Chapter 72

"Well, where should I start looking..."

A man stood on the road that connected the east and west of the border village, folding his arms and muttering. The dwarf, wearing a tank top, pants, and a thick apron tied around his waist, looked around. His name was Kataratsu.

About three years ago, he suddenly quit his job as a shipwright and moved to the border village where his mother lived. His sister and brother were so disappointed that it was embarrassing to watch. Maimai, who was married, couldn't leave the capital easily. Skalgo, on the other hand, couldn't even go out of the castle properly, let alone the capital. While the two had their reasons, Kataratsu, being single, was free to move.

There was a reason for his sudden change. He had something he wanted to do—carve stone statues. When his son suddenly showed up, his mother, Kena, welcomed him with a wry smile and said, "Do as you please," allowing Kataratsu to stay. Kataratsu brought stones from a nearby mountain and carved stone statues with great dedication. His first work was called "Object A" by Kena. The number of works increased, and by the time three months had passed, "Object X" was completed.

At this point, even Kena, with a strained smile, suggested that Kataratsu learn the skill of a stonemason, but he firmly refused. He wanted to carve stone statues without relying on skills. When Kena heard this, she smiled genuinely and said nothing more.

After about a year, the stones finally began to take shape. The first snow rabbit-like statue he carved was given to his sister, Ruka. Although it was about a meter in diameter and looked more like a garden stone, Ruka seemed to like it and named it "Yuki-chan." Being a race naturally suited to craftsmanship, by the time two years had passed, he had become a master. When he asked Kena for ideas for his next stone statue, Opus, who happened to be there, suggested a wooden statue of a Jizo. And so, he became a stone statue carver.

"A Jizo statue in the castle's ornate garden? It's sooo out of place!"

When Kena visited her friend, Queen Mailene (who ascended the throne after marriage), this was her response. For some reason, Kataratsu's works as a stone statue carver became quite famous among the nobles. The players, who understood the significance of Jizo statues, found it strange to see them placed in gardens surrounded by flowers or displayed alongside glittering treasures.

"Well, it's just a difference in aesthetic sense, I guess."

"It's all your fault!"

Opus was said to have been floating in the air or not, depending on the story.

In any case, Kataratsu was looking for someone. A man approached him in the middle of the road, where he was frowning.

"Good morning, Kataratsu-san."

"Oh, it's you, Ritt. Good morning."

Ritt, the signboard girl of one of the two inns in the village, greeted him. The twelve-year-old girl, with her long hair in a braid over her left shoulder, wore a light purple sweater and a long skirt, and had a bright smile. She was probably fetching water, as she carried two buckets in her hands. Behind her, another bucket floated a few centimeters off the ground. This had become a common sight in the village. If you looked down, you could see a small golden lion supporting the bucket with its head.

Ritt was a close friend of Kataratsu's sister, Ruka, and also a friend of Kena. She had been entrusted with a sealed item containing a thunder spirit by Kena a long time ago. She formed a friendship with the thunder spirit and eventually came to control a hand-sized, level 15 thunder spirit. Even Kena was surprised by this. Ritt learned the contract with the thunder spirit from Kena, and it became a part of her daily life.

"Sorry, have you seen Ruka?"

"Ruka? I think she went to the fields with Shiro."

Ritt looked towards the west side of the village and answered. The gentle hill with golden fields spread out from there.

"Ah, that's right. Thanks, Ritt."

"No problem, anytime."

Ritt bowed as Kataratsu waved and walked towards the fields.

Kataratsu, who had been walking briskly, arrived at the entrance to the fields. The wheat fields here were several times larger than they were four years ago. The border village, known for its hot springs and impenetrable defenses, had expanded several times to accommodate the influx of immigrants from other places. About thirty percent of the expanded fields were managed by Roxilious and a few villagers, producing the ingredients for Kena's brand of whiskey.

There were a few people working, but Kataratsu couldn't find the person he was looking for. He whistled to the creature that was usually with her. The "peep" sound echoed through the wheat fields, and a few people looked around. From a nearby path, a white tower rose up.

"Kyu?"

"Ah, there you are. Is Ruka with you?"

"Kyu!"

Looking down from a height equivalent to a two-story house, a white beast with four eyes greeted Kataratsu. This was the immortal beast, Izuna, who played a role in the village's defense. It stood up at the whistle and, happy to be called, pointed its nose towards its tail. When Kataratsu walked around the field to that spot, he found a girl sleeping comfortably with the curled tail as a pillow. She was Kena's youngest daughter and Kataratsu's sister, Ruka.

At fourteen, she had grown taller and, thanks to Siren's education, had become much more mature. If dressed appropriately, she could attend a ball, as Queen Mailene had certified. However, since Ruka didn't like being in the spotlight, the idea was shelved. Sensing someone's presence, Ruka woke up and, recognizing Kataratsu, tilted her head. He was supposed to be in his workshop at this time.

"Is something wrong?"

"The usual caravan is here to pick up the alcohol. You manage the warehouse keys, right?"

"Oh... Thank you for letting me know, brother."

Ruka, informed of the task, jumped off Izuna's tail, bowed to Kataratsu, and ran towards the house. Izuna, after seeing Ruka off, resumed her guard duty. Kataratsu, after patting Izuna's nose, stretched and decided to continue his stroll around the village instead of returning to his workshop.

"Mom hasn't been back as often lately..."

Kena, one of the key figures in the village's expansion, was in the middle of a project (or hobby) with Opus.

What they were doing was building a road towards the eastern side of the kingdom. This idea stemmed from the fact that the current three kingdoms were formed by people gathering from all over the continent. They wondered if there might be another country beyond the unexplored eastern region. Initially, they planned to follow the ridge, but the high number of monsters and the rugged terrain led them to change their minds. They decided to dig tunnels instead. This project had been ongoing for two years with no end in sight.

Still, they didn't dig every day because of their daily lives in the village. They found ore veins and broke through caves along the way, and there was always something to talk about when they returned. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. However, recently, they would sometimes be gone for five or seven days, making Ruka look lonely from time to time. Concerned about her, Kena left Izuna and Pii-chan in the village and asked Ruka to take care of them, to give her something to do. Kataratsu also sometimes took on the role of an older brother and talked to Ruka.

"I can only hope the country on the other side of the mountains isn't warlike."

He could only hope that no further trouble would come to Kena. If his words came true, the other country would be the one to suffer.

On his way back to his workshop, Kataratsu saw a line of barrels being moved from the Kena family's warehouse. He decided to join in the work, thinking, "I might as well get some exercise," and called out to Aeline.

Thank you for reading.