The men who had been working on the food storage with me also stopped walking and looked nervously toward the entrance.
In particular, unmarried young men grumbled with a not-so-pleased expression.
"Can you come by when you have some free time?"
The young men nodded and clapped their hands in agreement with the words of the 'swift deer.'
"I know."
"You come when I'm really busy. It's so annoying."
'Brave Wolf' also spoke with an unusually stern expression.
"Don't look weak to those guys. And don't smile without reason."
"Of course it should be like that. Everyone, focus on your eyes."
The 'swift deer' glared at him, interrupting him. I clearly heard you were a guest. I tilted my head as I noticed that the atmosphere among the young men was unusual.
'I heard you were a guest···'
At that time, women rushed toward the entrance with eyes full of anticipation as if they were welcoming a new product.
"Who came?"
"I wish there was a tall man like Icheonil."
"Do you think there is such a man?"
"I don't need anything else, I just want to be good at hunting."
The 'swift deer' made a sarcastic remark about the young women's showy behavior.
"I'm excited. I'm very excited."
Just then, the gate in the fence opened wide. Men who had not been seen in the village for a while, led by 'With the Swamp', began to appear one by one.
Before they knew it, the chiefs and elders were welcoming them with one hand raised above their head.
"Welcome, strong-souled warrior!"
A middle-aged man, shorter than the 'Hunter of the Forest' but with a sturdy build, answered with a bright smile.
"It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Well, I got through it without any problems."
"Was there any inconvenience in coming here?"
The middle-aged man shook his head and spoke with a look of difficulty.
"It took about two weeks to get to the new settlement. Why did you choose a new settlement so far away? It was quite a struggle."
"The story is a bit long. Anyway, it was hard to get here."
"Well, I guess you'll treat us well for all the hard work we've put in. Haha!"
Before I knew it, I had naturally joined the group of young men and was carefully observing the guests.
"who?"
When I asked curiously who the chief was greeting, the 'swift deer' explained in detail as if he were telling a very important secret.
"His name is 'Strong Soul Warrior'. He is the chief of the village of the 'Yellow Tree', a tribe like ours. When we moved to a new settlement, we invited the tribe closest to us to let other tribal villages know our location. Well, that's not the only reason."
"Other. Reason?"
The 'Fast Deer', who had been secretly waging a war of nerves with the warriors who had followed the 'Strong Soul Warrior', spoke as if he was annoyed.
"What other reason could there be? I'm looking for a bride here."
"···A bride. I see."
I didn't ask any more questions, as the 'fast-footed deer' seemed to be annoyed. At that moment, the 'Strong Soul Warrior' who was greeting the village elders called out to the young man behind him.
"You haven't seen him since he was little? He's my son."
The 'Strong Soul Warrior' straightened his shoulders, proud of his son who grew up to be a good warrior.
"It's been a while. Your face is red."
'Red Face', who was slightly taller than his father and had a muscular body, greeted me politely with an air of confidence.
The 'Hunter of the Forest' looked at 'Red Face' with satisfied eyes and said.
"You've grown up well. You've grown up very well."
"No. It's not enough."
"Humility isn't everything."
"Thank you for your kind words."
"Yeah. The moon is rising!"
This time, 'The Hunter of the Forest' sang 'The Moon Rises' when it was time to start a family. 'The Moon Rises' came forward with a slightly uncomfortable look.
"You two, say hello. I think I saw you once when I was little. Do you remember?"
"···yes."
The eyes of 'Red Face' sparkled as if they had fallen in love after seeing 'The Moon Rises'.
"The moon is rising?! Are you that little girl who followed me around? Nice to meet you. Really!"
For a moment, 'The Moon Rises' stopped and burst out in anger.
"When did I ever follow you? I never did that."
'Red Face', whose appearance of evading the callousness approached in a different way, smiled brightly.
"Haha! Really? I definitely remember it. Well, maybe I don't remember. I was young."
"······."
Without properly listening to what 'Red Face' was saying, 'The Moon Rises' glanced at me.
'It's just a greeting, but why do you keep checking my mood?'
I was a little embarrassed too. Following her gaze, 'Red Face' naturally looked at me. He opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised by my height, then immediately glared at me as if he was offended, one corner of his mouth twitching.
'The first time I saw him, he looked like a fool.'
Little by little, I too was starting to feel bad. The 'fast-footed deer' next to him whispered.
"You can't lose the initiative. Don't dodge."
"······."
Even though the 'fast-footed deer' didn't say anything, he didn't avoid the gaze of 'Red Face'. No, his childish behavior felt out of place.
I gave a faint smile and made eye contact. At that moment, the 'Forest Hunter' guided the 'Strong-Spirited Warrior' and the warriors of the neighboring tribe, who had come as guests, to the shared hut.
"You all must have had a hard time coming here. Let's not stay here. Let's go to the communal hut and have a smoke and chat."
"Okay."
The chief and the elders guided them, giving instructions to the women of the tribe to prepare food to serve to their guests, including 'flowers on the trees'.
"Okay, I got it. I'll get it ready right away."
'Flowers on the Tree' took away women who were good at cooking. As if welcoming the warm spring, the young women followed the men who had come as guests and chatted with curious eyes.
Whisper whisper!
At that moment, 'The Moon Rises' came running to me as if it was a thief whose feet had become numb.
"A very big two thousand days! Nothing happened with that guy. He didn't follow me around when I was little, he just played."
Who said what? Her explanation just made me laugh.
Phew!
"okay."
"It's true."
"I get it."
"The moon is rising! What are you doing there? Aren't you helping Mom prepare food?"
'The Moon Rises' also responded with annoyance to the annoyed voice of 'Flowers on the Tree'.
"Okay, I'll go."
"······."
She must have realized that I had made a mistake in front of her for a moment, because she spoke with a kind smile and a look of regret, as if to say, "When have I ever been annoyed?"
"If there's anything you want to eat, just tell me. I'll prepare it for you."
"huh."
"I'll just go and take a look."
"okay."
"The moon is rising!"
"I'm going."
'The Moon Rises' ran away before Mom could scold him any more. The young people who were watching the scene from around looked at them with envy.
In particular, the 'swift deer' pouted his lips and spoke teasingly.
"Who doesn't have a mouth? I've been living with them since birth, so I'm a complete loser. Someone else would be lucky. The moon rises and takes care of it for them."
"Hehe! The moon... is rising! Soy sauce! I like it. Me... too, soy sauce! I like it a lot! Hehe!"
Even though 'Honest Bear' didn't say anything, I knew a long time ago that she liked me. However, he was unable to adapt to the world he had returned to in the past and had no time to accept her feelings.
So I pretended not to know anything and just accepted her help. But why is that? I feel so good that the corners of my mouth keep going up.
Moreover, I leisurely smiled like a winner at the guest who glared at me with a very unpleasant look in his eyes as if he was going to kill me, with his face burning red until I entered the communal hut.
Shhh!
And finally, in the midst of the chaos, the 'brave wolf' gave instructions on behalf of the chief.
"Just because guests from a neighboring village have arrived, collecting maple water won't be canceled. It would be good to take a break, even if it's just for a little while."
"Correct! Like that guy said, I should go get some sleep."
As the annoying 'fast-footed deer' moved first, the rest of the people quickly dispersed from their spot to rest a little more.
I too turned around to go do my business.
* * *
"I tried making it like you explained, but I'm not sure if it turned out well."
I asked the 'fast-footed deer' and found the most skilled man in the village to make me a trap. The 'rough hands' with three wrinkles clearly engraved on his forehead are now starting to have gray hairs little by little as time goes by.
When I received the trap he had made, I looked at it carefully like an appraiser assessing the value of an antique.
First of all, pass. I made a trap exactly the way I wanted it. However, I wish the space between the bones was tighter.
"That's right. Well made. The best."
'Rough Hand', who had been standing there nervously at my compliments, only then loosened his stiff expression.
"I'm glad you made it well. Hehe! By the way, it doesn't seem to be much different from the fishing net we use, except that the entrance is smaller… Can you really catch fish with that?"
The fishing nets they use are triangular in shape with one wide side open, and are used to catch fish. However, the traps I make use of the current and bait to catch fish.
The only difference between the two objects is whether one has an entrance that tapers inward or not.
"Catch it."
Any trap I know will catch more than enough fish. Of course, the location of the trap and the bait to attract the fish were important.
"You're so confident. Okay, I'll believe you."
Even though I said that, 'Rough Hands' still looked at me with disbelief. But, I ignored that and was lost in thought.
"···hmm!"
By now, a message should have popped up saying the quest was complete, but I didn't hear any notification sound.
Is it because it hasn't been proven to the tribesmen? Well, I wasn't planning on making just one fish trap anyway. At least ten.
I handed over the deer hind leg I had taken out of my inventory a little while ago.
"Ten traps."
Unable to use one hand because of the deer's hind leg draped over my shoulder, I spread my fingers with my two free hands.
"I didn't plan on getting deer meat···"
'Rough Hand', who had been thinking for a moment, nodded readily.
"Okay. I'll make you ten."
Knowing that I wasn't just asking for favors, this time I brought up something I hadn't been able to say before.
"In between. Tight."
"Would you like the space between the bones to be filled a little more tightly?"
"yes."
"Okay."
When my business was over, I turned to the shack where I was staying.
* * *
"Haha! Did something like that happen?"
"That's what I said."
In the communal hut, guests were welcomed, food was shared, and conversations were held in a friendly atmosphere.
The 'Forest Hunter' asked the 'Strong Soul Warrior' who was eating wild berries.
"How long do you plan to stay?"
"If a young man and woman make eye contact and develop feelings, shouldn't they stay together for at least two weeks? Why are we uncomfortable?"
"Isn't it inconvenient? We were already short on manpower to settle down in the new land, so this is good. Let's rest comfortably and then go."
"Hahaha! Then, I'll go and rest comfortably."
The 'strong soul warrior' who had been laughing heartily opened his mouth again.
"By the way, 'The Moon Rises' has grown up so beautifully."
"Thank you for your kind words."
"Thank you? It's true, but what? Hmm! So what I'm saying is, since we've known each other since we were young and we're old enough to start a family, how about connecting my son and your daughter?"
"···well."
As the 'Forest Hunter' made a hesitant expression, the 'Strong Soul Warrior' brought up an old story.
"Haha! Didn't you promise us before that you would marry off our children?"
"That's right. But, I was immature back then."
"······."
He even brought up a promise. However, when the 'Forest Hunter' couldn't easily answer whether something was bothering him, the 'Strong Soul Warrior' twitched his eyes as if he was upset.
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, the 'Forest Hunter' opened his mouth again.
"I'll ask my daughter. Of course, if you two like each other or if your daughter has feelings for your son, then of course you should give permission."
"Hahaha! I know what you mean."
Smiling awkwardly, the 'Strong Soul Warrior' turned his head slightly and looked at his son with a meaningful look in his eyes.
'Red Face', who had been listening to the conversation from the side, was burning with jealousy.
'It's him. The white guy! How dare you touch my woman?'