An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 62

Blessing of the Goddess – Chapters

Chapter 62   Midwinter hunter

In the elven village of Kopori, winter has arrived.

Everyone refrains from venturing outside much, opting instead to leisurely spend time indoors until spring arrives.

Although the snowfall is minimal and doesn’t accumulate, the temperatures consistently drop below freezing every morning.

“Brrr, it’s quite chilly!”

Throughout the winter, everyone adorns themselves in fur clothing.

Quite extravagant, isn’t it? These are luxurious items!

As for me and Saran, we don stylish, well-insulated outfits obtained from our magical bags, continuing our hunting activities even during the winter months. We’ve also acquired top-notch footwear.

Bang!

Bang!

Whizzing through the air, we skillfully take down waterfowl like ducks using our shotguns.

Once we’ve captured a few, we paddle out in the canoe to retrieve them.

“Scooping up birds while they’re in flight, it’s truly impressive!” Saran always remarks.

Apparently, before this, she had mostly only shot arrows at waterfowl on the water’s surface.

The winter lake becomes a paradise for these water birds.

However, recently we’ve become more cautious, as one would expect.

While it might be considered unorthodox for a hunter, maybe we should give the .22LR small-caliber rifle a try, or perhaps even a pre-charged airgun.

But then again, it’s going to cost more money…

Well, using a shotgun to bag ducks is essentially sport hunting.

It’s a form of recreation. In the Western world, hunting is considered a sport.

Taking down ducks with a shotgun is the traditional method; shooting at birds that are still in flight is seen as less honorable.

For us, it’s a valuable source of protein during the winter. While the means might not matter much, it’s still a gentleman’s sport.

When Emperor Showa visited Europe during his time as Crown Prince, he was presented with an FN Browning Auto-5 by the Belgian royal family. FN Fabrique Nationale is a Belgian firearms manufacturer, and the Auto-5 was the world’s first semi-automatic shotgun with a five-round capacity, a state-of-the-art shotgun at the time. On his next visit to the United Kingdom, the Crown Prince went duck hunting with King George V, who advised him, “Hunting is a sport. If you fire two shots and the bird escapes, the bird wins.” As a result, he was gifted a side-by-side shotgun.

I once complained to my grandfather, “The magazine of a shotgun holds only two rounds, and that’s not enough.” He then shared this story with me and scolded me. “If you can’t hit the target with two shots and you need a third shot to hit, why did you miss with the first two? It’s a waste of ammunition.”

I’ve abided by that teaching as well, always aiming to finish with just two shots.

Rifles are similar in a way. The second and third shots hitting a startled deer, which couldn’t be hit by the first shot from an inexperienced hunter, is the same principle. Hunting rifles are designed differently; they don’t prioritize magazine capacity or rapid firing capabilities. This is because military firearms are intended to take down as many enemies as possible, while hunting rifles are meant for a single kill per outing. They are entirely different types of firearms.

We use steel pellets for shotgun shells, not lead, to be environmentally conscious.

It’s a bit more expensive, you see… While iron is generally cheaper as a material than lead, I believe the cost comes from the additional processing required to shape it into pellets compared to lead.

Nevertheless, when we distribute these to everyone in the village after a successful hunt, it’s crucial that they don’t contain lead. Iron is safer, even if accidentally ingested.

By the way, we use Remington Sportsman High-Speed Steel Load 1-1/4 oz shells. The packaging features a duck image, giving it that unmistakable waterfowl-specific feel.

Steel pellets are harder than lead pellets, so mishandling them can potentially damage the gun. In this regard, using Remington’s authentic shells brings a sense of reassurance.

We pluck the feathers.

This can also be used for feather duvets.

Furthermore, when we bring the meat to the local farmers, they happily exchange it for potatoes, firewood, and more.

Saran can turn it into a delicious roast duck or a savory duck hot pot – a winter feast indeed.

Once a week, we venture into the mountains to hunt deer.

Just one deer, though. Saran carries it on her back.

Once we return to the village, we all share the spoils. During the winter, amidst preserved meats like jerky, sausages, and ham, this becomes the occasional treat of fresh meat.

Since I’ve started using a rifle, it’s become easier to bring down game.

I can hit targets at 300 meters. Once they’re spotted, they’re practically ours.

During winter, the bears are hibernating, so the only real concern is the occasional wolf. Well, nowadays they tend to flee when they see us. Ahaha.

Any leftover meat gets tossed to our newfound friend, River Dolphin, who has become the lake’s unofficial mascot. He eagerly catches the tossed meat. It’s remarkable how lively he is despite the cold water.

Once the day’s work is done, we light a fire in the fireplace to warm up the room, heat up water, and then sit naked in a large wooden tub Saran made, ready for her to pour water over us. It’s like a shower or a bath…

“Is it too hot?”

“Just right.”

Splash, splash, splash. We wash our hair, scrub our bodies, and clean up swiftly.

Once done, we switch places.

Now it’s my turn to pour water over Saran.

With her wet hair, Saran looks alluring and beautiful. She truly is a wonderful wife.

“I’m thinking of cutting my hair. It’s getting a bit troublesome.”

She says while drying her hair. Her hair is so long, reaching down to her waist.

“Yeah, I think it would suit you.”

“Really? Shin, would you cut it for me?”

Hmm, yeah, what should I do?

Saran often watches me cut my own hair.

Neither I nor my brothers have ever been to a barber.

Our mother always used to cut our hair. Over time, I learned by observing and started doing it myself.

Strangely, my mother is the only one who insists on going to the salon.

I can’t quite wrap my head around it, but I suppose that’s just something about being a woman.

Of course, there’s no barber in the elven village, so cutting each other’s hair among family members is a common sight.

A woman’s hair, huh? Normally, Saran just cuts her own hair casually.

“Promise not to complain later, alright?”

“Sure, sure. Just do it the way you think is best, Shin.”

Seating Saran down, I wrap a sheet around her neck to catch the hair, and carefully start cutting with scissors, making sure not to trim too much.

“Is this okay?”

“A little more.”

I trim a bit more and have her check it in a hand mirror.

After struggling for about an hour, her hair, which used to reach her waist, now falls around her back. I’ve managed to give her a slightly lighter and layered look, taming the voluminous hair into a more manageable style. The trick is to cut vertically, not horizontally, with the scissors against the hair. Yes, it turned out quite well.

“My head feels so light!”

She shakes her head in delight. Yes, it suits her.

The long braided hairstyle has transformed into a shorter, more conventional look, now tied with a ribbon at the back of her neck. Good job, me.

“When we go to town next time, let’s have a proper hairstylist take care of it.”

“That sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Alright, time for another bath.”

“What? Seriously?”

“We need to rinse away the cut hair, or it will itch.”

“Alright, alright.”

I guide Saran back into the bath.

Radiant. Stunning. Women truly look refreshed with a change of hairstyle.

After bathing together, things usually get a bit wild on the bed.

We are newlyweds, after all.

Every day, that’s how we continue to live as skilled hunters in the village.

Even during winter, we lead a fulfilling and enjoyable life.

And so, spring arrived, bringing with it a series of events.

With a significant accumulation of waterfowl feathers, it seems we can start making a few feather duvets.

We’ve also amassed a large quantity of fur, so perhaps it’s time for a shopping trip to the capital city.

This time around, we’ve received various shopping lists from the villagers. We’ll be taking fur-made products like hats, as well as ham and sausages, to exchange for money. After a long time, we row out to the lake with River Dolphin.

“Alright then, off we go.”

“Take care!”

With everyone bidding us farewell, we set off!

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys…”

It’s been about four months or so since we last visited the Hunter’s Guild.

As we bring in a large number of items to the purchasing counter, the Guild Master, Bal, appears and makes a sarcastic comment.

Elf-made fur hats are really popular, you know. You can buy any of them for three gold coins each.

This time, our total sales have amounted to over two hundred gold coins.

“Well, it can’t be helped. You can’t navigate the river during winter.”

“Why don’t you guys just live in this town?”

“You can’t sustain a living around here just by hunting. There isn’t enough game.”

“There are plenty of hunter jobs available.”

“No, thank you. We’re not just hunters-for-hire, we’re hunters.”

“Having that level of skill and not utilizing it properly…”

“Living in the city costs too much money. We prefer the laid-back life in the Elven village.”

“You guys are really capable, but you don’t use your potential.”

Bal chuckles wryly.

“Actually, there’s a favor I really want to ask of you.”

“No way. Once we’re done shopping, we’ll head straight back.”

“Please, just hear me out! Even if it’s just for a moment!”

“Goodness… What’s the story?”