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After accepting a request to gather medicinal herbs at the Elf’s Restful Pavilion, Tatsumi returned home with Calcedonia.

Tatsumi pulled out a full set of equipment from the attic storage room and, with Calcedonia’s help, put it on piece by piece.

Hardened leather armor, a round shield, and a one-handed sword.

All of this equipment was a gift from Calcedonia.

It was high-quality gear imbued with Calcedonia’s wish to be of even the slightest help to Tatsumi as he set out to hunt magical beasts.

That said, they aren’t top-of-the-line. Still, for a novice, they certainly fall into the category of high-grade equipment.

Tatsumi also straps on a backpack, small pouches, a water bag, a knife, and a hunting knife, then asks Calcedonia to give it a final check.

“Yes, everything’s fine. But please, don’t let your guard down, okay?”
“Yeah, I know. By the way, you’ll be waiting at home, right?”
“If I accompany you, it’ll slow you down, darling. Since today is just a simple herb-gathering trip, I’m staying home to prepare dinner.”
“I see. It wouldn’t make much difference if I teleported while carrying you, though… but the meals you make are delicious. I’m looking forward to coming home.”
“Hearing you say that… w-well… makes me happy…”

Praised by Tatsumi, Calcedonia blushed happily.

At that moment, she secretly imagined herself being carried by Tatsumi—in a princess carry—but that was a maiden’s secret.

“Well then, I’m off.”
“Yes, have a safe trip.”

Their lips drew closer without either of them realizing it, and eventually the distance between them was zero.

.

Tatsumi walked slowly down the main street of Levantis.

The sun was still high in the sky today. He figured that once he left the city, he could teleport to the area where the medicinal herbs grew that Eru had told him about.

Having made that decision, Tatsumi walked along the main street, which had been thoroughly cleared of snow.

However.

Tatsumi had noticed that several people were following him from behind.

Pretending to browse the goods at the street stalls lining the edge of the main street, he checked behind him out of the corner of his eye and saw several mabeast hunters he’d seen at the Elf’s Restful Pavilion.

*(I see. They’re trying to figure out how I’ll find medicinal herbs so quickly…)*

As Eru had said, gathering medicinal herbs during this season is surprisingly profitable.

During the cold season, the number of medicinal herbs that grow inevitably decreases, and even if they do grow, they’re buried under the snow, so gathering them requires time and effort.

That’s why the prices of medicinal herbs skyrocket during this time of year.

Of course, some herbs were gathered before the snow fell and have been processed, such as through drying. However, there are types of herbs that don’t keep well, so for those, one has no choice but to rely on freshly gathered herbs.

Collecting those herbs is the nature of Tatsumi’s current commission.

The mabeast hunters tailing him are likely planning to mimic Tatsumi’s methods during this lucrative herb-gathering season to earn money more efficiently than at other times of the year.

*(Well, they’re free to follow me if they want… but I don’t have to adjust my pace to suit them, do I?)*

Tatsumi pulled his fur coat tightly around himself to ward off the cold, slowly building up mana within his body.

Stealing others’ techniques is a sign of ambition and is by no means a bad thing. Tatsumi understands that, too.

That said, his teleportation magic isn’t something they could imitate even if they tried, and he certainly doesn’t need to adjust his pace to suit the bunch who’ve decided to tag along on their own.

As he walked slowly down the main street toward the South Gate, Tatsumi kept an eye out for any presence behind him.

It seemed his pursuer had no real intention of hiding their tail from the start, following at the same pace a short distance behind Tatsumi.

*(Well, just how far do they plan to follow me…?)*

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, Tatsumi unleashed all the mana he’d been storing in one go.

.

A certain young mabeast hunter who had recently begun frequenting the Elf’s Restful Pavilion.

No, since he hasn’t achieved anything yet, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him a mabeast hunter apprentice.

The fact that this apprentice was on such intimate terms with the hostess of the Elf’s Restful Pavilion was rubbing some of the establishment’s regulars the wrong way.

These particular regulars were the ones who had become completely smitten with the hostess’ personality and beauty and had started taking on jobs at the tavern.

Of course, everyone knew that the hostess was a widow and still harbored feelings for her late husband.

There were plenty of others besides them who had confessed their feelings to her. However, not a single one of them has ever received her approval.

She always maintains the relationship of “tavern owner and patron” with everyone, treating them at times with warmth and at times with strictness.

It is precisely because of this that the regulars who frequent the tavern trust her, and some even worship her.

And now, a newcomer is getting closer to her than necessary. It’s only natural that his presence would irritate her devotees.

Some of her devotees even asked the hostess directly what kind of relationship she had with that newbie.

“Well… he’s from the same hometown as my husband, so I feel a bit of a connection with him. Besides… if I had a son… if I’d had a child with that man, he might have grown up to be just like him. When I think of that, I just can’t help but look out for him.”

“It’s kind of like the mindset of an aunt watching over a child’s growth, I suppose,” she continued with a laugh.

Apparently, upon learning that she had no romantic feelings for the newbie, her devotees all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Even so, every time they saw the newbie chatting happily with the hostess in a foreign language they couldn’t understand, the flames of jealousy flared within them.

What’s more, that newbie was always accompanied by a beautiful woman.

It was immediately clear that the two were engaged, as they were both wearing earrings of the same design.

The fact that he was on such friendly terms with the hostess while having such a beautiful fiancée only added fuel to the flames of the devotees’ jealousy. Later, when it became known that the beautiful woman by his side was the “Holy Maiden” of the Temple of Savaiv—the subject of rumors throughout the town—the flames grew even fiercer.

Even so, no one considered ambushing that newbie. Well, perhaps there were a few who fantasized about ambushing him in their hearts, but it would be more accurate to say that no one actually put those thoughts into action.

The hostess of the Elf’s Restful Pavilion deeply dislikes any quarrels among her regulars. If someone were to ambush that newbie and word of it reached the hostess’s ears, the perpetrator would be banned from the establishment for good.

On top of that, it was obvious to everyone that the newbie was no mere beginner.

While he was certainly still inexperienced, he was by no means an amateur. Attacking him might result in a brutal counterattack.

Moreover, the “Holy Maiden of the Temple of Savaiv” was always by his side.

The “Holy Maiden of the Temple of Savaiv,” a relative of the Supreme Pontiff of the Savaiv Faith. If they were to accidentally injure that Holy Maiden, it could very well turn the Temple of Savaiv itself into an enemy.

Naturally, not a single regular at the Elf’s Restful Pavilion was foolish enough to attempt a sneak attack under such circumstances.

.

Even so, some of the hostess’s loyal followers harbored negative feelings toward the newbie.

And today, they happened to overhear that the newbie had accepted a request to gather medicinal herbs.

“…That guy, taking on a job to gather medicinal herbs at this time of year… Is he an idiot?”
“Huh? What, you didn’t know? That newbie went through a medicinal herb gathering trial set by the hostess the other day and actually pulled it off in no time at all!”
“Gathering herbs this time of year in such a short time? How on earth did he do it?”
“How the hell should I know? He won’t even tell the hostess how he did it.”
“It’s probably just that ‘Holy Maiden’ from the Temple of Survival sitting right next to him—she must’ve used some kind of magic, right? Like, melted the snow with fire magic or something?”
“Nope. The ‘Holy Maiden’ stayed here at the inn that time; he went out all by himself. So she’s not involved. Besides, if you melted the snow with fire magic, the medicinal herbs would probably burn right along with it.”
“Then how…?”

They exchanged glances and scratched their heads. They had no idea how the newbie had managed to gather the herbs so quickly.

“Listen… Why don’t we just follow him and figure out his method? If it’s something we can copy, we could make some good money gathering herbs this time of year, right?”
“That sounds great. Gathering herbs this time of year isn’t a bad way to make money.”

Having decided to follow the newbie, they discussed the best course of action.

From the looks of it, the newbie wasn’t wearing any gear today. If that’s the case, he’d probably head back to his place to get ready.

When it comes to gathering herbs, the spot is near the South Forest. Naturally, he’d have to exit the town through the South Gate.

Having reached that conclusion, they decided to lie in wait for the newbie on the main street leading to the South Gate and then follow him.

Their prediction proved correct, and they spotted the newbie—now fully equipped—walking alone at a leisurely pace.

“What do you think? Should we just follow him quietly like this?”
“Come on, let’s just follow him openly. There’s nothing wrong with mimicking someone else’s moves. After all, we mabeast hunters learn our skills by imitating others’ actions.”

Having decided on a course of action, they followed the newbie while maintaining a safe distance.

Eventually, after confirming that the newbie had exited through the South Gate, they slowly followed him out.

Although snow lay on the plains, there was, as expected, little snow on the main road where people traveled.

They assumed the newbie would walk along the main road as much as possible before heading toward the southern forest. However, upon realizing the newbie was nowhere to be seen on the road, their eyes widened in surprise.

“H-hey!? Where the hell did that newbie go!?”
“There’s no doubt he went out through the South Gate!! Isn’t he hiding around there!?”
“H-hey!! W-wait, isn’t that the newbie over there!?”

When the rest of the group looked in the direction one of them was pointing, they could indeed see the newbie’s back in the middle of the snow-covered plain far off in the distance.

“H-how did he get all the way out there…? It hasn’t even been that long since he left the gate…”
“Plus, there’s no sign of a trail in the snow… If you walk across a snow-covered plain, you’re bound to leave a trail no matter what…”
“H-hey, wait a minute… isn’t that newbie getting farther and farther away…?”

When they looked at the newbie’s back again after hearing that, they saw it was getting smaller and smaller.

“H-how the hell is he moving at that speed in all this snow…?”

In the end, they could do nothing but stand there, watching the newbie’s back grow smaller and smaller.

.

Tatsumi arrived near the forest in the blink of an eye. Just like last time, he used “Instant Teleportation” to clear away the snow, then compared the grass that appeared from beneath it one by one with the images he’d taken with his cell phone camera.

Naturally, since he had to gather several types of medicinal herbs this time, it took more effort and time than last time.

Still, he patiently repeated the same process and managed to gather the required number of medicinal herbs.

He carefully sorted the collected herbs by type and placed them into small bags to prevent them from getting damaged.

“…All right, that’s it. Now all that’s left is to return to the [Elf’s Resting Inn] and hand the herbs over to Eru-san.”

He checked the time on his watch and saw that there was still plenty of time before sunset.

Near the entrance to the forest, Tatsumi sat down on a fallen tree trunk protruding from the snow and decided to take a short break.

He took out the packed lunch Calcedonia had prepared from his backpack and ate it. Afterward, he used stones he’d gathered to build a makeshift fire pit, filled the pot he’d brought with snow, and placed it on top of the fire.

He cast the “Ignite” spell to light a torch, then used the flame to heat the pot, melting the snow and bringing the water to a boil.

“…Calcie was definitely right—it was the right call to have her teach me the ‘Ignite’ spell.”

Lately, Tatsumi had been learning a few useful spells for daily life from Calcie.

That said, the only spell he’s currently able to cast is “Ignition”—a spell he was put through intense training for by Calcedonia, who insisted, “It’ll definitely come in handy if you can use it.”

Since Tatsumi has no aptitude for the Fire element, even “Ignition”—the absolute basics of Fire magic—won’t activate unless he chants it repeatedly, and it requires a considerable amount of mana. Even so, the “Ignition” spell, which he could use as easily as a lighter, was indeed convenient.

After brewing tea with the boiled water and warming himself by drinking it, Tatsumi finished his break and returned to the town of Levantis.

On the way, he used “Instant Teleportation” to bypass a few mabeast hunters who were struggling to make their way through the snow, and Tatsumi made his way back to the town of Levantis.

.

Tatsumi returned to the Elf’s Restful Pavilion.

Seeing him step through the door and enter the shop, the hostess, Eru, approached him with a slightly troubled expression.

“Um, Tatsumi-san. Shortly after you left the shop a little while ago, a new prospective mabeast hunter came in…”

Eru glanced briefly behind her. When Tatsumi followed her gaze, he saw a man with an unusual appearance standing there.

He was considerably taller than Tatsumi. He was undoubtedly over 180 centimeters—and might even be over 190.

His posture was flawless, and even through his winter fur coat, it was easy to imagine that his body was thoroughly well-trained.

But what caught Tatsumi’s eye was his unusual appearance.

Black hair and black eyes weren’t uncommon to Tatsumi, but this was the first time he’d ever seen someone with ash-brown skin, four eyes, and four arms.

“……So, that’s a Shade…?”
“Yes. I hear they recently came from a Shade settlement. If you’re okay with it, Tatsumi, why don’t you team up for a while? Of course, if it doesn’t work out, you can break up the partnership at any time.”
“Hmm… I don’t mind, but does the other party know about me?”
“I’ve told them the same thing I’m telling you now, and I’ve explained that you’re a rookie mabeast hunter.”

Perhaps having overheard Tatsumi and Eru’s conversation, the Shade approached them.

His four eyes were sharp as he sized Tatsumi up.

The sight of four eyes made Tatsumi feel uneasy, but there was no denying that the male Shade had a ruggedly handsome, chiseled face.

When the male Shade reached Tatsumi, he unabashedly scanned his entire body.

Then, flashing a smirk, he spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

“…You’re Tatsumi-pie I’d heard from the hostess? Oh dearie, you seem more skilled than I imagined, don’t you?”

Click.

Seeing Tatsumi, who was momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected tone, the Shade man deftly closed just one of his four eyes.

“Name’s Juddock. Nice to meet you, Tatsumi-pie.”

This was the first Shade Tatsumi had ever encountered. And he was his first potential partner as a mabeast hunter.

He was a handsome, ruggedly handsome effeminate man with four eyes and four arms.