𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞
For some reason, Meyer-sensei has asked for a leave of absence.
She says she can no longer teach because the questions have become about economic activities and politics.
It seems there’s nothing left for her to teach, even though it’s still early.
“Meyer-sensei, thank you. I, Otto, will never forget what I learned from you.”
I grasp Meyer-sensei’s delicate hand with my rough hands.
The Meyer-sensei I used to look up to has become quite small.
“I’m sorry, Otto, that I couldn’t answer your questions. But don’t worry too much about everyone around you.”
“I understand. I, Otto, will use this trained body to protect everyone.”
I pound my chest with my fist.
A low thud echoes in the room.
For some reason, everyone is startled.
Everyone is so thin. They won’t survive in a war like this, will they?
After Meyer-sensei left.
I asked the old man to find a tutor who can use magic, but he doesn’t seem very enthusiastic.
My older brother, who came home after a long time, was surprised.
“Otto, you’ve grown big. . .”
“Yes, I’ve been training my body so I won’t lose to the achievements of my brothers.”
I show my fist. My brother is surprised.
“Otto, what do you want to be in the future?”
“Yes! A wizard.”
“No, a wizard doesn’t need to train his body, does he?”
“Mind and technique are one. This is the basis of magic.”
“Is that so? Otto.”
“Yes, but I can’t understand what magic is just by studying books. I want to be old enough to go to magic school soon.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll talk to our father.”
“Thank you. Brother, what’s the situation with the empire?”
It seems that the current emperor of the empire is having health problems and there is a whirlwind of assassinations and plots among the nobles in the country.
My brother didn’t say much, but it seems that the nobles of the dove faction (pro-kingdom faction) in the empire are in a difficult situation.
It seems that the crown prince, who is pushed by the hawk faction (expeditionary group) of nobles, is about to ascend to the throne.
Indeed, it seems that the empire will attack within a few years.
It’s just like a game.
Finally, the old man allowed me to enter the forest.
I enter the forest with two hunters arranged by the old man.
A machete and a bow knife prepared for this day.
There’s also a water bottle and a bow.
“Botchan, are you ready?”
The older hunter took off his fur hat and bowed his head. His name is Byrne.
“Yes, I’m counting on you today.”
The young man also bows his head. Was his name Tappo?
“We don’t have a dog or a game master, are you sure you’re okay?”
Dogs are used to drive game, and game masters are people who control the overall hunt and sometimes release game.
It’s mainly the head of the hunting hunters who enjoy hunting for the nobility.
Well, it’s like a fishing pond reception fishing.
“Yes, I don’t need it. Today, I’m going to walk around the field and check the terrain. Well, it’s a bonus if there’s game.”
“Yes, I understand. Are you sure? The footing will get pretty bad.”
“Yes, no problem. If possible, teach me how to read footprints and eatable nuts.”
“Yes, okay, but. . .”
“Well, don’t worry about it. If I can’t catch anything, I’ll stay in the mountains. It’s practice for that time. Hahaha.”
I laugh it off.
“Let’s go then, Botchan, please follow us.”
“Okay, leave it to me.”
I follow the two hunters.
We stop from time to time to listen to the sounds and move through the forest.
It’s a pathless path.
“Botchan, these are deer tracks. One parent and three children. Probably from the night before last.”
“I see (I don’t understand).”
“Botchan, this is an eatable nut, and this one will give you diarrhea if you eat it.”
“Hmm, I can’t tell the difference. (Search).”
“The one that tastes sour when you bite into it is the one you can eat.”
“Isn’t it delicious?”
“Yes, we don’t eat it much except to moisten our throats with saliva.”
Great. The map is filling up rapidly.
Ah, I got another nut.
“Botchan, these flat areas without trees are usually wetlands, so be careful. Depending on the season, they can become ponds. There may also be overgrown grass.”
“I see.”
“You can’t drink the water in places like this. Even if you boil it, it may still be bad.”
“I see.”
“Yes, basically, you can only drink water from streams in the mountains and springs and rivers in the forest. Even then, it’s better to boil it. You must never drink water from puddles or tree holes, it’s poison.”
“I see (crunch crunch) sour.”
We walked around a lot.
The main focus shifted from hunting to exploring the forest.
I was told about the spring and dangerous places on the way.
The forest map is about 1/5th. (crunching)
“Hmm!”
There’s something in the bushes.
The 𝐌𝐀𝐏 reacted.
I silently point the direction to the young hunter.
“. . .”
As expected of a professional, he moves without making a sound with his bow ready.
He seems to have confirmed it. He signals with his eyes, and I nod. (Of course, I don’t know what it means.)
He silently pulls his bowstring tight.
He releases it.
There’s a sound of something thrashing in the bushes.
It’s quite large.
The hunter readies his next bow.
However, he stops.
“Botchan. It’s a deer, a young one, but you knew that well.”
“Ah, I sensed it.”
“Hey, Tappo!! You shouldn’t have killed it, it was Botchan’s prey!!”
“Ah, it couldn’t be helped, the location was bad. I didn’t have a chance to ready my bow, it happens. But you’ll share the meat, right?”
“Of course.”
The boss answers.
As expected of a professional, the arrow pierced the heart and lungs in one shot.
If I had shot it, it would have been half an arrow.
It’s pitiful for a wounded beast to walk in the forest.
A place called Ikebukuro seems to be overflowing with it, it’s a painful story.
𝐓𝐋-𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚: 𝐈𝐤𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲.
“Well, at least we didn’t come back empty-handed. This saves face.”
The smiling hunters.
“Now, we’ll process it. Please rest over there.”
“Teach me how to disassemble it. Ah, I’m just watching. The meat is precious now.”
“Um, if it’s just been caught, we only remove the blood and intestines. The disassembly will be done when we get back to the cabin.”
Tappo tells me.
“I see. So that’s how it is. . .”
“Well, there are those who disassemble it on the spot. But with this size, it’s better to take it back. The skin will be cleaner and we can get more meat.”
“Then, teach me how to process it.”
A fresh, dead deer is hanging from a tree.
Its round eyes are looking at me.
“It’s a male deer about a year old, you can tell by the size of the antlers.”
“Hmm, can it be used for a knife grip?”
“If it’s a small knife, I think you can use it. You could also carve it as it is and make it into a paper knife.”
The hunter is briskly removing the blood and internal organs.
“I think you can eat this colored liver if you cook it. The liver you can’t eat has no gloss and has mottled or white spots.”
I see, hepatitis or parasites.
The older hunter is carefully wrapping it in oil paper.
“Can’t you eat this part?”
I point to the diaphragm.
“Ah, that curtain is too tough to eat. You can eat it if you cook it a lot.”
It doesn’t seem to taste very good.
If we had a pressure cooker, it would be like stewed muscle. . .
The processing is finished, so the two hunters tie the deer’s legs to a tree trunk and carry it.
I offered to help, but they firmly refused.
It seems like it would be good training. . .
We head towards the town.
Everyone is laughing as they move through the forest.
Points of light appear on the 𝐌𝐀𝐏. 2, 3. . .5 of them.
3 in front and 2 behind, we’re surrounded.
What is it? It’s smaller than a deer.
I check the feel of my leather gloves, raise my arm and signal.
The two hunters are surprised and put down the deer.
“There are 3 in front and 2 behind.”
“Botchan. We’ll handle this here. You run.”
“I can get ahead, I can’t escape.”
“If there are five, they’re probably wolves. If we’re surrounded, it’s over.”
“I see. We can’t eat the meat, but we can get the skin.”
“If something happens to Botchan, we. . .”
The light on the 𝐌𝐀𝐏 moved. I shout.
“Here they come!! Tappo!! Use your bow!!”
Tappo shoots his bow towards the back.
Byrne hurriedly readies his bow in front.
I put the handle of the knife in the sleeve of my left hand, draw the knife and get ready.
It’s an improvised shield, of course it’s just for peace of mind.
There’s a beast’s scream from behind, it seems Tappo hit it.
Byrne’s bow is released, but the wolf avoids it.
Good. The timing is off.
The leading wolf opens its mouth and jumps towards my throat.
I punch the inside of the wolf’s mouth with my left fist.
The wolf closes its mouth to counter, but its throat is wide open.
I cut its throat with the knife in my right hand.
That’s one down.
Taking advantage of the gap, two wolves attack at the same time.
I swing the wolf in my left hand, which I still haven’t let go of, to keep them at bay.
There’s one wolf writhing behind me.
Tappo and Byrne are full-handed with one remaining, drawing their mountain blades.
The weight of the wolf in my left hand shifts my core.
The wolf, not missing that, tries to jump into my bosom one after another.
“Damn!!”
I kick up the wolf that popped its head out.
The wolf rolls around, howling like a beaten dog.
I threw my knife at the wolf that jumped in next.
The wolf twists its body to avoid it.
The wolf equipped in my left hand has been released. It seems to have finally run out of strength.
I draw my machete and face the wolf.
There’s also the death throes of a beaten dog behind me.
Now, what will you do?
A wolf charges at me, but I take care of it with a single stroke of my machete.
There’s no wolf that I kicked up. It seems to have run away.
“Are you okay, Botchan!!”
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to my leather gloves, I don’t even have a scratch. And stop calling me Botchan.”
“Amazing!! You took on three gray wolves all by yourself.”
“Thanks, Tappo. Your attack made things a lot easier.”
I shake hands with Tappo.
Byrne answers while rubbing his chin.
“If you can defeat a gray wolf, you’re a full-fledged hunter.”
“Is that so?”
I pick up the knife.
“Yes, hunters make a hat out of the first gray wolf they defeat. After that, I guess it’s a vest.”
“I see, since one escaped, I only have two. . . That’s not enough for my vest.”
“Do you want me to give you one?”
Tappo answers solemnly.
“No, no, four won’t be enough to make a vest for my belly.”
I pat my belly and make a sound. It’s a low sound that echoes in the forest.
The laughter of the hunters echoes in the forest.
🔹𝔄𝔴𝔢𝔟𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰.𝔠𝔬𝔪 ― ℑ𝔫𝔡𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔠𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔳e𝔩𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 “𝔡𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔶 𝔲𝔭𝔡𝔞𝔱e𝔰” 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔵𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔡𝔳𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔡 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰🔹
We head to the hunter’s cabin with four wolves and a deer.
I watched the disassembly.
I also learned how to skin.
The wolf that the two hunters had defeated was in tatters, so it became my practice target.
Tappo, who I thought didn’t talk much, became quite talkative.
The wolf that Tappo defeated with his bow is apparently going to be made into a hat.
“Now I’m a full-fledged hunter too.”
It seems that in the world of hunters, it’s not enough to just be good with a bow.
I decided to have the wolf I defeated made into a hat as well.
They said they would deliver it to the mansion when it’s done.
Since the sun was starting to set, I took some meat and said goodbye.
“Otto-sama. Please take this too.”
What Byrne handed me were the antlers of a young deer, two without any branches.
“Is it okay?”
“Please use it as a hunting trophy.”
Inside the hunter’s cabin, magnificent antlers are lined up on the wall.
“I see. I’ll take it without hesitation.”
I triumphantly returned to the mansion with my spoils of war.
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