"Hey! When did you find a random… oh my, what are a fine young man you are."
The old man's wife was a plump lady wearing an old villager dress and apron, but I could feel the warmth of a mother coming from her. In any case, her words made me think of a bunch of complicated feelings since it was the first time I experienced pretty privilege. Who said that only one can have that?
"Thank you, ma'am. I am just giving a hand in exchange for the boots and the gloves. I won't stay for long."
"Oh my, he called me ma'am. Please, stay for as long as you want. Do you want some warm milk?"
The old lady was quick for her to change the tone of her voice; she sounded like a tractor before, but now she sounded like an electric car with the most silent engine, in fact. I could see the face of the old man getting annoyed. They were like the old couple who fought all the time, but it was only obvious that he wouldn't like his wife looking at another man in any shape or form.
"I am truly thankful, but I will have to refuse it. I will feel bad since I don't have any money to pay for it, but if you have some extra work…"
"Oh, please. We might be random villagers, but at least we can welcome people properly. I will prepare the breakfast."
The old lady left while humming, and then the old man clicked his tongue. I resumed my work since I didn't want to overstay my welcome. The last thing that I needed was to get a bad reputation around.
"Damn it, what is wrong with her? She is a mother of five and still acts like that when she sees a younger man."
She truly looked like a mother of five. She passed that motherly aura. In any case, it truly looked like I was in another world… a world where people shag a lot and can have that many kids without worrying about anything.
(The Carpentry Skill Tree leveled up. You received 10 Experience points.)
When I chopped the tenth log, I got that notification; it seemed that leveling up that skill tree was an excellent way to get experience and earn some money as well. If I move around doing odd jobs for others, I can make money and perhaps unlock some new skill trees, too. I will need a few things if I want to keep moving away from any potential pursuers.
I was supposed to be half a day away from that city, but I didn't know for how long I could stay around. Now that I thought about it, it was weird that these people were humans like me, and the guys who wanted to burn me alive weren't… they mentioned the human realm and that kind of thing; were we in the human realm?
If they killed the entire royal family, they probably wouldn't want to spread information telling that I escaped… that would make them look weak. While I was thinking about that, I finished chopping the firewood and then looked around for more… I wanted to level up that skill tree again, but it seemed that I would have to wait.
"Let's go before that nagging witch screams again."
"Uh, shouldn't I leave now?"
"Do you want me to become deaf? If you leave now, she will spend the entire day screaming."
While that was convenient for me since I was hungry and thirsty, I still felt a bit bad. The people in the village weren't exactly rich, and while that family raised five kids, there was still the risk of me being found and they would get involved in the mess. Still, leaving now suspiciously would be wrong, too.
In the end, I silently followed the older man to his house, expecting to find some kids there, but I only saw those two… in places like that, people get married and have kids fairly soon, so perhaps their kids were already adults.
The table stretched across the cozy room. It was made of sturdy oak and worn smoothly by years of use and family gatherings. Its surface bore the marks of countless meals, each scratch and groove telling a story of laughter, arguments, and shared moments.
A bunch of platters overflowed with roasted meats, crispy-skinned chicken, succulent pork, and a large, golden-brown turkey at the center, its aroma filling the room with mouthwatering warmth. Bowls of root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, and parsnips—glazed with honey and herbs, sat beside baskets of freshly baked bread, their crusts crackling invitingly.
A large bowl of thick, creamy soup steamed gently next to a smaller dish of buttery mashed potatoes, swirled with pools of melted butter, and sprinkled with chives. There were dishes of tangy, pickled vegetables, sharp and sweet, providing a perfect contrast to the richness of the meats. Freshly churned butter and jars of homemade preserves, strawberry, blackberry, and apricot lined one end of the table, ready to be spread on slices of warm, crusty bread.
I was utterly speechless. I thought that they were a humble family, but they were a lot better off than I had expected.
"Woman! Do you want to make go bankrupt? Just because those fools send money now and then doesn't mean that you have to use all the food like this!"
"It is better than letting you spend on booze. Now, let's sit down to eat. Feel free to eat anything you want."
Handsome guys truly live in easy mode… if I didn't have any pride, I would say that in my next life, I would want to be reborn as a hot chick or a handsome man. In any case, my mouth was watering, so soon I began to eat.
I didn't know if the old lady was that good a cook or if I was just starving. Still, I never ate anything better in my life. While I was busy, the old lady looked at me with a satisfied smile, while the old man looked at me, wondering if I was planning to eat all of their food supply myself.
"It is the best meal I ever had, ma'am."
"Naturally, I was once a chef for the royal family, you know."
(The Charm Skill Tree leveled up. You received 10 Experience points.)
I froze on the spot and then gulped… I wondered if the old lady was saying that or if she was implying that she knew me. By my face, I shouldn't be older than fifteen, and if she had grown children, she should have left the castle before the real Leon Maxwell had been born.
Eventually, I gulped, tried to pretend that nothing had happened, and slowed down on eating. Once my belly was full, I felt really relaxed and then looked around to see if there was something I could do to repay for the meal. On the side of the wall, I also found a full set of armor, a shield, and an iron sword… it seemed like the set of someone who once had been a guard.
"Interested? All kids of your age are. I was a guard at the castle, too; that is where I met this insupportable woman."
"You must have been pretty skilled."
"I was only average, but I was big enough to scare most troublemakers, and that granted me a few accomplishments. Anyway, if you want to repay me for the food, you can help me today; I promised to help a friend of mine with chopping some trees."
"You idiot! I invited him to have a meal! Not to force him to become free labor?"
"Shut the hell up! A man who doesn't work doesn't eat! He is also going to need some things to recover from being mugged, and we can't give everything to him for free!"
"Thank you, sir, ma'am. I really appreciate it. I will work hard today."