Chapter 25 - Rest and Rigor
Enjoying a few days of fulfilling hunting and gathering, a thought inevitably crossed my mind.
Our combat skills against magic beasts have improved significantly, and most importantly, we’re making a fortune. Or rather, we can make a fortune.
Hmm, maybe we should turn the Kikyo Society into a group of hunters. I had that thought, but it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.
We had been hunting magic beasts every day, riding the high, and gradually the number of magic beasts started to dwindle. It might just be a matter of not running into them by chance, though.
We had been told that culling was necessary, and so we went on a massive hunting spree. We all agreed that perhaps that had something to do with the decrease.
A reduction in magic beasts is good for the safety of people living near the forest. However, too much of anything is not good. Magic beasts are a valuable resource.
It seems that other people are also entering the forest, which is not a pleasant development. We decided to keep our active hunting to a minimum.
The same goes for gathering materials; we can’t deplete them. Sophie-san and the others understood this and were careful about it.
So, the hunting and gathering boom is coming to an end.
"We can’t hunt everything, after all. There’s nothing we can do about it."
"Today, let’s just take out any magic beasts that attack us and otherwise take a leisurely walk through the forest. Come to think of it, we’ve been doing nothing but hunting and gathering. Isn’t there a nice, relaxing spot somewhere?"
Occasionally, it’s good to take a break and just enjoy without a care. Although, hunting was kind of like play, too.
"If so, there’s a waterfall a bit to the north. It’s a bit of a walk, but it’s worth it."
"A waterfall? Sounds great. Let’s go."
"I’ll scout ahead with someone."
With Angelina as our scout, Sophie-san and the others can walk more safely. I’ll leave it to her.
Continuing our walk while ensuring safety, we eventually arrived at a waterfall with a significant drop.
The time flows peacefully. Perhaps it’s the healing effect of negative ions.
It’s still a bit chilly, but the sun shining overhead feels warm and cozy.
The soothing sound of the water cascading down is almost lulling me to sleep. Maybe I should take a nap.
"Ah, fish!"
Ignoring Sarah-chan’s innocent exclamation, I lie down on a large rock and start to doze off.
But then, as if bored, the usual troublemakers started scheming again.
"Let’s go fishing! It’s pretty warm today, isn’t it?"
"My stomach’s growling, too. Perfect timing."
"Alright, then I’ll catch the most!"
"Sounds good."
"I won’t lose either."
Why can’t they respect this peaceful moment? Are they children? Really, children.
Seeing everyone start the fishing contest so enthusiastically, my drowsiness vanished. I started to get restless...
Hmm, I guess I can’t talk. Teacher, I want to go fishing too!
There’s no point in holding back. I shed my coat and shoes and jumped into the river from the large rock, immediately starting to search for fish.
"Onee-sama!?"
"Yukari, you’re joining in too?"
"I won’t lose!"
The fish are plentiful; you can see them swimming if you look closely.
They’re shaped like dace, and there are quite a few large ones. These should be satisfying to eat.
Trying to catch them with my bare hands, I found them surprisingly quick and elusive. This is unexpectedly difficult.
Valeria and Angelina, who seem to have experience, are doing well. Ugh, it’s frustrating.
Even when I try to mimic them, I don’t do well. Ah, this is so tedious. Is there a quicker way?
"Hehe, Yukari still can’t catch any, huh?"
"Even Yukari-san has her weaknesses, it seems."
"Haha, I’m winning this time."
Gah, I get so anxious when I lose, even in something trivial like this.
I wasn’t really up for a competition, but apparently, I’m quite competitive. I have to do something!
I guess I’m a city girl. I don’t know the tricks, and catching fish with my bare hands is just too hard.
If that’s the case, I should use a tool. A spear?
Ah, if bare hands don’t work, I can use magic. Instead of a spear, I can just use magic spikes!
With that in mind, I put it into practice. Using my usual technique, I grew iron spikes beneath the fish and thrust them upward!
Easy peasy.
"Hey, that’s cheating!"
"Magic is a handy tool, isn’t it?"
I proudly displayed the three fish I had caught simultaneously.
"Yukari-dono, that’s not very fair, is it?"
"You always find a way to win, Yukari. Impressive!"
"Damn, I can’t use such fancy magic."
Today, I added another victory to my tally. Even if it’s a trivial win, a win is a win.
Again, we ended up with a large catch. We got a bit carried away.
Well, if we can’t eat it all, we can sell the excess in town or bring it back as a gift for the inn.
After a day of fun, our stomachs were growling, so we immediately set out to grill the catch. I generated iron skewers and a block of rock salt. Very convenient.
I left the rest of the preparations to the wild children and prepared a tea-flavored recovery potion for the rest period. This time, it’s really going to be a rest.
"Ah, what a nice place."
"It’s been a while since we had a peaceful day like this. When we enter the forest, it’s usually to hunt magic beasts or chase criminals."
Siegrune, who joined me by the river, nodded in agreement.
Being an elite knight, his life was probably filled with strict discipline and duties. Playing in the forest like this was probably impossible for him.
"I used to only enter the forest to hunt magic beasts when I was a mercenary. This isn’t bad, actually."
Angelina, who joined us, sighed with a sense of nostalgia. Everyone seems to have had tough lives.
"We’ll be busy once our base is completed. We might not have days like this for much longer."
"Haha, everyone will be working hard for you, Yukari-dono."
"The Kikyo Society will be busy, but it’ll be fun. Not a bad deal."
The three of us lay down and chatted. The sound of the waterfall and everyone’s chatter made for a truly peaceful day.
As we waited for the fish to cook, the delicious smell wafted over. It must be ready soon.
Drawn by the scent, everyone gathered. We grabbed our skewers and dug in, each in our own way.
"Delicious!"
That’s right. Catching the fish and cooking them on the spot. Even though it’s a primitive meal, it feels luxurious and precious.
With the large number of fish, we grilled and ate, grilled and ate, and still had leftovers to take back. What should we do with the extra?
"Lightning Street has a restaurant. We haven’t officially taken over the territory from the Bruno Gang yet, but it will be the Kikyo Society’s turf soon. How about selling the fish at a discount there?"
"There’s no guarantee they’ll want them, but it could be a good opportunity to introduce ourselves. It might make future formal introductions smoother."
Lightning Street is the Kikyo Society’s home turf, a territory we’ll soon take over from the Bruno Gang, though not officially yet.
If it’s the closest restaurant to our base, we’ll probably visit often. It would be nice to get along well with them.
"Let’s just go and see. No one will lose anything."
"If they don’t buy them, we can try the grocery stores."
"Right. We’ll keep the Kikyo Society’s identity hidden until the official handover. Shall we head back?"
Today, we didn’t do much hunting, so our load was light, and the return trip was comfortable.
From now on, we’ll focus on training.
We returned to Exembra and made our way to Lightning Street.
Our goal was to sell the fish at the restaurant and get a bit more familiar. We weren’t aiming to make money, so we’d sell at a discount.
"Hello!"
"Welcome! You’re all women, that’s unusual. Are you here to eat?"
Entering the small, tidy restaurant, a friendly older woman greeted us. It was off-peak hours, so there were no other customers.
Come to think of it, the people around here might have seen us when we took down the thugs in the building we bought.
The woman’s lack of reaction suggests she doesn’t know us. Well, even if she did, it’s not a big deal.
"Actually, we’re not here to eat today. We caught a lot of fish and were wondering if you’d like to buy them."
I showed her the large number of fish in the ice-filled basket.
"Oh, fish? That’s quite a catch. How many do you have?"
"About twenty. I can give you a good price. Interested?"
"Twenty? They’re well-iced and you’re offering a good price. I’ll take them. How much?"
The fact that they were well-iced was a big plus, thanks to one member’s magic.
"Everything for a thousand gist?"
"Wow, that’s a great deal! Are you sure?"
A large, fresh fish for less than fifty gist each. It’s a steal.
"These are just the leftovers from our fishing trip. Don’t worry about it."
"Wait a moment. Here’s a thousand gist. Bring more if you have any. And come back for a meal sometime."
"Thanks. I will. See you later."
First contact done. The woman was warm and friendly. Now, I hope the food is good too.
She took all the fish, saving us the trouble of going to a grocery store. That’s a relief.
Of course, there are plenty of grocery stores in Exembra. However, food supply is a bit of a challenge for the city.
Exembra is a city of craftsmen. They focus on manufacturing and processing raw materials, which are the city’s main industries. There are very few people engaged in agriculture, fishing, or mining.
While the world is naturally abundant, the situation in the former Kingdom of Brenark is uncertain. The new ruler, Retnark, could change things.
After the war, food prices temporarily skyrocketed.
Because of this, food from hunters and adventurers, like magic beast meat and fish, is generally welcomed.
Even though food imports haven’t decreased, it’s nice to be appreciated by the townspeople.
However, we don’t plan to continue fishing regularly. We’ll sell the magic beasts we hunt to the Commerce Guild, so we won’t be directly supplying to the city’s stores.
Being too well-liked might invite trouble, so it’s best to avoid that.
From the next day on, we focused on training instead of playing in the forest.
Since we had dialed back our hunting and gathering, everyone, including me, had shifted their focus to training, much like we did in the Camp.
We’re going to be in competition with groups like the Bruno Gang, so we’ll have to deal with more troublesome situations. Improving our combat skills is essential, and we all understand that and are motivated. The results are already showing.
Everyone, without exception, has improved their basic physical strength and abilities, and their proficiency in Physical Enhancement Magic. This has primarily boosted our physical combat skills, including Sarah-chan.
Especially Mary, who is full of enthusiasm, has shown remarkable growth. While she still has a long way to go compared to us, she’s showing promise as a future member of the Combat Unit. She’s visibly thrilled with her tangible progress and is even more determined. A bright future indeed.
As for me, I’ve improved not only my basic physical abilities but also my adaptability in magic beast combat and proficiency in Physical Enhancement Magic.
Even in a short period, the practical experience of fighting magic beasts has been significant. I’ve also gained experience in fighting in difficult terrain and improved my knowledge of gathering materials. What seemed like a simple pastime turned out to be very beneficial.
Practice is indeed valuable, and I’m sure everyone else has had their own gains.
Ideally, we’d also train in teamwork, but we’re still short-handed. We’ll get to it eventually.
Thus, the Kikyo Society managed to earn money and train intensively without any major issues while awaiting the completion of our base.
There were a few minor troubles, but overall, things went smoothly.