Chapter 43

Two days after returning to the village, Keena, map in hand, was making her way through the forest.

It seemed that during everyone's absence, Roxane, with nothing to do, had energetically walked around outside the village, investigating various fruits and leaves that could be used as ingredients. Keena had been asked by Roxane, who had claimed the kitchen as her territory, to go out early in the morning to gather some of these items. Keena chuckled as she looked at the handwritten map of ingredient gathering spots given to her by the maid.

The parchment was centered on a house marked as the village, with detailed notes on locations of mushroom clusters, what colors and types of fruits grew on which trees, and what leaves shaped herbs were suitable for what dishes. She had been asked to bring back half a basket of berries similar to blueberries, which she had just collected.

Roxane would lay them out on the dining table as they were, crush them into jam or drinks, and process them in various ways. Since none of these required special skills, Keena, who was terrible at cooking, found it incredibly admirable. Even if she wanted to learn, she would be met with a teary face as if about to bite through a handkerchief, asking, "Do you intend to take my job, Lady Keena!?" making it impossible to argue.

It seemed that standing in the kitchen with Luca was not a problem, but every time she saw Roxane's back, a sense of frustration grew, so she tried to avoid peeking into the kitchen while preparations were being made.

"Anyway, I hope Luca becomes a good cook?"

She didn't just mutter it but asked as if there was someone to talk to. Floating next to Keena's left shoulder was a large eye about thirty centimeters in diameter, at about shoulder height. The magic item, "Pair of Eyes," was originally used in the game to explain quests to beginners in real-time. Luca also had a pair of these eyes. It was essentially a two-way communication device, and a faint nod could be felt from the other side of the eye. Yesterday, after returning to her tower and organizing the warehouse and item box, she had generated new items for use at home. When Luca, who happened to be there, said she wanted to try it, this use came about. However, when she met Rottur on her way out of the village in the morning, she was greatly surprised, so it seemed she needed to choose the place to use it carefully.

As the road came into view, she cut off the communication function and put the item back in her item box. She didn't need to go around to the road side; she could enter from the side with the fence where the fields spread out. However, since she had now placed guardians in six directions around the village, she decided against it.

The guardians were golems owned by the guild, placed outside the fort or dungeon to act as watchdogs. They would mercilessly attack anyone trying to intrude or any external enemies, so she had informed the villagers through the village chief. Since the number of villagers who went outside the village was limited, it was generally well-received as a safety measure. She had placed four wolf-type iron golems and two cannon-type golems that fired paralysis magic. As a precaution, signs with the message "Danger! Do not enter from here!" were placed around the perimeter of the village.

After breakfast, Keena's daily routine was to gather those who were free before the sun reached its peak to hold an outdoor class. The teachers were Keena and Roxane, and occasionally, if she was free, Sunea would join. The topics varied from person to person, usually those who wanted to learn to read or do calculations. Occasionally, someone would want to learn magic, which was a problem because the only option she could offer was to write a letter of introduction to Maymay. The villagers who came to ask for lessons were hesitant to leave the village, so it ended up being unresolved.

Children who had mastered hiragana and katakana were doing arithmetic while teaching others to read. Keena thought that if they wanted to study further, "Maybe I should introduce them to the academy?" She could teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, but she couldn't teach the history of the continent, so she would leave that to Sunea.

After lunch, Keena and the children, along with Roxane, cleaned the communal bath. After that, Ritt and Latem would return to their respective homes, leaving Luca with nothing to do. During this time, Keena would be engrossed in reading the usual book.

...But that day was a bit different. After parting with Ritt and Latem, Keena, who should have been reading a book in her room or in the shade somewhere in the village, was waiting for Luca.

"...Keena, Mom?"

"Yup, you finished cleaning the bath. Now, will you come with me?"

"...Yup, where are we going?"

Luca's head was gently patted, and she felt the usual warm feeling. Keena smiled and picked up an egg from the grass at her feet, saying, "We'll collect eggs laid all over the village, okay?" Including the chickens sent by Kerrick, there were over thirty chickens roaming free in the village. Most were hens, and like a farm, they laid eggs all over the village. The rule was to collect only what you needed to eat, but if left too long, they would go bad, so the role of checking the entire village from corner to corner, collecting eggs, and discarding the old ones was assigned. This time, it was Keena's turn.

Keena and Luca walked around, looking for eggs in places where chickens might have entered, such as bushes and gaps. Along the way, Luca looked up at Keena with a curious gaze. When their eyes met, Luca would look away, so Keena guessed and asked.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Luca?"

"...Huh?"

"Yup."

"Today, ...aren't you reading...?"

She was probably confused by the sight of Keena not reading the book she usually read. Depending on the content, there were times when she only progressed a few pages a day. After struggling through a variety of confusing trivia and complaints, she had just finished reading it a moment ago.

"That's already finished, so there's nothing for you to worry about, Luca."

It was fine as long as it was finished, but the problem was the sentence written on the last page. If that was the purpose of keeping the book, what was the point of reading the rest? Keena felt as if she was being scolded by someone who wasn't there, saying, "Yay, you fell for it!" and shed a tear quietly.

From the next day, she would leave the village again and head to Helsper.

"Man, I thought I'd be busier after building a house..."

"If that's the case, why not just relax at home without worrying about it?"

Roxane, who had come out to see her off, replied to Keena's complaint. "If I could be that carefree, I would," Keena said with a distant look. Roxane bowed and stepped aside, making way for the presence behind her. Luca, who had run up, handed a basket to Keena.

"Keena, ...Mom, lunch, please!"

"Did you make it, Luca? Thank you."

Keena took it and thanked her, meeting her gaze. She hugged Luca, who nodded slightly, and Luca, being hugged in return, frowned and said, "I messed up," with a troubled face. Luca vowed to break free from being treated like a small child someday.

"By the way, about what you were saying earlier..."

After Keena disappeared in a purple light, Roxane looked up at the sky and asked Luca, who had been making lunch in the kitchen. They often talked about their travels while making lunch, and Luca was still a bit awkward.

"...Huh?"

"Why is Cartatsu called 'big brother' and Skargo called 'big brother'?"

"Ah, um, ...well, you see..."

Roxane nodded, realizing it was true when she thought about it. Luca thought for a while, then snapped her fingers and slowly spoke.

"...Cartatsu, big brother, ...like an old man."

"‘Pfft!’"

Luca looked at the two who burst out laughing at the same time with a puzzled expression. They waved their hands, saying it was nothing. Roxane encouraged her to continue.

"Skargo, big brother. ...big, brother?"

This statement broke the professional demeanor of the servants. Both turned their backs on Luca, shoulders shaking as they laughed silently. Roxane was even banging on the wall, laughing.

Keena, who had teleported to Helsper, first headed to the adventurer's guild. She looked for Exis and Quolke, but according to the receptionist, they had not returned since taking a job to guard a caravan about twenty days ago.

"Would you like to leave a message?"

"Hmm... It's not an emergency, so I'll pass."

"Understood. I'll let them know that you were looking for them."

"Thank you. I appreciate your help."

Next, she visited the merchant's guild, asked Izuque to buy and transport wheat, and then met with Kerrick. Before Keena could state her business, Kerrick informed her about the production of magic items. There were orders, but the activation keys were scattered, and "Since we can't keep the nobles waiting for too long, could you come to the merchant's guild instead of the village to make them?" Keena had no particular reason to refuse, and since it only involved changing the keyword embedding process, she accepted the job lightly. They also agreed to discuss the compensation on a case-by-case basis. Just as she was about to state her business, a key stopped her.

(What?)

'Friend registration, Shining Saber, has a message.'

In the game, they could communicate as if in a chat, but that was not possible in the current situation. When she opened the message screen, the help call in red letters read, "Purpose: Request," so she hurriedly displayed the full text.

"'There are signs of an attack on the capital, and support is needed.' What is this? This is a big deal..."

"Grandma?"

"Sorry, Kerrick. Something seems to have happened in Pherskayro, so I'll have to continue this another time!"

"Ah, be careful."

"Yup, sorry."

Keena was enveloped in a purple light and instantly disappeared. Kerrick, who had been stunned, thought that if he asked his mother, he might know what was happening in Pherskayro and activated [Telepathy].

The incident began at almost the same time as when Keena and the others returned to the village. A merchant's carriage, regardless of the damage to the cargo, arrived at the West Gate of the Pherskayro residential area, gasping for breath, and rushed into the guardhouse.

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