Chapter 8: One Year Later ②

Translated by AmaLynne

Edited by AmaLynne

「At that time, I didn’t know that Sam-kun was strong. But now, thanks to Sam-kun, this town is peaceful.」

「I’m glad I could be of help.」

「…But, I’m sorry. When I reported this to headquarters, they couldn’t believe that a ten-year-old boy could take down a Wild Bear by himself, let alone multiple of them. That’s why I can’t raise your rank.」

Melia lowered her eyebrows, looking truly sorry.

It must be frustrating for her to see Sam not being given a fair evaluation because he was just a child, despite his abilities.

She also feels a sense of responsibility because she is in charge of him exclusively.

「I don’t mind. I just need to be able to take requests.」

「But you know, if you’re evaluated properly, you might even get a call from the capital. It would be better for Sam-kun, wouldn’t it?」

Perhaps that’s the reason why she was so concerned about him.

Melia, who lives in the Barony of Reinbach, also knows how Sam is treated at home, without exception.

Melia hopes for Sam’s sake that he will be given a fair evaluation at the Adventurer’s Guild.

She knew that if they did that, Sam might be able to change the way he’s treated at home, or even leave the house with a big wave of arm.

「Thank you. But I don’t mind.」

「I see. Well, if you say so, I won’t pester you either. Now, I’ll do my best to assess the condition today, so just wait for me! Oh, are you sure you want to do this as usual?」

「Yes. Please share the wild bear meat with the townspeople. Ah, also…」

「I know. I’ll keep the orphanage and Sam-kun’s portions separate as usual.」

「Thank you very much.」

Sam’s request this time was to take down a wild bear.

This request was made to prevent the wild bears that live in the forests of Reinbach territory from attacking people.

Unlike ordinary bears, wild bears have a high reproductive capacity, and if left unchecked, the forest would be overrun with them.

That’s why the request was made to hunt them down.

Sam’s strengthened body allows him to drag at least two wild bears with him every time.

Initially, he would travel back and forth between the forest and the town by himself, handing over the wild bears he had killed to the Adventurers’ Guild.

In this way, the wild bears themselves can be purchased separately from the reward for completing the request.

It is a good source of funds for Sam, who is planning to move out of the house soon.

He also shares his wild bear meat with the townspeople for free.

The meat of the wild bears is not excellent, but it is tasty.

The meat is good for nourishment, the innards can be used for medicine, the bones for weapons, and the skin can be processed.

In a sense, it was a no-waste monster.

Baron Reinbach’s domain is small, with only a few small settlements, and the rest is forest.

Hunting is also carried out, but it is dangerous because of the wild bears that live in the area.

Therefore, the residents do not have many opportunities to eat meat.

Even when they did, it was only chickens that they raised as livestock.

For the past year, Sam has been serving wild bears to the residents.

At first, it was just one or two, but they were so popular that he now gives them all the wild bears he kills.

This is why meat has been excluded from the assessment, but it is still a lot of money.

「Everyone’s happy. Thanks to you, we can eat delicious meat.」

「I’m sorry I can’t give it to everyone.」

「Geez, don’t worry about that, child. We’re just happy to get free meat!」

Basically, residents who want meat from Wild Bear gather together and hold a lottery.

Once a family won a piece of meat, they would take a break so that it could be distributed equally among the residents.

Only the orphanage run by the church and Sam, who had been killed, were given meat every day, but it was a small amount.

Melia also enjoys eating the wild bear meat with her family.

It was no secret that Sam was the reason for the abundance of food and that children and adults alike were happy to have a full stomach.

Thanks to this, Sam’s reputation is completely different than it was a year ago.

In the past, he was regarded as the eldest son of a poor baronial family who was treated unfairly simply because he lacked talent with the sword.

Now, he is a promising young man who has no talent with a sword, but has a talent for magic and is full of kindness for his people.

Although he is planning to leave the territory, he does not feel bad about his improved reputation.

He is getting along well with the people of his domain, and even greets them casually.

The children at the orphanage look up to him like a big brother, and the sisters are grateful for his support, which gives Sam a sense of fulfillment.

Sam was happy to have been able to bring smiles to the faces of so many people with magic.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep