Chapter 11 - Toak the Furniture Craftsman
Basking in the warm sunlight, I slowly lifted my eyelids.
In my field of vision was a ceiling that served as a proper roof, and as I looked around, there were cream-colored walls.
The floor wasn't dirt either; I was sleeping on a cloth spread over a wooden floor.
From outside, I could hear the chirping of birds.
I managed to get my dazed brain working and grasped my current situation.
"...Right, I have my own house now."
Sitting up, I muttered while rubbing my sleepy eyes with the back of my hand.
Then, to loosen my stiffened muscles, I extended both arms and stretched my back muscles.
I exhaled slowly as I lowered my arms. Then, when I lightly twisted my waist, a pleasant popping sound echoed.
It was better than when I was sleeping outdoors, but it seemed that just spreading a cloth on the floor still put a significant burden on my body. I felt a sense of discomfort throughout my entire back.
As expected, it was the right choice to have a furniture craftsman introduced to me early.
I want a bed soon to get a comfortable sleep. Of course, bedding too.
I got a new house, but it's full of things I'm missing.
Even though the furniture is insufficient, I was able to sleep in my own house and feel refreshed! Now, let's do my best today—I wish I could think positively like that.
"Sigh... what should I do?"
Last night, I showed my naked self to a shy and bashful woman.
I'm scheduled to meet Elgis-san again, and I have a promise to deliver river fish.
I'll be entering Elgis-san's house again, which means his daughter, Flora, will be there. That will be very awkward.
Ah, her shyness had finally started to thaw, but now she'll probably start avoiding me again.
I wouldn't mind at all being avoided by someone I didn't care about, but being avoided by such a good girl makes me feel a bit sad.
I couldn't apologize yesterday, so I want to apologize, but if a man who just showed her his nakedness suddenly barges in, she'll likely be flustered, so I'll go apologize after some time has passed.
Telling myself that, I decided to change my mindset.
When I drew cold water from the well and washed my face, both my body and mind felt refreshed. What's done is done. I shouldn't brood and should do what needs to be done today.
◆ ◆ ◆
After getting ready, I headed to Toak-san's house in the morning to order furniture.
I walked along the morning path, where the temperature was a bit low, while rubbing my stomach.
I went to sleep without eating dinner yesterday, and I haven't eaten breakfast this morning either, so my stomach is growling in protest of its emptiness.
I should have worried about food before worrying about furniture.
I should have asked to buy food from Elgis-san.
If I go to Elgis-san's house now, I might run into Flora, so I'll ask to buy some ingredients from Toak-san, whom I'm being introduced to today.
I don't know the ecology of the food growing wild around here, so I shouldn't touch it carelessly.
I'm going to be introduced to the hunters tomorrow anyway, but I think there's a big difference between skipping a day and not.
While thinking about such things, I seemed to have arrived in front of Toak-san's house before I knew it.
I stopped in front of the private house that stood as if quietly tucked away in the forest.
It was built quite differently from my house, a one-story house that looked like it was made by simply stacking logs. It seemed to be a fairly spacious house, and around the house, there were wooden stairs, fences, and handmade chairs and tables installed.
The materials of those installed items were different from the house, so they were probably made by Toak-san, the furniture craftsman. If so, he's quite a dexterous person.
When I sat at a table placed on the grounds, it surprisingly fit my body and was very comfortable to sit on.
"This is nice—I want a chair like this too—"
"...Are you the one the Village Chief mentioned, Aldo?"
While I was sitting in the chair to check its feel, I was suddenly spoken to.
When I turned toward the source of the voice, there was a blonde man looking at me from the window of the house.
Short blonde hair and narrow blue eyes that looked grumpy. He had a somewhat long face with faint freckles visible on his cheeks.
His height was probably about the same as mine or a bit taller, and supple muscles were visible from his white short sleeves.
"Um, are you Toak-san?"
"Yeah, that's right. I was surprised when I woke up this morning and opened the window to see an unfamiliar man sitting in my yard excitedly in a chair."
When I asked timidly, Toak answered with a sullen face.
I just happened to find a good chair and sat in it without asking permission to enter his property.
It's awkward because I did something rude right from our first meeting. I wonder if he's angry.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not particularly angry. This bad look in my eyes is something I was born with. I was surprised about the chair, but I was happy to have a chair I made be praised."
When I apologized, Toak shrugged and gave a clumsy smile.
He seemed to be trying his best to make a kind smile, but that smile looked like he was wearing a cynical smirk.
"...I'm not good at smiling."
"Haha, it seems so."
I replied with a wry smile to Toak's words as he scratched his cheek.
Well, he doesn't seem like a bad person, and he feels like he's close in age, so it seems like we can get along.
"Well, it's no good talking here. Come on in right away."
◆ ◆ ◆
Toak's house was spacious, and the interior looked as if the walls were made of logs as they were. Handmade tables, chairs, benches, and cupboards were installed, and they suited the atmosphere of the house very well.
Taking a deep breath, the smell of wood made me feel calm.
"I want to eat breakfast first, how about you? Or have you already eaten?"
"I haven't! I'll gladly have some!"
Toak's suggestion was exactly what I wanted, so I replied immediately.
"Why are you so confident about it... Well, I'm going to warm up the pot now, so wait at the table for a bit."
Toak said as if it were a hassle and started preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Seeing that, I excitedly took a seat.
I haven't eaten since last night, so I'm already starving. I want to eat soon—.
When I placed my arms on the table with that thought, the smooth texture unique to wood was transmitted to my skin.
Oh, this is a table with a very nice feel. I like it much better than the tables in the inns in the Royal Capital.
I reflexively slumped onto the table and felt the smooth table with my cheek.
If I'm going to order a table, I want one made of this smooth material too.
While waiting and savoring the texture of the table, before long, a scent that seemed to be vegetable soup began to drift through the room.
"Here, vegetable soup and bread."
Toak came over with vegetable soup and bread on a wooden tray, so I hurriedly raised my slumped upper body.
"Oh, thank you. I'm really starving."
Toak placed the tray on the table and handed me the plate with vegetable soup and the plate with bread.
In the soup were potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions, and small pieces of ham; it looked very delicious.
"Alright, let's eat."
Once Toak was ready too, I immediately put the vegetable soup into my mouth with a spoon.
The sweetness of the vegetables spread gently in my mouth. It was a simple but very delicious soup that brought out the flavor of the vegetables themselves. When I swallowed the soup, I felt a warm glow from inside my body, and it felt like energy was spreading throughout.
"...Ah, delicious."
"The potatoes have melted into the soup nicely, and I simmered the onions until they were soft."
I see, that's the secret to the deliciousness.
Seeing Toak eat while dipping his bread into the soup, I imitated him and dipped my bread into the soup.
Dipping the bread into the hot soup to soften it was also delicious.
The fragrance of the wheat in the bread dough and the sweetness of the soup were also exquisite.
While savoring both the bread and the soup like that, I finished it all in no time.
"Phew, thank you. That was delicious."
"...You were eating so single-mindedly, did you skip dinner yesterday too?"
"Well, yesterday I was busy cleaning the new house and things were hectic..."
It was hard to say it was because I went to bed in a sulk after Flora saw me naked at the end.
"Well, I know you're busy since you just arrived, but at least eat breakfast, okay? You won't have any strength."
"About that, I haven't bought ingredients yet..."
"Can't you just buy them from the Village Chief? ...Don't tell me you don't have any money?"
Toak began to make such a guess and look at me suspiciously.
A certain amount of capital is necessary to start a new life.
A man who suddenly came with nothing would be suspicious as anything.
However, I am a former A-rank adventurer, the best in the kingdom. Not to brag, but I have quite a bit of money, so there's no concern about finances.
"No, if I didn't have money, I wouldn't have come here. I just missed the chance to get food from Elgis-san, my only contact."
Hearing my statement that I had money, Toak looked relieved.
"Then you should have just bought some this morning."
"No, there's a reason I can't today..."
It's exactly as Toak says, but I can't go because of the incident with Flora.
"What? What's the reason you can't?"
Seeing me hesitate, Toak leaned forward with some interest.
"No, that's a bit..."
"What is it? I fed you, didn't I? Depending on how interesting the story is, I might not be opposed to selling you some food."
Seeing me hesitate further, Toak, perhaps getting impatient, made a devilish whisper while wearing a smirking expression.
Ugh, I'm weak when it comes to the food thing, and Toak's proposal is exactly what I want, but I feel like my spirit will be worn down.
Seriously, this guy has the makings of a bully. The moment he realized I was hiding something, he started enjoying it.
Damn, what should I do?
While I was debating what to do, Toak said teasingly.
"Don't tell me you've gotten into that kind of relationship with Fiona-san, the Village Chief's wife?"
"No! His daughter Flora just saw me naked!"
Perhaps because I got defensive about my relationship with the person who helped me being speculated upon, I ended up telling the truth.
Hearing my words, Toak's mouth fell open, and—
"Huh? Naked? And it wasn't you who saw Flora naked, but you who was seen naked by Flora? That's a masterpiece!"
He started laughing while clutching his stomach.
"Hey, come on, don't laugh. I just got here and my connections with the villagers are thin, so I was quite troubled, you know?"
"Hahahaha! That shy Flora saw your naked body, huh?"
Perhaps because he has lived here a long time and knows Flora, it seemed hilarious to Toak.
The man who had been wearing a sullen face was now laughing with his face crumpled up.
"Hey, hey, it's no laughing matter for me. It'll be nothing but awkward if I go to Elgis-san's house and run into Flora. What if those two ask me if something happened?"
My tone reflexively became informal, but I thought it couldn't be helped.
I spoke desperately, but it seemed to make it even more amusing for Toak, and he started laughing again.
He's a cruel guy to laugh when someone is struggling.
"...Sigh, she finally started talking to me, but now she'll probably run away again..."
"Oh? It's rare for that Flora to talk to a man."
Hearing the words I muttered with a sigh, Toak stopped laughing and spoke with surprise.
"She's quite a shy person. But surely she talks comfortably to the men in the village?"
"Nope, not at all. I've lived here my whole life, but Flora runs away just if I get close. I've barely managed to talk to her at village events and such."
Toak denied my question with a serious face.
Ehh? What did you do to Flora? Well, she ran away from me at first too.
"...Isn't that because Toak's face is scary?"
He's a man with such a sullen face. I think it's no wonder Flora is scared.
"Wrong. I won't sell food to someone who says that."
Having my point pointed out, Toak's cheek twitched as he said something threatening.
"Hey, hey, you just laughed, didn't you? After I told you an embarrassing story, that's not fair!"
Aldo has made a neighborhood friend.