CH 29

Translator: Haruchin   Editor: Marky

「This is Retze. Retze, Jean.」

Dean introduced Beardy.

「 I’m Jean, please take care of me. 」

「 Ahh, me too. You okay with being casual? Not a fan of being overly formal and all. 」

「 Yeah. 」

We shook hands while greeting each other, but Retze seemed nervous? Kinda uncomfortable?

「 Oy, Dean. You sure I’m gonna be okay for this? Gals and some of those lads are staring straight here, man. Sure you’re not up for this? Didn’t hear anything about him being a stunner. 」

「 I already got into a mess once, so not gonna leave anything to chance now. And I’m not as meticulous as you. 」

Whispering, huh. I could hear you guys loud and clear, you know. Besides, I couldn’t do anything about this, the deities were stunners, you know, and I got the average of their looks.

「 Retze-san? 」

「 My bad, gotcha, let’s go. I just have ta do your request like normal, right? 」

Oops, my voice came out a bit deeper.

Finally, time to fulfill my request, then.

「 Your main target’s the first thing on the list, alright. People perk up when they get some fur and meat during this season, so I’m hunting for rabbits. Bears are only good if they’re huge ‘coz they can fetch a nice sum from the cash-rich guys, but you won’t get such luck with small ones. Better off staying chill and hunting plenty of them rabbits than ta sweat it out trying ta get those small bears. So, you gotta check the prices on the bulletin board first. If they’re cheap then just get the hide, and get more of them. 」

Monsterfied rabbits get white coats during the winter, so they’re worth a lot. It’s not really about selling strong monsters, but selling what people want. The meat of hornless is tastier than the horned ones, so they’re worth much more. Horned monsters have tougher meat, but they got prettier hides.

「 Hmm. Yeah, the price for hunting bears dropped, huh. 」

Ahh, sorry about that. Guess it was because of Ash and me.

We checked the buying price for medicinal plants and the cost of mushrooms and other stuff growing in the forest before setting out. We refilled the canteens with ale, then bought some meat sandwiches wrapped in leaves. The water downtown wasn’t safe to drink, so we would just get it from the forest river. Yup, there’s a lot of stuff flowing from the sewage. But I guess that was better than that stuff being thrown out of the window.

This strange feeling I got while thinking about that was kinda familiar. It’s something similar to how I felt when I learned that capes and silk hats became fashionable because folks were trying to avoid the muck thrown out of windows.Still a kid back then, but that made me lose all interest in those capes.

Anyway, we’re gonna bring some nuts, cheese and other stuff that keep well just in case we get injured and won’t be able to move; plus some salve, spare knife and a cape or robe that can be used as a raincoat. The capes here are great — they repel rainwater, keep you warm in the cold, and can be used as blankets too when sleeping.

— I can【 Teleport 】when it rains, and there’s 【 Storage 】 to keep food reserves, but should I keep preserved foods in my bag aside from the seasonings normally? Just a plan in case there’s too many people around.

He also told me to pop in the guild now and then, and try to get along with people so that I’ll have a higher chance of being saved when things get out of hand. Retze is super detailed, huh.

「 Look closely at how the grass was bent and the way they’re parted. That’ll be your clue. Just follow that way when you go chasin’ your prey. 」

Sorry for leaving it to 【 Search 】 all this time.

Reading and analyzing the tracks made by animals — monsters, in this case — might seem simple, but it’s awesome. I picked up a stick, this is so exciting — I’m like a kid, huh.

Also got a sword at my waist, but a stick is different, yup.

Maybe I’m acting too suspicious in the eyes of other people. Tried to recall whether I did weird stuff in front of Dean.

………….. I was standing at Dean’s blind spot, so guess it’s fine, but pretty sure the cat’s outta bag with Ash.

From hunting wolves, to meeting up with the carriers — ahh, thinking about it now, I guess that’s true. Well, Ash is the type who doesn’t blabber about unnecessary stuff, thankfully.

「 When rabbits run, their hind feet stick together, but the tracks of their front feet are disconnected. The hind legs leave bigger prints than their front legs. 」

Retze explained the paw prints left on the thin layer of snow.

「 Hey, aren’t these a bit different? 」

「Paw prints that look like they’re walking on a straight line are left by foxes. 」

Ohh?

「 It’s a bit tricky guessing if this fox monsterfied, but the rabbit is horned for sure. There’s claw marks on the snow. The fox’s probably a monster if it’s chasing that for its prey. 」

「 I want to watch you hunt a fox. 」

Retze’s a skilled hunter — er, adventurer. His sack is already half full from the rabbits he caught and it’s not even noon, yet.

Usually, if he sees a prey, he would drop his stuff and hunt it, but since I’m carrying the baggage this time, Retze was a bit more agile.

A short bow is plenty for ordinary rabbits and foxes, and they’re easy targets, too, but arrows won’t work against monsterfied ones.

「 They’ll charge at you instead of running away, so it’s pretty easy, as far as easy goes. 」

「 True, it’s a pain in the neck chasing after them and dealing the blow with a sword. 」

If monster-san is nearby rustling around, it will come to you. Or should I say attack, huh. Pretty useless unless they’re near enough, though.

A lot of things happened, but I think I’m done with ordinary hunting. Yup, will absolutely go solo from now on.

Caught the fox, and also watched how to dismantle it. I’m kinda jealous of his light-hearted chatting with the clerk, and how he can communicate well with Dean.

Don’t like being tied down, but I also wanted to try having friends; Sis had always blocked my attempts to do that before.

「 You’re one strange bloke, huh. 」

「 Strange? 」

I’m treating Retze to a drink at the pub. Dean already took care of the retainer fee. He already told me the location of the Kinca grass but he said it’s extra.

「 People usually like flashy moves, don’t they? Lively, carefree guys like Dean. 」

I’m also good at that. He might think that it’s not as much as Dean though.

「 Well, I reckon you’re better off with how I do things, seeing you have such puny arms, but don’t go pushing yourself too much. It’s a bit fresh for a young lad like you. 」

He then chugged the wooden tankard of beer.

Not a drinker so it’s not really for me to say this, but isn’t it better to drink liquids like sake and ale in glass or ceramics? Metals are also fine, I guess. Not applicable for ales with a lot of oat dregs, though.

Anyway, I’ll just let that ‘puny arm’ remark slide with a polite smile. You’ll see! Protein diet and muscle training starts today!