An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 29

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 29   Team Elfang and the Mysterious Man

After buying various ingredients from the market, we follow the map given by Ba-sanl and head towards Team Elfang’s home.

Calling it the Hunter Party’s home sounds cool, but it’s just a rented house.

Well, it’s better than an apartment. It’s one of the old brick houses on the outskirts of town.

There’s nothing special about it. Let’s knock on the door for now.

Knocking on the door, it opens, revealing the member who was crying and collapsing at that time.

“Ah! It’s Tanuki head!”

It’s Racoon head.

“Hello. Long time no see. We wanted to have a chat.”

“Please, come in. I also have many things I want to ask.”

…

One person is sleeping on the bed.

The person with the arm suspended, two lightly injured individuals, and a total of four people are able to move around.

“I heard it from the Master. It was you who avenged us, right?”

“…That’s correct.”

“I’m Beltas, the vice leader. The one sleeping over there is Tait, and the ones here are Andal and Ginea.”

“I’m Shin, and this is Saran.”

“It’s enviable to have a reliable and beautiful elven lady like her as a hunter. As for us, well, we’re all just guys.”

Everyone weakly chuckles.

“We’ll borrow the kitchen.”

Saran, holding the ingredients, heads towards the kitchen.

“Oh my, it’s so dirty. Having only guys around is really no good.”

“Now… what really happened to Elfer? How did it end?”

“The body was placed on a pyre and burned.”

“I can’t believe they gave him a proper cremation. It seemed like he was going to be eaten.”

“We managed to defeat all the goblins before that happened, but while we were waiting for the goblin that had escaped to show itself from the cave, the body already turned to ashes.”

…

“Thank you. It’s as good as having received a proper cremation. It’s much better than the story of being eaten by goblins. We’re also happy to hear that.”

Some of them shed tears.

“He was a great leader. He found the goblins in the forest. Since this village is nearby, we couldn’t just leave them be. He quietly tracked them to find their nest, but before we knew it, we were surrounded, and they kept throwing spears at us.”

Ah, so it was spears after all.

“Even though we used to underestimate goblins, they can be truly frightening in numbers. Our leader was defeated and told us to escape and inform everyone before he took his last breath. We could only flee for our lives. It’s frustrating.”

I understand. Even if we had guns, I’m not sure if we would have survived in that situation.

“How did you manage to defeat the goblins?”

“Well, we attacked them from a distance, secretly.”

“Indeed, you’re an elf after all. Saran-san, you’re a master with the bow, aren’t you?”

“Oh no, my husband is much more skilled.”

Saran calls out from the kitchen.

Oh wow. The kitchen is already sparkling clean!

The dishes have been washed and neatly wiped. It’s incredible feminine power!

A fire is burning in the stove, and the pot is already boiling.

I’m looking forward to what we can make.

“Wait, you two are married?”

“Yes.”

“Eeeehhhhhh?!”

I always wonder why everyone is so surprised every time.

I can’t handle this development anymore…

“Unfortunately, we can’t offer our thanks in any meaningful way.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. This is a get-well gift. Please accept it.”

“What is this?”

“I received it from Lord-sama as a reward for goblin extermination. It’s for all of you.”

“Why… that should be your reward.”

“You were the ones who risked your lives to inform us, enabling us to carry out the extermination. It’s Team Elfang’s achievement. Please accept it.”

“Thank you… thank you.”

They receive fifteen gold coins, and everyone becomes teary-eyed.

“Now, now, I know it’s difficult to cheer up, but you must eat properly. Everyone, please eat.”

Amazing.

Soup, steak, salad, and the bread they bought. Even though she quickly prepared them, they turned into proper dishes. Thank you, Saran.

The all-male Team Elfang is overjoyed.

Everyone is eagerly devouring their meals.

Saran sits on the edge of the bed.

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“Ask me anything!”

“I heard you were invited to join a group that hunts elves.”

“Ah, in that case, it’s me.”

Ginea raises his hand.

“While I was drinking at the tavern…”

“You! What do you mean, going to a tavern!”

Alright, let’s not fight over that.

“Which tavern was it?”

“It’s called ‘Nomikui Tengoku,’ located in the backstreets of the bustling district.”

What kind of name is that?

“While I was drinking, a man dressed in black with a hat pulled down low asked me, ‘Are you not a member of Team Elfang?’ When I confirmed, he asked, ‘Are you currently unemployed?’ So I said yes, and then he said, ‘I have a good job for you. Can we talk?’ So I thought I would just listen to what he had to say.”

I see.

“He said, ‘Not here…,’ so he paid for our drinks at the tavern, and we went outside to talk while walking.”

“He seems cautious.”

“Yeah, I thought it might be something shady, an illegal job or something. He said, ‘I’d like you to help with a hunt,’ and I asked him what the target was.”

Sounds suspicious.

” ‘Well, you’ll find out if you come. The rewards are substantial,’ he said. When I asked how much, he said, ‘Fifty gold coins per person.'”

“Per person… per person… That’s clearly kidnapping.”

When I said that, Ginea nodded in agreement.

“Kidnapping, seriously! But then he said, ‘Oh no, it’s not people,’ and smirked under his hat. When I asked what he meant by ‘not people,’ he said, ‘They’re forest dwellers.’. I immediately declined. I owe a debt to the elves!…”

…gulp.

“I said, ‘No, thank you. I have a debt to the elves!’ Then he said, ‘Oh no, just kidding!’ and walked away while laughing.”

…

“I’m glad you feel indebted to them,” Saran said as she poured soup into Ginea’s cup.

“Oh, I knew that Saran and the others avenged our leader. Besides, if someone engaged in kidnapping, they would be permanently expelled from the Hunter community. It’s not worth it. Only a desperate person would take on such a job…”

“Well, like us.”

Yeah, let’s not be too disheartened.

“What was that person like?”

“He hunched his back, wearing a black coat and a black hat, with a white collared shirt visible underneath. He was dressed in expensive clothing. I’d say he was in his fifties…”

“What about his height?”

“He was hunched over, so it’s hard to say. He seemed smaller than me, but if he stood up straight, he’d probably be about the same height as me.”

“Stand up straight for a moment, Ginea.”

“Sure.”

I stand next to Ginea, who is hunched over, with Saran on the other side.

He’s taller than me but shorter than Saran, about shoulder height.

Yeah, as a Japanese person, I’m usually smaller compared to foreigners.

Sorry about that. It’s because of that stereotype that I’m always treated as a shota (young boy) character.

“What about the cane?”

“It was thick and looked heavy, with a straight shaft and no grip.”

“Yeah, I thought it might be a concealed weapon.”

“…That’s possible. It was a cane, but he didn’t lean it on the ground. Come to think of it, it made a sound when it hit the ground, like a clink.”

“…Ginea, that was dangerous. You could have been seriously hurt.”

“Oh…”

Seems like quite a tricky opponent.

We had a meal together, washed the cups, and then served tea, but we couldn’t gather any further information.

We thanked them for their hospitality and took our leave from their home.

“…We might need a pistol.”

“A pistol? What’s that?”

“A small gun that you can shoot with one hand.”

We’re staying at a cheap inn together.

Ah, a pistol.

As a Japanese person, I’ve never shot one before. In fact, I’ve never even seen one. It’s strictly prohibited in Japan, except for Olympic athlete candidates.

But in action movies, they’re always shooting guns left and right, so it’s familiar to us Japanese. They even sell model guns and airsoft guns, so any boy would know how to handle them, no doubt.

“Perhaps for self-defense. It might come in handy when dealing with someone who conceals a sword or similar weapon.”

If I were to buy one myself… let’s see. I think a revolver would be a good choice.

Personally, I’m not really into semi-automatics. Though there are plenty of people in the hunting club who use them. When it comes to fox control, some prefer over-under double barrel shotguns for clay shooting, while others bring automatic shotguns. It’s about 50-50.

I’m the only one using a pump-action shotgun. It’s my grandfather’s heirloom.

In actual hunting, the semi-automatics are overwhelmingly advantageous. Malfunctions are rare, and I’ve never seen a member experience a misfire. The reliability of modern semi-automatic shotguns is incredibly high. There’s no room for complaints in that regard.

However, for the well-known Remington M1100 semi-automatic, I heard that you need to change the gas ring when switching ammunition. I’ve seen some seniors at the shooting range who have been taught by their peers, ‘When using light loads, adjust the gas seal…’ But I don’t really understand it.

Personally, I prefer firearms with simple and straightforward operations that are easy to understand.

But you know, that Beretta in Die Hard, shooting away, it looks cool, right?

I have a friend who’s really into that stuff. He has a bunch of airsoft guns. When he heard that I had obtained a firearms possession permit, he came over and kept pestering me, saying, ‘Show me!’ Well, since we were classmates in high school, I couldn’t help it. I took out my M870 from the gun locker and showed it to him.

He was so thrilled, exclaiming, ‘It’s the real deal! The definitive pump-action shotgun!’

He kept pumping it, click-clack, click-clack. I had to stop him and tell him to quit dry-firing it because the firing pin could break! , I gave him dummy cartridges and asked him to always use those instead. I let him play around with it for a while.

He excitedly loaded dummy cartridges, clanking them in.

Oh, he was so thrilled.

“Why can’t it hold more than two rounds? It’s supposed to be 4+1!”

“It’s regulated by Japan’s firearms law that allows only up to two rounds!”

What useless trivia, right?

But, to show his gratitude, he gave me an airsoft gun.

Come to think of it, that was actually pretty nice.

――― Author’s Note ――――

※1. Not limited to hunting rifles, firing a gun without ammunition (dry firing) can lead to trouble. In most cases, the firing pin breaks.

Normally, the firing pin, which should strike the primer, is designed to withstand the force in the direction it is crushed. However, when dry firing, the force is applied in a direction for which it is not designed, causing the firing pin to be stretched beyond its intended limits.

Even during practice, when dry firing, it is recommended to load dummy rounds with a spring-loaded primer-impacting device called a dummy cartridge.