Chapter 90: Do We Need This Part About Salt?

Chapter 90: Do We Need This Part About Salt? Do We Need This Part About Salt?

Absolutely needed (self-resolved).

“Munchmunchmunch...Zzzz, Zzzzz...”

Good morning!

I’m Emi, the 7-year-old girl who greedily devours raw monster meat in the demon realm every single day!

What I’m eating now is a creature called a Mōchakkiworm, a brownish worm-like being around 2 meters in body length!

<Indeed, quite a flavor. As expected of a monster bearing the name of the famed gourmand Mōchakki.>

The appearance is pretty gross though!

If I hadn’t been accustomed to eating worms (or worm-like creatures) since early childhood, I probably wouldn’t have even considered eating it.

<However, in a certain region long ago, it was said that “a single slice could buy you a noble title” – that’s how premium an ingredient it was considered. I saw it in The Gourmet God’s Isekai Broadcast.>

I never expected such a prestigious food item to inhabit the Kaise Forest.

<Well, with modern selective breeding and established cultivation techniques, it no longer commands such exorbitant prices when traded nowadays. Not that there would be any buyers around here since this area lacks a culture of consuming Mōchakkiworms.>

I see...

What a waste for something so delicious.

The meat is plump and bouncy without needing to be cooked, like shrimp.

The umami is concentrated – it would probably make an excellent soup stock too.

The skin has a bit of a chewy texture that regular people might find unpalatable, but to me it has an appealing offal-like quality.

In any case, it’s delicious and boneless, so easy to eat.

“Munchmunchmunch...gulpgulp...munchmunch...gulp”

<Phew! That was delicious!>

...Thank you for the meal.

I give my gratitude with pressed hands to the Mōchakkiworm, which will become my flesh and magic power.

Luckily today I encountered a pack of Lovely Bunnies that I was able to hunt down.

Having consumed a fair amount of the forest’s automatic supply (venomous snakes) too, my hunger is reasonably sated.

<Now then, what will you do next? The sun isn’t too high yet, more training perhaps?>

My appointment with that corrupt receptionist isn’t until night.

Since I already know the Cysh Grass habitat locations, harvesting them will be quick.

So I basically have the daylight hours free, which I usually spend training or hunting!

The plan for today was to do some more training after this.

...But.

<? Is something the matter, Emi?>

Extra-sama...

When I was eating that Mōchakkiworm earlier, didn’t you think...?

<Think what?>

That if...if only we had some salt.

This worm...would have been even more delicious...

<!!! >

What do you think?

What’s your take on this, Extra-sama?

<What do I think? Of course it would be more delicious with salt! But for us, for us...!>

We can’t get anyone to sell us salt...!

If we visit stores, we’re treated with eerie suspicion due to our appearance and chased out rudely...!

We want salt, but the only salted treatment we receive is such discourteous service...!

Ahem.

...But you know, Extra-sama.

There’s one place I had in mind!

<...Eh? What do you mean?>

Fufufu.

When I occasionally wander into Yoshanka during the day...you didn’t think I was just aimlessly strolling around throwing rocks, did you, Extra-sama?

I’ve been properly researching!

A store that might actually sell us salt!!

<Eeh!? R-Really!? You found such a place!?>

Extra-sama, your observation has been lacking!

Of course I did!

I can’t hold back any longer, you know.

I was planning to go there next time, but after eating that Mōchakkiworm, I can’t wait anymore.

I want salt!

So with that decided, it’s shopping time, Extra-sama!

We’re going to Yoshanka to get some salt~!

Having made up my mind, I immediately took action!Fôll0w current novÊls o/n n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(c/o/m)

I set off at furious speeds towards the town of Yoshanka.

The outer town walls?

Obviously I’ll just use 【Silverfish】 to scale them!

The main gate has been really crowded lately anyway, so this is faster!

* * *

<...So this is the store, Emi?>

I was currently in front of a small shop located down a narrow alleyway branching off from Yoshanka’s main street.

Like the surrounding houses, it was a stone building with an aged wooden sign reading “Kansenya” hanging from the roof.

The merchandise displayed inside ranged from plates and swords to vegetables and wooden Topopolock figurines – quite the unrefined assortment. But looking closer towards the back...there it was! Salt!

<While salt does seem to be sold here...if they refuse to sell it to you, you can’t buy any, can you? Are you sure about this?>

Fufufun, fufun!

Take a look at that old granny minding the store, Extra-sama!

An elderly man in a white coat-like garment laid the severely injured man onto a bed.

A female assistant hurriedly opened a cabinet, retrieving a vial of pale bluish liquid which she brought to the white-coated man.

“Partner! Stay strong, stay with me, partner!”

The huge man who had knocked me over gripped the injured man’s hand, desperately calling out to him.

Beside them, the white-coated man sprinkled the potion over the gaping wound.

“There, the potion...! Good...good, we made it in time.”

“Ah, ah, partner! Partnerrr...!”

A soft glow then emanated from the wound area as the bleeding stopped and bodily regeneration began.

Seemingly relieved that his partner’s life had been saved, the huge man collapsed limp on the spot.

“Still, what a terrible injury. I wonder what could have happened?”

While administering magical treatment with his palm over the wound, the white-coated man inquired of the huge man.

“We were...harvesting Togūdo eggs up north by the cliffs. Then...it appeared...!”

“It...??”

It...?

<What is ‘it’, I wonder?>

“A red Togūdo! Listen, doctor, Togūdo are supposed to be solitary, right!? Even if spotted, they’d lose interest in humans if you just hid for a bit and fly off somewhere else, right!?”

The huge man recounted while trembling, grasping his head with both hands.

“But...the ones around that thing were different...!”

“What do you mean?”

“It was hell...! Every time that red Togūdo called out, the others attacked us relentlessly, like they were being commanded!”

“You don’t mean...!”

“That’s why...that’s why my partner got...!”

“I see...so a dangerous special specimen appeared...! You there, quickly inform the Adventurer’s Guild branch! We need to suspend all Togūdo egg harvesting requests for now!”

“Yes, sensei!”

The female assistant hurriedly scurried out, her footsteps pattering away.

Hmm, it seems some dangerous monster has appeared up north by the cliffs.

That old man must have rushed back in a panic after it injured his partner.

Well, at least his partner was saved, that’s good.

As the white-coated man continued the magical treatment, their conversation went on.

“To safely harvest eggs, that special specimen will need to be eliminated first...we should consider what adventurer rank would be required. Speaking of which, if you were out harvesting eggs yourself, you must be an adventurer too? As a reference, what rank are you?”

“Rank 54...”

Low!?

Wait, adventurer ranks go down that far!?

<If I recall, there are supposedly 100 ranks total.>

That’s way too finely divided!!

“...Too low to be of any reference...”

“Kuh...”

“Now that I think about it, you did have a 3rd rank adventurer’s certification, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sensei!”

“The assistant is Rank 3!?”

“...Hold on a moment? You said you were Rank 54, didn’t you? But then how were you able to evade the relentless Togūdo attacks and flee all the way here?”

“Ah...! That’s right, I nearly forgot!”

The huge man hurriedly stood up.

“We...We were rescued! That brat became a decoy to let us escape all on his own! We need to put in a rescue request for him!”

“That brat? Who exactly?”

“Don’t know his name! Just some arrogant silver-haired kid!”

.........It’s Kamasse, isn’t it.

<It’s probably Kamasse, yes.>

“That kid was strong! Skilled with both magic and swords...but against such overwhelming numbers, no matter how strong, there’s no way he could keep fighting forever...”

That was about where the huge man’s account ended, at least from what I overheard.

Because at that point, I had already started running towards the northern cliffs.

<...You’re going to help, aren’t you?>

Obviously, Extra-sama.

Kamasse is a good guy.

Sure, there were times his actions made me wonder if he was a bit crazy, like drawing his sword on me, a girl years his junior, or his foul language.

But in the end, he acknowledged his mistakes and even apologized to me despite me being a cursed child.

He’s an incredibly good person.

Serious and diligent, with promising potential as a future adventurer.

A good person like that doesn’t deserve to die in some place like this.

...He also treated me to yakitori, after all!

I sprinted like the wind through Yoshanka’s main street heading north.

Maintaining that momentum, I used 【Silverfish】 to scale the outer walls and leapt off into the wasteland beyond.

My destination – the northern cliffs, the sheer seaside precipice.

The nesting grounds of the massive Togūdo birds.

I won’t let him die.

Not this time.

I’ll protect someone I’ve come to like!

That was my sole driving thought.

...Which is why I failed to notice.

The gaze keenly observing me as I dashed up and over the outer walls, leaving town.

Naturally, I also missed the malicious intent imbued within.