I managed to calm myself down and helped Kainzel-san get dressed.
「I picked the shoes roughly, so if they do not fit, I will buy another pair.」
「No, these are fine. Compared to the shoes I used to wear, it feels like walking in the heavens.」
I did not understand that comparison, but if he had no complaints, that was enough. They would disappear in fifteen days anyway. I could buy a perfect pair next time.
「What about food? It seems you can eat at the inn’s dining room.」
I could bring food from the Sefuti Home, but eating food from my world after barely eating for so long would be hard on his stomach. It would be best to let his stomach adjust with local food first.
「I ate a little earlier, but I should eat something light. If I eat too much at once, my stomach will cramp.」
As expected of a former soldier. He knew these things.
We moved to the dining room, asked the waitress for something light, and she brought out a brown porridge-looking thing.
It did not stir my appetite at all, but Kainzel-san ate it happily and took out a bottle of wine he bought from the open cafe and started drinking.
「Being able to eat is a blessing.」
Those words showed how hard living on the streets must have been.
After he calmed down a bit, I issued the contractor card and handed it to him.
「If you give your name with this, you can become a goblin extermination contractor.」
I said it and explained.
「I would really prefer to make you a partner, but becoming a contractor lets you sense each other’s presence and gives you contractor benefits.」
If we formed a team, he could enter the Sefuti Home and would get five thousand yen every time he killed a goblin, but I was the only one who could operate the tablet.
Ladarion was picky about food, but she was easygoing about other things. She would not mind even my underwear. The new ones, not the ones I wore.
Most of all, there was no privacy in the Sefuti Home. If we had to constantly worry about each other, being a contractor would be better.
「You get money for killing goblins. Strange people exist.」
「Yes. I heard someone poured all their fortune and skills into making it.」
To be honest, she is a useless goddess who poured her energy into all the wrong things.
「Since we are already here, how about we walk back and exterminate goblins on the way instead of taking a carriage? I want to explain what kind of weapon I use.」
「That thing hanging from your shoulder?」
「Yes. It is a ranged weapon called a gun. The principle is the same as a bow.」
No, it is not. I would not take any comments on that.
「You can kill goblins with it?」
「This one has low power, so unless you hit the head, you cannot kill instantly. But the bullets, or pellets, are cheaper than a single arrow.」
「I see. That is interesting.」
「If you are curious, do you want to try it? Once you get used to it, it is easier than a bow.」
Whether he could master it was another matter.
「Ah, I want to try it. You avoid close combat because of that gun, right? I want to see what kind of weapon it is.」
So we decided to walk back and exterminate goblins along the way.
I left Kainzel-san in the dining room, returned to the Sefuti Home to talk to Ladarion, prepared everything, then went back.
「If you are going to use a gun, I will change your equipment.」
I had him take off his belt, added a holster and a magazine pouch for the Glock 17, then inserted an unloaded Glock 17 and an empty magazine.
「An unfamiliar weapon is dangerous, so I removed the bullets. Get used to how it feels for now. Also, take this.」
I handed him one of the submachine guns I bought, the CZ Scorpion EVO 3.
It used 9mm rounds, but with a suppressor attached, it became as long as an assault rifle. I wondered if buying it had been a mistake. With Kainzel-san’s height of around one hundred eighty centimeters, it should be fine.
「Play with it until we leave the city. It will not break even if you handle it roughly.」
The magazine said it resisted dirt and would not break even if a car ran over it.
「Does this have a name?」
「Scorpion EVO 3. Just call it Scorpion. It is named after a venomous shelled insect.」
Complicated English would be easier if simplified.
「…Scorpion, huh…」
He murmured and began examining it.
The three of us headed out of the city. After passing through the east gate and walking about a kilometer, I brought out a Scorpion magazine, loaded one round, and handed it to Kainzel-san.
「This is called a magazine. It is a container for bullets. First, press here and remove the magazine.」
To my surprise, Kainzel-san grasped everything with ease, even though it should have been difficult for a first-timer. With each shot, his understanding grew. After thirty minutes, he was already handling it smoothly.
「…I never knew something this incredible existed in the world…」
「You would need to exterminate around one hundred goblins to buy one. And five shots cost one copper coin. If you want to make a living, you need to kill thirty goblins a day. If you could fight with a sword, it would be a lucrative business.」
「Even so, you earn enough to live and even hire me, right?」
「I just happen to be unlucky and end up in situations where I must deal with a lot of them.」
「That means you have the luck and the wits to survive those situations. Being weak is not a problem. With experience like that, you are worth trusting as a superior. An incompetent officer has neither luck nor wisdom, and he leads his men to their deaths.」
He must have served under someone like that. His eyes were not smiling at all.
「Takato. Goblin.」
Whoops. I was so focused on teaching that I missed its presence. Good thing Ladarion was with us.
「They really are everywhere.」
Goblins were hiding in every patch of tall grass. I had no idea how people managed to farm here.
「Takato, can you sense where the goblins are?」
「Yes, only goblins. I cannot sense other monsters. Ladarion, lend me the glasses.」
I received the night-vision and thermal-detection glasses and put them on Kainzel-san.
「Look around. The red spots are heat signatures. Aim there and shoot.」
「A-all right.」
He took aim, pulled the trigger, and hit the goblin in the grass.
「Nice shot. It is still alive, so shoot one more.」
He fired again, hitting the goblin as it tried to escape. The reward came in.
「With this, goblins are nothing but targets.」
People who are used to battle find this fun. I envy that. Not once have I found shooting a gun enjoyable.
「Keep walking and shoot any goblin you find. Oh, be careful not to hit people.」
「Yeah, I will not make such a mistake.」
Kainzel-san continued shooting goblins one after another. Watching him, I almost felt tempted to let him handle everything while I lived off the cut…
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