Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 94

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Chapter 94 – Festival Site

The area around my base shows a surprising amount of activity.

The hunters take turns keeping watch in all directions, but down by the river, three pots of food are being cooked over a fire, and next to it, a huge piece of orc meat is being grilled, probably from a kill they made along the way.

The people in charge of this area are either the girlfriends or wives of the hunters.

And three male hunters are bathing in the bath, and naked male hunters are also soaking in the river water around them.

The temperature is even hotter than when I first came to this world.

It’s a really hot day, so I can really understand why it feels good to go into the river.

They’ve been taking turns taking a bath and then going into the river, so they’re probably enjoying it like a sauna.

I’m fishing with the three of Zink-kun, May-chan, and Potta-kun.

I borrowed a fishing rod from May-chan, who was doing something with a basket that she claimed to be good at, but as usual, I still couldn’t understand what she was doing.

There were several other people with fishing rods as well, and they were casting something stringlike while talking to each other in a slightly distant area.

“How’s it going since then? How’s the Rocker Plains?”

“My income has tripled. Thanks to it, I was even able to buy some armor, even though it’s cheap.”

“I panicked when I got hit by an air mantis’ wind magic once, though.”

“Oh… are you okay?!”

That’s right.

I actually wanted to show them the power of level 1 wind magic, but I got so distracted by the fact that Zink-kun didn’t have the earth magic he should have that I forgot…

“It was because we were far away from each other. Like Loki-kun said, it feels like a strong wind when you’re about 10 meters away, right?”

“Yes, but it would have been dangerous if you had come any closer.”

“Yeah, it’s probably a good thing that it was Potta who was targeted. If it had been me, I would have gotten too close in a hurry.”

Well… I don’t think it’s a good thing that Potta-kun was targeted, but it’s true that Potta-kun wouldn’t have gone out of his way to approach it while carrying his basket.

I can easily imagine that he was too afraid to move.

It’s a blessing in disguise.

“I see. So this is where we’re going?”

I looked around, but Zink-kun made a sour face.

“As I thought, it’s impossible for us to make it alone. We met some monsters on the way, but… I quickly realized that it would be difficult for me to kill an orc.”

A quick glance at his equipment shows that he still mainly uses a knife, which can be used for dismantling as well as cutting.

Besides, Zink-kun is shorter than me.

In that case, he would either have to aim for the eye with his bow or inflict a series of scratches on the legs to make it lower its head in order to deal a fatal blow.

Meanwhile, it’s not a place where you can get away with just one monster.

And if you consider the possibility that other monsters might come… yeah, as I said, it will be hard.

Even if Zink-kun survives, I can see May-chan and Potta-kun becoming targets.

“Well, I know from hunting here that the best place to make money is the Rocker Plains. In the end, it all depends on what you want to do.”

“That’s right. Our main goal is to make money, so we didn’t have to discuss it much and decided that the Rocker Plains would be fine.”

“If you keep at it, you’ll eventually learn not only presence detection, but also exploration. Then hunting in the Rocker Plains will be much easier, right?”

“That’s what Meisa wanted. Exploration, huh… I already have archery, so I think I’ll try exploration next for my prayer. I might even let Meisa get it.”

Just as we were talking, a particularly loud voice echoed through the air.

“Dinner is ready! Everyone who wants to eat, come here!”

“Oh, it’s time for dinner! We can’t catch anything here, so let’s go eat!”

“I’m hungry!”

“What are they cooking?”

We picked up May-chan, who was busy scooping the fish into a colander and went together.

The others had gathered as well, but half of them were wearing only their underwear and were soaking wet.

And they’re all half-naked and muscular, a real eyesore, as the saying goes.

I get in line, and when I see the ingredients in the wooden bowl, I’m secretly overjoyed to see the soup full of the vegetables I’ve been craving.

“This is it! This is just what I need after a meal full of meat! It smells so good…)”

Standing up, I take a sip of the soup, which tastes like consommé and salt.

I know there’s no such thing as consommé in this world, but the taste is close to that of non-transparent consommé, and it makes me feel warm inside.

I looked around for a place to sit and saw Alba-san and Mizuru-san talking while nibbling on some meat.

I interrupted them just as they were about to start.

“How was the bath?”

“Oh, Loki, it felt so good!”

“I never thought I’d be able to take a bath! It makes me sick to think that nobles always take baths like this, but it was definitely the best!”

“Haha, that’s great! You two went back and forth between the river and the bath.”

“When it gets hot, I go to the river, and when it starts to cool down, I go to the bath. I never thought there was a way to enjoy the world like that.”

“If I had a house like this, I could drink alcohol while I was at it…”

Mizuru-san rubs himself in the bath as if reluctant to leave.

If it’s just the bath, I think I could manage it if I put my mind to it, but I don’t think I could manage the river as well.

I don’t think even the nobility would bathe like that.

“(Oh, come to think of it, I should probably tell them.)”

It’s a double blow of sadness for Mizuru-san, but I’ll tell them here what I didn’t tell them yesterday.

I’ll have to tell them eventually.

“I forgot to tell you yesterday, but I think I’ll probably graduate from here in about six days… according to the schedule.”

My level is now 16.

And after I reached level 16, I hunted for two full days, but in those two days, my experience level only increased by about 25%.

This means that I’ve already exceeded the appropriate level.

I’ll take it up to level 17, but after that, I’ll have to face the hardships that await me.

Then it’ll probably be time to finish things in Lulub Forest.

“I see. Well, it can’t be helped. I was prepared for it.”

“Yes. So it’s been about half a month altogether? Well, I’ve earned enough anyway!”

“Besides, I had received a warning from the guild about how long this situation would last, so it would be just about the right time.”

“Hmm? A warning?”

“Yes, because apparently more materials than they expected are being delivered every day. They told me that if it continues like this, it will be difficult to maintain the price of purchasing materials.”

I see. I hadn’t thought about it that deeply…

I should probably consider pulling out earlier than expected, depending on the situation.

“So it looks like we’ll be okay for another six days or so?”

“That should be enough, right? Magic stones are expendable, and small wolf pelts can be quickly made into clothes and shoes. There’s no way there’s going to be too much material that directly affects the lives of ordinary people. So I think the guild is worried about orc meat…”

“It’s an expensive kind of meat to begin with. I heard that it’s being frozen with magic tools and transported to the city of Malta, but I think they’re starting to have trouble accepting it there as well.”

Hmm.

Well, it’s up to the guild to decide the purchase price.

Even if I ask Alba-san or Mizuru-san, I’m afraid I’ll only get guesses as an answer.

This incident has taught me to be careful with food that spoils quickly in the future, but…

The question is, what do I do now?

“If the price suddenly drops, please let me know. You don’t have to force yourself to go with me, and in that case, I’ll consider pulling out early as well.”

“Ah… don’t worry about it. Even if the value of the meat goes down a bit, it’s definitely true that our income is much higher than what we’ve been earning, right?”

“Exactly. If the demand for meat goes down, we can fill the baskets with other materials, and even if it goes down, we won’t lose any money.”

“I see… then, as planned, it’s about six more days. I’ll be the one to call you on the last day, so let’s both do our best for the remaining days.”

“Sure, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Hey, hey, we still have about six days left, so let’s not talk about such depressing things now! The main event is about to start, right?”

“?”

As Mizuru-san said this, I looked at the place he was pointing to with his chin, and it seemed that everyone had finished eating for the time being.

The women were gathered around the bath.

“Come on, it’s our turn next! All the men should turn their backs! If you don’t protect us properly, I don’t know what will happen later!”

The voice of someone who seemed to be the oldest woman in the group echoed around the area and into my heart.

I see.

This is certainly the case.

I looked at the women and saw about ten of them.

Well, apart from May-chan, they range from their late teens to their mid-30s.

There are a lot of relatively good-looking people in this world, or maybe just in this area, so from my perspective, they’re all in my strike zone.

――I get excited. Something is.

Looking at them from the side, Mizuru-san is already making a lewd face, and even Alba-san, who is pretending to be a gentleman, is fidgeting with his nose twitching.

Phew…

The men slowly leave the bath and take their positions.

Of course, Zink-kun and Potta-kun were also kicked out of the bath with someone else.

And in the midst of all this, my mind was racing, trying to figure out what position I should take and what would be the most advantageous.

“(Is there any way to do this…? Hmm… Mmm… Ah…)”

I had a flash of inspiration for a solution and immediately went to talk to the leader of the women.

“Excuse me! My name is Loki, and I have the exploration skill. I can detect the presence of monsters within a 30-meter radius. However, since it’s a peripheral detection, my safety will be compromised if I move away from the bath, but is that okay?”

“Ara, you’re Loki-kun, I see. I’m grateful that you let my husband earn money! So with that skill, does that mean it’s better to stay near the bath?”

“That’s right. I’m a man too, so I won’t force you, but since it was a place with a lot of monsters…”

It’s a gamble.

But since it’s true, there’s no problem even if someone knows my exploration skill, and even if I’m rejected, I can just escort them to a certain location.

In other words, I have no disadvantages.

The women pondering my proposal seemed to be waiting for someone to speak while watching the situation rather than calculating the advantages and disadvantages.

And there was one girl here who couldn’t read the mood very well.

“It would be so reassuring to have Loki-kun around! He’d protect us!”

Nice!

Excellent work, May-chan!

So, the current has turned?

“Isn’t that good? He’s still a child.”

“That’s right! And the fact that this boy is defeating the monster by himself means he must be the strongest, right? Wouldn’t it be safer if he stayed nearby?”

“Yeah, yeah. I heard it was Loki-kun who built this bath.”

“That’s true. Even if the men are watching the area, if they can get through somewhere, it’s no good… so I guess we’ll have Loki-kun stay close by.”

“””” “I agree!” “”””

“(Hahahahaha!!!!!)”

I won!

I’ve won!

How about that, you men standing guard around here!

There’s a hint of melancholy in my back!

You guys won’t even be able to hear the slightest sound as the women take a bath.

But I’ll be right next to the women’s bath!

Mizuru-san glared at me with a sideways glance, biting his lower lip as if he had caught me with some evil thought.

At that moment, a stone flew at Mizuru-san with incredible force, thrown by someone.

W-what a frightening world.

To be thrown a stone for that… and the person who threw it is no ordinary person either.

But now is not the time to be worrying about Mizuru-san, who is writhing in agony from the stone that was thrown at him.

I sat down in the fire pit area of the bathtub and first concentrated all my senses on my hearing.

Fwup… fwup…

Hmm, it’s started―undressing time.

It’s also quite pleasant to imagine them taking off their clothes one by one while chatting and laughing.

But… is there any way to get a glimpse of them…?

It’s still sad just listening to the sounds.

I can’t say I’m making the most of this opportunity.

The river water―is reflecting it, but it’s not at an angle that could reflect a bath.

Hmm?

Come to think of it, I seem to have acquired a skill that expands my field of vision…

I thought to myself and quickly opened my status screen.

Since I was just moving my viewpoint, the girls wouldn’t notice.

“(I think it’s called expanded field of vision. If I can see behind me, I’ll consider spending some skill points on it…)”

As I thought this, I moved my focus to the skills screen and…

I froze.

“(Huh? …Eh? Why does it have the word ‘NEW’ on it…?)”

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