Chapter 95: That time when guests came to the island

PR: Filip/Gecko

It’s been ten days since I handed over the beans to Nils-san. I was drying more when Fleur-san said something.

「This child is still alive you know?」

The germ didn’t die even though it’s been dried huh……?

「How weak is it?」

「Hmmー. Like the captain around the third day being abandoned at the beach」

She still remembers that huh? Her memory’s quite something.

「Then it’s close to death I guess. We can just put it in storage right now and it will be dead by the time it’s being transported on a s.h.i.+p, right?」

「Yeah but it’s not guaranteed. If you buy a large amount of this sack and dump its contents on the ground, they might sprout」

That’s true. Even considering how rare it is, I guess something should be done to prevent that.

「Hmmー. I wonder if it’s better if we boil them or just let several of them sprout. It will take some time until we’ll have enough harvest to export them though. Can we get some cuttings to increase their numbers?」

「Cut off the base of the branch and the tip so they won’t grow any further. Pluck off the leaves by the base then after two months, it would start to bud and roots will start to come out」

「That’s pretty quick. Hmm, what should I do?」

「That is if they take root though. Well, I’ll let you decide. Later~」

With that said, Fleur-san waved her hand and then turned back into a flower. I’ll trust what she said for now and leave it as is while hoping that the germ dies.

◇

Twenty days after that, Palma-san informed us that a merchant s.h.i.+p entered the bay. It seems like they anch.o.r.ed their s.h.i.+p and were approaching the island on a small boat.

There was a man on board waving his hand. It was Nils-san.

Some time ago when I went to the coffee shop to check on the stock, the manager gave me a letter saying,

『I am heading for your island to buy some coffee beans. I will be taking three people along with me as they have asked how to roast coffee beans』

This must be that then.

「It has been a while」

「It has. Thank you for taking the time」

「It was nothing. Well anyway, there has been a significant development in this place, huh? It’s smaller than most of the villages around here but you now have a couple of facilities here and there and the number of fields increased」

「We plan to keep on developing it further. We will be imposing on you again when we do」

「I understand. I look forward to working with you again. Now, these are my companions」

「My name is Alban. Nice to meet you. I am here to look over these two and to broaden my horizons」

He was a middle-aged man wearing pants and a s.h.i.+rt with a casual tie. He had a straight posture and a dignified look on his face. He’s probably a butler or something.

「I am Tony and I came to study how coffee is roasted」

This human was dressed no differently from a commoner but something about him makes me think that he was a cook.

「And I’m Anita. I came here to learn how to roast coffee and make sweets」

She was wearing a slightly plain s.h.i.+rt and skirt. She might have worn that outfit while taking into consideration that she might get dirty. Also, since she talked about making sweets, she might be a maid.

「I’m Caam. As you can see, I’m a demonkin but I am more or less the person-in-charge of this island」

「With the introductions done, I would like you to teach these two right away. Would that be alright?」

「I don’t mind. We can use the multi-purpose house in the area further up the road from here where we’re building our village. It’s going to be a bit of a walk though……」

「Multi-purpose house?」

「It’s just as it says. We have a slightly larger room that we use for meetings, feasts, or a place to educate the children」

「I see」

Alban-san must have been satisfied by that explanation since he didn’t ask further but the others did.

「What’s that enclosure?」

「Are you raising some kind of fish?」

「Was this road built this wide so carriages can pa.s.s through it?」

「Did you know about the rumors that a Demon Lord lives on this island and was about to build his castle?」

I made sure to answer all of their questions one by one. Nils-san was also listening with interest as this is the first time he has been here since we started developing the island.

「This place here is the planned castle site of the former Demon Lord we discussed earlier. We’re making full use of the place since work already went into it. The guest lodging is this way. Please leave your luggage by the dining room in the meantime as I will be asking for someone to clean the rooms you’ll be using and dry the beddings in the sun」

With that said, I showed them to a house near the church.

「Understood」

「We are somewhat unprepared for guests so I apologize for the inconvenience. As soon as the course is over, I’ll be giving a brief explanation about the houses so please ask your questions then」

「I’m just grateful for not needing to sleep on the ground since our journey here was exhausting. I’m not used to riding on a s.h.i.+p after all so I couldn’t sleep well」

The other two nodded when they heard that. Do they not travel a lot by boat? As for me, I don’t really mind it as long as there isn’t a storm or anything.

After that, I asked Oda-san to come over and give them a short course on how to brew coffee.

「There isn’t anything special to teach you but please look over here. These are the beans before they are s.h.i.+pped off」

Oda-san took out some of the dried beans in a small pouch and then laid them on a white sheet of paper.

「We roast it, sort it out into eight types and that’s all of it」

With that said, he took out eight differently colored beans ranging from light brown to glossy black then laid them out on the paper.

「The lighter colored ones are light roast then go all the way to dark roast. The lighter the color, the more acidic it is. And as it grows darker, it becomes more bitter and richer in flavor」

When I told Oda-san about the contents of the letter I received from Nils-san, he was so happy that he started roasting some beans. I wonder if he’s done something like this before? We could seriously open up a cla.s.s for this.

Come to think of it, he probably won’t mention blends, would he? I’ve heard about mixing different types of beans roasted in varying degrees and different blending ratios after all.

「If you want your head to feel refreshed then I recommend you roast the beans to this level. The brew that’s suitable for most people is around this level. If the color is dark, I suggest that you add milk and sugar to it so please add what suits your preference」

He explained it in a way that ordinary people can understand. Even I understood that. I was only roasting it by imitating what I’ve seen after all.

「You use a thin piece of metal like this with holes drilled in it that’s small enough to prevent the beans from falling out to roast it but it will work with a frying pan as well. I’ll show you how it’s done」

With that said, he put the beans on the frying pan and then roasted them while frequently stirring.

「Soon, you’ll begin to hear crackling noises and steam will start to appear as you keep roasting it. At that point, the unique smell of coffee would start to come out」

He kept taking out the beans from time to time and then sorting them out together with the ones that were on top of the paper. He kept stirring the beans for over twenty minutes. Looking at the process, I feel ashamed for thinking it would be easy to roast it and make it dark when I started.

After the roasting lesson was over, they moved on to the ground lesson.

「The brewing and extraction method differs depending on how fine you grind the beans. The shop doesn’t filter the crushed beans for hygiene reasons but if you are concerned about them, you can put the beans in a cloth like this and run hot water through it. How about you guys try it out yourselves?」

Oda-san took out roasted beans from a different pouch and ground them to his liking. It wasn’t quite a fine grind but it wasn’t as coa.r.s.e as the one served in the shop. After that, he put the ground coffee into a cloth filter. When hot water pa.s.sed through the filter, it expanded and bubbles came out as the cup became filled with coffee.

「Here you go」

「It’s the first time I’ve seen it but there were no hesitations in your movements and it was amazing」

「It’ll become second nature to you if you do it enough times. Go ahead and drink it before it gets cold」

After saying that, he distributed the coffee to our three guests. I didn’t get any if you’re wondering. It’s a bit mean of him even though I was working hard behind the scenes grinding beans to make soy milk for him.

「This is soy milk. This island doesn’t have cows so we use it as a subst.i.tute for milk. Well, this still depends on your tastes so please adjust it to suit your preference」

After the lesson was over, he made them try out in practice what they just learned. They burned the beans or unevenly roasted them so he gave them advice to avoid that.

「Well then, as for me, I would like to learn how to use cocoa and chocolate to make treats」

Anita-san said that while looking at me.

「……ah, I guess I’m the one in charge of sweets. I totally forgot. I wonder if we have any ingredients we can use? Ahー, you do have some knowledge about this don’t you?」

「Yes, I can make them reasonably well」

With that said, I rummaged around the kitchen. There were ingredients for the chiffon cake I gave to the children before so I just added the cocoa powder to the mix. After baking it, I sliced it into square pieces then sprinkled the rest of the chocolate on top.

「It’s just a simple cake but I mixed the cocoa powder into the flour. Please try to rearrange recipes just like that by yourself. Something like castella would probably be a good start since they just need eggs, sugar, and flour」

「It’s impressive how you can make something amazing like this on the fly」

「I’m already used to making them after all」

Huh. I feel like I’ve heard Oda-san say something similar before.

It was a pretty busy day. Even after that, Alban-san kept asking about various things as he watched Oda-san and Tony-san roasting the beans, I taught Anita-san other recipes that could be remodeled to use chocolate or cocoa, and I even got to try making that chocolate wrapped bread dough that’s sold at convenience stores and other places.

「The rooms are small but it’s private and I think they are better than a s.h.i.+p’s cabin」

「We’re already thankful to be able to rest in private rooms. Thank you for all your considerations」

「No problem. I should also mention that the bath is over here」

I took them to the bathroom with a small tub.

「A……bath?」

「Yes. We more or less have a public bathing area down below but we recommend that every household install one of these thinking that people sometimes feel like soaking in warm water during their own time. To use it, all you have to do is boil water in a large pot made specifically for this purpose on a stove that’s slightly elevated outside. Once the water comes to a boil, you insert this wooden frame into the side, pull out the stopper while making sure you don’t get scalded, and drain the water into the tub inside. If you can use magic, you can just dump the water into the pot」

We were going to make a firewood heated tub or a cauldron bath but considering the availability of materials among other things, this was the lowest cost method we could come up with. We just decided to cut a small hole on the tub’s wall and let water from a bath heater flow into it. Once the developed land on the island has become larger, I would also like to build a large public bathhouse. The hot spring is pretty far after all.

「No no no, there’s no one out there who’d use magic for a simple task like that」

That’s true. I did hear from Johnson-san that it’s not easy for humans to be able to use magic. Who is that you ask? He’s the weird human in the apartment I used to live in.

「Well, it’s a private room so even if you don’t want to get into a bath, you can wipe your body with a warm towel and you only need to draw water once. If you’re having problems with boiling the water, you may use the wet towel here instead. We will load the cargo onto the merchant’s vessel tomorrow morning so please relax until then. As for your meals, I apologize but can you please prepare them yourselves? We will be providing you with the ingredients you require」

「That is more than enough. We appreciate your consideration 」

「Well then, I’ll be taking my leave」

□

「Now then, what do you think? Please let me know your opinions」

「The humans and the demonkin are cheerful and very hygienic, aren’t they? That well that pumps water by moving a stick up and down, it’s really convenient, isn’t it? I think it’s wonderful how they built a roof over the well and that device to keep the garbage from going in. They even talked about how every household has its bathtub」

「That’s right. I also have a similar impression. The demonkin who calls himself their representative is friendly. He seems intelligent as well. The other demonkin around are friendly too and they even have a human church so it’s clear how much consideration went into this. I was also surprised that they have a doctor here」

「I agree. Apart from that, although it’s still being built, I believe they are making roads designed for horse-drawn carriages to pa.s.s through. It’ll be durable too since they’re making cobble-paved roads the whole way. They’re raising livestock here and they seem like they’re getting along well with their neighbors from seeing how they interact with the sahagin and harpies that came by. They also have a small but efficient salt production method and sugar made from special materials. They have honey too so they must have a lot of beehives here. Did you see the thing that was at the place where we got off the boat? The one with salt.w.a.ter dripping off some leaves? That uses sunlight to get rid of the excess moisture to minimize the amount of firewood used. They have that well too. There are some pretty clever people here, huh?」

「They also have a small windmill. I think you’ll be able to mill flour anywhere if you have those. Also, I think it would even be easy to put away if there’s a storm coming」

「I saw that wolves were roaming around the streets. I don’t know who was it that tamed them but are they usually that docile? I’ve heard that they’re at least more fearsome than wild dogs but I was surprised seeing the children playing with them without fear」

「Alright, I have other work to do so if anyone comes to visit, please tell them that I’m tired and asleep. Fortunately, it gets dark early on because of the mountain in the center of the island and there are no bars yet so it’s quiet at night」

「「Understood」」

I changed into the darkest clothes possible and wore leather footwear that won’t make a noise when I walk. After that, I carefully exited out of the window and then went to the workshop and storage area that we visited earlier in the day in order to obtain useful information.

If we can just obtain coffee seeds, they could be grown in our lord’s territory and we could profit from them. It’s just a matter of getting it before the sun rises.

The craftsmen’s workshop was at the side of the church so it was not going to be difficult to get there. The moonlight was a problem but on the other hand, it’s just enough light to be able to identify things. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. I’ll take this opportunity to gather information.

In the blacksmith workshop, there were stone and lumber processing areas as well as some carpenter’s tools. There are a lot of items here like utensils and plates that are still being made. There probably won’t be any useful information here.

There was also some kind of iron thing with a rounded hollow cavity inside attached to a pole and some farming tools carefully laid out but nothing particularly valuable. I was looking for some kind of special blueprint but they didn’t have a shelf to put doc.u.ments in. I thought they would have had the plans lying around for that well that draws water by moving a stick but it seems like they aren’t so naive. They probably got it ingrained in their heads. I wanted to take that back as a bonus but it would be suspicious if it goes missing so I should hold myself back.

The carpenter’s tools are here so this area must be the carpenter’s works.p.a.ce. Short pieces of wood were being worked on intricately and connected into a longer piece of wood. They didn’t use any nails at all. I thought it was a splendid processing method however they probably can’t connect long pieces of wood without doing it like this on this island.

I looked for their windmill blueprints inside a shelf where I thought they stored their doc.u.ments but I didn’t find them so I just gave up and decided to look for something else. I thought that the wood chips that were scattered around my feet were large and coa.r.s.e for a saw but I deemed that it wasn’t particularly important.

The next area had stone sc.r.a.p scattered around so I presumed that this is where they worked on it but I was surprised when I saw the material that was piled up. There were stones with a surface that was so cleanly cut that you’d think they were just a slab of wood that they were working on. Is it really possible to get such a clean-cut? I picked up the sc.r.a.p stones and nothing was out of the norm about it. It was just regular stone.

I was really curious how they did this but the tools they had were just common well-worn stone chisels and hammers.

I should go to the building they called a multipurpose house but from what I’ve seen, it only had the coffee that man brought. When that demonkin opened up the cupboard, I only saw flour and eggs. It’s probably going to be risky going there as well.

I don’t even know how they grow it in the first place. Does it grow like tomatoes or in the ground like potatoes? I have no idea. They would get suspicious if we come back several times so I’ll just make my report. Should we get different people to come here the honest way or get someone to gather information while disguised as a castaway? It’s probably faster with the latter though.

I found some wheel tracks so I decided to follow it thinking I would find the secret to how they cut the stones. I continued following the tracks while making sure to pay attention behind me. The tracks eventually led me to a quarry which left me speechless.

There was a cleanly cut low stone cliff. How in the world did they manage to cut it this clean? It’s way too smooth. You would think it was just one large stone wall. A stone wall like this by itself would be worth a fortune.

While I was thinking that, I suddenly got grabbed by the neck from behind and there was something sharp held lightly against my cheek.

□

「Caam, the man you were talking about is on the move」

Fleur-san reported while I was messing around with Wulf.

「As expected. I thought it was strange how they were asking about a lot of things after all. Thank you for informing me」

As I said that, I stopped patting Wulf and began preparing.

「No problem. He’s loitering around the industrial district right now」

「I see…… He must be searching for all sorts of things」

I wore black clothes apart from the things I usually prepare. Considering the color of my skin, it would be alright even if I was naked but since bugs exist I’ll continue wearing dark clothes even if it’s hot.

「He’s really interested in the wood right now」

「Ah, that thing huh? The one that connects two pieces of wood to make it longer. It’s convenient no matter how you put it. I knew about it but I didn’t know how to actually do it so Oda-san really helped me out. The craftsmen were grateful to learn it as well. Alright, I’m off」

「Take care~. If anything happens, call out in a low voice」

「Gotcha」

With that said, I began with my silent operation.

Looking from a distance at the industrial district, I could see him looking through the filing cabinet. At least do it a bit more skillfully, man. I mean, it’s great for us but it makes me feel empty the way he’s searching for things.

Give it back…… Give back the excitement I felt thinking I would see someone who’s an incredibly trained special forces agent doing covert ops. Now he’s at the stone mill area. Seems like he’s looking intently at something. He picked up a stone and started stroking it in his hand for some reason. I guess it can’t be helped with how cleanly cut that surface is.

Ah, he’s pondering something now. I should get a bit closer.

「The coffee…… …how it grows… …disguised as a castaway… gather information」

Alright, that’s no good. There’s no hope for him if he’s letting his thoughts leak out. I should go and ~~threaten~~ persuade him. Looks like he’s heading to the quarry. I guess I’ll let him roam free a bit longer and maintain my distance.

It looked like Alban-san was surprised when he saw the state of our quarry. If I’m going to act then now is the time.

I produced an 【Obsidian Knife】 in my hand, grabbed Alban-san by the neck then held the knife against his cheek

.

「Good evening. Did you enjoy your stroll? It’s a wonderful time to be moon bathing with how the moonlight hits the cliff, isn’t it?」

「Yes. It truly is a splendid place. If only there wasn’t a knife being held against me」

「Your thoughts leaked out a bit there you know? That’s no good at all. I expected you to be better than that」

「I will do so the next time」

「It’s amazing how you think there will be a next time. What is your basis for that positivity?」

「My absence will be used as a pretext for an invasion you know?」

「Oh~ is that so? That’s really scary isn’t it~? Then I would be willing to let it slide this one time as long as you comply with my conditions」

I put the knife closer to his face and then lowered my voice mid-sentence to threaten him.

「You’ve piqued my interest. Could you tell me more?」

Blood dripped down my left arm and soaked my clothes making the hot and humid night even more uncomfortable.

「We are still going to sell you coffee but we would like to get a large silver coin per sack as a nuisance fee from either your employer or your own personal funds」

「That’s a wonderful proposition but isn’t that pretty expensive for coffee?」

「Is that right? But I think that’s pretty cheap considering your life is on the line. It’s also still considerably rare but I don’t really mind giving a sc.u.mbag’s subordinate who was planning on taking it easy by s.n.a.t.c.hing up a money tree a painful experience you know?」

I widened his wound as I slid the knife I was holding across his cheek.

「Are you going to put this island in danger?」

「Actually, this island has a terrible epidemic going around the island and people who get sick on the s.h.i.+p can get thrown overboard you know?」

「How terrifying. Is it some kind of rare disease that causes cuts all over the body?」

「I’m getting tired of talking like this. So what now?」

「I would appreciate it if you could release me」

「It’ll cost you a large silver coin per bag though」

「That’s a tall order you know?」

「I see. That’s really unfortunate then」

I used physical enhancement and blocked the flow of Alban-san’s artery to make him faint. I picked up a fist-sized stone nearby and forced it into his mouth even if it sc.r.a.ped it against his front teeth. After that, I took off his jacket and covered his face with it, and tied the sleeves to secure it.

Just like that, I carried him over my shoulder then went to the area where there were reports of bear sightings. I cut the tendons of his arms and legs so he won’t be able to move then closed the wound with healing magic. With that done, I kicked his head then waited for him to start making a fuss to make sure he was awake.

「I’m sure we’ll find your bear-eaten corpse in the morning so I’ll make sure the other two get to see the sc.r.a.ps of your bloodstained clothing. The other two haven’t shown any suspicious movements yet so I’ll let them go home. If they do, I’ll make sure to give you guys a wonderful reunion in this place」

I left Alban-san crawling around like a caterpillar there and went back.

「Ah, welcome back. You’re pretty harsh, aren’t ya? For someone who doesn’t like killing, I’m surprised we immediately went that route」

「……well yeah. Even though I hate it, it can’t be helped. I could have prevented this outcome if I negotiated better but what do you think?」

「Huhー? Doesn’t matter either way」

「I see…… Let me know if the other two start making their moves or when that guy gets attacked by the bear. I’ll go to sleep. Good night」

「Yeah yeah. You don’t have to blame yourself you know?」

「I guess. It was for everyone’s safety after all. We’re also about to run out of money so I want to sell coffee any way I can」

After that, I was told by Fleur-san that Alban-san got attacked by the bear. I thanked her for informing me then went back to sleep with peace of mind.

◇

「Good morning. Did you rest well?」

I started talking to them while acting like I didn’t know anything.

「U-um」

Anita-san was a bit fl.u.s.tered and looked toward Toni-san.

「Alban-san was gone when we woke up this morning」

「Alban-san? I exchanged greetings with several people at the well on the way here but I didn’t see him」

「Is that so? I wonder where he went?」

Tony-san was starting to panic as he said that.

「Please wait for a while. I’ll go get someone you can rely on when it comes to searching for people」

I went away and came back together with Wulf.

「You can count on this guy’s good nose so please lend me some of Alban-san’s clothes」

「Ah…… right away!」

After that, Tony-san brought back some clothes so I let Wulf smell them.

「Wulf, can you go and look for this scent?」

「Wafun!」

With that bark, he started sniffing the ground. We walked towards the industrial district where he continued smelling all sorts of places then we headed into the forest instead of the quarry. What a smart dog…… I mean wolf. He’s able to read the situation well.

In the place where we ended up, we found some mercilessly devoured flesh and bones as well as sc.r.a.ps of cloth.

「Uegh!」

Tony-san who followed along held his mouth and turned away while gagging.

「A bear huh? There have been reports of one roaming around here after all. I wonder if he was attacked here or did he get attacked while he was running away」

The leader of the hunting group murmured as he readied his bow and started to be vigilant of our surroundings. The bear was already gone so they called out several men to go together.

「Someone call Keith-san, please. We need to hunt it before anyone else gets hurt」

「Understood!」

「Tony-san, I know you’re not comfortable looking but is there anything you recognize?」

「U-uhm…… Ah, I remember that ring. It’s the ring Alban-san had」

He pointed at the ring on the finger that was connected to what I think was a half-eaten wrist.

「I see…… The scent from his clothes also led us here so is it alright to a.s.sume that this corpse is Alban-san?」

「……yes」

「What should we do with the corpse? Will you be bringing it back with you even if it’s just a portion of it?」

「……yes. Let’s go with that」

「Can anyone please call Adrea-san?」

「Yes」

After saying that, Keith arrived and when he saw the corpse, his expression became slightly distorted then he immediately went into the forest. When Adrea-san arrived, she said a prayer, wrapped the arm with the ring with a cloth, put it in a box then gave it to Tony.

「There was an unfortunate incident but we have an order of a hundred bags of coffee, sugar, and honey so would it be alright if we load them on your s.h.i.+p?」

「Yes. That’s right, It was unfortunate but there’s nothing we can do about it. I apologize but Tony-san and Anita-san, we’re going to depart soon so please prepare your and Alban-san’s luggage. We will go ahead and load the cargo onto the s.h.i.+p」

「Understood」

After Nils-san said that, we loaded the flat-bottomed boat with the help of the aquatic demonkin. It took a couple of trips but once we had loaded everything, Nils-san whispered to me.

「Caam-san, did you do it?」

「Do what?」

「Kill Alban-san」

「Ah, it wasn’t me. It was the bear」

「I didn’t think you would easily let others in on the secrets of coffee and other goods that you’re selling in your shop but stillー」

「Nils-san…… this was just an accident. An accident. This death… It was caused by a piece of s.h.i.+t underling who made a blunder while snooping around the island in the middle of the night. It was not me who killed him. I had nothing to do with it. If we continue this conversation, I might just have to reconsider our relations.h.i.+p, Nils-san. I don’t really want to spend more time looking for a new merchant if I can help it. I was thinking of getting along better with you as well. Hmm, what to do」

I interrupted Nils-san mid-sentence and warned him not to threaten me in a really cold and calm manner that I haven’t shown him before.

「That’s true. This was an unfortunate accident where he was attacked by a bear while out for a walk in the middle of the night. My apologies」

Nils-san’s expression was a bit stiff but he spoke like normal.

「It’s fine. Everyone has misunderstandings. Anyway, I won’t ask who their employer is and I’m not interested at this moment. I think we’ll get more idiots for a while but if someone comes to you asking you to bring them to the island, please don’t worry about it and just bring them over. As long as they don’t do anything stupid, they’re going to be fine」

I returned to my normal state and Nils-san breathed a small sigh of relief.

「That’s right. Thanks to you, pirates don’t approach this area anymore so the journey is relatively safe until the third day. The sailors here are quite excellent, aren’t they?」

「Yes. We have formed a good relations.h.i.+p with the neighboring sahagin and mermaids so they have helped us ensure the safety of the nearby waters together with our dependable sailors. They are pretty good as long as they don’t drink on the job」

「There are quite a lot of benefits of being friends with demonkin, aren’t there?」

「Yeah. I think if we can get a harpy to accompany us next time, we can have them do surveillance from the sky so we don’t have to stand watch during the day. Maybe we can get them to come along full time as a job」

「Well, I don’t think there would be a lot of humans who’ll approve of that though」

「It’s still hard to overcome the large wall of discrimination huh? If it’s a port town with trade, we can get along relatively well. The church seems to be a pain though from what I’ve heard」

「That’s true. That type of education narrows one’s views. Even I used to think that the demonkin were terrifying because of that」

「Tsk. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else apart from that port town if that’s the case」

「Can’t blame you. It’s still not possible right now」

We had that conversation as we watched the cargo being loaded into the s.h.i.+p.

□

「……what do you think?」

「I think it was a bear. It might have just been set up to look like it was done by a bear though」

「By that representative?」

「He didn’t act suspiciously and was very cooperative throughout so I think it’s unlikely」

「That’s true. He seems like a nice demonkin after all. There’s still a question though…… who did this?」

「That demonkin with a bow, Keith, he looked at the corpse and turned away in disgust so I don’t think he did it either. The sahagin and the others who were loading cargo don’t seem to come to land that often as well. It doesn’t seem to be the work of a demonkin. Was it really just a bear?」

「There were no odd external injuries right?」

「I didn’t see any wounds other than claw marks」

「……well, we still have to make a report so let’s just aggregate every piece of information that we have」

「Alright」

「I’m not trying to change the subject but this soap, it smells really nice. I wonder where you can buy it? I haven’t seen it around at the port town after all」

「Did you take it?」

「Yeah. The soap looked brand new so I took it since I thought it was specifically for the guests. If possible, I would like to keep it after we’ve done our report」

Anita-san seemed like a pretty candid woman.

AN: These two humans might not appear again in future chapters.