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Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter SS4




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The Race 

It happened on a day when I had been walking around the streets of Maalt, albeit with Edel perched on my head. 

While I was an adventurer, and a busy one at that, I couldn’t exactly work around the clock as not much would be done that way. It was true many problems had been popping up around me lately, and I had been hopping from one incident to the next. Humans, however, always found a way to get some rest in, lest they be crushed by the weight of their duties. All that work with nothing to show for it—not a prospect I could laugh at. 

On the other hand, I wasn’t currently human. Perhaps those thoughts were nothing more than a waste of time, but it was at that moment when... 

“Hmm...? Hey, you there. That thing on your head...” someone called out to me. 

A middle-aged, male adventurer, to be precise. A glance at him was sufficient for me to understand he was no longer new at the business. While he wasn’t exactly a veteran, he probably had some degree of sense. The equipment and weapons on him were equally mundane, so he didn’t seem like a dangerous individual at the very least. 

Even so, I had my guard up, for a moment of carelessness was all that was needed for the foe to launch an ambush. 

For example, what if he suddenly poured holy water over me? Perhaps that would work on a normal Undead, but it would be worthless on me. Though, maybe there were some poisons in the world that had unknown effects on me, or maybe I wouldn’t be completely immune to them. I couldn’t discount such a possibility. I didn’t expect this to happen, of course, but if we were to engage in combat, I was confident I would come up out on top. Regardless, I was still cautious. 

All things considered, the man didn’t seem hostile. He took one look at Edel, then turned to me and said the following: 

“Ah, right. You, you’re going to the races? I see, I see... Yeah, he looks like a good mouse. Maybe you’ll even get first place if you participate...” 

I shook my head at his words. It appeared the man was mistaken. I felt like I should correct him, but before I could do so, he was already tugging on my sleeve. 

“Even I feel like I could bet on your mouse... Hmm. Okay, this way! Quickly, to the registration counter! I’m betting on you, friend!” he said, as he continued pulling me to some unknown place against my will. 

 

From his words and demeanor, it wasn’t difficult to guess what the man was up to. Race, bet, registration... With all these keywords, even a fool would know what the man had mistaken me for. The place that he had taken me to was also obviously a place for such a purpose. 

This was nowhere within the streets of Maalt, but just outside of it, along a particularly long wall. A corner of the nearby forest, once creeping up to the wall, had been completely cleared. In the clearing sat a course with several steep inclines and tunnels—such a complicated thing. 

One might ask what exactly this course was for: Puchi Suri racing. In fact, there were about six of the mice at this very moment, all running toward the goal. 

Around the course were throngs and crowds of male adventurers, all holding wooden plaques of sorts—betting chips, perhaps—as they cheered on their selected champions. Occasionally, some of them would make a terrified expression as their mouse of choice lagged behind. 

“A betting race, I see...” 

“What, didn’t know?” the man next to me said. 

Like the rest, he was holding a wooden plaque in his hands. His name was Aidi, a Bronze-class adventurer. He was caught up in these races as of late, and hadn’t been taking on any requests at all. He did the absolute minimum so he wouldn’t be struck off the register, but the rewards would once again be spent betting on these races. 

“When was a place like this built...?” I asked. 

“This place? Pretty recently. They say the Puchi Suri in the town have calmed down recently—not that aggressive anymore and all that. So there was this guy...thought he would try seeing if they listened to instructions, if they could be trained. So it turns out they could be, and he got reminded of them races back in certain districts...and if it were mice he wouldn’t need to do very much. So he built this place.” 

I felt like I understood the reasons behind all this happening. Edel’s power had changed the Puchi Suri of Maalt, causing them to become less aggressive to humans. More importantly, however, they gained some semblance of intelligence. 

This...was supposedly the result of it all. 

On one hand, no one would be injured or killed in these events, and I suppose it could be safely ignored for what it was. On the other, the people here were obviously addicted to the races, even if their families were starving, or they themselves were becoming impoverished. I felt some pangs of guilt at those thoughts. 


“It’s getting real interesting around these parts, see...” 

Although I gave the man cursory responses, he continued rambling on, eventually speaking of the people he had encountered, and the things he had seen at this place. Tales about men who became rich, men who lost everything, and men who dragged themselves to the races even if they were broke. I shook my head as he continued on, with stories of terrible individuals who stole their family member’s savings... All strange, absurd, sad, and funny tales. Perhaps some of the people here wouldn’t find these stories very amusing at all. 

He went on for a while, regaling me with more of these unfortunate tales. 

“Ah... There he is. That mouse of yours.” 

As expected, Edel was lined up at the starting line along with the other Puchi Suri. Due to his insistence, Edel had been registered for the races at the counter prior. There were entry fees, of course; nothing grand, and there would be no penalties for losing. I suppose just one time was fine, so we went ahead with the process. For some reason, Edel was enthusiastic about the whole thing. 

Before long... 

“All right! Positions! One... Two... START!!!” 

The staff member’s voice was amplified several times by the object in his hands; an artifact from the depths of a labyrinth, if I had to guess. 

The Puchi Suri were off, as if understanding the significance of the sound. Each and every one of the mice were about Edel’s size, and their speed was nothing to scoff at. I suppose each of them were much like Edel, with followings of smaller mice in their nests and caverns. 

The color of their pelts differed, albeit slightly. Bolts of ash, brown, and black darted through the racecourse. They were also capable of using mana to enhance their bodies, seeing as Puchi Suri were monsters after all. 

While Edel could have taken some mana from me and gained an advantage over his peers, he refused to do so in the name of sportsmanship, perhaps. That made me feel like this race was now worth watching a little bit. 

“Would you LOOK at that! Number one, Jacks Tiger! He’s fast! There he goes, taking those corners at such an aggressive speed! But wait, what’s this? Close on his tail is number two, Edel! A first time contestant this black wind may be, but he’s hot on the Puchi Suri race king’s back! WILL HE CATCH UP?!” 

A cursory look around the venue revealed many of the audience had bet on number one—the reigning champion, it seemed. 

Aidi, however, had a plate for number two, Edel. It was as he said; he really did bet on us. 

“ALL RIGHT! Come on... Come on!!!” 

Aidi watched on, muttering prayers under his breath. His intense expression was much like that of an adventurer confronting a powerful monster. The reality of the situation, however, was quite different, and the absurdity of the situation was somewhat pathetic. 

Finally... 

“HERE WE ARE! The LAST corner! Turning... He’s turning... There! We see him! Number one, Jacks Tiger! Will this end as...? Oh? What’s this? Coming close behind and CLOSING IN! Number two, EDEL! What terrifying speed! I have never seen a catch-up like this in the history of Puchi Suri Racing! Jacks Tiger presses on! On and on as Edel closes in! He’s closing in! Closing... THEY’RE IN LINE! This is it folks! The SHOWDOWN! Who’ll be the victor? One? Or two...?! TWO! It’s TWOOOOOO!!! EDEL HAS SECURED FIRST PLACE!!!” 

And so it came to be that Edel caught up to his foe, passing it to achieve first place. At that moment, Aidi jumped up with a triumphant cry. 

“YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!” 

Aidi raised his fist in the air in celebration of his victory, a sharp contrast to the sea of disappointed faces, along with a heap of discarded betting plaques on the ground. The fallen plaques were then gathered by a few men of whom I supposed were staff members, most likely for recycling or some other purpose. 

Hmm. Quite sustainable indeed. 

“We’ve done it! We’ve really done it! With this, I can play around and relax for quite a bit longer... There’s a payout for you, too! Come visit when you feel like it, I’ll surely bet on you again!” Aidi said, all smiles. 

That was one thing, I suppose, but Edel was, for all intents and purposes, a fortified Puchi Suri. Was that not a violation of the rules? Either way, there was little in the way of fine print. I wouldn’t concern myself with that now. 

This was how I came to learn about this strange new form of leisure in Maalt. Would other strange spectacles soon pop up in this small town? For one reason or other, I felt like a wave of change was sweeping through Maalt. 

I, of course, couldn’t say with certainty what was bringing about these changes. Yes, I knew nothing at all... Just because strange things were happening around me didn’t mean I was responsible for any of it. That’s right, I wasn’t. 

With the prize money, Edel had me purchase food that was to his liking. With the remainder, I procured a good vintage, sharing it between Lorraine and myself. 

To think this day would come! A familiar paying for its own expenses... Ha. A good mouse, truly. 



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