Angel's Shelter - 1
Village Affairs had a system called Village Reputation.
High reputation meant a stronger voice within the village. Low reputation meant that even the most reasonable words would be ignored.
Never thought I'd live to see the day I'd care about something like this.
Village Reputation was a system I'd barely paid attention to in the game. True to its nature as an NTR title, no amount of good standing could rewrite a bad ending.
And raising it was no easy task, either.
Unlike the church, where grinding volunteer work simply piled up contribution points, Village Reputation demanded that you actually win the villagers' favor. In the game, no matter how hard you tried, you could never climb past Good Neighbor.
Entiel Village was so insular that even a warm approach was met with suspicion first—that was simply the temperament of its people.
But no human alive turns down a free gift.
I packed up the leftover meat and headed for the village chief's house. The chief held the strongest voice in the village, so if I wanted to raise my reputation, he was the one to start with.
"Village Chief, are you home?"
"Ian? What brings you here at this hour?"
His gaze, however, was far from friendly—nothing like what my plan had hoped for. He clearly hadn't forgotten the five gold coins I'd squeezed out of him.
Petty old man. As if that money wasn't all bribe money to begin with.
I'd expected as much, so I didn't let it bother me. Knowing his character, he would try to claw back whatever he'd lost.
"I had some fine meat I couldn't bear to waste, so I thought I'd offer it to you—as thanks for everything you've done for me lately."
"You're just giving me all this meat?"
The chief eyed me with open suspicion. As the village's sharpest mind, he had already figured out that free meat was never truly free.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll take it to the other neighbors instead."
"Nonsense! It doesn't make me uncomfortable. I simply don't understand. If you're worried about it spoiling, why not smoke it?"
"True enough—but my wife can't manage tough meat, so I try to avoid smoking whenever I can."
"Hah… I'd heard the rumors that you truly love Isabel, but I never imagined it went this far. That girl is a blessed woman indeed."
"Thank you for saying so."
The chief cleared his throat, still fishing for my real motives.
"Ahem. Still, simply accepting a gift like this would damage a chief's dignity. If you need something, speak up."
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble… might I ask for some advice on farming?"
"Farming?"
"I'm a hunter, so farming is all but foreign to me. I've been learning under my mother-in-law, but the truth is I'm still lacking in many ways."
"You're no farmer, that's certain—farming won't come easy. Wouldn't it be better to focus on hunting? With your skill, you could live well enough without ever touching a plow."
"I wish that were true, but there's no guarantee a hunt will always succeed. Come winter, most of the beasts go into hibernation and game grows scarce. It's already too late this year with winter at the door, but I'd like to prepare properly for next year."
"No matter how hard a hunter works, he'll never match an ordinary farmer."
"I've heard you're the finest farmer in this village, Chief. Surely a man like you knows some special answer?"
My flattery landed. The chief's wrinkled face broke into that particular smile only the elderly wear.
"Meat alone isn't enough payment for that."
"If I come across more good meat, you'll be the first person I visit."
Greedy old man, through and through. Not that it mattered. I planned to take it all back with interest later.
"Monster droppings, they say, hold dense mana. Turn them into fertilizer, and even a hunter like you could bring in a fine harvest."
"Monster droppings… Thank you for the advice."
"If anything else puzzles you, come find me again."
"Shall I prepare the tuition in meat?"
"Monster droppings will do just fine as well."
Handing over that much meat for a few words of advice felt wasteful—but looked at another way, my relationship with the chief had just shifted into that of master and pupil.
Get close to the chief, and keeping John's gang in check will become a whole lot easier.
Of course, the chief wasn't my only target. The more people I could make use of, the better. I kept up the gift offensive, working to win over the rest of the village.
"Well now, much obliged. I'll enjoy this."
"Thanks, big bro—I'll dig in."
"Ian, was it? I've never met a young man with such good standing. If you ever need anything, just call on me."
Most of them snatched the gifts up without a second thought. A few, though, gave something in return.
"I've nothing much to offer, but take this at least. You'll find a use for it, I'm sure."
"This is…?"
And that was how I ended up holding a strange scrap of paper. No writing on it—just the imprint of a woman's kiss.
A whore coupon.
Entiel Village had its prostitutes, but unlike the cities, money alone didn't buy free access. The Church of the Sun God, which prized chastity, sat right beside the village. The church didn't crack down openly, but the villagers still had to watch themselves. This coupon had been invented precisely so people could use the whores without the church's eyes on them.
And someone had handed it to me as a thank-you gift.
Absurd—and yet, somehow, it felt exactly like Entiel Village.
Lately, nothing sat right with Isolde.
Was it because talk of marriage with her lover John kept fizzling out? That was part of it—but the real thorn was Ian, the man she had to face every single day under the same roof.
"Look at the time already. It pains me to have to part with Miss Isabel again today."
"I wish I could stay with you a little longer too, Ian."
"I'm glad you feel the same. I was worried you might find me a nuisance."
"Th-that's not true. If I could, I'd want to experience so many more things with you."
"I truly hope that day comes."
What a disgusting little performance.
Ian was rubbing salt in the wound on purpose, and Isolde's irritation boiled over. But that was all it was. Whatever he did, she barely cared about Ian himself.
What she could not stand was Isabel starting to hope while living at his side.
"Isabel."
"What?"
"Do you really believe what that man says? Do you honestly think he loves you?"
"Yes."
"Hilarious. You don't think it's an act?"
Isolde doubted the man who had thrown aside marriage with her to choose Isabel instead. Any man—every last one of them—ought to choose a beauty like herself. And yet he'd picked Isabel?
What was there to love about that ugly little thing? What could possibly appeal about a hopeless freeloader?
Isolde could not understand it. And what she could not understand, she could only suspect.
But Isabel, who had watched Ian closer than anyone, thought differently.
"I don't. Ian truly loves me."
"Oh, please. And you think that feeling will last forever?"
"That's…"
At Isolde's words, Isabel's eyes wavered.
"Sooner or later he'll treat you like a burden—just like Father did. I guarantee it."
Isabel wanted to argue back, but she couldn't. Her sister was right: she was ugly, and she was useless. Even the father who had once claimed to love her had eventually treated her like dead weight.
Will Ian end up the same way?
Isabel had no certainty. She didn't know why he had come to love her. She wanted to know what part of her he found so worth loving—but she lacked the courage to simply ask.
If I'm going to be discarded anyway…
The rose that tormented Isabel so mercilessly pressed down on her again today.
"Adelia, I'd like to take Miss Isabel a little farther out today."
"Does it really have to be that far?"
"I found a lake with a beautiful view up on the Northern Mountain. I'd like to help heal Miss Isabel's heart there."
Isabel's expression had been poor lately. She never showed it openly, but having watched only her for so long, I could sense the change.
"All right. Just don't stay out too late."
Whether from deep trust or something else, Adelia agreed without hesitation. Thanks to that, I was able to prepare without any trouble.
"We'll be off, then."
"Be careful!"
I set Isabel on the A-frame carrier and began the climb with her.
"Miss Isabel, the path will be rough—please bear with me."
"Yes…"
She seemed drained today; there was no strength in her voice. I worried about her condition, but I couldn't simply give up.
If not today, I'll have to wait a full year.
If my calculations were right, tonight was the night of the lunar eclipse—the night the Angel's Shelter would appear, the only place that could cure Isabel's Rose's Punishment.
Even a little delay and the chance is gone. Stay calm. Move carefully.
And so we climbed. Monsters appeared now and then along the way, but with a hunter's skills I steered clear of them without much trouble. The more I avoided them, though, the steeper the path became.
If I hadn't eaten the Giant Weed, I never would have made it this far.
With the stamina and vitality it had given me, I could carry Isabel on the A-frame and keep climbing without strain.
I've thought it before, but long live the Giant Weed.