Chapter 2

The older brother received a beautiful wife and took over the house and the fields.

The younger brother became a hunter and built a cabin in the mountains.

My sister is supposed to marry into the house two doors down in a few years.

The older brother said he would give me a part of the field when I grew up, but the village priest said it wasn't a good idea to divide the fields, so I declined. He said that if the fields were divided, everyone would become poorer than before.

The priest also asked if I would become his successor, but I declined that too. Listening to the priest's stories was fun, but I didn't like the time for praying to the Earth Mother Goddess. I didn't even know how to pray properly.

When he said that doubting the gods is also a quality of those who serve the gods, I didn't understand. He also told me that many priests can't hear the voice of the gods, but I felt it would be strange for me to become a priest.

"So, Kir, going to town without a plan is reckless."

Leamer uncle sighed. He patted the donkey pulling the cart, and the donkey slowly stopped, folding its legs to rest.

"Yeah, that's why I'm glad Leamer uncle is here. Even my older brother agreed because it's you."

I petted the wise donkey, which didn't stop suddenly to avoid disturbing the cargo. The fur felt harder than the village livestock, giving me a sense of reliability.

"Well, well... I'll just ask a merchant friend. If it doesn't work out, I'll send you back to the village."

"Uh-huh, I understand."

Leamer uncle is a traveling merchant who comes to the village occasionally.

About once every six months. He sells seaweed salt, iron farming tools, and pots, and buys wheat and animal hides from the village. Since not many people from outside come to the village, everyone smiles like it's a festival when he arrives.

The priest even rushes to see if the books he ordered have arrived.

My older brother's wife is pregnant, so I asked Leamer uncle to take me to town. I was planning to go alone, but it was lucky he came just then.

Of course, everyone tried to make me wait until I came of age. They said nine is too young to go out.

I wanted to see the baby born and my sister's wedding, but I knew the family didn't have much to spare. I convinced them by saying that in town, even kids my age work as apprentices in shops or as apprentices to craftsmen, living in their homes. I also shared the knowledge I had heard that working from a young age can be valuable.

So, I'm walking to town.

"This is my first time leaving the village."

I looked back at the path I had taken and whispered to the wind.

I was a bit anxious, but more excited.

"What's in the town of Hilianka?"

"It's a port town. There's the sea and big ships."

"I've never seen the sea. It must be really big, right?"

"Yeah, it's so big you can't see the other side."

"Are the ships big too?"

"Yeah, the big ones are so big you have to look up. They have to deal with the big sea, after all."

The second night of camping was under a large rock.

We gathered dry branches, lit a fire with flint, and laid out fur on the ground. Leamer uncle had his own fur, but he lent me one of the ones for sale.

"Is there a lot of interesting stuff in town?"

"Yeah. Fun dances, touching poems, delicious alcohol... Oh, Kir is too young for that. There are also rare toys. The last time I went, there was a play."

"A play! About the hero?"

"Well, I was in a hurry and didn't see the title, but... there was a handsome young man with a sword cutting down enemies, so it might have been about the hero."

Leamer uncle added more branches to the fire and answered my questions carefully. His red, round nose looked even redder in the firelight, which was amusing.

He said we mustn't let the fire go out when camping. It keeps wild animals away, he said. Even slime, which hates fire, won't come near.

"Just because he was cutting down enemies doesn't mean it was about the hero, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it could be about a hero or an adventurer."

"Hmm, heroes are one thing, but adventurers... They're not really the type to be in plays."

"Really?"

"I've hired them a few times. They're more like handy people. But some adventurers do become heroes, so there might be plays about adventurers."

Wow. Leamer uncle has hired adventurers before. That's impressive.

There was a time when the village hired adventurers to deal with goblins before I was old enough to remember. My younger brother said they were really cool, but I've never met an adventurer.

"Don't look at me with those sparkling eyes. Look, I'll tell you a boring adventurer story tomorrow, so go to sleep now. We're leaving before sunrise tomorrow. If we don't, we'll have to camp out a third time."

Even so, I couldn't fall asleep right away.

"First, delivering a letter, I guess."

We walked on a path with fewer trees, the ground well-trodden.

Leamer uncle remembered our conversation from yesterday and told me about the adventurers as we walked.

"I was asked to deliver a letter to a village a bit away from town. I was supposed to do it myself, but I had a job I couldn't refuse, so I had to ask an adventurer."

"Delivering a letter?"

It was a bit anticlimactic. I always thought of adventurers as fighting monsters and exploring dungeons.

"And, escorting. I had to go somewhere for business, but there were rumors of goblins on the way, so I hired a couple of them."

"Goblins!"

"Yeah, but we didn't encounter any."

"They didn't show up?"

It's good that Uncle was safe, but it's a bit disappointing.

"I also asked them to find someone once. A dwarf who did good work but was stubborn and had disappeared. He came back on his own after three days, though."

Listening to Uncle's stories, it seems the adventurers I imagined and the real ones are different. They're not really adventurers.

Uncle said they're more like handy people, and that's true. They do various jobs, not just farming or hunting, but all sorts of things.

"Adventurers... If the shop Uncle introduces me to doesn't work out, maybe I'll become an adventurer?"

If they do various jobs, maybe there's something I can do. I thought, but reality was harsh.

"Kir, you're too young. You're nine, right? Most guilds register members at twelve, and I'm sure the adventurer guild is the same."

I want to grow up quickly.

"Well, first, you should train properly at the shop we're going to. Kir is a good kid, so they'll probably hire you. Are you tired? Let's take a break?"

"No, I'm fine. I can keep going."

It seems we're a bit slower than usual because he's matching his pace to mine. We should reach town by the third day's noon, but Uncle said we might arrive by nightfall. I feel a bit guilty for slowing us down. I want to grow up quickly. At least, I want to walk a bit faster.

"By the way, what does the shop sell?"

"Hmm? Oh, right..."

I suddenly wondered and asked. Uncle put his hand on his chin and looked up at the sky, thinking.

"Well, what do you think, Kir? Take a guess."

It's a quiz, so I thought.

Since the shop is Uncle's acquaintance, it probably sells things he brings to the village. But pots and farming tools are more likely to be sold at a blacksmith's...

"I know, it's salt. It's a salt shop, right?"

"Wow, that's impressive. You're right, Kir."

When I said the answer, Uncle smiled and nodded. I was right. I felt a thrill of excitement at solving the puzzle. I'm going to a salt shop, I thought to myself.

A strange smell wafted through the air. A smell I had never smelled before.

I sniffed. The warm breeze carried the smell from before. It wasn't a bad smell, but it wasn't a good one either.

"It's the smell of the sea. We're close."

Uncle explained, and I was excited.

"The sea! I want to see it!"

"Yeah, you'll see it on the way to town. It's not far."

"Let's go, Uncle. Hurry, hurry!"

"Ah, you really don't seem tired..."

The sea was incredibly vast, and the horizon was perfectly flat. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Uncle was saying something, but I was so amazed that I couldn't hear him. I kept looking at the sea even while walking.

I was so surprised I couldn't even speak.

Before I knew it, we had entered the town, and Uncle was holding my hand to make sure I didn't get lost. The sky was turning red.

The port town at dusk was more crowded than I had ever seen. And there were loud voices everywhere. Uncle said it was because it was time to close the shops, and they were trying to sell their remaining stock at a discount. I listened to him with a sense of bewilderment.

The sea was amazing. But the town was also amazing. And it was scary.

"So, towns are like this..."

There were so many people. So many.

But they were all strangers.

I finally understood why the village was worried. I thought I understood, but I finally felt it.

In the village, there were no strangers. I knew everyone's faces, names, and which house they belonged to.

It was natural to greet each other, and even the stubborn ones who didn't return greetings usually did.

But here, there were so many people, and I didn't know any of them. It was the first time I felt so scared and lonely.

I gripped Uncle's hand tightly. When I petted the donkey, it perked its ears and looked at me with gentle eyes.

I felt vulnerable, like when I got lost in the forest as a child. Back then, there was no one around, and I cried, but now, even with so many people around, I felt like crying.

But I left the village. I convinced my family to let me go, declined the priest's offer to stay, and was sent off by the village.

So, I can't show weakness.

I'm going to get a job and live here. That's what I came here to do.

"Okay, Kir, we're here. This is where you'll work."

When he said that, I realized I had been staring at the ground.

There were supposed to be many interesting things, but I had only been looking at the cobblestones. Cobblestones were rare in the village.

I looked up. A huge building, much larger than the village chief's house, stood there, as if waiting for me.

"Shall we go? Can you behave while I talk to the shop owner?"

Uncle smiled and gently led me. My gaze was fixed on one point.

The building was huge, but the sign was very small. It seemed to be avoiding attention, and it read:

'Zelma Slave Trade'

"By the way, what does the shop sell?"

"Hmm? Oh, right..."

A chill ran down my spine. His hesitation in answering then seemed very unnatural now.

Leamer uncle's large, hard hand felt terrifying, and I desperately tried to pull away. No, it wasn't a salt shop. No, this is definitely not right. What is a slave?

"Huh, what's wrong?"

Uncle looked surprised at my sudden retreat. He still looked like the usual Leamer uncle, but he seemed like something I couldn't understand.

"What's wrong? Did you see something scary?"

He looked at me curiously, then seemed to notice what I was looking at, turning to look behind him at the small sign.

Then,

"You can read...!"

I ran.

I ran blindly through the town, where I knew no one, to escape from Uncle.