abcnovels
Chapter 18 - Pathetic?Adventurer (Second)
Chapter 18 - Pathetic?Adventurer (Second)
Chapter 18: Pathetic?Adventurer (Second)
WhenI made the new medicine and returned to the forest, Heath-san greeted me with a face full of smiles.
“Mr. Shopkeeper. I’d like to go to your store bringing baked goods next time, but what would you like?”
“Eh. What is this, all of a sudden...”
“Oh nono, it would be impolite to head to your shop without a house gift, right?”
Smiling, the ossan adventurer rubbed his hands together.
This time he’s trying to get into my good graces!
“Ms. Mina ... I mean, does Mina-chan also like baked goods?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Fumufumu. Fumufumufumu ... mufu-...”
With a smile like he had understood something, Heath-san nodded.
His comrades shook their heads in disgust as if to say good grief.
In this situation, just when did Heath-san become like this, I wonder.
“This small bottle has the detoxification agent that I explained just before in it. Please get this in the kodra’s mouth.”
When I went to hand it over to any one of the adventurers, everyone averted their eyes.
They’re like elementary schoolers trying to avoid the teacher calling on them in the middle of class.
“Um, so this –“
“”””..........””””
They aren’t meeting my eyes at all.
They’re putting their hands in their pockets and clasping them behind their backs, and I can’t see their intention to take it at all.
These guys...!
Oi oi, this was originally a subjugation quest, right?
Why are they refusing to get close to it?
We’ll subjugate it, ya know? Smirk! Smirk smiiiirk! – even though they were totally giving off that feeling.
The vital kodra in question is currently lying obediently on the ground.
Heath-san muttered.
“It’s fine if ... Mr Shopkeeper goes ... ... Like, you’re the best at knowing, like, how to use the medicine...”
Yeah, yeah; his comrades are in agreement.
This group of ossan adventurers...!
“Aaaah, geez, I get it, I get it! I’ll do it. Because I’ll be troubled if I can’t gather medicinal herbs! Because the lumberjacks and hunters are also troubled!”
The ossan adventurers applauded me, as if in admiration.
“You just want to do the cool stuff when you’re young, after all.”1
“Yeah – I totally also had this stage in life -, how nostalgic -. I would do anything, like, without sleeping, it was seriously bad; I totally did! Kinda like that.”
“Yo-, Mr. Shopkeeper, you’re so manly-!”
“You all are, like, so annoying.”(Reiji)
Tug tug; Noela pulled on my sleeve.
“Master, ride Noela. Swoosh, pop, gulp gulp.”
... Noela-san, I totally don’t get what you mean.
For now, it’s fine if I just get on Noela, right?
I got on the back of Noela, who became a wolf.
Pop is probably the sound of the kodra’s mouth opening, so gulp gulp means to make it drink ... probably.
When Noela began to run, the resting kodra glared over at us.
Uwah... scary.
“Buoooo! Oooo...!”
Ignoring the howling kodra, Noela ran.
When the kodra opened it’s mouth, we began to see red flames building up.
Now!
I aimed at the kodra’s mouth and threw the small bottle.
As the small bottle spun, the contents were sucked into its mouth.
Gulp.
The kodra’s eyes widened in surprise and it gulped.
Alright, it drank it!
Stopping a little bit away from it, I got down off of Noela.
Noela immediately returned to beast girl mode.
“Situation, over.”
“Is it over...?”
I can’t tell if anything had been ended after it drank it.
It seems like the werewolf Noela can tell the nuances.
The kodra lay down again.
“BuoruuUUuU...”
It looks kind of like it’s in pain.
Is it okay?
According to the Appraisal skill, that item shouldn’t have had any problems.
“Mr. Shopkeeper – Good Job!”
It was the moment Heath-san gave me a thumbs up.
Pssssssh-!
Along with that vivid sound, the kodra expelled some water-ish something.
Or like, no matter how you think of it, it peed.
The capacity and vigor of the pee is, of course, dragon grade, and in the end, the ossan adventurers were bathed in that shower for three minutes.
“”””..........””””
It was a situation we hadn’t imagined, and everyone froze.
“Buooo...”
The kodra had a face like it was completely refreshed.
“Master, kodra, refreshed.”
“Yeah, I also got that.”
Promotes expulsion... I also feel like that effect is too good.
It has that detox effect, I guess.
But is strange state is healed, the kodra is also refreshed, and everyone wins.
The kodra, who had realized we were here, walked away.
I plucked up all the arimana grass I could find so that this wouldn’t happen again.
“... ... This is why I didn’t want to do it! Don’t underestimate monsters, hey, listen to me!”
“Weren’t you all for it, though!? We’ll, like, totally rake it in, yeah -, for reals– isn’t that what you said?”
“Well, I got to meet Mina-chan, so it’s actually a plus. Mufu!”
“So friggin’ creepy, an old ossan like you. The heck is with ‘Mina-chan’?”
“HAAAAAAA-!? YOU’RE the ossan, right -!!?”
The fellow ossans who had been showered on got into a scuffle of a fight.
AaAah... AaAah...
Good, get him, get him.
“I wonder why the kodra ate the arimana grass.”
“Don’t know. Kodra eats corpses, and also fruits.”
I searched for the fruits Noela told me about, but I couldn’t find any.
“Did the kodra eat them all?”
“Fruits, aaall over. But right now, on the ground.”
According to Noela, it looks like the fruits it usually eats is in clusters like grapes and grow everywhere.
It eats when they’re all clustered together, but all the ones in the area have fallen to the ground and are scattered.
“Did it eat the grass because it had no choice when what it usually eats is gone?”
If that’s how it is, then it can’t be helped.
The ossan adventurers all have swollen faces, and the three of them are lying on the ground in the shape of “?.”
“... You, you’re pretty good, ain’t ya?”
“Ha, I’m stronger than you. It’s natural.”
“What the heck are we doing...”
That’s what I want to ask.
The three ossans completely threw the quest to me and lived out their ‘youth’.
“Noela, we’re returning. – If there’s anything else, come to Kirio Drug-!”
When I said so in a loud voice, a weak “Y-eah,” was returned.
Their attitudes are like THAT, but they aren’t exactly bad people, na-.
When we left the forest and returned to the house, Mina came runing out.
“Reiji-san, Noela-san, welcome back.”
“Mina. Master, played big role.”
“Oh my~ is that so?”
When Noela told Mina the whole story, albeit poorly, Mina suddenly made a face like she was going to cry.
She’s now staring at me.
“Huh... Mina? What’s wrong?”
“... Reiji-san isn’t an adventurer, isn’t that right? Wouldn’t I be worried? How did this turn into such a dangerous affair? If anything happened to Reiji-san, then – I...”
Ah-. So it’s about when I approached the kodra?
When I think about it now, I think that it was quite reckless of me, who can’t fight much.
“Sorry, I’ll be careful.”
Mina, who was imagining “what if” gulped, and tears fell as she cried.
“D,d-d-d-don’t cry! I properly returned, right?”
“Reiji-san ... is a pharmacist... you can’t do anything dangerous.”
“If Master... Noela sad...”
Just by imagining it, Noela bawled and her tears welled up.
She clung to me and began to cry.
“Master, not allowed... dying, not allowed...”
“Why is Noela also -!? Calm down, Noela, I’m right here, right-? I’m not dead yet, right-?”
When I patted her head and stroked her back, Mina also thrust her face into my chest and cried.”
“Fuwaaaaaa, Reiji-saaaan...”
Just like that, I hugged the two and patted their heads.
“From now on, I won’t do anything to make the two of you worried.”
“Yes, if you would...”
“Master, Noela will protect...”
The two of them think more of me than I expected.
This is many times more effective than getting lectured.
The next morning.
Heath-san came over, having bought a large amount of baked goods.
“Mr. Shopkeeper, Mr. Shopkeeper-! We were totally in your debt for yesterday, hahaha.”
He ended up coming over right away.
Does this world not have polite speech?
He’s not in the adventurer style but an outfit like a suit, that’s this world’s formal wear, and he’s holding a bouquet in one hand.
“Aah, welcome. ... What do you need today?”
“- Is Mina-chan here...?”
Mina was just watching the store, but Noela had sensed his presence and called for me.
And so we kind of changed places.
Right now, Noela and Mina are watching from the door.
Yesterday, Mina had said, “He was looking at me with strange eyes, so I don’t like him.”
“I believe she’s doing housework right now.”
“I see... then will you hand this over to her?”
With a rustle, Heath-san placed the bouquet and treats on the counter.
“Then, if anything else comes up, we’ll come to Mr. Shopkeeper for a consultation. – Farewell!”
“We’re not a consulting office, so please stop with the consultations already-“
Did he hear me or not? He left with a cheerful “Ha ha ha.”
He’s so energetic you wouldn’t think he had been bathed in a kodra pee shower yesterday.
I think if it were me, I would be depressed and wouldn’t walk around outside for about three days.
Opening the door, Mina came out.
“Waa-! Baked treats again-! I’m so happy-!”
“Mina, are you perhaps easy...?”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“No, it’s nothing. Are you happy even if it’s someone you don’t like who brought the flowers and sweets?”
Noela has thrown the box away and began munching away.
“I mean, the flowers and treats didn’t do anything wrong, right? ...Ah. If Reiji-san also bought something for me, then I would be delighted no matter what, you know?”
Mina smiled.
Maybe I, who was thinking what I should buy to give her next time, can’t say anything about Mina being easy.
When I gave a strained smiled and looked outside at nothing in particular, a dark shadow came down in front of the store.
Flap – flap = flap-.
A noise that rent the air became more distant, and when I left the store, the kodra from yesterday was flying past in the sky.
“Master, Master, this.”
When I turned at Noela’s voice, there were many red fruits left on top of a leaf.
“Rockshou fruit: A fruit with an unusually grand fragrance. A high-class ingredient.”
Did it come to deliver this...?
I don’t know if it’s an apology or a thank you, but I yelled, “Thank you,” towards the kodra that was getting smaller and smaller in the distance.