That morning, I made another fried egg and veggie sandwich for breakfast. As I nibbled on the bread, the god of good ideas blessed me.
Right, I thought, I’ve got this on lockdown. I took a decisive bite.
Eggs. If I could just produce eggs and sell them…
After breakfast, I headed to the merchants’ guild. I felt like there were a lot more people there than when I’d been before. No, there were definitely a lot more people than before. They were flooding the entrance. I wondered if I could even get inside, with all the commotion.
While I waited for the congestion to clear up, I overheard some familiar chatter.
“It’s the bear.”
“You don’t mean that bear?”
“The black viper bear.”
When I took a step forward, a path parted for me. It was almost like Moses parting the red sea. I went in without hesitation and looked around for Milaine, who had helped me last time. I spotted her, but it looked like she was busy with someone else. Just as I started to gripe about it under my breath, she finished up and noticed me.
“Yuna!” she called out. “What’s going on?”
“There was something I wanted to ask you about, Milaine.”
I looked at the line of people waiting at her station and wondered if she was even allowed to talk to me.
“I’ll hear you out.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s fine. I’ll switch out with someone. Let’s talk over here.”
The people in line were kind of giving me scary looks. I couldn’t help it since I’d cut, but it wasn’t my fault, all right? Milaine flagged down a clerk to take her spot and took me to another room.
“It’s kind of crowded here. Did something happen?”
“You’re asking, of all people?”
She looked at me in exasperation.
“…?”
How was I supposed to know what was going on at the merchants’ guild?
“Ahh…”
Why was she sighing?
“Looks like you’re serious. Everyone is here to buy the materials from the black viper you killed. It’s been a madhouse since yesterday. We only have so much, but everyone wants tons.”
“Really?”
“The skin and fangs are pretty popular. The meat is high-grade too, so there are merchants who take it to the royal capital to sell it.”
“Is it really that popular?”
“Yes, and it’s all because of you. We’re making a killing because of you.”
She bowed her head slightly.
“So, what did you need to ask about? I’ll go quite the lengths if you need something.”
I was thankful for that. I didn’t hesitate to ask her.
“So there’s an orphanage, right?”
“You mean the one at the edge of town?”
“Yeah. Could you sell me the land near there?”
“The land near the orphanage? I’ll go look a few things up, so please give me a moment.”
Milaine left the room and came back with documents in a flash, as usual.
“Yes, it should be fine. No one uses that land.”
“Can people not use it because of the orphanage?”
“To put it perhaps too bluntly, they are uneducated children. Even if someone did want to build there, they’d be worried about them causing trouble. And since it’s at the edge of town, there aren’t many people around that land as it is.”
I supposed that some people would consider having dirty kids around a mood-killer.
“So, that means I can buy it, right?”
“Yes, there’s no issue with that.”
“In that case, sell me some of that land.”
“Beg pardon, but what do you plan on using it for?”
“Hmmm, it’s a secret.”
“A secret?”
“Since I’m not sure if I’ll be successful yet.”
I paid the amount she indicated and received the deed to the land around the orphanage. I went back to the bear house and set up a transport gate in the storage house. Once I set that up, I left town and called out Kumayuru. If I went now, I could get there by the end of the day.
I rode back to the town where I’d beaten the black viper. It was a faster trip with just the one passenger. I kicked myself for not checking my status before I left the first time around; I could’ve spared myself the trouble today and set up the gate on this end. Not that there was any point complaining now.
This time, I didn’t go into the village; I headed up into the mountains a little ways away. I was running out of daylight.
“I wonder if there’s a good spot.”
After a few minutes of searching, I found the perfect place under a cliff.
Maybe this would work? I thought. No one would probably wander by here, either.
I went down the cliff and dug out a tunnel. I made it wide enough for Kumayuru and Kumakyu to fit and dug out a cave in the back. I made a couple of bear lights so I could keep working in the dark.
I decided to leave the details for a later day, blocked off the entrance with an earth spell, and set up a transport gate.
“I’m home.”
I was back at the bear house storage instantaneously. This was definitely a handy skill to have.
Chapter 44:
The Bear Raises Birds
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, I took the bear transport gate to the village. When I got there, a villager saw me coming and came over.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to meet with the village chief, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Yes, I believe that should be fine.”
The villager politely guided me to the village chief’s home.
“Oh, if it isn’t Yuna. What brings you here?” the village chief said, greeting me with a smile.
“Good morning. I just need a small favor…”
“I’ll hear out any favor you have to ask.”
“So about the kokekko you were kind enough to give me the other day…is it possible to catch living ones?”
“You want them alive? If we set a trap, I believe it should be relatively easy to catch one.”
“In that case, could you please catch some for me? I want the eggs, so I’d really like hens, if you can get them.”
“What is a favor to the
