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The mabeast hunter, who had interrupted the conversation between Calcedonia and Eru, shot Eru a sharp glare.

“And you, Hostess. Your prank’s a little mean, no? Making a newbie go forage for medicinal herbs at this time of year?”
“U-um, well… I was sure Calcie-san would stop him… I never imagined she’d just smile and send Tatsumi-san off like that…”

Eru looked flustered as she kept glancing back and forth between the mabeast hunter, Calcedonia, and the tavern’s entrance.

“I-I have to hurry after Tatsumi-san and stop him…”

Eru came rushing out from behind the counter and tried to dash out of the tavern.

However, Calcedonia, who was still seated at the counter, stopped her.

“Don’t worry. My husband will be back with the Gurendan herb in just one hour.”

The “one hour” Calcedonia referred to was the interval between the temple’s time-announcing bells; One hour here equaled two hours on Earth.

“Come on now, ‘Holy Maiden.’ That’s just impossible, isn’t it?”

The mabeast hunter who had interrupted her shrugged his shoulders in exasperation.

“This town is huge. Just walking from this shop to the South Gate takes a considerable amount of time. From the South Gate to the forest further south—in this season, it’ll take at least one hour on foot, no matter what. Sure, there’s an unobstructed plain stretching all the way to the forest, but that’s only true during the snow-free season. At this time of year, the snow will bog down your feet, and you won’t be able to move as you please.”

The snow-free season versus the snow-covered season. It goes without saying which one takes longer to travel through.

“Besides, even though Gurendan grows year-round, just finding it is a challenge this time of year. After all, the whole area is covered in snow.”

You have to make your way across the snowfield, shoveling through the snow, and then dig aimlessly through it to search for the herb.

Even though you’re only looking for a single plant, finding it in this vast, silver-white landscape is by no means easy—it’s backbreaking work that drains both physical and mental energy.

“Besides, it’s almost the fifth hour, you know? There are only two hours left until sunset. If someone who isn’t used to this season were to camp out, they might freeze to death… Calcie-san, does Tatsumi-san have any experience camping in this season?”

The “fifth hour” Eru mentioned corresponds to 2:00 p.m., and four hours later, at the “seventh hour”—6:00 p.m.—the sun will set.

Since the round trip from the city gates to the forest takes four hours, there would be almost no time left to search for medicinal herbs if Tatsumi had to make the trip while it was still light out.

“My husband did undergo camping training as part of his training at the temple during snow-free seasons, but I don’t think he’s had any experience camping during the snowy season.”

Tatsumi, too, had experience camping outdoors as part of his training during his time as an apprentice soldier priest. However, as Calcedonia pointed out, that was during the snowless season.

In the bitter cold of the current season, Tatsumi had never spent a night outdoors.

And as Eru said, if he were to carelessly set up camp outdoors during this season, there’s even a chance he could freeze to death and never wake up again.

Hearing Calcedonia’s reply, Eru and the mabeast hunter grew even more anxious.

However, Calcedonia remained completely calm, showing no sign of panic whatsoever.

“Hey, ‘Holy Maiden.’ Are you really sure about this? If things keep going like this, that guy might not come back, you know? He’s a good guy to you, right?”
“That’s right, Calcie-san. If things keep going like this, Tatsumi-san will end up just like Linto-san said…”

The mabeast hunter named Linto was worried as if it were his own problem. Apparently, he was the kind of person who cared deeply about others.

Caledonia took another look at the mabeast hunter named Linto.

He was in his mid-thirties to early forties. Exuding an air of authority, he must be a highly skilled mabeast hunter.

In fact, all the gear he wore was made from mabeast materials—and all from mabeasts that couldn’t be hunted by someone with just average skills.

He was genuinely concerned for Tatsumi as if he were his own family, which made a favorable impression on Calcedonia as well.

“It’s all right. My husband will be back soon. Of course, only after he’s successfully obtained the medicinal herbs he’s after.”

So Calcedonia replied to Linto with a smile.

.

After that, an eerie atmosphere enveloped the interior of the pavilion.

Eru and Linto, among others, fidgeted restlessly, glancing repeatedly toward the entrance. Occasionally, other patrons would open the door, and each time, they would cast hopeful glances that quickly turned to disappointment.

The attitudes of the other mabeast hunters varied.

Some were completely indifferent to Tatsumi’s situation, while others, like Linto, would occasionally glance at the door with concern.

Some were even placing bets on whether Tatsumi would return alive, creating a slightly chaotic atmosphere.

Amidst all this, only Calcedonia remained completely at ease, sipping the tea Eru had brewed for her.

And then.

And then, just as the hours Calcedonia had mentioned a short while ago was about to pass…

“I’m back… wait, what?”

With that remarkably carefree greeting, Tatsumi returned to the Elf’s Restful Pavilion.

The mabeast hunters present at the Elf’s Restful Pavilion all turned their surprised gazes toward Tatsumi at once.

Wondering inwardly about the strange atmosphere inside the tavern, Tatsumi approached the counter where Calcedonia and Eru were waiting.

“Here you go, Eru-san. Is this what you wanted?”

As he said this, Tatsumi held out a lush medicinal herb with patches of snow still clinging to it and soil clinging to its roots.

It was the Gurendan herb—the goal of Tatsumi’s exam.

“……I-it’s definitely Gurendan herb, but… h-how on earth did you manage to get it in such a short time…?”
“That’s… a secret, if you don’t mind.”

Tatsumi gave a little wink.

It wasn’t like he needed to hide anything, but there was no point in bragging about his abilities for no reason. Tatsumi decided as much and brushed off Eru’s question.

Linto, too, was staring intently at the medicinal herb Tatsumi had gathered.

“…………Hmm… You didn’t just buy these from a store somewhere, did you? Judging by the condition of the soil and snow, I’d say you picked them not too long ago… Brother, where did you find this Gurendan herb?”
“Obviously, the place Eru-san told me—near the South Forest.”
“No, it’s true that the only place around here where Gurendan grows is near the Southern Forest… but how on earth did you make it all the way to the Southern Forest in such a short time…? Brother, are you a mage by any chance?”
“Yes, I’m a mage.”

As he answered Linto with a smile, Tatsumi added silently to himself, “To be precise, I’m a mana user.”

Linto crossed his arms and grunted, staring intently at the Gurendan grass Tatsumi had gathered.

Behind him, the other mabeast hunters displayed a variety of reactions.

Some were impressed that Tatsumi had gathered the medicinal herb in such a short time; others suspected he’d cheated; and still others wore pained expressions after losing their bets.

Amidst all this, Calcedonia—the only one who never doubted Tatsumi’s ability to pass the test—stood up with a beaming smile and approached him.

“Good work, darling. And welcome back.”
“Yeah. I’m back, Calcie.”

They gazed at each other, smiling. There was no need for unnecessary conversation between them.

Eru and Linto watched the pair, not sure whether to be impressed or exasperated.

Various teasing remarks also flew from the other mabeast hunters present in the tavern.

But to Calcedonia, as long as it was Tatsumi she was with, all that teasing was simply words of congratulations, and Tatsumi, too, had grown accustomed to such reactions lately.

Tatsumi turned his gaze toward Eru and asked about the results of the exam.

“So, did you pass the exam?”
“Of course! I, Erulala Zaphyra Fyrasilula Akatsuka, as the proprietor of the Elf’s Restful Pavilion, hereby recognize you, Tatsumi-san, as an otherwise rookie mabeast hunter!”

As Eru made her declaration, cheers erupted from the crowd.

“Good luck from here on out, rookie!”
“Don’t get too cocky and try anything reckless.”
“Don’t get hurt and make that beauty sad.”
“Don’t get too familiar with the hostess, you hear me?”

Many mabeast hunters called out various remarks to Tatsumi.

While some acted as if Tatsumi’s presence was none of their business, the majority seemed to welcome him warmly.

And so,

Tatsumi was officially recognized as one of the mabeast hunters who frequented the Elf’s Restful Pavilion.

.

Centered around Tatsumi and Calcedonia, the friendly mabeast hunters formed a circle and kept asking how they’d managed to bring back the Gurendan herb in such a short time.

“Well, you see, I used a little magic.”
“My husband’s magic was a perfect fit for this herb-hunting mission.”

Tatsumi and Calcedonia answered the mabeast hunters’ questions with those words.

Eru, Linto, and the others seemed eager to hear the details of the magic, but since Tatsumi and Calcedonia weren’t going into it, they probably didn’t intend to press the matter further.

In fact, the nature of this test and the characteristics of Tatsumi’s magic were a good match.

The biggest problem with this test was, of course, the massive amount of snow that had accumulated.

The snow hindered movement and concealed the target medicinal herbs.

However, it wasn’t much of an obstacle in the face of Tatsumi’s magic.

By using “Instant Teleportation,” he could move without being hindered by the snow.

In the city, he could travel across rooftops, and once outside the city, there was almost nothing to obstruct his view, so “Instant Teleportation” posed no problems.

However, Tatsumi’s “Instant Teleportation” does have some limitations.

Although Tatsumi is privy to what is effectively an inexhaustible supply of mana, there is a limit to the amount he can store within himself.

That total amount is lower than Calcedonia’s and only slightly higher than that of an average mage.

Once, when he first used Instant Teleportation to fight the Specter, he handled a far greater amount of mana at once than Calcedonia did; however, that was because he was in a sort of runaway state at the time, and under normal circumstances, Tatsumi cannot use that much mana.

Since the amount of mana consumed is proportional to the distance teleported, there is inevitably a limit to how far he can teleport at one time.

However, since mana that has been depleted to zero is fully restored the very next moment, even if there is a limit to the distance he can teleport in a single go, he can simply repeat the process over and over.

After using teleportation repeatedly to reach the vicinity of the Southern Forest in just a few minutes, Tatsumi took a short break to recover his stamina, then decided to search for medicinal herbs.

And here, too, Tatsumi’s “Instant Teleportation” proved its worth.

With his sword still sheathed, Tatsumi drew a circle of appropriate size in the snow. Then, he instantly teleported all the snow inside the circle to a spot a short distance away.

This way, he didn’t have to go through the hard labor of digging up the snow.

Incidentally, he drew the circle on the snow because it was easier to visualize the transfer if the area of snow to be moved was clearly visible.

After repeating this a few times, he was able to find the medicinal herb he was looking for.

Once he found the herb, there was no need to rush anymore.

Tatsumi took the opportunity to examine the vegetation along the forest’s outer edge. If he remembered where certain trees and plants grew, it might come in handy someday.

Since this was a forest near the capital, there were no dangerous animals or mabeasts in sight. Tatsumi leisurely explored a reasonable area, and once he felt his stamina had recovered, he gathered the herbs again and returned to the city by teleporting back the same way he’d come.

.

“Oh, that’s right! Say, Tatsumi-san, would you like to exchange phone numbers and email addresses?”

While Tatsumi and Calcedonia were having a pleasant conversation with the mabeast hunters, Eru suddenly blurted that out.

“Well, I’d be happy to exchange them, but cell phones don’t even work in this world, you know?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the vibe, you know, the vibe. Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve exchanged phone numbers!”

Seeing how happy Eru looked, Tatsumi gave a wry smile.

Eru was certainly right—since coming to this world, she probably hadn’t had a single opportunity to exchange cell phone numbers or email addresses.

Even though it probably wouldn’t function like a real cell phone, it wouldn’t hurt to go along with exchanging numbers and addresses just for the sake of it.

“You’re right. Well then, let’s do it—just for the, uh, vibe.”

As Tatsumi took out his cell phone again, Eru also pulled a thin, transparent, palm-sized device from her pocket.

“Could that be… a cell phone from the 2080s?”
“Yes. There were also implantable models that were directly embedded in the brain, but my husband didn’t like those, so I went with this one too.”
“I see. That’s the near future for you. But how do you charge this thing?”
“Hehe. Actually, I brought quite a few things with me when I came over here.”

When Tatsumi looked in the direction Eru was pointing with such confidence, he saw a small, palm-sized device sitting in a sunny spot by the shop window.

Of course, it was the first time Tatsumi had seen such a device, but he could still vaguely guess what it was for.

“Is that… by any chance, a small solar power generator?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. That said, it doesn’t generate enough power to run the entire shop. At most, it’ll power a few small appliances in my private room.”

It seemed Eru had made thorough preparations before crossing over to this world.

If Tatsumi had had time to prepare before crossing over, what on earth would he have brought with him?

As he tried to think about it, Tatsumi quickly gave up.

It’s too late to change the past now. Besides, Tatsumi had acquired a treasure in this world that was far more valuable than any convenient appliance or even the most delicious, familiar dishes.

After using his cell phone to exchange numbers and addresses with Eru, he smiled at that treasure—the platinum-haired woman sitting next to him.

“Is something wrong, darling?”
“Nothing at all. I’m just happy you’re here beside me, Calcie”

At Tatsumi’s words, Calcedonia, too, smiled happily, her cheeks flushing slightly.