Suteko Ni Narimashita 15

After around 30 minutes of traveling, I arrived at a river that was said to have the fish.

Looking around, I could see carp-like fish swimming around in the clear stream.

I should catch them.

As I thought that, I searched for signs of enemies around me. Perception magic is useful.

For now, it seemed that there were no monsters nearby, not that I planned to overstay my welcome anyway. Either way, now I could focus on hunting for a while.

With my [Telekinesis], I caught five fish. As the fish writhed in the air, I killed them one by one before draining their blood. I heard from somewhere you shouldn’t kill them; rather, their nerves should be cut and their body drained of blood. However, the shopkeeper said that my previous handling method worked just fine, so whatever.

Naturally, as I drained their blood, the river dyed red.

I carefully stored the bloodless fish in my bag so as not to spoil them. I also put in ice that I made by freezing some river water, so as long as my magic was active, they’d stay chilled.

Just when I was about to leave, my [Perception] magic detected something. Is it because of the smell of blood?

A sensation of being repelled—the monster could use magic.

I asked the shopkeeper about the characteristics of the monsters that appeared around here.

Ratgalus. Based on the name alone, it seemed to be a combination of a rat and a bird.

From the bushes, four birds emerged while croaking. Since I already anticipated them, I dodged while throwing a wind blade at them.

I beheaded one, causing its headless body to fall into the river and drift away. It’d make a fine meal for the fish.

Of the remaining birds, there was one capable of repelling me. One capable of magic.

Meanwhile, I restrained the other two with [Telekinesis] and hung them upside down. No matter how much they resisted by flapping their wings, the restraints wouldn’t come off. I beheaded them in the same way. Blood gushed down and splattered on the remaining bird.

However, ignoring the demise of its comrades, it fired magic at me.

I’d heard about it beforehand. The Ratgalus would unleash hot air.

“OoooOOooOO—”

With a shout, the surrounding air heated up. To create a shield, I rushed to control the air several meters in front of me. In the next moment, the hot air spewed by the Ratgalus charred the ground and the surrounding trees.

What tremendous firepower.

The ground was scorched in a radial pattern centering on the Ratgalus.

Although I was safe due to the barrier, I was still shaken. If I had suffered a direct hit, who knew how severe the burns would’ve been?

Despite having casually said, “I want to see magic that others can use.” I didn’t expect THAT level of firepower. I sighed a bit.

Nevertheless, the Ratgalus couldn’t fire in rapid succession. Seeing that the situation had become unfavorable, it began to escape.

I composed myself, before darting towards its head.

Afterwards, I dismantled the killed prey as usual. I’d grown accustomed to dismantling birds.

True to its name, the monster had the look of a bird, but had the skin of a mouse. I didn’t have to pluck off the feathers this time, but the skin was so thick that I couldn’t peel it.

As a result, the dismantling took longer than usual.

How could dismantling birds take longer than catching fish…?

I ate a bird for lunch.

It tasted like chicken and not at all like rats, so it was very delicious.

***

The exploration was a walk in the park.

As long as the monsters weren’t immune to magic, I could easily defeat them.

As expected, an enemy that could use [Fighting Spirit] was a problem. 

I wonder how magicians usually deal with them.

Shium’s lessons were geared towards warriors who dealt against [Fighting Spirit] and didn’t touch on anything about magic. After all, Shium couldn’t use magic.

I wish I could study somewhere.

I arrived at the Stone Shop before sunset.

I see. Hunting in a nearby area was convenient for saving time. If the reward was about the same as jade, it’d be a pretty worthwhile job.

A voice called out to me from behind as I went for the door.

“Oi, Crow Bastard, are you about to sell something?”

It was Hylo. Rico followed closely behind him.

With a proud smile, Hylo carried a cloth bag.

“Oh, aren’t you wearing some fancy clothes? Someone’s enjoying all the money he’s been hoarding.”

Despite the sarcastic remark, he was beaming. Did something good happen?

“I bought it from this store the day before yesterday. They’re nice because they provide ease of movement in the forest.”

While I could respond with equally sarcastic remarks, I didn’t see the purpose of doing that.

“Hmph! Just you wait! All that dirty money will be ours!”

Glowering at me, Hylo spat out those words before pushing me aside to enter the shop.

Rico followed after him.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. Apparently, in this world, the gesture of joining your hands together as if you were about to pray could be used as an apology as well.

The door slammed open and Hylo slipped in.

What should I do?

I came here to sell the fish I caught, but it’d be really awkward with them around.

If it was just Rico, I could just act as if he wasn’t there, but with Hylo around…

I hesitated briefly.

Maybe I should just enter after Hylo leaves…

As I waited, I heard a loud voice from inside the store.

“Why!? Why is it always him!? Why are we no good!?”

It was Hylo. His voice was so loud, causing the shabby building to rattle.

I had a bad feeling. 

He’s probably referring to me.

I could hear Rico consoling Hylo.

In the next moment, the door opened.

“Ah.”

I made eye contact with Hylo.

Hylo, who was taken aback for a moment, became angry and charged towards me.

“Why!? Why do you keep getting in my way!?”

I seriously have no clue what he is saying. When did I get in his way?

“Oh, you’re here?”

The shopkeeper ignored the flustered Hylo and called out to me.

“T-that’s right. Actually, from a while ago.”

No, wait. Do something about this screeching child. Why are you calling out to me?

Regardless of whether he knew what I was thinking or because it was just business as usual, the shopkeeper sighed and called out to me.

“Nice timing. Show me the fish you caught.”

“Fish? But that’s—!?”

Hylo reacted at the mention of fish. I wonder why.

For the time being, I handed over the bag containing the fish to the owner as I was told. Even when I passed by, Hylo was staring holes at me.

“Take a look at this.”

The shopkeeper transferred the ice cubes in the bag into a large container. After the spell had worn off, they began to thaw.

“The type is different, but watch.”

He put a different fish next to the box. The shape, along with the spots on its sides reminded me of a cherry trout. The shopkeeper went on while sliding his finger on its belly.

“First of all, the belly is tender. It’s going bad. A long time has passed since you caught it.”

“Well, that’s because I caught it in the morning.”

“It doesn’t matter if you caught it in the morning or the afternoon. The issue still stands.”

Hylo shut his mouth at the shopkeeper’s ruthless interjection. He seemed bitter.

Then, the shopkeeper showed Hylo his finger. There was a grain of silver on it.

“I assume that the fish went berserk and thrashed against the rocks and the ground? The scales are peeling off and the fish itself is full of scratches, so it doesn’t look good.”

“When I caught it, it was pretty violent.”

“That’s why I said the quality is poor. I don’t care what the reason is.”

He could neither refute or finish his own words. Hylo seemed done for.

Beside him, Rico seemed astonished.

“Does that mean that the fish caught by this child doesn’t look like that?”

“Correct.”

The shopkeeper answered plainly as he turned to Rico.

“As I said earlier, both the quality and appearance of his fish are top-notch. And while we’re at it…”

The shopkeeper scooped up the ice cubes before letting them roll into the container once again.

“He didn’t spare any effort. Even if you exclude the difference in type, the price clearly differs.”

“I see. So, the quality heavily affects the price.”

“That’s right. It’s troublesome when they ignore it and then complain because they didn’t get paid as much.”

The shopkeeper’s last statement was obviously directed to Hylo. Upon hearing that, Hylo pouted and averted his gaze.

“All right, Hylo.” Rico smiled at Hylo. “It didn’t work out this time, but if you do it carefully next time—”

—Saying that, Rico pointed at me.

“—then you might be able to live like him.”

“…Tch. Not wrong.”

After mustering a reply, Hylo silently left the store. Rico followed suit.

“So, would you like to exchange this with money?”

The shopkeeper silently saw them off and continued as if nothing had happened.

“P-please.”

The shopkeeper took out 5 silver coins from the safe.

“A silver coin per fish.”

“Thank you.”

I put the cash in a leather bag on my waist. Even the silver coins were getting bulky.

“So, what happened?” 

When I asked with a smile, the shopkeeper didn’t look at me and spoke in passing.

“You guessed it. When I paid them according to the quality of the fish, they complained. That’s all.”

“But—”

—If that were the case, the shopkeeper wouldn’t go out of his way to explain all that. At least, the shopkeeper I knew wouldn’t.

“That was for you to hear.”

“For me?”

Well, if it weren’t for me, the study group certainly wouldn’t happen.

“You came at the right time. Keep up the good work.”

“Okay, I understand.”

If hanging it in midair and cutting its head off suffice, I can just do that.

“Come to think of it, you mentioned that the fish I caught this time can be used to prevent illness?”

“That’s right.”

The shopkeeper answered while sitting on the chair, looking at the warehouse.

“Around this time of the year, there’ll be an outbreak of [Three-Day Fever].”

“What kind of disease is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

I’d never seen one in the village and, of course, I’d never contracted it… Maybe. Maybe I had, but I didn’t know.

“As the name suggests, the fever will occur once every three days, before disappearing just as fast. Those who’re physically weak will weaken and die after contracting it three to four times.”

I’d never seen a patient with such a severe case of fever since birth.

“I didn’t know…”

“You came to the slums about half a year ago. Where were you before that?”

“Uhm, I can’t exactly pinpoint where, but I think it’s one of the pioneer villages.”

It should be fine to reveal this much.

“In that case, it’s near Nerg. If so, understandable. There’s no reported case of such illness in the pioneer villages.”

“Is that so?”

Am I lucky for only finding out about it now?

—Oh, right, the serpent meat.

“As a side note, may I complain about something?”

“S-sure.”

The shopkeeper was visibly confused.

Is it because I’ve never complained before?

“That serpent’s inedible.”

Upon hearing that, the shopkeeper frowned.

“That can’t be. After all, a party had defeated the same monster in a different place and reported otherwise.”

“But—”

I was adamant when it came to food.

“—I tried to roast it, but it was hard and I couldn’t chew it. It was also difficult to swallow.”

The shopkeeper froze for a moment, wide-eyed. Then, he chuckled.

 “Oh, I see, I see. Did you grill it and try to eat it afterwards?”

The shopkeeper nodded to himself for some reason.

What is he so sure about?

“Sure, you can eat a small snake by roasting it, but the same doesn’t apply to a snake that big.”

“Eh?”

So, it’s because of the cooking method!?

As if troubled, the shopkeeper scratched his head. Then, he spoke as if he’d come to terms with something.

“Does that mean that the information I gave you was flawed? Ah, well then, I’ll tell you more when you come again. Tomorrow—let’s see, come around noon.”

“Can’t you just tell me right now?”

“It’s difficult for me to arrange it right now. Anyway, see you tomorrow.”

“…Got it.”

I didn’t know what exactly he planned on doing, but I guess I was done here.

It was the first time I’d been invited to come by the shopkeeper. Surely, nothing bad would happen. With that in mind, I decided to wait until tomorrow arrived.