Kays Translations

Chapter 59

“Ah, it’s been a while! You’re back in the city again?!”

“It’s been some time. Yes, I came to visit a friend. They bought a house and entrusted me with looking after it while they’re away.”

“I see! If anything ever troubles you, feel free to stop by the city guard post anytime! Or just come here directly!”

After exchanging greetings with the gatekeeper, we headed to the pie shop, Jangari-an.

That name… it’s clearly a reference to a Djungarian hamster, isn’t it? Between this and Hamusutei, this city must be full of hamster enthusiasts.

Come to think of it, we never did find out the origin of that name at Hamusutei, either…

“Sheele, do you know that gatekeeper?”

“Yes, he helped me a little before.”

“He seems like a good guy! Totally different from the guards in Golda’s capital!”

“…Did something happen?”

“They yelled ‘Stay away, beastfolk!’ and threw water at me! Can you believe that?! So rude!”

“……”

For a moment, I genuinely thought, Let’s start a war. Let’s go kill that gatekeeper.

Even though I’m not Silent anymore.

To calm myself, I started petting Melt’s head. Pet, pet… How could anyone do something so awful to such a sweet girl? Damn you, Golda.

“Whoa… what’s up, Sheele?”

“For the sake of inner peace.”

“I… see?”

Eventually, we arrived at Jangari-an, located deep within an adventurers’ haven.

Apparently, the shop owner once worked in a country called Hamsterdam—yes, seriously.

Does that place really exist…?

“I had this fried pie last time! It was super crispy and crunchy, with gooey cheese inside—just one bite and you’re instantly in heaven!”

“I see… that sounds great. Hmm… so we get to choose two fillings?”

“I wonder what I should order this time~! Last time, I split a bunch of pies with Rikka and the others, so I got to try a lot of flavors. Maybe I’ll go for something completely different now…”

Sharing and sampling different flavors—such a lovely way to enjoy food.

I’m honestly kind of envious. Hmm… maybe I should ask Melt for a recommendation.

“Melt, do you have a favorite from last time?”

“Hmm… probably the cheese fried pie! It was so good!”

“I see. Then I’ll go with the cheese fried pie… and hmm, something unusual—let’s try the walnut paste one.”

Walnut paste… sounds like a dessert filling, judging by the name.

Crispy, freshly fried pastry with sweet walnuts… that has to be delicious.

“Then I’ll get… this one! Lamb and apple pie! It’s such a weird combo, right? Meat and fruit!”

“Oh-ho… sounds like a stylish choice. Let’s place our orders.”

The pies we shared were absolutely deserving of Melt’s glowing praise.

The cheese fried pie—the cheese really was incredible…!

And the walnut paste turned out to be a dessert pie made with brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon.

That one was also fantastic.

As for Melt, she apparently didn’t really understand the flavor of the lamb and apple pie.

I thought it tasted great, but I guess Melt hasn’t yet acquired a taste for unusual ingredient combinations.

“Sheele, what are you going to do starting tomorrow?”

“Let’s see… my objective—or rather, as part of my testing—I’m thinking of taking a few monster hunting requests. What about you, Melt?”

“I was thinking of coming with you, but I’m also a bit worried about Rikka and the others… I want to stay with you, but…”

“Didn’t the three of them get sanctioned by the guild? Yes, that’s concerning. Melt, it’s okay if you want to check in on them. I’ll be fine on my own. But those three might be busy with some penalty request. Just showing your face could really lift their spirits.”

“Yeah… you’re right! Then I’ll go see how they’re doing tomorrow.”

Yes, I want Melt to build connections beyond just the two of us—to deepen her relationships with others.

Especially with girls her own age. I believe she can learn so much from those interactions.

“Whew… I’m stuffed! Ready to head back? If we leave now, it’ll probably be evening by the time we get home. What should we do for dinner?”

“We just ate, so I’ll cook something simple tonight. Thankfully, we still have ingredients left.”

“Wait—you can cook too, Sheele?”

“Probably at the same level as Same could, I think.”

Like Same, I should have at least basic proficiency in any skills I used in my crafting profession.

…Still, I have a slight sense of dread.

I can cook, right? I’m not going to be the type who inexplicably fails at it, am I?

Later…

“Sheele… this has no flavor.”

“This is strange… It’s just pot-au-feu… why…?”

Yeah, for some reason, I failed…

My premonition was spot-on…

But it makes no sense. I was using my Observation skill while cooking.

I even kept checking the status and descriptions of the ingredients as I cooked…

“But once I added some salt, it tasted good!”

“…I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to taste as I go next time…”

I’ve learned a valuable lesson: visual checks alone aren’t enough.

Next time, it’ll be fine. There were no issues with the actual cooking steps, after all.

“I’ll go prep the bath. Having a bathtub inside the house feels super luxurious!”

“Indeed. I’ll clean up the dishes, so feel free to go ahead and bathe first.”

“Eh~? Let’s bathe together!”

“Hmm… in that case, I’ll close my eyes again, so I’ll be counting on your support.”

This is one line I won’t cross.

For Shizuma’s sake—and for Melt’s.

And so, I once again enjoy the comfort of our house’s bath, while being gently looked after by Melt.

The Next Morning

As promised, I slept beside Melt and woke up in the same bed.

The bed in this bedroom is far beyond a double—it’s very spacious.

Once I’m gone, Melt will get to have this huge bed all to herself. I’m honestly jealous. And the pillow is enormous too. Also jealous.

Apparently, preferences like this aren’t influenced by Shizuma.

I love “soft and fluffy pillows that your head sinks into when you rest on them.”

On the other hand, Shizuma seems to prefer “firm buckwheat hull pillows or microbead ones.”

These small differences are kind of amusing.

“Melt, it’s morning.”

“Mmm… I don’t wanna move…”

“The bed is comfortable, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… it feels like I’m melting into it…”

Compared to the inn, this bed is clearly of a much higher quality. It’s the kind of comfort that makes it hard to leave.

“Come on now, once we have breakfast, we’re heading to Lindblum, remember? Are you taking a bath first?”

“Mmm… yeah, I’ll take one…”

“Then I’ll get breakfast ready while you go ahead and bathe.”

Alright, time for redemption after yesterday’s failure.

I won’t rely on my observation skill this time. Now that I’ve learned the value of taste-testing, I have no blind spots—!

“Sheele… this is really sweet…”

“Yes, I personally prefer my scrambled eggs on the sweeter side. Is this your first time having sweet eggs?”

“It’s too sweet… It’s weird…”

“That can’t be…”

Once again, Melt lets out a sorrowful voice over our breakfast, fresh from her bath.

Strange. It didn’t taste like this when I tried it.

I take a bite of the scrambled eggs on Melt’s plate.

At that moment, an unnatural crunch and an overwhelming sweetness explode in my mouth.

…! The sugar! There were undissolved clumps still in the eggs!?

No way… did I get so focused on taste-testing that I neglected the actual cooking process?

“Melt, let’s trade plates.”

“Is yours okay?”

“No issues at all.”

“Aahm… Oh, this is delicious!”

…That’s two failures and one draw now, I’d say.

Next time I won’t mess up. I won’t be careless, and I won’t let my guard down again.

“Let’s go to the General Guild after breakfast.”

“Yes. I’ll probably be heading out to take on a flying-type monster. What about you, Melt?”

“I’m gonna ask about how Rikka and the others are doing. If they need help, I’ll offer.”

“I see. That sounds good.”

Hmm… I’ve been using the observation skill frequently in daily life, so it’s likely that Shizuma retained it.

But what about basic enchantment magic?

If I use it a lot today, maybe it’ll carry over too?

After finishing breakfast, we set off toward Lindblum, this time through the normal forest path.

“Good morning, Miss Melt. You’re asking about those three, yes?”

“Yeah, I wanted to know what they’re up to today.”

“They’re doing city guard work today. It’s not too dangerous since it’s within the city, but it’s a special zone, so we’ve sent people who are somewhat familiar with the area.”

“I see. Is it okay if I help them out?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Just so you know, there’s no reward.”

“That’s fine. Can you tell me where they are now?”

“Yes. Right now, they’re likely—”

While Melt was chatting with the receptionist, I browsed through the list of extermination requests.

Apparently, related to the incident that Silent resolved previously, a certain enhanced flying monster had already disappeared, and now a search-and-destroy request was posted.

Indeed, there was no sign of the flying creature at the time. That could mean it was transported elsewhere, or perhaps it broke free and escaped.

“Last known sighting was in the western marshes, huh…”

A place I’ve never been to.

However, it seems to be an area with a high monster population, as there were multiple extermination requests posted for the same location.

Hmm… If I’m going to be using a lot of enchantment magic, this is actually perfect.

I memorize the request number and report it to the receptionist.

“You registered yesterday, correct? I’m aware of your rank, but have you ever dealt with monsters before—especially flying types?”

“Yes, I have.”

The memories are etched into me as experience. Being of a hunter origin, I have the knowledge and skills to track prey in the wild, read traces, and predict animal behavior.

Although… perhaps due to possessing too much knowledge, trying to recall specific details sometimes causes a slight headache.

Could this be a side effect of having a scholar as my sub-job? It feels like there’s simply too much lore and data packed in from the game devs.

“Then here is a map of the marsh area, your target search point. This is a supplied item—if you lose it, there’ll be a penalty fee, so be careful.”

“Understood.”

With the map in hand, I inform Melt that I’ll be heading out.

“You’re going on a mission? I know you’re strong, Sheele, but still, be careful!”

“Yes, and although you’ll be in the city, danger can still arise. Please stay safe.”

Alright… time to head to the less familiar western gate.

“Whoa, you’re really an adventurer? That’s awesome—Emerald rank and all! Man, maybe I should quit this gate guard job and become an adventurer too!”

“As if you’d ever rank up! Just shut up and see her off! Sorry, miss. Don’t mind this idiot.”

“It’s fine. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

There are all kinds of gatekeepers.

Now that I think about it, no one ever struck up a conversation with me at the north or south gates…

“So the marshes are off the main road, huh? Let’s see… just past a small wooded area, then.”

I’ve only taken this road once before, back when I came through Silent.

If I remember right, this road leads all the way to a port town.

Hmm… Since it’s a marsh, maybe a river flows from a large lake toward the sea?

The water from that caldera lake—the mountain lake—flows east, so perhaps there’s another water source here?

Or maybe the marsh itself is naturally water-rich and doesn’t rely on inflows from elsewhere.

“If a flying-type monster has been sighted here, there must be a reason. I’ll think this through as I move.”

If it fled from that mountain, it must have had a reason.

Maybe there wasn’t enough prey? That mountain did seem to have plenty of plants and animals, but monster sightings were pretty rare.

Could that artificial, enhanced monster have driven out the native ones?

And maybe the fleeing monster was its usual prey?

I’ve heard that some animals only eat live prey.

“A monster with strong hunting instincts… a flying type. Probably a wyvern or a large raptor species…”

I pull four arrows from my quiver.

I slide one between each finger and enchant each arrowhead with elemental attributes.

“If it’s a bird-type, fire. If it’s a wyvern, then ice. If it really was a dangerous wyvern, the request should’ve included more info… unless it was flying so fast that no one could even identify it?”

Assuming it’s a bird of prey, I switch the attributes to fire and lightning.

Now, to test how well this setup works, I fix my eyes on the distant sky in the direction I’m headed.

Likely over the marshes. I spot monsters—probably birds—circling high above, and begin shooting from extreme range.

“Quad Shoot!”

I fire four arrows in rapid succession.

A combination of:

Enchantment Magic

Precision Shot

Long-Range Shot

[Beginner Enchantment Magic]

Only affects the user.

Applies one of the following attributes to equipped weapons/skills: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth.

[Long-Range Shot]

Doubles the range of the user’s attacks (up to 5x max).

MP consumption increases with range extension.

[Precision Shot]

Increases user’s critical hit chance.

Improves tracking/targeting of weak points.

Even normal attacks consume MP.

Using all available bow skills, I unleash my attack.

The four arrows—charged with lightning and fire—fly across the sky, striking down four birds flying far above, likely monsters.

“…Even I’m impressed by that accuracy.”

Now then… let’s go confirm the kills.

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