SIAW Vol. 2 Chapter 20

Full title: I Became the Strongest in Another World in the Tutorial During My Lifetime.

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Dario

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Chapter 20 - Dangerous Souvenirs

I was going to Ronda that day.

I eventually realized that I hadn’t taken a day off in a long while. I had no need to rush my progress, like I did on the training island, so I decided I was going to take a day off to rest.

I usually went into town by myself, but this time Misha and Sil accompanied me.

Sil was running around left and right, all happy. He sent frequent Mental Messages, reporting about the plants, flowers, and all other things he saw.

Misha first said she didn’t need to rest, and followed me begrudgingly…but now her tail wagged with joy, as her ears flickered with enthusiasm.

Haha, Misha, my good Misha! I have learned to see right through you!

You took a bath much longer than usual this morning, and kept brushing your tail until it was time to leave!

She had healed her status ailments before dinner the day before and spent, for the first time in a while, a night of sleep without drinking any potions: it was no wonder that she felt lighter than usual. Not having any status ailments was enough to make her feel like she had leveled up, so naturally she was in good spirits.

Probably thanks to Sil running around, we arrived in town without encountering any monsters.

I turned towards Misha.

“What are your plans, Misha? We don’t have to be together no matter what, so we can go split if you want.”

Misha reflected for a moment.

“...I’ll go around town with Sil, then.”

“What do you say to that, Sil?”

(“Sure! I’ll go with Misha!”)

Oof! I hoped you’d say you wanted to stay with me…!

Despite my hurt feelings, I feigned indifference.

“I-I see…well, we’re staying at the Napping Cat Inn tonight. Let’s meet there for dinner, all right?”

“Okay!”

So replied Misha, then she quickly scurried away, with Sil in tow. From behind, they looked almost like brother and sister…as their tails wagged the same way.

I wanted to be on my own in the first place, so I was actually worried about how to convince them when they said they wanted to stay with me…it was kind of sad that I didn’t need to think about that at all!

I can understand Misha, but I really expected Sil to want to come with me…

◇　　　◇　　　◇　　　◇

I arrived in front of the Adventurers’ Guild, so I thought of saying hi to Luka. She might be disappointed if I didn’t bring any gifts, however, so I changed my mind.

She had not demanded me for more gifts or such, but the look in the eyes of the other receptionists clearly showed their expectations.

Some time ago, I baked cookies using honey acquired from Honey Bees: they came out more delicious than expected, so I made a big batch and shared some of it with the guild staff.

After that, if I visited the guild and brought only jerky, part of the staff would become clearly disappointed: the cookies were just that popular. Sweet treats are very expensive in this world, so they’re quite hard to come by, apparently.

In my past life, I brought gifts whenever trouble came up with other people, hoping to smoothen things out and maintain positive relationships, but I realized that doing it too much in this world could hinder relationships with others instead.

Walking around with such thoughts in my mind, feeling a little blue, I ended up at the Napping Cat Inn. I thought I should secure our rooms for the night and walked inside: as soon as she saw me, Marissa ran up to me.

“Tenma! Why haven’t you been visiting lately!? Have I done something wrong? If there’s anything bothering you, please tell me!! So please, please!! Sell me more jerky!!!”

During this burst of emotion, Marissa had grabbed my shoulders and was shaking them back and forth.

Did I bring too many gifts here too!?

It wasn’t normal for the usually calm, collected and reliable inn master Marissa to be so agitated. She couldn’t be just craving for the taste of jerky.

“I have no complaints about you or the inn, honest. More importantly, did anything happen?”

“We started serving the jerky in the tavern, and it became more and more popular through word of mouth. So we ran out of it pretty quickly…but the customers won’t just accept that we don’t have any left, and some complain and get angry, saying they brought family and friends over to eat it…please, please, could you sell us some more?”

Whoa, I didn’t expect things would escalate so much!

I’ve been making jerky almost every day lately, so I have plenty in stock. I could sell Marissa some more, as she wishes, but is that really the best solution?

“I do have jerky I can sell you, but do you really think that would solve things?”

“Eh!?”

Marissa looked very surprised. I continued.

“That jerky is just something I make to give to people as a gift. I don’t make it as a product to sell, so I don’t know when I will be able to give you more next time. I’m not a jerky trader or anything, so please don’t have weird expectations.”

Marissa, probably reflecting on my words, said nothing.

“...I can give you about thirty pieces today. Please use it as a limited quantity offer, or similar. You could raise the price too, I think. If you explain to the customers that it will not come in stock easily, hopefully they will understand.”

Marissa nodded, apparently convinced.

“...I suppose that’s the only way! Say, Tenma, could you give me around fifty pieces? I will pay, of course. Each piece is about 50 cm long, right? I have been cutting every piece in five slices until now, but from now on I will be cutting them in ten instead and serve them at double the price, with only 20 plates available per day!”

Though the slices would become smaller, it would be easier for more people to eat them, so the customers shouldn’t complain too much. They would also order more drinks too. Even if the jerky doubled in price, if there was so much demand it would sell well nevertheless.

Marissa’s a pretty shrewd merchant, isn’t she!

I agreed to her proposal and gave her fifty pieces of jerky, which she accepted with a wide smile.

Marissa put the jerky in the stockroom and came back with the money.

“Are you going to spend the night here today? Will Misha and Sil come too?”

“Yes, they’ll join me here later. I’d like two single rooms for two nights, please.”

“I see. Then, as promised, it’s on the house this time. Not that I think that it’s nearly enough to repay you for everything…anyhow, please take your time and relax.”

Marissa then gave me a very flashy wink.

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I left the inn and went back to the main avenue, but couldn’t come up with anything to do…

In my past life, I mostly spent my days off playing video games, after all.

I was thus walking down the street, with no fixed destination in mind, when I saw Zanvert walking from the opposite direction, together with a bulky man in his forties, wearing a knight-like outfit.

Zanvert addressed me, a bright smile on his lips.

“Hello there Tenma, you’re in town today?”

“Yes, I was thinking of relaxing a bit in town today and tomorrow.”

“Hahaha, that’s good to hear. Training every day in a forest packed with monsters can be exhausting even for you, I bet.”

I actually spend most of the time in a safe area, which also happens to have many more comforts than this town…but there was no need to say any of that, so answered as vaguely as I could.

“Well, we built a kind of hideout in the forest, so we’re not exactly camping out. It’s safer than you think, actually.”

….now I have to make this hideout though, just in case I need to keep up appearances. Rather than Zanvert, however, the man next to him reacted with surprise at my words.

“A child like this is camping in the forest?”

I took a closer look at the man’s face, and noticed he kind of looked like Zanvert. He was like a more muscular, bearded, and younger version of the guildmaster.

Zanvert spoke up before I could.

“I’m sorry, Tenma. This is my brother Barrol. He is the captain of Baronet Ronda’s knights.”

I used Appraisal on Barrol, and he did have fairly high stats: they were about the same as Zanvert, except STR. His level was also lower than Zanvert’s: once he reached the same level, he would probably become stronger than his brother.

…what piqued my interest more, however, was the “Knight Munir” title he had.

I didn’t know if it was only in this country or in the whole world, but there seemed to be a noble hierarchy system in existence. I didn’t know any details about it, though. Barrel might be the first actual nobleman I had met.

I decided it would be wiser to greet him politely, just in case.

“My name is Tenma. I have recently come of age and joined the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“This young man is much stronger than he might look. On top of that, our sister Dorothea has been a nuisance to him just the other day. Don’t you go annoy him too, Barrol.”

Barrol reacted to Zanvert’s words with surprise, then introduced himself, an apologetic tone in his voice.

“My name is Barrol. When I am off duty, please address me not as the knight captain, but as any other man. I am truly sorry for any trouble our sister has caused you! If there is anything I can do to help, please say the word anytime.”

Barrol’s speech and manners were polite through and through.

They had some business to deal with together, so we parted ways soon after that.

Before we did, however, Zanvert sent me a Mental Message.

(“Do you have any jerky you can spare?”)

Not you too—-!!!!

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