Chapter 22

The day after Istaria almost saw Ichiryo being restrained, Ichiryo and his companions finally returned to the entrance of Grisear Village as the moonlight began to illuminate the earth in place of the sun. The group was much lighter than when they left the village, carrying only a few belongings: a tattered bag with personal items, a small cloth bag containing seeds of crops they bought in Istaria, and a wooden cage on Rozuru's back containing two birds.

Due to the high cost of food, the seeds of crops were also expensive. However, with the money Ichiryo earned from selling the red crystal and the money from selling Almar's fur, they were able to purchase several types of seeds that the village had never grown before. Additionally, they bought a pair of root-cutting birds, which look like chickens but are named for their habit of digging up grass roots. These birds lay about one egg per week, and if they can be successfully bred, the villagers' tables will become slightly more abundant. However, it is said that the eggs often do not hatch, or the chicks die before they grow large. It is considered a success if five birds hatch and grow in the bird's short three-year lifespan. Moreover, the birds' feathers have degenerated, and they cannot fly. Ichiryo thought it was surprising that they had not gone extinct, but it was probably due to human intervention. Incidentally, the pair of root-cutting birds cost 800 al.

In addition to these, Ichiryo's tattered bag contained two bolts of fabric used to make the clothes that the villagers often wear. Since the clothes from Japan stood out too much in this world, it was decided to make new clothes based on a suggestion from Barretta. Ichiryo considered buying ready-made clothes, but Barretta insisted on mending them as a way of showing gratitude, so he decided to let her do it.

When they reached the village chief's house after passing through the village entrance, the chief and several villagers welcomed them with relief.

"Kazura, welcome back from your long journey. Here, a warm dinner is ready. Please put down your belongings and eat. Everyone else, come in and eat as well."

"Thank you... Oh, grilled fish and mixed rice! This is quite a feast!"

At the chief's invitation, Ichiryo entered the living room of the house, where a dinner for the entire group was already prepared, and a delicious aroma filled the air. Over the hearth, river fish were grilled on wooden skewers, and a pot of mixed rice with mountain vegetables and some kind of meat was cooking. Barretta had mentioned that fishing in the river was not usually done, so the chief and others must have gone fishing to prepare for their return. For the past four days, Ichiryo and his companions had only eaten canned food and salted broth, so the warm meal and grilled fish were especially welcome.

"Kazura, what happened to your foot?"

As they were putting down their backpacks and tattered bags, one of the village girls, who had come to help with the dinner preparations, noticed the bandages on Ichiryo's foot.

"Yes, I think it's because I'm not used to walking so much. I got blisters on my feet, and they burst. I'm just trying to mask the pain with bandages, but it still hurts a bit."

Seeing Ichiryo scratch his head in embarrassment, the village girl looked puzzled for a moment but then nodded and helped him take off his backpack.

"Kazura, I've brought water. Please sit down and let me wash your feet."

As Ichiryo was stretching, Barretta entered the house with a bucket of water and soap, having fetched water from the stream.

"Thank you. I can wash my feet myself, so please go and rest in the living room, Barretta."

"No, no, you must be tired from the unfamiliar journey. Please sit down and let me take care of it."

Without giving Ichiryo a chance to argue, Barretta grabbed his hand and made him sit down, then carefully washed his feet, which were wrapped in bandages dirty with blood and sand. The moment his feet touched the water, the wounds on his soles stung, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

"Blisters... I'm sorry, but perhaps our sandals don't fit your feet as well as the shoes you usually wear. I apologize."

"No, no, it's my fault for being so weak! Besides, I was the one who insisted on going, so please don't apologize!"

Seeing the chief apologize, Ichiryo quickly turned around to reassure him. The other villagers in the living room were either worried or curious as they watched Ichiryo's feet being washed.

"Kazura, can you get the bandages and medicine from your bag?"

While Ichiryo was reassuring the chief, Barretta, who had finished washing his feet, called out to him. His feet were now clean, and all that was left was to disinfect and re-bandage them.

"Thank you. I can bandage them myself, so please go and rest in the living room, Barretta."

"No, I'll do it. Please give me the bag."

"Okay..."

For some reason, Ichiryo was not allowed to bandage his own feet, so he reluctantly took out the bandages and antiseptic from his bag and handed them to Barretta. Barretta quickly disinfected the wounds and carefully bandaged them, just as Ichiryo had done over the past few days. In fact, Barretta had also forcibly changed his bandages the night before, but being bandaged in front of the other villagers was somewhat embarrassing.

After the bandages were changed, Barretta joined the other villagers in the living room, sitting next to Ichiryo on his left. Incidentally, Mura was already seated on his right.

"Let's eat, shall we?"

"Yes, let's eat."

As Ichiryo clasped his hands together, the other villagers did the same and said, "Let's eat," in unison.

"Kazura, how was your journey to Istaria?"

As Ichiryo bit into a freshly grilled river fish, he relaxed and the chief, sitting across from him, asked a question. The other villagers were also listening with interest, eating their mixed rice and fish.

"It was really fun! I saw stone walls and gates I had never seen before, and the commercial district was bustling with people. It was a continuous series of surprises and amazements."

"Is that so? Did you encounter any dangers on the way?"

When the chief asked this, Rozuru spoke up for Ichiryo.

"No, no, not only did we not encounter any dangers, but we were able to hunt an Almar on the way to Istaria. Thanks to that, we were able to sell it for a good price in the city."

"An Almar? You were able to hunt it along the road?"

"Yes, it appeared right in front of us while I was keeping watch with Kazura at a rest hut."

As Rozuru spoke, the villagers let out a chorus of "Oh!" and comments like "You're amazing, Kazura" reached Ichiryo's ears. He was used to it, so he ignored it.

"Also, Kazura sold the gemstones he brought and shared the money with us for the village. Thanks to that, we were able to buy the root-cutting birds and some rare crop seeds."

"I see. I was surprised when Rozuru came back carrying two root-cutting birds. So that's what it was... Kazura, thank you for everything."

At Barretta's words, the chief bowed deeply to Ichiryo. He didn't seem too surprised, so he might have expected that Ichiryo would somehow manage to get the money.

"No, no, I'm the one who should be thanking you for all the help from the village."

Ichiryo also bowed, expressing his gratitude for the daily kindness of the villagers. While enjoying the luxurious meal, he reported on the events in Istaria (including the fact that he was cheated on the ocarina and encountered Lise) in a relaxed manner. When the conversation paused, one of the villagers spoke up.

"By the way, the village's sweet potato field has become quite something since you left."

"Quite something?"

When Ichiryo asked, the villager nodded.

"The sweet potatoes are growing at an incredible rate. We've been talking about how amazing the fertilizer from your country is every day while working in the fields."

"...What?"

Ichiryo couldn't believe his ears. The fertilizer he brought was just ordinary stuff from a home center in Japan. Even if they had never used fertilizer before, it was impossible for the sweet potatoes to grow so much in just a few days. The others who had been away from the village also exchanged glances at the chief's words.

"Yes, I should have told you this. Despite only eight days having passed since the fertilizer was applied, the leaves of the sweet potatoes are more than twice as large as usual. The medicine you called a nutritional drink is also amazing. The items from your country are truly wonderful."

"More than twice as large... Can I go see the sweet potato field with you tomorrow morning? I'd like to see it with my own eyes."

"Yes, that would be very helpful. Please come with us."

In any case, it was hard to imagine how much the sweet potatoes had grown just by hearing about it. Ichiryo had planned to check on the progress of the water wheel parts in the morning, but the growth of the sweet potatoes was quite intriguing. He thought the chief might be exaggerating, but he decided to go to the sweet potato field first thing in the morning and then work on the water wheel parts.

The next morning, Ichiryo, who had slept like a log due to the fatigue of the long journey, was woken up by the loud metal sound of an analog alarm clock he had set, anticipating oversleeping. After having breakfast with the chief and his family, he left the house to head to the sweet potato field. Incidentally, when the alarm clock rang, the chief and Barretta, who were already up and preparing breakfast, were startled and rushed into the room, but they laughed and forgave Ichiryo after he explained and apologized. Ichiryo reflected that he should have mentioned the alarm clock before setting it.

After walking a short distance from the house, they arrived at the sweet potato field where the fertilizer had been applied. Ichiryo was so surprised by the scene before him that he exclaimed,

"What on earth is this...?"

"Exactly, thanks to the fertilizer, the leaves and vines have grown to a size we've never seen before. At this rate, we should be able to harvest much larger sweet potatoes than usual when the time comes."

Indeed, the chief had not been exaggerating. The leaves of the sweet potatoes were more than twice as large as before. The vines had grown much longer than when Ichiryo had last seen them, and the vines of the sweet potatoes planted at the edge of the field had even spread out onto the path with large leaves. Barretta was looking at the field with satisfaction, but Ichiryo was more puzzled than pleased.

"Even though I brought the fertilizer, this is just impossible. What about the other fields?"

Ichiryo knelt down and picked up a sweet