Chapter 82

"Ugh..."

Facing the crossbow, I groaned. I had learned from Helen the day before that dry-firing a crossbow was strictly prohibited.

Since I had already caused some warping by dry-firing it, I needed to repair it, and I had to decide on the direction to take.

One option was to increase its durability. The string would be harder to pull, but with the help of tools, it shouldn't be a problem. The idea was to make it less likely to break if I accidentally dry-fired it again.

The other option was to simply fix it and be done with it. Neither I nor Rike are careless enough to dry-fire it when we know it's not a good idea, and if we handle it carefully, there shouldn't be any problems.

A crossbow can be handled like a gun, but it's not designed to remain in a ready-to-fire state for a long time.

Helen explained during dinner the previous evening that you should only draw the string and load the bolt when you need to fire, so dry-firing shouldn't happen.

In the previous world, guns were also often kept with the bullets removed and the hammer down, and the safety engaged when not in use for a long time, so it's the same principle.

After the night, I consulted with Rike and Helen and decided to fix it the simple way. The judgment was that, in an emergency, it would be better to be able to pull the string with just strength rather than using tools.

Helen's opinion was that if the tools were broken and unusable while the crossbow was still in good condition, it would be better to avoid that situation. Considering the possibility of being besieged, there was no other choice but to agree.

"We should also think about setting up traps, right?"

While looking at the trees outside, I muttered absentmindedly. The trees didn't give much of a sense of the changing seasons, but the cold wind coming in made me feel that winter was approaching.

"I don't know. This land already has natural guards patrolling it."

In response to my mutter, Helen, who was also looking outside, said. The "natural guards" she referred to were mainly the wolves, and sometimes boars, tigers, and bears.

We couldn't really expect dragons, though.

Rike then added:

"Wouldn't Lysa protect us?"

"I don't know. It depends on whether she thinks it's okay to favor us. In any case, if she wants to protect this place, she would have to change the terrain."

Lysa is the mistress of this "Black Forest," but she doesn't have any direct offensive capabilities. Just as in a sandbox game, where you can only damage the land by changing its terrain, she would need to do the same.

Naturally, that wouldn't be good for the forest. If she decides it's worth protecting to that extent, she will, and if not, she won't.

It would be nice if she thought it was worth changing the terrain, even just for the hot springs.

"Well, let's get started, then."

I stretched. Rike went to his work, and Helen went outside with the rest of the family. Today, instead of patrolling the forest, they were tending to the fields—more specifically, harvesting the last crops of the year.

It seems that some things can be grown in winter, and the elf seeds can grow year-round, but to avoid overexposing this fact and to let the soil rest, they practice fallowing during the winter.

Even without the problem of continuous cropping, there are issues with nutrients.

In any case, while the sounds of people (and occasionally the laughter of Kurururu, barking of dogs, and chirping of birds) came from outside, I removed the bow part of the crossbow and placed it in the fire pit.