Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Preparation for Childbirth - 3
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"You're still here."
Just as I was about to refuse whatever Jace wanted to say, Carlson approached us. His injuries hadn't fully healed yet.
"Long time no see, Carlson. How's your body holding up?"
"I'm fine. And you, Sian? Staying healthy?"
"My body's tough—that's my only real strength, so no need to worry about me."
"Haha, lucky you."
Carlson had a high opinion of me. Probably because I'd played a big role in helping him achieve his dream of manifesting aura at the tip of his sword.
Of course, he hadn't reached the fourth rank yet, but in a few years, he definitely would.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Well... Oh, Jace, you're here too."
Before answering my question, Carlson greeted Jace warmly.
"Ah, hey, Carlson."
"How's the leg?"
"It's good. I've gotten used to the crutches now."
"You should stop by Tom's place. He said he has something for you."
"R-Really? Thanks for letting me know."
Jace, who'd been watching us awkwardly, headed off toward Tom's house at Carlson's words. Once he was out of sight, Carlson let out a sigh and apologized to me.
"Haa... Sorry about that."
"It's fine."
As expected, Carlson had ignored my question earlier because Jace made things awkward.
"It was hard to say in front of Jace."
"So, what did you want to tell me?"
"First off, I wanted to say thank you."
"Thank you for... swordsmanship training?"
"No, for looking after Austin."
"Ah, that."
"The kid hasn't been in Lugeron Village long, and he's been struggling with everything."
"I knew you were a good guy, Carlson, but this level of kindness... You thinking of becoming a priest?"
"Nothing like that. It's just that my family were outsiders once too, and we got help back then. Now it's my turn to give back."
Wow... Truly good people even have noble reasons for helping others.
Honestly, I respected him for it.
"But you were an outsider too, Carlson?"
"I was just a clueless kid back then. And aside from the Village Chief and a few others, pretty much everyone in Lugeron Village came from outside."
"I see."
It made sense, in a way. Rural villages couldn't survive forever on locals alone.
"Anyway, thank you. Without your help, Austin might've ended his own life."
"Sounds extreme, but on the flip side, isn't Jace suffering because of it?"
"Don't worry too much about that. Jace has family, and it's something we can help with."
"Got it."
By "we," he probably meant the militia members. Even if Jace was a bit of a pushover, he was one of them.
"And we don't want to repeat those old customs ever again."
"Customs?"
"Oh, you don't know about it."
Carlson hesitated at my question, thinking it over before answering carefully.
"There's a custom in the village: if someone's deemed unnecessary, they get abandoned in the Dark Forest."
"Hah?"
For the first time talking with Carlson, I felt a surge of disgust. What the hell? Were they running a medieval dumping ground?
"That's a custom?"
"Us younger folks, myself included, can't wrap our heads around it."
He agreed with my stunned reaction.
"That's basically just telling them to go die."
"Exactly. But my father says that's how they survived back in his day."
Carlson looked a bit pained as he spoke.
"According to him, it was unavoidable. The monsters from the Dark Forest are too strong to fight. By dumping the useless ones there, they lured the monsters away from the village."
"I get the logic, but still..."
I trailed off, unsure what to say.
Sure, I understood to some extent. A War Bear, common in the Dark Forest, was something even a fourth-rank knight could barely handle. Ordinary villagers stood no chance.
But even so...
"I fully understand how you feel, Sian. We're working hard to change this custom."
"And that's why you're training your swordsmanship so diligently?"
"Yes."
"Impressive."
"Nah. What can a guy who ran away do?"
With a sigh tinged with melancholy, Carlson shared his conviction.
"Still, I hope this custom disappears someday."
"Something bad happened, huh."
"Not just to me. Everyone's trying to change it, but it's not easy."
"You'll make it happen someday, Carlson. Your sword skills are improving by leaps and bounds."
"I hope so."
With that, I wrapped up the conversation with Carlson and headed home. Leaving Clia to nap without a care, I took Clara and Vivian out to work on the washing machine.
That's when I ran into the young couple.
...
"Is this enough, Sian?"
"Thanks, Clara."
"My lord, here."
"Good work, Vivian."
Thanks to Clara and Vivian enhancing their physical abilities with mana, the work progressed quickly. Clara, who'd spent the most time working with me, anticipated my needs perfectly.
"But Sian, what are you making?"
"A washing machine."
"Washing machine? What's that?"
"A device that washes clothes automatically."
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course. Just trust me and wait."
With the basics done, we took a break until Tom arrived.
"Um..."
Then a boy and girl about Clia's age approached us.
A brown-haired boy and a red-haired girl. The girl was tightly gripping the boy's hand—probably because he was blind and couldn't see.
Could these be the kids?
"Thank you."
The blind boy bowed deeply between me and Clara in greeting.
"Thanks to you, we can stay in the village."
"You're Austin, right?"
"Yes."
Sure enough, the boy in front of me was Austin.
Which meant the girl beside him was Kara.
But they looked way younger than I'd expected.
"How old are you, anyway?"
"I'll be seventeen this year. We're adults."
Seventeen, huh.
Just one year older than Clia, and already married and acting as head of the household.
'According to Carlson, they don't even have parents to protect them.'
It was a grim reality, hard to even comment on.
'And some village adults wanted to hush this up?'
Even in a cold medieval fantasy world, this was too much...
"You came all this way just to say thanks?"
"Yes. Carlson told us. You specifically named us."
"Someone tipped me off about your situation."
I deliberately avoided mentioning Celnia's name.
No need to get her in trouble with her husband.
"I'll fill you in on the waterwheel job later. Busy today."
"Understood. When should we come by?"
"I'll visit your place myself in two days."
"Got it. Huh? Kara, you have something to say too?"
The girl, Kara, seemed mute, communicating through her husband Austin. A blind husband and mute wife... In the modern world, it'd be a tearjerker pure love story, but sadly, this was medieval fantasy.
"We've been starving for days, so... if it's not too much trouble, could we have some food?"
"Yeah, that's no problem."
"Kara says if you want, she can serve you tonight."
"...Clara, I've been wondering this for a while, but do people in Lugeron Village value chastity less than I thought?"
"N-No, that's not it..."
Clara, who'd been listening beside me, looked extremely flustered. Good, she was normal.
They were probably just desperate due to their circumstances, offering whatever they could. It hurt to see.
"I'm fine, so don't do that."
"Really? We have nothing else to repay you with..."
"No need to repay me. Don't worry about it. And if anyone else demands that kind of thing under the guise of help, come to me. Got it?"
"Huh? Oh, yes."
Austin and Kara looked confused by my words but nodded in understanding and headed home. Seeing this side of me, Clara looked surprised.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"It's the first time I've seen you like this."
"Like what?"
"Well, you're usually not warm to anyone outside the family."
"Do I seem that cold?"
"Aside from Uncle Tom and Captain Carlson, you don't hang out closely with anyone in the village. You get prickly when others visit the house."
"Have I?"
"You have."
Thinking back, it was like that even with Helen and Camilla's first visits.
Yeah, I was pretty sharp then.
'Come to think of it, maybe it's been that way since surviving in the Dark Forest.'
Growing up in the Dark Forest, enemies everywhere except for my adoptive father, had apparently dulled my social skills to medieval fantasy levels.
"Well, I'm a father now too."
"Hm?"
"Don't I need to change a bit?"