The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 57

Chapter 57:

I Wanna Be Stronger

BACK AT MY CAMPSITE, I placed wide, smooth rocks on the ground outside the tent. Then I put the sopuna skins on them and used fist-sized rocks to mash and grind the skins into bits. It was a simple job, but I didn’t have a grown-up’s strength, so it took a while. I’d started in the morning, and it took me until after noon to finish the job. I swept the sopuna powder into a bottle I had picked up earlier, then secured the top with cloth and thread.

“So tired…” My arms were quaking. I didn’t want to lift anything else today. Whew…I’m beat. My arms had been straining the whole time, so everything down to my fingertips hurt. Still, at least I was done. The only errand I needed to take care of was grabbing Sora’s potions, which I could do before I left tomorrow. Oh, but I better stock up on dried meat, too! I wouldn’t want to run out…

I went into the tent and called to Sora. “Ready? We’re going to pick up some dried meat!”

At that, Sora bounced high up and landed next to me. It didn’t hit the ceiling like it had the first time, either—Sora was figuring out how to adjust the force of its movements now. I picked it up and put it gently in its bag.

I was planning to leave tomorrow, so I wanted to go see Captain Oght and Vice-Captain Velivera. But…where did they usually stay? Would I have to go to their posts to see them? I searched as I headed for the butcher. Maybe I would get lucky.

“Welcome back,” said the woman at the butcher’s.

“Hi there.”

“Oh dear, did your hunt go badly today?” she asked, noticing that I was empty-handed.

“Huh? Oh, actually, I came to purchase dried meat. I’ll be leaving this village tomorrow.”

“Aww, really? That’s a shame. You butcher meat so neatly that there’s hardly any waste when I use it for dried meat. I appreciate your business.”

“Thank you.” I was happy to hear that. My cheeks were probably pink, so I hurried to the dried meat shelf and hid my face. It took me a while to decide between buying the big or the small bags, but eventually I went with the big ones. I’d normally buy just one, but I was eating more these days. Two was better. “I’ll take these, please.”

“Sure. That’s 600 dal. And here’s a little extra, as a thanks for your business.” She put another small bag next to the two big ones I had bought. It was full of scraps and edges of dried meat chunks.

“Th-thank you!”

“Be careful out there,” the nice woman warned me. “Stay away from boarhogs and monsters.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.” I bowed deeply and left, patting the extra bag happily as I headed back toward the plaza. 

“There you are, Ivy!”

“Hm?” I turned to see a familiar face. “Hello, Captain Oght.”

He called out to me from across the whole street. It was embarrassing to hear someone yell my name like that, but it was Captain Oght. There’s no stopping that guy. 

“Ivy, I hear you’re heading to Otolwa.”

Right, I wanted to thank him. It’s a good thing he saw me.

“Yes. Thank you for all your help.” I bowed deeply to express my gratitude.

“Aww, c’mon. I did what I did because I felt like it, that’s all. But…you do know you can stay in this village if you want, right?”

“This is a really nice village, but…the fortune-teller who saved my life told me to see the world and broaden my horizons. I made a promise to her. And I want to keep on seeing and learning what’s out there.”

“Is that so? Well, it’s always good to see the world. I was an adventurer myself back in the day, so I get where you’re coming from. But what’s this about a fortune-teller?”

“She was the one who taught me how to survive. She said she wanted me to go to a town near the royal capital, so I plan to do just that.”

“That’s really somethin’. She saved your life, huh? That’s the sort of thing you gotta follow through on.”

“Definitely. I wanted to thank Vice-Captain Velivera, too—do you know where he is?”

“Uhh…he’s a little busy right now.”

“Hm?”

“I kinda gave him some, uh…work…” He grinned uncomfortably.

Huh? Wait a second. He doesn’t mean… “He’s going to be really cross with you again.”

“Don’t worry! It’s not that bad.”

“Then why did you…”

“Look, it’s my job to raise my subordinates up, y’know?”

Good luck, Vice-Captain Velivera. “Then could you at least thank him for me?” I asked.

“Yeah. Leave it to me!”

“Thank you.”

When I tried to continue on my way, though, he dragged me back to the food stalls and gave me another three boarhog skewers for some reason. After ruffling my hair one last time, Captain Oght walked off—or ran off, really.

I took a long look around the village as I walked back to the plaza. The fortune-teller had taught me how to communicate with people, where to gather information, and how to read between the lines of strangers’ actions to guess who might be dangerous.

But that wasn’t all she taught me.

“I do want you to go to the town near the capital,” she’d said to me once, “but if you find somewhere you’d like to spend the rest of your life, then let that go. What matters is that you find someone you can trust. When you do, tell them everything.” I didn’t understand—if I could keep my secrets secret, why shouldn’t I? “Ah, but secrets will always come to light in time. When that day comes, you’ll need someone who will fight alongside you. After all, keeping a secret from one that you trust can shatter that trust to pieces.”

Could I tell Captain Oght everything? I…didn’t really think so. He worried about me, sure. He was reliable, yeah. But I was just too scared.

I couldn’t forget the way my parents and the other villagers looked at me. No, I couldn’t trust people. In time, perhaps that might change, but…what if I was found out? If others had fled Ratomi Village, they might eventually come here. When they did, I would be exposed.

I really am weak.

I remembered the last time I’d seen the fortune-teller. “Take a long look around the world and expand your horizons,” she’d said. “And grow stronger, too, however long it takes. You will find the happiness you deserve, but you mustn’t hurry. Haste may take you in the wrong direction. Human connections can’t be rushed. The world is full of people with different views—take your time learning about them all. And always believe in your own strength, young one.”

Me? Strong? Could I be strong? If only I could see the fortune-teller again…