Chapter 55: I Want the White Liquid Coming out of That!
In the next town we visited, I got shocked by something I spotted.
ââŠâŠâŠ.Eh??â
I rubbed my eyes and took another look.
ââŠâŠâŠ.Eeehhh??â
Sword looked at me with a puzzled expression, âHey, whatâs wrong?â
ââŠT-ThatâsâŠâ
I pointed ahead of me with a trembling fingerâŠ
At the milk over there.
âAh, the milk?â
When Sword asked as if it was nothing, I snapped.
âYoooouuuuu!! Y-Yoouuu knew about it, and yet didnât tell me!? Whyyyy?â
I grabbed his collar and violently shook him back and forth.
âW-Wait, I-I give up! Stop it! Iâm gonna die!â
âDo you know just how much I wanted to get my hands on miiiiiilk!?â
Sure, itâs not indispensable since I can somehow work around it with soybeans. But you see, if I got milk, the taste is totally different, especially for butter! The taste!!
If it drops with plop due to its flavor, the taste really comes out. Also, sometimes I do have a craving for using fresh cream and similar.
âWell, I knew about it, but it woulda been pointless to tell you. I mean, itâs a local speciality which you canât get anywhere else.â
âThere has to be animals who produce it, right!? Get those! Now is the perfect time for you to flaunt the power of an S-Rank adventurer! Show me that you arenât just a self-alleged ăBigshotă!â
âHow terrible of you!â
When are you going to use it if not now!? Havenât you been using that authority even at times when you didnât have to!?
I sighed deeply and walked onwards, now with a dry throat.
ââŠYou gettinâ so agitated means you can make somethinâ delicious out of it? Iâve drank it in the past, and well, itâs decent, but for you to desire it to such an extentâŠâ
âRight now Iâm substituting milk with soybeans, but the taste differs. For starters, Iâll sample it. After all, itâs unlikely that itâs actually ăCow Milkă.â
ïŒ
I went to a milk stall with Sword, bought it, and gave it a try.
ââŠHmm, I see, I see!â
âIs it good?â
âItâs a tiny bit different from the taste I know, but this is great in its own way! Alright, weâll get our hands on this! Come on, hurry, put that S-Rank of yours to work!â
Sword scratched his head.
ââŠThe merchant guild then, huh? But theyâre definitely gonna take advantage of this. Thatâll suck badly.â
The stall boy, who had been watching with an astonished face, called out to us, ââŠâŠAre you possibly Sir ăThunderclap Whitefangă?â
âHuh?â
The one reacting to that was me, whereas Sword instantly turned his face away.
ââŠSorry, but I sometimes fail to hear certain words. What did you say just now?â
âEh? I mean, heâs Sir ăThunderclap Whitefangă⊠âŠisnât he?â
Feeling dumbfounded, I looked at Sword.
ââŠâŠWhatâs that? This super embarrassing name? What? Thunderclap? Whitefang? I totally donât get the meaning. The name ăBloody Witchă is way cooler than that, isnât it? Rather, itâs so grating on the ears that Iâm tearing up. It hurts.â
ââŠHavinâ you say all that makes me tear up as well!â
Both of us became teary-eyed.
ââŠYouâve adopted such an embarrassing nickname? Oh my god, drop it right away! Otherwise I wonât be able to walk through town with you anymore!â
âAinât like I chose it myself! What are you tellinâ me to do âbout it!?â
No way, this guy isnât going to go âMy right eye throbs, it throbs so much!â on me, is he?
ââŠâŠLet me just make sure, but youâre not going to start muttering that some part of your body throbs or that you can hear things no one else can hear, right?â
âWhatâs with that lunatic treatment all of a sudden?â
It sounds like he wonât do any of that. Pheew, thatâs good to hear.
ââŠItâd just be a typical symptom. People with such names usually mutter things like ăThe Evil Eye that has been sealed in my right eye is throbbingâŠă.â
âNo, even if you seal things, you wouldnât use your own body for that. Thatâd be like carryinâ âround a magic tool that could explode at any moment. Itâd be far too dangerous.â
Oh, so sealing in itself is actually being carried out? Just what youâd expect from a fantasy world!
âAh, just now my opinion of you improved a bit.â
âLike how?â
âYou see, Sealing was a hyped term in the other world.â
âGive it a rest already. I donât even understand what your talkinâ âbout anymore.â Sword averted his face in a bad mood.
A short moment later, he proudly said to the stall boy, âItâs just, I formed a party. So remember the name Allrounders from now on.â
âO-Okay!! âŠThat means, is the boy over there possiblyâŠâ
Sword broke out into laughter.
Then he introduced me while roughly stroking my head around, âRight, this boy here is my partner. Just as the party name suggests, this guy is likewise an Allrounder. And the golems, too.â
âNice to meet you! I am Ryoku!â
âNice to meet you! I am Mr. Swordâs personal Ryoku!â
âŠEach time I hear this greeting, it ticks me off. Just why doesnât Swordâs Ryoku use the standard greeting!?
ïŒ
âShould I explain it to you, just in case?â
âWhat precisely?â
âThe origin of my nickname. For better or worse, I had confidence in my speed, and used to be the fastest in the world. âŠBut, once you showed up, I gave up on that title. Anyway, the meaninâ of Thunderclap lies in being as fast as lightninâ. Also, because I mainly use lightninâ magic. Lightninâ magic basically works on everythinâ. Then, the remaininâ WhitefangâŠthe white probably comes from my white hair, and I think the fang indicates my attacks beinâ as sharp as a fang since I usually take down my enemies in one blow.â
Whatâs with that explanation? It totally sounds like an exposition about the theory behind a math formula.
âOkay, okay, I got it. Your nickname has a meaning. My brain rejected translating it whenever I heard it, but now that Iâve heard the explanation, I can somewhat understand where itâs coming from. And Iâve also decided to remain a nameless adventurer for eternity.â
Sword revealed an evil grin, âYou think youâll be able to escapeâ havin a nickname stuck on you while adventurinâ with me? Iâm pretty sure folks will give you an awfully embarrassinâ nickname, so Iâm goinâ to look forward to that.â
I plugged my ears.
I-CAN-NOT-HE-AR-ANY-THINGâLA-LA-LA!
ïŒ
The stall boy seemed to be Swordâs fan.
âMy little brother is a much bigger fan of yours. Heâs aiming to become an adventurer to follow in your footsteps!â
The boy saidâŠbut, when I looked at Swordâs face, he grabbed my face.
âMmh-mmh-m-mmh-mmhmmh-mh!â
I canât talk!
âIt might be because you donât know the rumors about me, but donât look at me like that!â
Like how?
The boy abandoned his stall, and ran off to call his brother.
âIsnât that wonderful? Youâre quite popular, arenât you? So wouldnât it be alright for you to get along with your fans?â
I was able to talk again since he finally stopped grabbing my face.
âNo, thatâs a bit⊠I donât even know what beinâ my fan is about.â
Isnât it alright to get along with your fans even without being an idol? The other party apparently idolizes him like a god, but if he crushes that deluded idea, Iâm sure theyâll be able to become friends.
ïŒ
The stall boy brought his brother along.
But, I gotta say, that kidâs outfit totally screams ăadventurer cosplayeră!
âGoing by his appearance, heâs quite the adventurer!â
âAt least when compared to you.â Sword retorted.
âWasnât it you who said that armor would be meaningless in my case?â
âNormal enemies wouldnât be even able to scratch you ân me, even if we were stark naked. And in case of an enemy, who can injure us, armor wonât be of much use either. In such case, I think itâs more feasible to aim for clothes that allow easy movement over heavy armor restrictinâ it. Even this here is sturdy in its own right.â
Itâs a suit and mantle made out of some random leather, isnât it? Moreover, the maids went over the top with the ornaments while claiming, âItâs such a rare opportunity, so letâs make something decent!â
In the end, Iâm not looking like an adventurer in the least!
âWhoa, itâs the real ăThunderclap Whitefangă! Awesome!â
âHey, watch your language and be more polite!â The boy hit the top of his excited brotherâs head with a knuckle.
âNah, itâs cool. No need to be formal âround me.â
Sword became somewhat apathetic. It looked like he didnât like being in this situation.
âHey, cheer up, will you? In the eyes of this boy, youâre a hero, right? So act like one, for heavenâs sake.â
âNow listen, if he carelessly aims to become an adventurer because of that, blunders, and diesâŠâ He glared at me.
âThat would be the boyâs way of life then. You wouldnât be responsible for it. How often do I need to tell you until you get it? On the other hand, he could also follow in your footsteps as an adventurer out of adoration, and achieve great things. Consider that possibility as well. Also, itâs not like Iâm telling you to deceive him with some pretense. Just treat him kindly, will you?â
ââŠGotcha.â
Now then.
Leaving the little brother to Sword, I talked to the big brother.
âItâs just perfect to have you here. Thereâs something Iâd like you to tell me if possible.â
âEh? Me?â
I nodded.
And then I explained to him that I wanted milk â if possible a regular supply of milk for myself, and asked him whether anything could be done about it as it was apparently only being sold in this town.
The boy pondered.
âHmm, you see, milk can be procured from monsters called Charge Cow.â
Charge Cow? In other words, normal cows?
âItâs a very cowardly monster that lives deep in the mountains. In addition, theyâre somewhat ferocious. If you irk them the wrong way, theyâll charge at you and youâll get killed. But, theyâre slaves to their appetite. If you give them fodder, they become completely engrossed with eating. At that time, theyâll release milk. We fill that milk into tanks, refill it into bottles after coming out of the mountains, and sell it. âŠIf I remember correctly, the milk doesnât last long, and I donât know how far it is to the mountains, but you might spoil your tummy if you drink it after around one day has passedâŠâ
Figures.
âŠBut, I got it. Contrary to my idea that they might be raising them, they were actually wild monsters.
âWould it cause any issues if I caught those monsters and took them with me?â
âEh? I-I wonder. So far as it goes, theyâre monsters famous for only living in this area, and you donât get into any trouble even if you accidentally kill them after getting attacked, but neither the adventurer nor the merchant guild would ever buy them off you, you know?â
Alright, letâs take back around two or three while pretending I accidentally killed them.
âSword! Our next steps are decided!â
âHold back on it for a bit. Donât make any moves on your own since Iâm goinâ to pass it through the adventurer and merchant guild first.â
I was stopped by Sword.
âŠOh well, no choice then. Iâve also experienced adult society in the other world, so I know youâve got to lay the groundwork for a smooth exchange. Though, a part of me thinks that it might be totally fine for me to take back a few for raising since this world doesnât have any animal protection laws anyway.