Volume 4 - CH 10

Chapter 10 – Tame Skill and the Capital Barletta

I check on Rimu while enduring the vibrations in the rattling carriage.

Rimu is not bothered by the vibrations and is happily jumping up and down in the carriage, playing with Dorothea-san and Marina-san. So cute.

He jumps to Marina-san. And jumping to Dorothea-san again. It looks like he is playing catch with Dorothea-san and Marina-san.

We continue riding in the carriage until sunset, taking breaks along the way. Since it is the road connecting Bergamo and Barletta, there is a square or a village within a day’s ride, and today it seems to be a square.

In a secluded part of the square, we made a bonfire and prepared a ready-made meal from the food storage boat for dinner.

“Fufu, Wataru-san’s skills are really amazing, aren’t they? I’m glad we’re able to enjoy a nice meal in the carriage and in the camp as well.”

“Haha, you’ve helped me a lot too.”

“Wataru-san, I’d like some dessert. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. Pudding or ice cream?”

“Hmm, I’ll have ice cream today.”

I handed the ice cream to Carla-san and handed out the pudding and ice cream to the other members, whichever they wanted to eat. After finishing our meal, we decide on the order of the guards over a cup of tea. I can’t fight, so I’m exempt from being on the lookout.

“Ah, there is a hut boat where we can sleep.”

“A hut boat?”

“Yes, I’ll summon it now.”

I summon three hut boats to a secluded place in the shadow of the carriage.

“These are hut boats? They are kind of cute boats, aren’t they?”

“Are they? I don’t know if they are cute or not, but they are quite comfortable.”

“Can I look inside?”

“Yes. Oh, wait a minute, Alessia-san, you need my permission to go in there.”

“Permission?”

“Yes, the ship I summoned requires permission to enter. Did I not tell you that?”

“Yes, this is the first time I’ve heard of it. Have you ever done so before?”

“Yes, I did, but… oh, I was with you when you entered and exited the ship, so I gave you permission. You are free to leave but to go back in, you need my permission again.”

“Heh, I see. Can I try it without permission? Is it dangerous?”

“No, I don’t think there is any danger. There are barriers that block the monsters when they attack, aren’t there? It’s not that powerful.”

“Then I’ll give it a try.”

“Go ahead.”

Alessia-san fearfully brings her hand close to the hut boat. …I can’t see anything, so it’s weird.

“Heh, amazing, I can’t see it, let alone touch it. So there are barriers on this hut that can repel even dragon breath… something about it?”

Well, it’s not that I don’t know what she means. It’s only a wooden hut with a barrier of unbelievable performance, and that one hut is in tatters.

“Well, that’s just the way it is. Shall we take a look inside?”

“Oh, of course. Please do.”

I give permission to come aboard and let Alessia-san in.

“There is a lantern, a small table, shelves, a stove, and even tea utensils. You are right, Wataru-san; it does look very comfortable; it’s amazing.”

“Yes, it’s my favorite. It’s enough for sleeping.”

The other women were shown the inside, and it was decided that they would use it.

I’m exempt from being on watch, but when the others take over the watch, I have to give them permission to enter the hut boats, which wakes me up. It’s tough to be quiet.

Hmm… morning, I don’t feel like I slept much because I kind of woke up at some point. Ines and Felicia are away on guard duty, which makes me lonely.

I go outside to repatriate the hut boat. I went to where Ines and Felicia were and found only Claretta-san had woken up.

“Good morning.” 

“””Good morning.”””

“I will prepare breakfast.”

“Yes, please. I’ll go wake everyone up.”

I take breakfast out of the food storage boat and have breakfast with everyone who has woken up. After repatriating the hut boats, I summoned the rubber boats and tied them to the carriages.

“Shall we depart, then?”

“”””””””Yes.””””””””

The same members of the team as yesterday get into the carriage and depart. I’ve gotten used to the vibrations of the carriage and can now at least chat with others. We are scheduled to arrive at the destination tomorrow evening, so I think things are going to be alright.

In the carriage, I played with Rimu. I had a heated discussion about slime with Dorothea-san and Marina-san. I also spent some quality time with Ines and Felicia, planning the new equipment we would buy in the capital.

After lunch, Marina-san spoke to me.

“Hey, Wataru-san, I feel like I understand how you feel about Rimu-chan…”

“Marina too? I also understand what Rimu-chan is saying.”

“Could it be that both of you have acquired the tame skill?”

The two of them looked downward with surprised expressions on their faces. They may be checking their status. But how is it possible for both of them to have acquired the tame skill at the same time?

“I have the tame skill.”

“I have it too.”

“Oh, congratulations.”

“”Thank you.””

Ines and Felicia peek out from the coachman’s platform at the sudden commotion, and the two report that they have acquired the tame skill and rejoice with each other again.

After a short fuss, they discuss how they got the tame skill.

“Well, Ines and Felicia have been with Rimu longer than the two of you, but they haven’t learned the tame skill, though they both love Rimu very much.”

“The difference between Ines, Felicia, and us is that… both Marina and I like slime, and we play with it in the forest.”

“Perhaps liking the species itself is also a condition. And since we learned it at the same time, the time we had contact with it may also have something to do with it.”

“Right. Marina and I spent most of our time together playing with the slime. We also played with Rimu-chan together, so time may have something to do with it.”

“Well, that’s all we can think of at the moment. So, are you two going to tame slimes?”

“Yes, of course, I will.”

“Me, too.”

“But the question is, what kind of slime to tame? It could be ordinary slime. But we are adventurers, so we have to take them to dangerous places, don’t we?”

“Oh, so they at least have to be able to protect themselves.”

“I would like to tame a slime that can use magic like Rimu-chan since there is a good chance we will be fighting together.”

“I would be happy if I could tame a slime that can use wind magic or dark magic.”

“Certainly, you are all A-rank adventurers. You go to dangerous places, so it would be better if it had special skills.”

“Yes, Marina has scouting skills, so both wind and dark magic will be useful. Since I am in the vanguard, I would like to tame a slime that can shoot magic from my shoulder. Is fire magic a good choice?”

“In that case, the best thing to do would be to get some information from the adventurers’ guild and go find the slimes. Were there any other slimes on the island where you found Rimu who could use magic?”

“I haven’t seen any other slimes on the island except for Rimu-chan.”

“I think it would be more reliable to get information from the adventurers’ guild, too.”

“Yes, but I’m looking forward to it. Rimu will have some friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes, Dorothea-san and Marina-san have learned the tame skill, so Rimu might be able to have more friends. Looking forward to it.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Fufu, Rimu-chan said he’s looking forward to it. It’s nice when you understand the language.”

“I understand it too.”

While the group was having a lot of fun deciding what kind of slime they would tame, it was time for a break. Dorothea-san and Marina-san reported to the other members that they had learned the tame skill.

They cheered, and we joined them in congratulating them once again. While still fussing and cheering, everyone discussed the idea of going to the adventurers’ guild to get information about slime after visiting the cathedral and then going to tame the slime.”

We collect our thoughts and decide to discuss it again at night and depart. In the carriage, Dorothea-san and Marina-san talk to Rimu and are happy to hear back from him.

Before nightfall, we reach the village and enter the inn. Although it is a small village, the inn is large and magnificent, so I asked about it and was told that it is because there are many people staying here since the village connects the capital and the port town.

Even though many people stay in the village, they don’t stay there and leave immediately for the capital or Bergamo, so the village is still small. It’s complicated, isn’t it?

After dinner, we gathered in the room to discuss our plans.

“We will arrive at the capitol tomorrow evening, stay one night, and go to the cathedral with everyone else, and Claretta will go to the cathedral separately the next day. We’re supposed to be Wataru-san’s escort and also do some sightseeing at the same time. We’d like to gather information about slime, and if we’re in the area, we’d like to go to tame the slime.”

“We’ll buy new equipment, sell pepper, and go sightseeing. We can stay for a month or so, which is fine.”

“That should give us enough time. Shall we collect more information first?”

We had a light chat and returned to the room. I was tired from the carriage ride, so after a light lovey-dovey session, I fell asleep.

The next morning, after completing my morning routine with Ines and Felicia, I headed to the dining room. I greeted the members of Girasole, finished breakfast, and departed.

The carriage ride goes peacefully without any particular incident… I wonder if there will be any attacks by monsters or bandits?

I don’t really want to be attacked, but in a world where civilization is not advanced and monsters exist, is it normal not to be attacked even once?

“Dorothea-san, we haven’t had a single attack so far. Is that normal?”

“It depends on where you are. In important roads like this one that connects the capital and port city, monsters and bandits are actively being defeated, so they hardly ever come out. On the frontier and in places where there is bad governance by the lords, monsters and bandits are more frequent.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

It’s an important road, and security is maintained… It’s a different world, and I thought I would be attacked when I went on a journey. And since we are frequently attacked by monsters on the sea, I thought the same would be true for the land route.

This conversation didn’t raise any flags, and we arrived at the capital city of Barletta as expected. I show my guild card and go through the gate.

I see a huge building in the back. I thought it was a castle, but it seemed to be a cathedral. Well, I heard that the Pope, the most powerful man in the country, lives there, so I guess it could be considered a castle. Claretta-san is staring at it with sparkling eyes. She is beautiful, isn’t she?

“Whew, we’ve arrived safely, haven’t we? Would you mind if we continue on our way to the merchant guild, return the carriage, and ask them to introduce us to an inn?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your business?”

“Yes. There seem to be a lot of people here at this time, so I will come back to talk to them at leisure when I have more time. Alessia-san and the others should go to the adventurers’ guild, too, right?”

“We can go tomorrow.”

“I see. Well, let’s go then.”

We arrive at the merchant guild, return the carriage, get a tag certifying that there is no problem, and head for the reception counter. I wondered if it was because many people were arriving in the capital at this time of the day. There were still many people. I decided to make it quick. After waiting in line for a while, I was greeted by a beautiful human female receptionist.

“Excuse me; I’m from Bergamo. Can you help me with the return of the carriages and introduce me to an inn that serves good meals and is above the middle class?”

“Yes, sir. I see that the carriage is in good condition and was returned on time. We will return the deposit of 4 gold coins. As for the inn… Solene’s Inn has a reputation for good food, although it is a bit expensive for a middle-class inn. I can provide you with a map if you like.”

“Yes, please.”

After receiving the map, I left the merchant guild and headed for the inn.

“Welcome. Are you staying the night?”

“Yes, can we have three rooms for four people?”

“Yes, we will charge you five silver coins per room for one night, including meals and warm water. Is that okay?”

After confirming with Alessia-san, she said it would be fine, so I’ll pay for ten days anyway… It will be 500,000 Japanese yen, that’s a crazy price… Is it because there are four people in the room? Will the price go up if there are more people in the room?

Alessia-san and the others paid one gold coin… and the lodging fee was about one million yen, even though it was a middle-class inn… I wonder if people in Japan who stayed overnight paid that much? The rich are awesome.

I was shown to my room, rested a bit, and then headed for the dining room. All the members of Girasole were already there.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“We just got here too; let’s order right away.”

We asked the waitress what she recommended, and she told us that tomato-based dishes and wine are recommended in this country. Something like religion, wine, tomatoes… Italy?　But I thought tomatoes were not originally from Italy.

I asked for their recommendation and was surprised to see that they have tomato sauce. They also have basil, which I’m happy about; I’ll buy some.

The pasta dish itself was excellent, with beef, onions, and tomatoes simmered in red wine for a long time and topped with a sauce similar to Italian Ragu sauce.

If the ingredients are similar, are the dishes similar too? I like it because it looks like Italian food. That is why it is a pity that cheese is not used in this inn as well.

Why are they fixed with preserves when there is cheese? Could it be an opportunity for a culinary cheat? But I’ve taught pizza, and there’s no rice for Doria.

…Maybe gratin? And I’d also like to try the lasagna. I can’t think of anything too much… Oh, we have wine, and I’d like to try cheese fondue. It sounds fun and stylish. Let’s try it next time.

Let’s ask the cook of this inn to develop a dish using cheese. I’m looking forward to it.

I returned to the room and wiped my body with warm water.

“Hmm, I really want to take a bath or shower.”

“I want it too. Master, can’t you do something about it?”

“Hmm, if we can summon a bathtub in a secluded place, we might be able to get in. But not in an inn.”

“The hot water would spill, and that would be a nuisance.”

“Right, well, if we can find a good spot, we can take a bath.”

“I guess so.”

After playing with Rimu for a while and having a lovey-dovey time with Ines and Felicia, I fell asleep.

I wake up, ripe for a good morning routine, get ready, and head to the dining room.

I greet the members of Girasole and discuss our plans for the day over breakfast.

…Claretta-san looks so sparkly. She must be so happy to be able to go to the cathedral already. For now, we’ll go to the cathedral to pray, visit the merchant guild and the adventurer’s guild, and maybe do some sightseeing.

Let’s go pray firmly to the Creator God.