CH 18

The house of Seto and Satis was located on a slightly elevated spot in the village.

From the balcony on the second floor, they had a sweeping view of the outside of the village, and the two of them were admiring that scenery.

[I see snow has been piling up all over that mountain range.] (Seto)

[The temperature up there is much lower than down here, after all. Some of the flying monsters weren’t accustomed to the cold, either. In such cases, we used magic to cast protection spells on them.] (Satis)

While they were chatting about such trivia, they caught sight of the village mayor Scarlett coming over.

She saw them on the balcony, and waved at them with a smile.

The two of them immediately went downstairs to greet her.

[Whew… These little hills get tougher to climb as you grow older. …So, what do you think of this house?] (Scarlett)

[We like it very much. The view from here is especially beautiful.] (Seto)

[And to think the village mayor herself would go out of her way to personally rent us such a luxurious vacant house… You have our deepest gratitude.] (Satis)

[It’s all right. You two are our first visitors in ages. Now come, I’ll show you around the village. Please follow me.] (Scarlett)

Thus, with Seto and Satis following her, Scarlett started showing them around the village.

[As you already noticed, some of us work in the fields, but others also go hunting in the forests outside the village. We even have sorcerers among us who devote themselves to the study of magic. We also have a blacksmith, who mainly takes commissions from outside the village. Next, the only noteworthy location I can think of would be Kilim-san’s station.] (Scarlett)

[I thought the villagers here would be engaging in more radical activities than that.] (Seto)

[Fufufu! If you think of it as the village of eccentrics, I suppose you would. But everyone here works normally. Although, their personalities could use a bit of work, so it can be difficult.] (Scarlett)

After saying this, Scarlett led them to the house of a certain character.

Once there, they met a muscular man with brown hair and a beard.

He was in the middle of chopping wood with an axe, sweating and working silently with a sour look on his face.

[This man is Ryodou Anacondell. He’s an old acquaintance of mine, and also my advisor.] (Scarlett)

[Ryodou…? You mean—!?] (Seto)

Upon hearing his name, Seto reacted loudly.

He had never met Ryodou before, but he knew his name.

[That man is the legendary sniper! What is he doing he—…!?] (Seto)

Before he could finish his question, Ryodou stopped his work and interrupted him.

He had a gloomy expression, and he was giving off an air of dejection.

Calling him a hero would be no exaggeration.

He was the sort of man that Seto, a former boy soldier, looked up to.

However, all he did was quietly tell Seto the following.

[I’m not the hero you think I am. I’m just a mass murderer who has snatched the lives of others while lurking around and hiding in the shadows.] (Ryodou)

[Eh…? But…] (Seto)

[Kid, it’s the unspoken rule of this village not to pry into other people’s pasts. So no more of that. Do you understand?] (Ryodou)

Ryodou sat down and drank water from his canteen.

The sweat from work made his skin look muddy, and the sunlight was reflected by countless droplets of it.

[…So, Mayor. Are these two new tenants?] (Ryodou)

[I’m renting out a vacant house to them for a short time. They say they’re on a journey together.] (Scarlett)

[Oho? Impressive for such youngsters.] (Ryodou)

He took a look at Seto and Satis as he said that.

Despite going from veteran warrior to villager, his discernment had not deteriorated one bit.

Seto was visibly feeling nervous from meeting a hero such as him.

Ryodou was observing him like a superior officer looking at a new recruit.

[He may seem unsociable at first, but he’s a good person at heart.] (Scarlett)

[Mayor, please don’t say anything uncalled for.] (Ryodou)

[Oh, but it’s the truth, isn’t it? You treat all the other villagers like your own family, and I’m grateful to you for that.] (Scarlett)

[…Hmph.] (Ryodou)

Ryodou turned away, got up, collected the firewood he had chopped and carried it to the back of his house.

[…I’m sorry about this. He’s just a little shy.] (Scarlett)

[No, it’s all right. Simply meeting him was already satisfying.] (Seto)

[But he looked awfully worn out. I wonder if he’s one of those who grew sick of the battlefield.] (Satis)

[Well, you’re right about that. He’s been through a lot. …Well, that’s it for our visit. You’re now free to do as you plea—… Oh?] (Scarlett)

Scarlett looked up at the sky.

A lone hawk flew in her direction and landed slowly.

A small tube used to hold a letter was attached to its foot.

[Is this an express mail? How unusual at this time of the year. …Oh my. I did not expect that.] (Scarlett)

Scarlett pulled the message out of the tube, and quietly expressed her surprise at its content.

Was it bad news, or…

[…I know you two were planning to stay only for a short time, but perhaps it would be best if you stayed longer than that.] (Scarlett)

[Eh? Why is that? Are there any problems?] (Satis)

Satis’ expression turned gloomy and restless.

She was having a bad feeling about the content of that message.

But Scarlett gave her a gentle reply, as if to assuage her fears.

[Don’t worry, it concerns a faraway location. …Apparently, the Demon King’s army is regaining momentum little by little. And it seems that tensions are rising in the neighbouring countries as well, causing them to close their national borders and customs. I don’t know how long it will take, but please do stay here until things have calmed down.] (Scarlett)

[Are you sure? We’ve only just arrived today…] (Seto)

[And in that case, please let us help out in the village, at the very least…] (Satis)

[Fufufu. You don’t have to force yourselves. But the fact that you wish to do something of your own accord is wonderful in itself. …I’ll think about it. Until then, please make yourselves comfortable.] (Scarlett)

For the time being, she ended their conversation on that note.

Then she added [If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask me] before leaving and going back to her own house.

Seto and Satis also decided to return to the house that had been prepared for them.

[Still, I never thought the Demon King’s army would make a comeback at this point in time… I wonder what happened.] (Seto)

[Knowing the other top executives, it should have been difficult for them to turn the tables given the circumstances. …Well, except for one soldier.] (Satis)

[Hm? Do you know someone powerful among them?] (Seto)

[I do. It must’ve been the work of the Demon Army’s strongest—… Ahem. You know what, let’s drop this topic. Why talk about the war when we’ve made it to such a peaceful village?] (Satis)

[…You’re right. I also want to fully appreciate this village life. With you…] (Seto)

[Me too, Seto.] (Satis)

The two of them walked hand in hand along the road to their house.

A gentle breeze and sunshine surrounded them, as if the ongoing war was a lie.

Here, their time of tranquility and sense of calm lulled them both into a sense of peace.

Seto thought that perhaps this place could become their new home.

He would live here together with Satis, and eventually travel again to explore the world with her.

When he envisioned such a future, he felt something warm in his chest.

It was a kind of feeling he did not know, something he had felt for her many times so far.

Seto wondered if this was not the feeling known as “love”, which he was not familiar with.