"Satou's here. The petty one who doesn't want to get involved with the dangerous looking slave, Satou."
It's a dream! My self-suggestion is reaching the limit.
It's another world that's most likely a dream, become my compromise. Yes, however small the possibility is, I won't give up.
◇
My heart broke when Martha said that a bathroom is not available except at the lord's castle. Since the food and sanitation culture of the town were pretty high, I thought that bathrooms also mattered.
I thought of bathing in the room with the tub, but since it'd get the room moldy due to the moisture, I was told to do it in the backyard since it also has a well.
The backyard is about 6 tatami wide. The well is not that far from the back door, it's not equipped with a pump and is the type that uses buckets to draw water, usually used in older days. I'm using one of the two wooden tubs available.
I thought that I would struggle but thanks to my high (STR) status, it was easy.
Thought they said backyard, the fences are only around my waist high. Even though there are only few pedestrians traffic, there are still some. It's already dim during the dusk but if I take a bath in place like this, isn't this like an exhibition?
When I look around, there's a partitioning screen near the back door.
I see, am I meant to use this?
After I put up the screen, I started bathing with the cold water.
Though it's only about as high as my waist, it's enough for shielding the view.
...Dang, I forgot to buy soap!
There's probably no shampoo, but if it's just soap it should be available. Let's look for it tomorrow.
A woman comes out of the back door. It's a blond beauty on later half of her 20. How do I say this, this town has a lot of beautiful woman.
Our eyes match.
Iya~n.
...Disgusting. I'm disgusted with myself.
After the woman finished drawing the water into the tub, she started bathing after putting the screen.
There's a screen between us, it is, but!
Whenever she moves a little, the upper body is!
Well, I estimate it to be D cup, purunpurun, it's asserting itself!
She did cover it by hand, but it got unexposed occasionally...
No, no, I'm not a DT, I summon all my strength to avert my gaze and go back to wash my body. Restrain yourself my healthy lower body!
I glanced at the female's face, she's wearing an expression full of deliberate composure!
As I thought, adult women are nice!!
I wipe my clean body with the towel... Wonder where I should put the water.
There is no drainage.
"It's okay to sprinkle the water on the garden plants. There's a drainage below the plants."
I wonder if I looked pathetic since the woman teach me. I thanked her and went back to the inn after throwing the water.
I want you to overlook my glance during my way back.
>[Surveillance Skill Acquired]
>[Poker Face Skill Acquired]
◇
I changed into the new robe after bathing, feeling refreshed.
The dinner was still mainly vegetables, but the taste really came out, it was delicious. Though I prefer it to be a tad thicker.
The service was raw salad. I'd be happier if it were meat...
I feel that the protein was a bit insufficient, so I took out jerky from my pocket and gnaw on it.
I wanted to drink sake, but the customers around me drink an unrefined looking local sake, causing my craving to stop. I want to drink some cold beer~
After the meal, there is no light when I come back to my room. Not even light from magic. Work harder, Fantasy!
When I ask the landlady who's struggling with drunken people, "It's 1 copper coin if you want a lamp", so she says. By the way, the lamp has to be returned later. It seems that the guys who are awake stay in the bar to drink the night away, only the guys who want to sleep go back to their room.
The toilet is shared together, scooping styled. When I think about it, doing it on the outdoor like I always did until yesterday is better than this. There's a bundle of straw that looks like a wiping cloth. Since it seem that I'd get hemorrhoid if use that, I cut a handkerchief in suitable size and use it. This isn't eco-friendly, but I don't want to save for this kind of thing!
I come back to the room after finishing the business.
The light from the lamp is dim. There's probably some magic items able to be used as illumination among the loots, but I'm afraid that the inn could be half destroyed if I take out the wrong item.
The rented room is 8 tatami wide with a single sized wooden bed, there are also chair and desk. The chair having no roller legs is a matter of course, but even the desk doesn't have a drawer.
The window is small enough that when you put your face to look outside it feels cramped. I wonder if it's for ventilation, the landlady warned me to close it before I sleep to prevent crime.
Fortunately, I can still see the menu screen even in the dark.
◇
From now on, let's fill the memo column in the menu with objectives.
Act 1. Let's really think about whether this is a dream or reality.
For the time being, as to not have anything that I'd regret later if this was really a real another world, let's temporary recognize that this is really another world. Yes, temporarily. I can't give up in that regard!
Act 2. Let's be wary of the surroundings.
Even though I could escape from danger thanks to my high level, I should not act too antisocial that it would hinder me from touring another world. Also, although I don't know how strong they are, there are gods here; let's not be overconfident of my own ability and act careless.
Act 3. Let's obtain means for self-defense.
I want to obtain a method to neutralize opponents, or skills and magic to weather through a troublesome situation. I want to refrain from raining meteors every time there's trouble.
Act 4. I want to find a way back to reality.
If it's a dream then a way to wake up, if it's thrown into another world situation then let's find a way to go back. I don't intend to act too positive though.
Act 5. Might as well enjoy the exotic atmosphere.
With how real this all feel, sightseeing is enjoyable. My budget is plentiful anyway.
Let's ask Mr. knight if there's do-it-all person who's willing to guide me for a tour.
Are these all?
I added soap in the postscript before I slept.
◇
"This is the first time I've been asked to be a tour guide."
So she says, the 20 years old jack-of-all-trades, Nadi-san, while laughing bashfully. She's not a beauty, but she's full of cute gestures. She must be plainly popular.
Normally she's a contractor for miscellaneous job from the worker guild, apparently, hired to become a tour guide is quite unusual.
Since walking is a pain, I borrow a roofless horse-drawn carriage to tour the town.
"The west street is not too prosperous so the citizen not only deal with the front store, but also various slightly gray goods in the back."
"For example?"
"Well, something like love potion on the alchemist and pawn shop, moneylender, even brothels exist. The slave company is also located on the same street."
I reacted to "slave" word. I don't want to meet that little girl~ I can only feel trouble from her.
"Oh? Do you have an interest for slaves? Guard job is impossible, but they can be made to carry your load or chore during your journey. Most peddlers usually employ them."
"Recently they closed after the stars fell before, but they're going to resume. They will open 3 days after the day after tomorrow."
It seems that the slaves that the slave company buy are leftovers from the slave market or in training, there's usually a slave auction held once a month.
"If you want to hire guards for the journey, then there are a lot of them gathered in the bar. Since it's hard to find trusty ones, in case the need arise, do ask [Jack-of-All-Trades] by all means!"
The carriage proceed along the inner wall of the west street.
"Around here is the craftsmen's block. Woodwork, blacksmithing, leather craft and many other craftsmen are here. Most of them don't have an actual store. Generally they open small store or stall and directly sell their products to the customer in person."
Can they repair weapon and armor over here?
"If you have a craftsman acquaintance there then there's no problem but generally to prevent trouble, one usually go to the arms shop as an intermediate. There are high class arms shops within the inner wall for knights, and shops for soldiers and general public on the Biso street in the eastern town. Hunters like to go to the western town since there are a lot of meat processing stores, there along with an arms shop."
Let's just roughly look at each store on the street. It probably won't end in one day.
Come to think of it, isn't the lord's mansion located in the north?
"You're well informed. Do you want to look inside the inner wall for a bit? Though there's only harvest work to be seen there."
Well, I'd hate to be mistaken as a food thief if I walk there on foot.
The carriage proceed along the western inner wall, toward the narrow street between the inner and outer wall.
After advancing for a while we got to the open gate, the soldiers guarding the gate are present too. The driver nods to the guard and continue to enter the northern district.
There's a vast farm land over there. The carriage continue on the farm road. The farmers are harvesting Gabo, the same fruit I bought yesterday.
I don't know if it's normal, but there are a lot of kids around elementary school age helping.
"Those children are probably from the orphanage, since it's currently harvest season, the children from the town might be coming here to work."
Even children work? No more neet?!
My face became strange for a little while.
"If they're not from wealthy family, then children around that age normally work."
Don't they go to school? WHO please, support Seryuu City!
"School? If they're nobles or come from wealthy family then they usually study in private, but schools only exist in the royal capital."
"Furthermore, the Gabo fruits those children harvest are actually staple foods for people with light wallets."
Hmm? But the inn serves bread and thin rice porridge, sometimes even stew right?
"No well, Monzen inn is relatively high level so they don't serve Gabo fruit. On the west street, most stalls are selling flat bread, gruel, and pickled vegetables. It has strong smell, bitter, and hard to chew so the wealthy rarely ever eat it. Since you can eat cheap things until your stomach full, they're not only eaten by the orphanage children but also by about half of the general populace too."
If it's like that, won't normal potatoes suffice?
"The quantity of the yearly harvest differ. Although the harvest area becomes smaller, they could be harvested in one month period and rarely fail. Furthermore it has a property that enable it to fertilize fallow. Thanks to Gabo fruit, the number of orphanages has increased dramatically."
What a convenient fantasy fruit. Even opportunism has limit.
Even so, Nadi-san is quite knowledgeable... she looks like a literary woman graduated from the royal capital school.
"I wasn't raised in the manor inside the wall, the food situation in rural area was pretty terrible."
She grew up outside eh, I wonder if the lord has a monopoly. It's a subtle mystery.
"It's goblin's favorite food. If it's not a place surrounded by wall like this, goblins would come in a blink of an eye and devour them greedily."
"Back in the day, there was an explosive increase of goblins in the northern part of the kingdom, the scholar who investigated the cause concluded that it's related to Gabo fruit. In those days, if someone found a Gabo tree they would burn it down, then it began to be used as a food source and now it has become the staple food of the lower strata people. However, even now, if someone finds a Gabo tree, they would burn it down."
The wall around the farm is quite a bit lower than the town's wall. Is it around 2 meter and a half?
I wonder what that tower standing tall 1 kilometer away is? It's been in my mind since before I entered the farm. It's around 20 meter tall and look surprisingly rugged.
"That's a self defense mechanism built to repulse Wyvern attacks. The one in the castle is for the castle's defense, the one here is used when the attacks come to the farm."
"About 40 years ago when the black dragon attacked, it played a very big role. Back then, although a tower half as tall as this was brought down, the records depicting the successful repelling remain."
Repel... Did it escape through the sky?
"Leaving aside the Wyvern, as expected, defeating true dragon is impossible. Only someone like the ancestor king, Yamato who was a great magician or Saga empire's hero are able to do something like that."
...Hero, eh?
"Saga empire has this hero's summoning great magic. Since the compensation is enormous, except when the 66 year Demon King's resurrection cycle begin, it's not performed. Yamato-sama and Saga Empire's founder were also heroes who were summoned when the world was in crisis back in the day. It's so dreamy."
As I thought, these Yamato and Saga-san... I can slightly see through why the holy swords were named Excalibur and such.
When the story was finished, the one lap tour around the farm was also finished. The carriage went back towards the inner wall.