episode_0078
by fnovelpia“You’re still here.”
Just as I was about to say something to Jayce and refuse, Carlson, whose injury had not yet healed, approached me.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Carlson. How are you?”
“It’s okay. Are you healthy, Mr. Cian?”
“My only advantage is that I am physically fit, so don’t worry.”
“Haha, I’m really jealous of that.”
Carlson had a great fondness for me, probably because I had contributed greatly to his dream of having an aura at the tip of his sword.
Of course, he hasn’t reached the 4th rank yet, but he will definitely reach the 4th rank in a few years.
“So why did you come to me?”
“That’s… Oh, Jayce is here too.”
Carlson greeted Jace warmly before answering my question.
“Oh, hi Carlson.”
“Are your legs okay?”
“It’s okay. I’m used to walking with crutches now.”
“Go to Mr. Tom. He said he has something for you, Brother Jace.”
“Oh, really? Thanks for letting me know.”
Jace, who had been watching the situation, headed to Tom’s house at Carlson’s words. When his figure disappeared, Carlson sighed and apologized to me.
“Sigh… Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
As expected, Carlson ignored my question for a moment because he was annoyed by Jayce.
“It’s difficult to say this in front of Jayce.”
“So what do you want to say?”
“First of all, I would like to say thank you.”
“If you say thank you… Are you talking about swordsmanship?”
“That’s not it, you took care of Austin.”
“Oh, that?”
“That friend has been having a hard time with a lot of things since he came to the village of Lugeron.”
“I knew Mr. Carlson had a good personality, but he’s so kind… Would you like to become a priest?”
“That’s not it. It’s just that my family was once a foreigner and received help. I just think it’s time for me to help.”
Wow… I guess really good people have different reasons for helping others.
To be honest, I found him admirable.
“But Mr. Carlson was also an outsider?”
“When I was young and didn’t know anything. And everyone in the village of Lugeron, except for a few people including the village chief, is from outside the area.”
“I see.”
In a way, it was natural. It’s not like indigenous people can live in a rural village their whole lives.
“Anyway, thank you. If it weren’t for Mr. Cian’s help, Astin would have ended his own life.”
“It may sound extreme, but on the other hand, isn’t Mr. Jace having a hard time?”
“Don’t worry too much about that. Jayce has a family, and we can help.”
“I see.”
Carlson says that we are probably from the vigilante group. Even though we are pushovers, Jace is also from the vigilante group.
“And I don’t want to repeat that custom again.”
“If that’s the custom?”
“Ah, Mr. Sian doesn’t know.”
Carlson seemed reluctant to answer my question, so he hesitated for a moment before answering cautiously.
“If there are people in the village who are no longer needed, there is a custom of abandoning them in the dark forest.”
“Huh?”
When I first spoke to Carlson, I felt uncomfortable. What are you doing? What kind of consideration are you?
“That’s the custom?”
“This is a custom that young people, including me, do not understand.”
Carlson agreed with me as I looked at him in disbelief.
“That’s just telling me to get out.”
“That’s right. But I heard that’s how they survived in my father’s time.”
Carlson said with a slightly distressed expression.
“Father said that it was inevitable. The monsters coming from the Dark Forest were too powerful to deal with. He said that by abandoning the unnecessary people in the Dark Forest, he was able to lead the monsters to another place.”
“I know what you’re saying, but that’s… ”
I also stopped myself from saying something.
Of course, I understood to some extent. The Warbears that commonly appear in the Dark Forest are beings that a 4th-tier knight can barely catch. There is nothing that ordinary villagers can do against such monsters.
But still…
“I completely understand how you feel, Mr. Sian. We are also trying to change this custom.”
“Is that why Mr. Carlson trains in swordsmanship?”
“Yes.”
“You are amazing.”
“No. What can a runaway do?”
Carlson let out a sigh of relief and stated his opinion.
“But I still hope this custom disappears.”
“Something bad happened.”
“I’m not the only one. So everyone is trying to change, but it’s not easy.”
“Mr. Carlson can do it someday. Hasn’t his swordsmanship skills improved by leaps and bounds?”
“That would be great.”
After finishing my conversation with Carlson, I headed home. Leaving Clia behind, who was taking a nap without thinking about anything, I took Clara and Vivian out to work on building a washing machine.
Then I met a young couple.
. . .
“Is this enough for the blueprint?”
“Thank you Clara.”
“My lord, here.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Vivian.”
Thanks to Clara and Vivian, who strengthened their physical abilities with mana, the work progressed quickly. Clara, who worked with me a lot, was particularly quick to give me what I wanted.
“But Sian, what are you making?”
“Washing machine.”
“Washing machine? What is that?”
“It’s a device that automatically washes your laundry.”
“Is that possible?”
“Of course it’s possible. Just trust me and wait.”
After completing the basic preparations, we took a short break until Tom arrived.
“Over there… ”
A man and a woman of Clia’s age came to visit us.
A boy with brown hair and a girl with red hair, the boy was holding the girl’s hand tightly as if he couldn’t see ahead.
Are these kids by any chance?
“Thank you.”
The blind boy bowed his head between me and Clara and greeted them.
“Thanks to you, I was able to live in the village.”
“Are you Austin?”
“Yes.”
As expected, the boy in front of me was Astin.
In that case, the girl next to me must be Carla.
But isn’t he younger than I thought?
“How old are you?”
“I’m 17 this year, I’m an adult.”
That means he’s 17 years old.
Although he was only one year older than Clia, he was already married and active as a father.
‘According to Carlson, it seems like there are no parents to protect him.’
It was difficult to say anything about the grim facts.
‘Did some of the village adults try to hush up that child?’
Even for the most chilling medieval fantasy, this is a bit…
“Did you come all the way here to say thank you?”
“Yes, I heard from Carlson. He nominated me directly.”
“Who told you what to do?”
I didn’t specifically mention Selnia’s name.
Because she might end up looking bad to her husband for no reason.
“I’ll tell you about the watermill later. I have something to do today.”
“Okay. Then when can I come see you?”
“I will come to your house in person in two days.”
“Okay, okay? Carla, you have something to say too?”
The girl named Carla is mute and seems to convey her thoughts through her husband, Astin. A blind husband and a mute wife… If it were a modern story, it would be a tearjerking romance, but unfortunately, this is a medieval fantasy.
“We’ve been starving for several days, so I know it’s shameless, but can we get something to eat?”
“Well, it’s not that difficult.”
“If Carla wants, I’ll take care of it tonight.”
“…Clara, I’ve been wondering for a while now, but is the concept of chastity more trivial to the people of Lugeron than I thought?”
“That’s not it… ”
Clara, who was listening from the side, was also very embarrassed. Fortunately, she seemed to be normal.
It seems that because of the difficult circumstances, they have no choice but to offer something. It breaks my heart.
“I’m fine. Don’t do that. ”
“Really? We have no other way to pay you back… ”
“You don’t have to pay it back. Don’t worry about it. And if other people ask for help like that, come to me. Got it?”
“Huh? Oh, I understand.”
Astin and Carla were taken aback by my words, but they nodded as if they understood my request and returned to their homes. Clara looked surprised when she saw me like that.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Since it’s the first time I’ve seen Si-an like that.”
“What’s that look like?”
“Well, I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Sian treat people other than his family so kindly.”
“Do I look like such a heartless person?”
“Except for Uncle Tom and Captain Carlson, there’s no one in the town that I’m close with. When other people come to the house, they react sharply.”
“Was it?”
“That’s right.”
When I think about it carefully, it seems like it was the same when Helen and Camilla first visited.
It was really sunny back then.
‘Come to think of it. It seems like it’s been like that since I lived in the dark forest.’
Growing up in a dark forest with enemies on all sides except for his adoptive father, his social skills seem to have faded to the level of a medieval fantasy.
“Well, I’m a parent now too.”
“Huh?”
“Shouldn’t it be a little different?”
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