An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 66

Chapter 66   My New Ability

Upon returning safely to Topurus, Faal and Kyrif were waiting, along with a priest from the Order of Heroes.

“We managed to defeat it somehow!”

Bartil raised his thumb, and the priest, eager with anticipation, quickly inquired, “And what about the arrows?”

Is that what you’re concerned about?

“They were perfect! Just as expected from the Order of Heroes!”

Ohhhhh!

The priest and others associated with the church were overjoyed. This victory could undoubtedly boost the church’s reputation. After all, the Archbishop had been executed last year due to consecutive noble assassinations and an attempted regicide, causing the church’s authority to plummet. This success might bring some much-needed positivity.

To avoid any unnecessary complications, I decided to keep things simple and asked everyone to keep my involvement a secret, suggesting that they attribute the finishing blow to the church’s arrows.

“Same old Shin,” Bartil remarked, though truth be told, I was quite frightened. I’m not too keen on being put through something like this again.

Silver shotgun shells. Thirteen rounds remaining.

Let’s save them for a rainy day.

“What about the remaining arrows?”

“Yes.”

Saran handed over the two unused arrows from the five she had crafted, and the priest was ecstatic. He enthusiastically exclaimed, “We shall make them treasures of the church!” and such.

Um, well… those arrows were originally Saran’s, so I would appreciate a fee for the arrows, you know.

Well, those arrows are blessed by a genuine goddess. They’ll probably serve as powerful protective talismans for the church. Just like those exorcising arrows you find at shrines in Japan; it might become a new venture for the church.

Saran received ten gold coins from the church.

Not sure if that’s a hefty sum or not.

We celebrated at Faal’s estate with a feast and the following day, we escorted Kyrif back to Saaplast as a group.

Along the way, when we saw the remnants of the burnt werewolf on the road, Kyrif expressed gratitude, saying, “You did well, Saran.”

“It was actually my husband who took it down.”

Saran readily confessed. Well, she definitely wanted to avoid potential complications later!

“Shin, you have to tell the truth. If you continue thinking that we can take down such creatures together using the church’s arrows, someone might die next time. Are you okay with that?”

“I see… Saran really thought it through.”

“Did you… Did you defeat that thing?”

“With Saran’s arrows and my gun. If it weren’t for Bartil shielding us with his shield, we’d all be done for. I believe it was a collective effort.”

“Shin… Are you not going to tell us how you defeated it?”

“Oh, come on, quit being so irritated! Just spill it honestly!”

As we spoke, Bartil, who had been listening, called out from the driver’s seat.

“Pagans are often burned at the stake, you know.”

“I won’t allow such a thing.”

“They burned the witch who was with the hero.”

“That was an exceptional case.”

“Basically, it all depends on the Lord and the Church’s discretion.”

“… You’re right.”

“So, it’s a no-go then.”

“Shin-n-n-n-n!”

Well, of course. Ahaha.

“The reason we managed to defeat it is…”

“Yeah.”

“…the capricious nature of my goddess.”

“What?!?!”

“Well, I suppose I also have my fair share of secrets I can’t reveal.”

“You’re quite the cautious one, Shin. I understand.”

With the werewolf causing a commotion, we arrived safely at Saaplast without encountering any bandits or monsters on the road.

“As the lord, I offer your rewards for this mission. Twenty gold coins each. This is in addition to what I’ve received from Faal.”

Ballistes was overjoyed.

“And from the Merchant Guild, once the safety of the road is confirmed, you two will receive your payment. You’re probably heading back already, aren’t you?”

This time, it was Bal, the Guild Master of the Hunter’s Guild, who spoke. Each of us received ten gold coins. In total, Saran and I profited sixty gold coins.

“When working with Shin, profits seem to roll in, don’t they? If anything comes up again, give me a call!”

“Bartil, you’re doing quite well, aren’t you? Seriously… If we had made one wrong move this time, we’d be dead for sure.”

“Even so…”

It truly is a risky business, this hunting trade. If you’re always after a quick fortune, you won’t live long, will you?

This time, there were plenty of things to ponder. Feeling protected by everyone and relying on firearms, I can’t help but find myself pathetic. It seems like the enemies are growing stronger too. Please, Nanotesu, help us out…

“Hey, Nanotesu.”

While Saran is taking a bath, I communicate from the inn’s balcony. Since I haven’t finished shopping yet, we’ll be staying at the inn tonight.

“If something like that shows up again next time, I won’t stand a chance anymore. Can’t we find some way around it?”

“Even if you say ‘find some way,’ it’s not like I’m the one causing it.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Seriously, I mean it!”

“It’s not like there’s been a surge in monsters due to the Demon Lord, right?”

“No, there hasn’t.”

“Well, that’s good to hear…”

“But if things continue like this, Shin might actually die.”

“Hey, hey, hey, come on!”

“Hmm, fighting ahead might be a bit tough…”

“Why do I have to fight against such things when I have a wife to protect, to provide for, and to live with happily?!”

“…I’m starting to think maybe an explosion wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

And so it goes…

“…Well then, I’ll bestow a blessing upon the Magic Bag.”

“What kind of blessing?”

“I’ll make it so that any weapons placed inside the Magic Bag or taken out will be blessed by me.”

“Does that mean the bullets I buy for the gun in the Magic Bag will automatically receive your blessing?”

“Yes. Also, if you put your wife’s arrows in the bag once, they’ll be blessed when you take them out. So, it applies to any weapon.”

“Oh… Thank you. Does that work for lead bullets as well as copper ones?”

“Yes. It applies not only to bullets but also to firearms. It will be more potent than adding silver later.”

“Well, that’s good to hear…”

“Come to think of it, in other worlds, enchanted swords and such often have blessings too, but they’re made of iron, right? It might be a superstition that silver is more susceptible to blessings.”

…Wait, what’s the point of the Goddess believing in superstitions? Isn’t it your job to correct those things?

Well, if that’s the case, then it should be alright.

For the first time since I’ve been here, I’ve been granted a new ability. I’ve managed to get this far relying solely on the abilities I received initially.

“Thank you very much.”

“From now on, shopping with the Magic Bag will come with a 50% markup.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!”

Why does the Goddess have to take a cut? Ugh!

“Hahaha! Just kidding.”

“Oh, my heart can’t take that!”

“But with this, we’re safe from zombies, right? Okay, communication’s over!”

“Wait, wait, what do you mean by zombies? Wait, wait, wait, nooooooo!!!”

“What’s all the commotion, Shin? I just got out of the bath.”

…Next up is zombies, huh?

Like a scene from Resident Evil.

Do you really have the intention to protect this world, Nanotesu?

I’ve only played Resident Evil 2, you know? And that was back when I was in elementary school, at a friend’s house.

Squeeze.

“What’s, what’s wrong, Shin?”

“Join me in the bath.”

The first time I shot a Werewolf, there was no blood.

It meant I couldn’t overcome some ability the Werewolf possessed.

But this time, it worked properly. It was incredibly tough, though.

“The raw power of the shotgun went through, resulting in that level of damage.”

In the future, when more monsters or demons appear, even with Nanotesu’ blessing, we might need to face even more powerful adversaries to defeat them.

Thinking about it won’t change much, though.

We might understand more if we encounter them again, but honestly, I don’t want to meet them anymore.

However, chances are we’ll cross paths again.

That’s just the nature of this world.

…

“Stay strong, be well… Stay strong, be well…”

Sitting in the bathtub, Saran reaches around from behind, whispering into my ear.

Yeah, you’re right. I need to keep my spirits up.

Oops, sorry about that.

Blessing of the Goddess – Chapters END