Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Lugeron Village - 2
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According to Ron, the man in charge of the village cemetery, he had gone to tidy up the graves after winter ended and spring planting was somewhat finished. That's when he discovered that the corpse I'd requested was missing.
"Of all things, only Wolf's body was gone..."
It seemed like this had happened while I was away from the village on the expedition.
I consulted the Village Chief about it. He pondered for a moment before sharing his thoughts.
"In my opinion, it looks like the work of an outsider."
"Could it be someone from the village seeking revenge?"
Wolf himself hadn't directly killed any villagers, but his mercenary group had caused the deaths of a few militia members and left others homeless.
"No one in this village has the courage to vent their anger on a dead man."
As the Village Chief offered his pessimistic view of the villagers, I found myself agreeing even while a question lingered. Considering the time I'd spent with him, the Chief was no pushover. Excluding my father, he was one of the people I'd met most often.
Despite watching him for so long, I never really sensed any deep affection for the village. Was it because he'd been worn down by the people here?
"But if it's an outsider, doesn't that make it even more of a problem? Shouldn't we gather people for an investigation?"
"I'd like to, but as you know, spring came late this year. Everyone's busy enough with planting."
Lugeron Village had technically seen spring starting in early February, but the lingering winter had stretched it out until late March.
They'd only just begun work in early April, so by now, they were probably sowing seeds in the fields.
'Not everyone has stamina overflowing like mine.'
It looked like I'd have to investigate this incident on my own.
"More importantly, Sian, you seem troubled. Your complexion isn't looking good."
"There's an important decision I need to make soon, but I still haven't settled on it."
The decision in question was whether my family would move to the Holy Kingdom or not.
"I see... Don't agonize over it too long. You might end up making the wrong choice."
The Village Chief didn't say much. He just offered advice born from experience, and I gratefully accepted it.
'Yeah, I need to decide quickly.'
Helen would finish her business and return to the village in less than a month.
Considering her position, I couldn't delay any longer.
'But I should discuss it with the family.'
That only made it harder to decide.
A month after Ciel was born, I finally consulted the family on the matter I'd been holding back.
"We should obviously go to the Holy Kingdom."
When I asked everyone if moving to the Holy Kingdom might be a good idea...
Elsia answered immediately.
"The Holy Kingdom's urban development is on a completely different level from Lugeron Village. According to merchants, it's even more beautiful than the imperial capital. In the first place, the Holy Kingdom isn't a place you can enter just because you have money."
"I see."
Elsia, with her vast knowledge, insisted we absolutely had to move to the Holy Kingdom.
But there was opposition.
From Sylvia.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay in our hometown village? The kids might not adapt to such big changes."
"That's true..."
Sylvia expressed concern about the sudden shift. The gap between Lugeron Village and Holy Kingdom civilization was like night and day. The children might struggle to fit in, and it wasn't just their issue.
Unlike conservative Sylvia, progressive Elsia tallied it up on her abacus and said,
"We have to go to the Holy Kingdom, even accounting for that. The education we can access and the connections we can build there will yield several times more profit than staying in Lugeron Village."
"That's true, but..."
It was too weighty a matter to decide lightly, so I asked each family member for their opinion.
"What do you think, Clara?"
"Me? I... I'd rather stay in Lugeron Village."
As expected, Clara sided with her mother.
"Without the Dark Forest, I can't be of any help to you, Sian."
"True, the income from the Dark Forest is nothing to sneeze at."
In any case, the byproducts from the Dark Forest were my main source of income and the root of my identity as a hunter.
Thinking of the memories with my father Ian made it hard to give up the Dark Forest.
"Vivian?"
"I don't think it's bad to be with those warriors I met before."
Vivian seemed welcoming to the Holy Kingdom, perhaps cherishing her memories from the expedition with the Holy Knights.
'But if we move there, they won't leave me alone, claiming I'm a Titan descendant and sending me on all sorts of expeditions. I might end up as a deadbeat dad.'
I didn't like that one bit...
"What about you, Chloe?"
I asked Chloe, who was right beside me.
Chloe paused nursing Ciel for a moment to reply.
"I'll respect whatever choice you make, dear."
"Chloe, I'm grateful you always trust me unconditionally, but... could you share your own thoughts?"
"Then, what are you worried about, dear?"
Chloe pinpointed my concerns exactly.
"Yes, I'm curious what has you hesitating."
"What I'm worried about..."
In response to my wife's question, I answered honestly.
"For one, I don't entirely distrust the Holy Kingdom, but there are just too many forces gunning for it, like last time."
The three vile factions Helen had mentioned.
The fanatics trying to revive their god: 'The Forgotten.'
The underground city seeking the glory of ancient kingdoms: 'Hardron.'
The alliance of otherworldly races created by foreign gods: 'Free Independence Alliance.'
"I can't guarantee the Holy Kingdom is safe when it's at odds with so many powers."
"I overlooked that... Considering the Holy Kingdom's political position, it could indeed become isolated."
At my point, Elsia looked flustered. She'd been so focused on economic gains that she'd glossed over the politics.
"On the flip side, raising Ciel in Lugeron Village feels off somehow."
"What's wrong with Lugeron Village?"
Sylvia, who favored staying, countered.
"There's no grandmothers around, and the adult men treat their wives strangely."
"Isn't that normal? It just feels like you're too good to us, Sian."
"...No, it's not."
Sylvia, having grown up in the village since childhood, seemed oblivious to it. Maybe it was the influence of being raised under such pressure from the villagers.
In that sense, Lugeron Village lagged in women's rights. Husbands treated their wives like tools.
Setting aside modern sensibilities, most men would naturally feel possessive and protective toward their wives.
'Sylvia, Elsia, and Selnia were like that too.'
The trash who united the village men to sabotage me for Sylvia, then abused her when she didn't bear a son.
The limper who chased Sylvia relentlessly but abandoned his wife and daughter to save his own skin.
Even Jace, who sent his wife to me out of deference to my authority.
Young couples might get a pass due to circumstances, but this was too much.
'And they were all native villagers.'
Outsiders like Tom and Carlson genuinely loved their women, pointing to a problem with the village culture.
Maybe the lack of grandmothers stemmed from that too.
"I won't raise my daughter in a place where men treat their women so poorly."
"Sian..."
Moved by my words, Sylvia teared up. Elsia pondered briefly before recounting her own experiences.
"This village really hated assertive women."
"In what way?"
"Selnia had a hard time marrying despite her looks. She was probably four years later than me."
"Huh? That's late."
"That's not late at that age..."
At Sylvia's remark, Clara and Vivian looked a bit stung. I defended them.
You two aren't late at all. It's these two who are weird.
According to Elsia, strong-willed women weren't considered marriage material in Lugeron Village.
"So they can boss them around later?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
This time, Clara chimed in.
"Come to think of it, you've interacted with village men for a long time, Clara."
"It just sort of happened..."
Clara scratched her cheek and shared her experiences with the village men.
"I don't know about the older ones, but the younger generation around Captain Carlson seems to want to change the village."
"I've heard that too."
Unlike the passive older generation, Carlson's young group was proactive about change. They helped households in need as much as they could and united to solve village problems.
'Though there aren't many of them.'
The men following Carlson's ideals numbered barely five.
Usually, in incidents, it was these passionate types who ended up dying.
"Johnson might not be the sharpest, but he's trying to befriend outsiders without prejudice. His friendliness actually helped everyone warm up to him easily."
"That's surprising."
"But his enthusiasm goes overboard—he groped and ground against guys he wasn't close with, sparking fights."
"He knew you were a girl and did that?"
Johnson had exploited Clara's situation for his weird antics.
Johnson, that guy's no good. Gotta straighten him out later...
"Huh? Not me—he did it to other men."
"...Guess I misunderstood."
Johnson—suspicious name from the start, and now this orientation.
"I didn't mean to derail, but I don't think all village men are bad. Some truly loved their wives."
"Hmm..."
Clara's view rang somewhat true. Unlike Sylvia and Elsia, she'd met them personally and judged for herself.
But those men were the younger generation, the awakened few with Carlson.
'The problem is the older generation.'
I'd have to meet them one by one.
'I can decide on moving after that. It won't be too late.'