[Well, aren't you a terrible person? Making such a beautiful girl scream
overnight.]
Marl crooked her lips and poked my chest with her finger.
If I didn't respond, it's because I was in a state of absentmindedness due to
shock.
Yeah, I don't want to think about anything.
[Even Taichi-san got so into it later on…]
[…seriously?]
[That's right, I said I was scared, but you held me up, and from behind––
[Oh, sorry, but please spare me the detail]—]
It can't be helped if it's done.
The reality did not change no matter how much you tried.
There's no use fighting against reality.
Wait, didn't I come here because I didn't want to fight reality?
Didn't I come here in search of freedom?
I'm stuck on the very first day, I want to die.
But that's that, this is this.
I want to take responsibility as much as possible as long as I have done it.
Marl was cute, yeah.
[…Is your body okay?]
Marl looked surprised at my words. That's right, I was in a state of
absentmindedness as soon as I knew the facts. It's okay, I'm quick to
switch.
[Um, are you not angry?]
Oh yeah, I was convinced.
That's right, I was forced to do it, by you.
I'm aware of it.
[I can't help being angry, it's terrible, but I can't go back in time to undo it.
I understand Marl's resolution, I lost.]
Stroking Marl's head, she squinted and hugged me in return.
Damn, cute.
Although it was a mess, I scored myself a relationship with such a cute girl,
I'll do something about it myself.
I can certainly say that it's easy peasy, just as I want it. Yup.
[We should wake up now. We have to take requests and make money.]
[Yeesss.]
Marl got out of bed and began to put on the clothes she had taken off last
night.
Oh… I mean, this was quite an erotic scene if you ask me.
It's more erotic to watch someone putting it on than taking it off, isn't it?
[What are you looking at…are you surprised?]
[Shut up!]
Looking away from the grinning Marl, I also put back on my clothes and
equipment.
While I was doing so, Marl left the room.
I think she went to pick up her luggage.
I will also focus my mind, hmm.
When I went downstairs, the owner noticed me and called out to me.
[Thank you for your hard work. There is a well in the back, you can use it
to wash up.]
He said that with a knowing smile.
The fact that he knew everything was annoying.
I obediently washed my face with soap and wiped my body lightly using the
water from well at the back of the inn.
Marl also appeared later on, so I'll let go of the soap.
[Is that okay?]
[If you don't want to use it, just give it back to me.]
I hit Marl's head lightly and I headed to the cafeteria.
There, the guests had already begun to have breakfast with Phinea serving
the meal.
The eyes gathered at me who had just entered the cafeteria.
Everyone stuck out their fists to me.
Their thumbs were placed between the index finger and the middle finger.
It's the same gesture even if the world changes. Shit.
[How was it? I want to get excited!]
On behalf of the guests, I'll grab Pina's head asking while grinning.
It was fully open with almost no adjustment.
[Meal for two people, do you want me to serve you?]
[Owowowowow! I understand, I surrender!]
As soon as I released her from my hands, Phinea disappeared into the
kitchen with teary eyes.
Last night's thing was really bad because the staff of the inn cooperated.
Well, I can only take it into my own hands.
Once I do it, there will be next, and next, HAHAHA…ha.
Marl arrived at the table at just the right time.
The way she walked was strange――let's not talk about it.
[Good morning again!]
[Oh, good morning. Let's go to the Adventurer's Guild as soon as we're
done eating.]
[Hmm, I notice that Taichi-san sounds a little more comfortable when
talking to me.]
[You're making me embarrassed, don't say that.]
We finished the meal while talking about such silly things.
The breakfast menu was freshly baked bread with fried eggs, soup, and as
bonuses, fruits that were served only on our table.
It may be an apology, or a celebration, for last night. Or perhaps it's both.
After breakfast, we settled the payment for last night's meals then headed to
the Adventurer's Guild.
Oh yeah, even though our funds were running low.
I felt like I've lost because I don't have much memory of last night.
=====
[Ha! That's right!]
I gave a thrust at the chest of the small figure in the middle, took a step
away, and hit the temporal region of another individual.
The two bodies were struck by my quarterstaff and were blown away while
sprinkling creepy body fluids.
The quarterstaff made a weird and unpleasant sound in the process.
It's a little thick, but it's still a wooden stick. It's also scratched because I've
received several weapon attacks with it.
[Are you safe !? Mar!]
[I'm not injured! But…]
[But?]
[I may have leaked! Two from the right rear!]
[Got it!]
After glancing at Marl, who was right next to me, I dispatched the two
goblins that had jumped in with a blow from the quarterstaff and a
roundhouse kick, respectively.
Right now, we were surrounded by a flock of monsters.
[A good request that you can handle, huh?]
At my consultation, Old man Woz started flipping through the files
summarizing the requests.
[Hmm, looking for a lost cat?]
[I'm good at it!]
[It's a request that seemed to be more fitting for Marl. Is there a request for
me?]
[That's right… you must be a fledgling.]
I knew that I had some ability, but I didn't have a track record when it
comes to actual battles.
But you see, I want to do a subjugation quest rather than such a messenger
quest.
[Ah, this is it.]
With that said, Old man Woz issues a request.
Was the client an Adventurer's guild?
[It's not a goblin extermination, just a survey. It's a survey to time the
thinning out because the number of goblins will increase quickly and attack
crops and livestock. But, if you kill the goblins, you will still get a reward
for subjugation.]
[What do we need to get to confirm the subjugation?]
[It'll be recorded on the Adventurer card. But you need to make sure they
die.]
I see, so the card had such a convenient function?
Rather, if such a function was not attached, it would be all-you-can-spoof,
so I guess it's natural?
Otherwise, whether to drag the corpse of the killed prey one by one, ask
someone to confirm it, or bring a part of the body…it's troublesome
anyway.
I could probably manage all that with the help of my inventory though.
[Taichi-san…]
Tug tug.
[Then we'll take that one. Is there a map?]
[Taichi-san.]
Tug tug.
[Oh, this is it. Don't be greedy because all you have to do is check the
situation. Do it with the intention of minimizing the fighting.]
Let's take a look at the map that the old man of Woz moved to.
It seems that the forest near the city is suspicious.
Is it about an hour on foot from the west gate?
[Taichi-san.]
TUG TUG.
[What is it.]
[I have a bad feeling, it's dangerous, let's stop.]
[It IS dangerous, but if you avoid it, you can't be an Adventurer.]
[Well, that's right…]
Marl didn't seem to be very enthusiastic.
Well, she didn't seem to be faking it.
[It's okay, if it gets dangerous, we'll run away and I'll protect you even if
something happens.]
[! Eh, ehehe. Is that so?]
Hearing that, Marl began to wiggle her body shyly.
I didn't mean to, but she's indeed quite easy.
=====
I shot down the jumping goblins with the thrust of the quarterstaff.
The goblins jumped from the side and bit.
It clung to my upper right arm and took a bite, but thanks to the leather
armor, its teeth couldn't reach flesh.
I poked its eyes with the index and middle fingers of my left hand, forcing
it to release its mouth. I then stomped on the rolling goblins several times to
silence them.
[Waa! Taichi-san, 5 more from the right!]
[Got it! Annoying!]
The number of goblins that had newly jumped out from the depths of the
forest were five. With all of them in my sight, I cast Magic Arrow, which I
learned from pure magic level 1.
The magic arrow's activation prompted an image like a lock-on attack in a
shooting game in my vision.
The wind bullets and blades flew to the target location, so to speak, it's like
shooting a gun, but this one shot missiles or homing lasers.
I increased the number of shots by 5, confirmed the targets, and started
focusing magic power.
Five balls of light were generated at the tip of the quarterstaff and started to
rotate.
[Energy Bolt!]
At the same time as shaking the quarterstaff, five arrows of light flew and
pierced the goblins while making a high-pitched metal-like sound.
Holes about as wide as 500 yen coin were produced. The five goblins were
annihilated, probably because they all got hit in the head.
Energy bolt was that strong even though it's just a level 1 magic.
It could target up to 5 enemies and the MP consumption was 25, which was
still more costly than the wind bullet.
Gigege! !?
Guge! Guge!
Perhaps they were surprised that I used magic, and the goblins that
surrounded me became unsettled.
Now was the chance, I'll shoot and kill you.
[Well, what are you going to do ?!]
I used a short sword to stab the still-breathing goblins around.
Although I suffered some hand injuries, the wounds were healed without a
trace by recovery magic.
It was quite shocking to see the wound closing in an instant.
[Uh…I can no longer be a wife like this, but it's okay because I still have
Taichi-san.]
[Move your hands instead of your mouth.]
Marl was also stabbing the goblins that were still alive while her lips
twitched from my words.
By the way, she had to replace her underwear after all the fights.
I also thought I would leak a little.
Although it was obviously natural, it was still mentally difficult to kill a
humanoid monster.
[A total of 29? Can these carcasses sell?]
[It seems that the internal organs are ingredients for medicine, and it sells at
a reasonable price. It can also be used as a food for tamed monsters. Other
than that, the ashes from the burnt bodies can also be used as a magic
catalyst.]
[If so, let's take it home.]
The corpses were stored in the inventory one after another.
However, this kind of knowledge that Marl has was quite valuable to me.
Although she was not useful in battle, I had to admit that her knowledge
was quite helpful in some regards.
[Treasure box is really convenient…I want to have one too.]
[Mine is a bit special. I just can do it somehow, so I can't even teach you
how.]
I cannot say that it was a part of the ability given by a mysterious being
(God?).
[Taichi-san is amazing after all. Normally, if attacked by this many goblins,
two adventurers of F or E rank would have been wiped out.]
I put a stop on all the goblins, and when I put them in, Marl looked at me
with glittering eyes and said so.
About half of the MP was still left, and although I was scratched here and
there, I wasn't seriously injured.
Honestly, I think I can still somehow manage even if there were about 1.5
times more goblins.
My level went up from 3 to 5, and it seemed that a considerable amount of
profit would be made from the subjugation, sale, and request completion
rewards.
[I was pretty scared too, but a game is different from real life after all.]
The feeling of hitting meat, the bodily fluids that were released, and the
convulsions that are transmitted to the hands that hold the blade.
All of them were so real that the core of my body trembled.
I had never felt the feeling of dying in my original world.
[Are you there?]
[…Don't worry, is the mapping okay?]
Even so, I wasn't as upset as I expected, maybe because the reality hadn't
hit me yet.
Or was it because I played a lot of such games?
Because I preferred Western games such as those wandering around the
world after the nuclear war and solo fighting on the battlefield in the near
future rather than domestic games.
The graphics were very realistic these days.
[This is the right way to leave!]
[OK, let's head back with caution.]
Anyway, I survived without injury today.
Let's go home.
=====
[Not often do I see people come back with satisfying results and without
any injuries…]
Old man Woz who checked me and Marl's adventurer card muttered with a
cold sweat.
The subjugation total was 23 for me and 6 for Marl.
Marl's was from her stabbing the ones I failed to kill outright.
[I brought back all the corpses, buy them.]
[What? All of them?]
[All of them]
When I said that, the old man called another guild employee and guided me
and Marl to a place like a warehouse in the back.
So cold. Was it a refrigerated warehouse?
It seemed that cold air was leaking from the glowing crystals hanging on
the ceiling. It's so very fantasy alright.
[I'll put it out.]
I took out the 29 goblin corpses side by side.
Hmmm, it's kind of weird to have this much in the stone.
[A hole in the head…magic?]
[This one also has a hole in its head.]
[The condition is not so bad overall]
The staff, including Old man Woz, inspected the goblin's corpse.
I don't know how much it will cost, but this seems to be quite promising.
[By the way, how much is the subjugation reward?]
[Hmm? Five big bronze coins. Didn't I tell you already?]
What…? That means a total of 29 coins, 145 large bronze coins, 14 silver
coins and 5 large bronze coins!??
You can stay at the inn for 58 days just with the subjugation reward.
It's not a pipe dream to update my equipment.
[Marl, what's the market price for goblin corpses?]
[Hmm, it seems to fluctuate to some extent depending on the demand, but it
seems that it is about 2 to 3 large bronze coins. Recently, there should have
been no large-scale subjugation of goblins, so I think it is not strange if it
sells for 3 large bronze coins.]
[That means 87 large bronze coins, that is, 8 silver coins and 7 large bronze
coins. Will it make about 2 gold coins?]
[As expected, Taichi-san. I wonder if I can earn one silver coin a day no
matter how dangerous my job is!]
[Oh, yeah…]
Set meals were about 2 to 4 bronze coins, drinks were about 1 bronze coin,
and 25 bronze coins for one night with breakfast.
I felt that one bronze coin is about 100 yen.
When converted, a large bronze coin will be worth 1000 yen, a silver coin
will be worth 10,000 yen, and a gold coin will be worth 100,000 yen.
I went out by request from the morning, and now it's past noon.
The income is about 200,000 yen in less than half a day.
Frightening. Becoming an adventurer was too profitable.
No, it may be natural because I still had to stay alive despite the danger.
It also may not be that much considering the cost of maintaining my
equipment.
Taken by the old man of Woz, we returned to the original counter.
[A total of 25 silver coins and 5 large bronze coins, including the
subjugation reward, the purchase of materials, and the achievement reward
for the request. Please check the amount.]
Old man Woz put out a piece of paper with something like letters on it.
When I checked it, it seemed that the goblin corpse was bought with 3 large
bronze coins per body.
Two silver coins as a reward are added to it.
The request reward was small, wasn't it? No, it was originally a request
only for reconnaissance without the need to fight, so it's like this.
[What about distribution?]
[Oh, distribution…what's wrong? I honestly don't know what to do in that
area.]
If it's a game, it may be set to equal division by default, but that's not the
case here.
[Usually, it is calculated based on the number of subjugations and the
degree of contribution to the achievement of the request…]
[I just stabbed a goblin that Taichi had defeated! I'm not as active as the tip
of my little finger in combat!]
Why did this girl make an onomatopoeic expression there?
It's correct to say that.
[If the miss says this…]
Old man Woz scratches his head as if he was in trouble.
Meanwhile, I separated 5 silver coins from 25 silver coins and moved them
toward Marl.
Marl and the old man made a funny face.
[The mapping was done by Marl alone, and she noticed the goblins before
me and warned me. It was easy to understand during the battle and told me
how many enemies were approaching from which direction. There was no
doubt that I was responsible for most of the battle, so five silver coins.]
And I divide another 10 silver coins and move them toward Marl.
[So, this is a shared property of me and Marl's party. I'll leave the
management to Marl. From now on, it's to pay for my life and Marl's living
expenses and other miscellaneous expenses. How about ease of
convenience from here?]
As long as you're useless in battle, you will be asked to take care of
troublesome miscellaneous things.
I was just too lazy to manage all that, yup.
However, Marl had full-blown joy on her face.
She looked so happy despite that. Was she a masochist or something?
[And I will get the rest.]
That's why I got 10 silver coins and 1 large bronze coin.
The quarterstaff made an unpleasant noise earlier, so I felt like I should
work on a better weapon.
Wood was not good, since it got steadily damaged even against the poor
goblin weapons.
I felt like it would break if I used it as it is.
[I'm going to the weapon shop and I'll do something about it…what about
you, Marl?]
[Oh, I also go to the weapon shop. I want to look for weapons that can
support Taichi!]
Marl squeezed her fists and pumped herself up.
She had a short sword on her waist, but she could only hit the opponents
who couldn't move.
It may be better to practice so that it can be used better.
[Well, let's go then? See you, old man.]
[See you tomorrow.]
We left the Adventurer's Guild and headed to the Weapon Shop.
[Ehehe.]
Marl walks sideways with a smile.15
I'm not used to the sight of a girl who could be said to be beautiful
smilingly walking next to me, even if she expressed it rather conservatively.
I didn't feel any discomfort anymore, but you see, I had a metabolic
syndrome full of happiness, right?
Before that happened, I had been dating a girl…well, I did what I did, but
the way I parted with her was not great.
Since then, I hadn't been interested in love. Oh. I'm going to get depressed.
I arrived at the weapon shop while recovering from the trauma of my past.
Well, I wish I had an affordable weapon.
=====
~ Goblins ~
Their individual ability was inferior to healthy adult males who were not
trained (or have no combat skills).
However, the risk was unexpectedly high because they formed tribes, acted
in groups, and used poor and unsanitary weapons.
The wounds caused by the weapon were difficult to heal, and if not properly
treated, it would easily fester and make someone ill.
You also had to be careful as they had strong fertility and could make
human females mother their offspring.
Because of the high fertility mentioned above, they were difficult to
eradicate, and it was an extremely dangerous monster for children and
women with weak power, so subjugation requests were always made.
Ironically, they made for a good source of income for adventurers.