An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 38 Farewell Saaplast See you again everyone

The next day, Bassoon-san and I set off on another joyful journey, arriving at Saaplast.

Bassoon-san, who had amassed a considerable sum of money from our successful trading, chuckled playfully and said, “I wonder if the next time we meet, I’ll have my own shop in this town?” But with two hundred gold coins, that might be a bit challenging, don’t you think?

“Instead, why don’t you come to the Elf village for business? Bassoon-san, you’d be warmly welcomed there,” I suggested.

“Hmm, that sounds intriguing, but I’d need to buy a ship and prepare river dolphins… Ah, maybe I could just rent them. As for protection, you guys can be my escorts,” Bassoon-san replied.

“That’s not feasible,” I retorted.

Oops, he got the directions wrong.

“True, true…” he admitted, laughing.

And so, with laughter and renewed promises of meeting again, we bid each other farewell.

Souvenirs for everyone.

Forks and spoons, various spices, and the finest Hydra meat.

And also, a large piece of soft fabric to make our beds more comfortable, along with a complete set of sewing tools like needles and thread.

For the children, a mountain of sweets.

Now, what else would be good? Maybe we can decide when we come back.

Plenty of tools for making fur products. Gotta start mass-producing those raccoon hats!

We confidently leave through the main gate and walk along the highway.

Venturing into the forest to find the canoes.

There they are, thank goodness. But there are so many fallen leaves; cleaning them up might be a bit challenging.

Piiiiiiiiiiii!

When Saran whistles, splash! Splash, splash!

The River Dolphins are here!

What have you been up to all this time, my friends?

Ahahaha!

I feel a mix of joy and nostalgia.

If they weren’t here, I had planned to buy a small outboard engine and 2-cycle mixed gasoline with the magic bag, but having the dolphins here makes it unnecessary.

I splurged and threw some Hydra meat for them.

They chomp it down, swallow, and get all excited.

That piece of meat is worth a gold coin, so I hope they savor it a bit more.

“Here we go!”

Kicking off our shoes and tossing them into the canoe, we push it into the river and both of us hop in, splashing water around as we do.

Saran wades into the water up to her waist, securing the River Dolphin with a rope. We are all set.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Let’s goooo!”

Splash, splash.

Gently, the River Dolphin swims upstream.

It’s full of energy, isn’t it?

Let’s come back again, Saaplast!

Goodbye, everyone! Until we meet again!

As the town fades into the distance, we occasionally look back and share a smile.

Hehe.

Ahahahahahaha!

My beloved wife, Saran the Elf.

As long as we’re together, everything will be alright, now and forever.

Right?

―――――――――――Volume 1　ＥＮＤ――――――――――――

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Volume 2 Slime and Magnum

Chapter 39 Things that are popular in the elf village

Twang. Beeeee.

Along with the sharp sound of an arrow being released, a raccoon falls from the tree with a thud.

At night, raccoons are often found up in the trees. Saran detects their presence, I illuminate the area with a flashlight, and then Saran takes the shot. Even just shining the flashlight on the tree randomly can sometimes make their eyes reflect and reveal their position. They can be up to 10 meters high. Raccoons are skilled climbers, no doubt about that. Rest in peace, raccoon.

Saran is using a slightly shorter bow than usual.

She says it’s more than enough for dealing with raccoons.

I tried recommending Saran the latest compound bow, which is compact yet has the same performance as a longbow and offers high accuracy. However, she stubbornly refused, saying that changing tools would make her shooting worse.

The compound bow, the latest one, has an aluminum body with carbon limbs, a pulley system that makes drawing easier, and it’s lightweight yet powerful.

So, just to try it out, I bought a single hunting arrow with the magic bag, but she laughed it off.

Yeah, these carbon shaft arrows are light and short, probably less than half the power of the arrows Saran usually uses. Saran’s arrows are as long as my outstretched arms, thick, and powerful enough to take down bears… I guess she doesn’t need those fancy compound bows as toys… right?

But you know what, I did give her a present— a bowstring made of carbon fiber, specifically for the compound bow. It’s incredibly durable and won’t break easily, so she was delighted with it.

She used to knit the bowstrings with thick hemp threads before. She would take them off when not in use. Now that I think about it, there aren’t any shops around here for compound bows or maintenance, so we’re better off without them. I have no knowledge about them either, and if I let Saran use one, it might lead to an accident.

In any case, with Saran’s skill and strength, we don’t need one.

Once a week, we patrol the village at night, searching for raccoons.

For the raccoons in the fields, we leave it to the traps, but we also go hunting for them ourselves.

Raccoons are nocturnal creatures, so they’re active like this at night. They search for food quietly, climb trees, and take a rest. We never see them during the day; they must be sleeping in some hole somewhere…

When an arrow hits a struggling raccoon, I quickly approach and deliver a shot to the top of its head with a 4.5mm airgun pellet from the Diana M52 air rifle.

… It’s amazing how precisely the arrow strikes the neck without piercing the fur. We have to be careful not to create holes in the fur, so there are limited spots we can aim for. Saran’s accuracy is truly impressive; I am in awe of her skills.

“Third one!”

I put the raccoon into the bag and carry it. It’s my role.

“Shall we head back now? It’s getting heavy.”

The big one weighs nearly 10 kilograms.

“Yeah… I’m sleepy…”

“Ahahaha.”

Even Saran, the skilled hunter, isn’t experienced in night hunts.

Thank goodness for modern tools like LED flashlights!

It has been three months since we returned to the Elf village after our work in the human city, Saaplast. We replaced Saran’s small house with a log cabin that both of us can comfortably live in, ensuring she doesn’t have to stoop inside anymore. It was quite a challenging task, but with the help of the villagers, we managed to get it done. They all pitched in, and we are truly grateful for their support.

We pondered what we could do to show our appreciation, and we decided that it would be best to go shopping in the human city once again and earn some cash income. In our Elf village, the most valuable items are the furs obtained from hunting foxes and raccoons. Our goal is to gather fifty pieces of fur!

“Did you catch anything?”

The next morning, while having a late breakfast together, Milno-kun paid us a visit. He is a young villager, the son of a farmer. We’ve become good friends since we often help with pest control in the fields. He always takes our game and turns it into fur, which seems to have become a profitable side business for him.

“Yeah, look, three of them,” I reply.

“You two still have impressive skills… We can’t catch them so easily,” Milno-kun comments.

I humbly brush it off. “It’s been helpful for us too, not having the fruits in the orchard constantly raided by pests.”

He nods in agreement. “Thank you, Shin-san. So, how many furs have you accumulated?”

“With these, we’ve achieved fifty raccoon furs!”

“That’s fantastic!”

Paan! We exchange a high-five to celebrate our achievement together.

“Where’s Kano-chan?”

Kano-chan is a girl from the same village and an expert in making fur hats.

“She made over twenty of them.”

“Oh… Is it finally happening?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Milno-kun says a little bashfully.

“I proposed to her yesterday!”

“Wow!!”

Milno-kun and Kano-chan have been childhood friends, and they’ve always been close. I had a feeling it was just a matter of time.

“And what was her answer!?” Saran asks, though we already know the answer.

“Of course, she said yes!”

“Congratulations!”

“Haha… Oh, you guys,” Milno-kun laughs shyly, like a typical young man.

Elves have long lifespans, often exceeding two hundred years. Because of that, even among the young, romance and marriage tend to be more understated, and there aren’t many instances of such things. However, since we got married and have been living happily together every day, the village people have been observing, and it seems to have become a bit of a trend among the young folks in the village. Even the village chief was pleased about it.

“Have you informed the village chief?”

“I’ll do it today.”

“I see.”

“My parents were happy about it too, and I’m sure there’s a commotion at Kano’s house by now.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for you.”

“By the way…”

“Yeah, you’re asking for a favor, right? I’m all ears, go ahead.”

“The bed at Saran-san’s place is not as comfortable as I thought.”

“Ah, that’s right. It’s made of sheep wool and feather bedding.”

…Wait, you’ve been checking out our bed too?

“I want to prepare the same kind of bed for our new home and welcome Kano with it.”

Saran and I exchange glances.

“What a pervert.”

“Didn’t expect you to be such a kinky guy.”

“And you two are saying that…”

…Sorry.

Well, even just becoming conscious of those things is quite a significant development for an Elf, known for their dispassionate nature towards matters of intimacy.

“I understand. Since it’s a celebration, I’ll prepare something nice for you.”

“Thank you! As payment, you can have fur and Kano’s hats!”

“No, no, I’ll give you those as a present! Thank you very much!”

“There will be other things needed too, right? Saran and I will go to Saaplast, sell the fur and hats, and get the money for both of you to get what you need. Just write down the things you want.”

“Yes! Um, by the way, how much would the fur be worth…?”

“Well, we won’t know until we sell them, but I’d say a fur for one gold coin and a hat for about three.”

“In that case, with fifty furs and twenty hats… Let me see… That’s… One hundred and ten gold coins!”

“You’re quick with your calculations!”

… Maybe I should start a school in this village.

“Kano’s frying pan, Kano’s pot, Kano’s knife, Kano’s and my tableware, bedding, and um…”

Haha, isn’t it a bit too early to be thinking about all that?

Mumbling to himself, Milno-kun went back.

The fur will be split between me and Milno-kun. Then Kano-chan will turn Milno-kun’s fur into hats, and they’ll split the earnings. But since it’s a bit complicated, let’s just use all the money from the sales as a celebration for Milno-kun and Kano-chan. Yeah.

Elves always share everything, and they don’t seem to care about the ratio. It’s amusing and also very generous. I really love this aspect of the Elves.

“Time to get ready for the departure.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

For the next three days, we paddled our canoe out onto the lake and skillfully used our air guns and shotguns to capture over fifty waterfowl. Now, in the village, every household enjoys daily poultry dishes. Our home is filled with feathers.

Alright, next is the shopping!

- - - Author’s Notes

Here is Shin’s equipment up to this point.

・Remington M870

Shin’s grandfather’s legacy. This is a Remington shotgun, known as the “Remington 870,” with a total production of over 13 million units. It is a slide-action or pump-action shotgun, commonly referred to as a manual shotgun. It can reliably handle various types of ammunition, from blank and rubber rounds to weak clay target loads and powerful 3-inch Magnum shotshells, making it highly dependable and widely used in law enforcement and military applications.

Currently, Shin has three interchangeable barrels: a 26-inch shotgun barrel, an 18-inch slug barrel, and a sabot slug half-rifle barrel with a scope. He uses it for various purposes, from bird shooting to close-range encounters and escort missions.

The magazine capacity is increased by three rounds to a total of seven rounds plus one with an extension tube. Sabot slugs cost three dollars each, while regular shotgun shells cost less than one dollar. Although it may be considered outdated and cheap for today’s hunting clubs, if someone shows that they are using this shotgun, everyone will be delighted and praise it. It is a classic among classics, and almost everyone of the older generation has owned one at some point. However, since Shin has purchased a rifle, the half-rifle and sabot slug for the shotgun might no longer be needed.

・RWS Diana M52

Another legacy from Shin’s grandfather. This is a sturdy German-made air rifle by RWS, using a spring-piston mechanism.

It is a .177 caliber, side-lever action rifle with a fixed barrel, providing high accuracy and minimal malfunctions. It is especially effective for pigeon shooting due to its ability to hit targets more easily than a .22 caliber, as the pellets do not drop as fast. It is a single-shot rifle.

Although it may be considered outdated and cheap for today’s hunting clubs, spring air rifles are a rarity among hunters nowadays, as the norm is to opt for pre-charged models. In America, however, it is common for older farmers to keep a spring air rifle in their barns, using it as a part of their farm work to shoot crows, pigeons, rats, and squirrels. One of the biggest advantages of a spring air rifle is its immediate usability without the need for compressed air, as is required by pump or pre-charged air rifles. The pellets for this rifle cost less than five cents each.

・Remington M700

This is a .308 Winchester caliber bolt-action rifle made by Remington. It is designed for long-range sniping, capable of taking down small to medium-sized animals such as foxes, coyotes, and large game like deer, bears, and even monsters. The bullets are of high quality and cost around $1.50 each.

Its maximum range is 800 meters, but Shin’s skills have yet to catch up with that.

This rifle is the same type as the one Shin’s grandfather used to use, but the modern version features a stainless steel barrel and a synthetic stock, providing exceptional durability and weather resistance. It is likely that this rifle boasts the most diverse caliber options in the world, making it a versatile rifle suitable for various purposes.

However, it may be considered outdated and cheap for today’s hunting clubs, as there are no hunters using it nowadays. It is an unpopular gun, rarely seen even on the shelves of second-hand gun shops.

The magazine capacity is fixed at four rounds.

In fact, whether this rifle is popular or not depends on the preferences of the local gun shops. Each gun shop wants to sell the most accurate and high-performance products, those that they personally favor and recommend to hunters. The choice of which imported guns to sell is heavily influenced by the preferences of the shop’s manager.

Some shops exclusively handle Sako rifles, while others focus solely on Remington. Therefore, the popularity of rifles can vary depending on the region.

・Remington M870 Sawn-Off

This is a self-defense weapon created by modifying the slide-action Remington M870 for concealment. It is specifically designed for close-quarters combat. The M870 Deer Hunter’s slug barrel and stock are shortened, and a strap is attached to allow it to be carried over the shoulder. Nowadays, such weapons are rarely used.

The magazine capacity is four rounds plus one.

By the way, the Remington M870 has an abundance of aftermarket custom parts, so it is possible to assemble a whole gun without using a single Remington genuine part.