An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 75

Living Fossils – Chapters

Chapter 75   The main act appears

“…Shin, do you think we can manage?”

Lord Faal gazes up at the sky.

The Pteranodon is still circling.

For some reason, the Team Justice members haven’t returned yet.

I really wish they would go back; it’s clear that firing in front of them would only complicate matters…

“Well, let’s give it a try somehow.”

Saran and I head to the stable together, loading a wheelbarrow with lots of straw. We walk over to where the sheep is.

We spread out the straw, making a soft and cozy bed, and lie down together.

The Pteranodon is still circling above.

I form a square with my fingers and peer through, counting.

“1, 2, 3, 4… Hmm, wingspan is about 60% of a second. Roughly 12 meters per second. Saran, the distance.”

“120, 122, 122, 121…”

Saran counts while peering through a laser rangefinder.

I taught her how to read it.

“Keep counting as it is.”

120 meters means impact in 0.15 seconds.

The lead is about 1.8 meters, exactly half its body length.

Let’s aim for the beak. That should hit the torso.

The angle is nearly 90 degrees. Glance at the landing offset I jotted down on the stock.

12 cm at 100 meters. Can ignore that.

“Fire――!”

“Go ahead――!”

Lying on the shock-absorbing straw, I point the Remington M700 directly upwards,

Following through the scope, I aim for the beak.

Bang!!

Missed, huh?

Quickly adjust the lead and fire another shot!

Bang!!

Crack!

The Pteranodon lets out an odd cry, opens its mouth, and tucks its wings as it descends.

“Hit!”

I swiftly rise to my feet and look around.

It would be a laughing matter if it fell right where I stood. I need to move away.

The point of impact is 30 meters ahead!

Thud!

It fell, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Click-clack!

Operating the bolt, I load the next round.

Kneeling on one knee, I take aim, targeting the struggling Pteranodon’s chest.

Bang!!

It’s getting agitated by the movement!

One more shot!!

Bang!!

With two shots to its chest, its head drops and it twitches involuntarily.

Approaching on foot, I insert a round through the ejection port and aim for the head…

Where’s the target? Dinosaurs have underdeveloped and small brains, right?

Well, somewhere between the eyes should do.

In any creature, the optic nerve connecting the brain and the eyes usually takes the shortest path.

Bang!!

Mission accomplished.

There’s quite an audience, so I quickly retrieve my magic bag, stow the rifle, toss in the rangefinder Saran had and the remaining bullets in my pockets, and make the magic bag disappear. Then, I act nonchalant.

Everyone gathers around.

“Wow, that was amazing. Well done, Shin!”

Lord Faal, the guardsman, and the ranch owner Natral all applaud enthusiastically.

Team Justice rides over on horseback and comes to a halt.

“Hey, you! What did you just do?”

“You mean the magic?”

“Do you really think such magic exists?”

“Regardless of what kind of magic it is, it’s my prerogative to use it.”

“No one can use magic more powerful than ours!”

“Indeed.”

“So, what kind of magic was it?”

“Well, if you’re a hunter, you’d keep your secrets, wouldn’t you? I won’t tell.”

“No, I need an ans-”

Clang!

The bearded man thrust his sword at me, but Saran deftly slammed the back of his single-edged sword onto it, snapping it into two!

With its single-edged design, you can use it to strike with the blade or slam with the back. This is the world’s mightiest bardiche sword! If you were struck from the side by this, not even an average sword could withstand it!

The bearded man, who suddenly had his sword broken, widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Do you think you can get away with pointing a sword at someone? I’ll be your opponent.”

Saran stepped in front of me, pulling a sawed-off shotgun from my magic bag. It’s already loaded with four shells.

“No, I’ll handle it if it comes to that.”

“Enough of this, Team Justice!”

Lord Faal’s voice came from behind.

“I won’t allow anyone to harm my friends, the two from Hawksburg. Consider meddling with these two as making enemies of House Hawksburg. Leave promptly. I command it as Count Hawksburg, the ruling lord.”

“Grumble…”

The bearded man kicked his horse, changed direction, and rode away.

Sigh… Looks like things just got more complicated.

We hoist the Pteranodon’s carcass onto the cargo bed using a pulley system.

Wow, it’s huge! With a wingspan of 20 meters.

Even I, as a child, was an excited elementary school student reading dinosaur books, so I have quite a bit of knowledge. Meeting a real one in another world is truly thrilling. I would have loved to watch it fly for hours if I could.

Its wings are membranous, but a portion of its body is covered with thin feathers, perhaps for insulation. On Earth, it went extinct before becoming the ancestor of birds.

If this creature had become the ancestor of birds, Earth’s avian species would have all flown with membranes instead of feathers, and they would have ended up looking as creepy as bats. It’s a relief that it went extinct.

We position it sideways on the cargo bed, use ropes to fold its wings, and somehow manage to load it. Natral-san thanked us many times.

We did bring the Pteranodon to the Hunter’s Guild, but it seems it’s of no value at all. The meat is inedible and the skin is unattractive, with no usable parts. It’s too large to make a taxidermy, and it’s basically just suitable for livestock feed. So, they didn’t want it brought there either.

Well, as long as I get the proof of subjugation from Lord Faal, I have no complaints.

I signed the request form that was still posted on the guild board, and received the exact fifty gold coins as the reward that was promised and already paid to the guild.

“Um, could you tell me about Team Justice?”

I inquire with the Guild Master of Topurus.

“Oh, they’re 1st-class Hunters from the capital. They’re skilled at their work but notorious for their greed. They snatch jobs from others, steal the limelight… they’re quite a bunch of rogues.”

Well, that sounds like trouble.

“Darl.”

“Well, Count, thank you for this time. Bringing in skilled help. This will restore the Guild’s reputation.”

The Guild Master, Darl-san, is it? I wasn’t aware.

“In short, it’s because these ruffians couldn’t take down the wyvern, but this Raccoon Head effortlessly brought it down. So, it seems we might run into trouble with them later. Can you guys handle it?”

“Hmm…”

Darl-san crosses his arms and contemplates.

“We’ll make a report to the Hunter’s Guild in the capital. Even though they’re frequent big-game hunters and certainly have the capability, it’s true. In the world of hunting, the one who gets the kill first wins, especially when it comes to success rewards. Well, it seems they’re flaunting their power even in the capital, so reporting might not change much.”

I see. So, the rules in that regard aren’t well-established.

Even I, when faced with monsters, didn’t have time to go through all the procedures like guild requests and rewards. You can’t let the damage spread while you’re busy with formalities. I can’t say it’s entirely wrong for them to have immediately attacked the monsters.

“Well, we Elves from the village don’t venture out often. I don’t think we’ll have any future dealings with them.”

“Hope that’s the case. But hey, visit us sometime, Shin!”

“Hahaha, sure thing.”

Better to avoid danger when it’s near. Let’s continue to keep our distance as much as possible.

“Well then, we’ll take our leave.”

“Hmm, I still want to go to the hot springs.”

“But you’re the Lord, right? You have to endure.”

Having made the journey to Topurus, I decided to drop by the Merchant Guild’s mart.

“Any rice? Hmm…”

Unfortunately, it seems they don’t carry it here either. What a shame.

“You might find some in the capital.”

The capital, huh? I don’t really want to go there, but since we’re on our way to the hot springs, I guess we’ll make a stop.

Securing seats on a shared carriage bound for the capital, we set off!

Nobody here knows us, so we’re just a regular young couple on a journey. The well-maintained road is dotted with guard posts, a true reflection of the capital’s influence. Thankfully, no bandits or highwaymen this time. We spent a peaceful night at an inn on the way and arrived in the capital city of Julliard the next day.

I visited during the attempted assassination of the king, but it was quite chaotic back then, so I didn’t really see much. Since we’re here now, let’s do some sightseeing.

“It really feels like we’ve come a long way, doesn’t it?”

Saran marvels as she gazes at the immensely large city.

It’s not a distance we can just easily return from in case something happens. She seems a bit uneasy about that. Yeah, I get it. Travel is like that.

First stop, the market. And there it is, rice! Found it!

It’s about 5 kg for one gold coin. Quite pricey! But I’m buying it!

I got five bags. Saran looks at me curiously as I’m overly excited.

There are also a variety of seasonings.

Honestly, I want to make curry rice, but obviously, there’s no curry powder or curry roux here. Even though I used to eat a lot of it back in Japan, I have no idea what’s in curry. Well, most Japanese probably feel the same way. Maybe just apples and honey… No, that’s not right.

Also, while they have equivalents for sauces, ketchup, and mayonnaise, there’s nothing like soy sauce or mirin. It’s like a world of Western cuisine.

Well, can’t be helped.

Since we’re here, I’ll buy plenty of familiar spices. They’re all quite expensive…

And don’t forget, we need a pot to cook the rice. Since I couldn’t find a suitable one, I went with a clay pot. Even in a clay pot, you can cook rice beautifully.

I also stocked up on alcohol for souvenirs to take back to the village. The magic bag is really coming in handy.

I arranged for Saran to visit a salon and have her hair done. Though I usually cut it myself, it’s better to have a professional handle it. I’ve been wanting to treat her properly for a while now.

It’s a shop that even nobles use, offering full-body beauty treatments. Sort of like a spa, I suppose. Occasionally indulging in something like this is nice too. It’s a big treat for my lovely wife.

Meanwhile, I went to the Central Library. When I showed Kyrif’s introduction letter, they let me in without any issues.

Although it’s called a library, it’s more like a bookstore. The place is divided into rooms for in-house reading, lending, and purchasing books.

All of them come with separate fees, so it adds up pretty quickly.

Ah, there it is!

A brand new monster encyclopedia… not dinosaur! The latest edition.

I flip through it. The section about Lyle Slimes is quite extensive. It seems my reports were promptly added. I must buy this.

Eight gold coins!

…These books are expensive. They’re beautifully bound in leather and skillfully crafted, which isn’t surprising given the quality, but in this world, printing and bookbinding technologies haven’t reached their peak yet. Each book is almost like a custom-made creation. Well, I guess it can’t be helped.

Or rather, an esthetic salon in this case. When I went to pick up Saran, she looked incredibly stunning. Her golden hair was silky smooth, softly curled, and her skin was flawless. Esthetics are amazing… I’ve been making such a gorgeous person look so plain. I’m reflecting on that.

“How is it?”

“…Gorgeous.”

“Come on!”

That day, we stayed at a rather grand inn in the capital city and rented a room with a spacious bath.

It’s a bath big enough for Saran and me to sit side by side, stretching our legs out comfortably.

“Look, look!”

“Wow.”

“I got waxed and shaved in various places.”

“Oh, wow.”

“This is the current trend in the capital. Removing all body hair is considered a ladylike thing to do. They shave everything, even the armpits and down there. It’s kind of strange.”

“…It’s lovely.”

“…Really? So, will you do the same from now on?”

“Well, you know, I love your natural beauty, Saran. Your carefree charm is incredibly appealing. But tonight, I want to stay up late.”

“You fool.”

Hahaha.

“Ahh…”

Plop.

“Hey, Shin.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I honestly tell you what I’m thinking?”

“Sure.”

“I want to go back already.”

Haha. We’re just country folk, after all. This city life is uncomfortable.

“Yeah, me too…”

Plop.

“With a bath this big, I’m starting to feel like we don’t even need to go to the hot springs anymore. The bath at Faal’s mansion was spacious too.”

“Hahaha!”

You know, actually, seeing the Pteranodon and fulfilling my childhood dream of seeing a dinosaur up close has left me feeling incredibly satisfied. We bought rice and even got the dinosaur guidebook.

“But you know…”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe we should build a proper bath at our home.”

“Yeah, I’m all for it!”

A large tub and a boiler, perhaps?

Can we custom order them in Saaplast? I wonder if it’ll be hard to transport them to the Elven village.

What about fetching water? And the drainage. There are quite a few challenges to overcome for it all to work.

Well, that’s something to consider later on.

Together, we had a blast in the bath, then on the bed, and that night, we thoroughly enjoyed the luxurious night in the capital.

I’m content. Let’s head back tomorrow!