Chapter 101 - Chapter 4: A New Method of Transportation
The next day, Paul-san rode in his bowl to collect everyone's results. After all, it was close to the mountain stream. If he didn't collect them quickly and prepare for the next monster, the number of monster corpses would only increase.
We also decided to wrap the wolf pelts in a round bundle, tie them to a bear, and send them via Teleport.
"Are you sending a bear using a Teleport scroll?"
Angus-san was surprised.
"Yes. It's only for our group's portion, though. I'm sorry to the other groups, but please make do with Paul-san's bowl."
If we went to the mountain hut, there were sleds. It seemed to be a tradition for everyone to pull them together to the nearby village.
"No, for us, even just that is plenty."
"Come to think of it, how did you carry the bears until now?"
"Normally, we'd butcher them on the spot and divide the load among everyone to carry. We'd give up on whatever we couldn't carry. Sometimes we'd make dried meat or jerky at the mountain hut."
"I see. That's a waste."
"There are many of us, after all. A skilled hunter can hunt a bear alone. However, we usually go hunting in large groups. Otherwise, we can't bring it back."
We don't eat wolf meat. Since it's just the fur and fangs, it's light, but bear meat also sells for a high price. However, they are so large that it's apparently impossible to carry all of it. During the summer bear hunts, they supposedly hire one person who can use ice magic.
"How much are the expenses? Teleport must be expensive."
Teleport is a magic with high scarcity value; in Nakanohara, only Adolf-san and Marcelo-san can use it. Naturally, the price is high.
"It's free."
"Free?"
"To be precise, there's a limit on the number of scrolls, but we've never run out."
"Why is it free?"
"Because we pay a commission. We pay ten percent of the subjugation reward to the Marcelo Company. If it's a scroll Marcelo-san gives us, we can use it for free."
"Then, can you transport a whole bear just by paying four copper coins?"
"That's how it works."
Angus-san crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"No matter how I think about it, that's a deficit, right? If my memory serves me right, one Teleport scroll is one gold coin. Isn't that a huge loss?"
"There's a trick to it."
"A trick?"
Beatrix showed Angus-san the scroll she had just used to send the bear. Since it had been used, the part where the magic circle was written was pitch black.
"Look at this. What do you think?"
"Even if you ask what I think... it looks kind of cheap? Was it always like this?"
He held the flimsy parchment, which was pitch black on one side and had once been a scroll, up to the fire to examine it. On the other side, some characters were written. It was reused.
"The scrolls sold in town use high-quality materials, and they're made sturdily with waterproofing so they won't fail easily. But this is just old, cheap parchment painted white and written on with ordinary ink. We reuse the single-use ones over and over. If it gets wet, it stretches and becomes unusable, and if you handle it roughly, it comes off the spindle."
As a test, Angus-san pulled on it, and it stretched out loosely.
"What is this?" he muttered, exasperated.
"But what about labor costs? Isn't the price of a scroll effectively the labor cost?"
"All the scrolls the Marcelo Company uses for themselves are made in-house. The cost is just one sheet of reused parchment and some ink. Ah, give that back. We're going to use it again."
Beatrix took the stretched-out former scroll from Angus-san and began peeling off the parchment stuck to the spindle. Since it was attached with glue, she had to pluck it off.
"Is it okay to do that? Isn't the price fixed?"
"For items for sale, yes. But for things we make ourselves and use ourselves, there shouldn't be any regulations."
"Hmm," he grunted, his mouth curving into a frown. He looked like he wanted to say it was foul play.
"Angus-san, why don't you also sign a contract with the Marcelo Company?"
"Bonnie! Is it okay to say that?"
"It should be fine. I have a contract too."
"Is it really that simple?"
Angus-san was also half-doubting.
"Let's try consulting Paul-san once."
By the time Paul-san, who had made many round trips between each group's snow cave and the mountain hut, returned, it was night.
"Good work. Please have some hot pot."
"Ah, thanks. Angus, there's still half left, so I'm counting on you here tomorrow too."
"Yeah, I don't mind that, but..."
He glanced at us.
"What is it? Did something happen?"
Since he was looking at us suspiciously, we explained the situation.
"Hmm. I wonder."
He had a difficult expression on his face.
"Can't you do something?"
"If it's possible, everyone would be spared a lot of trouble."
"Master, it'll be fine, right?"
Angus-san didn't say anything, but his eyes were serious. I could hear the sound of him swallowing hard.
"It might be difficult."
"Why?"
"Think about it. All the scrolls we use have fixed destinations. That's how we manage the scrolls. Teleport is a special magic, even if it's intermediate level. If some mistake happens and it falls into the hands of the wrong people, we won't be able to maintain the town's public order."
I didn't think we were trusted that much.
"Even if you say a mistake might happen, we're the ones using them, you know? I think it's already plenty mistaken."
It was quite self-deprecating, but it was probably true. It's strange to say that we, who are barely half-fledged, can use them as we please, while a veteran like Angus-san cannot.
"For now, we use them under certain conditions with the Mayor's permission. We report who uses them, for what purpose, the destination, and the number used—everything."
"Then you just have to report it. Even if it's impossible today or tomorrow, you'll be able to transport next week's catch."
Angus-san, who had been watching silently, patted Beatrix on the shoulder.
"It's fine. The thought alone is enough. I understand well that managing scrolls is difficult. As proof of that, only those who can use magic can use those, right?"
"That's right. Simple, cheap ones can fail to activate, or at worst, explode. Only those who use magic would notice such things. That's why only the safe, expensive ones are sold. In other words, it's better if Angus doesn't use the ones we're using."
Come to think of it, that was true. I had completely forgotten. I felt like I had been using them without thinking until now. The reason there were no problems was probably because Marcelo-san and Angelica-san were very skilled.
"Then, Bonnie can't use the scrolls we brought?"
"That's right. Sorry, Bonnie. It's to protect you."
Paul-san had a rare serious expression.
"Is that so? Then I'll specialize in the expensive ones, and Beatrix and Jeanne can use the weird ones."
Why is she smiling?
I thought you were the one to be pitied. Even Angus-san is bursting out laughing.
"W-well, anyway, that, what is it... in short, it's not that simple."
Even Paul-san lost his momentum.
Wait? Hold on a second. The point is just to transport the bears, right?
"Paul-san. Do you have a moment?"
"What is it? Did you think of something?"
"How about we start a temporary transport service? We send them to Nakanohara first, and then everyone can come pick them up later? Of course, we'd charge for expenses."
"What about the monster hunting?"
"How about doing both? Only when we participate in these kinds of hunts."
"Hmm..."
Paul-san crossed his arms and began to think.
This feeling... it should be fine.
"It seems doable. I'll check with Marcelo. We might need Mayor Adolf's permission too. Tomorrow, after we finish transporting the remaining bears, I'll head to Nakanohara immediately. Angus, sorry, but I'll leave this place to you for a while. Also, have everyone take turns keeping watch over the fire."
When I looked at Angus-san, he had a beaming smile.
"Sorry about that. I'm in your debt. If it goes well, let's head out to Nakanohara later for a drink. I'll treat you all to your share."
"Yay!"
the three of us high-fived.
It's a waste to throw away the prey we went through the trouble of defeating just because we can't carry it. The bears probably wouldn't like being butchered and then left out in the open either.
"Let's invite Hanna-san too."
"Is that okay?"
"Your face is practically crumbling with joy."
She's his pride and joy. He must be happy to be able to sit at the same table. He might brag about her quite a bit.
In the end, it was approved. However, it was decided that they would be sent to the underground icehouse warehouse managed by the Town Hall and stored there. Butchering and auctions would also be held there.
"How much is the fee for using the warehouse?"
"It's the same as before. If you use it year-round, it's two silver coins per person. For a one-time use, it's five copper coins."
I wasn't sure if that was expensive or cheap, but since Angus-san didn't say anything, it was probably reasonable.
Since using the scrolls was limited to magic users of the Marcelo Company who made them themselves, it became okay for the Marcelo Company to participate during the summer as well.
By the way, the transport fee would be ten percent of the subjugation reward, and the full amount would be paid to the Marcelo Company.
"So it won't be profit for us."
"Well, yeah. But we're just using Teleport scrolls. They take care of us all the time, so we can't take money for it."
"I guess that's true."
There was one more person who took care of us.
"What happens to the portion sent to the Bird's Head Tavern?"
We always had edible things taken in by the Bird's Head Tavern. If they were put up for auction, the selling price would go up, but that would be a burden on the tavern.
"We can just send them separately."
"If we do that, dinner will be free, right?"
"Is that okay? Really?"
"It's fine. It's always been that way."
When I looked at Angus-san, he was nodding.
"I assume we can still take our share back to the village?"
"That part is fine. It's up to the person who caught it whether to put it up for auction or not. Just attach a ring with your name carved on it to the leg."
There was no change for us, but if everyone was happy, then that was fine.
"We'll be aiming for bears and wolves in the summer too. I'll call out to you, so please participate as much as possible."
"Bonnie and I will participate."
"What about the usual foxes and boars?"
"We only aim for bears about once every two or three months. Don't worry."
I wonder if it's really okay. I can see the image of the three martial-arts-type people, hardened with Defend, charging at a wild boar.
"How long will you be away from Nakanohara?"
"With the pot, the bowl, and Teleport... with all these, we can probably hunt two or three in a week."
"Angus-san, will you be aiming for bears here in the summer too?"
"Yes. From around here, north of the prohibited hunting zone."
That's the place where Hanna-san took down the bear.
"Why don't we just time it so we go to the prohibited hunting zone together?"
Angus-san knows about the goblins. If we ride Paul-san's bowl from the prohibited hunting zone, we can coordinate, and above all, we can use Robinson-san's aerial reconnaissance. Let's have Chururi play an active role too.
We'll also be on day trips.
"That's right. Let's do that. Tell the others something plausible. Since we'll be sending reconnaissance information from the rear, let's all hunt bears efficiently."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay; didn't we fight Orcs together? Invite the guys from back then and Morgan's group. Those folks will be quick to understand."
"I see, sorry about that."
Angus-san also looked happy.
Previously, Mabel-san had said something like it would be nice if we could exterminate monsters together. At that time, we weren't in a position to say let's do it together yet.
Finally, we can invite them. Shall we soak in the open-air bath together again and eat catfish?
After the two-month expedition ended, we were able to exterminate five bears and sixteen wolves. The reward was forty silver coins, but the actual earnings reached twenty-six gold coins.
Paul-san had been flying around in his bowl, but after consulting with everyone, we counted him as part of our group. In exchange, Angus-san was counted in his original group. In any case, since it was split among four people, it was an earning of seven gold coins per person.
The commission portion was covered by fox and rabbit pelts.
When we returned to Nakanohara, we had a wrap-up party at the Bird's Head Tavern. We were treated by Angus-san.
"Everyone, thank you for taking care of my father."
"No, no, we're the ones who were taken care of."
"No, no, the reason our earnings increased is thanks to the Class of 175. We're the ones who were indebted."
Since the place was reserved, everyone except Hanna-san and Dune were hunters who had hunted the bears together.
Since four bears' worth of meat had been sent to the warehouse for the shop, bear meat dishes were lined up all over the tables.
Angus-san and Hanna-san sat at the table with us. Bonnie was being made to drink at the place where she went to greet her parents' acquaintances.
"If you catch this many bears, won't the price drop?"
It was just as Beatrix said. Setting aside Dune, who was munching on everything she could get her hands on, everyone else couldn't eat that much. A considerable amount of bear meat would be circulating throughout the Nakanohara area.
In the warehouse, we had secured portions to donate to the orphanage and portions for ourselves to eat.
"It's fine. We'll process it into dried meat, jerky, and salted meat and export it little by little."
"Are you exporting bear meat?"
"Yes. There are no magic beasts on the Continent. It sells for a good price."
Come to think of it, that's true. The Demon Lord is only on this island and not on the Continent. Perhaps because of that, there are no monsters on the Continent either. They apparently went extinct a long time ago.
"We can't take raw meat to the Continent anyway. So we keep it frozen in the icehouse and process it little by little so the price doesn't change."
"That's why the underground warehouse was so easy to use."
"Well, yeah. Mayor Adolf was also pleased. If the number of bears in the town's warehouse increases, it becomes income for the town."
"This year, it'll be good to hunt nearby in early spring. After all, the winter earnings were good. The number of bears must have decreased too."
"How many were caught this year?"
"Each group caught five or six. For wolves, it was nearly three times that."
"That's amazing! Dad, this isn't enough. You have to treat them to at least some imported wine."
Perhaps out of surprise, the fighting receptionist had reverted to a village girl. Usually, it was apparently two or three. It had doubled, and moreover, nothing was wasted.
"Ah, it's okay. Thanks to you, our earnings have also increased."
"But..."
"That's right. Next month, we can go to the Royal Capital for free too."
"The Royal Capital? What are you going there for?"
I looked at Hanna-san with a composed air.
Hanna-san also straightened her posture and returned to being a receptionist.
"Ahem. Everyone from the Marcelo Company. My sincere congratulations on your decoration this spring."
She placed both hands on her knees and bowed properly.
"Decoration? Are we getting medals?"
When the father looked at his daughter with wide eyes, the daughter nodded solemnly while maintaining her posture.
"Everyone, in the battle against the remnants of the Demon Lord's army in the Eastern Plains, you devised a novel tactic of launching holy water and magic circles with catapults to repel monsters, making a great contribution to conducting anti-monster warfare extremely advantageously. In praise of that contribution, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen are scheduled to personally bestow medals upon you."
Despite it being 'extremely advantageous,' both Hanna-san and I were one step away from death... Could it be that if there had been no holy water or magic circles, we would have died?
"The battle of the Eastern Plains... I've heard rumors, but... You guys are really amazing."
"How about it? Do you think a bit better of us now?"
You were also on the verge of dying from the Fenrir's magic.
Apparently, at the same time she jumped out of the watchtower, lightning struck, and she was almost crushed under the falling timber.
"That's incredible. There will be a reward too, right?"
"If I recall, it was ten gold coins?"
Hanna-san nodded quietly with her eyes slightly downcast.
Suddenly, Angus-san stood up.
"Hey! Everyone! It seems the Marcelo Company is getting medals in the Royal Capital because they were active in the Eastern Plains!"
When he shouted loudly so the whole shop could hear, it turned into a huge commotion.
"Thank you! Everyone!"
When Beatrix stood up, there was a grand round of applause.
"Man, that's celebratory! I heard the reward is ten gold coins. When they get back, it'll be a grand party! Let's have them share some of the bounty!"
"Yeah! Thanks for the treat!"
Eh? Wait a minute...
Beatrix was also frozen.
Seeing that, Paul-san burst out laughing.
"We'll enjoy the treat!"
Hanna-san, her face breaking into a grin, cheekily stuck out her tongue.