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

It was the end of December. The next time I went out hunting again, I was safely able to get 100 E-rank magic stones from Raven. I told him that he could leave them at the Guild’s reception desk, but Raven took the trouble to wait for me to come.

There is a big difference between a summoned beast having an emotion and not having one. I’ve been thinking about how to live as a Summoner, and how to develop my skills, while I continue to work as a manservant.

(Well, for the time being, it’s fine as it is. It’s because if you ask me whether it’s better to have an emotion or not, it’s definitely better too. It gives me more things to do.)

“Good morning Allen.”

“Good morning.”

“What’s up? Something on your mind?”

I was approached by the Head Chef in the servants’ dining room. He’s been talking to me a lot lately. I was lying on my back, thinking and waiting for my turn, when he seemed to notice me.

“No no, there’s nothing on my mind.”

“Here, this is a bonus. Eat up.”

The Head Chef, who was about the same age as the Butler, put a slightly larger piece of meat in Allen’s soup bowl.

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

“What? Why is it just Allen? I want some meat too”.

“Ahh, Rickel. You haven’t done anything. Allen has already caught ten Horned Rabbits for us.”

”No way!” lamented Rickel, the head manservant.

I caught ten Horned Rabbits in two hunts. I’ve decided to take five horned rabbits per hunt. I’ve been hunting from morning till night, so I’ve caught five of them, which is about right. I’ve gotten 100 E-rank magic stones from Raven and Co., but I still need more of them.

When I caught five of them, the Butler didn’t seem to expect me to catch so many. This world doesn’t have magical beasts that are densely packed. The Horned Rabbit is a single entity. It would already be considered to catch two in one hunt.

The Chef was happily dismantling ten Horned Rabbits the size of a medium-sized dog. Thanks to this, the Chef started to talk to me. The meat comes with a few extras. A meal of bread, vegetable scraps, and soup with a few pieces of meat was a slight improvement.

“Next spring, Young Lord Mihai will be back.”

(Hmm? Mihai? The eldest son, Mihai, who’s in the Academy?)

Mihai is the eldest son of the Lord.

I listen to the Head Chef while holding the food.

“So, I have asked him to bring me some honey from the Royal Capital as souvenir. Have you ever tried it? It’s very sweet.”

“No, I haven’t. I’d like to try it.”

 “Well, the Big Toads will come out in early spring. If you get them, I’ll sneak you some honey.”

“Oh! Really? Then I’ll do my best to get them.”

(I want to eat honey. Big Toads, they won’t come out until spring, are they hibernating like frogs?)

“Hey! What are you talking to Allen about? It’s a D-rank magical beast you’re talking about. You can’t take this seriously, Allen.”

Rickel reacts beside me. He was talking loudly, so it wasn’t stealthy at all. The servants around us were also asking what’s going on.

I ate my meal and started the morning by cleaning up Cecile’s room as usual. After the cleaning was done, I washed the laundry. Basically, I don’t have to stay close to Cecile. I cleaned and did chores in the mansion without saying a word.

While I was cleaning, the Commander of the Knight Order came into the building.

“Welcome, sir.”

“Mm.”

I greeted the Knight Commander. The Knight Commander does not live in the mansion. He is the leader of the Knights, and he often comes here because he has business with Baron Granvelle.

I asked Rickel about the work of the Knights. I asked him if the Knights were at war with a neighboring country, and he said that they were not.

In the first place, he told me that this Granvelle territory is not in contact with any other country.

The main job of the Knights was to defeat bandits and magical beasts. They also ask adventurers to do the same, but in order to maintain discipline in the territory, they deal with matters that adventurers would not accept. Rickel tells me everything that I want to know.

He often comes to the mansion to receive requests from the Naron and to report on his duties.

After the afternoon’s work was over, I served dinner. I was told that the Knight Commander would be joining the dinner today. The Knight Commander and the Vice-Commander sometimes join the dinner like this.

The servants have gotten used to it.

“Thank you, sir.”

”Oh! Rodan’s son. I’m sure you’ve heard that the village of Kurena has successfully defeated twenty Boars again.”

The Knight Commander praised me.

“It seems so, sir.”

The village’s goal of defeating twenty boars this year was completed at the end of November. We were forced to hunt them three times before the Lord arrived. I recall Rodan saying that the rest should be done once every ten days. It seems they’ve reached their targeted number of kills with plenty of time to spare.

(If you have already hunted so much, why haven’t they arrived yet?)

Then Cecile’s brother, Thomas, gave me an ugly look. He said that Boar meat used to be available in the winter.

(Hmm? If you put it that way, it does indeed not make sense. I’m pretty sure the Boar we caught in October has already been brought to Grandver.)

In December, the meat of the Boar caught in October should have been processed and brought to the city. Tons of it must have been brought in, but I’ve not been serving it and hardly seen any of it is either.

Thomas was disappointed when the Baron told him not to be selfish. (You’re rather strict with children, aren’t you?)

(If the King is asking for it, does that mean the Boar meat is going to the Royal Capital?)

When I was thinking about the destination of the Boar’s meat, Thomas spoke to the Knight Commander.

“Zenov, are you going to catch Deer this year?”

It’s Tomas who speaks with anticipation. The Knight Commander, Zenov, looks at Baron Granvelle. The Baron shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Master Thomas”

“Eh~?”

He was clearly disgusted.

“Thomas! That’s not a Knight’s job!”

 Baron Granvelle finally gets angry at Thomas’s selfishness, and since Thomas is very frightened. The Baron continues

“This year’s New Year’s greeting will be a very simple one. No boars and no deers.”

He seemed to be referring to the New Year’s party to be held at the mansion.

“Well, I guess so. Even if the main meat is simple, it can’t be helped this year.”

It seems that the New Year’s party is held every year in a big way. Both the Baron and the Butler seemed to be disappointed about this. A sigh leaks out.

Baroness Granvelle looked disappointed. Thomas was looking at his mother’s sad face. Thomas talks to Allen, who was serving.

“Hey, Allen.”

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“You’re a great hunter, aren’t you? Go and get us a Deer.”

“Deer? Do you mean White Deer?”

Allen had already begun to catch the Horned Rabbits. In a world where there aren’t many things to look forward to, food is a big part of the enjoyment.

Even if you are a Baron, you can’t be that extravagant. Thanks to Allen, the Baronial dinners have become more lavish than ever in recent days because of Horned Rabbit meat.

In addition to the fact that the boy with dark eyes and black hair, who is only eight years old, has become a manservant, he has attracted a lot of attention. There was a lot of talk about who this guy was. As a result, everyone in the house, including the servants, knew that Allen’s father was a hero of the village, who was called Rodan the Boar Hunter, and became a commoner because of his skill.

They are aware that the son of a hunting hero is using his talent to catch Horned Rabbits all over the place. 

At first, the Head Chef asked Allen to catch a magical beast. And now it’s Thomas.

“Yes, catch it for me!”

He ordered me as if it was a matter of course.

White Deer is a magical beast that also appears in winter. Basically, we hunt Boars because they have more meat.

(White Deer, maybe it’s a C-ranked magical beast like the Great Boar. Now that I’ve raised my level, I should try to defeat it once to see how strong it is.)

Thomas said to me with a carefree smile. He didn’t doubt Allen at all.

“Yes, sir. I’ll get a White Deer for you.”

Everyone was listening to this conversation. But no one stopped saying that it was impossible.