Popcorn in the Spiderweb
I’m Popcorn, and right now I’m stuck in a spiderweb.
Popcorn is trapped!
“Ohhh, that’s wonderful. You already have buildings up? I thought it would take much longer, but you’ve been surprisingly quick.”
The eyes of the two peddlers who had just entered the village widened in surprise.
It seemed things usually took more time than this.
A swell of pride rose in my chest, and before I knew it my shoulders had squared with satisfaction.
“I helped build some of that, you know.”
“Me too!”
The children chimed in, each adding their own proud comment.
The gazes of the adults watching them softened noticeably.
For some reason, the way they looked at me felt similar to how they looked at the kids.
Why? I hadn’t even bragged once.
The peddlers burst into loud laughter.
“This village really is unique. Building the community hall before the chief’s house, for one thing.”
One of the peddlers nodded as he stepped inside the hall and looked around.
“This was actually a very smart idea. Having a central hall like this makes everything much more convenient. Later on, you could even use it as the chief’s residence if you wanted.”
The peddler thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“As a token of celebration, let me gift you a barrel of apple wine.”
At his words, the villagers’ eyes grew perfectly round and they blinked like toads.
Everywhere, soft murmurs of awe rose up.
Apple wine was apparently not something easily obtained in a village like this.
“Is that really all right? No matter how celebratory the occasion, we don’t have anything to offer you in return right now.”
There was nothing quite as frightening as something that seemed too good to be free. Feeling a little uneasy, I spoke up, and the peddler smiled gently.
“Hearing the chief say that is enough. If someone speaks like that, at least we know he won’t stab us in the back once things go well.”
The other peddler continued.
“Please don’t feel burdened. We’re investing in the future. On our way here, we noticed the soil quality is excellent. Wonderful crops will grow here. That means you’ll need to buy more goods from us, right?”
“Even if other peddlers come later, please make sure to buy from us. We’ll sell at good prices, and we’ll pay fair value for anything you want to sell too.”
“And if you have boar meat to sell, we’d really appreciate it if you gave us first pick.”
“Of course. Thank you. When harvest season comes, please bring us your best goods.”
When I smiled, the peddler quickly stepped outside. Several villagers followed to help carry in the barrel of apple wine.
The wine came in a wooden cask, just like beer. It was quite large.
The villagers swallowed hard, their throats working visibly.
Even the children’s eyes sparkled, caught up in the adults’ excited atmosphere.
“You kids can’t have any. And don’t even think about sneaking some.”
When I spoke sternly, the children’s shoulders drooped in disappointment.
They had clearly been planning to steal some.
Since it was still before mealtime, meat and stew were set out in front of the peddlers and the brides. Everyone else got apple wine.
While the drinking grew lively, the children kept sneaking their tongues toward the cups on the table. They were caught several times and scolded soundly.
These little rascals never gave anyone a moment’s peace.
“All right, then. Let’s begin the meeting to discuss how we’ll decide future marriages.”
At my words, the villagers’ eyes grew as wide as lanterns again.
Were their eyes even okay? They kept getting bigger and bigger.
“Chief, um… what exactly is a meeting…?”
“You’re going to listen to our opinions too?”
“I’ve never even heard the word ‘meeting’ before.”
The people murmured among themselves.
I was more surprised than they were that some of them had never even heard the term.
“As you all know, this is my first time being a village chief. If I make every decision alone, I’m bound to make mistakes. But if I only listen to one or two people’s opinions, there’s a high chance we’ll head in the wrong direction. That’s why we need a village meeting where everyone participates.”
The villagers listened quietly to my explanation.
Even the peddlers and the brides stopped eating and looked at me.
Someone muttered that this was how a chief was supposed to act.
“This village doesn’t belong to me or any one person. It’s something we’re building together from the very beginning. It belongs to all of us. For the sake of the children who will be born and grow up here, I believe we all need to decide together how we want to live. That’s what the village meetings are for.”
“For the children…”
The people looked at one another.
“As long as I’m chief, that’s how it will be. I want to know what all of you think and what you want to do, so we can decide the village’s direction together.”
Geob-bo glanced around nervously before asking cautiously.
“Um… can… can I speak too?”
“Of course.”
At my answer, Geob-bo swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“Th-then… I want to get married.”
No, that’s not what this is about.
A meeting wasn’t a place to declare your personal wishes.
I suddenly burst out laughing, wondering if I was the only one who thought that.
One of the village men smacked Geob-bo on the back of the head.
“You idiot! That’s not a meeting, that’s just your own hope!”
That was the beginning.
The once-quiet community hall grew noisy as everyone began throwing in their own opinions.
Younger people should marry first so more children could be born, or older people should have priority—everyone spoke freely.
Geob-bo insisted from beginning to end that he wanted to get married.
Ji-geu, who had been quiet until then, suddenly raised a tangerine high in the air and shouted.
“My dad wants to get married too!”
No, that’s your wish, kid.
While everyone laughed, more opinions poured out.
Throughout it all, the two brides hadn’t said a single word.
“What do the two of you think?”
When I asked, it seemed they hadn’t realized I was speaking to them at first.
There was a brief pause before they reacted in surprise.
“Uh… us?”
“M-me?”
When the brides’ eyes widened, I nodded.
“You’re the ones getting married. Your opinions matter most.”
“....”
“....”
The brides blinked silently, then looked at each other before shyly lowering their heads.
They didn’t seem used to situations like this.
One of them spoke in a small voice.
“…Then… I’d like someone who doesn’t hit.”
This time, I was the one left speechless.
I had never imagined that “doesn’t hit” would be part of a marriage condition.
The other bride nodded as well.
“I like someone who doesn’t hit too. And someone who doesn’t get too angry…”
One of the village women suddenly stood up and walked over to the brides.
She took both their hands firmly.
“I understand what you’re saying. It’s not exactly uncommon.”
The village woman spoke gently.
“But it’s all right. Of course I can’t say there’s absolutely no one in our village who hits, but there aren’t any men here like the ones you’re worried about.”
The two brides looked at her, and the village woman smiled warmly.
“Those kinds of people have already been driven out. The chief and all the village men worked together to chase them away. So don’t worry.”
At first, I hadn’t fully understood the deeper meaning behind their words.
But now I did.
I could read between the lines of what the village woman had said.
If people who ruled others through violence were around, even those in the gray areas would follow suit.
Once they started thinking, “I guess it’s okay,” or “No one will stop me,” then not doing it began to feel stupid and like a loss.
When a significant number changed that way, it affected everyone else.
Even though the violent ones were only a minority, they ended up controlling the whole group.
Maybe that was why Ji-geu’s father, Warren, had desperately risked his life to fight back in the beginning.
Most people in this village probably understood that.
I need to be careful.
I must not give evil any room to creep into this village.
Evil had stronger influence than good.
I had to keep that in mind.
With that silent vow, I turned my gaze back to the villagers.
It seemed most of the opinions had already been shared.
Since this was the first meeting, there had been quite a few absurd comments, but the harvest was still substantial.
The people’s faces sparkled with hope.
They seemed excited by the fact that their own opinions would help shape the village’s future.
Let’s build this village little by little, without rushing.
A truly good place to live.
I felt motivated too.
The first meeting must have been very interesting for the children as well, because all sorts of wild suggestions started pouring from their mouths.
They wanted to study only once every five days, or have playing with Pudding count as work, or said that since apple wine wasn’t really alcohol, they should be allowed to drink it.
It seemed best to wrap things up before the kids came up with even crazier ideas.
“I’ve listened carefully to all your opinions. To be honest, most of them would be difficult to implement in reality.”
I looked around at the now-quiet crowd before continuing.
“There are only two brides. If we decide the marriages the way I or the rest of you want, someone is bound to be dissatisfied. Even Ji-geu would probably protest if his father gets left out.”
At my words, the people burst into loud laughter, and Ji-geu pouted his lips.
“So I think it would be best to leave the decision to the brides themselves.”
The villagers murmured in surprise.
It seemed they hadn’t expected that.
But no one opposed my suggestion.
“If that’s what the chief decides, we’ll follow.”
“There will definitely be complaints no matter who is chosen. It seems best to do as the chief says.”
Seeing them nod, I continued.
“Good. Then let’s go with that. We’ll set the period at one month.”
One month might be short for finding a marriage partner, but it couldn’t be helped.
In this world where crops were the main source of income, it was nearly impossible for a woman to support herself alone. At the same time, feeding two women from the village’s shared resources for a long time was difficult given our current situation.
Besides, leaving single women in the village for too long would cause problems. Even someone like me, who hadn’t lived here long, could see that clearly.
There would definitely be people sneaking in at night.
If a woman lived alone…
Even I, who had only been here a short time, could immediately tell how dangerous that would be.
After thinking it over carefully, one month was the longest period I could allow.
“During this month, the brides should do their best to choose men who seem like they would make good husbands. If you still can’t decide after a month, I will help arrange things then.”
The brides nodded with tense expressions.
After asking the village woman once more to look after them, I turned to the children.
“I’m giving you all a very important mission.”
The children jumped to their feet and shouted.
“Yes!”
“Leave it to us!”
“We’re strong!”
“Let’s win!”
I hadn’t even told them what it was yet.
When I smiled, the little leader tilted his head and asked.
“But Teacher, what is it?”
“You children will become the brides’ guardians.”
“Guardians!”
“Does that mean I get to be a dad?”
“To be a dad you need a mom first.”
“Then are we becoming their husbands?”
“I don’t have any flour yet.”
“I don’t have any meat either.”
When the children started panicking, the little leader shouted.
“That’s not it! It’s that thing. You know, what was it called…”
“The guard unit!”
“Yeah, the guard unit.”
“No, it’s the vigilante corps.”
The children suddenly started arguing among themselves.
It seemed I had explained it poorly.
“The brides don’t know anything about this village yet, right? They don’t know which places are dangerous or whose fields are whose.”
At my words, the children fell quiet.
Their eyes sparkled.
“I’d like you to teach them those things and help them get to know the villagers by guiding and explaining things to them.”
“Can we introduce them to the spirits and Pudding too?”
One child asked.
“Of course.”
At my answer, the children’s faces lit up with joy.
“I’ll introduce them every day!”
“This is my first time introducing anyone.”
“Me too.”
“But Teacher! How do you introduce someone?”
I really must have explained it badly.
The adults began laughing loudly.
Before long, even the brides were smiling.
“This village really is fun,” one of the peddlers muttered.
Listening to him, I answered the children’s questions one by one.
The questions kept coming without end.
It was a long discussion.
Once their doubts were mostly resolved, the children shouted that they were going to prepare for the introductions and ran outside.
I wondered what exactly they were planning to prepare.
I smiled and took a sip of the apple wine.
This wine was truly delicious.
If only I had some popcorn to go with it…
Before I knew it, I was swallowing hard.
But that guy is late again.
Just what is he doing and where?
* * *
At that very moment, Popcorn was drowning in despair.
“Peep! Peep peep!”
I’m caught in a spiderweb!
Somebody please help me!