Chapter 58: Helper Staff
I went to the settlement counter with the assessment form, told them I’d hand everything over, and asked them to check my balance while I was at it.
The paper they handed back showed a total of 10,281,000 Dara.
The armor-like outfits that Yegan and the others wore cost about 4,000,000 Dara.
Excluding the money in my pocket, I thought that with about three times this amount, I could buy magic-infused clothing—but I didn’t want to end up broke, so I figured I’d need to save around four times that, about 40,000,000 Dara.
To prepare for unforeseen circumstances, I decided to stock 20 days’ worth of food—60 meals—and bought any shortfall at the market before leaving the city via the West Gate.
Although it was a little early, the special passage was crowded with adventurers returning to the capital, but since I was leaving, I passed through smoothly. Then a voice called out from the line of people waiting to enter.
“Leon, where have you been?”
“Jaeger-san, long time no see. I’ve been hunting birds around the capital. Today, Holtz-san even reminded me to bring more.”
“I have a small favor to ask…”
It seemed he couldn’t say it here, so he whispered something to Dennis and stepped out of the line.
“Actually, the chairman Grandis, who commissioned the Armor Buffalo, asked me to see if we could somehow gather thirty Chikki-Chikki Birds. The guild has put out a request, but they don’t have a master like you. Ever since you started bringing in large quantities, Chikki-Chikki Birds and Runner Birds have become so popular in the capital that there’s basically a scramble for them. Even with a request, they can’t gather enough, so they’re in trouble.”
“They haven’t gone up much in price, though.”
“According to butler Nielsen, one or two can be used at home, so if you wait, you can get them. But if you need them for hospitality, you need a lot more.”
He shrugged his shoulders, indicating that the small amounts adventurers usually hunt weren’t enough.
I’d already given half to Linus at the Olivetan Hotel for cooking, and even with two meals split between my parents, there was still leftover—my sister even made me take some to her place.
With wild beasts, one kill could make hundreds of steaks, but no matter how big a bird is, it wasn’t enough.
“So here’s the deal. Nielsen says if you can gather thirty birds by February, he’ll pay ten gold coins as a commission plus thirty gold coins in Chick-Chick Birds. Will you take the request?”
“I can’t guarantee it, but I could probably gather that many. I just don’t want to get involved with nobles or wealthy merchants.”
“Then I’ll tell the guild to make it a designated request—will you accept it?”
“If the request is already out, I can just hand over my portion to Holtz-san as part of it.”
“Alright, tell Nielsen that, and have them issue a new request with the updated conditions. I’m counting on you.”
Chikki-Chikki Birds and Runner Birds are really popular.
This way, I can hunt without worry, sell them quickly, and won’t have to make a name for myself through troublesome designated requests.
For now, I’ll focus on the areas a little deeper into the forest near the capital.
Having exited the West Gate, I decided to circle the capital clockwise—but I wonder how many kilometers it would be to go around the forest boundary.
I decided to camp in the forest so the hut wouldn’t be noticeable, but an unpainted wooden box sticks out like a sore thumb.
When I have time, I’ll stain it with plant sap to make it blend in better.
Inside the hut, I placed a flame infused with magic in the frying pan, and soon the room warmed up.
I’d slightly tilted the Musou window to create a narrow gap, so ventilation wasn’t a problem.
Even if the dome was heated with flames, the air walls and the cold outside meant the walls cooled, and the flame would go out quickly. I didn’t expect to feel the warmth of wood like this.
Sitting in a chair with my food on the table and the fluffy mattress to sleep on, I savored the comfort.
If only I had a nightcap… I’d have to make do by releasing some magic as a substitute.
I stripped down, wrapped myself in the feather comforter, and settled down to sleep.
Careful not to go so deep that the grasslands disappeared, I searched for birds using scouting and sensing skills, drawing them in with small whirlwinds.
To prevent overhunting, I captured only one bird out of every three found, so the population near the forest-grassland boundary wouldn’t drop drastically.
Still, I managed to secure six or seven Chikki-Chikki Birds and Runner Birds each, as well as many Green Birds and Red Chickens.
Occasionally, I spotted Brown Sheep and Prairie Sheep, but I passed by quietly, hiding my presence like with tree spirits.
By the fourth day, circling clockwise from the West Gate, I neared the North Gate and decided to return to the capital once more.
Heading from the forest campsite to the grasslands, I spotted a group of goblins in the distance, and from the left side opposite, an adventurer party appeared.
They were far enough away not to trigger detection, and through my magic-enhanced sight, they didn’t seem particularly strong.
The path the goblins were heading toward overlapped with my route.
There were seven goblins, but behind the adventurers, another goblin group was present.
There were six adventurers, so I thought I might help if things went badly.
Emerging from the tall grass around a depression, I had a clear view of the goblins and adventurers about to clash.
Two of them held their weapons awkwardly—iron rank E, second class, barely competent.
The remaining four were about the level of first-class bronze, roughly D rank.
Three of the bronze-rank fighters swung swords, while the other three carried short spears, charging forward.
As I approached, my instinct “computer” pinged.
I could help, get acquainted, and maybe ask them to color my house. If it’s safe and profitable, they won’t refuse.
It was flashy, almost noisy enough to attract other beasts.
I rushed to intervene before anyone got hurt. Their sword swings were still better than nothing, and the short spears were like the cheapest foot soldier spears from the adventurer’s shop.
It reminded me of my first time attacking goblins—though I was slightly better off now.
Three goblins were incapacitated, and the remaining three were wounded, but the commotion was drawing in the group behind them.
While catching my breath after defeating the injured goblins, the adventurers weren’t paying attention to their surroundings.
They eyed me suspiciously but hadn’t noticed the approaching goblins.
“Hey, you guys! Goblins are coming—stand up!”
“Huh?”
“Goblins?”
“Wh-where?”
“From the direction you came. The ones about fifty or sixty meters from where you were walking must have heard the commotion.”
“How do you know that?”
“Hey, they really are goblins! Don’t just sit there, stand up!”
“Damn it, can you help us out?”
I had intended to do that from the start, and besides, they’d be helping me out anyway.
From behind the group, who were panting as they faced the goblins, I unleashed eight successive whirlwinds.
When the goblins started spinning around in place just as they were about to fight, everyone froze in surprise.
I didn’t want to wait three minutes, so I released the magic from the whirlwinds. The goblins couldn’t walk straight.
“Take this chance to defeat the goblins!”
“Huh? Ah…”
“You want us to do this?”
“I’ll explain later. If you don’t finish quickly, the smell of blood will attract other beasts.”
“Oh, right. Everyone, hurry!”
“I don’t know what kind of magic that was, but it’s really useful.”
What a carefree bunch.
The goblins, dizzy and off-balance from spinning, were easily defeated.
“Thanks to you, the fight was a lot easier. I appreciate it.”
“I suppose coming to this area isn’t exactly easy, huh?”
“Yeah, I know, but during winter, medicinal herbs are scarce near the city.”
“Herb gathering is the main task, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll make it worth your while—could you help me out for two or three days?”
They were so surprised by my offer that they examined me thoroughly from head to toe.
“You planning to use us as bait?”
“We’re not going to be bait.”
“Meeting you for the first time and being asked all of a sudden… not trustworthy.”
“It’s similar to gathering herbs. I’ll pay each of you one silver coin per day, plus any beasts you subdue while helping me.”
“What exactly do you want us to do?”
“I said it’s similar to herb gathering. You’ll collect leaves and plants that yield plenty of sap, extract the juice, and then apply it to my hut.”
“Hut?”
“Yes, I want you to coat my night-camping hut with the juice.”
“Night-camping hut?”
“Step aside for a moment.”
I moved them aside, pulling them away from the goblins’ magic stones, and then pulled the hut out of my magic bag with a thunk.
“Whoa!”
“From a magic bag…”
“You really store amazing things in there.”
“I’ve never seen something that big come out of a magic bag.”
“Does something that large really fit in there?”
“I just had it made recently, but as you can see, it stands out in the forest and grasslands. I want to stain it with plant sap to make it less conspicuous, but I can’t do it alone.”
“Leader, let’s do it!”
“You get a silver coin per day, right?”
“I’ll do it, but show me the money first.”
“Yeah, I’m not doing it for free.”
“Leader, give us an answer!”
Even though they were motivated, the man they called the leader was hesitating.
“If the terms don’t suit you, I’ll find someone else. No pressure.”
I snapped a coin with my fingers to demonstrate.
“Alright, I’ll take it. One silver coin per day, right?”
“Yes. I’ll also give you 20,000 Dala in addition to the wage, so buy about three wooden tubs and meet me outside the North Gate tomorrow morning.”
“I’m Nanga. And you are?”
“Leon. I haven’t been in the capital long, so I don’t know many people yet.”
I handed them two silver coins and returned the hut to the magic bag. I could hear them murmuring, “Amazing,” “I can’t believe something that big fits,” “I wish we had at least a Rank 1 magic pouch.”
“I’m going back to the capital to sell the prey, so be ready outside the North Gate tomorrow morning.”