episode_0005

The huntsman who saved us had soft, brownish hair and beautiful golden eyes, like tiny pieces of gold embedded within them. He was a tall man with a pleasant demeanor, a faint smile always lingering gently on his lips.

“I am Rai, a huntsman and herbalist from Eton Village.”

The man, who introduced himself as Rai, lived on the outskirts of the village, close to the forest, for hunting and harvesting herbs.

He readily lent a vacant room on the second floor of his house for the injured sorceress, introducing himself while hanging his equipment on a wall rack inside his home.

“My name is Jazel. Thank you very much for your help.”

I once again expressed my sincere gratitude for his help, as he had saved the sorceress in a critical moment and even treated her injuries.

Rai, perhaps thinking it was excessive gratitude for a minor thing, merely smiled gently and waved his hand as if to say it was nothing.

Soon after, as if to show consideration for my greatly flustered state after the attack in the forest, he poured a cup of warm, brewed tea from the kettle hanging over the fireplace and handed it to me.

The subtle herbal scent and warmth emanating from the warm tea seemed to heal my body and mind, fatigued by the sudden crisis.

Having taken off all his equipment and hung it on the wall, he lightly stretched his now-lighter shoulders and sat down on the seat opposite me.

Then, with a bright face full of nothing but goodwill, he threw a sudden question at me.

“Which family do you belong to?”

Perhaps he thought we were nobles, as he directly asked about the family we belonged to.

Completely unprepared for his blunt question, I froze, still clutching my teacup.

“Uh… that is…”

Startled by his sudden question, my eyes began to tremble greatly.

Even a passing dog would be able to tell that the sorceress, with her mysterious silver-white hair and luxurious cloak and attire, was clearly a noble, or perhaps even more than that.

Having not specifically coordinated an answer with the sorceress regarding questions about our status, I could only gape, unable to utter a single word.

“Ah… don’t be alarmed. I’m not trying to interrogate you. Our village has long been a barren land that no family cares about anymore.”

As my expression hardened and my eyes trembled with anxiety, Rai offered a belated explanation with a genial smile, as if to calm me.

However, despite his explanation, the light of suspicion and distrust still lingered in my eyes. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and began to explain his position in more detail.

“Since Lime Forest has become barren, our Eton Village now holds no value whatsoever. Thanks to that, it’s a completely neutral zone where no noble, royal, or even a mere merchant claims ownership. It’s just a minimal verification process.”

I slowly nodded, as if to agree with his calm and detailed explanation.

From my perspective as a former merchant, the Lime Forest, ravaged by slimes, had no value, just as Rai said.

Furthermore, due to the slime that had multiplied greatly and splattered mucus everywhere, the water from the forest was clearly too contaminated to be used even for agriculture, let alone as drinking water.

As Rai said, Eton Village had become a burden, a village that produced nothing and required external support.

“Jazel?”

Rai called out to me, deeply lost in thought with a serious expression, seemingly oblivious to his own gaze or presence.

“Ah… I was just thinking a bit…”

Although his question about our origin felt unsettling, there seemed to be no lies in what Rai said, at the very least.

However, revealing the sorceress’s identity honestly would be too rash.

“I am merely a servant… I don’t believe I’m qualified to answer that question.”

In the end, I had no choice but to lower my status to that of a humble servant and bow my head as if embarrassed, evading the answer.

“Ah… I see.”

A servant who arbitrarily revealed their master’s identity when the other party’s intentions were unclear would have no one to blame even if they were beheaded on the spot.

Upon hearing my answer, Rai sighed regretfully, as if understanding my situation, and nodded without suspicion.

“Then, for now, may I ask for your cooperation with the village community until the Young Lady recovers?”

After hearing my answer, Rai thought seriously for a moment before carefully presenting a suggestion to me.

“Village community?”

As I recalled, Eton Village, located near the Lime Forest, was a village that sustained itself by logging the high-quality timber from the vast and lush Lime Forest.

Thanks to the abundant high-quality timber in the lush Lime Forest, I knew that Eton Village, while not wealthy, was comfortable enough to live in.

However, I couldn’t believe that such a village had declined to the point of being referred to as a mere community.

“You see, all the villagers share their food. Even if you are guests, it’s a bit difficult for us to provide scarce food for free, so…”

Rai, perhaps too embarrassed and apologetic to speak of it himself, trailed off faintly without finishing his sentence.

However, indebted to Rai, we were mere outsiders who had no choice but to unconditionally cooperate with his circumstances and requests.

On the contrary, Rai’s demeanor, asking us with such utmost politeness, was simply something to be grateful for.

“Of course. Just tell me any chores you need done.”

For me, who had performed all sorts of miscellaneous tasks as a secretary beside the sorceress, doing chores was neither particularly difficult nor burdensome.

Instead, I nodded vigorously, as if to express gratitude to Rai for politely suggesting such work, and readily accepted his offer.

“Thank you for understanding!”

As I readily agreed to his suggestion, Rai let out a sigh of relief and smiled as if greatly relieved.

“Shall we start right away, then?”

I immediately stood up from my seat, as if to prove that I wasn’t merely offering verbal cooperation.

The tension from fighting the wolves with my life on the line, and the exhaustion from frantically chasing after the falling sorceress, still lingered… but I wanted to somehow repay Rai’s help in saving the sorceress and treating her injuries during the moment of crisis.

“Are you sure that’s alright?”

Rai knew my tired and exhausted state, but perhaps Eton Village currently had no room to consider even my situation, as he rose from his seat after me with a bright face.

“I was worried I’d have to share my own portion of food with you.”

He then revealed the dire state of Eton Village, which was worse than I could have imagined, as he scratched his cheek.

“If you help with tonight’s dinner preparations, you’ll at least be able to receive Jazel-ssi’s portion of food.”

“Is the situation that bad?”

“Well… you’ll certainly grasp it once you see it. We’re living a life of ‘equality’ that’s completely detached from the lives of ordinary nobles.”

Rai’s explanation, which oddly emphasized the word ‘equality,’ made me slightly perplexed, but as if to show me Eton Village directly rather than explain it with words, he began to walk ahead.

Following behind him, I stepped outside the house and walked a few paces, revealing a panoramic view of Eton Village.

“My goodness…”

The Eton Village I remembered was not a particularly large or grand village, but it was a peaceful and vibrant one, where woodworking had flourished thanks to the sturdy, high-quality timber from the Lime Forest.

But after the Lime Forest was swiftly ravaged by an unexpected mass slime outbreak.

Even though it was late afternoon and the sun was setting, most of the village’s houses were plunged into a somber darkness.

“All the young and capable people have left. All that remain here are old people, bound by memories and affection, or those who have difficulty moving.”

As his bitter explanation suggested, apart from the large brazier in the village’s central square, there was no vitality or liveliness throughout the entire village.

It felt as if they were merely existing, forced to live because they were still here and hadn’t disappeared…

It was a village with a strong sense of slowly fading away into darkness and oblivion, with no possibility or means of change.

“Let’s go. Even though it looks like this, all the villagers are kind-hearted and good people.”

When I couldn’t hide my disappointment at the village’s outwardly miserable appearance, which was worse than I had imagined, Rai spoke as if belatedly defending his village and led the way.