“August! May! Where have you two been?!”
In the heart of the vast forest, I encountered my first people of another world.
The village, to which I was guided by a young brother and sister of the Black Panther beastfolk, was a small settlement of about twenty households.
A black-haired woman, likely their mother, gave August a light tap on the head.
“Don’t make me worry like that! Children underage shouldn’t leave the village on their own!”
“B-but we were out of medicinal herbs…”
Seeing August’s round beast ears droop as he tried to explain himself, I couldn’t help but intervene.
“Ma’am, please go easy on him. It seems like August already regrets what he did.”
“And who might you be?”
“I’m Tohma , a traveling merchant. I happened to meet August and May in the forest, and they guided me here.”
If I told her they were attacked by a Black Wolf, the scolding would surely escalate, so the three of us decided to keep that as our little secret. The fright they experienced would likely discourage them from wandering the forest alone again, and it was clear they both felt remorse.
(It seems they were gathering herbs for their mother, after all.)
I glanced briefly at the Black Panther woman, who had a piece of cloth wrapped around one leg.
The cloth, used as a makeshift bandage, was far from clean. It merely held leaves—presumably medicinal herbs—against her injury. The crude treatment made me wince internally.
“A traveling merchant and a half-elf, huh? We’re short on supplies here, so you’re more than welcome.”
“Glad to hear it. May I set up shop, then?”
“Of course. Isn’t that right, village chief?”
“We’d be more than happy to have you. Welcome, Tohma .”
From the wooden huts, the villagers began to emerge, drawn by the word “merchant.” They were all beastfolk.
The elderly man addressed as the village chief also had a pair of round beast ears, resembling those of the Black Panther tribe. His ears, however, were the same white color as his hair.
(What species could he be?)
It wasn’t immediately apparent from his ears alone, but after spotting his distinctive tail, I realized he belonged to the Lion tribe.
So the Black Panthers and Lions coexisted here.
As more beastfolk appeared, I discreetly appraised them, discovering rare species such as Tigers, Jaguars, and Cheetahs among them.
(This is a village of feline beastfolk!)
I’d assumed beastfolk formed groups with their own kind, so this was a refreshing revelation.
“There’s a square further into the village where you can display your goods,” the chief said.
“Thank you, Chief.”
“I’ll show you the way!”
“Me too!”
“You two again… Honestly…”
“They’re good kids, though. It seems they ventured into the forest out of concern for your injury,” I remarked.
“Ah… I was careless and got injured by a Black Bear.”
She glanced down at her bandaged leg with a wry smile.
The wound was deep and wide. It was likely inflicted by the claws of a bear-like magical beast.
“I haven’t thanked you properly. Thank you for bringing my kids back. My name’s June. Pleased to meet you, Tohma .”
“Likewise. August and May were a big help guiding me here. June, if it’s alright, could I take a look at your injury?”
“My injury? Sure, but…”
“I’m an elf, so I’m reasonably skilled with magic.”
I carefully removed the cloth from her leg to examine the wound.
It seemed the village, deep within the forest, lacked proper medicinal potions. The wound hadn’t even been disinfected properly and emitted a foul odor due to infection. Before casting healing magic, I thoroughly cleansed the area and then cast a healing spell.
I opted for a basic healing spell, heeding the advice of the Golden Dragon, Rei.
“If you casually throw around advanced magic, people will figure out you’re a High Elf in no time. If you want to pass as a regular elf, stick to basic spells in public.”
Rei had warned me that if people knew I could use advanced healing magic, I might be pressured to stay in villages or towns. In some areas, there were even those who would sell such individuals to local lords.
(No way am I letting that happen. I want to roam this other world freely.)
Since June had mistaken me for a half-elf, I decided to keep up the act and blend in.
“Healing magic…! It’s the first time I’ve seen it…”
“As expected of someone with elf blood. You’re skilled with magic,” the chief commented calmly, though with a keen interest in me.
June stared in astonishment at her leg, now completely healed without a trace of the wound.
“Well, I’m only half-elf, so my magic power isn’t that impressive. I’m already at my limit for the day,” I said with a casual smile, aiming to dissuade further expectations.
Whether they picked up on my subtle humility or not, the chief smiled warmly and expressed his gratitude.
“No, no, we’re deeply thankful. Thank you for healing June.”
“Thank you so much! I haven’t been able to hunt at all because of this injury,” June said, gripping my hand firmly.
Despite being a woman, her beastfolk strength was impressive.
August and May, overjoyed, leapt at me, startling Ketsue, who had been perched on my shoulder.
“Now you won’t have to search for herbs anymore, August.”
“Yeah! Thanks, Tohma !”
“You can repay me by helping with my merchant work, alright?”
“Sure! I’ll help!”
Now that I had two adorable little assistants, it was time to begin my first job as a traveling merchant in this otherworld.
◆◇◆
In this feline beastfolk settlement, there were no men of working age. Only women, children, and the elderly lived together in small houses.
It was said that once male beastfolk came of age, they left the Great Forest to work elsewhere. By becoming adventurers and earning money in dungeons, the settlement itself seemed to enjoy a fair level of prosperity.
“Still, even with money sent back, there’s nothing to buy.”
“Merchants rarely come all the way to such a remote place.”
“That’s why we’re so grateful you came, Tohma . We’re almost out of salt.”
Beastfolk women of various ages expressed their gratitude, one after another. Apparently, it was rare to even have a merchant visit once a month; visits once every two or three months were more common.
“That sounds tough. Do you have enough food?”
“Luckily, the Great Forest is abundant. We can get meat by hunting magical beasts, and there are plenty of wild plants, nuts, and mushrooms.”
“But we can’t get salt at all.”
“We’re also short on fabric and thread.”
“I’d be happy with some alcohol,” an elderly man added.
I listened to their requests and began deciding what items to put up for sale. The demand for alcohol, in particular, came from the older men. I couldn’t exactly hand over Japanese beer or chu-hai, so I’d have to come up with an alternative.
“Well then, I’ll prepare the items.”
In the middle of the village square, I took a table out of my Item Box. It was a large table that I had exchanged for from a major furniture store tenant. I set up three of these tables to create a sales area. While I could have laid out the goods on a cloth on the ground in a flea market style, having them on a raised surface would make browsing easier.
First, I brought out salt, which the women were eagerly waiting for. I lined up sacks of salt, each containing one kilogram purchased from a convenience store, repacked into burlap bags. The women’s delighted cheers were overwhelming.
Next, I brought out sugar. These were 300-gram packets from a 100-yen shop, also repacked into burlap bags. The sharp noses of the beastfolk women quickly identified the contents, and their eyes sparkled with excitement.
Yeah, it’s hard to find sweet things in the forest.
Next, I brought out some pepper, though I wasn’t sure how much demand there would be. These were packed into small glass bottles. Since I didn’t want to add to the world’s non-biodegradable waste, I had repackaged everything into bags, bottles, and wooden boxes bought from the 100-yen shop.
“Let’s see… honey and jam. I heard those are popular at royal palaces, so I’ll put out a little. Needles and thread are essentials too. And fabric!”
The sight of June using that tattered cloth as a makeshift bandage had been alarming. Even someone less germophobic than Akimi would find it unacceptable.
I prepared clean fabric. Although the items were from a 100-yen shop, and not of the highest quality, they were still better than nothing.
“Wow! What beautiful fabric. It’s a shame they’re just scraps.”
“The needle and thread are so clean! And the thread is colorful!”
Surprisingly, these items were quite well-received.
I continued to display gauze handkerchiefs, plain towels, and plain fabric sourced from the 100-yen shop.
“Oh, and I’d better not forget bandages.”
Given the lack of potions or medicine, I considered putting out some emergency medical supplies. However, it was difficult to justify selling adhesive bandages or disinfectants, so I opted to display bandages, gauze, and tweezers instead.
The villagers’ faces lit up at the sight of these items, which were unlike anything they’d seen before.
“I’ve never seen such pure white salt without any sand in it! I’ll take two bags!”
“If you’re talking about pure, then the sugar is amazing! I’ve never seen white sugar before. I’ll buy three bags!”
“I’ll get the pepper. This will make the meat even tastier!”
The items sold out at an incredible pace. Seasonings, which were essential, were the most popular, but sewing tools were also in high demand.
I set prices based on a magical compendium provided by the creator god.
“Salt and sugar are one silver coin each. Needles and thread are five iron coins each. Towels… these thick cloths are one copper coin each.”
I requested payment in the currency of the nearest country. Roughly speaking, one gold coin was worth 100,000 yen, a silver coin 10,000 yen, a copper coin 1,000 yen, and an iron coin 100 yen. It was close to being a rip-off, but compared to other merchants, these prices were considered a bargain.
“I’ll take everything!”
“I want the honey and jam, Mom!”
“Whoa, calm down! There’s still more in stock!”
In this settlement, where entertainment was scarce, a merchant selling rare and high-quality goods was a major event. The items I had displayed sold out in no time.
