Chapter 26

"Thank you for helping us."

"Thanks a lot, Vel-kun."

"Um... I helped too, you know."

"I'm sorry. Actually, Elvin-kun is amazing too..."

"Magic is really unfair, isn't it..."

After school, I had gone hunting with my classmate El. We were quite pleased with our haul and were about to head back to town when we stumbled upon our classmates Ina and Louise, who were being attacked by a pack of wolves.

With El's bow and my magic, we managed to wipe out the entire pack of wolves. However, it's only natural that people would be surprised to see two mere twelve-year-olds accomplish such a feat.

Since wolves have valuable pelts, we collected them before deciding to have dinner and chat with the four of us.

"But, is it okay to take the wolf pelts?"

"Is that what you're worried about? It's fine. As a thank you for saving us."

"I don't know if we should say thank you. After all, more than half of the wolves were taken down by Elvin-kun and Vel-kun."

Actually, when we arrived, there were already eight dead wolves on the scene. They had managed to kill those eight on their own. However, they had reached their physical limits and were struggling to defend themselves against the remaining wolves.

I thought the rights to the eight pelts they had already killed belonged to them, but they insisted on giving them to us as a thank you.

I glanced at El, who looked incredibly happy. He must have been pleased with the additional earnings.

It seemed they didn't want to owe us anything. So, I thought it would be best to accept their offer.

In return, I remembered that I had lost the hunting competition to El and had to treat him to dinner. So, I decided to treat the two of them to dinner as well.

We dropped off our earlier catch at the designated buyback shop run by the Adventurer's Guild and then moved to a restaurant near the prep school.

Previously, I used to pretend to be a farmer's child and sell my catches at the bazaar using a Merchant Guild card. Now, it's much easier to just take them to the designated buyback shop.

Out of habit, I thought I needed to process the catches myself, but the prep school had warned us not to do so, as professionals at the buyback shop would handle it. They said amateurs could lower the value of the catches, even though I used to be praised for my processing skills at the bazaar.

But, that was because I used magic to process them.

At the buyback shop, I ran into an acquaintance from the Merchant Guild. I thought it might have been a bit awkward when they heard my name called, but they didn't seem to mind.

Later, El mentioned that pretending to be a farmer's child for a side job isn't uncommon among noble children in the countryside. He said he used to do the same.

Of course, if a fake name for criminal purposes were to be exposed, it would be a serious issue. However, a fake name for a noble child's part-time job is considered reliable and even reassuring.

Experienced guild staff can usually tell whether someone is a farmer's child or a noble child. The professional at the Merchant Guild didn't even acknowledge me.

"Number seven, please."

"Here."

In the end, we got three silver coins for the boar, including the pelt; four silver coins for eight rabbits, including the pelts; and three silver coins for three Holoholo birds.

For the wolves, although their meat isn't edible, their pelts are in high demand. We got six silver coins for the twenty pelts.

Today's total was sixteen silver coins, or eight per person. That's about 80,000 yen in Japanese currency, right?

It was an unbelievable amount for a part-time job, but it was thanks to our trip to a distant hunting ground. People who hunt near the town usually come back empty-handed half the time.

Additionally, hunting in remote, uninhabited areas increases the danger, as we saw with Ina and Louise today.

"So, the rumors are true."

"Rumors?"

"Yes, the eighth son of the Baumayster family can use very powerful magic."

We arrived at a student-favorite restaurant near the prep school, sat at a table in the back, and ordered the daily special for four people. It was a bit pricey at one copper coin per person, but the rich stew with lots of meat, fried river fish, fresh salad, two soft white bread rolls, a choice of tea or coffee, and an apple pie for dessert made it worth the price.

"Thanks for treating us to such an expensive meal."

"It's because El won the bet."

"We feel bad too."

"Today was a good day for earnings."

We were hungry, so we started with the warm food in front of us and planned to enjoy our tea and coffee after finishing the dessert.

"But, that was quite a misfortune."

"Yeah... We spent too much time hunting a large boar."

El comforted the young, blue-haired beauty, Louise, who explained how they ended up surrounded by so many wolves. They had started hunting in a remote area and found a large boar by luck, but they took too long to process it, and the blood attracted a pack of wolves.

Moreover, the eight wolves they had already killed were from the first pack, and the remaining twelve were from the second pack.

Even as special students, they were only twelve to thirteen years old. Facing two packs of wolves was too much for them at this stage.

"Also, it was our first time hunting."

According to Ina, they usually only trained at the dojo and had never experienced hunting before. This led to a misallocation of stamina.

"Is it really your first time hunting?"

"It's not that surprising, Vel."

"Really?"

"Yeah. City-dwelling nobles, even vassals, are like that."

In rural areas, like where El and I come from, even nobles hunt. This is because farming takes precedence, and there are few hunters or adventurers. Hunting is also seen as part of martial arts training or a hobby.

Conversely, city nobles and soldiers leave hunting to professionals and have formal training regimens. They have plenty of other hobbies and entertainment options besides hunting.

"A single wolf isn't too much of a challenge for a trained person."

The danger with wolves lies in their pack attacks. Even if you manage to kill or injure a few, you might find yourself injured and gradually losing strength, leading to a fatal outcome.

"Also, your pairing was wrong."

El advised that with Ina using a spear and Louise using a martial arts style, they should have at least one of them prepared with a bow. Both were front-line fighters.

"In that regard, I can use both sword and bow, and Vel can use both bow and magic. We have a good balance."

"I don't think balance matters that much."

"Why not, Hirenbrandt?"

"Just call me Ina. Yes, your sword skills are excellent, and you're good with a bow. But, Vendelin's magic is so powerful that it doesn't really matter. With Vendelin, the result would be the same even if he teamed up with a random kid, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, Ina-chan has a point. Vel's magic is already at the level of a top-tier adventurer."

Ina's comment was echoed by Louise.

"Otherwise, he couldn't have killed ten wolves at once with magic arrows. It's not just the amount of magic power; his precision is already at a veteran level."

Indeed, I have confidence in my magic precision. I didn't spend over six years being ostracized by my family and training in magic for nothing.

I used my loneliness to fuel my magic training, not because I had nothing else to do.

I also had a great mentor who taught me efficient training methods.

"It's not unfair, but Elvin is blessed with an excellent partner."

"Well, that's just luck."

Usually, such a statement might sound arrogant, but El has a mysterious charm that makes him likable and rarely makes enemies.

Moreover, El is already an excellent swordsman. His archery skills are also at a professional level.

I never once thought of him as a burden.

"Elvin is right."

"Yeah, it's luck. They say that even a casual encounter is a bond from many lifetimes."

"Ina and Louise as front-line fighters, Elvin alternating between front-line sword and back-line bow, and Vendelin using bow and magic in the back. It's a well-balanced party."

"Wait, you're forming a party without asking us?"

Girls, with their cuteness and apparent weakness, can also be quite shrewd. I had underestimated them, based on my past experiences.

The next day, as El and I entered the prep school classroom, we were immediately called by our homeroom teacher, a guild staff member.

"Baumayster, Alnem. Hirenbrandt and Ophelweck have submitted their party application forms."

"Huh?"

We had indeed received an explanation about forming parties during the orientation. The key to an adventurer's survival is not just personal skill but also finding good companions. Therefore, it was recommended to form a good party with classmates during this period.

For this purpose, there were party application forms. Submitting these forms would give priority to the members during party practice, and the prep school would feel more secure knowing that students were working together for part-time jobs.

"This is a well-balanced party. I have high hopes for it."

"Those guys..."

(Are these what they call 'flags' in light novels?)

Well, they don't seem like bad people, and always working solo or just with El would be boring. I decided to observe the situation for now.