CH 27

Translator: Haruchin   Editor: Marky

「 Jean, wanna hang out with one of the mainstay adventurers, just for once? I noticed this when we did our stint together, but you’re out of tune. It’d be another story if you’re off-point because you’re knowledgeable about the common stuff, but in any case, you seem to be different. 」

Dean gave some pointers to me. The adventurer he mentioned wasn’t an outstanding, powerful guy, but he was a reliable one, so he said. I gratefully accepted his offer. He would introduce him at the same time tomorrow, if I returned.

「 Be careful, you two, so you won’t get caught in something crazy. They might think Ash is weird, so stop scowling like that.」

「 Mm? 」

Ash had a puzzled look, and she was furrowing her brows. It was not intentional, but she kept on doing that so I guess it was really her mannerism.

「 Gotta agree about Ash’s scowl, but I’m not…」

「 You guys are wayyy good looking! You’ll definitely get approached by weird guys! 」

I dunno why Dean seemed to be irritated while saying that, but well, even if somebody wanted to approach me, I would just refuse if I didn’t like her. If she suited my taste, then why not.

True, I was at the age where I also wanted to flirt, but enjoying my freedom to the fullest was still my priority. Anyway, let’s just keep Dean’s warning.

Kaina-san was promoted so she’s busy. She advanced from being a teller to being part of the management, so we haven’t seen her at all today. What a pity.

Ash and the others would go to the guild’s private room to get her refund from that rip-off incident and also an apology, so it was time to say goodbye. Well, our range of activities overlapped in this city, so we would see each other from time to time.

So, Ash and Butler were also considering renting a house, huh. The kitchen and bathroom were common properties, so they would still have to deal with other people, even if they didn’t have meddlesome landlords with families. It would also cost them money, on top of that. Well, it’s not for me to say anything, though.

I checked the guild’s request board then went hunting. The demand for bear fur increased in light of the typical winter season. Meat was the same, too. Rabbits were still active even during winters. Animals that were possessed with cold-resistant spirits could still move around, regardless of their former lifestyle and characteristics.

I should confirm first whether waterfowls visited the lake, then catch a fox, if possible. I wanted to dismantle the humongous fox I caught in the forest depths, so I needed a model first.

I went out of the gates, walked for a bit till I reached a deserted spot, then【Teleport】

. The shallow, stagnant waters near the lakeshore had started to thinly freeze over. The sun will hit those parts in a bit so the ice will melt, but it really has become so cold.

A few waterfowls were floating in a spot a bit far from the bank. Maybe a full-scale migration to this place would happen soon? Only a thin layer of snow blanketed the place where my house was, but I heard that snow in Canum was usually knee deep. I was hoping it would happen before the snow piles up.

Alright, I gave up on the birds for today and set out to search for a fox. Dunno how to do that though. Dean showed me how to track footprints, traces of gnawing, and how to chase animals, but what kind of traces do foxes make?

Activated 【Search】 — whoa, I could sense a lot of animals, but there was no telling which one belonged to a fox. Even if I ignored bears, wolves and rabbits, which I was already familiar with because of hunting, there were still plenty of others I couldn’t identify. I tried following the nearest hint of presence — a dormouse preparing for hibernation in a hollow stared back at me.

There was no choice but to memorize all the presence and tracks of animals one by one, huh. I walked through the forest, familiarizing myself with all of those. Small birds, flying squirrels, copper pheasants; oh, there’s a beaver building a magnificent dam.

In the end, I managed to hunt a horned bear and two species of pheasants, the copper and green.

***

「 Please. 」

「 Yes, thank you very much. 」

I sold everything to the Adventurer’s Guild this time around. The bear horns fetched a higher price here, though the flashy-colored copper pheasant males sold higher at the Commerce Guild. Adventurer’s Guild’s offer for green pheasants was higher though, since they use the feathers for arrows.

Plus, no matter what it was, there was a disassembly fee if you’re not selling it whole, so it was better not to sell each part separately unless it’s bad. Both the Commerce Guild and Adventurer’s Guild here were upright folks since they would verify first whether you wanted to sell it whole or not after they disassembled it. Most of the time, people tell them that if there are magic stones then they’ll only keep those.

This time, I ended up leaving the feathers back where I disassembled the bird back at the forest. Dear 【Appraisal 】 told me that the green pheasant should be gutted right away at the place where it was hunted or else the stinky smell will transfer to the meat, so……

My 【 Appraisal 】 prioritizes showing me eating-related stuff, so tips like how feathers can be used as material for making arrows only appeared later on, so I ended up completely ignoring them.

I decided to sell the horn and eat the meat deliciously. Alright, should I stuff it with veggies and roast it, or slice it thinly and do a shabu shabu hotpot? Anyway, let it rest first so that it will mature.

— If it’s shabu shabu, a table top stove would be nice, huh. I’ll roast it this time since I already have an oven.

Table top stove might be impossible, but maybe a brazier will work? I’ll need a tripod as a stand and an earthen pot, huh. There’s a tripod-ish looking thing at the fireplace, so maybe I can have a smaller one made? Let’s request it at the workshop.

Getting into blacksmithing might be a good idea.

I opened the door of the rented house and entered inside, then kindled the fire in the hearth for a while just to make that homey appeal before teleporting back to my house.

Riche came running towards me, so I patted and brushed him. Did he grow bigger? His legs are chunky, so maybe he’ll grow into a big dog, I guess.

It might be foul play when I touch Riche the Spirit, but fluffing is still the main thing to do, right.

A puppy’s fur is soft and fuzzy, so I have to make the most of it.

Tonight’s dinner was turnips, bacon and cheese risotto, plus cold water.

The fire’s crackling sound could be heard from time to time from the fireplace. Windows separated the room from the terrace, but they were double glazed, and a thick curtain covered them, so the room was toasty warm.

Nobody (cough, Sis) could disturb me here, so it was me-time. Well, it was another story if I was in a mystery novel, though.