| Author: Himezaki Shiu | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library |
When I arrived at the lodgings, dinner was already ready. I was told that the staff took turns on meal duty. Although I’d originally thought the place would work more like a dormitory, it turned out to be more similar to a shared house.
There was also a portion set aside for me, but I was told that was because they’d just made more.
As for the dinner, it was some kind of meat and vegetable soup. After using Appraisal on it, I found out that the meat was from a Forest Bird, also known as Silva Avis. It was a monster that could be found in forests.
The vegetables, in turn, were all taken from the fields and were of poor quality. Nevertheless, given I was a Demigod, it was unlikely to upset my stomach, so as long as I ignored the taste, I could eat it.
Thus, I gobbled it down without any particular issues.
First, I took a sip of the soup1. It was apparently bad manners to slurp, so I carefully drank the soup by placing the spoon in my mouth. Next, I tried the meat. The rich chicken broth spread in my mouth, covering my palate.
Even though it was seasoned with salt, the broth alone had enough flavor. And there was still some flavor left in the meat, which must have been used to make the broth. It was quite a delicious monster.
The vegetables, which I’d been worrying about, were bland, as expected. It was an exaggeration to say I was eating a sponge, but it was very bland. But that was just the vegetables by themselves. Not the soup.
It was quite different from the vegetable soup I’d eaten at the castle. I couldn’t believe the blessings of the spirits could make such a difference.
“Hmph… It’s not tasty at all, right?”
“The bird is tasty.”
“The vegetables are nowhere near as good as those in the capital. It’s still a lot better than it used to be, you know?”
“I see.”
Well, it wasn’t as if it were inedible. And the bird was delicious.
I ate dinner facing Oliva, with the lamplight stretching our shadows.
◇◇◇
“This village has a strange feel to it,” I mentioned.
“What do you mean by strange?”
We’d finished having dinner and were now enjoying leisurely time, so I took the opportunity to ask Oliva some questions.
“I know that the crops don’t grow well as it’s far from the capital, but the village still seems kind of cheerful.”
“Haha. I guess you’re right. I had the same impression when I first came here. After all, it’s nothing but a faraway village, with nothing fun to do and the fear of being attacked by monsters at any moment. That’s what this place was like in the past.”
“So I’m guessing something forced it to change?”
“Yes. Princess Topersion suggested the development of this village so that it would make the journey of delivering supplies to the border more smoothly. It brought a ton of people together.” Oliva explained.
Topersion… I had some trouble gauging her character, but if what Oliva said right now was to be believed, then I would finally have a better grasp of it. Thinking about it, the only times I’d met the princess were when we were summoned and before I died.
Yet, it felt like we’d met several times because of the constant pushing and pulling scenarios we had at the castle. The Fraus Kingdom was the cause of our abduction and my death. Yet, I didn’t feel as vengeful towards her as I did towards my classmates.
It could’ve been because I viewed her as an enemy from the start or because, at the end of the day, it had been my classmates who’d killed me.
Maybe it was also because I felt great disappointment towards my classmates, or simply because the kingdom was crucial for exacting revenge on them. It might have been all of that, but it could also have been because I knew she would perish with the world’s collapse anyway.
Nonetheless, that didn’t mean that I’d just sit idly by. If I were to take the spirit away from the kingdom, that would undoubtedly weaken it. Which would sow the seed for a new revenge.
Thus, in a way, I viewed Princess Topersion as my archnemesis. An archnemesis spelled as a friend. It was like saying, “I won’t lose next time!” to your rivals. Although I hated her, it wasn’t as much as I hated my classmates.
Everything else aside, the princess seemed to be a person who cared about her people very much. In contrast, she was very strict with everyone else. Otherwise, she would not have had the determined expression that I saw before dying.
“It seems like the princess is quite liked.”
“She is. I’ve heard people say that she’s constantly thinking about us.”
“I’m probably going to leave for the capital tomorrow, but thanks to our talk, I feel like I’m beginning to look forward to it.”
“I hope you get to meet her.”
“I hope so too. Could you please show me to the room where I’ll be staying?”
I asked, standing up, and Oliva followed suit. She quickly showed me to the place that would be my lodging for the night.
◇◇◇
The next morning, I saw Oliva off at the Collegium and resumed my journey to the royal capital.
Starting early in the morning, it seemed like several groups of adventurers were going into the forest to hunt monsters, which would then be bought by merchants to bring prosperity to the village.
This village was like a splitting image of this world.
You just never knew when a monster could attack and completely ruin it. It was set in stone that the world would collapse, but could the same be said about the village? Would it be destroyed alongside the world ending, or before that?
I decided not to ponder about the matter further and decided that from today onward, I’d be walking on untrodden paths. Although it might’ve been a bad idea, I wanted to avoid meeting anyone.
While I was doing that, I suddenly stumbled upon a herd of monsters. They seemed to be in the process of some kind of great migration. The creatures were small, almost dwarf-like, resembling Goblins and their higher ranks, moving in groups of dozens.
They were headed straight for the village. However, because I hadn’t used the Spy skill, the monsters quickly noticed me first.
(Call an ambulance, but not for me.)
◇◇◇
After conducting my morning exercise, I proceeded on towards the royal capital.
