Chapter 37: Even if it's just a little at a time.

Even if it's just a little at a time.

The next day, our trade with the hidden village began—but of course, it didn’t go smoothly. Freed or not, former slaves and the people who once owned them aren’t going to be accepted by each other so easily.

So, starting with Miss Riara and the golden cat (Nekomimi)—Chris—we began slowly building a relationship through exchanges of souvenirs and luxury goods.

After bringing the brandy Riara had asked for, and the matatabi liquor Chris had requested, we set up a small stall just outside the settlement using our wagon.

This time, the group consisted of me, Master, Yuria, and Lulu. Fere and Kasai-san stayed behind.

“Still, Master is all over the place, you know?”

Lulu muttered as she skewered pieces of meat from a monster called a Kukka—something like a chicken—which she had caught herself. The plan was to make some aromatic food to help attract customers.

“Men’s hearts are complicated.”

Master said that while transferring the marinade we had prepared into a jar, looking a little embarrassed.

As it turns out, he had planned to dissolve the slave contract once we left the country. But he lacked the confidence that I’d choose to stay with him, so he never brought it up.

As for hiding the existence of the hidden village—he said he was afraid I’d want to go there, that I’d want to leave him. So he just didn’t say anything.

When I got into that mess with Fere…? The strange possessiveness he showed, and even using that magic item to tie me to his side during punishment—it was probably all just a manifestation of not wanting to let me go. What a bothersome male heart…

Well, apparently seeing another Elf like me, and being asked to free a slave in return, finally gave him the push he needed. He rushed to do it before he could change his mind. That’s how it all went down, it seems.

No wonder it all felt so abrupt—he even took off the collar in such a hurry. I mean, really, he should’ve just talked to me about it. Springing it on me like that—I couldn’t keep up.

“I get that boys can be complicated… but still.”

“Senpai, don’t act like you’ve got it all figured out.”

Lulu glanced over at me with a smirk as she carved up the meat. I know, I know—I’m a boy on the inside, after all.

“…I’m glad you decided to stay with me, Sora.”

“I’ll pay off my debt properly, so make sure I get to live comfortably.”

I know I just said that, but… wow, that sounded awful. Oh well, chalk it up to being weak to someone I’ve fallen for. In exchange, maybe—just maybe—I’ll forgive a few things when I’m in a really good mood.

“Yeah yeah, get a room, why don’t you.”

Yuria came over carrying a pot of soup and slammed it down with flair. She’s been a bit irritable lately—probably frustrated. Now that things are finally settling down, I hope Master puts in the effort.

“You should pay more attention to Yuria and Lulu too. I’m the one who ends up taking all the heat.”

“…You get jealous over a guy but not over other girls—how does that make sense?”

Wait—hold on. Who’s jealous of who?

“There’s no reason to be jealous. And what do you mean ‘jealous over a guy’?”

Right. I’m not jealous. I don’t care who Master flirts with or where. It’s just—when he gets all friendly with Kasai-san, it kind of feels like I’m losing a friend or something, and that puts me in a bad mood.

…Wait. Is that jealousy? No way.

“Is this one of those ‘I just don’t see us losing’ moments?”

“Milady, that kind of smugness is actually kind of irritating.”

“Mmmfffwhuh are you two pulling my cheeks for!?”

Please don’t gang up on me when I’m deep in thought—this is slander!

“Hyuh feer hin yah! Shaff heh heff ha hite!”

Hey, Master! I’m being assaulted by a feral cat and a cow—why are you calmly tasting marinade!? Help me! Aren’t these two part of your harem!?

“You’re not my slave anymore, so defend yourself!”

“Was it these ears that seduced the Master? Or was it the chest? Maybe the butt?”

“Let’s investigate. Yuria, hold her down on that side.”

“Hyahhh! Wahahaha!?”

Wait—don’t tickle me! Not the armpits! That’s my weak spot!

---

The sizzling sound of meat grilling, accompanied by the savory aroma of soy sauce caramelizing, drifted through the forest.

For a Japanese person, this smell instantly triggers an irresistible craving for white rice. Today's menu was yakitori and a clear soup made from a broth that tasted kind of like kelp.

Drawn in by the smell, little kids with cat or dog ears began to gather, some on their own, others being led by older children or adults. We had juice and chilled alcohol prepared in advance too, so by late afternoon, once the day’s work was over, the older boys started joining in, and the place became fairly lively.

At first, it was pretty common to see scenes where parents would glare at us and drag their children away when they came sniffing over.

But thanks to our presence—and because the parents couldn’t hold out against the kids’ begging—the situation began to shift. A few people started trying the food, and once they had a taste, they were hooked. In this village, where not just entertainment but even luxury meals were basically nonexistent, it didn’t take much to win them over.

The sensation of “delicious” knows no borders. It's frighteningly easy to corrupt people with good food.

Of course, giving it away for free would’ve been a bit of a problem. But as for bartering, there wasn’t really anything the village produced that we wanted. So after discussing with Riara-san, we decided to accept scrap magic stones mined from the nearby rocky hills as a substitute currency.

One skewer of yakitori for one pebble-sized scrap magic stone. Since the stones are easy to dig up and practically fall out of the ground, there seems to be quite a stockpile. Riara-san even had some trial versions processed into coin-like shapes and distributed them to the villagers.

We'll need to refine the system later, but for now, the priority is deepening relations.

“Here you go, thanks for waiting!”

“Thanks, sis!”

Lulu smiled brightly as she served ale and yakitori to a group of burly men with dog-like heads. She dodged a hand reaching for her rear with practiced ease and made her way to another child waiting for their plate.

Lulu’s really good at handling customers like this—friendly but slippery enough to avoid trouble.

“By the way, why yakitori?”

I asked Master, who was still grilling beside me. Sure, it’s convenient and easy to draw people in with the smell, but we couldn’t even be sure the locals would like soy sauce.

“I don’t know, I just had this strong craving to eat sweet-and-salty glazed chicken with freshly cooked white rice…”

I heard something I couldn’t just ignore. Ever since the commotion, we’ve been traveling constantly. I haven’t had much rice at all. Lulu and Yuria are both bread types, and since cooking rice is a pain, they won’t help. I’m not quite as good at cooking as Lulu, so my “rice desire”—a hunger not of the flesh, but of the grain—has been left unsatisfied. It’s frustrating.

“You ate it? You had yakitori with rice? When!?”

“…Once in a while, in secret.”

“Ughhh!”

Invite me too! What are you doing having fun by yourself!?

“By the way, Makoto was with me.”

“Even that coward!?”

With him, of all people…? You cheater, Master! Wait, no, hold on. What do I mean, cheater? I’m normal. Normal, I tell you. I have zero interest in men. I love girls. I love boobs. I want mine to get bigger. My relationship with Master is purely about paying off my debt. It’s fine. I’m fine.

“Hey, that’s a bit harsh…”

“He fell in love with Chris-san at first sight and yet hasn’t made a move, hasn’t even tried to appeal to her. He just fidgets around uselessly—that’s textbook coward behavior.”

He even asked for help picking out a gift, so the girls’ team helped him come up with something. We gave him a few hair accessories we bought in town. And he still hasn’t given them to her. What else would you call that but a coward?

“Are you talking about something interesting?”

“Welcome, Riara-san.”

While I was subtly trash-talking Kasai-san, there she was again—the disappointing high elf, showing up every day with a bottle of sake to eat yakitori.

Honestly, I feel like there are way too many women in my life who manage to shatter their image within a day or two. That carnivorous fish from somewhere, for instance—ever since she realized I was a free agent, she’s been doubling her nightly “visits.” Are there any normal women left in this world?

“For now, I’ll take one skewer each of skin, liver, gizzard… and tsukune, if you please.”

“Coming right up.”

Pouring sake into a cup as she settled onto a stool at the counter, she looked every bit the grizzled old drunk.

And even her food choices were straight out of a drinker’s playbook… Despite looking like she’s just slightly older than me, still with that childlike appearance. From what I’ve heard, she really is a woman inside. But is that what all women turn into as they get older? That’s terrifying.

“Still, it warms my heart.”

“?”

While chewing into her liver skewer, Riara-san squinted fondly at the villagers laughing and chatting over their drinks. Sure, the number of people here was small compared to the village population, but more were showing up each day.

Some still only came out of obligation and kept their guard up, but… all we could do was hope time would sort that out.

“Out here, merchants never come. We’ve had no choice but to live tucked away, always hiding, never any luxury. But now, thanks to you lot, even if it’s modest, a place where we can relax is starting to take shape.”

“I mean, we came all this way. I want to get along, so I plan to give it my all.”

“You’re too softhearted…”

You’re the last person who should be saying that. You took in a human slave owner without a shred of suspicion, gave us a spot in your village, and even worked with us. That’s not exactly cynical.

“…If you were face to face with a giant dragon, mouth glowing with flame, and it extended its hand saying ‘let’s be friends,’ would you really have the guts to turn it down? I’m responsible for lives here. If someone that powerful became our enemy, they could turn the whole village to ash in a blink. I can’t afford to pick that fight.”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but she was starting to sound a bit like she was venting. Still… she wasn’t wrong. Master’s been getting more and more ridiculous lately. Honestly, if he didn’t have us—his “baggage”—holding him back, he probably could destroy a country by now. Classic cheat protagonist behavior.

“Not that anyone gets how hard this has been on me. Some idiots even say we should kick you all out. As if we could do that now. The village was already on a downward spiral…”

“Um… Riara-san, are you drunk?”

“I’m not drunk! I can’t get drunk! I lived through a dull, grey youth, told myself it was fine since I got to be young again, only to spend hundreds of years being hunted for my body! Finally found somewhere I could settle down, and what do they do? Make me a leader! I work my ass off, and by the time I realize it, I’m the oldest one here! I can’t even get a boyfriend, let alone a husband… You couldn’t possibly understand, Sora—the pain of being a fossil woman with 332 years of boyfriendlessness!”

“O-oh… wow… okay, this is bad… she’s a lot of trouble…”

What am I supposed to do with this drunk? She’s clearly just come here to blow off years’ worth of built-up complaints. She’s got this aura of “keep away” that’s scaring everyone off, and for some reason even Master and Lulu are running away too—what the hell!?

“Listen well! Men are nothing but—!”

“Riara-san, please, you’re way off topic—really off!”

Somebody, please, do something about this drunk…

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

【EXP】
— Gained EXP from time passage.
◆【Sora Lv.81】
◆【Lulu Lv.31】+10
◆【Yuria Lv.29】+8
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.81 [812]
Lulu Lv.31 [317] → Lv.32 [327] <<Level Up!!
Yuria Lv.29 [299] → Lv.30 [307] <<Level Up!!

【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 34
[MAX BATTLE] >> 34

【PARTY-1 (Main)】
[Shuuya] [Lv.77] HP 1432/1432 MP 2530/2530 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv.81] HP 60/60 MP 733/733 [Fatigued]
[Lulu] [Lv.32] HP 735/735 MP 36/36 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv.30] HP 1540/1540 MP 88/88 [Normal]

【PARTY-2 (Sub)】
[Fere] [Lv.25] HP 252/252 MP 830/830 [Normal]
【PARTY-3 (Sub)】
[Makoto] [Lv.40] HP 1450/1450 MP 128/128 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】

“Drunks really are the most troublesome creatures…”

“…Ahh, yes, I totally agree with you, Senpai~”

“…Milady…”