Episode 6: Go Woman Hunt!
“I’m back.”
“Yo, Claffy.”
“Dad, Aniki, welcome back.”
I was making arrows in the yard when the two of them returned from their hunt.
I took the reins of the Kamoshika they were riding, and they both dismounted.
“Good work, Todoma and Karara, too. Come on.”
The Kamoshika are monsters that look like a cross between a bipedal bird with short wings and a Kamoshika. They have strong legs and a good sense of balance, and they can be domesticated by humans.
They are mounts that can be used in mountainous areas and forests where the footing is unstable.
“I heard you got a Muscle Deer? Not bad.”
“It was near a trap I set up. How about you?”
“We only got four Straightboars.”
“Oh. Isn’t that enough considering the size?”
“I guess.”
Unlike me, who hunts monsters near the village, hunters who go deep into the forest need to use their wits to target prey.
They can’t hunt the same prey every day because they can’t disrupt the surrounding prey ecosystem.
Well, there are some monsters that seem to be inexhaustible… Kick Birds are like that, they keep coming no matter how many you defeat.
While talking about this, I drew water from the well and handed it to them. They were dirty with sweat and whatnot from returning from the forest. They wiped their bodies in the yard, but it’s no problem because it’s the countryside.
“Todoma, Karara.”
The two of them have been running around the forests and fields with the two of them on their backs. Even though they are monsters, they get tired, so I give them water in a bucket.
While they were drinking water, I prepared for brushing. This is my important job, since I don’t go deep into the forest.
“Mom and Souka-neesan went to dismantle the meat and make preserved food, so I don’t think dinner is ready yet.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
“That’s too bad.”
The two of them looked clearly disappointed.
“If you’re hungry, why don’t you go to the dismantling area? You might get something.”
“We just delivered the Straightboars.”
“Ah. So that’s why you knew about the deer. Then you’ll just have to be patient.”
“Isn’t there anything?”
“I think there is, but I don’t know which ones are okay to eat.”
Normally I would know, but Souka-neesan and Gaia-aniki are here because she’s pregnant, so the food situation is different than usual. If I were to sneak snacks in that situation, Mom would kill me.
“I see… there’s something, right?”
“Hey, Claffy.”
These guys… they’re aiming for the contents of my Spatial Storage.
“…Meat is okay?”
“”As expected!””
What should I give them? Well, we were talking about Muscle Deer, and they got boar, so I should give them something different.
“Here you go.”
I took out bone-in sausages made from Orc meat for the two of them. I secretly got them from Grandma and grilled them in the forest and stored them in my Spatial Storage.
They’re delicious and there’s a lot of them, but Orc meat isn’t suitable for long-term storage, so I prioritize getting the ones that are likely to be left over, so I have quite a few.
“Change your clothes as soon as you wipe your bodies, okay? You’ll catch a cold.”
“”We’ve never caught a cold.””
“…I wonder why?”
I catch them though.
“Todoma, Karara. You guys come over here.”
I gave them fodder, and the two of them ate it well. These two are obedient.
Before the two of them finished eating, I wiped the saddles and checked the equipment for tears, and put them away.
Once they calmed down, I washed them. By the time I finished washing them, the two of them were in dreamland.
“Good work to you too.”
When I went inside the house, Dad and Aniki were both asleep. Well, I can wake them up when dinner is ready.
I finished taking care of the two of them, so I’ll wash myself too.
I went to my room, warmed up the water with magic, and washed my body. There’s soap, but it’s for the women, so I can’t use it. Sad.
“”We’re home!””
“Ah, welcome back.”
Mom and Souka-neesan came home. Now, I wonder what’s for dinner.
“Come on, now!”
“Yeah!”
Hunters don’t hunt very often. This is because they need to rest their bodies and the forest needs to rest as well.
The village itself doesn’t have a large population, and I got a Muscle Deer yesterday.
It’s necessary to make preserved food for the winter, but as far as meat is concerned, we have more than enough, so Dad and Aniki are off.
“Fu, ha! Ha!”
“Hoi, hoi, hoit!”
On his days off, Dad gives me and Aniki sword lessons. Do hunters need swords? This is also necessary. There are also quite a few humanoid monsters that use swords. Well, those guys aren’t prey, they’re extermination targets, and the only ones you can eat are Orcs and their higher-ranking species, Bull Orcs.
“That chant is annoying.”
“Is that so? Then come at me seriously.”
“I don’t understand what you mean by ‘then’…”
However, I can’t beat Dad in swordsmanship. Sometimes I can beat Aniki, though.
“I feel like you’re too relaxed.”
“Well, I’m, holding back, my body enhancement, magic.”
“That might be true.”
“…Then I’ll stop using Overweight Magic.”
It’s a combination of non-attribute magic and Spatial Magic that increases my own weight. It’s a wonderful magic that makes daily life a training by applying it to myself on a daily basis.
I developed it during my time in the Unified Space Force and have been using it ever since, so I still use it now.
“Keep it on, it’s good training in its own way.”
The shackles are literally too heavy to fight Dad.
“Besides, I don’t think I can win even if I release this!”
“I can’t lose to a child that easily!”
“Ugh, eh!?”
Swoosh! My sword was blown away.
And Dad’s sword was thrust out.
“…I give up.”
“Haa, not again.”
“You’re the one who said I’ve learned the form and can use it.”
“Hmm, that’s true. I wonder what it is.”
“Even if you say that, I don’t hold back in training, okay? I don’t use enhancement magic because it makes my body tired.”
If I’m going to use enhancement magic, I’ll release Overweight Magic first.
“Well, I don’t know. What is this discomfort?”
“I don’t know.”
What is this guy talking about?
“Sieglind, are you there?”
“Huh? Oh, Village Chief. What’s up?”
“This has arrived. Your Cladfield, is he 11, right?”
“Huh? Oh, that’s right.”
The Village Chief visited us in the yard.
“Village Chief, hello.”
“Oh, Cladfield, hello. My mother was in your care yesterday.”
“Grandma always gives me a lot of things.”
Grandma is the best chef in the village. I like her.
“I’ll tell my mother. And this is a share of pickles from her.”
“Oh! Thank you! Grandma’s are especially delicious.”
“Even my family is puzzled. Why is it so different even though we use the same bran?”
“No, no, no, pickle talk is fine. So, Village Chief, what’s this?”
Pickle talk is good. Dad loves Grandma’s mixed pickle set too.
“Ah, it seems your son has been nominated as a candidate to guard the Lord’s daughter.”
“The Lord’s daughter? Ah, she’ll be entering the academy next year.”
“That seems to be the case. So they’re looking for a guard who’s close in age, and Cladfield is the only child in our village who can use magic.”
“Guard?”
“A guard and attendant. Children of nobles who enter the academy bring attendants with them. They can normally bring guards outside the academy, but they can’t just let adults into the academy.”
“Is that so?”
“It used to be fine. But there were too many guards, and the guards were on bad terms with each other because of political enemies, and there were killings in the academy.”
Isn’t that school too dangerous?
“So, they couldn’t openly place guards, so they started enrolling children of the same age in the academy and placing them as classmates to act as guards.”
“Is that so? But that would be a lot of people.”
“Well, so one or two per person is the general rule.”
“I see.”
“And the academy also requires that the person be able to use magic. Many nobles can use magic, and there should be magic classes in the curriculum.”
“Ah, that’s right. Is this guy… is he okay? Is he okay?”
“He can hardly use attribute magic, though?”
“He can use it a little, right? Then there’s no problem… well, the Lord will decide.”
“That’s irresponsible, and it’s a pain…”
That’s what I was thinking, but Dad put his hands on my shoulders and brought his face close to mine.
“No, go. And try to get accepted.”
“Huh? Is it that important?”
“No, the guard itself doesn’t matter.”
“This isn’t good, Sieg, is it?”
I think the Village Chief is right.
“Dad.”
“Listen, there aren’t many children in this village.”
“Yeah? That’s right.”
Because the population is small.
“And Laura is the only girl.”
“She was just born last year. But there’s also Carla and Cynthia, and there are about ten other kids close in age.”
I wonder, how many years plus or minus should I consider for this kind of thing? My parents and Aniki, they all got married pretty young.
“Well, yeah. But some are closely related by blood. There’s a possibility that the children born will be cursed.”
“Ah, now that you mention it.”
In this world, it’s called a curse, but consanguineous marriage certainly has its effects.
“In other words. There are no potential brides for you in the village.”
“Bwah!”
“This is no laughing matter.”
“Indeed, Zeke is right.”
“Huh? Huh? Is this really the time for this kind of talk?”
Wasn’t this supposed to be about escorting the young lady?
“I could have used my connections to call some acquaintances, but well, since it’s a good opportunity. Go on a woman hunt.”
“The way you say that!”
What are you saying to your son!?
“The way he puts it is certainly something, but it’s necessary… At worst, you’ll be single your whole life.”
“Muu, that’s certainly true, but.”
Back in my previous life, I married a girl who worked at the Aurora Base ship, after all.
“As a village, we need to regularly bring in outside blood. But inevitably, we end up interacting with neighboring villages.”
“Village Chief?”
It seems the Village Chief agrees as well.
“Alright, go.”
“We’ll lend you a horse and money. Go quickly.”
“Let’s at least properly check the letter, you old guys.”
And you should probably check with Mom too, you know? She loves me more than you think.