Chapter 28 - I Want to Till the Fields
I woke up, bathed in the morning sunlight.
I sat up in bed and let out a large yawn.
I stretched while rubbing my blurry eyelids.
In the room that had been empty and a bedroom in name only, there was now a magnificent bed made by Toak. I had obtained the mattress and blankets from the village ladies through Toak's introduction, and the bedroom was finally completed about two weeks ago.
Thanks to that, I was able to get a comfortable sleep today as well, and my back and waist didn't hurt at all.
It was a bed large enough for two adults to sleep in, and the mattress was so cushioned that it didn't budge even if I jumped onto it. It cost a fair amount of money, but since it was for a bed I used every day, I didn't regret it at all.
Other than that, there was a wardrobe, a carpet, a bookshelf, and a small round table with chairs, giving the room a real sense of being lived in.
It felt like I had finally created a dwelling where I could live comfortably, and I felt giddy despite my age. It was as if I had returned to my childhood for a moment.
After enjoying the feel of the bed with my whole body, I climbed out and threw the window open.
The cool morning air flowed in and stroked my cheeks.
As I took a deep breath of the refreshing air, the fresh air entered my body, and it felt wonderful.
After savoring the air a few more times, I drew water from the well to wash my face.
"Good morning, Aldo-san."
"Good morning, Elgo-san."
I returned the greeting to a villager who had likely come to wash their face just like me.
It was just a casual, single-word conversation, but that alone made my heart bounce.
It had been a month since I became a hunter. My life had stabilized considerably, and I had managed to blend into the village.
At first, the only people who spoke to me were Elgis-san, Fiona-san, Flora, Toak, and Aisha, but now the circle had expanded significantly to include Lauren-san, Kyle, the village ladies and their husbands, and the children.
Just walking through the village, people would call out to me, saying things like, "Hunting again today?" "Good morning," or "How have things been lately?" I never thought it would be such a happy thing to have people care about someone like me.
Thinking about such things, I drew the water, moved to the side, and washed my face.
The cold water took away the heat, and it felt like my sleepiness vanished instantly.
Having bathed in fresh air and cold water, I was awake in both mind and body. I returned home and began making breakfast with brisk movements.
Today's menu consisted of leftover vegetable soup from yesterday, a stir-fry of boar meat and mushrooms, bread, and dried grapes.
The vegetable soup was, of course, Toak's secret recipe. I was able to easily recreate it just by adding the secret ingredient Flora taught me—Pico Fruit—and being careful with how I chopped the vegetables.
The look on Toak's face when I let him taste the recreated soup was priceless.
Since he had been so sure I wouldn't be able to imitate it right away, the shock seemed huge, and his narrow eyes had turned perfectly round.
Chuckling as I remembered Toak's face from that time, I tossed mushrooms and wild greens into the frying pan. Then, I cut the boar meat I had hunted yesterday into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried them together.
After adding seasonings like salt and pepper and waiting a while, the fat with a rich meaty aroma came out, so I coated the mushrooms and wild greens in it.
The sizzling sound echoed, pleasant to the ears. The mushrooms and wild greens were also browning nicely and taking on a good color.
The vegetable soup heating up next to it also began to emit a warm aroma, as if asserting its completion.
Smelling the luxurious scent of meat and vegetables, my stomach gave a growl. Both were very assertive.
I poured the vegetable soup into a bowl, plated the stir-fry, and carried them to the table.
Of course, a second helping of vegetable soup was guaranteed, so I brought the pot along as well.
After lining up the bread I had prepared in advance and the dried grapes I received from Aisha, I immediately started on the soup.
"Ah, it's a gentle flavor."
The natural umami of the vegetables was concentrated and very delicious.
The onions and such, boiled until they were tender, were especially great. Each of the softened vegetables was soaked with their respective flavors.
It was also good to eat the bread while dipping it into the soup. When I bit into it, the flavor of the wheat spread, and it released the vegetable umami it had soaked up to the fullest.
Even the bread that had turned hard after being made yesterday could be eaten endlessly if there was vegetable soup.
After eating a bit of bread and soup, I moved on to the boar meat and mushroom stir-fry.
When I bit into the boar meat, the concentrated umami of the meat overflowed in my mouth. Unlike the mild venison, it felt as if the umami was packed tightly into the center.
It was a simple seasoning of salt and pepper, but it was good that the flavor of the ingredients came out simply.
As I continued eating like that, I finished it all in no time.
Now, I was sipping the last cup of vegetable soup as if to savor it.
Looking at the vegetables floating in the cup, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Now that my life had settled down, maybe I should try the farming I'd wanted to do for a while.
I had bought the things I lacked from the merchant, and I had obtained furniture. I was used to the mountains of Nordende, and hunting was no problem. Lately, I felt like I had more and more time on my hands.
Since I didn't hunt every day, surely I could manage a small field.
Hunting for meat and tilling a field to eat my own vegetables. I wanted to try living that kind of life.
Elgis-san had said he would teach me if it was about farming, so I decided to visit him today.
Having made up my mind, I gulped down the vegetable soup and stood up.
◆ ◆ ◆
Leaving the house, I walked for about ten minutes along the single road leading to the village square.
When I headed toward Elgis-san's house, I found Flora working in the field out back.
"Hello."
"Hello."
When I approached and called out, Flora stood up and greeted me with a smile.
In her hand, she held a vegetable with leaves attached.
Today, she wasn't doing work like weeding; judging by the similar vegetables in the basket at her feet, she seemed to be harvesting.
Since I was thinking of starting farming, I couldn't help but ask Flora out of curiosity.
"What vegetable is that?"
"Oh, this? It's a Radish. The ones I planted before have grown big."
Saying so, Flora showed me the vegetable with a red bulb.
"It looks like a turnip, but the color isn't white and the size is different..."
"Oh? Have you never eaten one?"
I had eaten turnips, but I had never eaten such a small turnip-lookalike.
When I nodded, Flora brushed the dirt off the Radish and began washing it with water from a bucket.
"Here, please try it."
Taking the Radish Flora offered, I immediately bit into the red bulb part.
It had a pleasant, crunchy texture and a juicy sweetness, followed by a sharp, spicy taste. Some people might dislike this spiciness, but it was a flavor I quite liked.
"How is it?"
"Yeah, it's juicy and delicious. It has a good bite, and I like that sharp spiciness."
Yes, perhaps because it was freshly picked, it was very delicious. This fresh juiciness could probably only be tasted when it was just harvested. Being able to taste this was a privilege of the one who grew it.
As I was preoccupied with eating the crunchy vegetable, Flora was looking at me with a gentle smile.
"I'm glad you like it. This is a vegetable that can be harvested just twenty days after planting the seeds. I've planted many others, so please take some if you'd like."
"After twenty days?! That's fast!"
I stuffed my cheeks with Radish while being surprised by the short number of days until harvest.
Eating it raw like this was good, but it would also be nice to make a salad and toss it with a sauce. The sharp spiciness would likely be a good accent. Since it was similar to a turnip, it wouldn't be bad to slice and boil it either.
"By the way, what brings you here today?"
While I was thinking of ways to cook the Radish, Flora asked while tilting her head slightly.
That's right, I came here today to have Elgis-san teach me about farming.
I almost took the Radish home and immersed myself in cooking.
"My life has settled down a bit, so I was thinking of tilling a small field of my own now."
"That's nice!"
"But since it's my first time farming, I thought I'd ask Elgis-san to teach me various things."
"I-I see..."
Huh? She looked happy just a moment ago, so why did she suddenly look downcast?
While I was wondering about it, Flora fidgeted and cast flickering glances toward me.
I could tell she wanted to say something, but I didn't know what it was.
As I waited while tilting my head, Flora squeezed her hands tight and said,
"U-Um! That... for the farming instruction... would it be okay if I did it?"
"Eh? Well, if you're okay with it, Flora, I'd definitely love to ask you, but aren't you busy?"
As I lived in the village, I had learned that Flora had many small roles like laundry, cleaning, cooking, picking wild greens, picking flowers, and field work.
If she were to teach me farming, she would have to travel to my house many times, and I thought it might be tough for Flora, who didn't have much physical strength.
"It's fine! I'll go tell my father!"
The person in question went back into the house with glee.
I rarely saw Flora with such high tension.
She always worked hard in the fields, so she must like teaching people about vegetables.