NOVEL NEXT Ch20 - To the Village
Chapter 20: To the Village
Lena and the others were continuing their leisurely journey while gathering various ingredients. Occasionally, they would venture into the woods by the meadow to collect fruits.
To confirm whether the gathered ingredients were safe to eat, they had the slime with [Status Resistance] first [Dissolve] them. If there was poison, it would have a slight tingling sensation on the tongue. According to the monsters’ taste, poison becomes a delicious spice.
“…Ah! I found a fruit that looks like a bright red cherry! Kureha, Izumi, can I ask you to taste it?”
『『Yes, yes!』』
Although they mentioned tasting for poison, the slime was happily agreeing, so it was clear that the master wasn’t being cruel. Lily picked the fruit from the tree and tossed it into the slime’s body. The fruit, which rolled around inside, dissolved and disappeared. Whether it was delicious or not, the slime spun around and jumped with joy. This was a signal that it was okay for Lena to eat!
▽Obtained Wild Cherry (Tentative) x50
“…The mutton we hunted and preserved earlier is starting to spoil. The color looks quite bad, doesn’t it? Should we hunt some new ones…!”
『『Alright, let’s set out!!』』 『Ufu fu fu fu!』 『Understood, Lady Lena!』
The magic bag was incredibly convenient, able to hold a large quantity of items without collapsing, but it seemed time was still passing. Spoil-prone raw meat necessitated regular hunting.
They left a mountain of spoiled meat in the meadow, and the carnivorous monsters that came for it were gracefully avoided by Golden Sheep. With class change boosting both speed and stamina, and further assisted by [Inspire], their power was tremendous!
Among the carnivorous monsters, there were some types that Lena could eat, making this approach more efficient than slowly hunting herbivorous monsters. Plus, it meant they wouldn’t waste the spoiled meat. More than anything, the master couldn’t stay on the rampaging sheep for long.
▽Obtained Meat from Assault Sheep! ▽Lena and her familiars leveled up!
“…Good morning!” 『Good morning, Lady Lena!』
『Lena! For breakfast today, we have chicken!』 『Three plump sparrows were found. Just one normal bat.』 『…Already butchered!』
“Wow! Thank you all for getting up early! But since the sheep meat we hunted before is spoiling, how about we eat that first? Let’s save the chicken for tomorrow.”
『『『Yay! I hope it’s tsukune!』』』 “Alright, alright. Hehe.” 『…Nyamuu…』
By setting Hamar’s [Surrounding Effect] to a circle of about 5 meters and using [Comfortable Sleep] to sleep until morning, they established a system to conveniently collect the prey that had also fallen asleep.
The unfortunate prey remained deeply asleep as they were dissolved by the slime.
『『Skill [Dissolve]!!』』
▽Obtained Meat from Pukupuku Sparrow! ▽Bat meat became a snack for the slime. ▽Lena and her familiars’ stamina is fully restored!
When they mentioned tsukune, it referred to the “variant tsukune” made by finely chopping meat with a knife, mixing it with herbs, skewering it, and grilling it over flames. They were looking forward to tomorrow’s meal.
The journey was going very smoothly!
To distance themselves as much as possible from the Gararaju Reger Kingdom, Lena and her party had been walking tirelessly in the opposite direction for several days. Having moved far away from the border, they could finally feel a little more at ease.
They had passed by several villages along the way, but they were starting to crave some seasonings. Having lived in Japan for a long time, Lena longed for meat seasoned with salt, which felt like a luxury. She also wanted her familiars, who could become demon tribes, to experience the deliciousness of salt.
Now that they were near a slightly larger village, Lena asked Lily to scout inside for them. She wanted to confirm there were no bad people.
“…I’m thinking of entering this village. Can you check the souls of the villagers for me?”
『…Okay! Leave it to me, Master!』
Lily disappeared and flew around the village, carefully looking at the people with [Fairy Eye]. Those with beautiful souls glowed white, while the bad ones appeared black and murky due to the activated [Mind’s Eye]. After surveying the village, Lily returned to Lena looking a bit surprised, softly landing on her shoulder.
“Lily-chan…?”
Lena called out anxiously. To reassure her master, Lily gently petted her ear.
『I was just a little surprised. Sorry to scare you. Um… all the people in this village seem to be really good people. I think it’s totally fine to shop here. I was surprised by how there were so few bad people!』
“！I see, that’s great…! I’ve met a lot of bad people until now. I want to meet good people from now on.”
『『That’s right! Luka was the only good person, but… how about the others?』』
『Hehe! Master, your usual behavior is good. I’m sure everything will be fine from now on!』
“Thank you!”
The fact that the master had been rampaging on a giant sheep seemed to pose no problem among the familiars.
When entering the village, Lena wore a robe, a rough shirt, and a skirt. The slime hid in her bosom. With Lily using [Illusion] to keep Hamar, the demon, looking like a human, they took measures against being seen as a rare beast.
Even if they cast [Illusion] to make Hamar look like an ordinary sheep, it would be troublesome if Lena, being with a monster, was revealed as a “monster tamer,” causing a commotion, especially since they didn’t want the government to catch wind of a monster tamer appearing near Gararaju Reger Kingdom.
Hamar’s shining platinum hair was dyed jet black with [Illusion]. She was given a shirt and pants to wear, along with a robe that didn’t drag too much on the ground. With a hood on, her face would be hidden as well.
“Uuuh… My neck feels so chilly…”
“Sorry, Haa-kun. Once we reach a big city again, I’ll buy you a fluffy scarf or something. Can you just bear with it for a little while?”
“Okay! Lady Lena!”
Though the black-haired Hamar was a beautiful child, she had become much less conspicuous compared to her original form.
…Feeling nervous about the long-awaited contact with humans, Lena gulped and took a deep breath. She carefully walked, trying to appear natural, and headed towards the village with Hamar.
Most of the village’s buildings were wooden houses. There were about four small shops that seemed to be used only by the residents, lined up next to each other. Each shop appeared to handle fresh food, clothing, daily necessities, and agricultural tools. Signs with illustrations of the products swayed in front of the stores.
While all the shops were set up like an open-air market, the fresh food store seemed to have taken measures against spoilage from sunlight, as it had walls made of boards, creating shade.
After lightly bowing at the village gate, Lena and the others headed straight for the fresh food store. The children playing nearby seemed excited, happily squealing at the sight of the two in robes, as travelers were a rare sight.
In a soft voice, Lena approached the plump woman who was the shopkeeper.
“Hello. We are travelers, but… could you show us your seasonings?”
“Oh my! What a cute traveler! Where is your guardian?”
Unexpectedly, Lena was immediately treated like a child.
“W-Wait, I am an adult…!”
Her small stature and child-like face made her look quite young in this world. Though a 17-year-old woman was considered an adult in the Lanash world… the shopkeeper’s face showed disbelief when she heard Lena’s age.
She stared intently at her customer and finally glanced at the slime’s small breasts before she finally understood.
▽Lena has suffered a deep emotional wound…
Lily lightly tapped Lena’s shoulder twice as she froze. This was a signal that the other party had no bad feelings toward them, or that they weren’t lying. They had decided to do this to prepare against malicious intent!
The shopkeeper’s prolonged stare at Lena was likely just out of pure concern for someone who appeared to be a child. Perhaps she was too forward because she normally interacted only with her fellow villagers, who were almost like family.
“Um… We might look unreliable, but we do have ways to protect ourselves…?”
“…Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uneasy.”
When Lena showed a mature response, the shopkeeper finally seemed relieved and smiled, bringing a large box from the back of the store. It appeared to contain a variety of condiments.
“If you’re a traveler, you’d probably want to buy more, right?”
With a cheeky wink, the shopkeeper indicated that she was willing to sell some stock items as well.
The glass containers tightly packed in the box were filled with colorful seasonings. Most of them were fine granules, while some were in bottles containing thick liquids.
“The pink granules are sugar, and the light blue ones are salt. For something a bit more expensive, this is red thorn mustard made from the fire rat’s fire bag. The liquid one is Chule honey, gathered by honey ants! Honey ants prefer the nectar from special flowers that bloom only in this area, so Chule honey is a local specialty.”
“Wow!”
“…Does it look tasty?”
“Oh, that little one finally spoke! What a lovely voice you have.”
“Hmm. My sister is better at talking, so I’m leaving everything to her.”
“Wha… Hah-kun!?!”
To avoid suspicion, Lena had prohibited Hamal from calling her “Lady Lena,” but instead of the planned “big sister,” he had perfectly said “sister.” Lena’s face involuntarily twisted in response. Anyone who heard it might regard her with a peculiar eye…
While “big sister” (laugh) turned pale, fortunately, the shopkeeper interpreted it positively as “You have good breeding,” laughing brightly. The shopkeeper finally relaxed the tension in her chest.
“Well, even with defensive measures, I thought there had to be a reason for such kids to be traveling alone. ‘Sister’ is quite a noble way to address someone, isn’t it? Oh, I won’t pry into your deep circumstances. And don’t worry, I won’t go spreading the word that you two are here. Just be careful from now on. There are some nasty people out there; there have been travelers with their own stories who came to the village before. Take good care of your little brother, sister! I’ll give you a discount on the seasonings.”
The shopkeeper had made a grand assumption. With a strong clap on her back, Lena managed to smile and thank her, despite sweating profusely. She was indeed an adult.
It seemed the shopkeeper had imagined that they might be upper-class children who had escaped from kidnappers or other evildoers. In truth, that wasn’t too far from reality. If they had been captured in Danatsera, Lena and the slime would have actually been sold.
With two gentle taps on the shoulder, the shopkeeper seemed truly intent on keeping their visit a secret. Lena bowed her head in gratitude.
“I will remember your words…! Thank you for the discount.”
She avoided bringing up their “circumstances” on her own.
“Do your best!”
Even with Lena’s incomplete thanks, the perceptive shopkeeper replied cheerfully. It seemed that they had truly encountered a kind person this time.
Lena was moved and blushed, feeling fortunate. She seemed easily moved, perhaps due to the many hardships she had faced in this world.
She began to seriously consider the products.
“Well then, I’d like two jars of sugar and one jar of Chule honey, please. Also… I’d like to buy all the salt jars that won’t hinder your life! Will this amount be enough?”
As a Japanese person, Lena absolutely loved salt! If she kept it in a magic bag, she wouldn’t have to worry about the jars breaking when they bumped against each other, and she ordered a large quantity for stock.
With her mind set, she offered the shopkeeper a single small silver coin with a smile. This was one-fifth of her entire fortune. According to Mr. Luka, this amount of silver could usually cover about a week’s stay at an inn. Since she had tamed Hamal, they could substitute a great golden bed in an inn with camping, and she wanted the seasonings more than anything.
If this small village had such a stock of seasonings, the prices shouldn’t be too high. Lena looked at the shopkeeper with hopeful eyes.
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper gaped in astonishment.
“…What are you doing?! With this coin, you can’t buy anything in a normal store!”
“Eh?!”
She had been scolded! But what was wrong with this coin?
“It’s worth way too much…! Hah. You must really be from a high-class background, huh? If you throw around such expensive coins in a commoner’s shop, it’s like you’re inviting suspicion. Goodness, I can’t bear to watch…”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Apparently, the coin she had offered was far too valuable for the seasonings. The “inn” that Mr. Luka referred to meant places with higher prices like those in the royal capital. He had only ever stayed in such places. He had been constantly bound by his collar and didn’t understand the common sense of commoners.
Lena was lucky to have learned about the local market from this woman… but Mr. Luka, who only had noble knowledge, would he manage to get by in town? Well, if he could read thoughts with his magic eyes, he probably wouldn’t be easily deceived. Still, he was rather laid-back, which made Lena uneasy.
As Lena pondered these thoughts, the shopkeeper seemed to realize she had gone too far and apologized.
“I’m sorry for startling you with my loud reaction. …No one around has noticed. Alright. I’ll help you change that silver coin into smaller coins here. I sometimes use that coin for transactions with merchants, so it won’t go to waste.”
“!”
With two taps on her shoulder, it seemed she genuinely wanted to help. If that was the case, there was no risk of being unfairly robbed. Lena decided to gratefully accept the offer.
“Thank you for your kindness…!”
Even though she felt guilty for being so suspicious, this was the other world of Lanash, so it couldn’t be helped.
“However! There’s a condition, okay? …You two are way too reckless, so I want you to stay at my house for a while to learn common sense! If you refuse, I won’t sell you the seasonings either.”
“‘Eh’?”
…They had been given a condition!?
“I know it’s a rough way to do things… but I can’t help but worry about such innocent kids. Please! Can you spare just one day? Or is it too much to stay here for that time?”
“Ugh.”
…It was true that they were in a hurry. They had no specific destination or plans, but it would be a problem if Hamal felt uncomfortable with their prolonged stay in the village, and they intended to leave as soon as they got the seasonings.
But the offer was very generous, and it would be a huge problem if they couldn’t get the seasonings… The earnest gaze of the shopkeeper continued to pierce through Lena as she deliberated. Hamal looked up at “sister” as if asking, “What do we do?”
“…If it’s just one day. I’d be very grateful to learn some general knowledge. However, I’d like to leave here tomorrow morning… is that alright? I’m sorry for specifying a time when I’m the one being taught.”
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it…! Since it was my suggestion, you don’t need to bow your head so much, okay? Hmm. You should also tone down your overly polite way of speaking a bit. So, you’ll be leaving in the morning. Understood! There are no inns in this village, so stay at my place. Well, since I’ve lost my husband, it’s just me and my two children left at home, and there’s plenty of room! I’ll make sure to tell the kids not to pry.”
“…Thank you for your consideration in everything!”
“Ahaha! Making sure my customers leave satisfied is the joy of a merchant. Well, this time it’s purely my self-satisfaction. I’ll close up the shop now, so come with me to my house.”
“Okay!”
“Alright!”
Lena and Hamal ended up staying one night at the home of the fresh produce shopkeeper. They might make Lily and the slime feel cramped, but since it was just one night, they could manage.
Next! Let’s Learn Common Sense!