Chapter 22: The Bear’s Nickname Is Bloody Bear
Today as well, I’m enjoying a delicious breakfast at the inn.
A life where I don’t have to cook is wonderful.
As I savor this shut-in dream, Fina comes in energetically.
“Good morning, Big Sis Yuna!”
“Good morning.”
I greet her and sip the warm soup.
It’s warm and delicious.
“Wait a bit, okay? I’ll be done eating soon.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Elena, can you bring a drink for Fina?”
Elena, who is moving around the dining area, replies and heads toward the kitchen.
“Big Sis Yuna?”
“Just sit down. I have something to discuss today.”
When I say that, she obediently sits in the chair in front of me.
Elena quickly brings over a drink.
“So, Fina. There are a few things I don’t understand, can you teach me?”
“Yes.”
“What do you need for butchering? I only know about knives.”
“Basically, just a knife is enough. The sharper it is, the cleaner you can skin. If it’s dull, you can’t properly remove things like wolf pelts. For higher-level monsters, normal iron knives might not even work.”
“What about your knife?”
“It’s an iron knife, but Gold-san made it, so it’s a good one.”
“Anything else needed?”
“A place to butcher, I guess. It helps if there’s water nearby.”
“That’s it?”
“There are other small things, like whetstones and a place to store the materials. Meat spoils over time.”
“So, for now, we need a whetstone, a place to butcher, and a place to store things. Also, I want to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“What will you do when I take on requests? Come with me, or wait somewhere?”
“I want to go with you, but I’d just get in the way…”
“Why do you want to come?”
“If I go with you, Big Sis Yuna, I might be able to gather medicinal herbs for my mom.”
“Then do you want to come along?”
“Is that okay?”
“I can protect one person like you easily. Also, is it okay for you to stay overnight?”
“Umm… if I tell my mom beforehand, it’s fine. But if it’s too long, she’ll worry.”
“Then let’s make it a day trip today. Starting next time, can you tell her it might be one night, two days? Or should I go greet her?”
“It’s okay. I’ll explain everything.”
After finishing breakfast, we slowly head to the guild as a walk.
On the way, I stop by a shop to buy a whetstone.
When we enter the guild, Helen looks busy dealing with adventurers at the reception desk.
Meanwhile, I casually head to the D-rank request board.
Fina follows behind me.
There aren’t many people at the D-rank board.
The E-rank board is the most crowded.
Some people glance at me, but no one talks to me.
Well, everyone is busy grabbing jobs in the morning, so they don’t have time to bother with me.
I look over the requests, but nothing interesting catches my eye.
Escort a merchant to the royal capital.
Subjugate orcs, including meat.
Subjugate demon monkeys that are damaging crops.
Looking for a sword or magic instructor, D-rank or higher.
Gather Merumeru grass.
Investigate abnormal monster activity at Whale Mountain.
Transport iron ore from Whale Mountain.
…
“There’s nothing interesting.”
“Big Sis Yuna, you choose based on that?”
“Of course. If I’m going to do it, it should be fun.”
Next, I head to the C-rank board.
There are only four adventurers there.
But they all seem to be from the same party, discussing which job to take.
I peek at the board from the side so I don’t disturb them.
Wyvern materials.
Subjugation of an orc group.
Defense of Thermog Fortress.
Extermination of the Zamon bandits.
Ogre materials.
…
Some look interesting, but they all require finding the monsters first, which is a hassle.
If I knew where they were, a wyvern would’ve been nice.
“Hey, weirdly dressed girl. This is the C-rank board.”
One of the men in the group, probably in his twenties, calls out to me.
“I know. I’m just looking at what kind of requests C-rank has.”
“Just looking, huh? Well, it’s good practice to learn what’s available.”
“That girl… isn’t she the rumored E-rank bear girl?”
A woman dressed like a mage looks at me.
“I became D-rank yesterday.”
I correct her.
“You’re D-rank?”
“Just since yesterday.”
“Where are your teammates? That little one doesn’t meet the age requirement.”
He glances at Fina, probably thinking she was part of my party.
“Isn’t the rumored Bloody Bear a solo adventurer?”
“What’s that Bloody Bear?”
Ah, I want to know that too.
It bothered me yesterday.
“What, you don’t know, Touya?”
Someone who seems like the party leader joins the conversation.
“They say a girl dressed as a bear beat an adventurer bloody after he picked a fight with her, didn’t stop even when he apologized, and kept punching even after he collapsed. And everyone there ended up beaten bloody too.”
What is that… scary.
What kind of bear is that?
“And that same girl brings monsters to the guild every day without butchering them, all covered in blood. It’s been a hot topic lately.”
Well, of course there’s blood if you cut them with swords or defeat them with magic.
And since I store them immediately, they’re still bleeding when I take them out of the Bear Box.
“With that appearance and behavior, she’s been nicknamed Bloody Bear.”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t realize such a bear existed.”
Yeah, I didn’t know either.
“That such a bear existed…”
“Well, we usually decide our jobs quickly, so you don’t come to the guild often.”
“So this bear girl is famous?”
“Yeah, she’s well-known in the guild. She’s soloed goblin hordes, a goblin king, and orcs.”
“Right, not just her appearance, but her strength too. She’s been getting famous lately.”
“Mel, you knew too?”
“Information gathering is basic for adventurers.”
“I see. Sorry, bear girl. I thought you were just a weirdly dressed beginner.”
He doesn’t seem like a bad person.
He just thought I was a clueless beginner and was warning me about the board.
“No, it sounded like you were just looking out for me.”
“I see. Well, we’re heading out. If anything happens, feel free to call us.”
After deciding their request, the four of them head to the reception desk.
I also choose a D-rank request that can be done in a day.
“Big Sis Yuna, did you decide?”
“Yeah. Let’s go too.”