Chapter 4

"Tabatha has really taken care of me. If I hadn't met her when I came to this country, I wouldn't have even been able to enter."

"She grew up struggling, so she couldn't ignore someone in trouble. Thanks to her, the people in the slums can at least eat."

Tabatha lobbied the important people from the country she visited, and managed to secure regular food distributions and orphan protection policies from the government.

"So, are you planning to leave this country?"

"No, I don't plan to leave unless something happens."

"Something... Is that why you don't want to get citizenship?"

"Well, I'm pretty capable, right? If I got a government job, it would be a hassle."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Hey, that's the part where you should point out that I shouldn't be saying I'm capable myself."

Margin felt embarrassed to be so readily acknowledged as capable.

"No, you really are capable. More than capable, even. If the government finds out about your abilities, they'll try to recruit you no matter what. Not getting citizenship might be the right choice. Or you could become a hunter."

Becoming a hunter means you're free from the obligations of a citizen but have to fulfill the duties of a hunter.

"I only want to run a lazy magic bookshop. Being a hunter means dealing with troublesome requests."

"You could make a lot of money as a hunter."

"Having enough to eat and drink every day is enough for me."

"You, who eats for free at my place, have the nerve to say that."

The boss laughed and said this, and Margin and he ate the roasted orc meat and returned to the capital.

When they got back to the city, the boss said that three orc carcasses were enough, so they decided to take the rest to the brothel where Tabatha worked.

"Hey, Margin. You finally showed your face, huh?"

"Shut up, old lady. Here, it's a gift. Feed it to the workers."

"Hmph, this won't be enough for everyone. Next time, bring twice as much."

The shrewd old lady took the meat with a lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm heading to the fishing village, so I'll be gone for a while."

"If you're going, bring back a lot of souvenirs."

"Sure, sure."

Margin waved and left the brothel.

(Margin, Tabatha died with a happy face thanks to you. Thank you...)

The brothel owner waved and said thanks in a voice so low Margin couldn't hear it.

The next day, Margin headed to the fishing village. It's a one-day trip by direct carriage from the capital, but a three-day walk. Since he wasn't in a hurry, Margin decided to walk. He could run and get there faster than a carriage, but it would attract too much attention, so he walked leisurely.

As he walked down the road, carts and carriages passed by one after another. There's a lot of traffic between the fishing village and the capital, so there are many people coming and going.

At that moment,

"Hey, kid, want a ride to the next village?"

An old man driving a cart that was only slightly faster than walking called out to him.

"Is that okay? I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. I don't think anyone walking on the road has money. I'm bored, so it'll be nice to have someone to talk to."

Margin accepted the old man's offer and got on the cart. The cargo area was muddy, so he sat next to the driver.

"I'm Kenpa. What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Margin. I run a magic bookshop in the capital."

"Hmm, you deal with magic books. You must be quite capable, despite your appearance."

What does 'despite your appearance' mean?

"Well, I don't sell many. Are you a farmer, old man?"

"Yeah. I'm on my way back from delivering potatoes to the capital."

"Potatoes, huh? Not very profitable, are they?"

Potatoes can be used in cooking but are treated as a staple, so they're relatively cheap.

"Not very profitable, but the taxes are low. It's enough for an old man to live on. Plus, I grow my own food."

"I see."

"You're going to the fishing village?"

"Yeah, to eat fish."

"Then stay at my place tonight. My wife will be happy to have a young person around."

"I appreciate it, but isn't it risky to let a stranger stay?"

"Don't worry, I'm old. If anything happens, it's fine."

Margin thought the old man was quite philosophical. They talked about various things and arrived at the village before evening, where he was invited to the old man's house.

"Welcome, welcome. I only have vegetables, but please make yourself comfortable."

"Sorry for coming unannounced, grandma."

"Oh, it's fine. I'm happy to have a young person around."

I was born earlier than you, though, he thought to himself.

Dinner was a vegetable soup with dumplings made from wheat. It was a bit unsatisfying.

"Thank you for the meal. What do you usually eat for meat?"

"We trade with the village hunters for meat and vegetables. The hunters grow vegetables too, so it's not often."

It must be difficult for two old people to hunt. They don't seem to have chickens, so they probably don't eat eggs either.

The next morning, Margin went hunting and brought back an orc.

"Did you hunt this?"

The old man was surprised.

"Yeah. I'll butcher it and salt it for you to use as winter food. It's a thank you for your hospitality."

The old lady was surprised but happy. They watched in amazement as Margin used dissection magic to quickly separate the parts.

"Is this magic?"

"Yeah, it's called dissection magic. I sell it for 5 million, but I haven't sold any yet."

"5 million? That's a lot."

"Yeah, my magic is expensive."

While salting the meat, he laughed and answered.

"Are there any potatoes left to harvest?"

"Oh, yeah, we need to harvest these before the snow falls."

"Then I'll do it for you. If you put the potatoes in boxes, they should be fine, right?"

"Are you going to the fishing village?"

"I don't have a set schedule, so it's fine. Harvesting will be quick."

"Huh?"

Margin used harvesting magic to dig up the potatoes with a thud.

"Come on, let's get them into the boxes."

He could use magic to fill the boxes, but the old couple looked like they were about to faint, so he didn't.

He placed the boxes at equal intervals, filled them with potatoes, and carried them to the shed. In the end, he stayed another night and ate the orc meat with them.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Come visit anytime."

"Thank you. I'll bring fish as a souvenir when I come back from the fishing village."

He said goodbye to the old couple, who bowed in gratitude, and walked to the fishing village.

Tonight's accommodation was the square of the next town. He preferred to spend money on alcohol rather than at an inn. This town has mead (honey wine), a sweet and strong specialty that's much cheaper than in the capital.

"Hey, I'll have mead and a sausage."

"Sure. Meat or blood?"

"Meat."

Blood sausages have a strong flavor that he doesn't like.

After enjoying the boiled sausage and mead, he set up his tent in the square. The tent he uses looks like a one-person tent but is a bit larger inside. It's an expandable tent.

"I don't really need this much space when I'm alone..."

This was the tent he used during his hero party days. When he shared it with his companions, it felt cramped. Back then, they would tell him to pack in tighter and complain about touching each other when they rolled over.

Margin lay in the unnecessarily large tent, reminiscing about the past, and fell asleep.