It hurts.”

“…Havin’ you say all that makes me tear up as well!”

Both of us became teary-eyed.

“…You’ve adopted such an embarrassing nickname? Oh my god, drop it right away! Otherwise I won’t be able to walk through town with you anymore!”

“Ain’t like I chose it myself! What are you tellin’ me to do ’bout it!?”

No way, this guy isn’t going to go “My right eye throbs, it throbs so much!” on me, is he?

“……Let me just make sure, but you’re not going to start muttering that some part of your body throbs or that you can hear things no one else can hear, right?”

“What’s with that lunatic treatment all of a sudden?”

It sounds like he won’t do any of that. Pheew, that’s good to hear.

“…It’d just be a typical symptom. People with such names usually mutter things like 『The Evil Eye that has been sealed in my right eye is throbbing…』.”

“No, even if you seal things, you wouldn’t use your own body for that. That’d be like carryin’ ’round a magic tool that could explode at any moment. It’d be far too dangerous.”

Oh, so sealing in itself is actually being carried out? Just what you’d expect from a fantasy world!

“Ah, just now my opinion of you improved a bit.”

“Like how?”

“You see, Sealing was a hyped term in the other world.”

“Give it a rest already. I don’t even understand what your talkin’ ’bout anymore.” Sword averted his face in a bad mood.

A short moment later, he proudly said to the stall boy, “It’s just, I formed a party. So remember the name Allrounders from now on.”

“O-Okay!! …That means, is the boy over there possibly…”

Sword broke out into laughter.

Then he introduced me while roughly stroking my head around, “Right, this boy here is my partner. Just as the party name suggests, this guy is likewise an Allrounder. And the golems, too.”

“Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!”

“Nice to meet you! I am Mr. Sword’s personal Ryoku!”

…Each time I hear this greeting, it ticks me off. Just why doesn’t Sword’s Ryoku use the standard greeting!?

＊

“Should I explain it to you, just in case?”

“What precisely?”

“The origin of my nickname. For better or worse, I had confidence in my speed, and used to be the fastest in the world. …But, once you showed up, I gave up on that title. Anyway, the meanin’ of Thunderclap lies in being as fast as lightnin’. Also, because I mainly use lightnin’ magic. Lightnin’ magic basically works on everythin’. Then, the remainin’ Whitefang…the white probably comes from my white hair, and I think the fang indicates my attacks bein’ as sharp as a fang since I usually take down my enemies in one blow.”

What’s with that explanation? It totally sounds like an exposition about the theory behind a math formula.

“Okay, okay, I got it. Your nickname has a meaning. My brain rejected translating it whenever I heard it, but now that I’ve heard the explanation, I can somewhat understand where it’s coming from. And I’ve also decided to remain a nameless adventurer for eternity.”

Sword revealed an evil grin, “You think you’ll be able to escape’ havin a nickname stuck on you while adventurin’ with me? I’m pretty sure folks will give you an awfully embarrassin’ nickname, so I’m goin’ to look forward to that.”

I plugged my ears.

I-CAN-NOT-HE-AR-ANY-THING—LA-LA-LA!

＊

The stall boy seemed to be Sword’s fan.

“My little brother is a much bigger fan of yours. He’s aiming to become an adventurer to follow in your footsteps!”

The boy said…but, when I looked at Sword’s face, he grabbed my face.

“Mmh-mmh-m-mmh-mmhmmh-mh!”

I can’t talk!

“It might be because you don’t know the rumors about me, but don’t look at me like that!”

Like how?

The boy abandoned his stall, and ran off to call his brother.

“Isn’t that wonderful? You’re quite popular, aren’t you? So wouldn’t it be alright for you to get along with your fans?”

I was able to talk again since he finally stopped grabbing my face.

“No, that’s a bit… I don’t even know what bein’ my fan is about.”

Isn’t it alright to get along with your fans even without being an idol? The other party apparently idolizes him like a god, but if he crushes that deluded idea, I’m sure they’ll be able to become friends.

＊

The stall boy brought his brother along.

But, I gotta say, that kid’s outfit totally screams 『adventurer cosplayer』!

“Going by his appearance, he’s quite the adventurer!”

“At least when compared to you.” Sword retorted.

“Wasn’t it you who said that armor would be meaningless in my case?”

“Normal enemies wouldn’t be even able to scratch you ‘n me, even if we were stark naked. And in case of an enemy, who can injure us, armor won’t be of much use either. In such case, I think it’s more feasible to aim for clothes that allow easy movement over heavy armor restrictin’ it. Even this here is sturdy in its own right.”

It’s a suit and mantle made out of some random leather, isn’t it? Moreover, the maids went over the top with the ornaments while claiming, “It’s such a rare opportunity, so let’s make something decent!”

In the end, I’m not looking like an adventurer in the least!

“Whoa, it’s the real 【Thunderclap Whitefang】! Awesome!”

“Hey, watch your language and be more polite!” The boy hit the top of his excited brother’s head with a knuckle.

“Nah, it’s cool. No need to be formal ’round me.”

Sword became somewhat apathetic. It looked like he didn’t like being in this situation.

“Hey, cheer up, will you? In the eyes of this boy, you’re a hero, right? So act like one, for heaven’s sake.”

“Now listen, if he carelessly aims to become an adventurer because of that, blunders, and dies…” He glared at me.

“That would be the boy’s way of life then. You wouldn’t be responsible for it. How often do I need to tell you until you get it? On the other hand, he could also follow in your footsteps as an adventurer out of adoration, and achieve great things. Consider that possibility as well. Also, it’s not like I’m telling you to deceive him with some pretense. Just treat him kindly, will you?”

“…Gotcha.”

Now then.

Leaving the little brother to Sword, I talked to the big brother.

“It’s just perfect to have you here. There’s something I’d like you to tell me if possible.”

“Eh? Me?”

I nodded.

And then I explained to him that I wanted milk – if possible a regular supply of milk for myself, and asked him whether anything could be done about it as it was apparently only being sold in this town.

The boy pondered.

“Hmm, you see, milk can be procured from monsters called Charge Cow.”

Charge Cow? In other words, normal cows?

“It’s a very cowardly monster that lives deep in the mountains. In addition, they’re somewhat ferocious. If you irk them the wrong way, they’ll charge at you and you’ll get killed. But, they’re slaves to their appetite. If you give them fodder, they become completely engrossed with eating. At that time, they’ll release milk. We fill that milk into tanks, refill it into bottles after coming out of the mountains, and sell it. …If I remember correctly, the milk doesn’t last long, and I don’t know how far it is to the mountains, but you might spoil your tummy if you drink it after around one day has passed…”

Figures.

…But, I got it. Contrary to my idea that they might be raising them, they were actually wild monsters.

“Would it cause any issues if I caught those monsters and took them with me?”

“Eh? I-I wonder. So far as it goes, they’re monsters famous for only living in this area, and you don’t get into any trouble even if you accidentally kill them after getting attacked, but neither the adventurer nor the merchant guild would ever buy them off you, you know?”

Alright, let’s take back around two or three while pretending I accidentally killed them.

“Sword! Our next steps are decided!”

“Hold back on it for a bit. Don’t make any moves on your own since I’m goin’ to pass it through the adventurer and merchant guild first.”

I was stopped by Sword.

…Oh well, no choice then. I’ve also experienced adult society in the other world, so I know you’ve got to lay the groundwork for a smooth exchange. Though, a part of me thinks that it might be totally fine for me to take back a few for raising since this world doesn’t have any animal protection laws anyway.