Chapter 2
First Time in a Populated Area
Translator : PolterGlast
About a week has
passed since I left the village and started walking in the opposite direction
of the Demon Lord's territory.
I thought I'd reach
another village or town if I headed away from the Demon Lord's territory, but
far from finding a village, I haven't even met another person yet.
I've started to worry
if I'm really heading in the right direction, and for the past three days or
so, I've already been feeling the urge to go back to my village.
As for food, I'm
managing somehow by hunting beasts and monsters along the way, but what will I
do if I don't find anything?
As I walked on, driven
by this anxiety... I caught sight of what looked like a small village at the
edge of my vision.
As long as it's not an
abandoned village, there should be people there!
I jumped for joy once
before running towards the village I'd spotted.
As I got closer, I
could clearly hear people's voices, and I knew it was a proper village, not an
abandoned one.
It's smaller than Furo
Village, but I should be able to get a lot of information here.
If there's any work I
can do, I could even consider living in this village. For now, I decided to go
inside.
"My, a visitor.
That's rare. What brings you here?"
The one who spoke to
me, despite my suspicious appearance, was an old woman selling vegetables by
hand at the village entrance.
She was smiling
cheerfully, so it seemed I wasn't being viewed with suspicion, at least for
now.
"I've come from a
village called Furo. There wasn't a single human settlement on the way here,
and I just happened to spot this village... Is it okay for someone like me to
enter?"
"Of course, you
can. But I've never heard of a Furo Village. Is it from another country?"
"No, it's
technically in the kingdom... but it's a frontier village, so I'm not surprised
you don't know of it."
"Hmm? I'd say
this village is plenty remote, too. Anyway, if you want information, you should
go to the item shop. The son there seems to go to the city often for supplies,
so he should have all sorts of information."
"I can get
information at the item shop? Thank you for the valuable tip. Also—I was really
happy that you took the time to talk to someone like me."
"Ho ho ho, what's
this, are you crying? You're quite the peculiar person, aren't you?"
I hadn't cried when I
left the village, nor when the Ancient Dragon tore off my arm, but the joy of
finding a village and the old woman's kindness made tears well up.
I hurriedly wiped my
tears, bowed to the old woman, and decided to go to the item shop.
The village itself is
small, but it's more developed than Furo Village.
It looks like they
interact with other towns and villages. Leaving my home has made me realize
just how isolated Furo Village was, more than I had imagined.
Thankful that the
writing and language were the same, I arrived at the item shop in the center of
the village.
The sign itself was
stylish, and the products visible from the outside were all intriguing.
However, I haven't
brought any money or valuables with me, so buying anything is impossible.
I want to find some
kind of work soon, but from the looks of it, this village has plenty of manpower.
It seems like it'll be difficult to find a job here.
"Welcome! Haven't
seen your face around here before!"
"The old woman at
the village entrance told me to come here. I came in hoping to get some information
about other villages and towns. Would it be alright to ask you a few
things?"
"Ah, you mean old
lady Dakota. I don't mind giving you some information, but buy something while
you're at it. How about one of those magic orbs? I got them from the royal
capital!"
"Sorry, but I
have no money at all. I have a horn from a Horned Rabbit I hunted on the way
here. Would you trade information for this?"
"A Horned Rabbit
horn? That's only worth about two copper coins. ...Well, if you don't have
money, it can't be helped. Fine, I'll give you the info in exchange for the
Horned Rabbit horn."
It was from a Horned
Rabbit I ate to fill my stomach. It had a nice-looking horn, so I took it on a
whim, but I never thought it would come in handy like this.
If even materials from
a monster like a Horned Rabbit can be sold, I can't help but think the
materials from the monsters we defeated in the fight against the Demon Lord's
army could have sold for a bit more. But as long as we lived in Furo Village,
we had no need for such things.
The village
reconstruction was the priority, and the very idea of harvesting materials from
monsters never even occurred to us.
However, I secretly
decided that from now on, I'll harvest any useful materials from the monsters I
hunt.
"This is
definitely a Horned Rabbit horn. So, you said you wanted information on towns
and villages. What kind of information, specifically? Recommendations for
shops?"
"No, just telling
me where they are is enough. What's the biggest town near this village, and how
do I get there?"
"A big town near
this village, huh? ...That would be the town of Biodasdal! If you walk
southwest from this village, you'll come to a small, maintained road. Just
follow that road, and you'll eventually see a signpost for Biodasdal."
"So, the big town
nearby is called Biodasdal, and I can get to the road by heading southwest.
Thanks for the valuable information."
"I got my
payment, so I don't mind just telling you the way. Next time you come, buy
something, you hear?"
"Yeah, I'll be
sure to buy something. You've been a great help."
I bowed to the item
shop owner and left the store.
For now, I'll head to
the town of Biodasdal he told me about.
He said it was a big
town, so there should be a lot of people.
I'm sure there'll be a
job I can do there. To survive, I need to start by earning money.
I've never done
anything besides farming, and even with farming, I wasn't very good at anything
besides the physical labor.
The one thing I could
say with confidence I was better at than others was combat, but as you can see,
with my left arm gone, that sole advantage has disappeared.
Besides, in a big
town, there are probably tons of people stronger than me, and even if I still
had my left arm, I'd likely be looked down on because of my age.
Still, the only work I
can probably do is a combat job. I'll probably have to make a living as a
bottom-tier adventurer.
"Oh? Aren't you
the one who was crying earlier? Are you leaving already?"
"I'd appreciate
it if you'd forget about the crying. I don't have any money for lodging, so
I've decided to try my luck in a big town."
"No money, eh? Is
that why you were crying? ...Here, you can eat this on the way. It might not be
very tasty, though."
"Isn't this for
sale? If it is, I can't possibly accept it."
"Ho ho ho, don't
be so reserved when you don't have any money. Eat this and keep your spirits
up."
"...Thank you. If
you insist, I'll gratefully accept. I'll be sure to repay you for this
someday."
"Don't worry
about it. If you really want to repay me, then be kind to someone else you see
in trouble, in my place."
"...I understand.
If I see someone in trouble, I promise I'll help them."
The old woman gave me
a few of the vegetables she was selling. I bowed deeply to her once more and
then left the village.
Savoring the
vegetables I'd received and the old woman's kindness, I continued my walk
toward the town of Biodasdal.
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