Chapter 43

By noon, I had cut the round bread, placed the grilled meat and vegetables on it, and drizzled melted cheese over it, sprinkling a bit of pepper.

I managed to get some cheese that melts well! In my previous life, I never bought it in blocks. It seems to last, so I bought the more expensive kind without hesitation. I also got a little milk and some butter. I really wish I could stop time.

That day, we decided to disband temporarily. I wouldn't want anyone to regret a hasty decision.

For dinner, we had stew! The milk was delicious. I added dried meat, root vegetables, and snake meat. There was a snake in the yard. Koushin said, "The bird is delicious."

The next day, I visited Rada's shop. Rada, who had prepared for the journey, was waiting with a smile. It seemed her resolve hadn't wavered. Well, that's fine. If she stayed here, she might end up being food.

I started putting the things I wanted to take from the shop and my room into the magic bag. I also picked some herbs from the garden. I burned the ones that could be dangerous if used incorrectly, except for the Tokii grass.

I explained the magic bag and suggested registering it, but she refused. I already put things in it, so you can't take them out freely, I said, but she was scared, saying it was creepy. If it were a large guild, she might have seen it before.

Upon further inquiry, she said she liked looking at many items on display (but wasn't interested in each one) and wanted to be a merchant because of that. It wasn't because she thought sellers were amazing or that her father, who negotiated, was cool.

So, we sold the shop at the commercial guild and bought a horse with part of the money. When I said it was a pharmacy, the attendant seemed to have something to say, but I pretended not to notice. There might have been other pharmacies for sale.

By the way, when I asked if Koushin had any thoughts, he looked sad and said, "There's nothing I can do."

We left the city in the afternoon. Rada decided not to register as an adventurer. By the way, there's no qualification for being a pharmacist.

The horse clopped along. Rada was fidgeting while riding. She had never ridden before. Fortunately, we got a well-behaved horse that wouldn't misbehave. She didn't realize she had never ridden until she tried to mount.

Rada's horse was the same black color as Koushin's, but it had large ears and a face that looked like it had some donkey in it. Its name was Tsukushi, and it was a male.

"Will the territory change at the next town?"

"Yeah."

"Does anything change when the territory changes?"

"Who knows? I've never been there."

Rada... she's hopeless. I can't really talk to her. Besides, I don't know anything.

I wonder what will happen to that city in the future. Will something close to my imagination happen? Or will someone intervene and set things right? Well, it doesn't matter to me. Honestly, I don't have a sense of justice. I'll brush off the sparks that fall on me, but I won't go out of my way to put out the fire. Unlike in light novels, I won't suddenly have powerful allies and save the city, or find out that a girl I helped is a princess and become friends with the royal family. I'm just an ordinary 7-year-old. If I can run away, I will.

"Ah!"

Rada flinched. She was screaming as she watched me butcher the deer. If she's going to travel with us, she needs to get used to this. I don't really want to buy meat from the market.

"Here, this is the heart. If it's a monster, there's usually a magic stone near here."

I pulled out the bloody heart, which was still warm. When I asked if she wanted to hold it, she shook her head vigorously, as if it might fall off. Even Koushin was looking at me with a disapproving eye.

I'm not trying to be grotesque or disrespectful. I just think it's important to know what organs are inside us. Whether it affects the medicine I make, I'm not sure.

Most things can be cured with a recovery potion... that's the general idea. But there are specific medicines for headaches and diarrhea. So, I think there must be knowledge about what causes these symptoms. Or maybe they just found herbs with these effects and made the medicines. It could just be the skill of compounding... No, that's probably it. Herbs themselves are mysterious substances. Drinking medicine and having your limbs reattach... it doesn't make sense.

"Raito, can you stop that?"

"Huh?"

I was lost in thought when Koushin complained. Yeah, I guess squeezing the heart while spacing out is a bit much, even for me.

"Sorry, sorry. This is the intestine."

Squish.

"Ah!" "..."

Sorry. The dissection lesson is over, so don't look at me with those scared eyes. It's necessary, you know? Honestly, in bounty requests, they often ask for things like eyes, testicles, and poison sacs. Monster bodies are resources.

Since I was repulsed, I finished the dissection in silence. The horns are big, so they should sell well. The skin... it will sell too. Koushin decapitated it with one strike. I wrapped half the meat in leaves and put it in the magic bag.

"By the way, Rada, can you make holy water?"

I suddenly remembered something from my grandmother. Holy water has a purifying effect. I wonder if it can purify raw eggs...

"Holy water... I can and can't make it."

"What's that supposed to mean? Do you lack the materials?"

"That's part of it, but also, only church officials are allowed to sell it. My master told me that many times."

"Ugh. I can see the dark side of the church's power..."

Indeed, it sounds like something the church would control. The wholesale and retail prices must be different, and that's scary.

"...What? If you don't sell it and use it for yourself, is it okay?"

"Huh? I don't know..."

Rada tilted her head.

"Why did you suddenly bring up holy water? It's an expensive item that even the knights can't easily buy."

When Koushin said that, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Really!?" So, it's bad. Using holy water to purify eggs might be a controversial issue.

"Raito, what were you planning to do?"

Seeing my dejected look, Koushin seemed to understand something. His voice was a bit lower. No, he's looking at me like I'm up to something again.

"Well, holy water has a purifying effect, right? So, I thought it could purify food."

"...Purify food? Do you mean destroy it?"

Ah, um. They don't have the concept of bacteria or parasites. It's just that, traditionally, certain foods shouldn't be eaten raw.

The idea of holy water = purification.

"For example, you can't eat raw eggs, right?"

"Right. They're meant to be cooked."

I like boiled eggs too. ...But I've never seen one. Wait, they don't boil them?

"That's partly because they're old, but also because bacteria can be on the shell. Cooking kills the bacteria."

"Zakkin."

"What's the right word... something that can harm the body but can't be seen with the naked eye?"

"Are you talking about curses?"

Rada, that's not it. Is it easier to explain that way? But then it sounds like you're eating something cursed. How should I explain this?