9-2. At the Town of Magic Hunters
Satou’s here. I often did part-time jobs during my school days, but I rarely ever had money problem. I might have been lucky for having avoided the incomprehensible wage structure during internship.
◇
There are a group of five people having heated arguments in front of the gate.
“That’s why I said we should’ve asked for an advance payment since we wouldn’t be able to pay the tax for entering the city.”
“Why should we have to do something so annoying.”
“That’s right~, who was the useless one who begged to take him with us while saying that he would be useful.”
“Getting tired right after he began carrying the luggage, and drinking all the water himself.”
“The worst part is how he wrongly cut the fur on the corpse of the Crimson Fox we had defeated after much trouble.”
The four women dismissed the protest of the boy who only has one arm while sneering at him.
If we’re in a tale, this is the scene where we go help the boy, but I wonder why. I can’t help but think what the women have said are justified.
I wonder if the boy who’s being a drag is also desperate, he’s still persisting. He’s not discouraged~
“Then, by the evening of this day, come to the purchasing counter in the bar. When you come, we’ll give you one sixth of the reward, that are three copper coins as promised in the beginning.”
“Hey wait, I’ve defeated four goblins myself haven’t I. You forgot four copper coins as the commission y’know.”
“You~, you just killed goblins that were already dying from our attacks from the side right?”
“How could you even demand rewards for that. You’re really shameless.”
“I still did defeat them!”
While looking down on the persistent boy, the tall girl who’s the leader shrugs her shoulders, and proposes a compromise.
“Okay, okay. However, those four goblins weren’t defeated by you alone, half. I’ll give you half the rewards, two copper coins. Come to the bar by the evening.”
Ridiculing the boy who looks relieved, the surrounding women are smiling badly.
“Hehe, if you don’t come quick, the money will all turn into alcohol y’know.”
“Al~right, let’s bet for whether we have finished drinking before the boy comes or not.”
“Nice~, I put one big copper coin for before.”
“I’m betting five copper coins for before.”
“Gyahahaha, there won’t be any bet the~n.”
Looks like they will really drink it all if he takes too much time.
The boy seems to have the same opinion, as he begins to negotiate with the gatekeeper in a hurry.
◇
“You’ve heard our talk earlier right? If you let us enter now, we’ll pay the fee later properly.”
“Humph, I’m not fit to be a gatekeeper if I believe what you magic hunter bunch say. How about hunting beasts that you can use as a payment in kind before the evening?”
“There’s no way we can catch beast without trap or tools.”
“Then, give it up.”
Ho, so you can use payment in kind, I didn’t know.
The gatekeeper who has noticed our wagon coming closer drives the boy the side. The boy was going to rush toward the town during that chance, but another gatekeeper toppled his feet, and kept him on the ground.
“Hey, welcome to Puta town. I’ve never seen you before, are you a merchant?”
“No, we only want to stop by during our trip.”
I show the gatekeeper my silver plate ID.
“This is, excuse me. You were a noble.”
“Excuse me noble-sama, you’ve said that you’re on a trip, but this is Puta the farthest town. Where in the world are you going? Don’t tell me you’re going to the nest of the Wyverns beyond the mountain to take their eggs?”
“Oy, Gatts.”
When I check on the map since I’m interested with the gatekeepers’ words, there are certainly Wyverns in the mountain along the way. Wyvern’s egg must be big I think.
“I do want to cross the mountain, but I didn’t know about the Wyverns. Taking the egg you say, is it delicious?”
“It mite’ be mighty delicious, but they sell handsomely. The rumor says that you can exchange them for gold coins, weight-for-weight, if you bring them to the royal capital, or the Silga kingdom on the other side of the mountain.”
“Although I’ve never seen the real thing, but they turn it into the Wyvern steed for the dragoons.”
If the egg’s weight is 500 grams, then it’ll be around 150 gold coins huh.
Silga kingdom seems to be a neighboring small kingdom beyond the mountain range to the east. By the way, the Bornean forest that we’re heading to is over the mountain range to the southeast.
“Hey, noble-sama!”
“Shut up you.”
The gatekeeper quickly silents the boy, who have talked to me, with the tip of the spear he’s holding on his hand. I think he doesn’t need to go that far.
“It’s fine. What is it, boy.”
The first half is for the gatekeeper, and the latter half is for the boy who’s still being trampled.
“Noble-sama, I need it for entering the town. Lend me two copper coins! I will return it without fail.”
“At least use polite speech!”
“I don’t know such thing like polite speech. Isn’t it polite speech already if I just use 『Sama』.”
However, if he borrows two copper coins from me, he’ll be left with three copper coins even if he pay it back with no interest, is he alright with that?
“Okay, I’ll lend you some.”
“You sure!?”
“Chevalier-sama, this guy is a magic hunter y’know? They’re bunches who can’t keep money overnight. You absolutely won’t get your money back.”
“Don’t say unnecessary things after he’s agreed. I’ll absolutely return it!”
I give two copper coins to the boy who’s slipped out of the gatekeeper’s foot. I wonder if he hasn’t taken a bath for a long time, he smells chokingly bad. No, this is, there’s probably smell of goblins’ blood, and cut meat mixed in.
The boy receives the money from me with his only arm, and gives it to the gatekeeper like he’s throwing it.
“That’s right, noble-sama! If you haven’t decided on your inn, go to that gate inn you can see from here. It’s really expensive, but it’s famous for their delicious food.”
After telling me so, the boy goes to the main street while buzzing his arm.
Now then, what should I do with this tepid gaze from the gatekeeper.
“Chevalier-sama, I think being a good person is a virtue, but there are a lot of people who only indulge on those virtues without feeling thankful in the world, y’know?”
“Oy, leave it. Chevalier-sama is troubled.”
“No, I appreciate the concern.”
Looks like he’s concerned for real, so I thank him. For the time being, seems there’s no problem in entering the city.
When Lulu is going to depart the wagon, the gatekeeper looks like he’s remembered something and warns me.
“There’s an insane foreign noble staying in the place of baronet Poton, the governor here, so it’s better for you not to get close there.”
When I check on the place of the governor–if I’m not mistaken, it’s a town consul that functions like a magistrate–baronet Poton, there’s the aforementioned fire magician near him.
The fire magician is called Dwot Dasles. It looks like he’s a marquis of a kingdom called Makiwa. Since the kingdom’s name doesn’t appear in the traveler’s journal, I don’t know where it is. I think it’s probably among the group of small countries near Rumooku kingdom or Silga kingdom if it has something to do with the tigerkins.
With [Arson], and [Murder] that he has on his Rewards and Punishments, how could they let him into the town.
◇
This Puta town is quite small, unlike the towns we’ve been to up until now. It’s only one kilometer wide at most. The city is roughly divided into four blocks around the small mansion where the governor is. The west block where we are now, the north block where the harbor is, the east block with the pleasure quarter, and the south block where the workers quarter and the slum are located. Looks like each block has a residential area.
The races are composed of 70% humans, and then ratkins, sea lionkin, and rabbitkin form the 20% with the same ratio each. There are other races beside them, but the number is low. The slaves are around 10% from various races, but the human slaves are relatively numerous.
It looks like the only nobles in this town are the house of baronet Poton and marquis Dasles.
I should be visiting him as a noble, but there’s no need to deliberately get myself into trouble. When I check on the nobility correlation chart that I’ve bought from Toruma’s house, it seems he’s among the lowest seat of nobility from the house of marquis Lloyd, so not visiting him probably isn’t going to become that big of a problem.
Nevertheless, this correlation chart is convenient. Let’s make some toys for Mayuna-chan as thanks next time.
When the wagon has entered the inn’s courtyard, a girl who seems to be the helper comes running. I leave the wagon to Lulu and the others, and go into the inn with the girl leading. I only take Arisa and Nana along.
The innkeeper who’s waiting inside changes his expression into one that looks like he’s found a source of income when he sees me. This is strange, I don’t think I’m wearing expensive-looking clothes today.
“Welcome young master, I have just the right room for you.”
He leads us to the room while rubbing his hands on his big hairy arms. The room is on the third floor of a different wooden building, you can even pay more to hire guards during the night. If we stay for more than five days, the guards will be free. The inn charges one silver coin for one night. Compared to the gate inn on Seryuu city which charges one big copper coin for a night, this is probably cheap in comparison.
There’s a bathroom in this building, but there’s only a bathtub which only fits one person, and of course there’s no hot water facility either. You can boil water, but it’ll take time, so they ask for us to do it anytime beside during meals if possible. Looks like you can draw water from any channel beside from the drinking water reservoir, but aren’t those shared with the drainage? Well, I can just use [Pure Water] on it before I draw the water.
The innkeeper advises us to bring our luggage to the warehouse in the building since thieves often come in midnight. There’s nothing inside the luggage, but to not draw unnecessary attentions, I bring them all into the inn.
“Yo, is this the place where the noble-sama is staying?”
A hunter man who looks like a boss of thieves enters the inn courtyard while bringing a big baggage on his shoulder. There are dismantled deer meat inside the cloth.
“Hou, Goku. You’ve brought a big game.”
“Yeah, it’s been awhile since the last one. Is the young master over there the noble-sama? How bout it, they’re just at the right time for eating. There’s no entrails since I’ve eaten them on the day of the hunt though.”
Gahahaha, the man laughs, apparently this hunter is selling the deer. The price is two silver coins, half of the duchy capital’s. To inform the market price like this suddenly, this man sure is poor at doing business. I feel that he knows about the information (about Satou) too fast, but he probably heard it from the gatekeeper.
Since there is no kitchen in the separate building, I leave the cooking to the inn chef.
Since there’s still some time before dinner, I take Pochi and Tama, who are full of vigors, on a stroll. Just in case, Pochi and Tama are equipped with thin mantles with hoods, leather armors, and wooden swords, just like they’ve been in the duchy capital. I’m wearing simple clothes that are a white shirt, and trousers.
With these very plain appearances, I probably won’t get entangled with some strange guy.
