An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 25

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 25   Maybe I did too much

Eleven men lying on the roadside.

Bartil-san goes to each one, thrusting his spear and finishing them off.

There might still be some who haven’t died yet.

Lant-san with his bow and Mild-san with his sword descend from the mountain.

“Three left, no survivors.”

“No way…,” Bartil-san shakes his head.

“Our turn never came…”

“Well, I did take down one person!”

Miss, it seemed like you missed… Well, never mind.

“You guys were amazing…”

“No, the pigeon slayer was incredible…”

“And the bow of the young lady, it was impressive too.”

“Yeah, that’s it. That magical tool.”

… Did we go too far?

I discreetly stowed away the Remington M700 rifle behind the carriage in a magic bag, and now I only carry the M870 shotgun on my back.

“Having Saran spot them first was lucky, and they only fled because all of you were here. If they had surrounded us first, there wouldn’t have been much I could do…”

Honestly, I think so too.

Having just one gun won’t be enough to protect twelve carriages from fourteen bandits.

“No good, these guys. That’s all there is,”

Lant-san searches through the pockets of the bandits and gathers some money.

There are probably several dozen silver coins, I suppose.

“This is all they had. They must have a hideout somewhere. Well, we don’t have time to search, and even if we did, it wouldn’t be much of a find. What about the swords?”

“Just trash.”

The belongings of the bandits belong to the escort party.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world, isn’t it?

We toss the bodies of the bandits to the side of the road.

The wolves, coyotes, hawks, and crows will take care of them, or so I’ve heard.

“Um…”

“Hm?”

“Sorry. I got carried away.”

I bow my head.

Honestly, I truly apologize.

“It’s fine. I was surprised. You have great skills,”

Bartil-san chuckles.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Could you please let everyone believe that you were the ones who defeated all of them?”

“…Ah, I see. Sure, that’s fine.”

Bartil-san nods.

“But, wait a minute.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Hold on, everyone. Basically, they don’t want it to be known, right?”

That’s right, Lant-san.

“Is that okay?”

“Well, it would be troublesome if that became famous… Alright.”

“I agree.”

Yes, everyone in Ballistes agrees…

And finally, they smile.

“Well done, Shin!”

I’m glad. It ended safely without any injuries.

After that, without any particular incidents, we take turns keeping watch with Saran and Bartil-san, and we finally arrive at our destination, Topurus, by dusk.

While I sit next to the coachman’s seat, Bartil-san enthusiastically chats with Saran, trying to get closer to her. It must be the first time he has seen a woman of his own size.

When it comes to hunters, it’s all about boasting, isn’t it?

We defeated that and annihilated that gang of bandits. It was us.

Ahaha. It reminds me of the drinking parties in the Hunting Association.

“Saran-chan, you’re an elf!”

Oh no, Saran-san, do you have to mention that?

“That guy is her husband? Saran-chan, are you his wife?”

Do you have to say that too? I wonder what kind of duo they think we are.

“I’m so jealous… No, it’s nothing.”

Upon arriving in the town, the carriage team stops in front of the trading post, and we part ways.

The members of Ballistes wanted to share a portion of the reward with us, but since today was a training exercise and we were treated as clients, we declined.

The escort job, you see, remains the same regardless of whether or not bandits appear. The rewards do not change.

We have to ensure there are no troubles by avoiding situations where merchants haggle over escort fees because there were no robberies, or hunters demand extra payment for defeating bandits.

“I’ll report to the Guild Master. You passed with flying colors, a perfect score. I guarantee it. Congratulations.”

Bartil-san laughs, and everyone pats my shoulder and head.

Ouch, that hurts.

“Can we honestly report back to Bal-san when we return?”

“Yes, Bal-san already knows everything.”

“Understood. You guys are welcome to join our party, you know?”

“We’ll continue our training a little longer. If we have the chance, we’ll meet again.”

“We’ll be looking forward to it! Tanuki Head!”

Actually, it’s “Raccoon Head” please!

The merchants also expressed their joy, saying, “That was impressive! We didn’t really understand what you were doing, but the sound was amazing. With this, the road will be safe for a while!”

“A celebration for the young duo’s first job!”

We received a gold coin.

“From me too.”

“Yeah, take it!”

Thank you very much, kind merchants. We appreciate it.

“That hat looks nice. Can you sell it to me?”

“We can’t part with it, or else no one will recognize us…”

“I see. Tanuki Head, it would be great if you become famous.”

It’s actually Raccoon Head, please!

“The escorting job seems lucrative, but it’s still too much for us, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. With just this caravan and over ten bandits, the two of us won’t be able to protect it all.”

“Then, from now on, let’s focus on hunting and extermination.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

We both laugh, knowing that joining or forming a party wasn’t something we considered.

After all, we just got married.

Well then, shall we go look for a suitable inn befitting newlyweds?

The next morning…

“Shin…”

“Hmm?”

“You have a bruise on your shoulder…”

Saran climbs on top and gently strokes my shoulder.

Two soft mounds rest upon it, making it feel pleasant.

“Oh, you’re right,”

The .308 Winchester has just enough power to take down a brown bear, making it a suitable entry-level hunting rifle. It’s commonly used as NATO military ammunition, making it the most widely available round that anyone can shoot. But shooting so much in a prone position without recoil management can still leave bruises…

In actual hunting, we don’t shoot that much. If we can bag a single deer in a day, it’s considered a good day. There were many days in Hokkaido when we didn’t catch anything and didn’t even fire a single shot.

“Shin, are you pushing yourself too hard?”

“For now, I’m okay. But I feel so weak sometimes,”

“That’s not true. You’ve taken down so many enemies, and you’re a reliable partner,”

“But, you know, when we climb mountains, I can barely keep up with you, and I get tired easily. I can’t even ride a horse,” I lamented.

“But right now, you’re full of energy,” she said.

…

We remained still, holding each other tightly.

“In ten years, where do you think we’ll be?”

Hmm… I’ve thought about that too.

“Maybe…” I paused.

“Yeah?”

“We’ll be making raccoon hats together,” I suggested.

“Haha! That’s funny. Hehehe! Ahhahaha!”

Um, when she laughs, her stomach jiggles, creating a gentle vibration…

“We were thinking the same thing,”

Oh, I’m glad to hear that.

I hope it turns out that way.

“Hey, Shin, if you had to choose between a strong, cool, brave man who dies quickly, or a cowardly but kind man who lives a long life, which would you prefer?”

“Um, as a man, it’s a difficult question,”

“I definitely prefer someone who lives a long life,”

I don’t think I can live as long as an elf. I wonder about Saran…

“My father was a strong and cool man, but he died quickly. My mother cried.”

…

“Let’s stay together forever, Shin,”

“Yeah.”

We caused a commotion since morning and missed breakfast. We checked out of the inn while being glared at by the staff, and now we’re heading to the Hunter’s Guild in Topurus.

“Hey, Tanuki Head, you finally came. Took you long enough,” the receptionist said.

“Please call me Raccoon Head”

The receptionist seems to be in a good mood. I wonder if there’s something strange about us.

“We’ve heard about you from Ballistes. We also have a letter of introduction from the Guild Master. Show your cards. You can start working as escorts from today. It would be nice if you could take on another escort job on your way back.”

Saying that, he stamped our cards.

The training is over.

“It would be great if we could take on various jobs in this town,”

“We’d love to do that too,”

“It’s a matter of supply and demand. Young folks don’t want to do the boring jobs here either,”

We looked at the bulletin board. It seems that even here the farmers are struggling.

“Can we get a map?”

“Here you go.”

Hmm, even compared to the bulletin board, it’s too much to cover in one day.

“By the way, I heard you’re good at getting rid of pigeons, Shin the Pigeon Slayer,”

I’m being called that here too… I guess I’m fine with it.

The Hunter’s Guild and the adjacent Merchant’s Guild warehouse are covered in pigeon droppings.

The troubles are the same everywhere, it seems.

“Shall we start with that then?”

“Yeah, let’s treat it as a request from the Guild. We’ll also talk to the Merchant’s Guild. Come with us,”

And so, we were led to the Merchant’s Guild as well.

“There’s a hunter who can get rid of pigeons? What? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Even in the Merchant’s Guild where we were led, they were surprised.

“Didn’t you called us?”

“Oh no no no! We’re absolutely thrilled! Please come in! We’re counting on you!”

“Before that, let’s discuss the reward…”

“Right, if you wipe them all out, we’ll give you ten gold coins! How about it?”

We’ll do it!

Please let us do it!

It took us three days to shoot down all the pigeons in the warehouse. A total of 247 of them!

…Pigeons really multiply indefinitely if left alone…

We received ten gold coins each from the Hunter’s Guild and the Merchant’s Guild, making a profit of twenty coins! We enjoyed delicious food, stayed in a nice inn, explored the city, and it turned out to be a great earning.

Shall we travel across the entire country and shoot down all the pigeons? If they’re that happy about it, I want to do even more.

“Hey, it’s Shin the Pigeon Slayer!”

…I guess that’s fine. I brought it upon myself, I suppose.

“We have a job request for you. It’s from the Lord.”

Oh no, I really don’t want to do it!!!