NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Chapter 05 – Welcome to Mulg Village!
The next morning. We started moving with the rising of the sun.
Since Millet was a villager, we arrived without getting lost once.
And as we arrived at the village gate,
「Welcome to Mulg Village!」
Millet said happily.
Everyone was worried when Millet didn’t return home that night. And now some old guy they didn’t know came home with her.
「Millet came back!」
A villager shouted after seeing us approach.
One by one the villagers swirled towards us, until we were surrounded by them,
「Whooose the old guy?」
Some kid asked innocently.
Millet told them about what happened while she went looking for medicine. She went on about me saving her, how strong I was, complimenting me over and over.
It was embarrassing.
All of the villagers said their thanks as well.
Even more embarrassing.
Too embarrassing,
「You have to make some medicine.」
I said, to get them focused off of me.
「Okay! See you Mr. Al, in a bit!」
She said her goodbyes and ran off.
After she left, I mentioned to the village chief that I had applied for the quest of protecting the village of Mulg.
The villagers’ reactions were odd.
「Oh! Oh…yeah…」
(Huh?)
Their reaction seemed a bit different from their initial one.
「Is there a problem with that?」
「Well, no problem…we just thought we’d get someone…younger.」
The village chief said haltingly.
「Oh, I, uh, see…」
『Need a guard in Mulg Village. Wolves and boars attacking village. Payment is clothing, food, and board. *Village has a hot spring.』
It was true that they didn’t think that a veteran would come. That meant that they were expecting a young adventurer.
I guess that young men were in short number here.
If things went well, they could get a husband for a girl here, and thus they were thinking they would get the person to stay here for good.
However, you couldn’t say that it was a good plan. Young adventurers wouldn’t take a mission like this. It was a dead-end.
At the beginning, the chief seemed a bit lost, but then again welcomed me. He quickly showed me to the place where I would be staying.
It was a bungalow that was built right next to the village gate.
「Sorry that this place is so old…」
Yeah, it was old. But it was big.
「No! No problem at all!」
With someone always camping out in the woods like me, a roof over my head was always welcome.
The inside of the house was dilapidated, but it had a bed. I was thankful.
Half of the place was dirt floor. It had to have been a stable of some sort previously.
The chief explained the job as we stood in the house.
The job was mainly keeping enemies from coming into the village through the one gate open during the day. However, that was just the official work.
Because no enemies were quickly making their way to attack the village, the chief said you could pretty much just lounge around in the sun all day.
In fact, I didn’t even need to stand guard that the gate. Even better would be for me to help those that were farming in the village.
Hearing him explain it all, I finally had to ask.
「Uh, chief…」
「What is it?」
「Do you even need a guard?」
It was an obvious question, and the chief shook his head.
「Well, the wolves outside the village have been increasing…」
That’s why, when someone left the village, they needed a guard.
If, by chance, a pack of wolves attacked, or perhaps a group of bandits, he wanted me to beat them back, he said with a bow.
「If that’s all, then I can do it with no problem.」
Wolves and bandits were my special field.
Continuing, the chief took me for a tour around the village.
About 200 people. About 60 houses and a large field surrounded by walls.
Three wells.
「In order to get wood, we have to go to the other side of the mountain. Even with the wells, we still have to use the river.」
Saying that, the chief took me outside the walls to show me the mountain and river.
「In other words, when the villagers have to go to places like this, I’d like you to guard them.」
「Then I will.」
I understood the job that Mulg Village had for me.
「If that’s the case, then you’ll be great help!」
As the proud village chief said this, he had a look of great relief.
「It seems like you’re a veteran, Alfred, so I thought that maybe you wouldn’t agree to a job like this.」
When the old man knew that I had come to fulfill the guarding question, his hesitation probably was because he was worried I’d leave.
「Nonono, there’s nothing wrong with this job at all. It’s true I am a veteran, but my knee was injured. So I’m perfectly FINE with being a guard.」
「Is that so? Well, then you can take some time at our hot springs. Soaking in them is especially good for old wounds.」
The chief prepared a welcoming party for me. After that, I joined them in going to the hot springs and my first day at Mulg Village was complete.
Millet was busy nursing her sister back to health and didn’t come to my welcoming party.
I slept deciding that I would go visit Millet and her sister tomorrow as a get well visit.
Then, just as the town descended into a sleepy silence…
I heard the distant howls of wolves in the forest.