I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
Enjoying a leisurely life by the seaside, it was about time to leave Olivert and move on to the next town.
When I contacted Rei, the golden dragon, via the hand mirror—a magical communication device—he mentioned that his duties as a divine beast were finally nearing completion.
As a golden dragon, he had been flying all over the vast continent, tirelessly inspecting for areas where magic essence had stagnated, causing a proliferation of monsters, or where land might have been contaminated.
Currently, he was diving into an advanced dungeon that seemed on the verge of triggering a rampaging stampede, thinning out the monster population as needed.
(So, Rei is going to deal with the demons behind the stampede, right? That’s a huge help…)
Feigning ignorance of their ties to the Evil Dragon, Rei was going to crush them. Honestly, I wished the proxy war between the creator god Kesaran Pasaran and the destructive god Evil Dragon would stop involving people from other worlds.
As a neutral divine beast, Rei technically couldn’t side with either faction. However, under the guise of “preventing stampedes by reducing dungeon monsters,” he had been significantly weakening the demons’ forces for us.
My summoned hero cousins had been leveling up and growing stronger, but they couldn’t cover distant dungeons in faraway lands. Rei’s covert support had been invaluable.
“When we reunite, I’ll have to give Rei a proper thank-you.”
He seemed to have taken a liking to Earth-origin seasonings and dishes, so I planned to prepare a feast for him. I’d stocked up on seafood at Olivert’s market, and I wanted to serve him dishes like seafood bowls, sashimi, and sushi, which Sheera had already praised.
“I also managed to buy plenty of Olivert’s famous olive oil and oranges.”
Sheera smiled happily beside me as I grinned.
“Indeed! I’m excited about all the magic beast meat fed with olives and oranges that we got too!”
“Right? I heard the boar meat, in particular, is phenomenal. I can’t wait to try it.”
Magic beast meat was already delicious on its own. Would it taste as rich as the finest Iberico pork, which is fattened with acorns?
“I want to eat it right now, but I’ll hold back.”
“Yeah, it’s for Rei’s celebratory meal, so we’ll save it.”
“Meow.”
The three of us—Sheera, Ketsue, and I—nodded in agreement.
Through diligent work and contributions to the commercial guild, we managed to acquire the rare magic beast meat harvested from the orchards. We also secured a large amount of premium olive oil and olives. Additionally, the guild prioritized our purchase of large fish caught offshore, as fresh seafood might become unavailable for a while.
(Though I had to sell some summoned goods to the guild to cover the costs…)
I spent a substantial amount of gold coins but recouped the cost by selling items like honey, jam, and tea leaves. These high-quality luxury goods were welcomed by the guild, and the negotiations resulted in a satisfying price.
(I even made a small profit. Luxury goods are unbeatable!)
Feeling content with a heavier wallet, I turned to dismantling the camp where we had stayed for two weeks by the sea.
“Ketsue, can you restore the pool’s enclosure?”
“Meow.”
While Ketsue worked on restoring the shallow terrain, I stored away the tiny house into the Item Box. Tarp, hammock, parasol—all packed up! I gave the area a final once-over to ensure nothing was left behind. Perfect.
“Alright, let’s head out.”
“Sure! Where are we going next?”
“Well, our points are running a bit low, so I’d like to earn more in a dungeon if possible.”
I hadn’t intended to make any big purchases, but I’d spent a fair amount on consumables, food, books, and games for entertainment. The points I had saved up were dwindling.
(Especially since I was roped into furnishing their portable mini-houses…)
My cousins, who had obtained their portable houses, wanted to make their living spaces as comfortable as possible. I understood their desire, so I helped.
(Furnishing three individual bedrooms, plus a kitchen-dining area and a large living room, cost quite a bit of points…)
That said, I did get a valuable item in return: a shoulder-style magic bag. It was made of soft caramel-colored leather, had significant storage capacity, and came with a time-stopping function to prevent items from deteriorating. Normally, such a magical item would cost a fortune, but it was dropped in an advanced dungeon, and my cousins generously gave it to me.
(I don’t need it since I have the Item Box skill, and Ketsue can use spatial magic, but…)
I glanced at Sheera walking beside me. The straps of her large backpack dug into her slender shoulders. While I carried her larger camping gear, her pack still contained essential supplies in case we got separated: food, water, spices, a blanket, fire-starting tools, a knife, a small pot, spare clothes, towels, and personal items.
Sheera was naturally petite and slender, and while she had filled out slightly recently, she still seemed too delicate to carry such a heavy load.
The magic bag was perfect.
“Sheera, I’ll lend you this bag. Let’s transfer your stuff into it.”
“Huh? Wow, what a beautiful shoulder bag! I love it, but isn’t it too small?”
“It’s fine.”
I leaned in and whispered to her, “It’s a magic bag. You could fit the entire commercial guild’s building in it.”
“Wha—!?”
Sheera froze, wide-eyed. Since it looked like she’d need a moment to process, I started packing her things into the bag myself.
The magic bag allowed objects to defy physical constraints, so I could store them simply by touching them while thinking “store.” I transferred her entire backpack, along with the single-person tent and sleeping bag I’d been carrying, into the bag. Its time-stopping function also meant food could be stored safely.
“Let’s see, ten freshly baked loaves of bread, thirty skewers of grilled meat from that amazing food stall… Is that enough? You’ll probably sneak some bites, though.”
I packed in soup, fruit, cookies, chocolate, and candy—all of Sheera’s favorites.
“Alright, everything’s in here.”
Sheera finally snapped out of her daze and flailed in protest.
“Th-Thoma! I can’t! I can’t carry such an expensive item!”
“But it’s handy. And once you register your magic, only you can use it.”
“Didn’t you say you’re just lending it to me!?”
“Oh, right. I’m lending it to you. It’ll help us move faster, though.”
After some hesitation, Sheera reluctantly accepted the bag with teary eyes.
“Just for a little while! I’ll give it back soon!”
“Yeah, make sure you do.”
“Ugh… I need to earn my own magic bag in a dungeon…”
She clutched the bag like a treasure, still nervous about holding such a valuable item.
