44 Teammate Canidate

Tatsumi, after accepting the herb collecting request from the [Elven Resthouse], returned home with Calcedonia temporarily.

After taking out his equipment from the attic storage room, he put them on one by one with the help of Calcedonia.

A hard leather armor, a round shield, and a one handed sword.

All this equipment was what Calcedonia sent him.

They were pretty high-grade equipment, as Calcedonia wished they could help Tatsumi in times of danger, even if just a little, whilst hes on a monster hunter mission.

Of course, they werent of the highest grade but for a newcomer, these were more than good enough.

Tatsumi also equipped other things such as a knapsack, a small pouch, a water canteen, a knife and a machete. After finishing he had Calcedonia double check just in case.

Yes, everythings as it should be. But again, please be attentive at all times okay?

Yeah, I get it. By the way, are you going to stay home?

If I accompany you than your movement speed will lessen no? And its only a herb collection request so Ill stay home and prepare for dinner.

Is that so. Well, I dont think it would be that much of a problem if I transfer while carrying just Calcey but the food you make is delicious so Ill be looking forward to it.

I-If you say it like thatthatit makes me happy

Calcedonia blushed with a happy smile after she was praised by Tatsumi.

But the fair maiden kept it a secret that at that moment she imagined herself in his embrace, being carried like a princess in his arms.

Then, Ill be off.

Yes, have a safe trip.

The distance between their lips closed until it became a kiss.

Tatsumi was walking on the highway going through the town of Levantes.

The sun was still high up. The place where the targeted herb grew was about 10 minutes away if he constantly used instant transition after leaving the town.

Tatsumi, who judged that to be the case kept on walking on the snow shoveled highway.

But.

Tatsumi noticed that he was being tailed by a number of people.

Tatsumi pretended to look at the wares on the roadside stalls of the great highway and with a sidelong glance, he confirmed that among them, there were a few monster hunters he saw in the [Elven Resthouse].

I see. They probably want to investigate just how I was able to find the herbs in such a short amount of time.

Just like Eru said, the pay for herbs in this season is unexpectedly good.

When it becomes cold the amount of herbs that grow becomes less no matter what, and even if they do grow they grow under the piled up snow. So it takes great effort and time to find them.

Thats why the prices skyrocket in this season.

Of course, there were people who collected the herbs before the snow fell and preserved them but there were many herbs which would lose their medicinal property if not fresh so, in those cases, there was no choice but to leave the collection as a request.

And that was exactly the contents of Tatsumis current mission.

The monster hunters who were tailing Tatsumi right now probably wanted to figure out how Tatsumi would do it, and then imitate him to make a killing in this season where the herbs prices had skyrocketed.

Well, its their freedom to follow me but Ive got no obligation to let them follow me right?

Tatsumi was wearing a fur jacket to combat the cold, but underneath he was storing up his mana.

To steal anothers skill is because of ones desire to improve oneself and is by no means an evil. Tatsumi himself was aware of that.

But that doesnt mean they would be able to imitate Tatsumis transfers even if they wanted to, and Tatsumi had no obligation to go along with their pace.

While steadily walking towards the south gate, Tatsumi took caution of any movement behind him.

Maybe they had no intention of hiding their presence from the start, they were following Tatsumi matching his pace a few long steps behind him.

Now then, just how long are they planning to follow me

After reaching the gate, Tatsumi released all his stored up mana at once.

Recently, theres been a new monster hunter, a young one whos been frequenting the [Elven Resthouse].

Well, though he still hasnt taken on any formal requests, theres no harm in calling him a new monster hunter; something like an apprentice.

But the fact that this newbie was more intimate with the master of [Elven Resthouse] rubbed some of the regular customers here in the wrong way.

These regulars were folks who all were charmed by the masters lovely face, and came here on a daily basis to accept requests.

But of course, they were all aware that the master was a widow, and she still had lingering feelings towards her late husband.

Putting these guys aside, there were many who confessed their feelings to the master of this bar, but not one could make her nod in acknowledgment.

She had always treated the relationship as [The master of a bar and her customers]. No one could ever break this barrier. She treated them sometimes with kindness, sometimes with harshness.

And because she was like that, they believed in her, some even started to worship her.

And obviously, when she became all intimate with that newbie the people who literally worshiped her didnt feel too good.

Among them, there were people who asked her what her relationship with him was,

Hmm, lets see Well, hes someone from the same country as my husband so, I guess I feel some closeness with him And besides, if I had a child If I gave birth to my husbands child then that child mightve grown up to be like him. Thinking that, I just cant leave him alone

Like a mother looking over her son. Like an old aunties mental state when looking after a relatives child, saying that, she laughed.

Seems like she had no sensual love for that lad. Understanding that, the devotees heaved a sigh in relief.

But even so, when she at times talked to that newbie in a language they didnt understand and laughed merrily, it caused the flames of jealousy to ignite in their chests once more.

Furthermore, this newcomer always had a beauty by his side.

Judging from the same earrings they were wearing on their ears, they were engaged.

And seeing him talk with the bar master while having a beauty like that in his arms, it was like adding fuel to the already burning fire. And after they learned that the beauty was the fabled <<Holy Maiden>> of the temple of Savaiv, the amount of oil poured into the flames of jealousy increased by several folds.

But even after all this not one of them tried to directly attack that annoying newcomer. Well, of course, there were people who at least thought of doing that but none of them tried to practically carry it out.

The master of the [Elven Resthouse] deeply hates fights between the regulars. If someone did surprise attack the newcomer in the bar and the master heard of it, she would definitely ban the assailants from entering the bar for life.

And besides, anyone would notice that the newcomer wasnt some fresh blood.

Certainly, he looks inexperienced. But he definitely wasnt an average amateur. If one attacked him, he would definitely counter-attack hard.

Moreover, the <<Holy Maiden>> of the temple of Savaiv was beside him.

The <<Holy Maiden>> who was the only relative of the supreme pontiff of the temple of Savaiv. Even by accident, if one attacked her, that was the same as turning the whole temple of Savaiv into an enemy.

A fool who would attack even while knowing all this, certainly there wasnt one among the regulars of the [Elven Resthouse].

But still, among the masters adherents, there was a bunch that didnt find her relationship with the newcomer amusing.

And they by chance heard that the newcomer was going on a herb collection request today.

That guy, taking a herb gather mission in this season aint he just a fool?

Ah? What, ya dont know? That new guy, he took a herb search test from the master before and completed it in like, a crazy short time.

In this season? How?

Dunno, that guy didnt even tell the master.

I bet the <<Holy Maiden>> used some kind of magic to help him right? She mustve melted the snow with a fire magic or something.

No, the <<Holy Maiden>> was here at the bar at that time. He went alone. So shes unrelated. And besides, if a flame was used to melt the snow then theres also a possibility of the herb burning too.

Thenhow?

They both looked at each other in confusion and tilted their heads. They couldnt even find a clue on how the newcomer came back with the herb in a short time.

Hey How about following that guy and finding out how he did it? If we can somehow imitate that, then in this season, we could make a killing right?

Thats sounds goods. The prices of herbs in this season arent something to laugh at.

After deciding that they will tail the newcomer, they started to discuss the method.

The newcomer wasnt donning his equipment today. So first he should return home to prepare for the request.

If its herb gathering, then the location should be near the forest in the south. Of course, he would exit from the south gate.

Judging that, they waited by the main highway leading to the south gate and decided to follow him after that.

And just like they thought, they saw the newcomer equipping his gear and carelessly walking down the road leading to the south gate.

So what now? Should we secretly follow him from here?

What? We could just openly follow him from here. Trying to mimic others techniques isnt always a bad thing. And we monster hunters are people who live by copying other peoples skills right?

Deciding on their objective, they started to follow the newcomer with a fixed distance.

After confirming that he left the south gate, they also followed suit.

Though the plains were piled up with snow, the south gate which had numerous people coming and going every moment had none.

They thought that after passing through the gate, the newcomer would stick to the road as much as possible and head to the forest. But when they noticed the figure of the newcomer was nowhere to be seen, they opened their eyes wide in surprise.

H-Hey!? That bastard new guy, where the hell is he!?

Theres no mistake that he passed through the gate!! Maybe hes hiding somewhere near here!?

H-Hey!! I-Isnt that the newcomer!?

Looking at the direction one of them pointed at, they could certainly see the silhouette of the said newcomer.

H-How did he get that far. It hasnt even been that long since he passed through the gate right?

And, I dont see any trails of him walking on the snow He would at least have to part the snow here if he wanted to walk that far, but wheres the trail?

W-Wha! Hey That newcomer Isnt he gradually getting further and further away?

Saying that, as they once again looked at the newcomer, his figure was indeed getting smaller by the second.

How the hell is he moving so fast in this snow?

In the end, all they could do was to stand there stock still and watch the back of the newcomer get further and further away.

Tatsumi, who arrived near the forest using the usual <<Instant Transition>>, started using his magic to remove the snow and take pictures of the herbs that were underneath with his cellphone to compare them with the ones Eru showed him before.

Certainly, this time, he couldnt finish it as fast as before because he had to gather a certain amount of various varieties of herbs.

But he was able to patiently repeat the same task over and over again, finally managing to collect the amount Eru told him to.

He carefully separated the herbs by their type and put them in his bag as to not damage them.

A job well done. Now all I got to do is to return to the bar and pass them to miss Eru.

He looked at his wristwatch and judged that there was still quite some time left until sundown.

At the entrance of the forest, Tatsumi took a little rest while he sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, exposed to the wind and snow.

He took out the bento prepared by Calcedonia from his knapsack and ate it. Then he gathered some stones to make a makeshift kitchen. He took out a saucepan and put some snow in it before placing it on top of the makeshift stone stove.

He used the aria of <<Ignite>> to light a fire and used that to melt the snow in the saucepan.

Thinking back, it really was a good idea to get Calsey to teach me the <<Ignite>> magic.

Recently, Calcedonia taught Tatsumi a number of handy spells that could help him greatly in everyday life.

But well, the only magic he could use practically now was the [If you use it, itll definitely come in handy!] magic <<Ignite>> after a hard training session with Calcedonia.

Tatsumi who had no aptitude for the <Fire> system magic couldnt even cast the most elementary <Fire> magic <<Ignite>> unless he tried a few times, and the magic consumption was also great. But this <<Ignite>> magic which could substitute a lighter really was convenient.

Tatsumi used the hot water melted from snow to make some tea. After drinking the tea to warm his body up, he returned to Levantes.

On the way, he passed by a number of Monster hunters who were in dire distress trying to cross the snow-covered plains and used his <<Instant Transition>> to return to Levantes.

Tatsumi returned to the [Elven Resthouse].

After he opened the door to enter, he saw Eru with a troubled expression.

Erm, Tatsumi. After you left there was this new person who came in to be a monster hunter but

Eru glanced towards the back. Tatsumi followed her gaze and saw a bizarrely dressed man standing there.

He was taller than Tatsumi by quite a bit. No doubt he crossed 180cm. He mightve even crossed 190cm.

He was standing there without any openings. Even though he was wearing a fur overcoat, you could easily tell he had a forged body underneath.

But what caught Tatsumis eyes was his bizarre appearance.

His black hair and black eyes were of no surprise to Tatsumi, but it was Tatsumis first time seeing someone with ashen brown skin, 4 eyes, and 4 arms.

MaybeHes a Shade?

Yes. He said he recently left the Shade village. If its okay with you, can you form a duo with him for now? Of course, if you end up thinking he is incompatible with you then you can dissolve the partnership anytime you wish.

YeahWell, I dont mind but, does he know about me?

I said the same thing to him just now, that Tatsumi is a novice Monster hunter.

Maybe he heard what they were talking about, the Shade came towards Tatsumi and Eru.

The glint in his four eyes was sharp, as he looked at Tatsumi with an appraising gaze.

Though Tatsumi felt a bit unpleasant because of the four eyes, it was no doubt that the Shade was still as calm and composed as ever.

That shade, after stopping in front of Tatsumi, rudely started to observe him.

Then, showing a grin on his face he said with a low resounding voice.

So you are the Tatsumi boy the mistress told me about? Humph, you look more capable than I thought~

And with a wink.

The Shade youth than skillfully closed just one of his four open eyes at Tatsumi, who was currently dumbfounded at his unexpected tone of speaking.

Im called Jadokh. Lets get along from now, kay Tatsumi boy?

The first demi-human shade Tatsumi ever met. And also his first monster hunting teammate candidate.

A shade with four eyes and arms, with an appearance of a handsome onee*.

(*ED note: The onee here that this is referring to is not big sister but an effeminate man. Picture someone like O.D. from Gatchaman Crowds or Alice from Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan. I couldnt come up with a similar word in English that didnt come across as a slur, so if you have any ideas, let us know.)