The Heavy Smoker and the Reaper of the Wheat Field (5)

After lunch, we worked all day.

Since we couldn't see a clock, the sun hanging in the sky was our only way of estimating the time. The fucking blazing sunlight made my eyes ache, which was just a shitty bonus.

‘No wonder Hotulusil wears a straw hat.’

It was similar to the way military officers each carried a pair of sunglasses. Burning skin was one thing, but you had to block the light from your eyes.

I didn't care what happened to my own skin, but Frang's might get burned.

Brown-skinned Frang would probably be cute too. Still, ultraviolet rays were a cheat code for skin cancer. I found myself worrying about whether Frang was working with her hood properly on.

Shupapapapat!!

“Kkyoyoyot!!”

Worried about Frang, I couldn't focus on my work, so I sped up and cleared the wheat. Then, after getting permission, I went to check on Frang and told her to keep her hood on whenever she could, as long as it wasn't too hot.

There was a minor incident like that, but otherwise the day went by uneventfully.

There wasn't a sign of any pests, let alone so much as a rat's tail. All we saw were tiny grasshoppers tapping against our feet.

“Finished!! That's it for today!! Everyone, wrap up your work and gather in the center!!”

As the surroundings grew dark, the secretary slave I'd seen earlier rang a bell. That bastard sure announced it fucking fast. Since he hadn't said it was over even after sunset, I nearly foamed at the mouth thinking he was making us work overtime.

─Rumble-rumble.

Like part-timers everywhere, the adventurers coolly skipped the cleanup without a shred of responsibility and gathered in the center.

“Everyone's here. You worked hard today. Now, rest wherever you like.”

Hotulusil must have gone home from work long ago, since relaying the announcements was the secretary slave's job. His shirt was soaked in sweat too.

“You are free to pitch tents or light campfires. However, be especially careful with sparks. If the fire spreads to the harvest or the fields, you will have to hand over everything you own and live as slave coworkers with us for more than ten years.”

Fuck. What a brutal warning. If we burned these fields to the ground, that really would happen. Even at a glance, the amount of produce would clearly be measured in gold pieces.

“Some of this farmland also belongs to the lord, so if you are unlucky, execution might even be on the table. We cannot take responsibility, so mind yourselves.”

After saying that, the secretary slave went back to his own quarters. It was a sort of dormitory attached to a stable.

─Rumble-rumble.

The adventurers scattered in every direction as if someone had played their gathering in reverse, each setting up a place to sleep. Some people pitched tents as teams, while others slept alone like loners.

Frang and I held hands and went to a suitable spot.

“Nord. Let's pitch our tent first.”

“Yeah. But I don't know how to pitch a tent. Teach me.”

I hadn't learned how to pitch a tent even in the army. I was from a rear-echelon unit, and because of the generational gap, I'd never even had the chance to see those A-type-whatever military tents.

“All right. I'll demonstrate.”

Frang heard me and brought over the tent materials. It was a package sold for two coppers at a general store in Sargadis.

“This is how you pitch one. Watch closely.”

Bang, bang, bang!

Flap!

“Ta-da!”

“What the hell was that? Show me again.”

There had been a demonstration by a skilled instructor, but she was too skilled. It was speed worthy of a show about unbelievable feats, not a program about masters of everyday life.

Her tiny hands went papapapap, and in less than three minutes, the tent where we would sleep was complete. Drive in the pegs, tie down the fabric with the cords, spread it out, and the tent was finished.

“Was it difficult? Want me to show you again?”

“Why bother when it's already finished? I'll learn next time.”

I answered Frang and went inside with her. It was a simple tent with a mat spread over a flat dirt floor and cloth draped over it, but the inside was reasonably cozy.

“Oh? It's pretty good for two coppers.”

“It really is. But we'd better buy a new one for winter.”

“Heh heh. In winter, we should avoid quests that require us to sleep outdoors from the start.”

Even autumn nights were chilly. If we slept outside in winter, we would freeze to death no matter how thick the tent was. This was a world where even finding something like a sleeping bag was difficult.

“Oh, a carriage is passing by.”

Frang perked up her ears and looked to the right. When I focused on my hearing too, I heard a sound coming from that direction. Two wagons were approaching along the side of the farmland where we sat.

─Clip-clop, clip-clop.

They were shabby horse-drawn merchant wagons, nothing like noble carriages.

The wagons were heading toward Sargadis, and the merchant sitting on the driver's bench cracked his whip against the horse's rump, apparently desperate to return to the city and rest as soon as possible.

Smack!

Neighhh─.

But the horse that had been whipped cried miserably and slowed down instead. The merchant's face turned to shit. It was fucking hilarious.

“Heh heh.”

Frang couldn't help laughing at the sight too. As we sat side by side and laughed, I happened to notice the mark on the wagon. It was a picture resembling a wrapped gift box.

“Heh heh. It was a delivery wagon. No wonder he wants to get back quickly.”

“A delivery wagon? Oh, the one that sends letters or presents in your place? Good eye.”

“I could see the emblem on the wagon.”

Since I would probably have plenty of reasons to use one while living in Sargadis, I'd looked into what kind of service it was. Those merchants were this world's equivalent of a courier service.

It was an idea conceived by people whose livelihood was trade between cities and domains. They transported goods to other domains on your behalf. The merchant guild coordinated the service on a large scale, so you could even send things to other countries. It cost a lot, though.

‘I'll have to send the paper I'm working on to Carmine University with one of those soon.’

I'd brought paper to write on before bed tonight too, so I should finish it quickly and send it off.

The delivery wagons departed once every ten days. They gathered goods for ten days before setting out. I had to send it before the deadline so I wouldn't end up sending my paper after the fact.

─Clip-clop, clip-clop.

After watching the wagon disappear in a cloud of dust, I spoke.

“Let's light a campfire too. We're far enough from the fields, so it should be fine.”

“Good. Nord, can you lay out the firewood? I'll clear away anything nearby that might catch fire, just in case.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

We'd gathered the firewood when we went to the forest yesterday. Quick-witted Frang had also obtained some straw from somewhere, so starting the fire was easy.

Whoosh─.

The fire caught so easily that it was as if the whole damn fiasco at the ruins had been a lie. The campfire was complete.

“Ah, it's warm. This is why you light a campfire.”

“Heh heh. Be careful so the wind doesn't put it out.”

Frang and I covered ourselves with blankets and sat close beside the campfire. The blazing red flames licked at the firewood like tongues. Campfire lights began appearing in several places even farther away from us.

The other adventurers must have lit campfires too.

“There's something atmospheric about this.”

Frang leaned against me and smiled. I put an arm around her shoulder and stroked her head.

“I probably would've found even this scenery noisy and irritating if you weren't beside me. They say even the same scenery feels different depending on who you're with.”

“That's good. Then as long as Nord is beside me, I'll be happy even in a sewer.”

“I'd probably pass out in a sewer.”

“Heh heh.”

Frang's black hair was soft no matter when I touched it. No, more than that, there wasn't a single part of Frang's body that didn't feel good to touch. That was a fact proven by the science of being a social butterfly.

Enjoying that sensation, I watched the adventurers' campfires. With campfires burning in every direction, it looked like a scene from a drama or movie.

The adventurers shone like candles in the darkness.

Some people looked awkward and sat in silence, while others laughed and chatted. One person sat alone, staring at the farmland and lost in thought. They all had their own lives and thoughts, I supposed.

“Huh?”

As I watched over there, I made a puzzled sound. Frang looked up at me too. At some point, she had stopped looking anywhere else and was simply staring at my face. It was embarrassing.

“What's wrong?”

“No, someone over there was waving at us.”

As I answered, I sharpened my vision. I quickly figured out who it was. I could see a familiar old man sitting near the campfire over there.

“It's Mr. Gentric. Looks like he came straight here after meeting us yesterday.”

“Oh, it really is.”

Frang recognized him too after narrowing her eyes.

Gentric had spotted us and greeted us first.

Still, he had spent the night here and was working again today. His diligence was admirable, but I couldn't help wondering what his children were doing instead of supporting their father.

Were adventurers this world's version of elderly people who scavenged recyclables?

Thinking that made me feel strangely melancholy. Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Gentric approached us at a leisurely pace.

“There you are, you two.”

“Yes. It's nice to see you again after yesterday, Mr. Gentric.”

“Hello.”

We exchanged greetings. Gentric made an ‘Oof’ sound and sat down roughly on the nearby ground. Then he looked at us and grinned.

“Oh, don't worry. I'm not trying to impose on you young people while you're resting.”

“Heh heh. Thanks for being considerate.”

A grown man and woman had pitched a tent away from everyone else. Anyone who intruded on that was either spectacularly oblivious or a motherless, fatherless NTR freak.

Either type was liable to get stabbed to death before their hair turned gray. Old man Gentric was neither.

As expected, he was perceptive.

“So, was work today manageable?”

Old man Gentric asked while patting his shoulder. While I thought of an answer, Frang quietly moved away from my shoulder and bowed her head.

“Yes. Thanks to you, we were able to take on a safe job. Thank you.”

“It was hard work despite being safe. I came to ask because I wondered if you might resent me for suggesting it─.”

“Heh heh. No, not at all. We sweated a little while working, but it wasn't particularly difficult.”

“That's a relief.”

Gentric looked at me as though reassured. I shrugged casually.

“If you knew how much trouble I've been through lately, you wouldn't have worried. I want to do nothing but harvest quests for the next month.”

“Ho ho. It's a vermin-extermination quest, not a harvesting quest. The pay and the credit are different, so don't get them mixed up. Still, I'm relieved that both of you are doing fine.”

Old man Gentric stroked his beard and chuckled warmly at my answer. Then he looked at the camping kit placed around the campfire and said,

“Your tableware is clean. Have you eaten yet?”

“We were just about to eat. Oh, I wasn't criticizing you, Mr. Gentric.”

“I see. If I may offer one piece of advice, don't squander your food at night. You'll have digested it all by morning. Save some and eat a hearty breakfast; it'll make working easier.”

“Oh, thanks for the great tip.”

Gentric looked pleased at my polite answer─though he apparently didn't understand the expression ‘great tip’─then pointed toward the stable.

“When you run short of drinking water, go over there. There's a well behind the stable. You can draw water from it.”

“Understood. But is the water from that well free?”

“Just don't use it excessively. The serfs get angry when they see it.”

“Heh heh. What a shame.”

We laughed like proper bottom-rung adventurers, with a slightly nasty edge to us. That's just how life at the bottom was.

“It's dark, so be sure to take a lantern. Don't go fetch water and roll into the well on your way to Elysion.”

Gentric said this. Elysion was the afterlife spoken of in Romania.

Even in this otherworld, where the existence of gods had been confirmed, little was known about what the afterlife was actually like. Since souls existed, I assumed there probably was one, though.

Crackle-crackle─.

The firewood burning in the campfire sent a shower of sparks flying. I moved my arm like lightning and knocked away the ember flying toward Frang.

“Heh heh. Nord, you're so overprotective.”

After seeing the tai chi I had performed, Frang tightly grasped my hand. She interlaced her fingers with mine.

A man and a woman rubbing their bodies together this closely─wasn't that basically sex already?

As we did that, Gentric gave us a wry smile.

“Oh dear. I must have stayed too long. I should be going.”

“Already?”

“Didn't you say you haven't eaten yet? If I stay any longer, I'll only be a nuisance.”

Apparently, watching us act all lovey-dovey had made him uncomfortable about remaining beside us.

“Still, it would be a shame to come all this way only to say hello and leave. Here, let me give you a little present before I go.”

“A present?”

“This.”

Gentric shook a canteen with his thick, wrinkled hand, then pulled out its stopper.

─Slosh, slosh.

─Pop! Fizz….

When he opened the canteen, the sound of carbonation escaping came out.

This wasn't some damn training retreat, so he couldn't possibly have brought cola. Besides, cola didn't even exist in this world. I gave a hollow laugh and asked,

“Why do you have beer?”

What Gentric had brought in the canteen wasn't water but beer. The scent of alcohol pricked my sharpened sense of smell.

“Ho ho. I brought it to drink secretly at night.”

It was the calmest answer imaginable, as if he'd simply worn a scarf because it was winter.

“But when I arrived, I found some adventurers I knew, so I ended up imposing on your camp too. I felt awkward drinking alone, though. So I kept it in my bag and brought it here to give to you.”

“Wow! Thank you!”

Frang's face lit up with one-second zero-to-hundred speed. I had been about to refuse, but my common sense went AWOL, and I ended up arguing back.

“No, Frang. How are you going to work tomorrow after drinking?”

“One glass is fine!”

We'd used that exact line to justify drunk sex last time too.

My perfectly reasonable rebuttal failed to make it out of my mouth because Gentric was there. I couldn't bring up the drunken sex where we'd traded our virginities in front of an acquaintance.

“……Can't I?”

Taking advantage of my silence, Frang put both hands to her cheeks and turned on the charm.

Frang!!! She was acting cute!!!

It was an adorableness that far transcended my entire system of perception. Fuck, it felt as though the blood flowing to my heart and dick had tripled. It was practically a defibrillator for CPR.

“Wow, fuck, Frang…. That's not fair….”

She was so fucking cute. My will to resist was obliterated like a soaked wooden door smashed by a battering ram.

“Sigh. I lose. …Mr. Gentric, I'll gratefully accept it.”

“This is fascinating to watch. I can leave you alone and let you continue, if you like.”

“No thanks. I think I'm about to have a cardiac arrest.”

“These are good times, indeed.”

I handed the empty pot to Gentric, who had been teasing me. I'd pour the beer into it, cover it, and have it with our meal later. Britannian beer was low-proof, and we'd make some snacks to go with it, so even Frang wouldn't be knocked out in one punch.

─Clatter.

Gentric accepted the pot, set it down, and held the canteen full of beer in one hand.

He looked as if he was about to pour the beer into the pot, but the old adventurer did something I hadn't expected.

“No matter how chilly the weather is, cold beer is still the best, wouldn't you say?”

Gentric spoke an obvious truth while holding the iron canteen and concentrating intensely. After perhaps five or six seconds, a low incantation flowed from the old man's lips.

“──<Freezing Hand>.”

Crackle…!!

As he recited the spell, Gentric's hand began glowing blue, and frost started forming on the canteen he was holding.