Chapter 15

The next day at noon, Aldis visited Gresh and the others at Shochuntei as promised.

When he entered the inn, Gresh and the others were already seated at a table, waiting for Aldis.

"Sorry about yesterday. You came all the way here..."

As soon as Aldis sat down, Gresh apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about what we discussed yesterday."

Aldis immediately got to the point, and Gresh asked him a question.

"Jio told us. You want to hire us for transporting and gathering materials, right?"

"Yeah, I have a reason why I can only operate on day trips for a while. Hunting the Beast King would be the best way to earn money in the nearby area, but the bottleneck is the transportation and skinning."

"Scary to think that taking it down isn't the bottleneck."

Ralph interjected from the side, and next to him, Jio and Conia nodded silently.

Gresh glanced at his companions and asked,

"I have a question, is that okay?"

"Sure."

"You said 'for a while.' How long are you thinking?"

"About seven to ten days. At most, fifteen. I won't keep you longer than that. I assume you've heard from Jio, but just to be safe, I'll also talk about the reward."

Aldis then explained the reward and the details of the request.

The reward was five silver coins per person per day.

Gresh and the others' job was to dissect the prey, gather materials, and transport them, with no combat involved.

Aldis would do the hunting, but in case of an emergency, they should be armed for self-defense.

"We have no complaints. In fact, five silver coins a day without combat is something we'd do for months. Honestly, because of the Despair incident, we were thinking of taking jobs that avoid fighting for a while."

In the end, Gresh and the others accepted the request without hesitation.

They probably judged that it was safe because they had seen Aldis's strength firsthand.

If it were someone who didn't know Aldis's strength and judged based on appearance, the negotiations would never have gone smoothly.

So, they immediately set off, and Aldis, along with Gresh and the others, headed to the grasslands, making a total of five people.

"Hey, Aldis."

"What is it?"

"Isn't this a bit much?"

Gresh looked back at the cart he was pulling.

"I'll reduce it from tomorrow. There's a lot of prey today."

"Even so..."

Gresh still looked unconvinced.

After all, the cart Aldis borrowed from the town wasn't just one.

"I know Aldis hunts a lot, but isn't one enough?"

Gresh was pulling one cart, and Ralph was pulling the other.

From Gresh's perspective, one cart was more than enough, so bringing two seemed excessive.

However, the amount of prey didn't affect Gresh's reward.

Even if the carts returned empty, the amount of money Gresh and the others would receive wouldn't change.

When Aldis explained this, Gresh and the others had no choice but to remain silent.

"Alright, we're here."

Aldis's voice made the group stop.

They were in the middle of a grassland about an hour's walk west of Tria.

In the distance, the plains stretched as far as the eye could see, and beyond them, the Canobis Mountains loomed.

However, looking in the opposite direction, the walls of Tria were visible, indicating they weren't far from the town.

"Looks like nothing... Is it the same as last time?"

Jio asked, recalling the day before yesterday.

"That's right. I'll bring them out now, so clear some space."

Following Aldis's instructions, they cleared the area, and numerous objects rose from the ground.

The sight, being the second time, didn't surprise Gresh and the others much. However, as time passed, they were shocked in a different way.

"How many are there...?"

Ralph muttered in amazement, a sentiment shared by everyone.

Countless beasts floated up from the ground.

Not only the Beast King but also Snatch, Green Knife, Coyote, Bull, Grass Wolf, Watcher, Killer Bird, and even Despair were among them. The grassland was filled with all kinds of carnivorous beasts.

To prevent decay, Aldis had frozen them. He melted them and used magic to create warm air, drying them quickly before giving instructions to everyone.

"Let's get started. Prioritize the Beast King. For Snatch, gather the fur and tail stone. For Coyote and Grass Wolf, and Bull, just the fur. For Watcher and Killer Bird, only the good feathers. I'll handle Despair and Green Knife."

"R-right... Alright! Everyone, let's get to work!"

Faced with a mountain of prey, Gresh, who had been dazed for a moment, regained his composure and called out to his companions.

"Aldis, what about the meat?"

Jio was asking whether they would take the meat of the Bull and Killer Bird back to town.

The Bull was a large wild buffalo over three meters long, and the Watcher and Killer Bird were large predatory birds that hunted on the plains.

While they were dangerous wild beasts, they could be eaten as beef or poultry.

However, they were tough and had a strong odor, making them less palatable. Still, they could fetch some money in town.

"No need. It's just extra weight. Just leave it here."

Leaving raw meat near a road or close to human settlements was taboo as it could attract carnivorous beasts and monsters.

However, this place was far from the road and Tria, with no human inhabitants nearby.

The meat would likely be eaten by beasts within a day.

"Hey, Aldis. Did you hunt all of this in one day?"

Conia asked, sounding incredulous.

"I hunted non-stop without thinking about gathering materials. If you spread blood, they come to you."

"Wow... I see. That's amazing. I understand why you needed two carts... Will we finish the work today?"

The girl's auburn hair fluttered in the wind as she gazed into the distance.

After a short lunch break, they worked for about seven hours.

Wiping the sweat from their foreheads, Aldis and the others finally finished loading the materials onto the two carts.

Most of it was fur from the Beast King and Grass Wolf, with the heads of Despair and Green Knife also taking up space.

In addition to the prey Aldis had hunted and hidden the previous day, more carnivorous beasts had been attracted by the smell of blood during the work.

Aldis had taken them all down alone, and the more he took down, the more prey there was.

Gresh and the others worked tirelessly, despite their exhaustion, and by the time the western sky turned red, they had finally finished gathering and loading all the materials.

"I'm so tired... I've never been this tired without fighting..."

Conia plopped down on the grass.

"Good job. There won't be as much tomorrow, so don't worry. We'll gather materials as we hunt."

Aldis smiled wryly.

Indeed, it had been difficult to process all the prey from the previous day at once.

From the next day on, one cart would likely be enough, and while Aldis hunted, Gresh and the others would essentially be on break.

"Alright, let's head back. We want to return to Tria before night falls."

Following Aldis's instructions, the group headed back to Tria, pulling the carts.

As promised, they arrived in Tria before nightfall and took the carts directly to the guild.

Naturally, the guild's purchasing agent was surprised to see the carts full of fur and feathers.

In the end, the day's earnings, including the bounty for Despair and Green Knife, exceeded eighteen gold coins.

Even after paying for the cart rental and Gresh's group, over fifteen gold coins remained. This amount could support a typical family in the town for half a year.

"I'm tired, but five silver coins is a great deal!"

"Yeah, I'd do this for seven, ten, or even twenty days!"

Conia and Ralph looked at each other and smiled.

For new mercenaries, earning five silver coins a day was a good haul.

There was no bounty for Snatch, which Gresh and the others could hunt safely.

The fur and tail stone, sold as materials, were worth only three and one copper coins, respectively.

Even if they roamed the grasslands all day, they could earn at most four silver coins, or one silver coin per person. Even with great luck, they could earn twice that at most.

Moreover, fighting meant the risk of injury and damaged equipment.

Using healing potions would increase expenses, and severe injuries could prevent them from working for a while.

Most importantly, the grasslands were home to powerful beasts like Despair and the Beast King, which new mercenaries couldn't defeat even if they tried.

Encountering such absolute predators would make the day's earnings irrelevant.

For these mercenaries, the possibility of losing their lives the next day was always present.

Considering this, the risk-free job of gathering materials and transporting them for five silver coins a day was an exceptional deal.

It's no wonder Conia and the others couldn't stop smiling.

"See you tomorrow. Use this for dinner."

Aldis said, flicking a silver coin to them.

"But don't drink too much."

He didn't forget to add a caution.

Aldis then turned and headed to the Stopping Post Inn, listening to the cheers of Gresh and the others behind him.

2016/12/19 Typo correction: Despia → Despair

2017/01/19 Typo correction: short time to dry → short time to dry

*Thank you for pointing out the typos in the comments.

2019/05/02 Typo correction: full carts → full carts of

2019/05/02 Typo correction: accept or → accept or

*Thank you for the typo report.