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TL: ALT
Chapter 32 – Day 31 of Living in the Demonic Land
After feeding the forest rats and watering the fields, I enter the swamp.
After some warm-up exercises and undressing, I noticed that my body was much more muscular than before. It’s hard to believe that this is the same man who used to live a life of debauchery and frequent brothels. My skin is also darker from the sun. I didn’t eat breakfast because I was going into the water. After some warm-up exercises, I entered the swamp.
I took a deep breath, let the light magic cling to my arms, and dove into the swamp.
Because I was standing out, the fish monsters came close to me. I didn’t do anything to the monsters that weren’t harmful, only killing the ones that came towards me with P.J.’s knife.
By the time I reached the bottom of the swamp, I was out of breath.
I used magic to create a current of water and quickly rose to the surface of the swamp.
“Puhah~!”
As I emerged from the bottom of the swamp and reached the surface, the sun was blinding me. I took a deep breath, created a water current, and went back down to the bottom of the swamp. Because I had created a current, the mud at the bottom of the swamp was churned up and blocked my view.
I thought I was in trouble, but in a situation like this, the key is to think outside the box.
I thought there might be ruins under the mud, so I created more and more water currents and dug through the mud at the bottom. When I couldn’t hold my breath anymore, I came out of the swamp and took a short rest.
“Are you crazy?”
“I thought there might be ruins down there, so I tried digging at the bottom. I’ll go back down when the water clears.”
My body smelled of mud, so Cher pinched her nose and hit me with a water spell.
I smelled myself, and it smelled pretty bad. I went to the stream at the entrance to the demon land and washed myself, and a green tiger came up to me and sniffed the ground. There is slime in the river as well, but they’re not much of a threat now. If they don’t attack me, I won’t attack them. Even if they do attack, they’re opponents that can be dealt with with simple brute force or magic.
The Green Tiger that had been approaching suddenly stared across the river in front of it. The trees in the forest rustled, and I knew something was coming.
Was it a wild bear or a Vespa Hornet? For now, I put on my pants.
What appeared was a person with a large backpack on his back, and a hood pulled down over his face. Because the person was wearing a coat-like outfit that covered their entire body and also had a mask on, it was impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman, and all you could see were their piercing eyes. The person was taller than me.
The green tiger roared and made threatening sounds.
The slime in the river was also still and motionless as if waiting for an opportunity to attack.
“Hello. What brings you to the demonic land?”
I tried to ask as calmly as I could.
“S-s-s-sorry! I heard that there were people living in the demonic land, so I came. Does the tiger monster cross the river?”
The voice I heard through the mask was neutral, and I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. If it was a man, he looked young, and if it was a woman, she looked old.
“I think it probably won’t cross.”
I approached Green Tiger and stroked his chin, and his expression gradually softened as he returned to the jungle of the demonic land.
“I-I-I’m sorry!”
As the hooded person stepped into the stream, the slime bit him. The slime dragged the backpack into the river and bit into it from the top.
I could hear the person calling for help, but since this was all his own fault, I decided to watch for a while.
The hand that came out of the river lost its strength, so I pulled the slime off and carried the hooded person to the edge of the forest. I hope he understands that the demonic land is dangerous.
“Gahahh!”
The hooded person, whose mask and hood had been torn open, spat out water. It seemed that his magic power had been absorbed by the slime, and his complexion was quite bad, and it looked like he couldn’t put any power into his body. Although the person’s complexion was bad, his face was quite beautiful. Even if that person said he was a nobleman, I wouldn’t doubt it. However, the person’s hair was a mohawk with the sides shaved off. Moreover, his eyes were sharp, and there was a sense of tragedy in the air.
“If you’re going to the demonic land, you’d better be a little stronger. It won’t do you any good to be beaten by slime.”
“S-s-sorry. I heard that the staffs made in the demonic land are of high quality, so I came to buy one.”
I see.
“Right now, they’re only sold at the military training facility.”
When I said that and refused, the person grabbed my arm.
“P-p-please! A staff, please sell me a staff!”
This guy is desperate. It’s quite a feat for someone who was defeated by the slime to come all the way through the forest to the demon land. The previous ones took several days. I can’t believe that someone would find value in the staff I so casually made.
“Well, I don’t mind selling it, but do you have anything to trade? I’ll tell you right now, I don’t want any money.”
“P-p-please take a look in my backpack. Is there anything in there that we can trade?”
It seems that this person can’t even open his own backpack. Inside the backpack were clothes that looked like those worn by noblewomen, a dagger, books, and food. The food would probably be for this hooded person to eat on the way back. The clothes and the dagger don’t seem to be magical tools. The books look like history books.
“What kind of history book is this?”
“It must be a history book about this area.”
“What do you mean, ‘must be’?”
“There are a lot of things that I don’t know if they’re really true. Like the flying island or the monster that’s taller than a mountain, the author’s imagination is pretty much in there.”
That’s probably true. Giant monsters bigger than mountains, huh? Maybe I should evacuate.
“I’ll trade you this history book for ten staffs.”
“Ten staffs? Is that true?”
“Yes. If you have other similar books, I’ll trade for them.”
“I don’t have any with me right now, but I might be able to find some.”
“Then I’ll take this book. I’ll have ten staffs ready for you the next time you come.”
“Wait! That’s too much of a disadvantage for me. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back here.”
That’s true, but to be honest, I’m hungry, and if I stay in my underwear forever, I’ll catch a cold. I want to go home as soon as possible.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“A secret?”
“I want you to say nothing about what you saw in this demonic land. If you can’t keep that promise, there’s no deal.”
“I-I-I understand.”
For now, I blindfolded the hooded person and put him on my back along with the backpack. Something soft touched my bare skin. He seemed to be in pretty good shape and muscular except for his chest.
We left the forest and went straight back to my cave.
“What’s that?”
Cher asked as she baked bread.
“I picked up a business partner. He said he wanted a staff.”
“A demon!”
The hooded person had removed his blindfold.
“Did you see it?”
“What are you going to do?”
Cher focused her magic on her right hand.
“Wait, wait! I’m not supposed to talk about what I see in the demonic land, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jennifer noticed the noise and came out of the cave.
“Who is that?
“He’s a merchant. He came to buy a staff made in the demonic land.”
“I see. Hmm? I think I’ve seen that face before.”
Jennifer looked at the hooded person as if to see who he was.
“Oh, it’s a common face.”
The hooded man turned away.
“It seems he brought something to trade, so would you take a look at it, Jennifer? To be honest, I don’t really know what it’s worth.”
“Me? That’s fine.”
Jennifer took the backpack from the hooded man and muttered, “It’s really wet.”
“It’s the same with Jennifer. He got hit by the slime at the entrance.”
It’s the same with me.
Jennifer nodded, took something out of the backpack, and put it on the ground. It seems she was telling the truth when she said she was in charge of the supplies at the party before, and she’s good at it. Is she unexpectedly useful in the negotiations?
“Cher, please choose a magic stone.”
“Mm… okay.”
The bread seems to have turned out well, and Cher is in a good mood.
“Sit down and wait a bit.”
I picked out a long branch and recommended the stump to the hooded man.
“S-s-s-sorry!”
The hooded man, obviously nervous, sat down on the stump and looked around. When he heard the Imp’s voice, “Gyoeee!” coming from the distance, he put his hand on the dagger at his waist and stood up. He probably thought it was the call of a strange bird.
“It’s okay. It’s a small monster, so it’s not dangerous.”
“I-I-I-I understand.”
The hooded man sat down, but he was still on guard.
“Why do you want the staff?”
“There was a rebellion of brigands in the area west of this demonic land, and we need a powerful weapon to suppress them.”
Civil war? The hooded man spoke like a soldier.
“This is a good time to make a profit.”
“W-w-w-what did you say?!”
The hooded man suddenly stood up, looking angry.
“You’re a merchant, right?”
“Ugh! T-t-t-that’s right.”
He said this and sat down calmly, but his face was stern. It seemed that he was not just a merchant but had a reason for being here.
“May I have a word, Makyo…?”
Jennifer called out to me as I chipped away at the branch.
“What is it?”
“It’s strange. The quality of the goods is too good. I think he’d have to rob a nobleman’s carriage to get something this good…”
Jennifer said in a low voice.
“Bandits?”
I asked Jennifer, looking at the hooded figure.
“Probably… but I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“So a high-ranking adventurer has become a bandit?”
Jennifer nodded at my question.
High-level adventurers should be able to make a lot of money from the many quests they do. There’s no need to go out of your way to become a bandit.
“We also showed him Cher. We also do business with bandits, but…”
“Wait, I’m not a bandit!”
The hooded man stood up as if he had heard my words.
“Then let me ask you, where did you get this item?”
“I-I-I-I am a noble from East Kenya. I was ordered by my uncle, the lord, to buy weapons, and that’s why I came here.”
“Ah, I see! That’s why I thought I’d seen you before!”
Jennifer was satisfied.
“What’s going on?”
I asked Jennifer.
“East Kenya is the closest place to this demonic land. Or rather, it’s generally believed that this demonic land is also East Kenya’s territory.”
“There was a civil war in that area, so the daughter of a noble came to buy weapons… No, no, no, why? Run away!”
“No, running away is not an option for the people of East Kenya.”
“East Kenya, which is close to the land of the elves, is warlike in a good sense and barbaric in a bad sense. Didn’t you know that?”
Jennifer told me.
“I never heard that before. But that means they wouldn’t let their family escape unless it was to buy something for them, right? I thought his uncle let him go.”
“T-t-t-that’s not true! I’m the greatest female warrior in East Kenya!”
“Is that so… Well, I don’t know about other people’s family circumstances, so if you’re offended, I apologize. But if it’s not stolen, then we can make a proper trade.”
I made some kind of excuse and let Jennifer and the noblewoman warrior negotiate.
I made staffs that could produce water magic and paralyzing magic with the magic stones that Cher had chosen. That was enough since they didn’t need staff that could kill but rather ones that could subdue the adventurers.
“Okay, it’s done.”
I gave the noblewoman warrior 20 staff, and she gave me history books and clothes, and the deal was done.
I escorted the noblewoman warrior to the entrance.
“Good luck. And don’t tell anyone about the demon. If you do, I’ll send the monsters in the demonic land to attack you. Got it?”
I warned her.
The noblewoman warrior nodded several times and crossed the stream safely on her way back. The slime won’t attack her if I kick them around.
I went back to the cave and ate something.
“Hiete’s bread is also delicious.”
Cher’s official language is getting better.
“Yes. After I eat, I’ll go back to the swamp.”
The mud that was stirred up should have settled down by now.
“Yes.”
This time, Cher will dive in as well.
“I’ll cut down the bendgrass and make a path. If there’s no traffic, Makyo won’t be able to get rent, and when the money changer comes, I can pay my rent too.”
Jennifer seems to have found a job for herself.
“Do what you want.”
The sun was setting, so we had to hurry.
After washing the dishes, I went to the swamp.
I took off my clothes, took a deep breath, and jumped into the swamp. The bottom of the swamp was white. Huge bones were buried in the mud.
A thighbone as big as a house. Canine teeth as big as Cher’s height. The corpses of many great monsters lay at the bottom of the swamp. It was too big, so I could only bring back a piece of the tooth and a piece of the fingertip bone.
The sun had completely set, and that day, I washed myself in the stream and returned to the cave.
Perhaps because I had been in the water, I had used up a lot of energy, and as I dried myself by the fire, I fell asleep.
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