episode_0025

In the end, Rai couldn’t go out for hunting and searching that morning.

“Hmm… so I need to mix these herbs, right?”

“That’s right. These herbs are for detoxification and purification, and this one is for deodorization.”

At Killua’s request, Rai brought various bundles of herbs. Sitting with her shoulders close together around the herbs, Rai nodded while listening to Killua’s explanations.

“Mix this one in… a 3:7 ratio.”

“It’s my first time mixing herbal powders this way…”

Instead of Killua, who had inconvenient hands, Rai, who was dexterous, personally crushed the herbs and precisely mixed the powders according to the requested ratios.

As they helped each other create the herbal filter for purification, bright smiles filled both their faces.

“What’s next?”

I glanced at the two of them, then firmly gripped the axe a middle-aged man handed me, asking them what physical work needed to be done.

“Ahem. You just need to split these!”

Then, the middle-aged man, awkwardly clearing his throat and looking back and forth between Killua and me, pointed to planks that seemed to be from the demolished house’s roof.

As if to show off, I vigorously loosened my shoulders, walked over to the planks the man indicated, and powerfully raised the axe.

Thwack!!

Then, using the recoil and momentum of my entire body, I brought the powerfully raised axe down, precisely splitting the plank before me in half.

“Hoo…”

Perhaps it was thanks to the exercise I’d done last night, repeatedly striking the ground with the Hero’s Axe. My axe strokes were precise and unrestrained.

“You’re more dexterous than you look! Just as expected of Jazel!”

As I split the plank in half with one stroke, the middle-aged man vigorously raised his thumb and offered a compliment that seemed to praise me.

“Ahahahat…”

Unlike usual, the middle-aged man’s overly enthusiastic praise and smile made me merely let out an awkward laugh.

With over 80 residents united, the demolition of the empty building and the construction of Killua’s designed water purification facility progressed at a rapid pace.

They erected a foundation with sturdy wooden pillars from the demolished building. As the planks used for the roof were split, the village women meticulously applied waterproof sap to them.

“Could you help out over here this time?!”

As I finished splitting planks, a man moving the sap-coated planks called out to me.

I plunged the axe I had been holding into a tree stump. Lightly loosening my stiffening shoulders, I walked toward the sap-coated wooden planks.

“……”

As I did, I subtly shifted my gaze to look at Killua and Rai.

The two were creating the herbal filter with bright smiles, exchanging light chatter as if they were in their own world.

The villagers, too, seemed to have no intention of disturbing them, watching them with warm smiles and considerately keeping their distance so as not to interfere.

“Come on over! Let’s finish this quickly!”

As I paused my steps for a moment to watch them, the man moving the sap-coated planks hastily urged me on.

The villagers seemed to be overtly trying to set Killua and Rai up.

From their perspective, I, who was perceived as Killua’s bodyguard, seemed nothing more than an obstruction.

“Alright, alright. I understand.”

A subtle feeling of disappointment rippled in my chest, but I also had no intention of disturbing them.

“If I move my body, distracting thoughts will disappear…”

Recalling the words the Hero had told me, I vigorously moved my legs, which felt sticky with lingering regret, and approached the sap-coated planks.

Hup!

After powerfully lifting the plank, now quite heavy with sap, and slinging it onto my shoulder.

I began to move, gazing at the water purification facility that was rapidly nearing completion.

——————————————————

Thanks to the active cooperation of the villagers and Killua’s efficient instructions, the water purification facility, which resembled a large, inverted gourd, was swiftly constructed.

“Alright… with this, it’s complete!”

The completion of the facility involved Killua and Rai inserting the jointly made herbal filter into a groove prepared in the central concave part.

“Try putting in the water!”

As the filter was slotted into the groove, I signaled to a resident who had climbed to the top of the purification facility, carrying a jar of contaminated water.

He then poured the murky river water, collected directly from the village river with slime residue, into the hole at the top of the facility.

“Will a mere herbal filter actually work?”

“Even if they packed the herbs tightly, it would be too weak to filter out all the foreign substances like mucus…”

The villagers gazed at the faucet where the water was supposed to come out, their faces filled with worry.

Killua then confidently stepped forward as if to say not to worry, bringing a small cup under the faucet.

“A simple filter would be weak, wouldn’t it? But…”

And in front of everyone, she twisted open the faucet’s valve.

“Ugh!!”

However, contrary to everyone’s wishes and expectations, murky yellow liquid trickled out of the faucet.

Startled by the obviously disgusting state of the liquid, the villagers recoiled half a step, grimacing.

“Ki… Killua?!”

Rai, seeing the unfiltered yellow liquid flowing from the faucet, looked at her with a flustered expression.

“Ahem.”

Killua checked the yellow liquid in the cup she held and cleared her throat, seemingly flustered.

Then, she glanced widely at the villagers who were staring at her with wide eyes, as if surprised by her failure.

Fortunately, the villagers were not disappointed by her failure.

Rather, they merely looked at her with sympathetic eyes, as if worried that she would be frustrated and despair over this failure.

“Ah… well… wasn’t it good to have some exercise together after a long time?”

At that moment, the middle-aged man who was standing at the very front turned to the villagers and exclaimed in a hearty voice.

“Eheheheh. Your axe-wielding skills aren’t dead yet, either!”

“Well… even if the purification facility failed, if we add some decorations, doesn’t it look like it could be a decent monument?”

Although the purification facility didn’t work properly, the residents one by one burst into boisterous laughter.

No one resented or reprimanded Killua for her failure.

Instead, as if worried that she would be disheartened by her failure, they raised their voices excessively and began exchanging lively conversation.

“Everyone here truly is kind.”

At the warm reactions of the villagers, Killua subtly rubbed the tip of her nose with her sleeve, as if slightly moved.

“Did it fail?”

I, who had taken a position by her side in case of the worst possible scenario, relaxed my entire body at the villagers’ favorable attitude and cautiously asked about the state of the purification facility.

Killua then gave a meaningful smile and poured the contaminated water from her cup onto the ground.

Then, she tapped the empty cup to cleanly shake out any remaining water. Once again, she brought the empty cup under the faucet.

“Now. Shall I cast a little magic?”

As Killua, not giving up, prepared to open the faucet’s valve once more, the villagers stopped their conversations and looked at her with worried expressions, seeing her persistence with the non-functioning purification facility.

Killua smiled brightly at the villagers, as if telling them not to worry, and drew a simple character in the air near the valve, as if casting a spell.

“Magic?”

Although she had called it magic, no mana could be felt from her fingertips as she drew the character in the air.

Even the villagers simply looked at her with curious eyes, as if they had never heard of the kind of magic Killua was demonstrating.

Killua, who had once again broadly surveyed the villagers watching her draw characters in the air with her finger, offered a triumphant smile and, as if to show off, vigorously opened the valve.

“Whoa?!”

Then, clear water began to gush from the faucet, instantly filling and overflowing the small cup Killua held.

“Wha… what is this?!”

“No, how?!”

Clear water was now flowing freely from the faucet that had just moments ago discharged murky yellow, unfiltered water.

Even more than the villagers, I, who had some knowledge of magic, let out an louder gasp of astonishment.

“I didn’t feel any mana being used at all…”

With disbelieving eyes, I reached out to touch the air where Killua had drawn the character.

But not even a trace or remnant of mana could be felt.

“Now… this is the clear water created by all your efforts and belief!!”

Meanwhile, Killua showed the villagers the cup full of clear water in her hand.

And as if to set an example, she took a large sip of the water from her cup.

“Waaahhh!! Killua!!”

Only then did the villagers realize that Killua’s purification facility was working properly, and they began to cheer, calling out her name.

“So, she arranged the earth-net roots and osoni leaves alternately. That’s why the purification effect was delayed, but it provides the most certain purification effect of all.”

Rai, as if having instantly grasped the truth behind Killua’s magic, touched the groove where the herbal filter was inserted.

Unlike Rai and Killua, I, who had no knowledge of herbs whatsoever, couldn’t understand his murmuring and could only stare at the faucet gushing clear water with wonder.

“Eheheheh!! It’s real?! It’s really clear water!!”

“She’s truly an amazing young lady! A great blessing has come to the village!!”

The villagers, who had encouraged her instead of criticizing her failure, burst into genuine joy at her success more than anyone else.

“Come on, everyone. Try a sip. There’s no fishy smell or foul odor at all!”

Seeing the villagers genuinely rejoicing around her, Killua, too, couldn’t contain the joy erupting within her and playfully shook the cup containing the clear water.

“That’s a relief.”

I took a step back and watched Killua, who was enjoying the joy alongside the villagers.

Through this event, she was now definitively accepted as a member of this village by all its residents.

As she wished, the small but kind residents of Eaton Village would always be on her side, no matter the situation.

“Ahem.”

It was the Chief’s low but distinct clearing of his throat that quieted the square, which had become a cauldron of joyful cheers.

The residents, who had been enjoying the clear water flowing from the faucet, stopped what they were doing and looked at the Chief who had cleared his throat.

“I express my deepest gratitude for your knowledge and assistance.”

The Chief slightly bowed his head, sincerely thanking Killua for her knowledge in creating the purification facility as promised, and for her leadership in guiding the villagers.

“Not at all. If it weren’t for the Chief-nim’s insight, trust, and leadership, things wouldn’t have proceeded so easily. And thank you for trusting me first, more than anyone else.”

Killua took a deep breath, slightly calming the joy of success erupting within her, and politely and respectfully bowed even deeper than the Chief, praising his actions for supporting her from behind.

“Ahem. This… I hadn’t expected such gratitude…”

At Killua’s humble act of praising him in return, the Chief, looking both embarrassed and pleased, merely stroked his own innocent beard with a slightly reddened face.

“As you know… haven’t we promised to entertain the merchant arriving tomorrow, as a condition for you staying in this village?”

The Chief, who had been twisting his beard with his fingers as if to hide his agitation, carefully brought up the most sensitive topic.

The villagers, who all knew the truth about the entertainment, regardless of gender, collectively narrowed their eyes and began to glare at the Chief.

“Ah… as for that entertainment, couldn’t I just handle two shifts of it?”

“Oh my… are you planning to make our precious Killua do such an outrageous thing?!”

The first to defend Killua were the village women.

The village women, who desired clean and clear water more than anyone to provide meals for the villagers, hid Killua as if she were their own child, fiercely glaring at the Chief as if they would devour him.

“No, no, calm yourselves!! I didn’t bring this up to force entertainment!!”

Under the village women’s sharp glares, the Chief hastily began to make excuses.

“I was going to say that I would cancel that promise and not force Killua into entertainment!!”

Only then, at the Chief’s desperate excuses, did the village women release Killua, whom they had been embracing and protecting.

“No. Then why didn’t you just say it cleanly like that, instead of dragging out your words and causing misunderstandings?”

“I wanted to show a dramatic sense of dignity, as the Chief.”

“Old age making you silly.”

The small incident concluded with the village women lightly scolding the Chief.

However, thanks to this incident, it was clear that Killua had been perfectly accepted as a member of the village.

Killua, now recognized and protected by the village women, who were practically the true power of this small community, no longer needed to feel burdened by the entertainment.

“Ahem. Um… there’s one more piece of good news?”

At that moment, Killua, unable to suppress the smile that had reached her ears, as if she couldn’t hide it any longer, cleared her throat as if to swallow her bursting laughter and began to speak.

“Good news?”

As the villagers’ gazes collectively focused on her, Killua slowly raised a finger and pointed to the jar I had pulled in with the cart.

“It’s a new specialty product that will be responsible for Eaton Village’s livelihood from now on!”