Volume 2, Chapter 22 – Hunting Festival (5)

“Agh! I told you to call for backup! Why didn’t you call them?!”

Lu-chan was angrily pouting, pointing a finger at Zacks-san, who was already drinking alcohol in the corner of the venue.

“Eh, no, well, that’s…”

“I went out of my way to help you! And why are you drinking?! This is why I hate humans!”

“Now, now, Lu-chan. So, Zacks-san, why didn’t you call for reinforcements as soon as you returned?”

“I-I… I’m s-sorry!”

Zacks-san and two men who appeared to be his lackeys dropped into dogeza.

Ah, so the culture of doing dogeza when apologizing exists in this world too.

“Um, I’m not asking for an apology, I’m asking for the reason…”

“Hey, you! Fiene-sama is asking for the reason. Answer her honestly!”

Chris-san began intimidating him, pressing the tip of her sword against the man’s nose.

“Uh, well, I intended to at first, but then, once I entered the venue, they started appraising the prey, and I just… forgot about it…”

“Haa, well, it can’t be helped. However, if Chris-san hadn’t been there, there might have been casualties. Please be more careful.”

Fortunately, it seemed all the contestants who entered the forest had returned safely.

“Well then, Mayor Guten, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Yes. Please leave it to me, Saint-sama. By the way, if you wouldn’t mind, could you perhaps purify the Goblin magic stones? I will pay an appropriate reward.”

Hmm? What is he talking about?

“Purification of magic stones? Magic stones are the ones that are easy to enchant, right?”

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“Yes. Exactly. Fiene-sama, magic stones are taken from the bodies of monsters. However, the magic stones inside monsters harbor miasma; it is said that if you touch them for too long, you will be tainted by the miasma, causing you to fall ill or even develop a wicked personality.”

“I see.”

“Magic stones that have been purified of their miasma are sold to Enchanters and Alchemists as materials for creating magic items. Additionally, some magic stones are used as jewelry.”

“Ah, I understand. I don’t mind.”

I was led to the area where the Goblin carcasses were being butchered. Small, dull green stones had been removed from around the chest area and were piled up.

“Is this all of them?”

“Yeah, that’s all of them. Just do it quickly,” a bald man wearing an apron snapped brusquely.

——Right, right. Purification.

The piled stones were enveloped in a faint light.

When the light faded, the color of the magic stones had changed to a brighter hue, the dullness gone.

“That’s finished.”

“Right. I’m done with you, now get lost.”

Mumu. What a rude person. Couldn’t he have said that a little nicer?

I walked back to the VIP room with Chris-san.

“As I thought, they are hunters after all. Hunters are all such crude fellows; they know nothing of etiquette or morals. I am sure you felt unpleasant, but please do not let it bother you. There is no point in getting angry at them.”

“Haa. If it were the usual Chris-san, you probably would have pointed your sword at him.”

“Yes. But since the opponent is a hunter, speaking is a waste of breath.”

“I see…”

Rеаd οո KаtRеαdіոɡСаfе

If Chris-san is saying this much, it must be quite bad. As I was thinking this, I heard the voice of the bald man arguing with someone.

“Wait, the purified magic stones aren’t part of your reward! Please don’t just take them. This is embezzlement!”

“Who cares? It’s not like it’s decreasing the total, right?”

“It decreases if you take them!”

Ah, he really is hopeless.

“Chris-san, I understand now.”

“Yes. Please make sure not to get close to hunters.”

“Understood.”

Better not to get involved. Better safe than sorry.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Now, with the Goblin intrusion incident successfully resolved, I would like to move to the announcement of the Hunting Festival results!”

The sun had set, and cheers echoed through the venue illuminated by bonfires.

I stood beside Mayor Guten as the presenter for the awards ceremony.

“First, the announcement for third place! Third place goes to Ron-san, who successfully hunted a red deer that was bid at 6 silver coins! Ron-san is awarded 3 kg of Klaubretz’s finest specialty pork and a commemorative plaque!”

Cheers erupted in the venue.

Ron-san climbed onto the third-place podium, and the Mayor handed him the certificate.

I took the commemorative plaque and handed it to Ron-san.

Rеаⅾ οո ΚatRеaⅾіոɡCаfе

“Ron-san. Well done.”

I gave him a beaming business smile. Ron-san turned red and grinned foolishly.

“Next is the announcement for the runner-up. The runner-up is William-san, who successfully hunted a boar bid at 9 silver coins! William-san is awarded 7 kg of Klaubretz’s finest specialty pork and a commemorative plaque!”

Another roar of applause.

William-san climbed the second-place podium and received the certificate from the Mayor.

I also handed over the plaque and praised William-san’s valiant effort with a business smile. William-san’s face turned bright red in a very obvious manner.

“Now, thank you for waiting! The announcement of the winner. The champion of the 37th Klaubretz Hunting Festival is…!”

Drumroll— the sound common at award ceremonies echoed.

“Yarth-san, who successfully hunted a boar bid at 1 gold coin! Yarth-san is awarded 10 kg of Klaubretz’s finest specialty beef and a commemorative Crystal Trophy!”

A massive cheer erupted, mixed with some confused voices.

Wait? Didn’t Zacks-san’s catch sell for a higher price?

Well, whatever. Regardless, Lu-chan ended up failing.

She had shown me the bird she caught earlier with such a good mood, but I guess it wasn’t something that traded for a high price? What was that bird’s name again?

“Furthermore, Zacks-san, who hunted a boar bid at 1 gold coin and 2 silver coins, has been disqualified for violating the Hunting Festival participation regulations!”

The venue suddenly buzzed with noise.

Ah, I see. I guess it was bad that he didn’t report the Goblins he ran away from? Well, whatever.

Amidst the slightly strange atmosphere, the Mayor handed over the certificate. Then it was my turn.

“Yarth-san. Congratulations on your victory. Since we are here, I shall grant a blessing upon this trophy.”

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I applied Purification Magic and handed the trophy to Yarth-san with a business smile.

It was my first time enchanting crystal, but it worked.

According to Enchantment Appraisal, it seems crystal has a better affinity for enchanting than glass; indeed, the entire trophy was emitting a faint white light.

With this, the effect of the enchantment should probably last for a few years.

The venue erupted in a huge commotion. Yarth-san stared at the trophy in a daze.

“W-W-What! Saint-sama has granted a blessing to the championship trophy! Yarth-san has attained the highest honor! This will surely be a point of pride for the rest of Yarth-san’s life! And I am proud to have stood here as the commentator for this wonderful moment! Now, everyone gathered here, please give a grand round of applause! With this, the 37th Klaubretz Hunting Festival is officially closed!”

The venue was enveloped in thunderous applause.

Wait? Did I overdo it a bit?

Under heavy security, we left the venue by carriage and returned to the hotel.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Onee-sama, the appraisal is absolutely wrong! There is no way a Potopoto Bird is worth fewer points than a boar!”

Even after returning to the hotel, Lu-chan remained furious. Since she was so angry, I asked the hotel chef, but the chef said it was a bird he had never seen before, and it ended up being treated like some kind of bizarre ingredient.

For the sake of Lu-chan’s honor, I should mention that the cooked Potopoto Bird was unbelievably delicious.

It was so delicious that even I, who usually doesn’t eat that much, ended up asking for seconds.

Honestly, I want to eat it again, so if there’s ever an occasion to camp in the wild, I’d like to ask Lu-chan.

Yeah, Lu-chan, that’s too bad. The era just hasn’t caught up to you yet.