Chapter 15: Trust
The next day.
We and the caravan have arrived in town.
"......It's lively, isn't it?"
"It's like this every day, right?"
"Yeah."
I wonder if the captain was imagining a more rural area.
“Well, anyway, we arrived safely in the town. Now we can do our job."
"Yes! Everyone, please take it easy."
This is where we said goodbye to the merchant party.
I think they'll be staying here for a couple of weeks.
We may see them again in town.
"Then Shiro-san, shall we go?"
“I don’t think there will be any requests anyway.”
"? No, we're not going to the administration."
"Are we going to the forest again? I'm fine, but Wince must be tired."
"Ah, no, no. Let's go to my house."
"Ha?"
----------
Yeah, it's very frugal.
Shabby table, chairs, bed.
And small.
To be honest, it's a little small for the two of us.
"Excuse me, I'll clean up a little."
Saying that, she brought a thin wooden board tied with a string to the corner of the room.
"What is that?"
"This? Reading is my hobby."
It was a book made of wooden boards.
I wonder if there is no paper in this world.
"It belonged to my mother. It's how I learned to read and do math."
"Heh...... where's your mother?"
"......Died. She got sick, five years ago."
"Sorry."
Let's think a little more before we say anything, me.
She said she's been working since she was 12 years old, so you could have guessed that, you idiot.
Hmm?
So Fisse doesn't have parents either?
"Well then."
"Eh, ah, yeah."
"Let's take a rest today."
"Is that okay?"
"It's okay. Shiro-san must be tired. You just don't know it."
I'm not that insensitive.
"Here you go."
"?"
Wince said so, lay down on a small bed, and stretched out her hand towards me.
"You worked hard, so I'll do my best to make you sleep."
"I'm not a child!"
"No matter how I look at it, you're an adult."
By the way, in this world, at the age of 15, you become an adult.
"Men are wolves, you know! When you're old enough, you have to be careful!"
"Are you going to attack me? Shiro-san?"
"I'm not...... a wolf......"
"Then it's fine!"
Just when I let my guard down, she pulls me by the arm and puts me on the bed.
"It's warmer if we sleep together."
The same way we slept yesterday.
I lay with my face buried in Wince's chest and we hugged each other.
"I'm afraid I'm going to attack you unconsciously someday."
"You'll have to take responsibility then."
"You'll need money to raise a child. A lot."
"Don't worry. I'm a [mixed] one."
"Mixed?"
"It's about a child born between two races. My mother is a dwarf, but my father is a woodsman."
"Why is that okay?"
The moment I asked back. I realize
Didn't you learn [crossbreeding] in high school?
"Because mixed people can't have children. Women have gotten pregnant on rare occasions, but they've all miscarried."
I'm supposed to be taking it easy, but all I'm doing is mentally attacking Wince since a while ago.
"......Fufu, it's okay. Rather, there were times when mixing is a good thing."
"Good thing?"
"I've met a few pure dwarfs who are so fragile that they can hardly survive on their own, and they're always in a group."
Honestly, Wince is,
Unbalanced and have a good style.
Even though she is small in stature.
Like this... it's slightly big and thin.
"Let's put it this way. I have inherited the lightness of a dwarf and the strength of a woodsman. If you say I'm poor, that's all there is to it."
That would be wrong.
If she wasn't a mixed one, she could have lived with her friends.
"That's why I don't care how many times Shiro-san attacks me."
"I won't attack you, okay?"
"Thank you. I will believe you.'
Believe.
--------------
The next day.
I slept well, and I feel very well.
I thought I won't be able to sleep.
Wince's.
Ah...... body odor?
I felt very calm when I smelled her.
She didn't even wash her body, why does she smell so good?
……This is a pheromone!
My good mood was quickly ruined by the sight spreading before my eyes.
"......What is this?"
It's the town square.
In the center of it was a simple wooden platform.
Five people were crucified on it.
"This is the one who didn't die. This is what happens to captured bandits."
Wince explains.
The captured bandits were to be crucified in the square for a few days.
If they are very famous or very vicious, they will be executed immediately.
And to the crucified bandits.
The people can do anything they want to them except release them.
They can throw stones at them.
They can hit them.
They can kick them.
They can stab them.
They can break them.
People in town are having a lot of fun.
But I can see the hate in their eyes.
Their mouths are smiling.
The crucified bandit is shouting something in a hoarse voice.
His voice didn't reach us.
"Good morning, both of you."
As we are about to leave the scene, we run into the merchant captain.
“Good morning. We met again."
"Hahaha! It's a strange thing, isn't it? Well then."
With that, we pass each other.
At that time, a wooden board is inserted into the gap of my armor.
"What is that?"
"Wince, read it."
"Yes, yes...... Shiro-san..."
Wince stretches out and whispers in my ear
---------------
Today, I'm still collecting magic stones from monsters.
Pretending to be.
"Anyone?"
"They went back to town."
I'm looking through Shiro-san's back to see who's been following us.
"All right, let's keep going."
We're going to the place marked on the board that the captain gave us.
"Captain."
There were three people.
"I've been waiting for you."
"What's going on?"
Shiro-san doesn't know much about this town.
"Keep quiet as much as possible."
With that.
He turned to me.
"Wince-san, you were here before us. What time did the last caravan went here?"
"Um... that time... it was four months ago."
"And before that?"
"Six months ago, I believe."
"Captain, as expected."
“Yes. Both of you. I'm going to ask you to keep what I'm about to say a secret for the time being."
"Yes."
Shiro-san nodded as well.
Can't he at least reply?
"Merchants go to this town every two months. That's how it's recorded in other cities."
"Eh? But nothing last two months."
"That's right. I asked specific people, specifically farmers, but no one knows about it."
“Only farmers?”
"Yeah, to be clear, I can't trust adventurers who just drink alcohol in the Administration."
"Reason?"
"Farmers are quite strict, but they were self-sufficient. In contrast, adventurers are too busy drinking everyday."
"Is that because of Shiro-san?"
“Have you been here for five years, Shiro-san?”
“No.”
“We have scouts. I've been looking into it for the last few days, but there's a lot of discrepancies."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I have already sent a messenger. Instructions should come in about 6 days, and if I feel it is necessary, I may ask the two of you for your cooperation."
Tftc
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