29-Years-Old Bachelor Was… Brought to a Different World to Live Freely

Vol. 1 Chapter 8

～I unintentionally proposed after a date～

Translated by Raizu
Edited by Mirp

Before the sun set, people on the road welcomed us with cheers, since we returned a little earlier than planned.
This was because the knights made it a triumphant return by showcasing the troll’s head and corpse. I took it out of inventory and arranged it together before we entered the town.
It’s heavy, having to pull it all the way.
Some people prayed for the adventurers who have lost their lives.

We marched triumphantly to the front of the knight order, and were freed by order of Captain Waltz.
For now, I needed to go to the Adventurer’s Guild and report.

[Marl, are you okay? I’m going to report to the guild as it is, you sure you want to come along?]

[It is fine, let’s go!]

I headed to the adventurer’s guild with Marl, who seemed to be excited by the people’s welcome.
It seems that the other adventurers were divided into those who headed to the guild like us, and those who disbanded and went out into the city.
Apparently, Ethan was going to report as well.

[I thought I’d go celebrate after getting the money!]

I see.

=====

[Oh, nice to see you back. After you guys left, the goblins came out to the vicinity of the city, and it made me worried. Did something happen?]

Old man Woz looked relieved when he saw us returning.
However, we also have to deliver the unfortunate news.

[So, three died…]

We were told that the adventurer’s guild would work together to bury the corpses of the dead adventurers under the knight’s command.
The guild would also collect the belongings and deliver them to the bereaved family if there were any.
The corpses will be buried in the city’s cemetery.
It seemed that adventurer cards had been used as dog tags, since one of the veteran adventurers gave Woz the adventurer cards of the three dead men.

[Everyone, let me check the adventurer cards.]

Following the old man’s words, the adventurers submitted their adventurer cards.
The guild staff will check each one and pay the subjugation reward accordingly.

[Hey, is this guy real?]

Old man Woz let out a surprised voice after checking my adventurer card.
That’s right, the three trolls I defeated must’ve been recorded there.

[Boss, it’s true. I was at the front at the time, but the boy used magic to kill one with the Knights, and then burned three more trolls with magic.]

[Yeah, I saw it too. No doubt about it. After that, he killed one of the trolls he burned in one blow, and then killed another one.]

[He beat the last one to death with his bare hands.]

[Are you kidding me?]

[Seriously. He mounted the troll and crazily pummeled it.]

[I mean, you brought a troll corpse, didn’t you? Bring that out.]

The adventurers who participated in the subjugation testify to my achievements.
Hahahaha, don’t praise me so much.
We were guided to the guild’s warehouse and moved in droves.

[Don’t be surprised, it will be a fortune.]

Looking at the three troll corpses lined up on the warehouse floor, old man Woz groaned.
The corpses of monsters brought in by adventurers were released to the market as raw materials.
Of course, the market price was higher than the purchase price, since part of the profit was returned to the adventurer’s guild.
In short, the more monster corpses brought in by adventurers, the more profitable the guild will be.

[How long will it take?]

[Troll skin and bones can be used as materials for useful weapons, fat can be used as an alchemy material, and meat can be sold at a high price. I don’t know until it’s inspected, but it should be about 30 gold coins per unit. Since the subjugation reward was also 5 gold coins per confirmed kill, it may be about 105 gold coins by simple calculation.]

[It’s quite exorbitant earnings, isn’t it?]

105 gold coins was equivalent to 10.5 million yen when converted.
An adventurer of my rank normally shouldn’t be able to make that much money.

=====

[For adventurers! Cheeerss!]

[“Cheeerss!”]

We raised our cups and toasted each other.
After receiving the subjugation reward, I declared that we’d celebrate on the spot, and about 20 adventurers who participated in the subjugation and the adventurers who were there tagged along, so we ended up renting out a bar.
Five gold coins were blown away because it was all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat, but there should be no problem with such a large amount of money.
It’s much better than earning jealousy from others because I made too much money.
There were some female adventurers who joined in, but Marl-san stuck to me (physically) and guarded me.
Ah, say goodbye to boing-boing boobs.

That night, I ate a lot, drank and made a noise, and when the party was over, I returned to the inn and slept like a log.

=====

The next morning.
When I was playing a prank on Marl after waking up, we got too excited.
It devolved into morning sex. I guess both of us accumulated a lot of stress after the march and battle.
Marl yeah, there was a slight difference in physical strength, which made me crazy.
Now she’s sleeping(?) using my arm as a pillow.

But, that’s it. Anyways, that’s an easy win.
For some reason, I had inadvertently accepted Marl.
If you played with a girl you liked every night, oh! I think it’s no wonder that I’m entangled like this.
Yeah, I’m not bad. It’s natural as a boy, right?

For the time being, I used life magic’s purification to cleanse the bed and each other’s bodies before relaxing again.
When I opened the menu and checked it, my level was 12. There were also 42 unused skill points.
While confirming, Marl was resurrected.

[Mmm…you’re too intense this morning.]

While saying something like that, she rubbed against me and kissed me.
Don’t be stupid, you’ll only excite me again.
I don’t know what to do!

[Mufu, Taichi-san is already messing with me again.]

[Noisy idiot, I’ll tease you]

[Ah… Hmm, hey, Taichi-san]

The moment I started flirting again, the door opened with a great noise.
Looking toward the open door, stood Phinea with a blue streak.

[I’m sorry for barging in, but customers, will you please leave the room because I want to clean it soon…?]

Sorry.

=====

[Ufufu, if I had not asked for contraceptive magic, I would definitely have been impregnated in the last few days.]

Marl was laughing happily while saying something new.
It seemed that female adventurers could use the guild’s service to cast contraceptive magic in advance if they wished.
It’s easy to get involved in various troubles, and it seems that there were obscene monsters who used human women to breed, so it’s a necessary measure.

But, an obscene monster huh…nope, don’t think too much about it.

Another reason was to prevent women who wanted to continue being adventurers from becoming pregnant and being forced to quit.
Before the spread of contraceptive magic, it was common for the party to be disbanded because one of the women in the mixed-gender party of four became pregnant.
Even if the pregnancy was desired or because of love, if the party disbanded, the other two or three people would be in trouble.
It would be nice if they could find a new party, but it seems that this was unexpectedly difficult.

And now that the adventurers had proven their worth, the contraceptive magic also became quite popular among the general public.
“It’s helpful because I can do various things without hesitation.” or something along that line.

[Well, what are we going to do today? The profit from the sale of the troll should keep us afloat for a while, so would you like to go on a date?]

[Eh?]

Marle looked up at me with a blank face.
What was that reaction?
Is it possible that you think I’m a person who does nothing else but training and work?

[What is it, do you hate it?]

[No! No no no! Let’s go!]

Marl pulled my arm with excitement.
Oh, take a look at her sparkling eyes. Cute.
By the way, one troll corpse sold for 35 gold coins.
Including the goblin subjugation reward, this time it was a big profit.

[So, why is the weapon shop the first stop…?]

Marl looked at me with a questioning stare.

[Well, my sword broke in yesterday’s battle. Marl has a sword on her waist, but if I’m a man and I don’t have a sword on his waist, it won’t look cool, right?]

It’s a pain to walk with the battle staff.
Looking at my waist, then looking at her own waist, Marl nodded a little.

[Sure, as a woman, I will be fine without a sword, but Taichi-san without a sword will be weird.]

Right? Then I went to the counter at the back of the store.
It seemed that Louise was there today, but she was already serving other customers.
I called out to the cat shopkeeper who was smoking from a smoking pipe at the counter.

[Welcome, what do you need today?]

[Oh, give me a sword. The kind that won’t shatter even if you try to crack the troll’s head with Magic Strike.]

The cat shopkeeper raised his eyebrows at my order.
Oh, this was stupid. I can tell by the air.

[It’s too early for a pauper who didn’t even know about Magic Strike until a while ago. You should train and start over—–]

I put magical power on my fingertips before the shopkeeper could finish their words, and pushed it out at their face.
The shopkeeper reacted immediately by putting magical power into the smoking pipe to intercept my fingertips.

Pan.

The shopkeeper’s smoke pipe was lightly flipped with a popping sound.
The shopkeeper’s slit cat’s eyes open wide.

[…shocking]

The owner probably intended to hit my fingertips back.
On the contrary, it seems that he was surprised when the smoke pipe was flipped.
The owner gave up smoking and missed it, probably because the contents of the smoke tube had completely popped and disappeared.

[But, it’s expensive, you know? How much is your budget?]

[Hmm, that’s right. For the time being, how about 10 gold coins?]

[Nn, that’ll do.]

The owner left the counter and started walking.
What’s this, you look cute from the back.
That’s right, there were cats, but there were no dogs, right?
I’m more of a dog person, so I really want to love you.

When I looked at Marl, she was staring at the cat shop owner with a very passionate gaze. Was it cute even from the perspective of people in this world?

[This and this and this and that. There are some that are a little more expensive, but 10 gold coins isn’t enough.]

The shopkeeper brought out a sword with a blade length similar to the shortsword I had been using until now.
Since there were three swords, I pulled them out of their scabbards and checked the weight and grip.

[Hmm, it’s good as a secondary weapon, but it’s a bit too light. Isn’t it just right for Marl?]

Saying that, I let Marl hold the sword as well.
She seemed to like one of them, and was staring at it intently.
Marl chose a greenish, curved bladed, metal sword with carved pattern representing the wind.
A similar pattern was also finely engraved on the pommel.

[Do you like it?]

[Huh? Ah, I thought it was beautiful. It’s lighter than it looks.]

Saying that, Marle sheathed the sword back.
Hmm, you seemed to like it.

[Shopkeeper, do you have a longer blade?]

[Yes, I think this is good for Onii-san.]

Saying that, the owner brought a long sword that was well made.
When I received it and pulled it out of its scabbard, the pure white blade was exposed.
The weight of the blade was perfect, and with a blade this long, it should be able to behead a troll in a single swing.
Above all, it had a rustic feel with no unnecessary decorations.

[Good, I like it. I’ll buy this and this, so give me a discount.]

I said so and picked up the longsword recommended by the shop owner and the short sword that Marl had been looking at earlier.
Marl seemed to be busy deciding on a new crossbow, and she’s totally unaware of it.

[If so, I’ll sell it for 24 gold coins instead of 25 gold coins. But, can you pay?]

[Fuhahaha, don’t worry. I have the money right here.]

That said, I gave the shopkeeper exactly 24 gold coins.
The shopkeeper’s eyes wide open again.

[Shocking… What’s with such a large sum of money all of a sudden?]

[I killed about three trolls and sold their corpses. Troll materials and their armor will be on the market soon, right?]

[Ayeee, Onii-san really is shocking.]

I put my newly bought longsword in the sword belt on my waist and checked its condition.
As for the short sword, let’s see the timing later and give it to Marl.

[Hmm, this one is made of Mithril.]

[Indeed, both swords are made of Mithril. Mithril is a strong metal that is hard, does not break, does not bend, does not decay, and does not chip. It has a high affinity with magical power, so it is so easy to use Magic Strike with it. It won’t break into pieces. ]

When I looked at the longsword with an appraisal eye, it was displayed as a Mithril Sword.
It seems that there was no special attribute given, but its raw stats as a weapon seemed to be high.

[The other one is installed with a gem containing magical power of the wind. It has the magical power of speeding up and reducing the weight of the weapon so that it can be wielded more easily.]

When I looked at it with an appraisal eye, the short sword was displayed as a mithril dagger.
As the cat shop owner said, it seems to have been enchanted with a wind attribute, speed enhancement, and weight reduction magic.

[Thank you, and give my regards to Louise.]

[Anytime.]

I bid farewell to the shop owner who was fluttering with paws, and left the weapon shop with Marl.
Louise seemed to be still caught by the previous customer.
Leaving me in a bad mood. I’m currently on a date with Marle, so let’s not pretend to get involved.

After that, it became a normal date.
Wandering around to buy and eat, watching street performers in the central square, and looking around for clothes and accessories.

[Well, Marl didn’t have much luggage. What are you doing with your clothes?]

A girl would want all kinds of clothes.
What’s more, she’s a genuine Princess.

[If there’s too much, it would cause excessive baggage…though I really want a little more clothes.]

She laughed bitterly.
Certainly, if you didn’t have inventory like me, you can’t have too many clothes.
Aside from renting a house or setting up a base for activities.

[I’ll put it in my inventory, so it’s okay.]

[Umm…]

It seems that she was still refraining despite my concession.
Should I give her another push?

[I also want to see Marl in cute clothes.]

=====

Let’s just say, from how it ended, I pushed too much.
It was already evening when I noticed that we’ve probably gone through most if not all the used clothing stores in town.
For me, I was able to buy a dancer-style costume with a high degree of exposure, so I was satisfied.
Though, my fatigue was higher than satisfaction.
By the way, I also bought some clothes for myself.
Currently, I was taking a break on the bench installed in the corner of the central square.

[Ah, it was fun! It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping like this!]

Marl leaned her body on the bench while having a very wide smile as she stretched.
She often smiled, but this is probably my first time seeing her smiling such a radiant smile.

The evening bell would ring soon.
Most stores closed once the bell rang. People went home and had a family dinner or went out to the bar.

Marl was given 10 gold coins as a reward for exterminating trolls.
In the last troll battle, she told me their weaknesses in advance, and she also supported me with an arrow.
That support was a tad bit too dangerous though.

In addition, 20 gold coins were donated to our living funds.
By the way, I was paying for all the new outfits she bought from this living fund.
It was decided that all food, clothing, and shelter would be taken out from here.

[Well, I learned a lot.]

It was a shock to me that second-hand clothing stores were the only ready-made clothes in this world.
And none were the same.
If you think about it, it’s only natural, but it’s because all the clothes were handmade.
There was no mass production system, so each one was handmade.
If you didn’t make it yourself, you would naturally have to have it tailored, so it seems that new clothes will be ridiculously expensive.

So, the common people made their own clothes.
If you don’t wear it anymore, sell it.
Other people would buy and use it.
And once they didn’t wear it anymore, they sold it.

So, there were quite a few merchants who specialize in used clothing.
Basically, there were many plain clothes that could be worn for a long time, but there were also cute and risqué ones among them.

[Um, Taichi-san. Are you really going to wear that outfit?]

[I bought it with great effort, so you have to wear it.]

[I’m sure you are grinning ear to ear right now.]

It can’t be helped, no matter how you look at it, I made her buy a risqué outfit that would be worn by someone in that line of work.
Marl is a cute type, but I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of chemical reaction will occur when she wears such an erotic costume.

[Oh yeah, I have another present for you.]

Saying that, I took out the Mithril Dagger I got from the weapon shop from my storage and handed it over to Marl who was sitting next to me.
Marl, who received it, opened her mouth dumbfounded.
Okay, rejoice.

[Hey!? Eh!? Are you serious!?]

Saying that, I folded my arms.
It is a pose that does not accept returns.

[There are various reasons, but I’m not going to explain too much. Don’t say anything. Do you understand?]

She seemed to like it, so I wanted to buy it.
That’s the main reason.

[Yes.]

Marl’s face turned bright red and she looked down.
What? Is something wrong with you?
The people around me are also looking at me and sending me smiles.

I don’t understand.

I managed to pull Marl, who was holding her sword to her chest and bowed down, and returned to the scorching anvil pavilion.
Phinea quickly noticed and approached us.

[Welcome back, what’s wrong… Hoho?]

Seeing Marl hugging the Mithril Shortsword, Piña began to grin.
I wonder what it is, I had a bad feeling already.

[Hehehehe, no matter what you do, you can’t keep your brother in the corner. Above all, giving her a mithril dagger. Isn’t that great, Marl?]

Phinea poked her elbow at me with a grin that doesn’t match her appearance.
No matter how you look at it, she’s a teenage girl, but to my surprise, this girl was much older than me and is actually the proprietress of this place.
I mean, I thought she was the boss’ daughter, but turns out she was actually his wife.
This is a shocking fact that I learned just the other day. Damn the dwarf physiology.

But I still couldn’t figure it out.
I wonder what this reaction is.

[Hey, is there any special meaning in giving a mithril dagger?]

[[Eh?]]

For some reason, the atmosphere in the place hardened.

[Umm? Then why did Taichi-san give it…?]

[? Marl seemed to like it, and I thought it would be good to protect herself.]

At my words, Phinea smiled while her face was twitching, while Marl held her sword close to her chest, looking like she was about to cry.

[Oh, I don’t really understand, but don’t cry, don’t cry. Phinea, I’m sorry, but please explain the situation.]

For the time being, I hugged Marl who was about to cry and patted her head while asking Phinea for an explanation.
This reaction was probably a special custom that I don’t know about.
As for Marl, she pressed her face against my shoulder and started crying.
Umu, different world cultures are difficult.

[Ah, hmm, don’t you really know? I think it’s common sense.]

[I really don’t understand. I’ve been training with my master in the countryside for a long time, and honestly there I know very little of what is considered as common sense here.]

In my words, Phinea slammed her forehead.
And with a defeated voice—–

[Usually, when a man gives a woman a Mithril dagger, it means, “Become mine, protect your chastity”. What else do you think it means? ]

[Wait, is that a so-called marriage proposal? Proposing?]

[What else is there?]

Is it common sense? I could only look up at the ceiling.
I didn’t know, I was innocent.

=====

Marl with a crying face was sitting on the bed, and I’m sitting on a chair facing each other.

[…shouldn’t you be like, preparing dinner? Get back to work.]

[I can’t just leave the crying girl all alone.]

For some reason, Phinea, who was standing beside us, glared at me while saying so.
It’s not like I wanted to make her cry or something.

[Ah, Marl. Can you listen to me?]

Marl, with Mithril dagger on her lap, nodded. Her face was downcast.
At least she’s still willing to listen to me.

[To be honest, I gave you the sword without knowing the custom.]

Marl started sniffling again at my words.
Stop it, my heart’s HP was nearing zero.

[But, about that, uh…]

I don’t know what to say at such times.
Calm down, I should go straight in such a case.

I picked up a Mithril dagger from above Marl’s lap.

Marl raised her face to my actions and her eyes dyed in despair.
When I glanced sideways, Phinea was showing an utterly disappointed face.

[…Please receive it again]

I held the Mithril dagger with both hands and presented it to Marl.
Marl was stunned, probably not expecting what was happening for a moment.

[…Yes!]

She received it with a big smile on her crying and swollen face.
Phinea went out of the room while saying ah yes yes feast.
That’s why I told you to go out from the beginning.
I sat back next to Marl, took out the handkerchief from the inventory and wiped Marl’s face.
Marl stood still obediently while I wiped her face, up until I switched to tickling her instead. Then, I hugged and pushed her down.

[I’m happy.]

[I can see that.]

I stroked her head, and rained kisses on her.
It’s going to be a long night today.

=====

～Weapon materials～

The materials used for weapons in this world were roughly divided into two.
The first was minerals, ranging from ordinary ores such as copper, iron, steel, brass, and silver to magic ores such as mithril, light quartz, and orichalcum.
The other was monster part materials such as leather, shells, bones, and fangs produced by monsters.
Ordinary ore weapons were relatively easy to process, and the ones that were inexpensive and made by skilled blacksmiths were sturdy and were the most widely distributed.
Magic ore weapons were difficult to handle and were expensive due to the low production of magic ore itself, but they were very high performance.
Weapons that used parts of monsters were truly diverse, from head to toe.
This was because the quality of materials for the same part of the same monster varied.
However, there were cases in which weapons that used the parts of high-ranking monsters such as dragons had performance that surpassed weapons made of magic ores.
In many cases, they were generally lighter in weight than metal, and some people liked to use weapons made from parts of monsters.