Volume 8 - CH 2

Chapter 2 – The Village’s Situation and Preparation for the Party

The sun is up, we have breakfast and then head for the dark elf island. We had been approaching the island on autopilot during the night, so we would be there soon.

When I docked the Seeker, the people of the village had already gathered. We greeted them and unloaded the luggage we had bought. After unloading the luggage, I greeted the village chief and vice-chief again, and about ten villagers were asked to carry the luggage to the village.

“Once again, good morning, Village Chief-san and Vice Chief-san.”

“”Good morning.””

“How are things going? Is everything going well in the village?”

“Yes, thanks to Wataru-san, the number of people and supplies has increased, and everyone is thriving. With the cooperation of the vice chief, it looks like the two villages will be united without any problems.”

“No, no, I haven’t done anything—a new and free environment. Once the confusion was gone, the rest was full of hope and joy. The village chief was also very considerate, so we didn’t even have any arguments.”

The village chief and vice chief also seem to get along well with each other, despite their mutual care. They don’t seem to be arguing in the village either. Is it strange that I think there is something unusual about this? I thought that when one group joined another group, there would be a little friction.

“I see. I am glad to hear that there is no problem. Then, let’s go to the village.”

We headed for the village while talking with the village chief and vice-chief. The number of people in the village has increased, and the village is growing even more. Even so, with the number of people nearly doubling, there are probably more things that can be done.

By cooperating with each other in building houses, a sense of solidarity was born, and even though it has only been a month or so, the village has become so well integrated that it can be called a single village.

When we arrived at the village, new houses were being built in the spacious village. I can hear singing mixed with the sound of pounding tones. I wonder if the dark elves sing a lot of beautiful songs or if it is just a strange feeling to be at a carpenter’s site.

“It’s still early in the morning, yet it’s so lively.”

“Is it? I think it’s normal.”

The village chief looks at me strangely. …Speaking of which, even though there is a magic light, they don’t stay up too late, do they? If they get up when the sun rises, now would be the time to work…

“Oh, no, sorry. It just felt that way because I woke up so late. Ah, I see the kids are getting along.”

I feel like I’ve embarrassed myself for no good reason. Let’s change the subject.

“Yes, they got along right away, and now the eight of them are running around the village together.”

Both the village chief and vice chief were looking at the children with gentle smiles. They completely diverted the conversation. As usual, I sent Felicia to help out at Cecilia-san’s place and looked around the village while listening to their stories.

It’s only been a month, but I feel like the number of houses has increased.

“Village Chief-san, are you going to build the houses like before, making only the outside and the interior detailing later?”

“Yes, that’s right. Everyone is used to it, and it’s done pretty quickly. Even those who were in charge of carpentry in the village are laughing, saying that they will lose their jobs when they finish building the houses.”

A group of dark elves who are good at carpentry work, huh…? From a fantasy point of view, that’s not right. They show me around the village, and we each find a job we think we can do and help out.

I worked hard with Ines, carrying lumber, carrying lumber, carrying lumber. After lunch, I joined Rimu and Fuu-chan, who were playing with the children because, for some reason, there was no more work to be done.

They asked me to tell them a story, but without really thinking about it, I hadn’t had any adventures of any kind. So I taught them how to play ‘Keidoro’ and ‘Daruma-san fell down*,’ which can be played without using tools. [T/n: Keidoro is like hide-and-seek, and Daruma-san fell down is a children’s game similar to Statues or Red Light Green Light, Bodhidharma fell down.]

There were already similar games of tag and hide-and-seek. Keidoro was manageable with soldiers and criminals. But I didn’t know what word to use for Daruma-san fell down, so I played Daruma-san fell down as it was.

Surprisingly, Daruma-san fell down was very heated, which was interesting. At first, I was able to fool the children with appropriate feints even though I was the demon, but soon they got used to it, and I lost several times. It is surprisingly sad when I lose when I really try to win against children.

I was so frustrated that I taught them the true or false game and won all the games. The children’s words, “Wataru-niichan is strong,” and the look of respect in their eyes pierced my heart. Whether I win or lose, my heart hurts. It is best to give them a win.

I played with the children until the evening and returned to the Seeker. It was kind of an unexplainable day, wasn’t it? After dinner, I took an early bath because I was tired.

“Master, the village was in a good mood. I was worried that they were over-exerting themselves.”

That reminds me. There were a lot of people running around, not even taking a break.

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I guess it’s okay that everyone seemed to be having fun… but hey Felicia, did Cecilia-san and the others say anything?”

“My mother says they’re all in too much good spirits. After work, they don’t sleep well, playing Reversi, and Jenga, singing songs, and preparing drinks!”

Huh? Don’t they go to bed early after sunset? Wasn’t it like that in the previous village?　Reversi, Jenga, singing… I’m often the trigger.

“They seem pretty busy working, don’t they? If they’re playing at night on top of that, they’re going to collapse.”

“Yes, my mother was worried too. The people in the former village are very excited about their new friends, and the people in the village on the lake are very energetic with free life and entertainment.”

…I think that’s just the high tension continuing, and they don’t even realize how tired they are. When the tension wears off, they’re going to fall asleep at once…

“I’m sure that’s the case. It is necessary to take a rest, isn’t it? We all collapse when our fatigue outweighs our energy.”

“The women in the village are aware of it, but they can’t seem to control it very well.”

…I was thinking of offering them alcohol and having a party, but I wonder if it would have the opposite effect? …If I just let them drink it, will they fall asleep the next day? Let’s cut the strings early and put them to bed. It would be better than collapsing from physical exhaustion.

“Then, let’s have a party tomorrow. If they finish their work early and let them drink, I think it will give their bodies a rest.”

Hangovers are hard, but if they sleep, it will be a break for their bodies… right? I’m starting to lose some confidence. I’m strangely tired after a hangover, so it’s possible I’m draining my energy. I want to look it up on the internet. Well, once you fall asleep, the tension will probably go down.

“A party? I’m sure everyone will be pleased, but won’t all the commotion tire them out?”

“Yes, I think if they drink and make a lot of noise and get a hangover, the tension will drop, and they’ll calm down.”

During the hangover, I’ll regret having had too much to drink. I can’t stay in high tension.

“I understand. Thank you very much. I’ll talk to my mother tomorrow.”

“Yes, I will let out the liquor, so please ask them to cook.”

“Yes, Master, thank you for everything. I will do my best to repay you in any way I can.”

I was a little intimidated when she suddenly bowed down to me.

“Felicia, don’t worry; I’m enjoying the village building too.”

I don’t want to tell you because you might get angry if I did, but I feel like I’m playing a portable game about building a village, so I’m having fun. Well, I can’t interfere with the arrangement of the houses or anything like that, though, can I?

Tomorrow is the party, so let’s sleep in peace today.

In the morning, we gather in the living room for breakfast. When I told Girasole about the party, they were enthusiastic about it. Of course, they love to drink, don’t they?

The people in the dark elf village will be fine; they were in good spirits at the festival. …To suddenly ask them to have a party this evening? Is that what we are saying? …I don’t have to think about it to be annoying. Well, if it looks like it won’t work, let’s postpone it to tomorrow.

Arriving at the village, I immediately looked for the village chief and spoke to him.

“Good morning, Village Chief-san. May I have a word?”

“Good morning, Wataru-san and everyone. Of course, it’s fine, is something wrong?”

I looked at the village chief when I heard about the strange tension, and sure enough, his eyes were a little red… I don’t know him well, so it’s subtle, but his movements also seem to have become larger, so there seems to be no doubt that the tension is getting higher.

“Yes, I heard that everyone is working hard without a break, so why don’t we have a party this evening for a little relaxation? I’ll provide the drinks.”

“A party? It is true that the villagers have been working hard recently, so it would be nice to have a party. We have been brewing alcohol in the village as well, so I am looking forward to it.”

The village chief’s eyes seem to be shining. The tension has risen even higher. After a short discussion, a party in the evening was decided. The village chief ran off as he communicated throughout the village and into the forest.

…I think it’s good that the village chief is full of vitality, but he shouldn’t go too far. That man will definitely drink a lot, and he will probably calm down a bit with a hangover.

We’re going around helping out in the village as we did yesterday. Girasole seems to be surprisingly enjoying helping out in the village and joins in helping out with the house-building while laughing.

Felicia is going to spread the word to the women in the village through Cecilia-san. In the morning, we carry wood as we did yesterday. There are shouts of joy everywhere as word of the feast spreads.

The people in the village on the lake are puzzled, as if they don’t understand what is happening. The people around them are trying to explain, but they are not keeping up with the rising tension. Well, they wouldn’t understand if someone suddenly started shouting, “It’s a festival!” It’s not a festival; it’s a party, you know.

This is a far cry from the fantasy image of the dark elves. A dark elf who likes to drink and is good at carpentry work… That’s different. That should be the role of dwarves.

Dark elves are supposed to be shady and live in the dark. They shouldn’t be shouting, “It’s a festival!” …Is it because of me? I hope things will calm down once the house-building is done.

I have lunch and play with the kids as I did yesterday. Somehow I feel doubtful about the natural flow of playing with children, but I can’t say that to the children who are frolicking in front of me. Let’s play together like adults.

“Wataru-niichan. Today is a festival, right?”

It’s not a festival; it’s a party.

“I’m looking forward to the food.”

“I’m hungry.”

We just had lunch, though, didn’t we?　

“I’m looking forward to it.”

I should clear up the misunderstanding, right? I think as I watch the excited children.

“You know, today is not a festival; it’s a party.”

“What’s the difference?”

“…Festival is to thank the gods, and the party is to drink alcohol and make a lot of noise, right?”

It’s probably right, isn’t it?

“Is there a feast?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then it’s okay to have a feast.”

If there is a feast, there is no problem? I know how you feel, so I can’t say anything. When I was in Japan, I was only interested in opening stores. Now that I’ve met Creator God-sama, I’m praying seriously.

Like yesterday, I kill time until dinner while playing with the children. They said they would play a lot and get hungry with the goal of having a feast at night, so I convinced them that they would get sleepy and miss the feast as soon as they got tired.

Children’s full strength is scary. It’s hard to play with children who play around in high tension. In the evening, I parted from the children and returned to the Seeker to unload the liquor with the villagers who were our cargo carriers.

Hmm, wine and ale are no problem, but we’re running low on distilled liquor. It would be a hassle to go stock up again, so what should I do?

When we arrived at the village with the liquor, we found people gathered in the square. It looks like they are already preparing. As we proceed through the good smells, a campfire is being built…

“I see that you have built a campfire, Village Chief-san. Is it alright? You need wood to build a house, right?”

“Ah, Wataru-san. Thank you for the drinks. We needed wood, but we made it because we wanted the new residents to see that scene. We can get by with replenishing the wood later.”

Apparently, the campfire was remembered by the people who helped me build it. Well, if the party is going to be fancy, what’s the problem? The more showy it is, the more alcohol will go down the drain. Tomorrow will be a quiet village like the last time.

There are many dishes on the table, some of which I taught them and some of which I think were adapted from the dishes I taught them. As for the alcohol, I wonder if those unknown barrels are alcohol made in this village. I wonder if I should drink… which sounds both intriguing and scary?

“Wataru-san, I love the atmosphere here. Lots of food, lots of alcohol! Everyone is waiting for the party to start right now!”

Alessia-san with a big smile on her face… I guess it’s not my imagination that there was a special accent on the alcohol. She’s definitely targeting alcohol.

Preparations are finished, and the party begins just before the sun goes down completely.