The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 118

Chapter 118:

Dried Meat Is a Big Seller

“WHOA. Quite a haul again today, huh? You’re pretty good out there, son.”

“Not really…”

I looked at fourteen animals’ worth of meat on the counter. It was a lot, but it was all thanks to Ciel. The adandara had been giving its all ever since I got back to hunting. Every time I set a trap, it would spook the field mice and wild rabbits. I’d tried to stop it once, but the next day, it just brought me prey in its mouth like it had before. It was like it had decided it needed to bring me food no matter what. Did Ciel think I was a bad hunter? I wanted to do it myself…

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, sorry. Is it okay for me to bring meat so many days in a row?”

“Ha ha ha! Don’t you worry. A little birdie told me the beginner adventurers are spreading rumors about my shop.”

“Rumors?”

“Yeah. They say this here is the spot with all the dried meat.”

“Ah! I heard that in the plaza, too.”

“Oh ho! So it’s true word’s getting around, eh?”

“Yes. I thought I heard someone mention this shop, so I asked them to be sure. They were definitely talking about this one.”

More specifically, what I’d heard was, “That place on the main street is the one where you can get tons of dried meat. No doubt about it.”

Before entering the caves, beginner adventurers had a lot to prepare. They needed weapons to hunt the monsters inside, tents that could be used in caves, and rations. Their staple was dried meat. However, dried meat was in short supply at the butcher shops in this town. As such, people had to go from store to store all around town to meet their needs, which took a lot of time. Recently, however, this shop had an abundant stock of dried meat. Gossip about it was spreading in the plaza. I was surprised when I heard it—was the meat I was selling enough to cause all this?

“Thanks to the scuttlebutt, business is booming,” the butcher said. “Which means I’m gonna need more meat!” Yeah. If word is really getting around, then he’ll need more supply. “Say, son…”

“Yes?”

“Anything you could do to pump up those numbers for me?”

“Huh?!” I had brought fourteen carcasses today. If he wanted more, then I’d have to bring around twenty. I’d also brought fifteen yesterday and eighteen the day before. Was that still not enough?

“If you can’t, you can’t, but I’m selling out fast.” The butcher looked pointedly at the dried meat shelf. I followed his line of sight and saw just six bags left. He’d had twenty-five there just the day before. “People keep buying ’em in sets of five. That’s all I have in stock right there.”

Five?! The big bags sold by this store should feed a single person for five days. Adventurer teams going into the caves should only be composed of three or four people… I feel like they’re going overboard, but maybe they need it for how long they stay in there. Either way, he was selling out fast. The place was practically cleaned out.

“I’ll do my best!”

“Thanks.”

Or, more accurately, Ciel will do its best…no! I want to hunt properly, too. I’ll have Ciel hunt for itself while I set my traps. Maybe then I can contribute, too.

“Fine with the usual bronze tokens?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.” I accepted the money and left.

Eight days had passed since Count Faltoria’s arrest, and Otolwa was finally back to normal. It was clear that the townspeople had loved him. For the first two or three days, the atmosphere had been gloomy throughout the town. But the pall cast over the town had gradually cleared, and laughter could be heard on the main street again.

Seizerk and the others were relieved, too. Lowcreek and Sifar had left the plaza to go back to their families two days ago, and Gnouga had taken his leave earlier today to stay with a friend. Everyone else would probably get back to their usual work soon, which meant I wouldn’t be in charge of meals anymore. Wow…that’s a little sad. Nobody’s ever eaten my food so happily before.

When I got back to the plaza, Rattloore was already there. It was still a few hours until dinner. Why was he here?

“Mr. Rattloore, you’re back early.”

“Hey, good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you, too.”

He looked a little worn out, but he was as warm and kind as ever. I wondered if something good had happened.

“I’ve got a message from the captain and the GM,” he said.

From those two? What could it be?

“What is it?” I wasn’t involved in the investigation anymore, so I couldn’t think of anything they’d want to tell me about. There shouldn’t be any problems…right?

“They said they’d like to chat with you about it over dinner.”

“Ah! Umm…” I was glad that some new headache hadn’t come up out of nowhere, but…dinner? With us? 

“Will they be coming to eat here?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no, no. They’ll treat you.”

“Treat me… Is that okay, though?”

“Absolutely. They’ll be treating us, too.” Rattloore winked.

So Rattloore and the others will be there? Maybe it’s fine, then.

“Okay. I’d be glad to!” I agreed.

“Awesome! Where should we go?”

“I’m okay with anything…”

“Huh. Okay, I’ll come up with something myself, then.”

He will? He has a really mischievous look. I don’t think that’s the face of an innocent person…

“Hm?” Rattloore tilted his head inquiringly as I stared.

“Er, you look like you’re up to something.”

“…Ha ha ha, don’t worry. I’m sure I can come up with something.”

He was scheming! Can I really leave this up to him?

“Really! Don’t worry!” Rattloore saw the look on my face and grinned back. I must’ve looked worried. If I did, it was his fault!

“I trust you! I’ll leave it to you, then.” I didn’t know much about the restaurants in this town, so I had to rely on him. Good luck, Captain and GM.

“Cool. There’s this place I wanna go. It’s reeeally classy—”

“Somewhere I won’t have to be nervous, please.”

“Aww…”

I wouldn’t be able to focus on my meal if the place was too swanky. Somewhere more middle of the road was best.

“Mr. Rattloore, I’d like to go somewhere I can eat without feeling self-conscious.” I wanted to make that much clear. When I insisted, he looked a little disappointed. It’s a good thing I said it.

“That’s a shame. A crying shame. But I’ll tell them that’s what you want.”

No matter how much of a shame it was, I couldn’t budge on this. If I didn’t stand my ground, it was sure to get out of hand. Still, I was excited to eat at a restaurant!

“Mr. Rattloore, did they send you here just to tell me about dinner?”

“Er, not really. I was getting tired, so I just stepped out for a bit.” He’s slacking off, then. Rattloore sure is a free spirit. Won’t they get mad at him? I’m…sure he wouldn’t make a mistake like that. Surely. Rattloore continued, “Uh, Seizerk will probably mention this later, but…”

“Oh?”

“Count Faltoria confessed to everything.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. The evidence we had was already pretty strong, but the stuff we got from their hidden base was really the nail in the coffin.”

Their hidden base… That definitely sounds like nobility. He finally confessed, though. I heard that he was claiming it was all a setup every time they showed him evidence, so I was getting worried. Everyone thought he was a good person, but in the end, he showed his true colors. How dreadful.

“That’s the end of all of this, then?” I asked.

“For us, yeah.”

For us? That sounds like there’s more.

Rattloore continued, “I dunno if he just got tired of holding it in, or if he’s desperate, or what. He went on and on and on about how this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the crimes of the nobility.”

“That’s rather, er…”

“Because of that, things are getting pretty hectic in the capital. An underground organization causing trouble in the capital reared its head just as his confessions came to light, so the knights are investigating it now.”

Are there underground criminals in every town? I would have to be more circumspect in my travels. It might really be time for me to consider whether I wanted to travel alone.

“By the way, the capital’s GM sends both his thanks and his complaints,” Rattloore added.

“Thanks and…complaints?”

“Yeah. His thanks for helping him get closer to the kidnappers he’s been after, and complaints that he’s so busy with this flood of new information.”

“That’s a lot like how it is here.”

Rattloore and the others had been busy running around for days, after all.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess it is. That’s rough for him, since it’s all happening in the capital. Poor guy.”

You could at least try to look sympathetic. Otherwise it’s hard to believe you.

“Mr. Rattloore, that doesn’t sound like something you should say with a smile.”

“Whoops, my bad! Gotta hide my feelings better.” He jokingly covered his face with his hands, but he looked as happy as could be. Rattloore was a good guy, but he was a schemer—that much was clear. Maybe he was a good match for Sifar.