3 bar menu

Chapter 248: Nothing Good Comes Out of Being Idle

Instead of going to the stalls to eat, we had the canned goods for breakfast instead. Dinosso’s family already ate, but they still joined us.

I washed the spirit steel clean and stowed them in 【Storage】.

「What a conscientious guy. You can put everything away, yet you still opted to bring your luggage properly, huh. 」
「He’s hiding the wrong things for the wrong reasons from time to time, but I’ll give him credit for trying. 」
Dean and Dinosso were saying something.

I see, so it’s related to hiding things in 【Storage】, huh. Eh, I just thought it’s better to have the same conditions with everybody else since we’re going together. Besides, there are also things I can’t compromise with, like walking Riche; it’s not like I can leave him to somebody else while I’m away, so I hope you’ll overlook me going home from time to time.

「Jean is sociable. 」
Ash seemed moved about something, but really, I just want to blend in with everyone else.

「Hi Ruta, I’m in your care. Today’s luggage is a bit heavy. 」
I tried to distribute the weight evenly on both sides so that the luggage wouldn’t shake too much and end up hitting and hurting Ruta.

I didn’t find the luggage heavy thanks to my physical strength, but that’s not the case for Ruta, apparently. Thank goodness we ate the canned foods.

「Isn’t that pack lighter than Khan? 」
Dean took a jab at me.

Khan was straddling a draft-ish horse. Yeah, that’s quite an impressive sight. Elegant horses are great, but sturdy, muscular horses are cool too.

I was thinking about sturdy draft horses when Ruta suddenly nuzzled against my neck. No need to fret Ruta, you’re the best among all the horses, alright.

It’s been a while since I went out with the others like this, not counting my excursions with Ash. Unlike our journeys, monsters might appear anytime here. I prayed for a safe journey.

The rental stable in Canum has an affiliated stable in the fortress city. They entrust the horses to each other, or else have people ride them back to the other. The owners were relatives, apparently.

We decided to leave Ruta and Khan’s horse in Canum’s rental stable. By the way, Retze had already paid the rental stable to contact the fortress city and arrange accommodations for several people.

The accommodations in the fortress city quickly become fully booked, especially if the folks looking for a place to stay aren’t picky. They’re quite clean and also accessible to those who go to the Magical Woods to earn money, or folks who want to explore the mine or go to the Labyrinth, making them a convenient place to stay.

After finishing all preparations, we set off towards the fortress city. Around two people in our group know the roads well, so we’re leaving them in charge. We’re not using the pathways that merchants use, but chose a route closer to the forest traversed by adventurers who are quite confident with their skills instead.

We galloped past the areas where monsters were likely to appear, and we also had designated rest points, so we didn’t encounter any problems on the road.

Dean and Chris were in front, followed by Ash and me. Butler was next to us, then Dinosso and Retze and finally Khan. Ruta tried to take the lead, but he calmed down when we’re beside Ash.

Hey, Ruta-san, why are you nuzzling me with that 「Can’t be helped 」look plastered on your face, huh?

「Hahahha! Ruta’s so clever! 」
「That’s what happens when your master is unreliable, I guess. 」
Chris and Dean.

「Mm, are you looking out for us? 」
Ash started seriously thanking Ruta.

「If only, just a little bit more… 」
Whaddya mean by ‘if only, just a little bit more’, huh? Butler?

「It’s all about increasing the number of children back in my era, so I don’t get why you won’t make a move. 」

There’s a huge discrepancy between Khan’s interests and knowledge and his sense of chastity compared to the present time. The scope of his interest and knowledge is something I didn’t ask from him; I observed for myself though.

「The rural areas tend to be more relaxed even in this era. Folks give birth to more kids so that they’ll get more hands to work. In contrast, purity is highly valued in cities. Nobles and merchants make a big deal of political marriages between families, so it’s important for them to know whose child is whose. 」
Retze explained the polar differences of present society to Khan.

Even the marrying age differs greatly. Rural folks marry early, while city folks wait until they’re successful to a certain extent as apprentices, even if they aren’t nobles. Apprentices normally live with their master and do odd jobs for them while learning under their tutelage, so it’s impossible unless the apprentice becomes independent, or being allowed to commute to their work.

You won’t have money to support your family unless you become successful after all! Rural areas can do as they please because food is guaranteed by cultivating crops.

Whether the children are considered laborers or heirs, giving birth is still a life-threatening experience for women, so it’s tough for them. Not only that, for some reason, women can’t draw power from the spirits from the moment they give birth until 66 days after, so recovery potions made with spirit water aren’t effective on them.

According to one theory, mothers and babies won’t be able to receive any influence from the spirits until the baby gains the minimum level of self-awareness that’s enough to prevent the spirits from possessing him or her. I don’t know how true that is, though. Well, bottom line is, the 66 day period is dangerous so the mother and child as well as the folks around them should be careful.

Even if recovery potions did work, the majority of people here won’t be able to afford it. Some rural folks might never even see a gold coin in their entire life. In a way, childbirth is equalizing; both the rich and the poor face a risk to their lives. Of course, those with enough money to create a safe environment are much safer, though.

By the way, the midwives inherited the skills and techniques of birthing monopolized by the priestesses serving the Great Mother Goddess, who prospered way, way back in the olden times — far more ancient than the Wind and Fire Deities who previously ruled the world. The Great Mother Goddess was also known as the Mother Earth Goddess and she was an earth spirit with a woman’s appearance, apparently.

Many ancient ruins had depictions of a goddess with a voluptuous body, and she was a goddess that wielded power extensively, it seemed.

「Nothing will happen even if you put these two together in a single room and leave them alone overnight. My wife said that Ash doesn’t have any self-awareness despite blurting out extremely shocking stuff. As for Jean, he’s already way satisfied just by holding hands, so he won’t make any more progress than my En would. 」

Oy, Dinosso!!!!!

「Hey, they might run off if everyone keeps on harping on them. Well, I do understand how vexing it is, though. 」
Yeah, tell ‘em, Retze! I won’t be able to stand it anymore!

These guys shouldn’t be left with nothing to do while on the road!!!