Chapter 20 - Miner

Yamamura which had population of 32 people was located in the mountain.

To be exact, it was located in a rocky and rough area between Big Sister Mountain and Mother Mountain.

So, when I went there, I chose Yoshioka Tozo as my companion.

When I went to an unfamiliar village, I always took him with me.

After all, even the people were told that the new lord had arrived, and I was the new lord, there was a possibility that they wouldn’t believe it.

In such a case, the quickest way was to be introduced by Yoshioka Tozo who was known everywhere.

Zazazaza …

“It seems that that village was flourishing in the past.”

When climbing the mountain path, Tozo said that.

“When I was a kid, the population kept decreasing. Still, there were at least 100 people at that time.”

“Why is the population decreasing?”

“Probably because there is no industry in a mountain filled with rocks.

“Then, on the contrary. Why did they build a village in such a place, a village with more than 100 people?”

“I don’t know about that because it happened before I was born.”

Zazazaza …

By the time we arrived at Yamamura while talking like that, the sun was already leaning to the west.

Thin soil and rocks.

“By the way, in Yamamura there is no such thing like chief.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. There are only four families in this village after all.”

“…”

According to Tozo, the four families were 11 people, 4 people, 8 people, and 9 people, respectively.

Then I thought it would be faster to visit each house, so I knocked one of the door.

“Oh, isn’t this priest-sama.”

The person that came out felt relieved by seeing Yoshioka Tozo.

Apart from the sad appearance of the village, which was on the verge of disappearing, it seemed somewhat strange that the facial expressions of the people living here were bright like there was nothing.

“Yo. This one here is the new lord, so please introduce yourself.”

“Ah! That new lord in the bulletin board! Thanks for coming this deep in the mountain.”

“No no.”

I answered like that and opened the [Goddess’ Eyes].

First, the family of eight and the family of nine.

There were small children with suitable job of support and attack mage, but it seemed impossible to recruited them because of their age.

The family of four, because the siblings married each other there were no children yet.

There was a vanguard swordsmen in this house as well … I just hope they would increase the population and prevented the disappearance of the village.

Tontontonton ……

And knocked the door of the house, which boasted the largest population of 11 in this village.

“Yes, yes.”

The one that came out was a 30-year-old woman.

“This is the new lord …”

Then, as usual, I was introduced by Yoshioka Tozo.

“Eh!? You are the new lord? Yaa ♡ You are much younger than I thought ♡♡”

The woman grabbed my shoulder.

She was a quite powerful woman.

Seriously it hurt …

She always heard the rumor about me exterminating the monster in the west, and she support what I did… she said that excitedly that it made me felt grateful.

“Lord-sama. Please take one of my family that is good for nothing to exterminating monsters.”

The woman said.

“Good for nothing? ”

I don’t think there is a child who is 30 years old yet and should be reproached with “Peace of worth”, so I’m suspicious.

I didn’t think that a child of a woman that was about 30 years old should be called good for nothing, so I felt suspicious.

“It’s my brother, but he can’t work like everyone else, so I’m in trouble … Hey! Akira!!”

Then, the woman called her brother.

“…”

The bearded man just lying on the floor never responding to his sister’s words.

Well, the woman had said that, so I’m going to check it … and when I looked at the man with [Goddess’s Eyes],

Suitable job: Miner

And, his job seemed to be unrelated to adventurer.

“Aiga-sama. The sun had set today. Would you like to stay at this house?”

Yoshioka Tozo said so from the side.

“Hmm, isn’t it fine if we hurry home? It’s just me and Tozo.”

“Don’t say that! Please stay here tonight!”

The mistress of the house said that, so I decided to stay in this 11-person house.

◇

Mistress of the house… I didn’t know if that word was right, but when I looked at the dining table, it seemed that this woman had the highest authority in this house.

There was one man in his 50s who looked like her father, but he it seemed that he had retired.

Also, there were two pairs of men and women in their late twenties who said they were brothers and sisters of the mistress, and there was also one older brother called Akira, there was no one here that could beat the authority of the mistress.

Kyakyakyakya♪

There were children too that I didn’t know who was who.

On the other hand, Akira was the weakest person in the house, including children.

He seemed to be sick because he didn’t work at all, so he didn’t participate in any conversation.

According to the story, he was a man who was extremely poor at socializing and couldn’t work with the people of the village.

Even so, he was already mid-thirty, so it was no wonder that everyone thought he was stupid.

“…”

I talked to the mistress while looking at Akira who was moving his jaw slowly.

“Hey, this village is richer than I expected.”

“Is that so?”

I thought about that when I saw the structure of the house, their clothes, and what they eat.

“How do you make a living?”

“Recently, I mediate the mountain hunters and the other villages.”

In the mountain around here, there were hunters that didn’t belong to any village.

Then, the hunters sold their prey to Yamamura.

And Yamamura processed the prey into meat and fur then trade them with the other villages.

“If only this many people live here, this should be enough.”

“Hmm … I see …”

I was thinking of something while poking the porridge filled with edible plant and chicken with spoon.

“Ah right! Weren’t there more people in this village in the past?”

“What?”

“Yes, when I was still a kid, there were 100 people here.”

The 50 years old man said so from the side.

He was about the same age as Yoshioka Tozo, so their story were the same.

“I heard that before I was born, there were more people here.”

“What kind of industry they did? It would be impossible for more than 100 people to live just by mediating the hunters.”

“I don’t know. I’ve done a lot to survive in this village. I don’t think there was anything in particular …”

“……Is that so.”

Then this story was over.

◇

The next morning.

Kin! …… Kacha Kacha Kacha ……

Suddenly, a loud sound pierced my ears and I woke up.

What kind of sound was it?

I was laying on a bed that was placed directly on the floor, then I turned around.

Then, I saw Akira, who should had been good for nothing, was preparing to go out.

A big wrapping cloth with big and small axe, scoop, and wedge inside.

“What? He also goes to work.”

“It’s not like that.”

The mistress lying next to me said that.

“My brother is just digging a hole.”

“Hole? For what?”

“It’s for nothing. He is just digging. I wish he can earn something from it, but that’s not possible.”

And the mistress sighed.

“…”

Akira should have heard this conversation, but he did not react, he just went and then closed the door.

Hmm.

Somehow, I kept thinking about him.

I was thinking of chasing him,

“Oi. Tozo”

“Go…Go …”

Tozo was still snoring and didn’t wake up.

“I’m sorry, but please tell Tozo to wait for me until I come back.”

“Yes …”

I had no choice but to tell the mistress, then I chased Akira alone.

◇

Kacha Kacha Kacha ……

Akira went down the mountain path while the tools that he brought made a sound.

It seemed that he hadn’t noticed that I was following him, which was good.

“Huup …”

After a while, Akira put down the wrapping cloth in front of rocky wall.

Kang! Kang!

He immediately stabbed a “wedge” into the rock wall and began to dig a hole.

I see.

His suitable job [Miner] was such a talent.

In a sense, he was making use of his talent.

Kan! Kan! Kan! ……

Yup.

Actually, that hole digging was wonderful even for an amateur like me.

I didn’t know in detail, but maybe it was because Akira was using different tools depending on the hardness of the stone.

His back, which swung a hammer or pickaxe, was undoubtedly the back of a hard worker.

However … No matter how amazing that ability was, if no one needed it, as the mistress said, he was still good for nothing.

And the “hole digging industry” was something that was not needed at all in the Yamamura until now.

So he had no standing and no place to live there.

“…”

I was kind of sad looking at him.

Then, I wondered why I felt sympathy with this man.

So it was like that … I finally realized.

In other words, I thought that this man was like me.

Right

I was in the same position as Akira when my training skills were no longer needed at the hero party.

“Yo! Would you like to take a break?”

As I couldn’t hold it anymore, I suddenly called Akira from behind.

“Ah … ah … Lo… Lord.”

When Akira looked me, he couldn’t say anything.

Oh no.

I was not that good at socializing, so I had to be careful on how to handle this.

“It’s okay. I won’t do anything. Here, want some cigarette?”

I said that with a smile, Akira was shy at first but he still received the cigarette.

Booh!!

I casted Kira and made his cigarette on.

“Uhpp … it’s been a long time.”

Akira sucked the cigarette with supasupa.

“Is that so ……… then, you want some sake too?”

When I took out whiskey from my inside pocket, Akira looked a bit red.

“Ta, tasty”

Then, when after he drank the sake, Akira’s stuttering seemed to decrease, and a normal communication was established.

When Akira kept silent, the mustache looked unusual, but when I talked to him, he was just an ordinary old man.

“Hick …. Oh, it’s been a while since I talked with people like this.”

“Is that so.”

“I, i … I’m not good at talking, but I like it.”

Well, it was something unusual as someone that didn’t talk that much with people liked to talk.

“By, by the way. Lo, Lord, Lord-sama. Yesterday, I heard about it.”

“Heard? Ah, when I said that there were more than 100 people living in Yamamura. I was a little curious about it. I wonder what that people were doing here to make a living. ”

“I, I was close with my grandfather, so I know a little.”

“Eh? Seriously?”

Akira stood up, then began to walk along the rock wall unstably as he was drunk.

Zazazaza …

I silently followed Akira.

After walking for a while,

“He, here”

He stopped.

And in front of us was another “hole”.

“Ah! This! …”

I opened my eyes wide.

Because it had the same shape as that “hole” that I found with granny in the west side of my territory.

“This, what is this?”

“When grandfather was still a kid, they could mine minerals here. But it was exhausted. They couldn’t get the mineral anymore so the number of people decreased.”

So it was like that.

“But I, I was taught by my grandfather how to dig a hole.”

“I see … and what kind of mineral is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know the name. But grandfather gave me this.”

Saying that, opened the wrapping cloth and took out a palm sized stone.

It was a transparent emerald green stone with shimmering and mysterious glow.

A magical crystal ….

“This… isn’t this [Magic Ore]!”

I shouted when I saw the stone given by Akira.