「Inside here?」
「That’s right」
「I see, I see」
In front of us is a wooden fence about thirty centimeters high. It seems to surround all of Kirk Village.
In other words――everything inside this fence is Kirk Village.
「Is there a set entrance or anything?」
「Hm? Ah, well, I think there was a place that opens somewhere, but I can’t remember where……」
Well, it’s only thirty centimeters high. People probably don’t bother using an entrance most of the time.
「So we can just step over it normally?」
「Yeah」
「I see. Then, excuse me……」
After getting off Hezrat-kun, I stepped over the wooden fence and went inside.
「――Entering the village」
「O-oh」
I somehow declared my entrance.
「I’m deeply moved」
「I-I see……」
No, this isn’t just moving. I’m overwhelmed.
It’s been a long journey. Truly long.
Since the day I first set out for Kirk Village, more than half a year has passed.
After failing again and again, I finally reached Kirk Village on my fourth attempt. It’s been a harsh and difficult road.
「Then I’ll also――Entering the village」
「Is that some kind of elf custom……?」
Jisrare-san followed, stepping over the fence and entering the village.
After that, Kirk-ojisan also entered normally, leaving only Hezrat-kun…….
Unfortunately, this is where I have to part with Hezrat-kun…….
Hezrat-kun can’t enter the village. Without crossing the fence, this is where we say goodbye…….
On the other side of the fence, Hezrat-kun doesn’t exactly look sad, but still, parting here makes me feel a bit lonely.
「Hey, Kirk-ojisan」
「Hm?」
「Could Hezrat-kun step in just once? Just one step, as a memory」
「Ah, well, there’s no one around right now. I guess a little bit should be fine」
「Thank you」
Seeing poor Hezrat-kun, I made a suggestion, and Kirk-ojisan gave his permission.
「Alright then, Hezrat-kun」
「Kii」
Hezrat-kun also stepped over the fence――entering the village. Now all of us have entered.
「Kii」
「No, no, thank you」
「Kii」
「Yeah. I’ll summon you again later. See you, Hezrat-kun.――『Dismiss: Giant Rat』」
「Kii……」
I exchanged a few words with Hezrat-kun, gave him a hug, and then sent him back.
Thank you, Hezrat-kun. I’ll be counting on you again sometime.
「I see…… so this is how the 『Summon』 skill works」
「Yeah. This is how I summon and dismiss him」
「I get it now」
「Since we’re at it, I’d like to show you the summoning as well…… but I just sent him back」
「If you just dismissed him, you can’t summon him again?」
「That’s not the case, but we just had an emotional farewell, so it might feel awkward for Hezrat-kun if I called him right back」
「That’s your reason…… I was a bit curious to see it, but it’s fine」
To begin with, it’s not that grand of a scene anyway.
Still, since Kirk-ojisan seems a bit interested, maybe I’ll show him the summoning when we leave Kirk Village.
「Alright then, let me show you around the village」
「Yes. Thank you」
We successfully entered the village, and now it’s finally time to explore Kirk Village. My first experience of a human village.
「……Though, as you can see, Kirk Village is pretty rural. There’s not much to show you」
Well, yeah. Now that we’re actually inside, it really is a quiet, rustic place.
There are scattered houses and some fields, that kind of village.
「So, where should I even take you……」
「It’s fine, just show us around normally. I’m not looking for anything special」
「That helps」
Even if he’s guiding us, he can’t show things that don’t exist. So, it’s fine to just see what the village has.
「Well then, for starters, maybe a good restaurant, a well-equipped inn, and some souvenir shops――」
「We don’t have any of those」
「You don’t?」
「We don’t」
Apparently, they don’t.
I see…… really…….
◇
It’s peaceful. A calm and laid-back village.
The three of us are walking toward the center, but the scenery barely changes.
「Well, our village isn’t exactly a city either」
「Is that so?」
「We didn’t really have restaurants or places to stay either」
「I see」
Meiyu Village is quite rural too…….
Still, recently, a few new villagers have been moving in here and there. It doesn’t seem like Meiyu Village is heading toward depopulation anymore, which is a relief.
Maybe it’s because a dungeon appeared nearby? Because of that, some elves have been relocating from other places.
I sometimes see Father, the village chief, greeting the newly arrived elves with something like 『I’m the village chief』.
「But even so, it feels like Kirk Village could be a bit more developed」
「Hm? What do you mean?」
「I’ve heard there’s proper exchange between the human world and the elf world, so a village like Kirk Village, close to that boundary, should be more lively, right?」
That’s what I think. Isn’t that how it usually works?
「Both Kirk Village and Meiyu Village are remote villages, far from the centers of the human world and the elf world. So, well, that’s just how it is」
「I guess so……」
「I see……」
According to Jisrare-san, that’s just how it is. That’s why it’s so peaceful.
Still, calling it a remote village…….
「Well, putting that aside…… we’re being watched」
「Of course we are……」
As we leisurely walked through the village, we began to see more and more residents of Kirk Village.
Unlike an elf village where everyone is beautiful, seeing ordinary men and women walking around feels oddly fresh.
More than that, it even gives a sense of comfort and familiarity.
……However, contrary to how I feel, the people we pass stare at us curiously.
「Are elves that rare?」
「That’s not it……」
Yeah, figures, that’s not it…….
What everyone is really looking at――is me. Sure, elves might be unusual, but more than that, a masked man is suspicious.
「By the way, how should I explain this?」
「Huh? Explain what?」
「If people ask why you’re wearing a mask, what should I say?」
「Ah」
That’s a good question…….
Should we just say 『He’s too handsome』? ……No, that might not be a good idea. If we say that, people might become even more curious about what’s under the mask.
「Hmm…… maybe 『He gets cold easily』?」
「……Well, it does look warm」
「Or maybe 『He’s shy』?」
「That’s extremely shy…… but alright, something like that works. Got it, I’ll go with that」
「Please do」
Though it does raise the question of whether someone that shy would dress in such an attention-grabbing way, for now we’ll go with that explanation.
「So, where are we heading next?」
「Let’s see……」
We’ve been wandering around while looking at the village scenery, but it’s about time we picked a destination and headed there.
Now then, where should we go?
「Hmm. For now――maybe the church. I’d like to visit a church. And also, a place that sells lumber」
「A church and a lumber shop? That’s a strange combination」
Now that he mentions it, that’s true. Still, both are places that have a connection to me. I’d really like to see them.
「――Kirk-ojisan」
「Hm?」
As Kirk-ojisan tilted his head at my requested destinations, Jisrare-san called out to him.
By the way, Jisrare-san also calls him 『Kirk-ojisan』 like this.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
「The church and the lumber shop… are there women there?」
「……Huh?」
「Young women, perhaps?」
「No, not at all…… The church has an old man, and the lumber shop has just a regular middle-aged guy」
「I see……」
So the church has a Kirk-grandpa, and the lumber shop has a regular Kirk-ossan.
「Alec, unfortunately, that’s how it is……」
「……That’s not it, okay?」
It’s not like I wanted to check out some kind of entertainment district in Kirk Village. That’s not why I picked the church and the lumber shop.
Well…… I can’t deny that I feel a little disappointed though.
next chapter: Deis Church
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