Episode 7: The Interview
“I am Cladfield, son of Sieglind, a hunter from Sunrakka Village.”
“Sunrakka Village, and a hunter at that… Welcome, Cladfield. Thank you for coming all this way.”
“It’s nothing.”
The rather burly man, giving me a surprised look as I offered a light greeting, must be a knight. And the one next to him in formal attire is likely the Lord. The Lord is also surprised. I wonder why?
The Lord is, how should I put it, quite handsome. He’s looking directly at me.
“Cladfield, you’ve come from Sunrakka Village? Thank you for making the journey. How did you get here?”
“I borrowed a horse from the village chief.”
“I see, so you can ride a horse.”
Ah, being able to ride a horse is a plus, huh?
“Yes.”
“How long did it take you to arrive?”
“About three days.”
“And the journey?”
“I explained my situation to the nearby villages, and the village chiefs arranged lodging for me in each village.”
Some village chiefs even let me stay in their homes.
“I see, it must have been tough. What are your plans for today?”
“I have a room booked at the Owl Inn in town.”
I was relieved that the inn could also take care of the horse. Though I have to groom it myself.
“I see. We’ll cover the cost of your accommodation.”
“Thank you very much.”
Even though the village chief provided some money, this is a great help.
“And can you… use magic?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. I’m not very good with large-scale spells, though.”
My magic tends to be rather subtle.
“Could you show us?”
“Hmm, let’s see. Since we’re indoors… how about this?”
Using Telekinesis Magic, I levitate the chair I’m sitting on.
“Ho, is that Flight Magic? Rare.”
“No, that speed suggests it’s Levitation Magic, not Flight Magic.”
“No, it’s Telekinesis.”
“Telekinesis? Is it non-attribute?”
“Yes.”
“Telekinesis Magic, is it? What other kinds of magic can you use?”
“Well, I’m a user of non-attribute magic, so mainly Telekinesis, Barrier, and Shockwave.”
Those are the basics, and the rest are applications of those. Spatial Magic is a legendary magic, so it’s a secret.
“Non-attribute, huh?”
“I can produce fire and water, but that’s more like everyday magic.”
Like creating a small flame to light the Kamado Stove, producing a cup of water, or heating water.
“I see. Understood. And you seem quite well-trained…”
“I’m the son of a hunter. There are monsters to exterminate in the Forest.”
“I see, well, that’s true. It’s Sunrakka Village, after all… No, never mind. Lord, Cladfield is the one, isn’t he?”
“Indeed. No objections.”
“?”
No objections, huh?
“Cladfield, you’ll be living here from today and receiving basic education. Is that alright?”
“Eh? No, it’s not.”
““Huh?””
Ah, did I mess up?
“Ah, no. I need to return the horse to the village chief, and I have to tell my family whether I passed or not.”
“Oh, is that what you meant?”
“You’re very considerate of your family.”
I think it’s normal, isn’t it?
“I also told them I’d buy souvenirs in town, so I need to go back to the village once. If it’s okay for me to come back here after that, then there’s no problem, I think.”
“…Well, that much is fine. But we’ll assign a Knight to accompany you, alright?”
“Huh?”
“After returning the horse, are you planning to walk all the way back to the capital?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
I could use Spatial Jump, though.
“We’ll provide a horse for you, so take him and the horse back to the village. A week should be enough for a round trip, right?”
“It depends on the horse and the person accompanying me, but it should be fine.”
“Heh, we’ll prepare someone with fast legs.”
A normal person is fine.
After that mysterious interview, I was immediately ordered to return to the inn and wait.
Soon after, a Knight from the Lord’s retinue visited the inn.
“I’m Raymond. One of the Knights. I’ve heard the story. It might be tough, but please take care of me.”
“Likewise.”
Raymond-san will be returning to the village with me. He brought his horse and another horse carrying luggage, including water for the journey.
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t bought the souvenirs yet.”
“That’s right, souvenirs for the family are important! Is a general store okay? I’ll show you the way.”
“Ah, please take me to the Adventurer’s Guild first. I need to make some money.”
“Hmm?”
“I heard they buy monster materials even if you’re not a member.”
“I see. That’s fine too.”
Since I came all the way to town, I want to buy something nice to take back.
“Then it’s the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s right over there, though.”
“Hehehe, I’ll go get the luggage.”
I take out the large cloth wrap I had prepared in advance from my Spatial Storage. Carrying that, I follow Raymond-san.
“Hey, I’d like to sell some materials.”
“Raymond-kun? Are you off duty from your Knightly duties today?”
“I’m accompanying this kid. He came from the countryside. Please buy his materials.”
“Raymond-san, do you also use the Adventurer’s Guild?”
Even though you’re a Knight?
“Well, yeah. We also do monster extermination on the highways, so many people registered with the Adventurer’s Guild, you know?”
“I see. Ah, here are the materials for sale.”
“Let me check. This is… good stuff. Muscle Deer horns and Kick Bird claws, a lot of them, 21 in total. And Sapphire Beetle Carapace and Crush Lion horns. Rank C and Rank B monster materials.”
“My Dad selected them for me.”
“Oh, is your Dad an Adventurer too? Alright, with this much… the purchase price would be around 1.2 million Wika.”
“One million!?”
“Oh, that’s great. Please go ahead.”
I asked Dad, Mom, and Grandma about the market prices, so I knew roughly what to expect. It’s even higher than I thought.
“Thank you. We’re short on Muscle Deer horns lately, so this is a big help. We always buy them because they’re used in medicine, but we don’t get many.”
“I see. I’ll bring more next time.”
We don’t come near the town often, but Dad and the others hunt several times a month, so we can get horns. Of course, we also process them into medicine in the village, but we have an excess supply right now.
“Wow, you suddenly became rich.”
“Yeah. Next is the general store and… I want to buy some alcohol.”
“The general store is this way. What are you buying?”
“Ribbons and stuff. And cloth.”
Mom has long hair. She has a few ribbons, but I’ll buy a lot to take back since I’m here. Souka-nee-san will probably take some too.
And a large cloth is useful on its own. I can wrap things in it and tie it to the horse to carry it back. We’ll have to wash it to get rid of the smell, though.
I’ll get alcohol for Dad and my brother.
“You could buy it by the barrel.”
“I could, but I can’t carry it. I’ll have to wrap it in cloth so it doesn’t break and stuff it in my bag.”
Well, I’ll pretend to put it in my bag and then put it in my Spatial Storage.
“So, the general store, then the clothing store, and finally the liquor store… Or we could go to a restaurant, or maybe the Owl Inn sells it?”
“There’s a clothing store?”
“Hehehe, no, there isn’t. It’s a clothes shop.”
“Oh, right.”
“I know where everything is, so I’ll take you. We have an extra horse on the way there, so it’s okay if we have a little more luggage.”
“That’s a big help.”
And so, after finishing all the shopping, we return to the inn. We depart that same day, moving from town to village, village to village.
Raymond-san seems used to this kind of travel, so it was a smooth journey, which was a relief.