Chapter 148 - Chapter 147: The Violence of Gold
The Third Month of Earth, Week One, Day of Fire.
Mika had successfully completed his two years in elementary school and entered the long vacation.
And on the night of the day he returned to his hometown. Modesse Forest.
"Connecting this side to that side... Mika-kun, could you turn a little more this way?"
"Mika-sama, please raise your arms a little."
In the already darkened forest, Kistil and Nerisfeene were pressed tightly against Mika, clicking the metal ring-like object in their hands.
Mika did as they asked, but remained silent with a somewhat ambiguous expression.
The only light source was the "Fireball" created by Mika.
Although the forest had a rather eerie atmosphere, Mika had no time to care about that now that he was stuck with the two of them.
"This one is done. Please check it, Mika-sama."
At Nerisfeene's words, Mika confirmed the connection with Nerisfeene standing to his front-left.
"This one too, just a little more...."
"Please lend me the duffel bag. I'll hold it, Kistil."
"Thanks. Ah, it's done."
Nerisfeene tried to take the duffel bag held by Kistil, but it seemed Kistil was also ready.
Mika confirmed the connection with Kistil standing to his front-right.
"That duffel bag is in the way. I'll put it in the Magic Bag."
"I-it's okay! Thank you, Mika-kun."
"Yes, it's fine. Mika-sama."
He had said it casually, but the two of them reacted strangely excessively.
But, there was no point in worrying about such things right now.
"Alright, are both of you ready?"
When Mika said that, Kistil and Nerisfeene hugged him tightly from both sides.
Mika also wrapped his arms around the two of them and hugged them tightly.
"Then let's go. 'Low Gravity', 'Absorb Wing'!"
Kistil's eyes widened in surprise at the light wings appearing on Mika's back.
"'Blast'!!!"
At the same time as shouting that, Mika jumped into the sky holding Kistil and Nerisfeene.
About two weeks ago, during dinner.
"Mika-kun's hometown? I want to go too. I'd like to greet your family as well."
"Why would Kistil be greeting my family...?"
When I told her I would drop by my parents' house for a bit once the Third Month of Earth arrived, Kistil said she wanted to accompany me.
"A pilgrimage to the Holy Land... I really want to go too, Mika-sama."
"............The Holy Land?"
What are you saying, Nerisfeene?
And for some reason, Fee started floating up to the ceiling area, floating around... and started acting like a mirror ball.
"Fee, you're obviously staying behind! And stop that, your eyes are flickering!"
Scolded by Mika, Fee clung to Kistil and cried.
Nerisfeene looked at such Kistil with a hint of envy.
And Mika, who was weak when cornered by girls, was pushed through by the two of them.
However, doing so presented several problems.
Transportation and accommodation.
Taking a regular shared carriage would take eleven days.
I considered flying while holding both of them, but flying while holding one in each hand was dangerous, and I couldn't even scratch my nose.
While there were no issues with mana output using "Absorb Wing", minor problems arose in execution.
So, I decided to ask the armor shop to make something like a harness.
I haven't done skydiving, so I've never seen the real thing, but I know the general shape.
Basically, it just needs to support the body.
I had the armor shop make it out of monster leather.
"With this material, the softness and durability are as desired, but we might use ore for reinforcement in certain parts... so the price inevitably...."
"How much will it cost?"
"Well, I think it will cost five hundred thousand Rats for one. Since there are three, that makes one million five hundred thousand. Also, since we've never made one before, it will take time to produce... The prototype will take one month, so-------------."
"I'll pay double. Finish it in ten days."
"Huh?"
The armor shop clerk's eyes went wide.
I thought so.
"No, no, no, don't make unreasonable requests. I think we can shorten the delivery date a little, but ten days is definitely-------------."
"I'll pay triple. Negotiate with the craftsman."
Thus, I forced my way through by throwing money at the problem.
Even though I never wanted to become a human like this...
However, it seems ten days was indeed too much, and it took a few extra days.
Still, it was quite unreasonable.
The price was four million five hundred thousand Rats at triple, but I paid five million Rats as a thank you for their hard work and an apology for making unreasonable requests.
And at the same time, I went to the blacksmith as well.
This was an order for metal fittings like carabiners to connect the harnesses together.
Since there was a possibility of impact for some reason, I ordered them with strength that wouldn't break even under a load exceeding two tons, and also ordered the rings to be attached to the harness side.
"Like the previous fork, you come up with interesting things. But what is this harness for?"
"Ahahaha... Well, just a little."
The blacksmith's master asked, so I laughed it off.
I paid a bit extra for the express fee here as well.
However, since the items were small, it only cost one million Rats.
Most of it was material costs, so they probably didn't make much profit compared to the previous fork.
"Oh, I also want you to make cutlery. If I order ten sets again, how much will it be?"
"You have the molds, right? Then right now... maybe around eight hundred thousand Rats? I can't say for sure without securing the materials."
"Then please do that too."
And so, cutlery was added to the order.
Buying souvenirs and all, I spent over seven million Rats just for returning to my hometown.
I could only laugh at how broken my sense of money had become.
By the way, even after spending this much, I still have over forty million Rats.
Just four years ago.
When I went to the Leventein Magic Academy, I traveled with a collection of donations from the villagers.
"Oh... I should probably give something to the villagers as well."
Distributing them individually is troublesome, but it feels bad to just borrow without paying back.
I should think of some way to return the favor.
(Even if that donation was just one copper coin back then, it is a fact that I was saved by it.)
The value of money is not constant.
Not that I'm talking about exchange rates or inflation, but it is important to have the necessary amount of money when it is needed.
Having one million Rats when you don't need it is less important than having that one hundred thousand Rats when you absolutely need one hundred thousand Rats.
In that sense, the Noisheim family, who were barely scraping by with living expenses and debt repayment, simply couldn't prepare travel funds.
It might be good to return the favor to the people who cooperated with the donation, even if reluctantly.
While thinking about such various things, the day of returning to my hometown arrived.
Above Modesse Forest.
The lights of the capital city, about three to four kilometers away, were spreading on the ground.
There seemed to be no problems with the harnesses, nor with the rings and carabiners connecting them.
Right now, Mika, Kistil, and Nerisfeene were each wearing a harness, connected by rings and carabiners capable of withstanding a two-ton load.
For the sake of it, even if the two of them didn't cling to Mika, they wouldn't fall thanks to these.
However, being suspended in mid-air would be scary, and to avoid applying unnecessary load, the basic rule was to cling on.
"R-really, we're flying...."
Kistil muttered in a dazed manner.
"See, I told you? Mika-sama is from the gods-------------. Kyah!?"
Nerisfeene, who had already experienced flying twice, was calm.
However, to prevent Kistil from being fed any more unnecessary information, Mika started moving towards Rish Village.
First, the destination was Sarbengeal.
Since I wasn't used to flying while holding two people, I reduced the speed.
I was thinking of a schedule where I'd arrive by morning.
"Waaah... beautiful...."
"I told you so, right?"
The two held by Mika were talking.
I thought Kistil's muttering was about the lights of the capital city, but it seemed not.
Kistil was looking straight back the whole time.
It seems that particles of light were scattering from "Absorb Wing", creating a sparkling trail.
(Better than them having a panic attack due to acrophobia.)
With one of my concerns temporarily gone, Mika let out a quiet breath.
The flight was stable.
The total weight of the three of them was... cough-cough... kilograms, but well, I don't know the exact weight.
After all, there's no scale.
The harness must be heavy, the harness.
While listening to Kistil and Nerisfeene chatting happily, Mika headed for Sarbengeal with the lights of a distant town as a landmark.
■■■■■■
The Third Month of Earth, Week One, Day of Water.
Despite taking several breaks, we flew all night, and even after dawn broke, we continued flying, finally arriving near Rish Village before noon.
If it were just Mika, I could cut "Blast" at a height of about ten meters and wouldn't be troubled by dust, but Kistil and Nerisfeene were there.
Since we were connected by carabiners, we couldn't quickly move away from the dust.
Moreover, it was wind volume supporting... cough-cough... kilograms.
The swirling dust became terrible.
Coughing and with teary eyes, we ended up disconnecting.
But, from next time, we would take measures against that.
Since it was just dust, we could just blow it away.
Originally, to protect our bodies from the low temperatures at high altitudes, we were using "Blast" not only for propulsion but also for heat retention.
We just needed to push back the dust with that.
"As you can see from above, it's about one kilometer left. But it really was a village with nothing, right?"
When Mika said that, the two of them smiled bitterly.
"It's a quiet, nice village, isn't it...."
"Y-yes. As Nerisfeene says."
I could tell they were trying hard to cover for me.
But I don't need such cover.
"For now, let's take off the harnesses. I'll put them in the Magic Bag."
Taking out a tagged bag from the Magic Bag, Mika handed it to Kistil and Nerisfeene.
After Mika also took off his harness, he put it in the tagged bag and then into the Magic Bag.
"You probably want to change clothes, but please bear with it for a bit. There are a few things I need to think about. It might be more convenient to stay like this."
"Yes, understood."
Due to the convenience of wearing the harness, the two were wearing pants they didn't usually wear.
Kistil nodded at Mika, who started walking towards the village.
"Give me a house."
"...Huh?"
Upon arriving at the village, Mika first headed for the Village Head's house.
And, without even bothering with greetings, he requested a house.
"Out of nowhere, what are you...."
The Village Head was confused.
Well, naturally.
Mika decided to explain the situation.
"My friends came with me, but they can't stay at my house, so if there's an empty house, I'd like to rent it."
"Oh, ah-ah...."
Seeing the two standing behind Mika, the Village Head understood.
You should have said that from the beginning.
Second problem when bringing two people to return to the hometown.
Accommodation.
Naturally, the Noisheim house was impossible.
It was too small.
Originally, Mika himself was thinking that it might be tough to stay at home this year.
The reason was that the bed Mika used was a gift from the Seventh Year Harvest Festival.
By last year, sticking out his legs would already cause him to fall off.
Sleeping curled up wasn't impossible, but he wasn't good at it.
I was thinking I needed to do something about it this year.
"And also. Here are some souvenirs."
Saying that, Mika handed the Village Head the usual smoked meat assortment and a bottle of quite high-quality tree wine.
When I talked about the debt with the Village Head, he drank some tree wine midway, so I wondered if he liked it and bought it.
"Oh, no, Mika-kun. Don't worry about things like this-------------."
"Now, now, now, now."
I forcibly pushed it onto the reluctant Village Head.
Until now, the Village Head hadn't been on Mika's souvenir list, but I decided to include him this year.
After all, saving the family even by taking on a large amount of debt was a favor greater than anything else to Mika.
Honestly, saying that all grudges were completely gone would be a lie.
However, I understood the Village Head's situation, and that was something Mika could accept.
So, even if it wasn't possible right now, I thought we should try to have a normal relationship as much as possible.
This souvenir was the first step.
That is, building a relationship bit by bit from here.
When Mika smiled brightly, but it was clear he was determined to push it through, the Village Head smiled bitterly.
And thus, he let out a big sigh.
"Please come in and wait for a moment. I'll check immediately."
Saying that, he was led to the living room.
"If you want a house you can move into immediately, this one is in relatively good condition. No leaks, and it should be livable without repairs."
The house guided by the Village Head was, frankly speaking, a grander house than the Noisheim house.
An elderly couple lived here until about a year ago, but when the wife passed away, the husband followed her shortly after, and it was currently an empty house.
Mika looked up at the building and checked the condition of the house.
"The old lady of this house passed away."
"Was she an acquaintance of yours, Mika-sama?"
"Hmm... Well, everyone in the village is an acquaintance if you say so."
I remembered the old lady of this house a little.
Not as a boy named Mika.
It was right after Mika came to this world.
When the adults heard that I had fallen down on the road due to an injury, everyone kindly spoke to me when they saw me.
The old lady of this house was among them.
"I remember her giving me fruit and saying, 'Eat this and get well'."
I indulged in a bit of emotion.
"Village Head."
Mika turned around and looked at the Village Head.
"How much is this house?"
"How much? Do you intend to buy it!?"
"Just for reference. Will the treatment during my stay be rental?"
I asked the Village Head about the handling of houses in Rish Village.
First, housing is basically provided free of charge.
Rish Village, where most villagers work in spinning factories, weaving factories, and cotton fields, is, in a way, like company dormitories built within the factory grounds.
It seems that as a condition for opening the village for the factory and moving there, there was also the free provision of this housing.
Therefore, those who work in the factories or fields can basically live for free.
However, it seems that generally, if an empty house appears and someone says "That house is bigger, I want to live there," it is not generally allowed.
If the house is damaged or there are other circumstances, it seems one can apply and move with the Village Head's judgment.
So, basically, all land and houses in the village belong to the lord.
It seems the Village Head is in charge of managing and arranging them.
"So, I can't buy it?"
"It's not that I can't, but you need permission from the lord."
"I see."
So, that's why the Noisheim family has been living in such a dilapidated house for so long.
It seems they can't move unless the house becomes so damaged that it's unlivable.
And the exceptions are the one store and the church in the village.
The store is treated as renting out the land and house.
However, the village life cannot function without a store.
So, the rent seems to be cheap.
The church is treated as the lord lending the land and building for free.
Some lords make donations to the church, but Baron Limpēre seems to strictly maintain the form of lending.
"...In that case, what is the rent for this house?"
"Seven silver coins."
Seven hundred thousand Rats for a single-story house in such a remote village!
You don't intend to let anyone other than factory staff live here, do you!
Mika checked inside the house.
It was a 2DK, but each room was spacious.
It was a very large house for an elderly couple to live in alone.
They might have been a large family before.
Most of the previous residents' furniture remained as it was.
Cleaning was necessary, but it was indeed livable immediately.
"I think it's fine, but what about the two of you?"
The two would spend time in one room, but it was spacious, and since it was only for one month, I asked them to bear with it.
"I'm fine."
"There is no problem, Mika-sama."
The two asked by Mika nodded without hesitation.
"Then I'd like to live here for one month."
"I see."
The Village Head received the rent from Mika and handed over the key.
"The tools needed for cleaning-------------."
"I brought them, so it's fine."
I had intended to rent a house somewhere from the beginning.
If that failed, I had considered staying at a Kotontesse inn for a month.
"What about the straw for the bed?"
"Oh... sorry, but can I have that from you?"
"Understood. I'll bring it later."
The Village Head readily accepted and said he would prepare extra sheets.
After seeing the Village Head off, Mika spoke to the two of them.
"Well, I'm sorry, but can I ask the two of you to clean? I'll go around making greetings first."
"Yes, leave it to us, Mika-sama."
"I'm fine with this, Mika-kun."
Pushing the cleaning he was bad at onto the two, Mika headed out to distribute souvenirs and make a donation to the church.