Chapter 388 Part 2
Then, three days later in the early afternoon. I was on the Old Lady, heading toward the mining village with three large golem horse-pulled carriages behind me.
(It’s deeper in the mountains than I expected.)
A not very wide cobblestone street running north from the royal capital. We are currently at the bottom of a valley.
To the right is a mountain slope densely covered with trees, and to the left is a stream running down a level, with another mountain slope thick with greenery on the other side.
(We’re so close to the mountain that I can’t see the summit.)
It’s the main peak of a well-known pointy mountain, and I use it as a landmark when I walk along the road in the Old Lady. We’re supposed to be right on the knee of the mountain, but the small peak in front of me is blocking my line of sight.
And by the way, the magic beasts I’ve exterminated so far is zero.
『They go down to the base of the mountain in the winter and up to the higher areas in the summer. It’s early summer now, so they must be in the middle of moving their territory upward.』
When I asked the leader of the caravan, he told me this.
(At the foot of the mountain in spring and autumn, and in the mountains in summer huh.)
I believe dragonflies and swallows have a similar ecology. Now it’s just becoming more and more rewarding work.
Now, the line of golem wagons pulled over to the side of the road and stopped for the final short break along the journey. As I was pissing in the bushes after getting off the Old Lady, a small old man with a rat-looking face called out to me.
「We never had a Knight as an escort in the first place you see. Since you’re a pilot, you better prepare yourself.」
This rat-faced old man was the driver of the golem carriage at the front and the one who told me why there were no magic beasts around.
『My appearance might be ranked the lowest among the people in this caravan, but I’m the most popular among the women in the village.』
He also said this at that time.
What he was implying was that 『his ability to operate a golem is the highest among the people in this caravan』. And him telling me to prepare myself must’ve meant that 『since a Knight pilot is the best when it comes to operating a golem, so I’m more skillful than him』.
「The head of the family in that village is the woman. And the status of a family there is determined by the number and quality of golem users they have produced.」
That’s why they’re so desperate trying to get as many good seeds as possible into their own bodies. “It was to the point I can see their eyes turning pale red from the blood rushing to their heads” The rat-faced old man who also started to drain the water next to me continued.
(Uwaa…)
I had heard the story from the tough-looking chief, but I didn’t expect it was to this extent. I should at least be prepared so as not to panic on the spot.
(So that’s the village huh.)
Finally, about an hour after a short break and beginning to move, our destination finally came into view. As we moved even closer and looked down with the eyes of Old Lady which has a higher viewpoint, I can certainly say that indeed, there was almost no flat land.
Apart from a greenish circular lawn area that looked like a central square, there was only a place where ore was stacked in the field, and the houses where the villagers lived covered the mountainside as if they were clinging to the slopes.
(I kind of expected it, but that’s a really big welcome.)
At the end of a two-meter-high stone wall. Looking toward the entrance of the village, I can see many women waving to the caravan.
(No, it’s not for the caravan. It’s definitely a welcome for the Old Lady.)
I can be so sure because it wasn’t just their faces looking in my direction, but some of them were pointing at the Old Lady. As we got closer, I could see how excited they were as they were talking to each other.
As I thought, the cause was me, a Knight pilot. And it’s probably my seed that they’re after.
(Hm?)
I felt a gaze from behind the Old Lady so I turned around and looked at the driver’s seat of the large wagon at the front of the caravan.
The rat-faced old man was looking at me with a smile on his face as if saying, 『told ya』.
***
About 30 minutes later, after unloading and loading the cargo, I decided to take a bath to clean myself up.
The work was completed much faster than expected because I was using the Old Lady to help out.
「Looks like you’re really looking forward to it.」
While soaking in the hot tub in the large bathhouse that miners usually use after work, the rat-faced old man who came next to me said while squinting his eyes.
But it wasn’t like that. Actually, I was afraid to get out of the cockpit because of the hot stares of the women in the village.
「No, I was unable to exterminate any magic beasts in the end, so I’m just trying to make up for that.」
Since it would likely spread to the women in the village if I answered honestly, I decided to answer this way. The rat-faced old man didn’t seem to believe me, but that was okay.
The ten men, including myself, changed clothes and headed for the open-air square where the event was to take place.
(It’s like a standing party around a hot pot.)
As I was looking around with a pleasant evening breeze, I was overwhelmed by the sight of the circular plaza with soft, trimmed grass, and a large pot sitting in the center.
The reason why they use the beak of the woodpecker-shaped golem to stir the pot that looks like you could fit and boil a whole cow in it is probably because it’s impossible to do it with human power.
(Ahh, there’s also something like this in the past isn’t there?)
I remember making 『Beef and taro stewed in soy sauce』 with a large pot and a backhoe when I went on a trip in my previous life.
By the way, a backhoe is generally called a power shovel. It’s not exactly the same thing since it’s digging backward, but for some reason, this name is more popular among the public.
(On the table are… drinks and other food besides what’s in the pot huh.)
Several wooden tables are arranged around the large pot. There, Hors d’oeuvres, as they are called, are placed on large plates.
What is a little disappointing is that the pot is Western-style. The sight of the large pot reminded me of the taste of the beef and taro stewed in soy sauce that I had in the past, which was very delicious.
(And that’s not all. Everything from that time was delicious.)
It’s not like they are famous restaurants, but rather I had the impression that the standard of the food itself is high there. The only thing I’m a bit disappointed about is that the dinner at the lodging where I stayed was mainly sashimi.
(It’s not like I’m going to the mountains only to be served some fish. I wish they had more tempura with wild vegetables instead.)
Since it is a traditional Japanese inn, the customers should be different from the locals who yearn for seafood because they live in the mountains. I wish the people of that area would have more confidence in local ingredients.
「Tonight, once again, I would like to deepen our friendship with the merchant caravan from the royal capital.」
While I was lost in the memories of my previous life, an elderly woman, who seemed to be the village chief, announced in a loud voice that didn’t match her age.
I had been only concerned about the women, but the men of the village were also participating in the festival. The ratio of men to women was about one man to four women.
(I guess that’s to be expected since the men in the village are all golem pilots.)
It’s a harsh world where if you can’t operate a golem, you can’t embrace a woman.
From what I saw, there were probably a total of 150 people, both men and women. The assembly of the first year in my previous life was also like this, so it can’t be that far off.
(The good news is that I’m not going to be the only one who’s being targeted.)
I am still the main target, of course, but so are the members of the merchant caravan.
The number of occupants of one large wagon is three, including the driver, and all of them are capable of operating a large horse-shaped golem, although it’s not necessary to have that many.
In other words, the nine people sitting on either side of me are all above-average golem pilots.
(Since their seeds are in a way, a product that the customer wants. Then, as the merchant who hired them, they must have speculated that hiring these pilots was worth it.)
I did hear that there were a lot of people who wanted to join this merchant caravan. However, I think there are other reasons why the merchant caravan is made up of highly paid, high-class golem pilots.
This is just my guess, but maybe getting a discount on purchasing the ores was more than equal to the high salary they need to pay the pilots.
(She’s not planning on having children anymore, right?)
I was sitting on the seat of honor with the best business smile I could muster. The reason that almost cracked was because the female village chief’s eyes were firmly fixed on me.
If she is going to welcome me as the guest of honor, I would like her to respect my wishes as well and not do that.
「First, you should look for a partner to your liking as we have dinner with everyone here.」
Probably worried because I’m new to this and didn’t know the rules, the rat-faced old man whispered to me.
He told me that this festival was going to last until morning, and I may go ahead and take a woman with me without having to wait until dinner is over.
「You can do it in the plaza here, or if you don’t want anyone to see you, then maybe you can do it in that place.」
Do her from behind with her hands propped on the table, or push her down on the grass that can function as a bed. Or do it in the barley bushes that were as tall as a man, which seems to have been prepared for this purpose.
According to the rat-faced old man, these are the standards.
(So we don’t have to bring them to a small room if we want to do it. Got it.)
As I thanked him in a whisper, the elderly female village chief finished her long speech. And finally, the village-wide orgy begins.
(I can’t imagine what they would do to me if I stayed passive, so let’s be aggressive here to take the initiative.)
I was fired up at the sight of so many women, led by the village chief, rushing toward me with bottles of sake in their hands like they wanted to pour a drink for me.
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