Chapter 119: The Tranquil Vige Life<ol> <li><strong> The Tranquil Vige Life</strong></li> </ol>
* * *
A month had passed since then.
Today, I’m walking through the forest enveloped in the yellow-glowing morning mist bathed in sunlight, heading toward Grounoddka Vige.
Dragging along an impressive catch.
“O-Oh my! Miss, you’ve bagged another huge one today!”
“…………”
The one I encountered at the forest’s edge was the viger Ronte, a former adventurer.
His field is located closest to the forest in this vige, so I usually cross paths with him when returning from my hunts.
An early riser and hardworker, his face is covered in scars with a stern look, but he’s also a kind person who doesn’t discriminate against me.
“It’s thanks to you working so hard like this, Miss, that the rest of us can focus on growing wheat! Thank you, Miss!”
Saying that, he thanks me with a smile.
He’s thanking someone like me.
The people of this vige are truly kind.
Leaving the waving Ronte behind, I proceed toward the vige center’s za.
To offer my catch.
Today’s catch is a Small Giganto-Boar.
Called a Giganto-Boar since it’s asrge as a small hill.
Though in reality, it’s only about the size of a hut, the amount of devastation it causes to sustain its massive body naturally has it ssified as a monster by humans.
This Grounoddka Vige is a pioneer vige located near the demon realm Kaise Forest.
“Near” being a rtive term, as it’s dozens of kilometers away (I confirmed that with a short run), with a regr forest spanning the distance between the vige and demon realm.
And inhabiting that regr forest are animals like the Giganto-Boar, easy game for me to hunt casually.
The mana transformation caused by taking in the ck Dragon’s blood has left me with an unabating hunger.
Living in this vige without the mana-rich “blessed bread” would be quite difficult.
But simply eating bread without doing anything doesn’t sit right with me either.
So as thanks for taking me in, letting me sleep on their bedding, and providing me meals, I spend my days hunting, helping with pioneer work, assisting in the fields, and so on.
“Oh! Another magnificent boar indeed!”
“…………”
The one calling out to me now is Tardatta, the vige chief.
An elderly man with a long white goatee as his charming point.
“The gods must be delighted as well! Leave the offering to me, Emi. Us old geezers will butcher itter!”
I give a firm nod before parting ways with the vige chief.
* * *
Exchanging morning greetings with the vigers along the way, I arrived at the vige center’s za.
Here stands a single wooden statue and a slightly small shrine building.
ording to the vigers, this statue depicts the god they enshrine in this vige.
To me, it just looks like a twisted, dirty log, but since these are the kind people hosting me, I don’t voice such thoughts.
In any case, I ce the boar before the statue,pleting the offering.
Mimicking the vigers, I sp my hands before my chest in prayer.
With this morning taskplete, my nextmitment is assisting in Otta’s fields.
Otta is also a hardworker, so she’s likely already out in the wheat fields by now.
I had already eaten the blessed bread after waking up this morning, and truthfully consumed around three of the Giganto-Boars I hunted on the spot, so while I’m hungry, it’s not to a debilitating degree.
I start walking toward Otta’s fields.
“Ah, wee back Emi! How was the hunt?”
The one weing me to the fields with a bright smile is Prough-kun, who lives in the same house as me.
I’m currently living as a resident in Otta’s home, the one who took me in, along with Prough-kun.
A freeloader, basically.
“Boar.”
“I see! You got a Giganto-Boar! Thanks to you, everyone can have meat again. Thank you, Emi!”
His praise makes me feel a bit embarrassed, scratching my cheek.
Though my expression remains unchanged.
“Anyway, Emi, I’m currently weeding the fields, so could you lend a hand?”
I nod in response.
“Alright! Then let’s have apetition to see who can pull more weeds, okay? Ready, go!”
Saying that cheerfully, Prough-kun proceeds into the fields.
His pace, however, is anything but ordinary.
Despite crouched in a weeding posture as he advances, his speed is nearly an all-out sprint.
That speed is thanks to his mastery of 【Body Strengthening】.
I had felt this vige seemed to have quite expansive fieldspared to its poption, but it seems the reason is that nearly all the vigers are proficient in 【Body Strengthening】, just like Prough-kun demonstrated.
They’repensating for theck of agricultural machinery from my previous world by relying on 【Body Strengthening】.
Fantasy agriculture, I suppose.
The vigers’ depleted mana from using 【Body Strengthening】 is fully replenished by eating the “blessed bread.”
Hence, the vigers of this vige can cultivate farrger fieldspared to other viges like the Trash Vige or Baron Martz’s territory.
Well, while I’ve been spacing out, Prough-kun has already advanced quite far ahead and vanished from sight.
At this rate, I’ll lose the weedingpetition.
I’ll weed at full force too.
In addition to the 【Body Strengthening】 I always maintain, I circte even more mana throughout my body to further enhance it.
Alright, let me show you!
This is the full weeding power of a girl who survived the demon realm!!
* * *
Once I got serious, I finished weeding at around five times Prough-kun’s pace.
This extreme high-speed weeding might make decent training.
Distinguishing the wheat sprouts from weeds in an instant, only pulling thetter.
Quite difficult, actually.
It feels like it’s honing my judgment and physical control (I think).
“Hah, hah……geez, Emi is just too amazing! Way too fast!”
Prough-kun arrived, lookingpletely exhausted.
“Fufun.”
I unconsciously ced my hands on my hips, puffing out my chest in victory (with my usual nk expression).
“Oh my, Prough……looks like you missed your chance to show off, how disappointing.”
From over there, Otta came with a teasing smile while wiping her sweat.
“Show off” what?
“M-Mother! What are you even talking about? I don’t get it at all!”
“Ufufu, yes yes……Anyway, good work you two! Let’s take a lunch break,e over here!”
Ignoring the flustered, grumbling Prough-kun, Otta takes my hand and leads us to the field’s edge.
There’s a fallen tree trunk here that we normally use as a bench.
“Here you go everyone~ Bread delivery~!”
As I sat on the trunk, drinking from my water canister with my legs swinging, Fetti-chan arrived with a basket full of bread.
I’ve been waiting for this! The blessed bread!
“Now, let us gratefully receive this divine blessing!”
While Prough-kun and Otta each take one loaf to eat, for now I take around five.
I want more, much more, but I’m restraining myself to avoid eating too muchpared to the other vigers.
Under the warm spring sunlight pouring down, I leisurely nibbled on the bread while plucking bamboo shoot-like nts growing nearby, gazing absentmindedly at the thin white clouds drifting across the blue sky.
The asional gentle breeze carries the scent of soil.
A sense of fulfillment.
Peaceful.
An indescribable feeling of satisfaction.
For some reason, I feel incredibly happy.
Living diligently in this warm, tranquil vige surrounded by kind vigers who ept me.
What was the purpose of my previous life, constantly fighting, killing, being killed?
Could living really be this happy?
And yet, for some reason.
A vague, inexpressible unease constantly swirls in the depths of my heart.
“Is it okay? For me……to be this happy?”
Those words identally slipped from my mouth.
Prough-kun, who had momentarily paused eating his bread, gave me a puzzled look and said:
“Don’t we all deserve to live like this?”