Discovery of a Village! (1)
“Another wasted day.”
Hanna rubbed her neck, scorched by the stinging sunlight, as she trudged down the forest path. Inside her basket, the only edible things were a few roots of tough wild greens and some unripe wild radishes. Yesterday, she’d been lucky enough to cook and eat a rabbit that some beast had left behind. At this rate, she’d have to water down her evening meal until it was nothing but thin gruel to fill her stomach.
In truth, even gruel was a luxury. The world was merciless. Unless the soil was pristine, crops withered and died the moment they were planted. Since the Catastrophe, finding land suitable for farming had become a rarity.
The forest looked infinitely lush from a distance, but there was almost no bounty left within for humans to claim. Clutching her hungry stomach, she reached the edge of the village. A friend, who had been drying rabbit skins in the square, spotted Hanna and giggled, waving a hand.
“Hey, Hanna! Another bust today? Looking at your face, I guess it’s just looking at greens for dinner again.”
“Shut it. Did you catch anything impressive, then?”
“Me? I helped the Village Chief with some roof repairs and got half a potato. If you’re jealous, you should come do some heavy lifting with me starting tomorrow.”
Her friend held up a tiny potato, no bigger than a mouthful, and wiggled it. Her mouth watered instantly, but she managed to suppress it. She glared at her friend and let out a sigh.
She was just about to collapse to the ground, lacking the energy to even retort to her friend’s teasing, when her gaze fixed on the hill beyond where the forest met the village. At first, she thought it was a wandering merchant who occasionally stopped by, or a villager returning from the nearby woods.
But as the distance closed, Hanna dropped the bundle of greens she was holding right onto the ground.
Thud.
The carefully gathered herbs and unknown weeds scattered across the dirt, but Hanna didn’t even notice.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Her friend called out in confusion, but Hanna was frozen solid. Her friend turned her head toward the direction Hanna was staring at. As they both looked at the same spot, they both stood there, mouths agape, bodies rigid.
A pair of man and woman were crossing the forest boundary into the village. Among them, the man leading the way was of a different caliber than any being Hanna had seen in her entire life.
He wore an orange garment made of a smooth, dust-free material that gave off a subtle sheen under the sunlight. To Hanna, whose daily life consisted of wearing rough leather, crudely woven hemp, or rags inherited from other adults, it looked like the silk worn by the people of the legendary Old Civilization.
And the moment she confirmed the man’s face revealed above those clothes, Hanna opened her mouth as if she had forgotten how to breathe. Clear, white skin without a single blemish, a sharp nose, and eyes as deep and clear as pitch-black ink. He was the image of a 'perfect man' that Hanna hadn't even dared to dream of. Was this what the noblemen of the ancient civilization, whom her mother occasionally spoke of when she was in a good mood, looked like if they were reincarnated?
Hanna watched him, forgetting even to breathe, wanting to etch his image into her eyes for as long as possible. The more she looked at him, the more she felt a strange conviction that she could go without eating that evening gruel for days and still feel full.
“Hey… that man is incredibly handsome….”
“I’m busy looking, so just stay quiet.”
She felt annoyed by her friend muttering uselessly beside her when she was busy taking in the man’s appearance. If anyone dared to disturb this moment, she was confident she would crack their skull open.
As he approached with a subtly refreshing smile, she could feel her heart pounding wildly.
***
My heart was pounding as if it would burst the entire time I ran down the hill. It was a slope kicking up clouds of dust, but my footsteps felt as light as feathers. Finally, I had found a place where people lived. The expectation that I could be liberated from this suffocating isolation and the dirt-flavored energy bars through potential human trade made my whole body heat up.
“Jaero, please slow your pace slightly. The perimeter of the village entrance may be heavily guarded.”
Eve, who had been following behind, called out to me in a calm voice. Her words brought me back to my senses. I had rushed over out of sheer joy, but there was no guarantee they would welcome us. I stopped near a thicket where the village was clearly visible and caught my ragged breath.
“Haa, haa… I got it, Eve. I guess I was just too excited. It never hurts to be careful.”
I panted, steadied my breathing, and walked out slowly. The two women already standing at the village entrance seemed to have noticed our presence and were standing still, staring at us.
“Jaero, even if an unexpected situation arises, I will protect you, so please rest assured. You just need to show them a confident demeanor.”
Eve clenched her fist tightly and struck a fighting pose.
“Thanks, Eve.”
I smiled and briefly held Eve’s hand before letting go. As her warm body temperature traveled through my palm, my tension finally began to ease. As expected, I only have Eve.
As I approached the village entrance, I faced the two women standing there. They were flustered as they stared blankly with somewhat foolish expressions, but I steadied my breathing and offered a greeting.
“Ahem… Ah, hello? Haha. I’m just passing through; would it be alright if I entered the village for a moment?”
“Gasp!”
“Hup!”
Both women let out a sharp intake of breath at the same time. They widened their eyes and gasped in unison as if they had rehearsed it, which surprised me a little.
“Is… is it not allowed?”
Shake, shake.
Shake, shake.
The two shook their heads so fast it looked like their necks might snap.
“Oh, oh… so it is okay to enter?”
Nod, nod.
Nod, nod.
At the sight of them violently nodding up and down without a word, I laughed awkwardly and carefully stepped into the village.
Once inside, the scenery came into view. I saw low mud walls and wooden fences surrounding the village, and inside, unique houses patched together with whatever was available were built in a disorderly, haphazard fashion.
I was taken aback by how shabby it looked. And within that shabby village landscape, I saw people busily moving about, doing their own work.
“…….”
I was slightly disappointed by the dilapidation, but seeing people living so diligently in what I thought was a ruined world made my heart ache in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
‘These people don’t even have a game system like I do, yet they live so hard… I should reflect on myself.’
I reflected on myself for a moment, scolding my disappointed self. Then, I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands and moved forward. I approached the woman closest to me and greeted her.
“Hello! I’m just passing through and stopped by the village for a moment; by any chance, is there anything to eat?”
Thump.
I had only spoken to her, but the woman dropped the basket she was holding and collapsed to the ground.
“Huh?”
I was flustered because she had suddenly collapsed for no reason after I’d only offered a greeting.
“Excuse me, are you alright? Are you sick somewhere?”
I looked around, searching for someone to help, and only then did I realize the village atmosphere had turned strange. Every person nearby was frozen, staring blankly at Eve and me. The sight of everyone standing still, watching us silently as if it were a hidden camera show, felt like watching a horror movie.
“Jaero, the atmosphere is strange. It would be best to withdraw.”
Eve gently pulled my arm, leading me toward the village exit. Sensing the strange vibe, I quietly followed Eve and carefully headed out of the village.
Tramp, tramp.
As we were quietly leaving, a short, elderly woman approached us. She walked over leaning on a cane, placed the cane on the ground, and bowed respectfully. Her hands, raised in a polite gesture, were trembling.
“Greetings… noble ones. You have graced our village with your precious presence. I am the Village Chief. To what do we owe the honor of your visit to this humble place? Please, come inside first. The outside is full of dust, which is an insult to such noble guests.”
The old woman spoke with polite honorifics, not doubting for a second that I was a person of high status. Then, she rose carefully and guided us to a house.
“Jaero, it is fine to refuse. If it comes to it, I have the ability to subdue them all.”
Eve whispered while holding her nail gun, but I lowered her hand and said,
“It’s fine. They don’t seem to be deceiving us, and I’m confident in my ability to run away. Let’s just follow for now.”
We followed the old woman, who led the way leaning on her cane. The surrounding people were still frozen, staring at us blankly. I followed the old woman, stealing glances at them.
Judging by their blinking, they weren’t mannequins or frozen like ice, but the sight of dozens of people staring blankly without even a sound of breathing would likely become a chilling memory.
The Village Chief’s house was the most decent wooden structure in the village, but to my eyes, it was still flimsy. The wooden planks were warped here and there, and light leaked through the gaps. It opened with a creak, revealing the dark interior.
However, the moment I saw the altar-like shelf prepared in the deepest, darkest part of the room, I stopped.
“…Huh?”
There, things I usually treated as trash and threw away were neatly arranged on the shelf. It looked as if they had been beautifully placed, like prized possessions.
“This is…”
“Oh, you recognize it! This is a treasure I obtained with great difficulty.”
As I stared at the items in confusion, the old woman smiled brightly, picked up an item from the shelf, and showed it to me.
In the old woman’s hand was a silver snack bag full of holes. Though it had some wrinkles, the taut silver packaging was respectfully fixed and displayed on a crudely carved wooden board. Holding it, the old woman showed it to me as if boasting.
“They say it was an object used to protect precious items during the civilization era. It’s an incredibly rare material that can no longer be made, and if you look closely, you can even use it as a mirror.”
The old woman handed it to me to examine. I took it in a daze and checked to see if my face was reflected. My skin was visible, but it was difficult to see my face properly due to the subtly distorted surface.
When I made a stiff face in confusion, the old woman smiled instead and said,
“As expected of someone from a noble place, you recognize our village’s heirloom at once. This is a treasure among treasures, even used as a substitute for a precious mirror. Usually, I wouldn’t invite people into my home for fear of theft, but for such noble guests, that would be an insult. Ho ho.”
To the old woman who was rambling and joking, I laughed awkwardly and placed the silver packaging back on the shelf. Then, my gaze naturally drifted to another item next to it.
“Ah, this is…”
It was a piece of broken glass. It was a beer bottle fragment that looked like it had been carefully carved into a circle.
“Are all these treasures… things you cherish?”
“That is correct. It is a very precious item I bought from a merchant who comes by occasionally.”
I stared at those ‘treasures’ with my mouth agape. A hollow laugh escaped me inwardly. The silver packaging was no different from the trash I had opened and thrown away this morning while enduring the dirt taste. And what about that glass bottle? Back in Korea, there were dozens of them just by going to the recycling center….
However, the old woman’s expression was far too serious. Seeing my surprised expression, she seemed to think her taste had been validated, and she couldn’t hide her look of satisfaction.
I scratched the back of my head and looked at Eve. Eve seemed to read my expression; she smiled slightly and whispered very quietly into my ear.
“Jaero, it seems the remnants of civilization are of greater value to them than we think. There is no need to tell them the truth and break their pride. It will be more advantageous for future communication to play along appropriately.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
Having confirmed the shocking naked face of the outside world, I was dazed, but the old woman, who had been boasting about her treasures, looked at my complexion and said in surprise,
“Oh, my mind. You must be hungry, right? I will prepare a meal immediately. Child!”
Looking toward where the old woman was shouting, a woman who had been peeking out from the inside and watching blankly was startled by the sound of being called and hid back inside with a whoosh.
The old woman scolded her from inside, and a few minutes later, she brought out several plates of food on a tray and lined them up on the table.
“Although it is humble, this is the best smoked meat in our village. It cannot compare to the delicacies of the city, but I have put my heart into it.”
“Oh, meat!”
How long had it been since I’d seen meat! These past days, I’d only eaten dirt-flavored energy bars. I didn’t know what kind of meat it was, but it was certainly bound to be tastier than an energy bar.
I put a piece of meat into my mouth and bit down.
“!!”
The first thing I felt was a gamey odor. It was very tough and bland because the saltiness was weak. I had hoped that even if it didn’t taste good, it would at least be flavorful, but eating it was a shock.
“…It, it’s tasty.”
At my praise, the old woman’s face brightened. She seemed moved that I had recognized her sincerity and bowed her head repeatedly.
“I was worried it might not suit your palate, but I am truly relieved. Now, now, please try this soup as well.”
It had a slightly yellowish tint, but I lifted the bowl of soup, which was as transparent as water, and took a sip.
‘There’s some kind of scent, but it just tastes like water?’
Since I couldn’t manage my expression due to the blandness that lacked any flavor, I didn’t want to get caught, so I just downed it in one shot.
“Ho ho ho, it seems the cooking was to your liking.”
“Haha…”
I laughed awkwardly and looked at Eve; Eve was looking at me with a pitiful face. It was an expression that seemed to say, ‘You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to, please don’t force yourself.’
After hurriedly swallowing the remaining food, I asked the old woman for a tour of the village. In fact, the reason I came to the village was simple curiosity, but the most important thing was exploration. Information I could obtain here, trade goods, and if possible, building a rapport would be even better.
I examined the village through the window. However, the strange sense of incongruity I had felt since the entrance raised its head again. According to what Eve had said, I had heard that men were precious, but among the people I saw earlier, I saw quite a few ‘men’.
“Village Chief, I heard that when the disaster happened… when civilization collapsed, many men died, but I saw quite a few men among those working outside earlier. Are there many men in the village?”
At my question, the old woman’s expression sank bitterly. She lowered her voice and answered secretly.
“…No. In fact, they are all women.”
“Pardon?”
I couldn’t immediately understand what the old woman was saying.
“But no matter how I look at their faces or physiques, they are men…”
“That is…”
What the old woman said was unexpected.
“Since there are so few men, some young people dress as men. It is an unavoidable situation for vigorous young people. Since the number of men is extremely small compared to women…”
So, the people who looked like men were all women.
“You’re saying they’re all women?”
“They live calling each other husband and wife, like a married couple. Real men… you have to be very lucky to see one even once in your life, and most women die without ever receiving the blessing of a man.”
I was shocked. How scarce must men be for women to dress as men to maintain the village? It seemed the aftermath of the disaster hadn’t been easily recovered from, more than I had thought.