kscans

Chapter 45 - A Knitter's Tale. Selecting Materials for Warmth

Although it was the result of an unexpected accident, he had obtained a large quantity of down, the material for the futon he had been concerned about. Since it was a large monstrous bird, he had been worried that the feathers might be coarse, but fortunately, that was not the case. He had obtained a large amount of down with sufficient insulating properties, as well as other feathers.

"With this, my bedding should be fine for now... or rather, isn't this warmer than a regular down futon?"

When he tried crawling into it, he found it was so comfortable it was hard to believe it was handmade by an amateur. ...So much so that he didn't want to get out of the futon.

"Well... even if I just roll around in my futon, it's not like anyone's going to complain..."

It would only make his life that much harder.

"Hmm... to get out of my futon heaven and be active outside, what I need is... probably warm clothes..."

Fortunately, he had a large amount of feathers left over. It was enough to easily make a down jacket or two, but...

"But... I'm running low on the actual cloth..."

The thread he had made from the Mao was about to run out, partly because he hadn't collected much of the bast fiber. Yuri regretted not having collected more, but the amount of Mao growing in the first place was not that large. He was trying to cultivate it back in the village, but it would be some time before he could secure a sufficient amount.

"You can't get blood from a stone. In that case, I have no choice but to use what I have."

Yuri's gaze turned to the considerable amount of monster pelts that had accumulated.


Given the need for warm clothing and a sufficient supply of pelts, one would normally think of wearing the fur as is. Yuri had intended to do so at first, but when he actually took a pelt in hand and examined it, a certain concern arose in his mind.

"...It's quite bristly..."

This was Yuri's impression when he first picked up a Mudderboar pelt, which was large enough to wear. The fur, which was a bit too short to be described as fluffy or soft, was so hard it could be called bristly. If he wore it with the fur side in for warmth, the bristles might pierce through his shirt and stab his bare skin. To make matters worse, the homemade Mao cloth Yuri was wearing was somewhat... or rather, quite coarse, like linen. The boar's bristles would probably pass through it easily.

"...Yeah. At the very least, wearing the Mudderboar pelt inside out is a no-go. But in that case..."

When he looked through his other pelts, the bear-type monsters he had hunted in the fall had longer fur, which made them fluffier, and it seemed he could avoid the situation of them piercing his shirt and stabbing him, but...

"Because it's so fluffy, it looks like I'd be all bundled up..."

Yuri wasn't concerned about his appearance. He was concerned that being bundled up would slow down his movements. Even in winter, not all monsters hibernate. If he was attacked while his movements were sluggish from being bundled up, it could very well cost him his life. In addition, there was also the question of whether a leather jacket made by an inexperienced person like Yuri would be easy to move in. It might be fine if it was tanned well enough, but he didn't want to risk his life to test it.

"In that case... it automatically becomes plan B..."