Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 127. Three Companion And The Banquet

While heading towards the village at walking speed with the villagers who had escaped from the pests, we found a tipped-over carriage along the way.

According to the traveler, Yutis-san, they had been fleeing around this carriage up to a certain point. However, since the carriage overturned here and the zebra had died from exhaustion, it seems they decided to escape ahead with the younger people.

Of course, the young people were initially opposed, but after a stern word from the village chief, they reluctantly moved ahead. The task of leading them was entrusted to the seasoned traveler, Yutis.

I opened the window and asked Hagg.

“Hey, is that carriage still usable?”

“Hmm? Let me check.”

Contrary to his seemingly heavy build, he swiftly approached the carriage, and by the time we arrived, he had finished inspecting it and even managed to right the carriage on his own. What power.

“Unfortunately, the horse is dead.”

“I see…”

The answer came from a young man walking with Yaralai.

“We don’t have time to bury it now. Let’s move it to the side, offer a prayer, and then depart.”

“Right…”

Muttering regretfully, they managed to move the zebra to the roadside without Hagg’s help and offered a prayer with a unique mark.

The elderly people who had been in the carriage also got off and prayed in the same way. It must have been a precious horse in the village.

“…Thank you very much. Let’s go.”

“Hmm. I have some good news. While you were working, I did some first aid, so if we don’t push it too hard, it should make it to the village.”

“Huh?”

When did you do that?

“The axle is about to break, so we’ll have to push it slowly together.”

“Th-! Thank you so much!”

The man gathered the relatively energetic people and started pushing the cart.

“Well, I could pull it too, but that would be unnecessary trouble, I suppose.”

He whispered that to me. I agreed. It’s better to be doing something right after losing an important comrade.

While pushing their precious cart, we finally arrived at the village as the sun was setting. Considering we had been running from that place, people in this world must be quite fit.

“Akira, we’re really grateful for your help. Though it’s a bit cramped, please rest at my house.”

“Thanks… I appreciate the offer.”

Honestly, I felt a vehicle might be more comfortable, but I shouldn’t refuse such a kind offer. Besides, I’m not too bothered about sleeping on the ground.

The village was not much different from the roadside post towns we had seen before. It was a small village with about ten buildings.

“The distance from Hanson Town is a bit awkward, and there are few lodgers. There aren’t many means to earn foreign currency.”

Indeed, it didn’t seem to be bustling, but I think that’s typical for these villages.

…Though there were some relatively large ones, we probably just passed them due to our speed. The difference in travel speed is immense.

“Is there a place to leave this carriage?”

“If so, just park it next to my house. We’ll keep watch.”

“Then… I’ll take you up on that offer.”

I briefly considered saying we didn’t need a guard, but in a world where anything could happen, it’s more reassuring to have someone watch over it. It’s unlikely someone would steal the cart now, right?

If someone did, I couldn’t imagine what kind of punishment our fearsome guards would administer. So, please don’t.

That night, after receiving the best hospitality, the prominent members of the village gathered to thank me again.

I brushed it off. I was full.

“So, we gathered what we could from the village. I know it’s not nearly enough for mercenary or medical fees, but please accept it as a token of our appreciation.”

What was offered was a small, old leather pouch. I glanced at the three and they simply nodded. I’m not the representative, after all… Opening the small pouch revealed a lot of coins. There were more silver coins than I expected, though they all seemed to be of poor quality, dirty with soot. They might have pooled together their treasured silver coins.

“Let me count them, so wait a moment.”

I turned my back on them. I was concerned about Faf, but it was too late now, so I put it away in the container.

There was a total of 82,052 yen.

This would cover the medical costs with change left over. Considering expenses of around 20,000 yen, it would result in nearly a 60,000 yen profit.

“What should we do?”

I asked the two, feeling troubled. Faf… had only been watching, so it didn’t matter.

“If you helped us, then you can do as you wish.”

“Oh, Akira, you defeated the pests.”

“I think it’s a collective achievement.”

After some thought, I decided to accept only 60,000 yen and return the remaining 22,052 yen.

Remaining balance: 312,439 yen.

“Um… what is this?”

The village chief was dumbfounded as he received the change.

“I’m not well-versed in the market rate for bodyguard fees, but isn’t 40,000 yen per day around average or higher? I’m taking a little extra as a favor. After all, if we had continued, we would have encountered goblins and ended up in battle.”

I glanced at Hagg and the others to see if that was okay, and they gave a slight nod.

“And the medicine costs are 20,000 yen. I’ve set it at a lower price. But rest assured, there’s still a profit.”

Now it was the villagers’ turn to exchange glances. The bearded man was also there.

“Is the medicine really that cheap? I hope it’s not something other than medicine…”

“This! How dare you say such a thing! It’s disrespectful to our benefactor!”

The village chief snapped at the bearded man’s natural question.

“Ah, the cost is low. But there’s not much of it, so it doesn’t sell even if requested.”

“Sorry about that. I don’t think there was any ill intent…”

“It’s okay. I understand the concern. But it’s genuine medicine, so make sure to finish it.”

“Y-yeah.”

“But… is that really all right?”

“It’s enough. I explained the breakdown, didn’t I? Or was the 40,000 yen per day for the bodyguard too high?”

“No, no! For an emergency, that’s about the standard! And with your skill, it’s not surprising if it were even higher!”

“…I don’t quite understand what you mean by my skill. I only started training recently.”

“Is that so?”

The bearded man looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I’d rather be gazed at by a beautiful woman.

“I don’t even know how I ended up like this, but those two have been giving me Spartan training.”

I pointed to Hagg and Yaralai with my thumb, and the two puffed out their chests.

I’m not boasting.

“That’s… an enviable story. I can understand your strength now.”

“You do?”

“Well, elves, dwarves, lizards, and beastmen are all combat-oriented races. Lizards and beastmen have unique fighting styles that can’t be imitated, but elves and dwarves can share the same training. For a former wanderer to learn from those two is quite enviable.”

“Is that so.”

“It is.”

The bearded man nodded deeply, and the surrounding villagers followed suit. It seems the environment is indeed favorable.

Though I don’t particularly want to become stronger for its own sake.

“Well, anyway, since I’ve received proper thanks, there’s no debt left. I’m actually grateful for the food and lodging.”

“No, no! We should be thanking you!”

“Then it’s mutual. That’s it.”

I exaggeratedly took a swig of the low-alcohol, slightly cloudy liquor.

Well, with that much on hand, I’m sure I can manage at least the basics. It doesn’t seem like they had much in savings anyway.

After drinking moderately, I excused myself from the party and was shown to my room.

A beautiful young woman was waiting in light clothing, but I politely declined and sent her away.

I took out a brand-new symbol from the symbol set and tossed it onto the pillow.

“Hey, Goddess, even without trouble, I can still get by, you know?”