Seirei Gensouki Konna Sekai De Deaeta Kimi Ni
Life in the Village Part 1

Life in the Village Part 1

The next day, Rio started his life in the village where his father, Zen, previously lived.

Thinking it would be rude to load for free, Rio offered help around the village during his stay.

The morning starts early in the village.

Rio woke up before sunrise and walked towards the living room of Yuba's house.

「Oya, you wake up quite early. 」

Yuba was already up and sitting on the chair while lighting a fire.

「* Yawning * Good morning Obaa-chan ~」

Still half asleep, Ruri entered the room.

"Good morning . You, did you forget? Rio is here too. 」

Yuba smiled wryly at Ruri whose messy nightgown showed traces of her underwear.

One year older than Rio, her body is leaning to the thinner side due to daily farm work and slight malnutrition, but still holds the feminine grace of a woman. his well-maintained can be seen coming out from his disheveled top.

「Eh ... Ah !!!」

Finally Ruri noticed the boy in front of her who had started living with them since the previous day.

Although Rio had already averted his gaze, Ruri's face became as red as a ripe apple when he realized that, even for a moment, he saw her indecent appearance.

「I— I'll change!」

Parting with those words, Ruri ran out of the room.

He returned to the room after a few minutes but glared at Rio.

（I'm not a guilty person here, but, can't not ..）

Trying her best to avoid her gaze, a narrow smile formed on Rio's face.

「So, since you woke up early in the morning, do you intend to help us? Will you be open to help with anything we need? 」

Perhaps intending to clear the awkward atmosphere between Rio and Ruri, Yuba chuckled lightly when asking Rio.

「Yes, leave it to me. 」

Wanting to escape from the awkward atmosphere, Rio quickly gave an answer to Yuba's question.

「Well, even if you say it, what can you do? Because depending on what you're good at, the work I'll give you may be different. 」

While only for a limited time, additional manpower was secured and Yuba's expression was that of the village chief considering how to most effectively maximize his efficiency.

「Cooking, farming, hunting, building, concocting medicines and lastly, although I don't want to stand out too much, I can use Spirit Arts. 」

Rio's skill improved substantially during his stay in the Seirei no Tami village.

He could even do construction work from the knowledge he had gained from the dwarves and compound medicines for common ailments from training under the elves as long as the necessary ingredients were available.

Yuba and Ruri were astonishedly staring at Rio as he read out his skills one after another.

「Yeah, it is inconspicuous as it is not strange for the son of Zen and Ayame-sama to also be. However, your other skills are not a lie, right? It doesn't matter even if you don't exaggerate. 」

Being able to do something and actually produce results are two very different things.

Many of the jobs assigned to the men in the village involved physical labor such as farming, hunting, and construction. They are not jobs that an amateur can suddenly do.

In the worst case, if Rio was only on the air, he could negatively affect the productivity of others.

「Yes, no problem. 」

Rio answered without hesitation.

"I saw . Then I'll take your word for it. To start, let's introduce you to the other villagers. Ruri, take Rio with you to barter your morning ingredients and use the opportunity to introduce him as well. 」

Perhaps because Rio's firm trust could be felt, Yuba decided to trust him for now.

So, Yuba instructed Ruri to introduce Rio to the villagers.

「E ~ toto, okay. Then, Rio ... shall we go? 」

With a tone of embarrassment, likely stemming from having the embarrassing appearance seen earlier, Ruri called out to Rio in a slightly timid voice.

「Yes, please treat me well. 」

As the two left the village chief's house, they first stopped at the kitchen garden, which was raised separately from the village-run fields, to harvest the materials.

Some are set aside for home use with the rest put in a basket.

「Barter is how we exchange goods in the village. We harvest the ingredients for our food in the morning and gather in the square to trade with other families. 」

Ruri explained the way the village operated to Rio.

"I saw…"

Rio glanced at the previously harvested vegetables in the basket with great admiration.

Although taxes are levied on individual villages, only materials harvested from village-run farms are taxed.

While discussing the workings of the village, the two approached the village square.

A plaza the size of a small school courtyard is located in the middle of the village, bounded by simple wooden houses with thatched roofs on either side.

The women in the village had already gathered in the square and exchanged greetings and exchanged gossip.

"Good morning everyone!"

Ruri gave a cheerful greeting to everyone gathered.

When the women noticed Ruri's presence, they returned a light greeting while smiling. However, after noticing the figure of the unknown man by his side, they immediately turned their gaze towards him.

「This Rio. Since yesterday, he has been living with us. He is 14 years old, the son of an old acquaintance of Obaa-chan. I took him to introduce him to everyone as he would help around the village starting today. 」

「As you have already heard, my name is Rio. Although I am still lacking in many areas, please take care of me from now on. 」

In an attempt to leave a good impression, Rio politely greeted everyone with a perfect smile.

The polite introduction, which was her posture and words, was Rio's method of creating a harmonious relationship.

If the other party were to be greeted with respect, they would most likely also return the manners. It was something Rio always remembered every time he introduced himself.

「E ~ toto, nice to meet you ..」

Surprised by Rio's overly formal introduction, the women awkwardly returned his greetings.

「You don't need to speak politely like royalty-sama. You would make everyone nervous if a boy like Rio spoke in such a manner. 」

Ruri advised him as if she had experienced it before.

For the women who were constantly surrounded by rough and rough men, they found Rio very attractive with his handsome face and strange face.

If such a person spoke in a formal tone, it would not be surprising for them to be nervous from embarrassment.

「Haha, well, I'll do my best. I will work gradually. 」

After making his introduction using a formal speech, Rio though it was unnatural to suddenly change his speech for no good reason.

When standing up, it would be best to change them little by little.

Rio smiled bitterly while thinking so the women set their eyes on Ruri.

They were without a doubt, wondering who this amazing man was.

Ruri flinched under their gazes that were akin to carnivores not letting their prey escape.

The eyes of the young unmarried women were very intense.

（Ha, haha ... Well, I already thought it would be like this but .. Uu ~ h, I will definitely be interrogated later. ）

Ruri still doesn't know anything about Rio because she is still very nervous living with him.

When she returned home after work the day before, her grandmother suddenly told her that Rio would start living with them.

He is only told that he is the son of one of Yuba's old acquaintances.

It was not strange for Yuba, with her vast network, to get acquainted with someone from outside the village, but there was still no way he could not be surprised when someone of the opposite sex and in the same age group started living together with them .

On top of that, Rio was very handsome, polite and calm.

The day before, when Ruri saw him by chance and offered to guide him thinking he was a guest, she became fascinated at his handsome appearance2.

If someone as sociable as himself became nervous, it was no wonder that the young women in the village felt the same way.

For Ruri who had only dealt with rude men until now, she was at a loss how to behave to a man like Rio.

The eyes of the young ladies switched between Rio and Ruri since a while ago.

Ruri becomes depressed when she imagines a barrage of questions that will inevitably come her way during work after breakfast.

He sent a glance at Rio.

Using only their eyes, Ruri and the women had a discreet conversation between them. It was only possible because they were all women and had been acquainted for a long time.

Drawing the gaze from the young ladies, Rio stood up in confusion.

Suddenly, Rio's gaze overlapped with Ruri's.

（Uuu ~ h, I really cannot understand it ~）

Ruri's face flushed slightly when she remembered that she was seen in her underwear not long ago.

Looking at her flushed face, the women, with their sharp intuition, sensed something was amiss.

Without even asking, they all came to the same conclusion.

「Haa ~ let's finish bartering today quickly. Everyone needs to go home and make breakfast. 」

Sighing in a small breath, the embarrassed Ruri began to split the ingredients.

He traded their ingredients for ingredients from other household kitchen gardens and the contents of their baskets changed quickly.

「Alright, can we go back, Rio?」

After making sure that their task was completed, Ruri quickly called out to Rio who was carrying a basket filled with freshly obtained ingredients.

Although the women seemed to want to talk to Rio, none of them could find a chance as they all noticed each other's movements.

Ignoring the sharp gazes of the other women, Ruri quickly went home with Rio.

「Obaa-chan, I'm back!」

「I'm back. 」

As Ruri cheerfully announced her return, Rio also followed her.

"Welcome back . 」

It seemed that Yuba had already prepared the utensils and firewood for cooking and was waiting for them to return.

「Let me help cooking. I can also get various herbs and ingredients during my trip, so please use them. 」

The ingredients came from the five-year-old food that Rio received as a gift from Arthura, which also included a lot of seasonings.

Of course, if he took all the food at once, it would raise the question of where he kept all of it.

Therefore, Rio decided to deceive them by moving a certain amount of ingredients and seasonings into his back bag first.

「It will be very helpful because we are very short of seasoning. 」

The village was entirely dependent on peddlers who regularly stopped by the village for supplies of seasonings, especially salt.

The price of salt is quite high when compared to the price in the city because of the efforts of transportation of the peddlers. As a result, it is difficult to buy in bulk at a time and is highly valued in the village.

Therefore, given its shortcomings, seasonings are prioritized over ingredients.

Even if there were a lot of ingredients, if there were no seasoning, the food would become very bland.

With that in mind, Rio returned to his room and took out the ingredients as well as a lot of salt from his Item Box. He stuffed them all onto his back and returned to the hall that was connected to the kitchen.

「For now, here's the salt. 」

One bag of salt weighing more than 10 kg was removed from the backpack and placed on a table.

「Fu ~ n, you have a lot of salt?」

「Uwaa ~ so many saltt3, I doubt we will soon run out with just us. Wouldn't this last for two years if used sparingly? 」

Yuba and Ruri stared in amazement at the size of the bag.

「I also have some seasonings I made myself and also a lot of dried meat. 」

Since it would be strange for someone who kept moving until now to have their fresh vegetables at their disposal, Rio picked out some preserved food items and added them to his backpack.

Meat was considered a luxury so he focused on dried meat.

「However, I am impressed that you can bring that much. Regardless of your outward appearance, you are quite strong. 」

While Rio was tall and strapping, he had a thin body.

Yuba expressed astonishment as she did not look as strong as her clothes.

「My own journey is not just for show, you know. 」

Rio smiled wryly hearing Yuba's words.

「 Anyway, will we make breakfast? Seeing that the rice and soup have been prepared, should I make something appropriate with the dried meat and vegetables I brought? It will match with pickled vegetables. 」

Instead of bread, rice and grains are staple foods for Yagumo.

However, because they do not perform selective breeding, the quality of rice and grains decreases when compared to those grown in the Seirei no Tami village.

In addition, it is much easier to reproduce Japanese cuisine in Yagumo than in Stahl thanks to the presence of many condiments such as miso.

「Yosh. In that case, let's measure Rio's skill by having him prepare breakfast. Ruri, keep an eye on him in case something happens. 」

「Of course ~」

Ruri responded cheerfully after hearing the assigned feeding responsibilities and Rio started cooking.

Food is taken twice a day in the village, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Breakfast is plentiful to build energy for the day while dinner tends to be light, unless there is a banquet.

「Ooh. You can actually use Spirit Arts! I don't think you can. 」

Ruri became excited when Rio ignited the firewood using Spirit Arts.

If this was the first time he had seen Spirit Arts, then his reaction was sorely lacking.

「Is this your first time seeing Spirit Arts?」

Rio decided to ask Ruri because she strangely knew Spirit Arts.

"Not everything . Actually, I can also use Spirit Arst. If it was only in this village, then Obaa-chan could also use it. 」

Although Ruri's response was a little unexpected, Rio now understood why she didn't reveal much surprise when she saw him using the Spirit Art.

"Oh so . Did you learn the Spirit Art from Yuba? 」

「Yes. For some reason, our family seems to have a high aptitude for Spirit Art among the common folk. That's part of the reason why Obaa-chan is the village chief. 」

If that was the case, then just like Rio guessed, Zen was also a user of Spirit Arts.

Rio boiled the rice that was already soaked in water while he and Ruri went out to greet the villagers. For miso soup, he poured water into a frying pan and added dried kombu and bonito while heating the low heat to make dashit5.

「You're really used to cooking aren't you? The men in the village can really learn a thing or two from you. 」

Ruri spoke in awe as she watched him cook.

A common belief in the village is that only women do household chores. The men could not even make staple food6.

For Ruri who grew up in the village, seeing a man who cooked just once was very refreshing.

「This is no big deal. I wouldn't have survived my trip if I couldn't have done this. 」

Rio never stopped moving his hand even while talking to Ruri.

While waiting for the dashi and rice to finish, Rio cut the mushrooms and vegetables before also slicing the dried meat.

「Uwaa, your skills with knives are even better than mine ..」

Ruri's face was narrow as she voiced her astonishment.

Rio smiled wryly at his attempt of creating small talk.

He had lost most of his tension from before.

Rio had the impression that he was an open-minded individual.

「It looks like the rice will be finished soon. 」

Rio took out a pot filled with rice from the fire as it smelled slightly burnt.

To steam the rice, Rio left the pot like that without taking off the lid. Meanwhile, he distilled the broth into a separate pot with mushrooms and vegetables and boiled it.

After that, slices of dried meat and chopped vegetables are stirred together, seasoned and served on a plate.

Rio lightly moved the miso that had started to boil. He took her out of the fire and brought her to the fireplace in hallt8.

"Completed . 」

Rio removed the lid from the pot filled with rice to reveal the perfectly cooked rice.

He scooped the rice into a separate bowl and poured the miso soup into another set of wooden bowls while the remaining dishes were placed on the table.

「Uwaa, it looks good. There was also an additional dish thanks to the dried meat Rio brought! What a fun day!"

Ruri spoke with a cheerful expression.

He seemed to be pleased with the appearance of his food.

「If you can make all this, then it's okay for you to be in charge of cooking, right?」

Yuba also seemed satisfied with the results of Rio's cooking.

「Then let's eat before it gets cold!」

As the three took their seats around the table, Ruri impatiently marked the start of the meal.

「Mmm ~! Miso soup is delicious. Dashi flavor perfect. This stir-fry is also delicious! 」

Seeing Ruri floating a happy expression for every dish she tasted made Rio think it was worth the effort she put into preparing the food.

「Aah, you are really very skilled. That's a relief . 」

Yuba also tasted every Rio dish.

「I'm really grateful to hear it. 」

Rio smiled seeing their good impression.

「Now, Rio, after we finish breakfast, I will guide you to where you will help. For the time being I intend for you to help with the hunt, but will you be alright with that? 」

In the middle of their meal, Yuba suddenly asked a question for Rio.

It's about the job he's helping out with today.

「It's okay, please leave it to me. 」

While thinking about what kind of life he would lead from today onwards, Rio calmly nodded at Yuba's words.