Chapter 4 - The Comfort of Apple Mint Tea
I never expected to reach first place in the daily rankings. I want to say thank you to everyone who has read this.
As they walked down the hallway of the village chief's house, Aisha asked Fiona-san.
"Hey, Fiona-san. Is Flora not here right now?"
"Yes, that girl went to go pick nuts, so she's out. I think she'll be back by evening, though?"
"...I see. Then tell her to come to the vineyard later."
"Understood."
When Fiona-san replied, Aisha suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Well then, I'm in the middle of work, so I'll be heading back."
"Ah, yeah. Thanks for guiding me this far."
I had assumed she would accompany me all the way to the village chief, but based on that conversation, Aisha's goal was likely to meet this person named Flora.
Since that person wasn't here, she was going back because the rest was the village chief's job. As usual, her reasons were straightforward and easy to understand.
Aisha spun on her heel and went outside.
"I wanted her to stay for some tea, but it can't be helped if there's field work to do."
Fiona-san muttered with a look as if she were seeing off her own child. She seemed lonely, like a parent whose child had returned after a long time only to leave immediately.
Fiona-san looked away from the door, said "Let's go" to me, and started walking again.
"This is the village chief's room."
"Yes."
When I replied, Fiona-san gave the door a few knocks.
"Village chief. A guest is here to see you. Aisha brought him."
"...Understood. Let him in."
Then, a man's voice came from inside, and Fiona-san opened the door for me.
Prompted by Fiona-san's gaze, I entered the room to find a dandy middle-aged man with deep-set features standing there with a kind smile. He was probably in his late thirties.
He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, a red jacket, and brown trousers, but the fabric seemed of slightly higher quality than the villagers I had seen so far.
As the head of the village, I suppose he had to dress at least this well.
The room was simple but furnished with a wooden chest, a bookshelf, and a sofa; in the back, there was even an office desk, likely for paperwork.
"This person says he wishes to live in this village."
"Ho, that is rare. It has been a long time since someone from the outside came to our village. Please, have a seat."
When Fiona-san announced this, the village chief urged me to sit with a gentle smile.
"Yes, excuse me."
"I'll go brew some tea."
At the same time I sat down, Fiona-san left the room.
Come to think of it, I was thirsty, so I was glad.
"I am Elgis, the head of Nordende."
"I'm Aldo. I came from the Kingdom of Abalonia because I wanted to live in this village."
I had considered using a fake name, but I decided against it. Shortening it to Aldo would be enough.
Names like Aldred or Aldo were common to begin with. Back at the church I was in, there was a black-haired guy named Aldred, and there were also guys named Arnold and Alto. During my adventurer days, I had also met a black-haired guy named Aldo.
Even if the residents of this village knew of Aldred the Dragon Slayer, they wouldn't think the man himself was in this village in another country.
There wasn't even a branch of the Adventurers' Guild around here, and even if there were, I didn't think they would have an accurate grasp of my appearance. Rumors of the Dragon Slayer hero were exaggerated as they spread; in some regions, they even said he was a prince of a fallen kingdom or a beautiful man with blond hair and blue eyes.
"That is from quite a far-off place. May I ask why you wish to live here?"
It took a month and a half by switching between carriages. This speed was only possible because I didn't mind monsters; for an average person, I think it would take two months.
Anyone would be curious about the reason for coming from such a distant place.
"I stopped by this village once nine years ago. I couldn't forget the beautiful sight of the flower fields I saw here back then..."
"Ah, so that's it. Those flower fields are the pride of our village. The colors of the flowers change with the seasons and are so beautiful that one never grows tired of looking at them."
Elgis-san nodded as if he understood.
"People from neighboring villages and travelers often wish to migrate for similar reasons, but you are the first from the Kingdom of Abalonia. You must have really taken a liking to that place."
That smile was much gentler than his previous one.
From the way he spoke just now, I could tell that Elgis-san also loved that scenery. Once I settled down, it might be nice to gaze at it while chatting leisurely.
While I was thinking that, there was a knock on the door and Fiona-san entered.
White steam rose from the teacups on the tray, and a refreshing, sweet scent drifted from them.
"What a lovely scent."
I reflexively took a deep breath to catch more of the aroma.
"It's apple mint tea. It's freshly picked, so the scent is good, isn't it? If you need honey, add it as you like."
"Drinking it will help you relax."
Urged by the two of them, I picked up the teacup placed on the table.
When I caught the scent, it had the sweet, green-apple-like aroma of apple mint. I slowly tilted the cup while enjoying the fragrance.
The refreshing sweetness of the apple mint spread through my mouth and rushed cleanly through the back of my nose.
My body warmed from the inside out, and it felt as if my fatigue was being washed away.
"...Haa, I feel relaxed."
When I let out a sigh of relief and muttered that, Fiona-san and Elgis-san chuckled.
"Your true self has finally come out."
"Yes, Aldo-san, you were far too tense. Your tone and attitude were so stiff that it made us tense as well."
Being told that, I realized it.
Perhaps because I had been traveling alone from Abalonia while staying on guard to avoid standing out, the tension hadn't fully left me.
I had already arrived in Nordende. There were no Adventurers' Guild staff, no nobles, and no royalty here. I should probably take some of the weight off my shoulders.
"I'm sorry, I've been traveling alone."
I couldn't speak casually to someone older whom I was meeting for the first time, but I felt a natural smile, true to myself, appear on my face.
"It can't be helped since you came from so far away. Please spend your time here leisurely starting today."
"Does that mean I may live here?"
"Yes, your character seems fine as well."
I rejoiced at receiving the village chief's permission.
I did it, I can live in Nordende.
"Aisha-chan wouldn't bring a bad person here. That girl is blunt, but she actually has a good eye for people, you know?"
To get to Nordende, one absolutely had to pass by the vineyard, so Aisha naturally possessed a discerning eye for judging people.
She was a bit scary at first, though.
"There are no vacant houses in the central area, but there is a vacant house in a place not too far away. Would you like to go see it?"
"Yes, please."
"That said, you won't be able to live there immediately, so please stay at our place today and heal the fatigue from your journey. We'll look at the house tomorrow."
That offer was extremely welcome. I had been switching between carriages for a long time, choosing inconspicuous inns to stay at, and moving on foot. Perhaps because I had repeated such things, quite a bit of fatigue had accumulated.
I was very happy to be able to sleep in a proper house without having to be on guard.
"I will be in your care."
"Yes, I'll take good care of you."
When I bowed my head, Fiona-san said so with a bright smile.
It was a trivial conversation, but I felt a sense of warmth.
If I had parents, would it have been like this? I hope it would be like this.
"Aldo-san, do you have any special skills or things you want to do? If there's anything, I can introduce you to someone. I think everyone would welcome a man in the prime of his life, so there will be many offers."
...Special skills or things I want to do.
The greatest skill I had was subjugating monsters, but that wasn't what I desired.
The frequency of monster appearances seemed low here, so there was no need for me to do it.
If I were to do something, it would be to make use of my adventurer skills to hunt while having a small field to cultivate.
Cultivating a field myself, planting vegetables and grains, and eating them. I wanted to try living such a relaxed, self-sufficient life.
As for hunting, I had done it many times during my adventurer days to secure food. I wasn't as skilled as Keel, but I could handle a bow and arrow reasonably well.
I had never done farming, so I would have to learn from someone, but I thought it would be fine if I shared the prey I got from hunting.
"...Let's see. I'm confident in my hunting, so I'd like to hunt while cultivating a small field."
"Oh, there are few people who hunt in our village, so that is very welcome. Once you've settled into your house, I'll introduce you to the hunters in this village, so please learn about the ingredients and animals that can be found in these mountains. As for the field, the person I introduce you to will change depending on what you want to grow, so please think about it."
"Thank you for everything."
With them doing so much for me, I'll have to work hard at hunting. It makes me want to give something back no matter what.
"No, no, Aldo-san is already a member of the village. I will help you not just as the village chief, but as an individual."
Elgis-san laughed somewhat bashfully.
He might be quite shy despite his appearance.
"What will you do now, Aldo-san? It's a bit early for lunch, but would you like to eat?"
I was indeed a bit hungry, but there was something I wanted to see before that.
As for lunch, I had leftover preserved food, so I'd just eat that.
"No, I'm going to see the flower fields."
When I stood up and said that, Elgis-san gave a bright smile.