Magic Warrior Chapter 42 (Patreon)

Returning Home

After a lunch and plenty of rest, we started walking back to the village.

I would like to have at least a bicycle, if not a car. But the road is not completely paved, so even if I had a bicycle, it would be difficult.

The road from the town to the street is paved with cobblestones for a while, but once you get away from the town, it becomes a dirt road. The edge of the dirt road was flattened and slightly indented to allow rainwater to flow through it. I don't know what kind of technique was used, but it did not seem to be a simple path that had been stepped on.

There are traces of cobblestone pavement in some places, so it seems that cobblestone pavement used to be laid all along the path. I am sure that although it was built in the Heroic Age, it could no longer be maintained all the way to the street.

The road leading from the intersection to the village is simply leveled, unlike the previous road.

The road was not in rough condition, probably because the knights were making small round trips to patrol the road.

As I was walking along the winding path through the forest, I felt a gaze from within the forest.

"Big Sister, there's a bear."

"It's a Forest Bear, isn't it?"

"It won't attack you if you don't get too close."

Forest Bear, it's a monster that newcomers to the game fight when they have defeated wolves and other monsters and have improved their level a bit. It is non-aggressive and non-active, so if you don't get close to it, it won't attack you.

In the real world, though, they might attack you if they are hungry.

"Big Sister, this side is the northern forest of the village, right?"

"Yes, the bear is supposed to be a monster from the southern forest."

"Is there a difference between the north and south forests?"

"There are different types of monsters inhabiting the forest due to the different vegetation. There shouldn't be many monsters in the shallow areas of the north forest."

"Is this related to what the knight said earlier?"

--The forest has been noisy lately.

Something like Forest Bear moving from the southern forest to the northern forest is happening?

The forest bear, which had been watching us for a while, turned back into the forest after realizing that we had no intention of approaching it. Two small bears followed behind.

In the game, all the monsters were the same, unless they were set up differently, but in reality, there are individual differences and monsters have their own lives.

I felt bad for thinking of them as nothing more than meat, fur, and experience. I'm trying to be careful, but I guess I haven't lost the game sense yet.

◇

At the entrance of the village, I saw three people dressed as vigilantes standing near the fence: two were about my father's age, and one was a year younger than me, an apprentice the same age as Claire.

"'Mina, Claire, welcome back. Did you bring guests?"

"Yes, I did. They might be with us for a while."

It was hard to say that she was a slave, and I didn't want to treat her as such, so I responded with appropriate deception.

"Unusually, the knights of the territory came to see me in the morning, and they told me to keep an eye on the forest because there's something strange going on there. We who belong to the neighborhood watch are very busy."

"Maybe those knights passed us on their way."

So be careful when you go into the woods.

"Okay, thanks."

I walk toward home, the scenery reminding me that I haven't been home in three days.

I have to introduce Rilfana to my mom and dad. I'm a little nervous.

"I'm home!

"Mom, I'm home. Oh, your father is home too."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry to bother you."

When the three of us entered the house, my father and mother were just having a cup of tea. Dad's hip has healed.

"Welcome home. Did your daughter make any friends in town? I was just talking to my mom about that."

"Oh my goodness, you've come such a long way to visit me."

"It's a little complicated, let me sit down and explain it to you."

Can you and Mom please stop giving me that "here we go again" look....

I pulled out a spare chair for Rilfana and the five of us sat down and took a breath.

"As it turns out, I picked up a slave."

"Yeah, you again..."

"Wait! Let me explain from the first before you get mad at me."

I explained, starting with the fact that I saved the wagon at the gate.

Claire also defended me.

I also added that Rilfana had been changed from an intelligent slave to a lapdog during the transfer, and that she had clutched at straws and asked for my help.

"And this I did not even tell Mina-sama.... I was deceived and dropped into slavery. If I had been sold to the merchant, there is no possibility that I would have been bought and killed by his pursuers..."

"Rilfana-chan, was it such a dangerous situation?"

"I can only speculate on the worst case scenario, and it is hard to say, since it would have been better if we could have driven him out of Vallecorina to another country.... It is now owned by Mina-sama, so at least if you live around this village, I don't think they will force your hand."

"Hmm... I hear that there is a lot of factional strife among the nobles in that country, but is that the extent of it? I'll do some research with my old contacts."

"Are you going to ask Alphos-san and the others?"

"No, I have other contacts in the nobility. I don't know if they will be of any use to you since they are domestic nobles, but since I haven't seen them recently, I'll ask them when I go to town."

My dad is kind of open-minded, isn't he? Maybe it's a legacy from his adventuring days.

"Well then, Rilfana-san is our daughter at home, I guess. I didn't think we'd have another daughter."

"Hmm, ... well, that's okay. I'm not going to listen to you anymore when you start talking like that, Mom."

Mom snapped her hands together with a smile. Dad snapped quickly, "Oh dear.

She rarely says what he says, but she is the one in control of the house.

"My name is Rilfana. Pleased to meet you, sir and madam."

"I'm Jetta, please call me mother, not in that formal way."

"Yes, um..."

I'm Jetta, don't call me that. I'll be your father too!"

"Oh, okay, I understand. I'll call you mother-in-law and father-in-law."

Ufufu, Mom was pleased. I think Claire resembles my mother more...

◇

"Oh my! Curry?"

"It's a dish Mina made."

"You can make new dishes, Mina-sama is amazing!

"No, it's just a mixture of spices."

Rilfana was very happy when my mother made curry for dinner. I hadn't seen this in town, but curry seems to be a favorite across the world.

If Rilfana knows about it, it must be in another country.

"Mina, I forgot to tell you that if you go into the north forest, take your weapons with you."

"I heard you were acting strange, is that why?"

"Yes, there have been reports of monsters in the vicinity of the village."

"By the way, I saw a Forest Bear in the north forest on my way back."

"A Forest Bear?"

"Claire and Rilfana have seen it too."

"Forest Bear is a very timid monster. I don't think it would have gone through the north forest to get close to the stone pillars and the village to avoid the monsters unless it had something to do with it."

"Are you saying that this 'something extra' might be happening in the southern forest?"

"...I guess we'll have to do some research, we didn't find anything when we went over the ruins with Alphos and the others."

The conversation with my father ended there, as I had to discuss with the village chief whether to hire adventurers or consult with the lords.

The appraisal papers we used in town were tossed into the Fire Pit while cooking, and the books we bought were to be placed on an empty shelf in the room.

It would be more convenient for anyone to read them, especially the illustrated books.

◇

"Oh, I forgot that I don't have enough beds in my room!"

Now it was time to go to bed for the day.

I was so busy explaining Rilfana and organizing my luggage that I completely forgot that there were no beds in Rilfana.

"The sleeping bag I bought will be fine."

"I'll sleep with Big Sister, you can use my bed."

"No, I don't want to burden Mina-sama and Claire-sama for my sake..."

"Well, Rilfana, why don't you sleep with me?"

Rilfana is a petite girl, so I thought it would be fine if she slept with me.

"Rilfana-chan slept with Big Sister yesterday. Today it's my turn!"

Oh, Claire was still sleeping when I woke up, but she knew. Did she wake up to go to the bathroom or something for her to know?

"Uh, let's see.... ...I understand. I will use Claire-sama's bed today."

"Yes!"

Claire crawled into my bed with a smile on her face. She's still a child, isn't she?

--Well, Claire seems happy, so I guess it's okay.