novelraw Chapter 125 : Picky-Eating Pig
Chapter 125 : Picky-Eating Pig
Chapter 125: Picky-Eating Pig
“Hand him over to me.”
Raymond pointed at John.
John’s face grew paler by the second.
“Can an innkeeper really detain someone at a rest stop however they please?”
“No. Even for me, that’s not allowed.”
When Robin looked at him as if asking what that meant, Raymond turned his head toward the outside.
“I won’t lay a hand on him in here, but once we go outside, it’s a different story.”
“What if John makes up his mind not to go out?”
“We’ll be heading to Narvik soon. When I’m away, the rest stop closes too.”
“If you’re going to grab him the moment he steps outside the building, wouldn’t it be better to just grab him now?”
“I know it sounds strange. Still, rules are rules.”
They were peculiar rules.
Inside the rest stop, no one harmed anyone else.
‘Is it some kind of neutral zone.’
Raymond whispered into Robin’s ear.
“Don’t worry about the cleanup. Once I’m done using him, I’ll dispose of everything neatly.”
He had lowered his voice in his own way, but every word reached John’s ears.
“Th, that’s impossible! For an innkeeper to treat an adventurer like a slave for personal gain!”
“It is possible. What are you going to do even if you kick up a fuss saying it’s not?”
“I, I’ll report this to the guild.”
“Go ahead.”
Faced with Raymond’s indifference, John was left speechless.
“What are you planning to use this criminal for?”
“A porter. You all came to sell monster byproducts, didn’t you. We’re taking those to the city.”
“I didn’t expect the innkeeper himself to handle the transport.”
“We’ve been short on manpower lately.”
Trouble had arisen in the danger zone.
Monsters had been appearing frequently near the rest stop, prompting a large-scale call for adventurers.
This was also why the Narvik guild branch had closed.
‘So that was the situation.’
He had cursed them as a lazy guild, but it seemed they were struggling to solve the problem.
Robin accepted Raymond’s proposal.
“I’ll leave the six of them to you.”
“Good thinking.”
“If I’d known there was a bounty on them, I would’ve taken them myself.”
At the casually tossed remark, Raymond snorted.
“Since I got some easy money, I’ll give you a piece of advice.”
“What is it.”
“Judging by your skills, you could go deeper. Am I right?”
“Yes. We’re going as far as the Demon Realm.”
Raymond continued, as if he had expected that answer.
“Crossing without a guide won’t be easy.”
“Even if we want to hire one, the reality is we can’t find any.”
“I’d recommend hiring one even if you have to spend money.”
Robin took Raymond’s advice to heart.
The guide he had met before had been a bandit, but it was true that a proper guide was helpful.
“When will you be vacating the rest stop?”
“In three days.”
“We’ll be leaving tomorrow. Before that…….”
Sigbard brought over several backpacks.
The bandits’ packs contained monster byproducts and assorted odds and ends.
“I’d like to sell some items.”
“Good. Let’s see how well a beginner managed to hunt.”
After disposing of even the bandits’ baggage, Robin ended up with 20 silver and 47 cooper.
Adding the confiscated cash to that—
‘Does my total fortune come to about 50 silver.’
It wasn’t bad for the results of a first expedition.
If someone saw this, they might find it hard to believe.
Both monster hunting and byproduct harvesting usually involved plenty of trial and error at the beginning.
‘John wasn’t completely useless.’
Even so, there was still no desire to keep him alive.
He had said he’d hand him over to Raymond, who would use him as a porter and then take care of him properly.
“If you’re done with your business, go upstairs and rest. I have work to do as well.”
Robin and Sigbard went up to the second floor.
Raymond watched them silently.
“To think he was still alive.”
After looking around the guest rooms, Robin chose the largest and cleanest one.
Since they were the only guests, the range of choices was wide.
Sigbard plopped down onto the cramped bed.
“All things considered, this turned out pretty well.”
“It all happened so fast. Let’s get a good rest and leave tomorrow.”
Unlike inns in the city, there was no latrine or kitchen, but he could lay his body down without worry.
He understood why the innkeeper tolerated no disputes within these walls.
Rest was important.
“Two copper-rank adventurers. You may pass.”
They passed through the Narvik gate without issue.
The return journey was smooth.
It was a safe zone to begin with, and the road wasn’t difficult.
All the monster byproducts had been sold off, but the baggage they carried was still considerable.
‘We need a porter more than a guide.’
Without Sigbard, Robin wouldn’t have been able to carry it all on his own.
They stopped by the blacksmith first.
“You brought quite a pile of scrap metal.”
Selling off the dented tableware earned 10 cooper.
The bandits’ weapons, after appraisal, fetched 5 silver.
It wasn’t a huge sum, but Robin couldn’t afford to waste even a single coin.
After dealing with the heavy, bulky spoils, their packs felt much lighter.
“So, are we heading to an inn now?”
“An inn is an inn.”
Not the Oak Tree Inn, but the Muddy Hoof Inn.
The inn where John had been staying was still devoid of people.
Unlike before, the innkeeper was now present, but he didn’t even glance at Robin.
‘There’s a reason the prices are cheap.’
Among John’s belongings was also an inn key.
When he pushed the key into the room’s door, it fit perfectly.
Opening the door, Robin went straight to open the window.
“Why is it such a mess.”
Various items were strewn about haphazardly.
He swept up anything that looked usable and carefully examined the room.
‘The Rainbow Pig should be here.’
If it had died in the meantime or escaped the room, it would be a disaster.
They had made a decent profit, but the biggest prize was John’s pig.
‘He said it could fetch up to 1 gold.’
“How long did he go without cleaning.”
Only after searching for another ten minutes did he find a cage.
The pig lay collapsed inside.
“Is it dead.”
The pig was truly rainbow-colored.
A pig bearing seven hues from head to tail.
It looked too small and weak to be called a monster.
Robin poked its torso, but there was no response.
“Hey, pig. Get up. I brought the flower you like.”
Just in case, he took out a Rainbow Flower.
When he brought it near the pig’s snout, the nose twitched.
Sniff, sniff.
The pig caught the scent of the flower and opened its eyes.
“It’s alive!”
Grab.
It bit into the flower and then tore it out by the roots, chewing it crunch crunch.
After eating an entire flower, the pig looked far more full of vitality than before.
“Is it good? Do you want more?”
Of course, there was no answer.
It didn’t look clever enough to understand, either.
“If you want to eat more, come with me.”
He carefully lifted the cage with the pig inside.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have a violent temperament and stayed calm.
When they came out of the inn, Sigbard looked at the pig with curiosity.
“If it’s rainbow-colored, does each part taste different?”
“This one isn’t for eating. I’ll raise it until the right buyer shows up, then sell it for a high price.”
“I see. If you do end up eating it, be sure to call me.”
‘Did I more or less gather everything I need.’
The guild still hadn’t opened its doors.
According to Raymond, it would take quite a while before things returned to normal.
For now, worries about living expenses had eased, but the road ahead was still unclear.
Crossing unexplored regions with just Sigbard felt insufficient.
Whether a guide or a porter, it would be nice to have a new companion.
‘The guild is the most reliable place to find one, but it’s closed…….’
Recruiting companions was postponed for later.
Since they had returned after about two weeks, they planned to rest.
Soaking in warm water, eating a good meal.
Sleeping soundly on a soft bed, then thinking about it after waking up.
‘The well construction should be finished by now, right.’
Upon arriving at the Oak Tree Inn, the first thing he checked was the well.
Kaang. Kaang.
“Hey! Bring some supports over here!”
“The foundation stone here is shaking!”
‘It’s still under construction.’
Unlike when it had collapsed with a crash, the debris had been cleared away.
Seeing the workers exert themselves, he felt it had been the right choice to voluntarily put up money.
The construction costs would have been too much for the owner to bear alone.
“You two, it’s been a while.”
Margaret greeted Robin and Sigbard.
She looked thinner than the last time he had seen her.
Catching his gaze, Margaret opened her mouth as if making an excuse.
“Between the well construction and everything else, work has really piled up lately.”
“You’ve lost too much weight. In times like that, meat is the best.”
“Haha, I’m glad you look healthy, Sigbard.”
Squeak. Squeeak.
As they exchanged greetings, the Rainbow Pig moved.
The pig, which had been calm, showed interest in Margaret.
“Oh my, is this a Rainbow Pig? It’s my first time seeing one in person.”
The pig stretched its snout toward Margaret.
“How cute. May I try touching it once?”
“It’s still a monster, so be careful.”
Margaret carefully stroked the pig’s head.
The pig closed its eyes as if feeling good and accepted Margaret’s touch.
“Its fur is so fine. Even its hide would sell for a high price.”
Unaware that Margaret was saying something frightening, the pig rubbed its head against her.
That was when it happened.
The purple portion of the pig’s body began to glow.
Paaaah.
“Ah, ah?”
Startled, Margaret tried to pull her hand away, but it wouldn’t come off easily.
Just as Sigbard was about to step in—
The pig returned to normal.
Margaret pulled her hand back and widened her eyes.
“Th, something feels strange.”
“It looks that way.”
“It’s hard to put into words, but I feel full of energy.”
Robin agreed.
“Margaret, do you have a mirror?”
“I always carry a hand mirror.”
“Take a look.”
Margaret took the mirror out of her pocket and couldn’t close her mouth.
“How is this possible…….”
“It seems the Rainbow Pig has some kind of unusual ability.”
Her haggard impression improved in an instant.
The pig oinked happily.
Margaret lowered herself to meet the pig at eye level.
“Thank you. I feel energized thanks to you.”
The pig smiled brightly back at her.
‘What happened while I was gone.’
Margaret, who had looked thin, had returned to her former lively appearance.
If that were all, Robin wouldn’t have taken it so seriously.
‘A monster is still a monster, after all.’
He felt a familiar energy from the pig’s purple part.
Weak, but unmistakably malevolent demonic energy.
Anyone who saw what had just happened would inevitably reach a similar conclusion.
Margaret’s demonic energy had flowed into the pig.
‘There might be demon worshippers nearby.’
“This pig is quite miraculous. Would you consider selling it to me?”
“I’ll sell it for 1 gold.”
“1 gold? I’ll just admire it, then…….”
After doting on the pig a few more times, Margaret let it go.
The inn needed helping hands.
“Robin, are you going to sell the pig?”
“I’ll sell it eventually.”
Just not right now. Later.
Robin went into the inn to rent a room.
The innkeeper welcomed Robin and Sigbard.
He said the support for the construction costs had been a great help.
“You must be hungry. Would you like a meal?”
“We’ll come out later.”
“Understood. Please rest comfortably.”
After going up to the room, Robin opened the cage that held the pig.
It didn’t look startled or afraid.
There was no trace of violence in the pig as it wandered around the inn room.
“Here, want to try eating this?”
Robin offered bread and jerky, but the pig didn’t even put them in its mouth.
It seemed to eat nothing but Rainbow Flowers.
‘But it absorbed demonic energy.’
“Sigbard, I’m going to step out for a bit with this pig.”
“Alright. Be back before we eat.”
“It won’t take long.”
Robin didn’t confine the pig.
He let it wander freely without even a leash.
As soon as it left the room, the pig headed somewhere as if it had been waiting.
What caught the Rainbow Pig’s interest was Rainbow Flowers.
Aside from Rainbow Flowers, the only thing it had reacted to was Margaret.
‘And there was demonic energy in Margaret’s body.’
The amount had been so minuscule that it was hard to sense, as if it were wrapped up.
Almost as if someone had deliberately hidden it.
Dadadada.
The pig’s footsteps quickened.
Robin’s stride gradually lengthened as well.
Sniff sniff.
The pig stopped and stretched out its snout.
It was a room where someone stayed.
‘This is…….’
[Staff Only]
Seeing the sign posted on the door, Robin waited.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes…….
No one came out, no matter how long he waited.
Knock knock.
“Is anyone there?”
He knocked on the door a couple more times, but no answer came.
The pig continued sniffing toward the door.
“Let’s head back for today.”
Holding the Rainbow Pig, Robin went back up to the guest room.
Ten more minutes passed, and the door opened.
The person held a key that only inn staff could possess.
“Sharp instincts. Did you notice.”
The one who came out frowned as he looked at the spot where Robin had left.