CH 132

Chapter 132 – First Town

“Yoshua, how’s it going over there?”

“Not so good. There’s nothing of value there. Maybe the boss there is a tyrant who doesn’t give his men their share.”

“He has a stingy face… but even so, he doesn’t have much of himself.”

Without any protective gear, their clothes and shoes are almost all garbage. That means… seven sword machetes that had been used as spears, four small knives for dismantling or for work, a shattered magic short staff, and a dirty mage’s robe. Two rings with magic stones in them, 13 silver coins, and 30 or so copper coins of various sizes.

That’s the result of this hunt.

“Eight rounds of the precious .45 caliber ammunition, not worth it.”

“So be it. Maybe next time you’ll use a machete?”

“Mmm, I don’t like the blood splatter.”

Me neither. Neither of us can use purification magic.

I examined the coins I had obtained and found that they were almost the same size and weight as the ones in the kingdom. I don’t know the monetary equivalent, but if the specific weights are close, it is likely that the value is not much different. It would be helpful if the kingdom coins we have could be exchanged for the local currency.

I left all the silver and copper coins that were too bulky, especially the unfashionable amount of copper coins that could not be used for trade with Simon, in my reserves, and I left them all in Casemaian to be used for future commercial activities.

Even so, there is still about one fortune in gold coins. There is also a considerable amount of precious metals left.

“Now, let’s go.”

Our anticipated event of stripping the attackers of their gold and weapons that could be sold ended without much fanfare. The rest was left to be buried in the snow, and we began moving east.

The snow-white wolf cub followed us, tail wagging with a good mood on his face. I don’t mind him following us, but I’m a little concerned that they won’t let such a huge wolf into town.

“What is it that you like so much?”

“It seems like the guys from earlier were trying to finish off this wolf, but it’s not like he thinks we saved his life.”

“…Hmm. From the look in his eyes, I can see that he thinks we’re his friends.”

“Woof!”

Is that an affirmation?

He seems to be not bad at all, but he lacks a sense of urgency. What kind of creature is this…

“Oh?”

“What’s up, Yoshua? You’re making weird noises.”

“Myrril-san… I’ve checked the description of the snow-white wolf… and it says he’s a ‘spirit beast.'”

“It seems so. I don’t know the details since they only live in the dark forests, deadly forests, and other unexplored areas, but they are said to be a spiritual beast or a creature born between spirits and demonic beasts.”

“Does it eat people?”

“Woof!”

He seems to have denied it. Moreover, he seems to have been offended.

“I’ve never heard of it eating people. I’ve heard that they like to eat the magic core and magic stones, but I don’t know if it’s true or not. That is what I’ve heard.”

“Fenrir?”

“That’s it. It is said to be the form of the divine beast before its ascension.”

A divine beast that will eventually become the messenger of the gods? He doesn’t look like that to me…

“Woof!”

Ah, he got a little angry.

“What, can spirit beasts even read people’s thoughts?”

“No, in Yoshua’s case, it’s just your face. Even I know what you are thinking.”

…Indeed.

Anyway, what does this guy want to do? I don’t think anything good will come from following us.

“I’m tired of paddling through the snow. Can you carry me?”

“Woof!”

The snow-white wolf bends down a little and starts to walk away, carrying Myrril on his back.

He is clever and kind.

“Woof?”

He looked back at me as if to ask me if I wanted to ride too, but I felt a little sorry that an adult male would have to ride him. I shake my head and urge him to go ahead, and he begins to precede me with light steps.

The Snow-white wolf’s legs are spread wide compared to his size, and he seems to be well suited for moving over the snow. I kept pace with him with small teleportations and moved toward the east.

After an hour or so, we came to an area where the forest had been cleared. The path between the forests had slight hardening traces as if it were a route to a nearby village. It was a little better than the animal trail, but it was still a sign that a human settlement was close by.

“From here on, we never know who is watching us. It’s best not to use teleport. Let’s go, Moff.”

Before long, a name has even been given to him. He’s certainly fluffy, though. [T/n: Moff, taken from the Japanese word Mofumofu which means fluffy.]

We walked through the snow for about two miles. When we reached the top of a small hill, we saw a settlement about 1 km ahead of us. Surrounded by low mountains and forests, it was a basin 2 to 3 km in diameter, a fortified city about four times the size of Casemaian. Smoke was rising from the ground as if from cooking.

“That’s the first town. Whether or not we can make contact with the locals here will determine our future.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. If they don’t like it, we can move on.”

…That’s true.

I personally have a goal to go to a seaside town, so I’ll consider this place as a transit point.

“However… um, Yoshua?”

“Yeah. It’s not for everyone, Myrril-san. Well, I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

The main gate of the city wall opened, and I saw a group of what looked like cavalrymen, about 10 in all, coming toward us, looking bloodthirsty.