An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 12 It’s a human city

“In regards to the man from yesterday, what happened to him?”

In the morning, while having breakfast at the village chief’s house, we discuss the matter.

“He didn’t say a word. He was just a boatman hired for the job. Couldn’t be helped, so we hanged him and threw him into the river yesterday.”

Oh… that’s harsh…

“Is there no way to hand him over to someone?”

“It would be futile. Even if we were to bring him to the human city and hand him over to the guards, they might not pay any attention. It’s better to eliminate anyone involved with humans, without leaving a single person behind. That way, it will be a stronger threat to their employers if they realize that no one returns after attempting to kidnap elves.”

Is that really how it is?

“There are organizations that employ people to kidnap elves and sell them as slaves”

“Well, there are probably some among the slave traders. Elves fetch a high price, it seems.”

“What a rotten world…”

“Indeed… And you, being a human, feel the same way?”

“Naturally. My wife is an elf, after all.”

“Ah, that’s right… Yes, that’s true. You’re right.”

The village chief nods in agreement.

“Every few years, a girl gets kidnapped… We’re vigilant, but…”

“Is there a way to help?”

“It’s difficult. There’s no legal recourse. We have to silently endure.”

“Would it solve the problem if we retrieve them and bring them back to this village?”

“Well, if they return, we’ll protect them with all our might.”

“I see…”

…

“Are you thinking about something unnecessary?”

“A little.”

“Don’t get involved. This is an issue for the elves.”

“But it’s also my problem. Because my wife is an elf.”

“Just keep your hands off. If you want to make your wife happy…”

So the other party is a criminal organization… It might be too much for me to handle.

When we arrive at the dock, the children are excitedly chattering.

It’s a river dolphin! It must be one of the kids that was tied to the thieves’ boat yesterday.

The children are throwing fish as bait, and it skillfully catches them.

“Hey, listen!”

Saran calls out to the men on the dock.

“Hm? Oh, Saran-san.”

“Can we have this river dolphin? Is it okay?”

“Oh, sure, go ahead. You guys deserve it for what you did yesterday.”

“Hey now, you were rescued yesterday, right? Say thank you to Saran-san, everyone.”

“Yes!”

They’re so adorable… Well, they’re all incredibly beautiful boys and girls because they’re elves, after all.

“Are you going to use the river dolphin?”

“Yes, we’ll tie it to our canoe. It seems like it can pull us back when we return.”

That would be great.

But what should we do while we’re in the city?

I handed the village chief of Tokor a letter entrusted to me by the village chief of Kopori.

It seems to contain a report on the current state of the elven village. Since there isn’t much interaction between our villages, these opportunities are important, but there isn’t much else to discuss.

“The thieves had this. If it’s of any use to you, feel free to use it.”

Saying that, the village chief hands a card to Saran.

Without delay, we set off.

“Here we go!”

We connect the rope extended from the dolphin’s body to the canoe and firmly tap the reins on the dolphin’s mouth, prompting it to start swimming.

Yes, smooth, smooth.

The canoe glides swiftly.

“Hmm, it’s comfortable, but I still feel a bit sorry for the dolphin.”

“It’s just like a horse, Shin. If you give it occasional breaks, play with it sometimes, and feed it, it’ll be happy to work.”

“What do we feed it?”

“Meat.”

“Not fish?”

“For dolphins, meat is a rare delicacy.”

Oh, I see.

I throw a chunk of deer meat from the magic bag, and the dolphin eagerly jumps and devours it.

It’s true.

The speed is increasing. It’s a simple creature…

“Hey, Saran.”

“What?”

“I heard in Tokor village that you’re the strongest warrior among the elves. Is that true?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Why are you the strongest?”

“Well… there haven’t really been any others who have fought for their lives, surprisingly.”

“Saran has actual combat experience, huh?”

“Yeah, elves dislike conflicts.”

“What has Saran fought against?”

…

“It’s difficult to say, but it’s humans…”

“As I thought…”

“Our elven village was attacked by bandits, and at that time, everyone fought back.”

“I guess there’s no choice.”

“Yeah… They’re the ones who kidnap elves and sell them as slaves. If we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us. If we spare them, they’ll keep coming back to attack us.”

“…”

“Shin, yesterday you were shooting humans without much hesitation.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s like dealing with pests, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I thought the same.”

“Did it hurt your heart?”

“Strangely, it didn’t. When I saw the children being saved, I felt relieved and thought that was much better. I didn’t feel like I was shooting humans at that moment.”

“That’s okay…”

“I think I was able to shoot them because it was for the purpose of saving others.”

Yeah… It’s like when I shot a brown bear to protect elementary school students.

It’s better not to have regrets.

Just standing there and watching the children being attacked by the bear would have been meaningless as a hunter. It was better the way it happened.

“Shin.”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever have to save yourself, don’t hesitate…”

“Yeah.”

“Save yourself without hesitation. For my sake.”

“I understand.”

That’s right.

After all, I already have a wife.

“We can see the city ahead!”

“Wow, it’s huge!”

There’s a stone-built structure that looks like a church. There are even city walls.

“Let’s not go to the pier, Saran. Let’s hide the canoe somewhere and enter on foot.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s what the village chief of Tokor said. It’s unfortunate, but if it becomes known that we defeated the bandits from this canoe, it could cause trouble. It’s better to avoid unnecessary complications.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Alright, let’s turn back and find a good place to disembark.”

We pull the canoe up into a dense thicket along the river, clearing the branches and concealing it.

It’s time to bid farewell to our river dolphin friend. If we ever return and find it still swimming around here, we might rely on its help again.

“Kyuu, kyuu.”

It has become quite fond of us. We throw some deer meat, and it eagerly snatches it before swimming away.

We walk through the forest, pushing through bushes, and reach the main road.

“It’s amazing…”

A fortified city surrounded by walls.

It looks just like a city you would see in movies or European tourist destinations…

We store our guns, Saran’s longbow, arrows, and swords in the magic bag.

Since the camouflage clothing stands out too much, we take it off and wear only our shirts.

“You know, that yellow bag is amazing. It can hold anything.”