An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 85 Hero, Invasion

Puwappuwa ――――.

“Hmm? An assembly?”

Saran perks up at the sound.

Having just hunted in the mountains, I’ve just caught a wild boar.

It’s been a while, wild boar. The villagers will be delighted.

So, while I was in the middle of butchering it, I heard the sound of a horn from the village.

Puwappuwa ――――.

It’s a signal for all the villagers to gather.

I wonder if something happened. It doesn’t seem urgent, though.

“Well, let’s get this done in a hurry!”

“Sure.”

More roughly than usual, I swiftly skin the animal and prepare the meat.

I place it in a plastic bag and quickly stow it into my magic bag, then descend the mountain.

“You guys took your time.”

All the villagers have gathered in the square. At the center stands the village chief.

“What’s the matter?”

“Got a guest for Shin.”

“?”

“So, you’re Shin.”

…I was taken aback.

Emerging from amidst a group of elves, a figure appeared.

The hero.

Remember the last time? The Hero Tournament held in the capital. This is Blanversh, who emerged victorious!

Black shirt, a slim suit with a stylish tie, a wide-brimmed hat, and a black cloak with red lining!

Like a sheriff from a Western movie, or a masked hero like Zorro without the mask.

He’s not quite middle-aged yet, and that dashing, bearded hero who’s the epitome of cool!

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Shin.”

“…”

Saran, standing behind me, is giving the hero a skeptical stare.

She must sense that he’s brought some troublesome business with him, without a doubt.

“Well, don’t be so dismissive. The young lady behind you is Saran, right?. Allow me to introduce myself I’m Blanversh, the newly appointed hero. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too… Um, is there something you wanted to say to me?”

“I wanted to meet you and express my gratitude.”

What in the world…!?

Could he possibly know something?!

Back in the capital, when the hero was facing that Tyra… Dino dragon, I secretly shot the dragon’s leg from behind!

“I see. Shin, is it safe to say that this person is undoubtedly a hero?”

“Yes, he won the Hero Tournament held in the capital recently. There’s no doubt about it.”

The village chief nods thoughtfully.

“Village chief, we have a letter from His Majesty the King. Please accept it.”

Oh my, I wonder what it says.

What if it’s a summons?

The hero hands over a sealed scroll to the village chief.

“From His Majesty the King, is it…? If it’s a letter from the Kingdom of Julliard, it’s been about thirty years. Is this an official document?”

“Yes.”

“May I read it here?”

“Please do.”

The village chief breaks the seal and retrieves the letter from the scroll.

It’s quite a lengthy document. The village chief proceeds to read it aloud to the entire village.

“… to the esteemed village chief of Kopori Village, the former ally of our nation, the illustrious leader of the Elves, Osah. We humbly apologize for the long absence of friendly correspondence and the numerous instances of discourtesy. Furthermore, we express our remorse for the continuous acts of crime, including human banditry and abductions, that have plagued the Elven village. Our nation, seeking generous forgiveness, extends its plea to our esteemed allies, the proud Elven people.

In gratitude for the Elves’ assistance in the ancient defeat of the Dark Lord, we hereby reaffirm the Treaty of Mutual Non-Aggression, and we seek to renew the long-lapsed treaties of friendship and trade, aiming to deepen our alliance further.

Within our borders, for the past five years, we have legislatively abolished slavery and strengthened penalties for crimes against other races. We confirm that these practices are now strictly prohibited.

Yearning for continued amicable relations and exchanges, we send an envoy.

We pledge with utmost sincerity to maintain a truthful and close bond hereafter.

Eldran Lurce Dorispaas”

…

“The current king is Eldran.”

“Understood.”

“That rambunctious little boy, how funny. Hahaha.”

Having read that far, the village chief handed the letter to me.

“Shin, what are your thoughts?”

“… The contents written here are true, aren’t they? I’ve heard that five years ago, in the Hunter’s Guild, the kingdom abolished slavery and made crimes like kidnapping and human trafficking illegal, strictly punishable. Even when we exterminated all the kidnappers and there were no repercussions.”

“Shin… you’ve met the king before, right?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. Let’s hear the details. Messengers, you’ve done well. You may leave this with us.”

Saying this, the village chief handed a sword to Hero Blanversh.

“Well, I would appreciate it if you could hold onto it while you’re in the village.”

“This shall be a testament to my character. Consider it a mark of trust.”

“You need not worry. It wasn’t the Demon Lord. It was a wild variant summoned by a foolish conjurer on his deathbed. It had already been dealt with. Thanks to Shin’s efforts.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Shin, did you shoot it?”

Hmm, let me think…

“I confess. That night, while we were all eating and drinking, I noticed that thing appearing and thought, ‘This can’t be good.’ Luckily, Hero-san had it occupied, so I shot it from behind. Since it had two legs, I figured immobilizing one leg would prevent it from rampaging. I ran away immediately afterward, though, because I didn’t want any trouble.”

The hero bursts into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! Just as I suspected! Well, I’m grateful. It would have been quite a challenge for me alone. His Majesty the King also wanted me to thank you, Shin. He said you probably wouldn’t admit it and would try to play dumb. Anyway, thank you.”

Is it too obvious…?

Oh, I feel like crying.

“Well, this will stay between us. It’ll be as if it never happened. His Majesty said the same. They want to let it go since they know the other side won’t come forward to confess.”

Whew… I’m so relieved. My heart’s been pounding since earlier.

“So, you didn’t come over here with the intention of taking Shin with you?”

Saran, still giving a scary stare, says that.

She’s been squinting the whole time, you know.

“… As a hero, it’s my duty to assemble a strong team. Heroes have their own parties. I really want to invite you, Shin, to join my party, but before that, it’s important for me to meet you, express my gratitude, and get to know you firsthand.”

“Well, that’s not something I can do. I must decline, absolutely. It’s just not possible for me. I’m not cut out for it. I’m weak, and I’d die quickly. Joining a hero’s party, especially as a country bumpkin like me, is completely out of the question. I simply wish to live quietly in the Elven village. I can’t even fathom any other way of life.”

With a flurry of hand gestures, I managed to say all that in one go.

“The King told me the same thing. He warned against trying to exploit Shin.”

Blanversh chuckles wryly.

“Attempting to manipulate Shin would make enemies of all the Elves. Shin himself, being an ordinary human and, above all, a good person, poses no threat. Plus, his work as a Hunter brings nothing but benefits to the kingdom. And most importantly, it’s a reminder not to turn a benefactor of the king into an enemy.”

A sense of relief washes over me.

It’s good to know that the King understands.

“The royal family still remembers the debt owed to the Elves…”

The village chief remarks.

“Were there some events in the past?”

“Sorry, but there are things we can’t discuss in the presence of a hero.”

With a mischievous smile, the village chief says that.

“Some things are better left unheard, Hero.”

“Hmm, it feels like I’m missing out on something, but if you say so.”

The hero shrugs his shoulders.

“Anyway, now that I’m a hero, part of my job is to explore the world. I need to visit shrines where the Demon Lord is sealed, and I’d like to stay here for a couple of days if you don’t mind.”

“In that case, you’re welcome to stay at my house. I’ll treat you as an honored guest. Could you also take a letter back to His Majesty when you leave?”

“Understood.”

One of the mansion’s staff members guides the hero to a room.

“Shin, have you come to understand a lot?”

The village chief asks me that.

“Yes… After visiting the human city, I’ve realized that humans are a vast nation, thousands of times larger than the Elves. Normally, they could easily turn an Elven village into a vassal state, extracting taxes or even demanding slaves. Yet, they haven’t done any of that. It’s perplexing. Even if they were genuinely intent on attacking and conquering, they could do it effortlessly, yet they refrain. I’ve even considered whether some old grudge might be at play.”

“I see.”

“In the world I come from, that’s what major nations do.”

“Indeed.”

“In a situation like mine, it’s common for thoughts like ‘I’ll exploit you until you die,’ or ‘You’re a threat, so I’ll eliminate you,’ to arise. The fact that the king doesn’t pursue such strategies is also quite puzzling.”

“Shin… What kind of country are you from?”

Saran seems curious.

Well, until around the time of World War II, Earth was kind of like that.

Advanced countries, mostly in Europe and America, colonized one smaller nation after another, exploiting them to their heart’s content. Small nations had no choice but to obey the whims of larger nations, and this pattern endured for a long time.

Even today, there are plenty of countries that continue similar practices.

That’s just how humans are.

After seeing the scale of human nations, I’ve always wondered why they leave the Elven villages untouched without any interference.

“Well, to sum up the previous discussion…”

The village chief chuckles.

“In the distant past, some six hundred years ago, a gigantic Slime Demon Lord appeared. It rampaged through human settlements, you see.”

“Gosh…”

“So, even the heroes couldn’t defeat it, and they demanded magical assistance from the Elves.”

“I see.”

“It had nothing to do with the Elves, really. Our response was delayed, but as a result, the heroes – we don’t know how – somehow manipulated that massive Slime to target us. The Slime’s aggression turned towards us.”

“That’s an infuriating story.”

“We Elves used ceremonial magic, joining forces to defeat the Slime… And the path the Slime took became that very river, while the spot it was defeated turned into a lake, as our legend goes.”

No, no, no, that’s just too unbelievable. You can’t possibly create a lake like that from a nuclear explosion.

“Well, anyhow, afterward, the humans came to us and asked if they could attribute the Slime’s defeat to the hero. We agreed, as it was of no concern to us. That’s when we established the Treaty of Mutual Non-Aggression. In essence, it means that from now on, humans won’t meddle with Elves in exchange for granting their request. So, the humans built that shrine, the one they falsely claimed was related to the hero’s defeat of the Demon Lord, in this village. Then, they thanked us and went on their way. Well, that was centuries before I was born.”

“Could it be that if the Elves became serious, they could obliterate humans?”

Saran voices a rather ominous thought.

“Absolutely not, and we don’t even entertain such ideas. We’re content to live quietly within the forest.”

That unidentified thing from the stained glass of the hero’s church in the capital city.

So that was a Slime, huh? These world’s Slimes are something else, remarkably powerful.

“In other words, the Elves have garnered the respect of the royal family.”

“In a nutshell, that’s accurate. The previous king seemed to deliberately ignore and avoid any involvement, treating us as non-existent. But the current king appears different.”

“Seeing me and Saran frequently coming and going must have sparked his interest.”

“Interest, hmm… Well, as long as it stays at that level, it shouldn’t pose any problems.”

More on the village chief’s side, I’d say, he was quite intrigued by humans.

He was overjoyed with things like alcohol, sweets, paper, pens, and above all, that woolen blanket.

“Did you ever go to the human city, Village Chief?”

“Of course. In my youth, I used to be quite the troublemaker, just like you two. I would call it ‘training’ though.”

Ha ha ha. He laughs as he says this.

I see, Bal-san mentioned that there used to be Elven hunters. So it was you. But it definitely sounds like a story from over a hundred years ago.

“Well then, I must write a reply to the royal letter. Both of you have worked hard. It may sound trivial, but I will express my gratitude to the current king for bestowing various favors upon us. If things go well, the Elven village should remain secure. Most importantly, we can continue to enjoy fine drinks. We won’t foolishly push away the hand of friendship extended from the other side. Rest assured and take it easy.”

It seems like we don’t need to worry any further.

Back at home, I take a bath in the newly-made tub and end the day.

It was quite a project, you know. I gradually dug into the ground every day, creating this bath area. Since we’re close to the lake, groundwater surfaced as I dug. Once water began to flow, I built a structure with stones, connected pipes, and linked a hand-pumped water contraption I bought in town. Then, I filled a custom-made large bucket with water, which I heated over the fireplace to create warm bathwater.

I really wanted to use a boiler, but I’ll think about that later, so for now…

Boiling a large amount of water is quite the task, so I keep the bath shallow and always bathe with Saran.

The two of us enjoy the warmth, relaxing and cuddling in the bath.

We’re still very much in a honeymoon phase, after all. Ha ha ha.

“Shin, you ended up confessing everything in the end.”

Wrapped up in a cozy feather blanket, I start to doze off.

“Yeah… You know, I’m not good at lying or keeping secrets. It’s just not in me.”

“…That’s fine. I like that side of you, Shin.”

“Thanks.”

A lot happened, didn’t it?

In this world, where I was always supposed to be a background character, I’ve finally crossed paths with the protagonist.

The hero, gathering party members to defeat the Demon Lord, has come to meet me.