CH 163

"Rolando, experience the taste of guilt and humiliation."

Translated by Dawn

Edited by Dawn

“Rolando, experience the taste of guilt and humiliation.”

“Is this the village?”

After dealing with a minor inconvenience, I arrived at the village that had apparently suffered from Manticore attacks on the same day.

The distance from this village to Salivardora was about a four to five-day journey by carriage, but for someone like me who could fly using magic, it was a distance that could be covered in a day.

The village didn’t seem to have changed much, and if anything, it felt even more deserted, enveloped in an eerie silence. To be honest, it could be described as unsettling.

Well, I didn’t think there were any people here causing a ruckus by attracting terrifying monsters like the Manticore, but with such silence, I couldn’t help but imagine that all the villagers had been swallowed by the Manticore’s belly, leading to the worst possible outcome.

“Wh-Who the hell are you!? What’s your business in this village?”

As I approached the entrance of the village, armed villagers appeared from somewhere. Fortunately, it seemed like I had found the first villager, so I decided to initiate communication and approached them.

“I’ve hit the mark in this village.”

“What? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Ah, that’s right. In this world, there wasn’t a TV program with the concept of throwing darts at a world map and going to the place where they landed for coverage… Well, it seemed like my first impression was a failure. (+)

“Anyway, can you go and call the village chief?”

“What business does a suspicious kid like you have with the village chief?”

“I’m an adventurer who heard that this village has been affected by the Manticore’s attacks. I want to hear the details, so go and call the village chief.”

“We can’t let a suspicious person like you enter the village. You, a small child, can’t possibly be an adventurer! Sorry, but please leave.”

I was at a loss. It seemed that not only had I failed to communicate properly, but I was also perceived as a suspicious individual. I guess the dart joke didn’t work… Damn it, if only there were televisions in this world.

“What are you doing!?”

“Ah, Village Chief. This child suddenly appeared and started saying strange things.”

“What is it?”

The villager guarding the entrance of the village started saying something nonsensical, and the village chief seemed somewhat perplexed. By the way, the village chief was an old man with long, white hair, fitting the image of a village chief.

“So you’re the village chief of this village. I’m an adventurer who has come to this village directly at the request of a certain individual. I would like to hear more about the Manticore.”

“You suddenly start saying something like that, and you expect me to believe you?”

“This is my Guild Card. Please confirm it.”

Thinking that the village chief’s opinion was reasonable, I decided to establish my own identity first and presented my Adventurer’s Guild Card. The old man, after widening his eyes in surprise upon reading its contents, immediately changed his attitude.

“I-I can’t believe such a young child is an A-rank adventurer. You truly experience strange things if you live long enough.”

“More importantly, could you tell me about the situation?”

“Understood. I will guide you to my house.”

After that, I was allowed to enter the village and followed the village chief’s guidance to his house. His house was slightly larger than the others, clearly indicating that it belonged to the village chief, making it easily recognizable as the residence of the village’s representative.

“Grandpa, welcome back. Who is this child?”

“Oh, Meril. I’m back. This here is an adventurer who came rushing here after hearing about the Manticore… Come to think of it, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, right. I didn’t introduce myself.”

I had been too preoccupied with important matters and forgot to introduce myself. …Important matters like the soul food of my homeland, rice, which was said to be here in this village. What? Isn’t it about subduing the Manticore? Talking cats and such can wait. Right now, it’s all about rice.

“I am Rolando, an adventurer.”

“I am Fagares, the village chief of this village. And this is my granddaughter, named Meril.”

“I’m Meril.”

The village chief, Fagares, introduced himself and the girl bowed her head slightly and mentioned her name. She appeared to be in her early teens, with short chestnut hair and cute round eyes, giving the impression of being the second most popular girl in the class.

By the way, considering her age, I expected her chest armor to be modest, but true to the theory of rural girls’ development, she boasted an E-cup at such a young age… Meril, she’s an impressive girl.

With our introductions out of the way, I decided to hear the detailed story from the village chief.

“So, where is the rice?”

“Rice?”

“I mean, the ‘grain wheat’. I heard there is some here.”

“Um, weren’t you here to hear about the Manticore?”

“…Oh, right. Well, I’ll ask about it just in case.”

As much as the topic of rice was more important than a mere talking cat, if I were to offend Fagares now and lose the chance to get some rice later, it would be counterproductive. In RPG terms, rather than presenting demands upfront, it would be better to solve the villagers’ problems and then express our request as gratitude. Like saying, “Bring me rice…”

After hearing Fagares’ story, it seemed that the Manticore had suddenly appeared and caused damage to some of the village buildings, and fields, and a few villagers had become victims.

Furthermore, as I had heard, the Manticore didn’t completely wipe out the villagers but demanded regular sacrifices, offering them as tributes.

“Among the villagers who became sacrifices, my son and his wife were also among them. I couldn’t do anything at that time, and I felt frustrated beyond measure. A useless old man like me survived while others perished.”

“Grandpa, don’t say such things.”

Meril comforted Fagares, her grandfather, as he clenched his fist with a look of frustration. But the one who bears the greatest sadness was none other than Meril herself. For Fagares, they were his son and daughter-in-law, but for Meril, they were her parents. Losing parents at such a young age leaves a bigger scar on the heart than losing them as an adult.

What’s worse, if they had passed away due to illness or accident, it would have been different. The fact that they were killed will remain a significant wound for her, who was yet to reach adulthood.

(My stupid self… When I heard from Alicia that villagers had become sacrifices, why did I forget about this possibility!)

The more I saw their gloomy figures, the more guilt welled up within me for what I had been thinking just moments ago. What about rice? They had their irreplaceable family members taken away from them.

I wanted to punch my past self for how foolishly I was thinking. Well, in reality, it would hurt, so I wouldn’t actually do it.

Wanting to alleviate even a tiny bit of the guilt I felt towards them, I subtly grasped my thigh so they wouldn’t notice. Alright, let this be my atonement for the wicked thoughts I had.

“I understand the general situation. So, do you know where it went?”

“There is a small hill to the north of this village, and it could serve as its lair. It’s likely that it’s there.”

“I see. Understood. However, it’s already getting close to evening, so I’d like to stay in this village for the night. Can you tell me where I can stay?”

“In that case, please stay at my house. There is a room that belonged to my late son and his wife, and you can use it right away.”

Unable to disregard Fagales’ kind offer and the somber atmosphere once again, I decided to stay at the village chief’s house for one night. Wait, Manticore. I will make you regret for giving me this guilt.