Chapter 28

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

Haruka gives a necklace to Hikaru at a杂货店.

While having tea at a cafe, I meet my classmate Umebuchi.

Umebuchi, unaware that the copied skill doesn't work, runs off.

The next morning, after checking out of the inn, I head to the weapon shop, and as promised, Gants has done a good job.

I quickly change into the newly made armor and put on a hooded, long-sleeved parka-like garment over it.

This was made by Haruka yesterday, and it's more comfortable to move in than a robe and has some waterproofing.

The main reason for not buying a robe and making it ourselves is probably the cost, but it's definitely better than that.

"Finally, I can get out of the leather clothes! It was still bearable with [Purification], but honestly, the poor ventilation and sweating were tough!"

Haruka said happily, spinning around, which was unusual for her.

"I agree. It might be a bit hot in the summer, but it's better than leather clothes."

The armor is made of slightly thicker cloth but is much better than the leather clothes that almost don't let air through, and the chain mail doesn't hinder movement much.

Toya and I wear armor over this, but mine is a soft leather partial armor, so it's actually harder to move in the thick leather clothes I used to wear.

It's worth the higher cost, I guess.

"Shall we head to Saarstadt now?"

"Yeah, we just need to go straight down this road... We should arrive by mid-afternoon, right?"

It's a distance that would take a normal person about a day to walk.

For adventurers with better physical abilities, it would take less time.

As long as we stay on the road, there's almost no danger, so it's quite relaxed.

"Hey, do you need to get used to your new weapons?"

"The chances of encountering strong enemies are low... Nao, what do you think?"

"I did some light practice... but..."

Yesterday, after returning to the inn and while Haruka was making the parka, I practiced with Toya as usual.

The spear I bought is a bit heavier but not much different, and it's actually easier to handle because of its quality, so I'm not too worried.

I'm more concerned about Haruka, who hasn't practiced much—

"I think I'll be fine. It's still a bow, after all."

"If you say so... If we have time, should we go get some Dindles?"

"Hmm? We can still get them, right?"

Even though the Dindle season is over, it doesn't mean they're all gone or inedible.

The number we can harvest at once has decreased, and the flavor isn't as good, so we stopped.

Especially the trees we picked from first, which are the closest and haven't been picked from in a while, should still have some fruit.

"We don't know what situation Yuki and the others are in, but it's hard to get good food, right? I'd like to let them have some."

Hearing this, Haruka and I looked at each other and nodded deeply.

We've been lucky to earn some money and find a good inn, so we've been able to eat decently, but without money, we would have had to settle for food like the street vendors on the first day.

We might be able to endure it by thinking of it as nutritional, but... no, I can't.

"True. We have dried Dindles, but I'd like to let them have fresh ones too. Nao, is that okay?"

"Yeah. There's no reason to object. We could even hunt some meat while we're at it."

"Ooh, meat. The dried meat was good, but fresh meat is delicious too!"

With the plan decided, we left the road and headed down the path we've been using recently.

Thanks to our frequent visits, the undergrowth has been cleared, and we reached our target tree in less than half the time it took the first time.

"Shall I climb up? One person should be enough, right?"

"Yeah, two people aren't necessary."

This time, the goal isn't to fill the backpack to the brim.

I temporarily handed over the contents of my backpack to the others and climbed the tree.

Although I had already retrieved the rope from the Dindle tree, I can now climb it without the rope thanks to my frequent practice.

Climbing without a safety line is dangerous, but my physical abilities are much better now, and the branches of the Dindle tree overlap, so the risk of falling all the way down is minimal.

I easily reached the top and started collecting the Dindle fruits.

The easy-to-reach spots have already been picked, so there are more difficult spots, but it's not a problem.

My tree-climbing level has improved, and I'm using a safety rope at the top, so the risk of falling is low.

Ah, of course, "level" is a metaphor; I don't have a [Tree Climbing] skill.

I was a bit hopeful that I might get a [Tree Climbing] or [Climbing] skill...

Maybe this level of tree isn't enough, or maybe a week isn't enough.

A bit disappointing.

"---Well, that's about it, I guess?"

The backpack is about two-thirds full.

I've collected everything from the easier-to-reach spots.

I could try harder, but it would take time, and we don't need that many.

I retrieved the temporarily tied rope and climbed down.

Climbing down is scarier than climbing up...

I carefully climbed down, and sure enough, there was the aftermath of Toya's boar butchering.

"Hey, welcome back. Did you get any?"

"Yeah, this much."

I showed the backpack on my back.

"Did you go hunting, Toya?"

"Yeah, but it was a small one."

Despite saying that, Toya's backpack, which was flat before, is now bulging.

As for Haruka—she hasn't changed much.

It's true that it wasn't a particularly large prey, but to find, hunt, and butcher it in this short time shows her hunting skills have improved a lot.

Without any skills, Toya's perception is on par with my [Scouting] skill.

No, in terms of hunting without drawing hostility, it might even surpass mine.

I can easily kill an approaching beast, but finding prey in the forest, approaching without being noticed, and killing it in close combat is beyond me.

If I were to compete in hunting with Toya, I'd need Haruka, who can use a bow, on my team.

It wouldn't be surprising if Toya got a [Hunting] skill soon.

"Since it won't fit in Toya's backpack, let's split the Dindles between Haruka and me."

"Sure. Put half in mine?"

I transferred half to Haruka's backpack and rearranged the contents of my backpack, taking care not to crush the Dindles or the clothes.

"Okay, are we ready?"

"Yeah, let's go. But first, we need to get back to the road."

In the direction of Saarstadt, we'll have to backtrack a bit, but cutting through the forest without a path is too risky.

For our party, which values caution, it's better to take the long way around.

As we followed our usual path and were about to leave the forest, Toya, who was leading, stopped.

"What's that?"

"What—kyah!"

Haruka, following Toya's gaze, let out a surprisingly cute scream.

Haruka is still a girl—no, that's not the point.

What we saw was a person lying on the ground, wearing shabby clothes and no luggage, face down.

"This is... a homeless person? They're small, but a child?"

"No, probably a dwarf. They're sturdy."

A dwarf. I've never seen one before, and I've never seen a homeless person either.

"Um, what do we do in this situation? Ignore them? Bury them?"

"If they have identification, it's recommended to take them to the Adventurer's Guild. There's no reward, but it's a matter of etiquette. Also, if possible, it's better to bury the body."

I see...

This is the first time I've seen a dead body in this world.

Even though death is more common here than in my original world, I don't want to touch a body of someone I don't know.

To check the situation, I gently rolled the body over with my foot.

If it's decomposed, I'll need to be prepared.

"---uhh"

"Did they say something?"

"No."

"Me neither. ---Hey, are they alive? It's hard to tell with the beard."

I looked at the body (or person?) again.

A typical bearded dwarf. No signs of decomposition.

The face... it's hard to tell.

I cautiously put my hand on their neck...

"Maybe... there's a pulse?"

"Are they alive? If so, we should help them."

If we have the means, of course. Haruka checked for external injuries but found none.

"They're quite dirty... [Purification] and [Minor Healing] too."

Haruka used magic, but there was no reaction.

I noticed their lips were dry, so I dripped some water on them.

They made a slight swallowing sound and opened their eyes slightly.

"Are you okay?"

"---I'm hungry..."

When I spoke to them, they said in a hoarse voice.

They were indeed a homeless person.

Even if they're hungry, I can't just give them meat, so I peeled some Dindle fruits and gave them to them.

They ate three of them greedily, then took a breath and bowed politely, thanking us.

"Thank you. You saved me. I haven't had a proper meal in days..."

"Well, it's fine. Helping people is the right thing to do."

Honestly, I thought they shouldn't eat three high-quality fruits, but it's hard to ask for money when they thank you so politely.

They're expensive to buy, but it's not much trouble to pick a few more.

"So, what happened? Why are you here in such a state?"

This outfit is too light for entering the forest.

The dwarf didn't answer my question but stared at my face, then at Haruka's and Toya's faces.

"Um, maybe, but are you Kaminari? And Higashi and Nagai?"

"Huh!? If you ask that, you must be a classmate!!"

"That's right! I'm Wakabayashi. Wakabayashi Yutaka! Don't you recognize me?"

"Huh!? Wakabayashi!? That—"

Wakabayashi.

I know that name.

But Wakabayashi was a small, thin, and timid person.

He didn't stand out much but was popular with some girls and was well-liked.

The dwarf in front of me is a far cry from that image.

Apart from the voice, he looks like a typical dwarf.

He's still small, but he's muscular and sturdy, and his voice is deep.

"No way! What happened to you! That outfit!"

I strongly agree with Toya's outburst.

The voice is the same, but the appearance and voice are so different, it's jarring.

"Why did you change your appearance like that..."

"I thought, since we're in another world, why not? It's like a debut in a different world. I didn't hate my previous body, but I always admired this rugged look."

"Hmm, is that so...? But... rugged?"

Are dwarves "rugged"?

Aren't they more "grubby"?

If he's happy with it, that's fine, and I don't want to point it out...

"Kaminari and the others have changed a lot too. Nagai's face hasn't changed much, but he's a beastman, and Kaminari and Higashi are elves. Oh, but Higashi was already pretty, so not much has changed."

Hey, does that mean my original face was bad?

I don't want to hear that, even if it's confirmed!

"I find the difference in your voice and speaking style jarring."

"Ah, I know, but I can't change it right away."

"I see. So, what happened to you, Wakabayashi, to end up here?"

"Well, I was suddenly transported to the middle of the forest and wandered for days until I couldn't move. Isn't this too hard? Being dropped here with nothing but the clothes on my back!"

Wakabayashi said this with a strong tone, spreading his hands.

We nodded in agreement.

It might be better than being naked, but it's still very hard.

"Yeah, I understand. We would have been in trouble without Haruka."

"Right. Thanks to Haruka."

"Ah, Higashi is reliable. From the looks of it, are you all adventurers?"

Wakabayashi said this, looking at our outfits.

Thanks to the equipment we bought yesterday, we look like adventurers to most people.

We had weapons before, but in this world, that's just the equipment of a civilian gathering firewood.

"We're registered with the Adventurer's Guild. Whether we're doing typical adventurer jobs is questionable, but we're managing to earn enough to live."

"Wow. I haven't even made it to the city yet. I had some money in my pocket, but I don't even know its value..."

Wakabayashi sighed and took out some coins from his pocket.

It seems we're in the same boat.

"That's 10 large silver coins. It's enough to pay the city entry tax, register as an adventurer, stay at an inn for a day, and buy a few miscellaneous items."

"Wow, that's not much! This is definitely hard mode!"

Wakabayashi shouted again at Toya's explanation.

Yeah, it would be tough to make it alone.

I understand his frustration, but Haruka frowned slightly and spoke.

"Wakabayashi, can you please lower your voice? This isn't a safe place."

"Ah, sorry."

Wakabayashi hung his head, and Haruka gently waved her hand and continued.

"I think we should be fine if we get back to the road... Are you alone, Wakabayashi? We managed to transfer together with three of us."

"Wow! You guys are amazing. In that situation, I could only gather with the nearest soul... I didn't even know who was who."

Ah, the same as me.

In my case, I was saved because the other two came to me.

It seems it varies from person to person.

If someone mentions "heart connection," I'd be really disappointed.

"Did you not transfer together?"

"No, we did transfer together. It was Tanaka and Takahashi, but we weren't close... so we went our separate ways."

"Separate ways, huh?"

"More like..."

He looked down with a dark expression, hesitating to speak, but after a while, he started speaking softly.