Chapter 13: 5

“…[Wind Blade]”

The [Wind Blade] I released cuts off the head of a bear which was about 10 meters tall.
It lets out a loud howl as it falls, and leaves a magic stone behind as the rest of it melts into the atmosphere.

“Fuu, that should do it.”

I make sure there are no monsters left to hunt.
When a large monster appears, it more than often brings an entourage along with it.
This time as well, an oversized grizzly bear attacked us along with some ten mid-sized bears.

Normally, bears are incapable of forming groups, but this is a another world so anything can happen.

It seems there are no stragglers remaining, as the surroundings return to being peaceful.

15 years ago, I was born in this world as an anti-demon aristocrat.

At first, I was surprised.

Just the previous day I was working as an office worker, and now I was a baby. It’s weird not to be surprised.

The last day I remembered was Friday. I drank a lot, so I wondered initially if I was going crazy from having acute alcoholic intoxication.
Leaving that aside, my mother who gave birth to me was an anti-demon aristocrat.

An anti-demon aristocrat is an aristocrat who works to hunt monsters which appear from a place called Makyo, such as a Demon Forest or a Demon Valley.
I’m not sure whether there is such a system in other countries, but this is the case in this Euphoresirolium People’s Kingdom.

Well, we’re aristocrats only in name. Our treatment is more akin to barbarians…

“Good work.”

While thinking such things, and walking around confirming the surroundings, a man in his thirties came up and talked to me.
He is a soldier of the Royal Army, and a pretty low-ranking one at that.
Technically, even though I’m an Anti-Demon Aristocrat, it was disrespectful of a soldier of his class to talk to me without reason, but no one cares about that in the frontier.

Well, even if I had that done at the royal capital, he would only be slightly reprimanded. That’s what anti-demon aristocrats are.

After calling out to me, the low-ranking soldier set out to collect the magic stones.
most of the time, the only reason they even talked to me was to confirm whether the nearby monsters were wiped out.

If there were any left, it was my duty to let them know after all.
If someone died because of my oversight, then I won’t be able to sleep.

Turning my back to the soldier collecting magic stones, I return to the army tent.

***

“Good work.”

As I return to the army tent, a man in his forties called out to me.
In the army, he too has the same role as a hundred other soldiers, so it should be rude for him to speak to me like this.

Well, ever since I was born, I’ve lived at this frontier and never done anything aristocrat like, so I don’t really mind.

“Here, this month’s pay. Take it gratefully.”

One-of-hundred says that to me and throws over a cloth bag.
That reminded me, today’s salary day.
I’d completely forgotten.

Inside the bag one-of-hundred threw at me, were 10 silver coins.

1 sliver coin is worth about 10000 yen, so my monthly income becomes 100000 yen.
Frankly, I think it’s insanely cheap.

But since I was growing vegetables and rice in my garden, and meat could be procured from Demon Forest, I don’t really need money.

This country is a bread eating country after all.
As a Japanese, if I want to have rice then I have no choice but to grow it myself.

Besides, the work I do involves hunting large monsters coming from the forest, so at most it only takes a few hours a day.
In terms of hours put in, I guess it isn’t that bad…

I put the bag with my monthly income in my breast pocket.

“If they come out call me again.”

I say that and begin to leave the tent, as the one-of-hundred unexpectedly laughs.

“Yeah. If I ‘had any reason to’, I will.”
“?”

His words did catch me by surprise, but I didn’t let it bother me and head to the nearby town.
I always head into town whenever my pay come in.

***

I had arrived at the frontier town.
Although it’s called a town, its worth is just about selling food to military soldiers.

If the soldiers move, the town moves with them.
Therefore, it’s only lined up shops in a narrow area, protected by a moot and a town wall.

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Since its customers are mostly army men, most of the shops specialize in either weapons or food.

Also on the west side, brothels are set up along a single line, but that place has pretty bad security so I’ve never been there.
Besides, prostitutes that work in towns like these have diseases most of the time.

Even if the soldiers get infected, they can get healed with healing magic so it’s quite a profitable business.
I’m an anti-demon aristocrat, so I have to pay to apply healing magic for myself though…

Well, I use magic for my work all the time, and since I’m self-sufficient, I have no need for food shops or weapon shops.
Of course, I have no intention of visiting a brothel either.

I’m here for a different reason.
I visit a certain store.

***

“Old man Gil, it’s been about a month. You still alive-?”
“…Oh. Lain you brat, here again?”

I came to this town to visit only a single store.

“Any interesting books that came in today?”
“I knew you were coming, so I purchased books about magic especially.”

I always buy books related to magic here.
This is another world, you know?
I finally became able to use magic.
Naturally I’d want to try things out.

That being said, I always blow my whole salary on buying books related to magic at this shop.

“Wow check this out, ‘Get it Like This, Space Magic’, ‘A Guide to Crafting With Magic’, ‘Complete Colection of Magic Tools 55’.”
“Hmm, so it was that sort of book.”
“…Old man Gil, who buys books without knowing what they’re about is pretty strange.”

There are fakes which pretend to be magic books from ancient civilizations, and some of the older sorcerer’s books could be cursed. Magic books from ancient magician civilizations are also pretty dangerous.

I too had a painful experience with a sorcerer’s book.
That’s why I refuse to keep sorcerer’s books and dangerous books from early periods of ancient magician civilizations.

Their latter periods began selling books in E-book like data, so I don’t possess those either.

“I think you who studies ancient magic in a world like this where modern magic is mainstream, is pretty strange as well.”

Books on magic are all written in a language of the now destroyed ancient magician civilization.
That’s why old man Gil couldn’t read the words on them.

Most magicians today read magic books written by modern magicians.

Although it’s called modern magic, we have only extracted the ones which can be used from ancient magic.
I rarely read modern books on magic since their range of topics isn’t that wide, and they have a number of mistakes.

I finally got my hands on a book from a more advanced civilization than now, it only makes sense I prefer it.

Besides, magic from ancient magician civilizations has a part which is similar to programming.
The terminology is also similar so it’s perfect for someone like me.

Most likely a reincarnator like me must have been involved at some point.

“Then, just as always, I’ll buy it all. How much will it be?”
“3 silver coins for it all.”

Huh?
My salary is 10 silver coins so I always buy with that as my upper limit. Old man Gil also knows that and charges me 8-9 silver coins every time.

Beside these books are really expensive.
Even if you don’t get their content, they’re easily worth 5 silver each.

Which is why 3 books for 3 silver coins is simply too cheap.

When I look at old man Gil in a humorous manner, he scratches his cheeks embarrassingly.

“Actually, the royal granddaughter and her husband from the neighboring country have invited me to live with them. Business seems to be better over there, and since I can do calculations, they want me to become the head clerk. I’m thinking of shutting shop here and going there.”

“I see…”

“… I’m getting up there in age. It’s getting harder for me to go to the capital each time for my business. I know it’s unfortunate for young Lain, but I think the tide is right for me.”

Old man Gil’s is the only book shop in this town.
I’d be pretty depressed if this shop were to shut down.

Besides, ever since my mother passed away 5 years ago, old man Gil is the only one whom I could talk to properly.
After her death, it was old man Gil who protected me from all the adults who thought they could squeeze things out of me since I was a child.
Truthfully, if it were not for him, I would have moved to a different country long ago.
I’m not proud of it, but that’s all I could do given my age.

Seeing my darkened face, old man Gil calls out to me.

“Hey, it’s not like I’m dying here. Whenever you want to see me, feel free to come over.”
“… You’re right. If it’s the capital of our neighboring country, it’ll be pretty easy to reach as well.”

It takes about two months by horse carriage to reach the neighboring country’s capital.
To be honest, it’s impossible for me to go see him since I have to work everyday.

However, I can’t stop here and wallow in pity.
All I can do is to try my best and see where things go from there.

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