Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

 Episode 55 Small Talk

It’s been about a month since I started going hunting in the middle of November. Since then, I’ve gone hunting once every six days.

Back in my previous life when I was in elementary school, I used to play games only on Sundays. The once-a-week hunting reminds me of those days. Now that I think about it, it’s a mysterious rule.

 A little after 9:00 p.m, Allen was in the weapon shop.

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re going to use it for, but is this what you want?” The owner of the weapon shop asked Allen.

He handed Allen a ball-shaped object. It was about the size of a baseball.

“Oh! Thank you very much. Is 60 Silver okay?”

“Yes.”

I gave him Silver Coins and received three iron balls.

(They will definitely work better than stones.)

I put the iron balls that I bought into the Inventory and headed home. Today after work, I came to the weapons shop only to buy the iron balls which I had ordered.

I’ve had four holidays this month. Naturally, I spent those four days hunting, and my level went up from 9 to 12. Thanks to this, my status also increased which was good but there was one problem.

The stones I used started to break when I threw them. I had no need to use G-rank Insect’s Provocation, so I replaced those cards with E-rank Tiger. Because of this, my Attack Power increased and the stones could no longer withstand my power. The stone shattered when it hit the goblin. I lost all the stones I had brought with me from the village.

I asked a weapon smith (the weapon owner) to make iron balls to replace the stones. He told me that it would cost 20 Silver Coins each, so I asked to make three of them.

I’ve got a lot of things I want to buy; Armor, Long range magic tools, 10 iron balls, and then weapons. (Weapons are the last thing I want because I’m a Summoner.)

I organize the list of things I want in the Grimoire. The long range magic tool cost three Gold Coins. The price for armor varied, but the good ones were very expensive. Weapons were the same way.

(I feel like I’m getting all my weapons for the first time in this city!)

Even though I’m broke, I’m excited. I remember when I was Kenichi, I was able to go to a new town in a game and I was wondering which equipment I should get first.

(Hunting magical beasts, gaining experience, earning money, and improving my equipment. It’s a classic for me.)

I get paid at the end of each month for my job as a manservant, and at the end of November I got 50 Silver Coins.

Allen’s salary is 50 Silver Coins per month which means its 6 pieces of gold per year. No per capita tax is charged.

Since he was only eight years old, he was paid only half the amount of a normal servant. A normal manservant must be 12 years old and is paid about 100 Silver Coins.

The main wages for each rank/job (monthly salary)

Butler: 5 Gold Coins

Valet: 2 Gold Coins

Manservant: 1 Gold Coin.

Rickel, the head manservant who has taught me many things, is paid 1 Gold Coin and 50 Silver Coins (150 Silver Coins). He is paid 50 more because he is the head manservant which means he has to do more work than a normal manservant. The caring Rickel will teach me anything I want to know. He even tells me things I’ve never heard of, like the salary of a Butler.

(If the Adventurer’s Guild would give me a reward for defeating magical beasts, I could make a little more money. But I’m not in desperate need of money. Besides, it’s too far from the mansion.)

I’ve never been harmed by goblins because my summons act as shields in the fight against them. 

I returned to the mansion. It’s late and I’m about to go to bed when I saw Rickel.

“Hey, Allen.”

Rickel called me.

“Yes, Rickel. Good evening.”

“What did you do? The Butler wants to see you.”

“What?”

I don’t know if I’ve done anything to be called out. But if I have, I have to go. I told Rickel that I understood, and went to the Butler’s room.

“Knock! Knock!”

“Excuse me. This is Allen.”

“Come on in…”

It’s late at night and I walked in and sat down on the couch.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Hmm.” The Butler replied.

I came here because he was the one who called me, but he only said “hmm” and didn’t seem to want to talk. At first, I waited for the conversation to start.

“Allen! Your work is very good. I’ve heard from other manservants that you work very hard.”

A little while later, the Butler began to speak. He seems to be choosing his words carefully.

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

“However, the Granvelle family is always under inspection. It’s very important that you behave yourself on a regular basis.”

(Hmm? What are you talking about? )

“Yes sir.”

“What do you do on your days off?”

The Butler looks straight at Allen and asks.

“What?”

On my days off, I go out before the sun comes up. I would come home after 9pm. This went on for a month. It was the Butler who told me that my behavior was strange.

“Well…”

(What should I do?)

I think about what to say or do. As I was pondering, the Butler added more words.

“You will not leave this room until you tell me.”

(I see! I have no choice but to tell him. He found out pretty fast, didn’t he?)

I knew that they would find out sooner or later. I was hunting around the city of Grandber. I try to avoid meeting others as much as possible, but sometimes there are adventurers or some other people I bump into. If they meet a dark-haired boy outside the city, word surely will go out. And the word might have reached the mansion.

“On my days off, I hunt magical beasts outside the city.”

I answered honestly.

“Well, magical beasts?”

“Yes. I spend my days off hunting magical beasts outside the city of Grandver.”

The Butler was not shocked to hear that an eight-year-old boy hunted magical beasts outside the city. He was nearly sixty years old and nothing could surprise him, but Allen’s words still made him open his eyes wide. The ‘nothing’ seemed to have appeared in front of him in the form of a boy.

‘… Magical beasts, huh? Come to think of it, was it to hunt magical beasts that you were asking Rickel about the White Dragon Mountains and the Adventurer’s Guild?”

(Hmm, Rickel confessed? Well, it’s only natural to ask the head manservant about my behaviour.)

I thought about blaming Rickel for a moment, but then I changed my mind.

“Yes sir.”

“You mean you took a day off to hunt? Why hunting?”

“It is because I am the son of Rodan, the Boar hunter. I want to be as strong as my father.” 

For some reason, the words came out naturally. It was a fact after all.

(I’m the son of a well-known hunter. And I love hunting too. It wouldn’t be weird to think so as we are father and son after all.)

I was convinced by my own words.

You only realize the similarities between parents and children that you realize after being separated. We had many similarities. Even the fact that I was reincarnated in Rodan’s home felt like the will of God.

“My purpose in life is to hunt on my days off.”

“A reason to live, huh. Is that so? Rodan’s son.”

The Butler felt that there was a part of him that understood me. He must have thought that I’ve been strongly influenced by Rodan when I was growing up. 

Allen states that hunting is his life’s purpose. If Butler hadn’t changed his mind to let him take a day off when he was consulted before, then Allen might have really quit his job as a servant. There was such determination in his eyes for hunting.

“I see. Well, as long as you don’t cause trouble like the head chef, it’s okay to have a purpose in life.”

(Hmm? Chef? Yeah, he gets into trouble sometimes.)

The head chef loves to cook. That’s a good thing, but he buys more ingredients than his budget allows and spends a lot of his time researching dishes. The chef, who is probably close to the Butler in age, does not flinch at all, even when dealing with his superiors.

I’ve seen the argument between the Butler, who insists on keeping to the budget, and the head chef, who insists on more delicious food. It has happened many times since I came here.

“Yes, I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with my work.”

“Mmm, Allen. I want you to make your work here worthwhile. Just like me.”

“Yes sir. I understand.”

(That may be difficult. I didn’t reincarnate to this world to work for someone else.)

I just replied yes for now. 

“And what are you doing with the horned rabbit that you defeated?”

“What?”

Butler knew that I had hunted horned rabbits.

“You don’t have to hide them. You can probably sell them to the butcher for a little extra money.” The Butler added.

“I see. Thank you sir, I will try to sell them.”

“Allen.” The Butler called me again.

“Hmm, it doesn’t suit the manservants of Granvelle family to be making pocket change.”

“Yes.”

I did my best to show that I was sorry.

However, I did not take it to the butcher. The butcher’s place was very far away which would slow me down considerably. I left everything behind except for the magic stones. It’s more about experience for me than earning money.

“But, well, it’s meat. The Granville family will buy the meat.” The Butler said.

“Really?”

(Thank you very much for this.)

The meat I was throwing away is now worth money. The Butler said that the Granvelle family would buy the meat.

“Hmm? Well, we can’t pay you as much as in the market though.”

“No problem.”

As long as he got the magic stones there was no problem for him. Thus, part of Allen’s hunting outside was exposed.