Chapter 34: Mii-chan’s Registration
The experiments in Osius Village were over, and I’d also grown tired of the hunted prey and being invited over to Fran’s place, so I decided to return to town for a bit.
“So you’re going back to town after all, Shinya-san?”
“Yeah, I think I’ve gained a decent amount of strength, and my clothes and boots are completely worn out. What about you, Fran?”
“Leaving the village is impossible for me for the time being. I’m putting up 20 pillars a day, which is 4 meters. It’s been over three months since then, and I’ve finally managed about 400 meters. In between, I also get called out for Beast subjugations, and I’m wondering if I should be happy that my magic has improved. How about your companions, Shinya-san?”
“Yeah, Mii-chan and Soo-chan have been a great help. Or rather, it looks like Mii-chan will be my traveling companion.”
“I’m envious. It looks like building the wall alone will take me over a year.”
“About that, have you been practicing using less Magical Power?”
“No, I gave up because it didn’t seem like I could reduce it any further. It would be great if my Magical Power increased, but I don’t have a Divine Protection.”
“I heard that the more you get used to magic, the more you can do the same things with less Magical Power, so you should try it. Just because you couldn’t do it at first doesn’t mean you still can’t. It’s important to test your limits sometimes.”
“That’s right. When we first met, my magic was terrible, but thanks to following your teachings, Shinya-san, I’ve improved enough to even complain like this, so I’ll give it a try.”
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
At dawn, I bid farewell to Osius Village and headed for Zandra, releasing Soo-chan along the way.
Taking advantage of the lack of prying eyes, I skipped towards Zandra. It was a light skip with strides of about 10 meters, but it was incredibly fast.
Even Mii-chan couldn’t keep up, so it was a carefree journey with her riding in the back carrier.
Once I reached the Tanzas Highway, there were people around, so I veered off the highway and proceeded through the grasslands towards Zandra, arriving in Zandra Town before dusk.
As I lined up at the town entrance, I, unarmed and carrying a cat in a back carrier, seemed to attract attention, and the stares from the Adventurers returning to town were piercing.
“Hm? What’s that cat on your back?”
“Ah, it’s my pet cat. It got attached to me when I was staying in Osius Village, and it’s quite useful.”
“But that’s a Fang Cat, isn’t it? If anything happens, you’ll be held responsible.”
“But she’s so gentle,” I said feigning innocence, patting my shoulder.
Mii-chan, understanding the cue, hopped onto my shoulder, purred, and nuzzled against me.
The Guard let me pass with an exasperated look, so I bowed my head.
〈Keeping a Fang Cat as a pet, what a weirdo.〉
〈Hunting those doesn’t earn any money anyway. He said Osius Village, so maybe he kept it for rat extermination.〉
〈Can’t understand what these country bumpkins do.〉
Let them spout whatever nonsense they want. If they try to pick a fight, I’ll teach them a lesson.
It had been a while, so I went to the Guild to greet the old guy at the purchase counter.
“Alone today?”
“Yes, but I’ve brought a fair amount of game.”
“I see. Head to the back.”
〈That weirdo from earlier is heading to the dismantling area.〉
〈He has a Magic Pouch?〉
〈He’s young but unarmed, so I figured he might have one.〉
〈Probably just two or three Horned Rabbits.〉
Today, there were two groups ahead of me, discussing something in front of an elk and prey with horns like a water buffalo.
Another group had lined up Howl Dogs and something resembling sheep.
It’s inconvenient not knowing the names of the dead ones, but I guess it’s fine since I’ll know if I encounter them alive.
“Oh, alone today?”
“Yes. I have quite a bit, though.”
“Got it, let’s go over there.”
I was guided to the back of the dismantling area, so I started lining up the prey in the indicated spot.
Horn Boar x3
Elk x2
Orc x9
Gray Wolf x11
Flame Dog x7
Carrion x6
Chiki-Chiki Bird x2
Sprint Bird x1
Kokekko x3
Red Chicken x6
“That’s quite a lot. Did you take the Magic Stones from the Orcs, as expected?”
“Yeah, I needed them for something.”
“You managed to catch Red Chickens and Chiki-Chiki Birds, huh?”
“Well, that’s because I have this one here.”
When I petted Mii-chan’s head, she purred and wagged her tail.
“What, you’re keeping something like that?”
“She got attached to me when I was staying in Osius Village.”
“Wait, weren’t you a Tamer? Something about having bee escorts?”
“Yes, thanks to my Divine Protection. That’s why we became friends and I Tamed her.”
“In that case, you should apply at the reception and get a mark indicating she’s Tamed. She’ll also be considered a Beast, so without it, you can’t complain even if she gets killed.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you very much.”
So just being “friends” won’t cut it, huh?
I wanted to Tame a Gray Wolf too, but they appeared after it got dark, so I couldn’t get support from Bee-chan and the others, and since they attacked in a group, I couldn’t hold back.
According to the common knowledge I heard from Fran, a Tamer can only Tame one Beast, but I wonder what would happen if I managed to Tame a second one.
I was told the appraisal would take time, so I said I’d wait in the dining hall and left my Guild Card with them.
After leaving the dismantling area, I first went to the reception, holding Mii-chan, and requested to register her as Tamed.
I filled out the provided form with my registration information and the name of the Beast I had Tamed, then submitted it. They asked for my Guild Card, but I told them the dismantling chief had it, and received a medal on a string.
They told me that if she wore this, she wouldn’t be considered a Beast even in town, and wouldn’t be attacked.
Apparently, if she were to be attacked, it’s okay to retaliate; it’s appreciated that self-defense is recognized.
Well, I’ve told Mii-chan that if she’s pranked or attacked, she should run away for the time being.
I’ve also told her that Bee-chan and the others can get revenge later.
With Mii-chan on my shoulder, I went to the dining hall, got an ale and a steak, and looked for an empty table, but Mii-chan was drawing a lot of attention.
〈Hey, look. He’s got a cat with him.〉
〈Isn’t that a Fang Cat?〉
〈She’s wearing a medal, so she must be Tamed.〉
〈Ah, that’s the idiot who registered as a newbie after spring last year. His Tamer ability is only 1, they say.〉
〈We thought about having him in our party, but he was useless, so we ditched him.〉
〈What, so the only thing he could Tame was a Fang Cat?〉
〈Looks stronger than a Horned Rabbit, though.〉
〈That thing isn’t worth any money, so a Horned Rabbit is better.〉
Just as I sat at an empty table, drank my ale, and started on my steak, the men who had been talking in the dismantling area entered the dining hall.
They had been glancing at us in the dismantling area, and after looking around the dining hall, two of them came straight to my table and plopped down in the seats opposite me.
“You’ve got some good skills, brother. What party do you belong to?”
“I’m solo. Though I do have a partner.”
At my words, he glanced at Mii-chan and chuckled derisively, “Hmph.”
“Then why don’t you join us? It must be tough with a cat, right?”
“You were in the dismantling area, weren’t you? This one here helped me subjugate the Orcs. I couldn’t have done it alone, you see.”
When I said that, the two men looked at each other.
Their companions arrived carrying ale and snacks, but one of them kicked the chair Mii-chan was sitting on and yelled, “Don’t put a cat there!”
Mii-chan, knocked off the chair, let out a displeased growl and jumped onto my shoulder.
“Boss, did he say he’d join us?”
“He said he’s fine with his cat.”
“Hey you, you came from some country village, right? The town’s a dangerous place, you know.”
“That’s right, even if you act all tough by yourself, you never know what might happen once you step outside town.”
They smirked, looking down on me with condescending eyes.
Laugh all you want! I’ll wipe those smirks off your faces soon enough.
Just as I thought that, the area around the reception counter became noisy.
《Bee-chans, over here!》
《Master, are you okay?》
《Which one should we sting?》
《The guys sitting in front of me, but…》
〈Hey!〉
〈Killer Bees!〉
〈Don’t make a fuss! Keep your heads down and stay quiet so you don’t provoke them!〉
〈Ouch!〉
《Not yet, wait a little longer. Just fly around me for now.》
《Okay!》
《Aww, we should have stung them sooner!》
《The furball is angry, huh?》
“Why are you making such pathetic faces?”
“Bees, Killer Bees are…”
“What’s all this commotion! Hey, why are there Killer Bees here?!”
“Ah, Guild Master, it’s alright. I don’t think they’ll sting you, Guild Master.”
“You’re… Shinya, weren’t you? Why did you let the bees in!”
“Oh come on, it’s not like I called them. The person next to me kicked my Mii-chan off her chair, so it seems the bees got angry.”
“Get them out!”
“Please don’t say such unreasonable things. It’s not like I have Killer Bees under my command. I’m just a wimpy Tamer who finally managed to Tame a Fang Cat. Surely, you’re not suggesting I can Tame bees, are you?”
“But they’re your escorts, aren’t they?”
“Because I’ve been granted the Divine Protection of Tamer God Tina-sama, they’re protecting me. It seems they came to help because these people kicked Mii-chan, whom I command, off the chair.”
I hugged Mii-chan, who was on my shoulder, to my chest, held her front paws, and made her strike a beckoning cat pose to show off her cuteness.
The Guild Master glared sharply at the bunch sitting with me and, while being mindful of Bee-chan and the others flying overhead, scolded them in a low voice, “This guy is being protected by the Killer Bees, so don’t do anything unnecessary!”
The guys sitting with me were watching my exchange with the Guild Master, breaking out in a cold sweat, but it seems they broke out in a cold sweat for a different reason when the Guild Master scolded them.
“Can’t you get these things outside? Sooner or later, someone’s going to show up and try to smoke them out with mosquito repellent or something to drive them away.”
“They’d probably leave if I asked them to, but since these people are trying to recruit me, they react to my emotions, so they’ll come right back.”