Chapter 1: Village Chief Appointment

Chapter 1: Village Chief Appointment

Ding-ding-.

A single horse was pulling a small cart, moving forward. Each step was accompanied by the sound of the bell around its neck, jingling leisurely.

"Let's speed up a little. Everyone's going to be starving."

Whether Dominic was encouraging the horse or talking to himself for having crossed the uphill road, he rambled on even without an audience.

"Anyway, they all know how tasty it is, how did they all live when I was not around?"

His chirping words were dripping with pride in his culinary skills and love for the people of the village.

Dominic was a stranger.

To be exact, he was a war refugee. A village that would welcome a stranger with neither home nor temple was something that only existed in fairy tales. Naturally, Dominic's life was far from smooth.

[Get lost! We fed you and gave you a place to sleep, and now you talk about money? You ungrateful wretch!]

He worked tirelessly for twelve hours a day, but all he received in return was coldness, disdain, and being trampled upon. There was no place that paid him the money they initially promised.

'Should I just give it all up?'

Just as his enthusiasm for life began to wane, Dominic found himself in a small fishing village, too small to be named on a map.

[Do you know how to cook?]

[...Yes, well. I'm not exactly a professional chef, but I can do quite a bit.]

[That's good. From tomorrow, help us with our lunch at the fishing village.]

The people of the fishing village, Evergreen, were not affluent but were the first good people Dominic had encountered in 'this life.' As the village was primarily formed by retired mercenaries, the villagers weren't particularly refined, but at least they weren't hypocritical.

"Why are you so late? We almost died waiting for lunch!"

"What if the food cools down because I came too quickly? Then you'll get irritated again."

"True that."

"What's on the menu today, Dominic?"Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

In response to the fishermen's hurry, Dominic lifted the cloth that had been covering the cart as if inviting them to check for themselves.

The cart contained two deep iron pots and four baskets.

As if familiar with the process, the fishermen took out one basket, shared the wooden utensils inside, and stood in a straight line next to the cart.

"It smells good."

"Of course, who do you think made it?"

"Haha. I can't complain since the food tastes so good."

The middle-aged fisherman who laughed heartily was a muscular man, strapping enough to carry barrels as big as a child's head on each arm. Though he was now introduced as the village chief of Evergreen, he had been a reputable mercenary captain until a decade ago.

The sight of this bear-like man holding a wooden plate was quite comical, yet no one standing in line had the leisure to make jokes about it.

They were fishermen who had been fishing since dawn.

Sounds of rumbling stomachs could be heard from various corners.

"Come on, Dominic, start serving the food!"

"I'm starving!"

"The wait is... over now, come one by one."

"Wow-."

After securely fixing the cart on the ground, Dominic, who had climbed on top, opened the iron pots. The scent of the food began to waft out.

"Two pieces of bread each, okay? I've brought enough to match the headcount, so don't be greedy!"

The fishermen started serving themselves familiarly.

They picked up two round pieces of bread and placed them on their plates, and added stir-fried vegetables and plump sausages on the side. The finishing touch was the soup. In small wooden bowls placed on the plates, steaming soup was generously filled.

"Dominic's cream soup is always exceptional, no matter when you eat it."

Carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, and onions are sauted before adding roux made of flour and milk, and simmered until thick. When the ingredients are cooked through, it's seasoned with salt and flavored with herbs.

'Pepper is too expensive to use, but herbs are sufficient.'

The soup, enhanced with a few dried herbs, hit the villagers' taste buds just right.

The frozen bodies of the fishermen, stiffened by the moist sea breeze, started to thaw with a spoonful of the creamy soup.

"Ah!"

"Ah, Captain, no, Village Chief! How can you say it like that?"

"He's shocked, totally shocked. You think Dominic thinks he's being teased right now? We should explain properly, what is this? Hehehe."

"What are you all talking about? Suddenly I should become the village chief? Are you talking to me?"

Dominic's eyes bulged out in disbelief.

Village Chief, of all things.

Even if it was a small village, the Village Chief was a position that held the authority to have direct contact with the local lord, essentially equivalent to a king of the region. It meant that if you wanted to, you could hold all the vested interests that arose in the village in the palm of your hand.

Naturally, there were responsibilities as well.

One would have to lead the village in place of the lord and, should anything happen, must promptly report it to the lord. Of course, there were many chiefs who also exploited this duty as a means to maintain their own power.

Anyway, it was not a position that Dominic, who had only settled in the village for a mere year and was around twenty years old, could take on.

"It's no big deal. Just attend the village chief meeting held at the Lord's castle once a month."

"......"

"Just don't fall asleep there, okay? Small villages like ours, Evergreen, don't even get a say. Honestly, I can't even understand what the nobles are talking about."

"So you want me to do it because going to the meeting once a month is bothersome for you?"

"Well... No, not exactly like that, but... Hehehe."

The muscular village chief let out an awkward laugh.

Then, the former deputy commander of a mercenary group, who was now a fisherman, started to shake his head and speak up.

"Look, just be honest. It's bothersome, yes, but last time they said some of the chiefs are illiterate so it's making the meeting difficult, and told us to learn to read within three months. Dominic, you know this. Our village chief is not the kind to study when told to."

"Hey! Why would you say that!"

"Eventually, everyone will find out anyway. Better to spill the beans now than feel embarrassed later, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Think about it. If Dominic later finds out we dumped this bothersome task on him and rebels or runs away, then what? Are we going to find someone who can read from somewhere?"

"Excuse me, I've been listening this whole time..."

"Ahem, ahem. Anyway, now that it's come to this, Dominic, please."

"So you really want me to become the village chief just for that?"

"Just for that? I've never studied in my life!"

He was a nobleman with the knack for boasting about things that didn't seem worth boasting about.

When Dominic looked around, it seemed like the decision had already been made.

"So, all I really have to do is go and be a seat filler?"

"That's right, that's right!"

"There's really nothing like having to propose items for discussion or anything like that, right?"

"Who do you think we are? No one even asks about that sort of thing in our village. Think about it, Dominic. If even small village chiefs like ours get speaking rights in meetings, when would the meetings ever end?"

"Fair point."

"Don't worry about the travel expenses for going to the Lord's castle for meetings; it will be covered from the village's budget."

At this point, it seemed like there was no reason not to do it.

A bit bothersome, yes, but if it's only once a month, then what's the big deal.

With that thought, Dominic nodded his head.

"Alright. If it's only once a month, it doesn't seem too hard."

"Hehe, good decision."

"So I can start from next month's meeting?"

"No?"

"...What?"

"The meeting for this month is the day after tomorrow. Hehe."

Ah, darn it.

He felt like giving up the position of village chief as soon as he accepted it.