I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
“I made a lot of money again today…!”
On her way back to the two-story cottage she used as a base, from the Adventurer’s Guild, Shella gently hugged her shoulder bag containing the gold coins she earned today.
One gold coin was a large sum for Shella.
The cost of living in Anheim was high, so it was uncertain, but in the seaside town of Olivete, where she had stayed previously, one gold coin would be enough for a three-person family’s living expenses for a month.
Before meeting Tohma and Ketsue, Shella would have easily been able to live for three months with that much money.
(She could earn that much in just one day! Dungeons are amazing!)
Compared to the days when she earned money by gathering herbs and hunting small animals near the forest, it was like night and day.
The days when she was always hungry and struggled to find a place to stay felt like a lie now.
(I can’t help but be grateful to Tohma .)
He fed her delicious meals, and by helping with simple tasks, she was able to earn a reward.
The reward wasn’t just money; it was clean clothes and three meals a day, complete with snacks—such great treatment.
He even lent her a magical tool to change her appearance, knowing Shella was being pursued by the villagers.
Thanks to that, she was able to buy new adventurer gear that she lost when she nearly got lost in the forest.
Her body, which had been thin and frail, had grown enough to not be unpleasant to look at, and most importantly, she was happy to have leveled up and become stronger.
When he saw the wings on her back, which she had kept a secret, Shella nearly despaired, but he didn’t avoid her. Instead, he sincerely gave her advice.
(I never imagined that I was so close to being a mythical beast. I was so surprised…)
For Shella, who had once despised herself for being a failure with only the ability to change into a weak little bird, this was an unexpected turn of events.
Her primary reason for traveling with him had been to grow stronger, but honestly, she was also drawn by the delicious food he always provided, a secret she kept.
…Although she thought he probably already knew that.
Yes, the meals he made were absolutely delicious.
Even simple grilled meat was so delicious it made her shiver.
The stews were cooked with an unbelievable amount of spices, and she could only imagine how expensive each bite was in a different sense.
She was completely captivated by that first bite and before she knew it, she’d eaten it all and was asking for seconds.
(Also, the fried dishes are amazing. Just cooking the meat in oil makes it so delicious!)
While the grilled meat was already tasty, the fried meat was something else entirely. Shella’s favorites were fried chicken and cutlets.
The first time she ate fried chicken made from Cocco Bird, she was so excited she had trouble falling asleep.
The pork cutlet made from orc meat was particularly shocking.
For Shella, orc meat was a luxury. Even as a steak, it was unbelievably delicious, but the moment she took a bite of the fried cutlet, she felt a shock like her pores opening all over her body.
(Even now, just thinking about it makes my mouth water…! Orc cutlets are the pinnacle of meat dishes!)
It wasn’t just meat. Vegetables, which Shella didn’t like much, became delicious when Tohma cooked them.
He also introduced her to fruits she’d never seen in her old village, and they were all juicy and sweet.
(Most of all, the sweets Tohma makes are absolutely divine! Cookies, candies, chocolates—it’s like a dream!)
Every time she ate them, they felt like food from the gods themselves, and Shella would be enraptured.
There were so many strange foods that didn’t exist in her world.
It wasn’t just the food either. The underwear and towels were unbelievably soft and pleasant to the touch. The bedding was incredibly comfortable to sleep on. She learned that all of these were obtained through Tohma ’s skills.
He claimed to be a half-elf and had special summoning magic.
Speaking of summoning magic, it was usually used to call magical beasts or creatures from another world, binding them into servitude. But Tohma ’s summoning magic was different; it could summon objects from other worlds instead of living creatures.
(I see now, it’s because the food comes from another world that it’s so delicious and unlike anything I’ve seen before.)
Shella quickly understood and accepted this without hesitation. Tohma found it curious that she believed him so easily, but for Shella, it made perfect sense.
Apparently, there were limitations to his seemingly all-powerful summoning magic, such as “if your level is low, the items you can summon are limited.”
Food, clothes, furniture, and even knives could be summoned, and Shella was amazed. But Tohma seemed to still be unsatisfied with his abilities.
(He can summon a house, but what else could he possibly want?)
To summon something, a catalyst was needed.
Apparently, this catalyst was something called a “point.”
According to him, “points” could be accumulated by exchanging materials gathered or defeated by one’s own effort.
To create their base in the Anheim Dungeon, Tohma had summoned a large two-story house, using up a lot of his “points.”
(I earn money, and Tohma dives into the dungeon to collect “points”…)
The adventurer’s work in Anheim was going smoothly.
The first day was a bit tough as they made their way to the tenth floor in one go, but after obtaining the teleportation magic tool, they were able to progress at their own pace.
They typically moved three to five floors a day. They would take their time and hunt in the floors where magical beasts with high material buying rates or tasty meat were found, aiming to hunt as much as possible.
Thanks to this, they each earned about one gold coin. From that, Shella gave Tohma two silver coins for seven days’ worth of food expenses.
Each meal cost one copper coin, so three meals a day meant three copper coins. Snacks were a bonus, which was very appreciated. If she wanted more snacks, she would quietly hand over a coin in addition to the food expenses and have them specially summoned.
Her recent favorite snacks were consomme-flavored potato chips and chocolate cookies. Alternating between them was very enjoyable.
Sweet and salty treats could be eaten endlessly.
Tohma , the leader of the party made up of two people and one cat, was very reliable. He made sure to give proper rewards to his familiar, Ketsue, a cute tabby cat, in the form of gold coins.
Since Ketsue was a good boy, he would just hand the gold coins over to his master, Tohma .
Normally, any earnings from a familiar would belong to the master, who would then take care of them, but—
(Tohma really does spoil Ketsue, doesn’t he…)
Ketsue proudly gave the profits to his master, and Tohma lovingly patted Ketsue’s head as he tucked the gold coins into his leather pouch.
(That’s Ketsue’s wallet, isn’t it…)
A small smile escaped Shella as she thought this.
Most likely, all of Ketsue’s earnings were in that pouch as well.
The bond between the two was heartwarming, and Shella’s chest felt warm thinking about it.
Tohma was a good person.
He had a curt tone, but he was very considerate.
She thought he must have a habit of unconsciously spoiling those who were close to him.
(But I must make sure not to take advantage of it…)
Life in Anheim was going so well, and Shella was enjoying her increasing levels and the acquisition of her “Body Enhancement” skill so much that she had forgotten one thing.
She had forgotten how adventurers with bad reputations would view them.
Tohma , who claimed to be a half-elf, could easily be mistaken for an incredibly beautiful young woman if he remained silent and still.
While waiting in line to enter the dungeon, an impolite and thoughtless adventurer called Tohma “little girl.”
At that moment, Shella remembered an old saying.
(“Stepping on a dragon’s tail”… What an idiot!!)
“Who’s a little girl?”
A low, displeased voice came from Tohma ’s handsome lips.
Shella shivered, feeling a cold aura emanate from him. It was scary.
Before she knew it, Ketsue had moved to her shoulder and meowed softly in her ear. She guessed it was a sign to move away.
She noticed that the more perceptive adventurers and higher-ranked teams quickly distanced themselves, and Shella hurriedly retreated to a corner of the room.
“Eh? What’s that, you’re a guy?”
“Hey, with that face? And your waist looks so thin, you might as well be a little girl, huh?”
“Hahaha! No doubt about it! Hey, little girl. We’ll protect you, so give us half your earnings. Bodyguard fee.”
There were three rough-looking adventurers, all with decent physiques, though their slouching bellies made it unclear if they had trained.
What stood out the most was that they clearly lacked the ability to judge people, which made them the lowest-tier adventurers.
Tohma , who had been mercilessly mocked, had clearly had enough.
“Ha…!”
Shella, anxiously watching, wasn’t worried about Tohma ’s safety, but rather—
“Hey, little girl, stop being silent! Say something!”
The filthy adventurer’s hand touched Tohma ’s shoulder, but before he could do anything else, the man was sent flying.
“Unfortunately, I don’t need protection from the likes of you.”
Tohma narrowed his stunning blue eyes, which were as beautiful as a clear sky, and smiled with a mesmerizing expression.
In that moment, the dangerous-looking beautiful little dragon swiftly sank the remaining two adventurers into the ground.
