Chapter 94 - A Lively Village
The slow life of an A-rank adventurer, Volume Three begins.
"It's been getting chilly lately, hasn't it?"
On the way from the house toward the mountains. Toak, walking beside me, muttered while rubbing his arms.
"It's already past the middle of September. It feels like summer has ended and autumn is approaching."
The trees that had been lush and green were now gradually dyeing their leaves red.
Nordende, which had been sweltering until just a short while ago, was now welcoming the autumn season.
The wind, which used to carry oppressive heat when it blew, had become cold, and the air was gradually becoming dry.
"It was hot just a little while ago. It got cold in the blink of an eye."
I was wearing long sleeves since I was heading into the mountains to hunt after this, but Toak, who was still in a summer mood, looked a bit chilly in his short sleeves.
"Should we head back to the house for a bit? It's a little cold in short sleeves, isn't it?"
"...No, it's a hassle to go back, so it's fine. It's just a bit chilly. I can manage this much."
He seemed a bit conflicted by my suggestion, but in the end, laziness won out.
"...That way of thinking is kind of like Aisha."
"Stop it. Don't lump me together with her."
When I said that, Toak made a face of genuine disgust.
"She has her work clothes. She's probably thinking that wearing them is warm and easy, killing two birds with one stone."
Ah, that's a very Aisha-like thought. Aisha's work clothes have long sleeves and long pants to protect her whole body from mud and dirt.
She must be taking full advantage of this situation and living her daily life in her work clothes.
I mean, doesn't he realize that the fact that he's reading Aisha's thoughts like that is proof of how close they are?
Well, it would be a hassle to sour Toak's mood by interjecting, so I'll keep quiet.
We walked for a while while having idle conversation with Toak.
Perhaps because we were approaching the center where many villagers live, the number of people had increased considerably.
It's natural for the number of people to increase, but today there seemed to be an unusually large number.
In the distance, people who had brought ingredients were bartering, and they were moving busily between houses.
At the edge of the road, not only the ladies but also the men were gathered and talking actively, and the whole village seemed to be enveloped in more liveliness than usual.
"...Isn't it noisy today?"
"...I was thinking the same thing."
Toak also seemed not to understand the situation, looking around with a puzzled face.
In the vicinity, many wheat fields could be seen where the stalks were hanging low and had turned golden, perhaps because harvest time was near.
In some places, the wheat was already ready for harvest, and entire families were harvesting it with sickles.
"I see. It's already the season when wheat can be harvested..."
Hearing the words Toak muttered, I realized the reason why the whole village was so lively.
Toak must have been the same, as he looked at me with his eyes wide open.
""Ah! The Harvest Festival!""
My voice and Toak's overlapped perfectly as we looked at each other.
That's right, the Harvest Festival. In Nordende, the Harvest Festival is held in the middle of autumn.
"You're going to have your wedding with Flora at the Harvest Festival, right? How can you forget something so important?"
"No, I didn't forget, I was just too busy for that. There was the Zoack incident and the stuff with me just a while ago..."
I'd been busy with the Zoack incident and talking with everyone.
Life has only recently finally settled down.
"Even so, you shouldn't forget it—"
"Toak, you've lived in the village all this time, so why didn't you remember? Isn't that even stranger?"
Toak had lived in this village for twenty-seven years. He should have realized it was the Harvest Festival immediately from the timing and the liveliness. How dull is he to the atmosphere of the village?
When I directed a deadpan gaze at him, Toak groaned.
"S-Shut up. I haven't been out of the house lately, so it can't be helped!"
Does that even count as a reason?
"I thought there had been an unusual amount of production and repair for chairs and tables lately, so it was because of the Harvest Festival..."
Even while staying at home, wasn't there obvious information lying around?
"There's a little over three weeks until the Harvest Festival. That means everyone has started preparing for it?"
"That's how it is. We have to prepare delicious alcohol and food for the Harvest Festival, and the people getting married have to prepare clothes too. It's going to be tough for Aldo from now on, you know?"
Toak said with a smirk.
He's completely enjoying the fact that I'm going to have a hard time.
I decided in my heart that when Toak is in the position to get married someday, I'll tease him the same way.
◆
Besides the village of Nordende being lively with preparations for the Harvest Festival, there were other changes in the village.
That was the fact that Kurune's magic classroom had begun to be held for a small number of people on the plains near the square.
In front of Kurune were her first students, the trio of close friends from the village: Colette, Chlor, and Lukina. They were very curious.
Even for the villagers of Nordende, they wouldn't normally go to study with a mage who came from outside. The fact that three children had gathered like this was proof that Kurune's character was being recognized by the villagers.
"Alright, everyone gather around. First, I'm going to measure your mana to see if you can use magic!"
Kurune, holding her staff, raised a cheerful voice.
"Kurune-teacher! I want fire magic!"
"Me too!"
"...I guess I'll go with water magic. It seems convenient to be able to use water anytime."
Colette, Chlor, and Lukina each stated their requests freely.
As expected of children. They just move the conversation forward as they please without listening to the other person.
"No, first we have to measure if you have enough mana to use magic, okay?"
Kurune gently admonished them, trying to calm the children who had started talking on their own.
"Eh? What does that mean?"
"Can't we use magic?"
"...It seems she's going to check now if we have enough mana to be able to use magic."
Lukina, perhaps understanding what Kurune had said beforehand, explained to Colette and Chlor.
"Eh? What does that mean, Lukina? Didn't everyone say they could use magic?"
"Yeah!"
However, it seemed Colette and Chlor had only heard the parts that were convenient for them.
Well, talk about whether one can or cannot use magic is a bit difficult for children.
"...No, so strictly speaking, it just means you can use it, but it doesn't mean everyone can use amazing magic, apparently?"
""...Huh?""
Lukina understood somewhat, but it seemed Colette and Chlor didn't get it at all, as they both let out blank voices in unison.
"...Let's ask the teacher for details."
""Kurune-teacher—!""
"Yes, yes, I get it. I'll explain it one more time, so listen properly, okay?"
Pressed by the three children, Kurune spoke in a somewhat pretentious tone.
For someone who was an A-rank adventurer and had served as a teacher at the Magic Academy, I thought the level she was teaching was extremely low.
However, Kurune's expression as she interacted and taught as she pleased looked truly happy.
The dream Kurune had talked about at the house and in the flower field was starting now. She was taking a certain step forward.
I was as happy as if it were my own matter to see my former companion moving toward a bright future. Before I knew it, my cheeks had loosened.
"Hahaha, it seems the students are still few, but she's managing somehow."
"That's true. But she looks really happy."
It's harvest season now, and everyone in the village is busy. In a rural village, even children are valuable labor.
It might be difficult to spend even a small amount of time on study or magic training.
However, the knowledge and words Kurune teaches will surely be useful to them in the future. Combined with their cheerful appearance, I'm sure there are villagers whose interest will be piqued.
Right now there are only three small children, but seeing that happy scene, I thought the number of people would soon increase.