Chapter 15 (1/2)

Ginger Pork

While covered in sweat, the young hunter Yuuto looked down from the treetops at a one-horned boar which collapsed with a thud Taro, as right under Yuuto, energetically growled and barked at the one-horned boar as if to make sure

After that, the one-horned boar didn’t even twitch orthe bottom of its neck was the arrow that Yuuto recently shot… and inside the wide, poisonous arroas a fast-acting poison belonging to hunters from the mountainous province that caused a severe paralysis when it entered the bloodstream but it didn’t leave any trace of poison in the meat

(Not yet, don’t be negligent… ‘A dying boar will kill the hunter before it dies’)

Yuuto reed h to kill a bear with just a bow, and he stifled his urge to check whether it was dead or alive The one-horned boar was a tough opponent They were different from the rabbits, deer, wild bird, foxes, and weasels that nobles hunted as a hobby One-horned boars were proerous weapon’ growing from them, and they were freaks of natures that could repel a head-on spear blow from a samurai covered in heavy armor and take them down horse and all

There were ashunters and sa the tables turned on theht now, the tree that Yuuto had taken his position in had just taken a single hit froo and was a little cracked

Being negligent was forbidden

…And after waiting for a long time Yuuto ju his bow under his ar it up with an arrow from his quiver, he approached the one-horned boar carefully and slowly And then he tried to confirain…

“I did it! I finally took it down! We did it! Taro! Now I’ed as well!”

Yuuto let out a yell of joy Now that he had taken down a ‘wild beast’ like a one-horned boar by hinized as a fully-fledged hunter Noould be acknowledged as an existence that could survive in the erous es and towns that were blessed with the , and he would be treated different from the half-baked hunters that would hunt rabbits or birds in the nearby forest so they could sell them

Soh the middle of the forest by request of the lord, serve as an escort to a h the forest, take requests to extere for a on his skill, he would be able to construct his own house in the middle of the city, take a bride, and live a reasonably luxurious life

The one-horned boar that Yuuto took down this time was one of the easier wild beasts to defeat in terth when compared to bears that couldn’t be killed unless you showered thehts into a e serpents that could sneak by quietly and strangle you to death or reflect half-heartedly shot arroith their prided, hard husks, or to top it off, the great rhinoceros beetles that could strike out with their giant horns One-horned boars were fast but they couldn’t climb trees, so all you had to do was rain arron from the treetops

But it was easier said than done It was better to have it run off before you could deal the final blow than having your hunting dog trampled to death in order to lure it over into an a killed thanks to the boar charging and shaking the tree, or running out of arrows before you could take it down and not being able to do anything… and finallyin close to deal the final bloith a hatchet only for it to turn the tables on you

It was a co world for half-baked hunters who confused bravery and recklessness to lose their lives when trying to challenge and take down a one-horned boar

“It’s pretty big… With this I could get 120, no 150 silver coins for sure”

As he inspected the bite , he thought about his livelihood If he used thewhat he could take from this boar, he could probably buy a neerful bow that was enchanted with ic like the one his master used A hunter’s line of as that if he lost he would lose his life, but if he won, the profits would be huge

It wasn’t unusual for a real hunter to get a few hundred silver coins froaet a few silver coins froame that went over a hundred silver coins Yuuto’s heart was in high spirits

Yuuto was still young, and he had just becoo He was born a nearby peasant’s son, the fifth son at that, and to make sure he would not inherit the household, he became apprenticed to a hunter And so, he followed his master around to s that were used to hiking, then he learned the skills to train a newly-born puppy how to becoht how to handle a bow and became an apprentice hunter

Following hiot that was born fro fro since he was born for Taro to beco One novice boy and one novice dog, after hunting countless dozens of se a one-horned boar, and after spending a month to prepare… It was a fine victory

“Taro We’re eating well tonight”

Yuuto said this as he pet the partner that was by his side One-horned boar meat, when compared to pork, had a particular stench to it, but even so, thecovered in plenty of fat Since today was the day that he becaed hunter, it was a time to eat some one-horned boar meat Perhaps he used his beastly intuition to read Yuuto’s er

And so, Yuuto dressed his kill as soon as possible He drained the one-horned boar’s blood even though it weighed five ti back was the meat, pelt, horn, and tusks The innards would rot before he could bring them back, and the bones didn’t sell for much It was unfortunate but he decided to throw them away

“Alright, that should do it”

Before long, he had finished draining the blood and skinning the pelt, and crammed the fresh meat, pelt, and the horn and tusks which cracked halfway into two separate large bags that he brought with him

“Let’s go, Taro”

He put the best, fatty cuts in a clean bag at his waist and raised his voice at Taro as chewing a one-horned boar’s bone and wagging his tail To that, Taro barked in response and folloith the bone in his mouth

“Now then, I have bring it back before it gets dark”

Even after draining the blood and getting rid of the bones to lighten the weight, there was still a large amount of meat on an adult one-horned boar If he left it here for a long ti for it In order to avoid that, Yuuto split the meat into two portions and lifted them on both his shoulders, and then he carried it to the nearby mountain hut that he made in order to avoid any beasts

“So even with half it’s still heavy…”

While saying a light coht and there was a saed to hunt for the first tie sense of satisfaction

“Huu It’s finally over”

Carrying the meat and fur of the same beast to the unbreakable, sturdy door of the storehouse at the h as the sun was about to set Even though he threay the excess parts, the spoils of war froht It wasn’t that far from the place where he took down the one-horned boar, but even still, that much distance was quite the amount of heavy labor

“If I end up like this just carrying it to the mountain hut… I think I have no choice but to hire Sahae”

It seeame down to the town at the foot of the o to the foot of the s were twice as thick as Yuuto’s and ould often take on work from his master

(I can’t believe I’ve finally become a hunter that can hire people)

At that, he felt happy

“Well, anyway Let’s have dinner”

It was at the time that he raised his voice that it happened With a ju,’ Taro let out a single bark towards Yuuto

“…What’s wrong? Is there so there, Taro?”

Seeing that state, Yuuto asked Taro that Taro let out oneoff

“What is it? Did he find so?”

Yuuto followed Taro, and after running for a bit, Taro stopped in place and let out another bark At that place there was a black door The door with a picture of a cat on it clung to the cliff as though it were ‘growing’ out of it

“…There wasn’t supposed to be a door in this place… No, I’ here”

Yuuto remembered Yesterday when he passed by this place, there wasn’t a door He was taught that being able to remember as different in the forest was one of the conditions to be a good hunter, and Yuuto who tried to reme change Not to mention a door that suddenly appeared

“It can’t be, one of those ic doors…”

Magic It was a word that had little to do with Yuuto who lived in a rural town, but even still, that town had a few nu it and the priests there would often use prayer ic of the God of Wind that they believed in on the hunters It went like this: whenever soical power

“Since Taro led erous…”

He knew that Taro, as perfectly trained as a hunting dog, wouldn’t bring him here by olden handle of the black door… and opened it It wasn’t locked With the ringing of a bell sounding out, the door opened

“Uwah!?”

After suddenly co near to a brightly lit place which ht with his hands

“Welcome”

A voice called out to Yuuto while he was like that A ht and once again took in his situation There was a mysterious place A number of tables and chairs were lined up, and a nu and ht was as if…

“Is this place… a tavern?”

“No, it’s a western… a restaurant Although we do have some liquor”

To Yuuto’s words, the owner replied, and after a pause, he once again welcomed this new customer

“Once again, welco there your companion?”

A boy that was still young as around h school By his feet was a well-behaved dog that was sitting down… Nor in pets into the ‘cathouse’ was not allowed, but if they were properly trained it was fine to bring them in

“Eh, aah This is , Taro He’s properly trained”

At the owner’s words, Yuuto gave a half-hearted reply while he thought to hi aside why it was inside of a mountain, this place seemed to be a restaurant And from the store’s atmosphere, Yuuto felt that this place was different froh-class establisho to

(Well this sucks… I didn’t bring any money)

He didn’t know the flavors of what the other custo, but an unmistakably delicious smell drifted towards him It stimulated Yuuto who had yet to have dinner and made him think that he had to eat here

But, he had no ht wallet to being with, and in the first place, people eren’t the sa money deep into thewhatsoever

(If there was so other than money… Ah)

Thinking if he had so from his oaist

“Mister owner, I would like to eat here but I didn’t bring any money with me That’s why…”