43 – Six Demi-Humans
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Hearing what Tatsumi said, Verse and Nanau who was sitting beside him on her break were both surprised.
“Eh? There aren’t any demi-humans in Tatsumi’s hometown? None at all?”
“T-That means, there aren’t any Elves, Dwarves, Goblins and Cait Sith, right? Uwa, unbelievable…”
Verse and Nanau looked at each other with faces full of surprise.
“Though I’m not that knowledgeable about his homeland, certainly there weren’t any demi-humans.”
Calcedonia’s experience in j.a.pan was extremely limited. The only things she knew of j.a.pan were Tatsumi, his family and the area surrounding his house.
There, Eru who brought in the orders warranted for Tatsumi.
“It might seem unbelievable but it’s true. There are only humans where Tatsumi was born.”
“Ah, now that I think about it, mistress once said she used to live in Tatsumi’s hometown.”
“Yes. Because I already consider j.a.pan, which is Tatsumi’s hometown, as my hometown too.”
Eru left after she said that. Verse who was looking at her leaving back recalled the things Eru said to him before.
Eru’s late husband was from the same area as Tatsumi. Eru, after being caught in a certain accident was thrown into a foreign place. Her husband, who was only a teen at that time, was the one who picked her up. He was the one who looked after her too.
After that, they got married. But Eru was an Elf with lifespan extending multiple times that of a human. She was unable to have a child with her husband and after he pa.s.sed on, she left to travel. Several years ago she finally settled down here in the capital and opened a bar.
That was all that Verse knew of Eru’s past.
After Verse moved his gaze from Eru to Tatsumi, he said with a prideful grin,
“Then Tatsumi, you don’t know about the Six Demi-Humans?”
“ ‘Rokuajin’…..? Y-Yeah, I don’t think I know. Does Calsey know?”
Calcedonia who was sitting beside him nodded gently, and like usual, she smiled.
“Yes. If you please, should I explain?”
“Yup. I’m counting on you.”
Maybe she was happy being relied on by Tatsumi, Calcedonia enthusiastically started her explanation.
Six Demi-Humans.
This was the t.i.tle of the six demi-human tribes with the closest relation with the 6 major magic systems.
Dwarves, with the deepest connection with .
Elves, who were intimate with .
Cait Sith, sworn friends with the .
Goblins, the kin of the .
Sprites, the children of .
Shades, who grew in the .
Of course, other than these there were many more diverse demi-human tribes and clans, but these six were the most famous.
Tatsumi knew about dwarves and elves. But though the dwarves and elves of this continent were similar to the ones Tatsumi knew of in appearance, they had some differences.
The dwarves Tatsumi knew about were something like Earth spirits but here they had a better affinity with fire.
That’s why normal fire and heat were nothing but tickles to them. Using the special traits of the tribe, they could work in higher temperature than other tribes. Especially gla.s.s work and pottery, which were their master cla.s.s crafts.
And about the elves, here they didn’t live deep in the forest, but instead underwater. Of course, it wasn’t a problem for them to come to the surface.
Tatsumi was greatly surprised when he heard about the elves. Because they live underwater, they didn’t have the custom of wearing clothes.
[[TLN : Oh boy.]]
Of course, when they come to the surface they would wear clothes to match with the customs of other tribes.
But vice versa, if one wanted to visit an elven village underwater, it was proper manners to not wear any clothes in that case.
By the way, in the world Eru lived in before, there was also a tribe called . But of course, they didn’t live totally underwater like the ones here.
About Goblins, well Tatsumi just got over his shock over it.
Brown skin, silver hair and golden eyes. It was said that they had these features because of the protection of the continents spirit of the earth. They had high agricultural and crafting ability. They say there are certain things that are impossible to cultivate unless it was them.
This was also a tribe known for its abundant fertility. Twins and triplets were common. And it wasn’t that weird for quintuplets and s.e.xtuplets to be born.
Actually, Nanau had an elder sister and brother, 3 younger sisters and 1 younger brother. Her elder brother and elder sister were twins, while she, 1 of her younger sisters and her younger brother were triplets.
Cait Sith, Sprites, and Shades. Well, Tatsumi knew nothing about them.
According to Calcedonia, Cait Sith were like 1-meter tall cats walking on their two feet.
As the tribe of the wind, they had the special ability to walk in the air. Rather than settling down in one place, they loved to travel the world like nomads. Their special ability was believed to be the blessing of the spirits of the wind.
Sprites were a tribe of tiny people ranging from 30 to 40 cm. They had transparent, dragonfly-like wings on their backs, or so they say.
The reason for the uncertainty was because sprites could manipulate light to create illusions, and even turn their own selves transparent. By using this power, they hardly ever show up in front of other tribes.
They are also known for their mischievous nature. They hide they figures, approach the other tribes and play various pranks on them.
But even if they like to prank, they mean no harm. As they have no evil intent, even if someone got played by them they won’t really feel malice towards them.
The people of darkness, the shades, have gray colored skin with tall, lean bodies. Both their eyes and hair are pitch black.
But their most eye-catching features were their four eyes and four hands.
Because of the four eyes they have exceptional sight. Not only can they see things much farther away than normal people, they can also see the [Heat] levels of a place, just like a Thermogla.s.s.
They are also known as a tribe of warriors. Considering they have 4 arms, their offensive capabilities are obviously much greater than others.
Like a whirlwind, they use each of their hands to wield a weapon to swiftly mow their foes to pieces.
They have calm personalities with a strong sense of duty. They say that if they give your their word on something, they will never break that promise.
The above were the leading Six Demi-Human tribes of the continent.
After hearing Calcedonia’s explanation Tatsumi let out a long breath.
While listening to her explanation he ended up holding his breath in because of the suspense.
“Yes. According to the sages, the demi-humans are the result of humans receiving the blessings of the spirits. They then formed their own tribes and separated.”
“Are demi-humans and humans really that intimate?”
“Yes. For humans, they are our most loving neighbors.”
Calcedonia smiled sweetly.
Eru, who was waiting for Calcedonia to finish speaking, then said to Tatsumi.
“Tatsumi, do you have a minute? Isn’t it about time for you to start accepting requests as a Monster Hunter?”
At her words, Tatsumi’s expression stiffened.
Since then, Tatsumi had stepped into this bar a number of times. But not once did he get to do a job.
There were many reasons. Right now it was the coldest time of the years. So small animals and creatures that would be suitable for beginners weren’t many out there.
The beasts and monsters that are active in this period are all of the large builds, and they weren’t something a beginner could handle.
And another reason was, Tatsumi still didn’t have any teammates for a monster hunter team.
In the end, rather than going alone, forming a team with other people to accept requests was more efficient.
At first, one would think Calcedonia would be his teammate.
But right now Calcedonia’s experience and ability as a monster hunter were several levels above Tatsumi’s. That’s why Eru crossed her out first.
A team should be formed by people of similar caliber. Though there weren’t any official rules like that, this was a silent agreement between all monster hunters.
“A request… Does that mean you’ve already found a suitable teammate for me?”
“No, well… … I still haven’t found a newcomer to be your teammate…”
Eru seemed apologetic.
The monster hunters that were regulars at this bar were all people who had already formed proper teams, or people who liked to act alone. So he couldn’t form a new team with them.
If he joined people who already formed a stable team, that teams hunting efficiency would certainly go down.
Sometimes there were people seeking temporary partnerships. But recently there haven’t been any of such groups or people here.
That’s why the current situation was one where Tatsumi had no choice but to wait for a newcomer to join his team.
“…… That’s why I found this so that Tatsumi could accept the request by himself.”
Saying that, Eru pa.s.sed to him a piece of paper. It was a request paper.
The contents of the request were, he had to collect a fixed amount of herbs.
“Though it’s a ha.s.sle to collect herbs in this season, Tatsumi should be able to handle it right?”
Even if he was asked that, he had no choice but to agree.
Though he didn’t exactly say how he did it, Tatsumi collecting the Grendan herb was enough proof of his abilities.
“Because the number of herbs collected in this season decreased rapidly, the remuneration promised can’t even be compared to before. So how about it? Want to give it a try?”
“Understood. Is now a good time?”
“Yeah. Actually, that’s what I was hoping for. Then please memorize what the herb looks like, I’ll make a projection.”
Eru showed a few different kinds of herbs with her spirit magic, and Tatsumi used his cellphone to take pictures of them.
“Hey, Tatsumi. That… what is it?”
After seeing Tatsumi’s cellphone, Verse inquired about it with great curiosity.
“This is… Right, it’s a type of magic seal device. When I came here from my homeland I bought it with me.”
It was probably impossible to accurately make Verse, a resident of this world, understand what a cellphone was. That’s why she said it was a Magic seal device— In other words, a Magic item.
“Then, Miss Eru. I’ll first return home once to prepare, and then go complete the mission.
Saying that Tatsumi stood up and said his farewell, then he left the [Elven Resthouse].
Of course, Calcedonia followed after him. Verse, who thought it was an appropriate time to leave, also stood up.
“Well then, Nanau. I’ll also return to the temple. You work hard okay?”
“Un!! Verse should also give it his all!!”
Nanau smiled innocently, and also stood up as she should go back to doing her job.
Verse, for some reason, started to rub the cute Nanau’s head.
“Geez. What are you doing–? Stop it–”
Though Nanau was complaining, her face showed her happiness.
Seeing those 2 like that, Tatsumi and Calcedonia looked at each other and whispered,
“What a nice mood, these two…”
“Yes, I’m sure they will become a happy couple.”
As Calcedonia looked up at Tatsumi and smiled, she hugged his arms into her abundant b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
“Hey, my dear husband. We should also try hard not to lose to them right?”
“A-Ah….Y-Yeah, that’s right.”
Tatsumi blushed while he felt the sensation of Calcedonia’s wonderful body coming from his arm.
Recently, Calcedonia wasn’t the one who’d get fl.u.s.tered so easily, as she couldn’t help but make Tatsumi’s heart race faster while saying things like that with a straight face.
Maybe this was the advantage of being an older onee-san, Tatsumi thought while absentmindedly staring at the horizon.
After Tatsumi, Calcedonia and Verse left the [Elven Resthouse].
On the first floor where the rowdy monster hunters gather, there was a new face visiting there for the first time.
“Please come in!! Welcome to the [Elven Resthouse]!! How may I be of service to you?”
The customer looked around the bar with a curious gaze, and seeing Nanau in right front , the customer nodded a few times and asked,
“—– I want you to tell me something but, how exactly does one become a monster hunter?”