Chapter 5

As we followed the ridge through the forest, a village came into view in the distance. It seemed that this was the village where Mira, the little girl holding hands with her sister, lived.

Even though we could see it, the journey to reach the village was still long, and we stopped for a light meal along the way. Mira was very interested in the portable food she had never seen before... She said it was delicious and ended up eating my share as well.

By the time we reached the village, the sun had already started to set.

The village consisted of about ten simple log cabins, surrounded by a basic fence. A dirt path led to a gap in the fence, where a guard stood with a spear. As we approached the guard, he thrust his spear out at us.

"Stop! Mira is fine, but what about you? ...By the way, isn't Samiel with you?"

"My master is dead. He was attacked by a pack of gartls. These people drove the gartls away, but it was too late."

"I see, the gartls in the grasslands are a threat. You can climb trees quickly, but he couldn't. That's why I tried to stop you this morning. So, are you hunters? I'm grateful for helping Mira. There's nothing much here, but please stay and rest."

The guard let us into the village on his own judgment. Following Mira, we walked through the village and came to a slightly larger house. It seemed to be the elder's house. Her sister opened the door, which was made of boards like a split log.

"Excuse me... Is anyone here?"

"Who is it?"

An elderly person appeared from a corner of the room, which was partitioned by a curtain.

"Are you the elder of this village?"

"Indeed, I am. Hm? I've never seen you before. Is there a reason you're here?"

Her sister began to tell the story of the gartls. The elder seemed a bit surprised by Samiel's death, but when the conversation turned to Mira's future, he seemed to understand why they had come.

"First, Mira is not a slave. Samiel brought her from somewhere, but she has no slave mark on her forehead, nor any sign that it was removed. He claimed to provide for her, but he treated her like a slave. He didn't treat her well, and the villagers didn't speak well of him. He heard from a traveler yesterday that there were expensive herbs in the forest, so he went out... He was a greedy man."

"Then, what about Mira?"

"She is free. She can live in this village or leave it. If possible, I hope you will take care of her... as a favor."

"But, we don't have a means of living. It would be nice if we could find work."

Her sister looked a bit troubled as she said this. The elder seemed surprised by her words.

"Really, someone who can defeat gartls! ...Then, you should become hunters. You can't do it in this village, but the village below is larger and has a Hunter's Guild. You should stay in this village tonight and leave tomorrow."

Her sister thanked the elder politely, and we left the house. Mira, tugging at her sister's hand, led us to a small house.

It seemed to be the house where Mira lived. The owner was no longer there.

The house was small, with a stone hearth in the center of a ten-tatami room. We immediately started a fire with the firewood nearby.

The room became well-lit with the crackling fire. There was a bed and a wooden chest at one end, and straw was spread on the opposite side. On the other side of the hearth, there was a wooden bucket and an old pot, and a few wooden bowls... That was all.

"Where did Mira sleep?"

Her sister asked Mira, who pointed to the straw. It seemed she had slept wrapped in the straw. Her sister sighed and opened the wooden chest next to the bed.

Inside were a bottle of alcohol, some rough men's clothes, and a small leather pouch. When she opened the pouch, a silver coin and about ten copper coins of different sizes came out. It seemed to be the man's savings. So, this belonged to Mira.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

With that, Mira left the house with a basket on her back.

"I'm not sure if it's poverty or child abuse, but we can't leave her like this. Can we take her in?"

"Yeah, living alone is tough for her... But, we're not sure if we can live here either."

"That's not a problem. The elder said we could become hunters. Let's go to the village below tomorrow."

While having this conversation, her sister started rummaging through her backpack.

She took out a sewing kit. She seemed to have everything with her. Then, she started cutting the men's clothes from the wooden chest to make something.

I was bored, so I took out a pot from my backpack, filled it with water from a water bottle, and placed it next to the hearth. This way, we could have coffee.

"I'm back."

Mira returned. Her sister replied, "Welcome back!" Mira walked over to her sister and held out her right hand. Her sister, looking puzzled, held out her right hand, and a silver coin and several copper coins of different sizes landed in her hand.

"What's this...?"

"I sold the fangs and herbs from earlier."

"How much are these coins worth?"

"Master said ten copper coins can buy a meal. A silver coin is worth a hundred copper coins, and the larger one is worth ten copper coins."

It seemed the currency system was based on a decimal system, with different coins for each power of ten. If ten copper coins can buy a meal, then one copper coin is roughly equivalent to ten yen.

I took out some instant rice from my backpack and put it in the boiling pot. I added dried meat and dried vegetables, and seasoned it with salt. A simple but delicious congee was ready! We scooped it into the bowls and enjoyed it together.

After dinner, the three of us decided to confirm our plans for the future. First, how we would live.

The elder said that if we could defeat gartls, we should go to the village below and become hunters. According to Mira, gartl fangs can be sold for about twenty-five copper coins. ...So, if we can kill four gartls a day, we can afford meals.

For a place to sleep, we would start with camping. Although there were some concerns, gartls weren't a big worry. As for the types of quests available at the guild, we didn't have high expectations, so as long as we could make a living, it shouldn't be a problem.

Looking at her sister, she was putting Mira to sleep on her lap while doing needlework.

"Sis, what are you making?"

"This child... She doesn't even have underclothes. For now, the leather coat is fine, but I'm making a shirt and pants for her. If possible, I'd like to make shoes for Akito, but... I don't know if I can."

"I'll try, but don't get your hopes up."

I immediately took out a notebook from my backpack and tore out a page. Holding a pencil, I took off Mira's shoe and traced her foot on the paper to make a pattern.

Next, I rummaged through the wooden chest and found a leather coat like a deer hide. It was worn, but I wasn't going to wear it. Using the lid of the wooden chest, I cut out four pieces slightly larger than the pattern for the soles of the shoes. I then cut out two pieces for the upper part of the shoes, based on the structure of my own shoes.

"Sis, can I borrow your knife?"

Her sister took the knife from the case on her shoe and tossed it to me. Using the knife, I cut four leather straps. I carefully made holes in the two soles and the bottom of the upper part of the shoes with the knife, and then sewed them together with the leather straps. After putting them on, I closed the adjustment laces on the upper part of the shoes. It was a simple moccasin boot. I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

I was about to show it to her sister, but she was already asleep.

While on watch, I decided to make a backpack. It was simple: I folded a piece of leather into thirds, made holes on both sides and where the belt would go, and then sewed it closed with laces. The remaining leather would serve as a cover.

Looking at the clock, it was past midnight. I threw some firewood into the hearth and decided to go to sleep.