Chapter 8

Bang! Bang!

"Ow... ow... ah..."

Under the blue sky, the dry sounds echoed.

(I don't understand how it came to this. My name is Nina Leva, a Level 12 Thief from the village of Vivit, which is about two days' walk from here. I first noticed this boy about a month ago. He was being treated terribly by the people of Ressel Village. The boy had the same look in his eyes as I did... I had been watching him without being noticed, but the other day, I was caught. Even though I'm only Level 1, I have the skill 'Stealth,' yet I was found...

The boy's name is Yu, apparently. When our eyes met, he didn't seem to have any interest in me, and I just left.)

Bang! Bang!!

"Ugh! ...ow..."

(I came to this village because I had fled from Vivit Village. The party members I was with in Vivit Village attacked me in the dungeon. Looking back, they had been looking at me with lecherous eyes from the start. I managed to get out of that situation and returned to the village to explain what happened, but I was blamed... It's a common occurrence among adventurers; if you join a party of only men, this is to be expected. The party members who attacked me returned without any remorse and told me to come back. No way!

I couldn't bear such treatment just because I'm a woman. I lost all trust in everyone and left the village where I was born and raised on the same day.)

Bang! Smack!!

"Ahn!"

"Eh!?"

(I know that Yu, who had the same look in his eyes, was being treated badly by the villagers and even faced violence at the guild. I told him that I understand how he feels and asked if he wanted to be my companion, but he remained silent and expressionless. I tried to change the topic to his home and mentioned that he must be overworked by an old lady named Stella. At that moment, Yu got angry.

"You have no idea about Grandma Stella! Apologize!!"

"W-wait, that's not what I meant..."

Yu wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled down my pants. (I panicked. Could he be planning to do something lecherous like the party members in Vivit Village!?)

"Grandma Stella told me to be kind to women, so I'll let this slide."

Yu said this and then slapped me hard. On my... buttocks...

So, I'm being spanked... The force is incredible for a boy. At first, it was painful, but now it feels... no, it's a reward... Ahem, it's not unbearable anymore.

"Hey... cow girl, if you learn your lesson, don't say anything bad about Grandma Stella anymore!"

(With that, Yu ran away, looking scared. Why? Cow girl? Yes, my chest is big... but there's nothing I can do about it. I won't give up. First, I need to apologize and clear up the misunderstanding. Oh! I didn't even introduce myself.)

As we approached the house, Yu stopped.

(The woman from earlier, her name was Nina, right? I remember Grandma Stella saying that some people don't comply even when in pain.)

Yu felt a new kind of fear for the first time.

"Grandma Stella, I need you to buy a saw, a hammer, and some nails."

I can't buy things in the village, so I have to ask Grandma Stella.

"Yu, that's fine, but are you planning to build something?"

"It'll be a surprise when it's done."

"Well, I'll look forward to it."

I'll use the money I earned from gathering herbs. I plan to build a bath outside the house to improve my blacksmithing skill. Fortunately, there's a spring nearby, so I can bring the water over.

For alchemy, I decided to make potions, but I need recipes. It seems that alchemy recipes are only sold in large cities, so I need to find a way to get them.

Starting tomorrow, I'll have to hunt goblins, practice magic, and build a bath. I'll pause herb gathering until I get the recipes.

After eating, I did my daily routine of studying letters and went to bed.