CHAPTER 45: FOREST VILLAGE AND FAIRY LEGEND

Sponsored Content

 

“We’ve encountered a group of Forest Wolves three times…”

 

 

　After that, we checked in at an inn, went to the Adventurer’s Guild in the Forest Village, submitted magic stones and subjugation sites, and received our pay.
In the meantime, Dan reported that we had encountered Forest Wolf three times, but the receptionist’s reaction was not a good sign.

 

 

“Oh really.
We’ve never seen that many monsters around here….
I’ve made a report about it.” (Dan)

 

 

　In response to Dan’s words, the receptionist said, “I understand.
I’ll report to the higher-ups.”

 

　Then we leave the Adventurer’s Guild.

 

 

“Tsk! I guess the people here have no sense of danger.” (Dan)

 

“Here is also the same.” (Mel)

 

　The two complained.

 

　I was also a little surprised by the receptionist’s reaction.
Normally, when a monster behaves abnormally, you’d think that something might be wrong, and you’d have a greater sense of urgency, but that wasn’t the case.

Sponsored Content

 

　But still, Dan had said earlier that he knew.
I wonder if he has any idea what the reason is?

 

 

“Hmm? Ah… Monsters haven’t approached this village for a very long time.
There are many legends about fairies left in this village.
Some people say that it’s a village protected by a fairy’s blessings.
I wonder about that.” (Dan)

 

　I see.
That’s why this village had no walls.

 

　Even if monsters overflow outside, they don’t have a sense of crisis because they know that monsters will not come to this village… Maybe that’s just the way it is.

 

 

　But legends about fairies … Is it normal for a fairy to exist in a fantasy world? No, it wouldn’t be a legend if it were normal, right?

 

　I was a little interested in the fairy legend.
If I have time later, I might check it out.

 

　Thinking about that, we walked back to the inn.

 

 

“Then we’ll take a day off tomorrow as usual.
As you know, we’ll discuss the next day’s schedule at dinner, so be at the inn at that time.” (Dan)

 

 

　Dan went back to his room after saying this.

 

　Our party has a rule that the day after an overnight work is a rest day.
The reason for this is to prevent fatigue from building up by taking a good break.

 

　All adventurers take time off for the same reason, though the timing is different.
Of course, there are many adventurers who take vacations until the money they earned disappears.

 

　If you think about it, I guess you could say that our party is made up of serious adventurers who take vacations based on a set of rules.
No, when I think about it, the parents of our party members have stores in Rankfurt and live reasonably stable lives.
The fact that they were born and raised in Rankfurt is probably what sets them apart from other adventurers.

Sponsored Content

 

 

 

 

　The next morning, as usual, I went to the tavern on the first floor of the inn, got a canteen of diluted wine, and decided to take it with me to explore the village.

 

　We left the inn and walked toward the center of the village, the direction Gilm-san had been heading yesterday.

 

　The road in front of the inn was wide enough for a carriage to pass, but it was not paved.
It was bare earth.
We walked along the road, crossed a stone bridge over a stream, looked at the fields from between the houses, and finally arrived at the center of the village.

 

　The center of the village was a public square with stores surrounding the square and many roads radiating out from it.
I could see several houses and stores lining both sides of the road.

 

　Looking at it like this, it seems to be more prosperous than the Southern Village.

 

　Hmm, when I think about it, it’s probably just as well.
After all, it’s a monster-free village.

 

　The west side of this village is a forest, and further on is the town of Rankfurt.
To the south, there are forests and mountains, and behind the mountains is the ocean.
The east side of the village is also covered with mountains, so you can’t go any further.
On the north side, there are also forests and mountains, and if you go through them, you can get to the Royal Capital, but there’s no one who likes to go through such dangerous places.
In other words, just like the Southern Village, it is a village at the end of a cul-de-sac.

  

 

　If it had been in a more convenient location, it might have been a much bigger town than Rankfurt.

 

　If it had been a more convenient location, it would have been a much larger city than Rankfurt.
The lack of monsters in this area must be worth it.

 

 

　I walked to the center of the square and looked around to find a nice store.

 

Sponsored Content

　After a quick glance, I could see a blacksmith shop and a tavern, but I was hungry, so I approached a stall that was hanging sausages.

 

　There didn’t seem to be any other customers at the moment, which was just fine.

 

 

“Excuse me.
Can I have one?

 

 

　When I ordered one, the owner, who was about 40 years old, said, “Alright! Two copper coins,” the owner cheerfully replied as he began to prepare the sausages.

 

　The sausages were about 15 centimeters long, and there were four of them on a skewer.

 

　The owner placed them on a long, narrow, charcoal-filled grill.

 

 

　I took the copper coins from my bag and spoke to him as I handed them over.

 

 

“Yes, two copper coins.
By the way, there’s a talk about the legend of the fairy in this village, do you know about it?”

 

“Legend of the fairy? Sure, because every person born in this village has been told many times since they were a kid.” (Stall Owner)

 

 

 

　The owner of the food stall, who was turning over some sausages on the grill, told me more about it.

 

 

“In short, if you listen to your parents and be a good boy, the fairies will come for you one day, and you can go to the Land of the Fairies through the Fairy Garden.” (Stall Owner)

Sponsored Content

 

 

　I see… It sounds like something I’ve heard… before or something that parents might use to discipline their children.

 

　Hmmm… Speaking of which, the word “Fairy Garden” came up, but what is it?

 

 

“Fairy garden.
That’s the flower garden just north of the village, you know.
There’s a stone pillar in the middle, so you can easily find it… However, if you want to go there, there are some things you need to follow.
First, don’t destroy the flower garden for no reason.
And you mustn’t do anything to defile the stone pillar.” (Stall Owner)

 

 

　After saying that, he continued, “I don’t know what to do with the idiots who don’t listen to the rules.”

 

　Hmmm…….
It was a story with a sense of reality and intensity as if I had been pulled back from the world of fairy tales to reality all at once.

 

　For now, I’ll stick to his advice.

 

　I took a skewer of sausages from the owner and decided to look for another place while I ate.

 

 

　I had no idea what kind of meat this sausage was, but it had some kind of herb mixed in to remove the smell, so it was better than I expected.

 

　When I bit into the skin and my teeth cut through it with a snap, I could feel the crispy texture and the delicious meaty juices flowing out of it.
And the smoky aroma from being grilled over charcoal.
The flavors of the herbs combined within it are irresistible.
However, it was a bit on the salty side, perhaps it’s to preserve the meat.

 

　Yes, it’s morning, but I feel like drinking some beer.

 

 

　With that in mind, I sipped on a little watered-down wine instead.