Kujonin 121

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Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
—

Chapter 121

Leaving the town, we headed east.

Pretty soon, there was the river Ayl had told us about. The river width was about 20 meters, so we can see the riverbed.

“Right now the water depth isn’t that deep, so we can cross it barefoot.”

Rita said as she took off her shoes.

Velsa and I take off our shoes just like Rita.

The river water was cool and felt really good.

Reaching the opposite shore, I took some cloth out from the item bag and wiped my feet. I also handed cloth to Velsa. Rita was carrying her own cloth.

Even though it’s said to be a wetlands in the plain, when we arrived at the actual location, there’s actually differences in elevation. The high places are dry and have flowers blooming on them, the low spots are swamps. The river is nearby, so there are also a lot of trees.

From the swamp are the calls of migratory bird monsters, and men dressed in ethnic outfits spreading nets for traps. The men are split into several groups, and they seem to be competing with each other.

Rita said the place the rare flowers grow is further east.

Past the swamp and through the muddy plains.

“It’s not yet the rainy season, so most people don’t come this far past the swamp.”

Rita explained as we walked.

“There’s a rainy season?”

“Yes, during the rainy season this entire area is -!”

Rita stopped mid-sentence as if she’d seen something.

An acquaintance was laying face down peeping at something in the distance. Wearing bikini armor and sticking her butt out, crotch shown. The three of us froze, watching that round thing. If possible, I would have rather not seen it.

In front of us, that acquaintance slowly took the communication bag out.

[“This is Ayl! I found someone weird!”]

Ayl contacted us through the communication bag.

“The weird one is you!”

At my voice coming from the communication bag and from behind, Ayl turned to look.

“Since when have you been here?”

Ayl’s top half was covered in mud as she stood.

“We just got here. What the heck are you doing !?”

“Isn’t it obvious that I’m investigating suspicious people!? Can you see, there’s a suspicious human shadow over there, so I hid myself to observe … and who might you be?”

Ayl pointed at something in the distance as she spoke, then noticed Rita midway through speaking.

“The flower seller Rita.”

“I’m Rita.”

“I’m Ayl. The vice-president of Naoki’s company. What are you doing here?”

“We came to see Ayl’s butt.”

Velsa bullshitted.

“That so, I see. Want to rub it?”

“Want to rub – as if!”

While retorting, I used Cleanup on Ayl. Rita became embarrassed.

“We’re in the middle of Rita showing us where rare flowers bloom.”

Velsa explained the actual reason.

“That so, I see.”

“And so, where’s the suspicious person?”

“There’s a wooden shed over there, can you see it? Next to that, there’s someone digging in the ground, right? Over there, wearing the hood ……”

There really is a shed in the direction Ayl’s pointing, and next to it is a figure moving on the ground. It’s far so I can’t see it very well, but when I look with Search Skill, there’s a red light so it’s a monster. A monster wearing clothes, does it live in that hut? What is it doing to the ground? Just as Ayl said, it’s suspicious.

“Th,that guy! For goodness’ sake, how many times does he have to be told to understand!”

All of a sudden, Rita began to get angry, and she stomped towards the hut.

Half a beat later, we also went towards the hut.

Probably because it heard Rita’s footsteps, the monster turned its face in Rita’s direction.

Squashed nose. Crooked mouth with slightly protruding fangs. Thick eyes like a boxer that had been punched. Even though it’s wearing a hood, there are two horns sprouting from his forehead. Dull green skin tone. A small body and disproportionately large hands. A hunched back. All of it showed that this was a goblin type monster.

“How many times do I have to say it!? Even if you dig up a field, you can’t grow vegetableshere!”

Rita yelled at the goblin.

“Fuha-….”

The goblin scratched the back of his head with a smile, but his fangs stood out as he smiled. Did it understand her meaning?

“Cross the river and head north! There’s soil that’s suitable for fields there!”

Rita pointed north as she told the goblin.

“And also, properly use tools! No matter how sturdy your hands are, if you plough the ground bare-handed, your hands will break!”

Rita seriously scolded the goblin. As for the goblin, it was just continuously scratching the back of its head while smiling.

“Now now, calm down.”

I said in a voice intended to calm Rita down.

“He won’t understand if you say everything all at once.”

Ayl wandered closer and said, and suddenly the goblin became afraid. Probably afraid of her bikini armor.

“Ayl, back up a bit. Rita, how about you speak more slowly?”

“But this moleperson, no matter how many times I say it he won’t listen!”

Moleperson, so does Rita think this goblin is a mole beastman?

“That sort of coercive way of speaking won’t get through to him, see?”

“I’m just worried, so…”

So Rita’s saying she’s worried about the goblin?

“Is it love?”

“D-don’t say ridiculous things! It’s just that he gave me medicinal herbs when I hurt myself, it’s not like I like him or anything!”

The panicking Rita began babbling without having to be asked. With this sort of reaction, isn’t it like she’s admitting it?

“Rita. If I was your parent, I’d be depressed.”

Furthermore, for a goblin to be her love target, how uninhibited.

“W,why do you say that!?”

“Maa, whatever. It’s not like I’m interested in hindering other peoples’ love affairs, so do as you wish. But it’s better to not get in the other person’s way too much. It’s meddlesome.”

“But at this rate, if this person lives here, he’ll be flooded!”

Rita said with a frantic look.

“Eh? Why?”

“When the rainy season comes, water will overflow the river and this entire area will be flooded. This person only recently moved here, so he doesn’t know.”

“A flood, how much of this area is flooded?”

“Practically all of the southern plains.”

All of the southern plains, isn’t that an unbelievably large area?

“What about the town?”

Velsa asked.

“The town is also in water during the rainy season. That’s why everyone evacuates and moves to a hill further east. But despite that, he made such a splendid hut here.”

The hut certainly is splendid. How dexterous he is, despite being a monster.

“Has it always been like this? Like, did it start all of a sudden some years ago?”

The flood might be the work of the Water Spirit, so I asked.

“Um, as far as I’m aware, it’s like this since 20 years ago. Ah! However, Mom said this also happened 300 years ago.”

“How old is Rita’s mom? Is she an elf?”

“No, Mom is an archaelogist, excavating old dungeons.”

“I see.”

“Yes, she’s always saying the first generation Hero Marcus is alive. And that her dream is to excavate the dungeon and find him… well, I’ve said too much about this.”

Rita looked down.

“No, this is an important story.”

I really feel like this is the work of the Water Spirit. Speaking of 20 years ago, isn’t that the period when the previous Hero said that all the men in the country are Heroes? It’s extremely suspicious.

“Could it be that Naoki-san and everyone also think Marcus… ?”

No, we’ve already met Marcus-san though.

“Aah, that’s right!”

For now, let’s lie. Velsa made a ‘Why!?’ look, but I gave her a nod filled with the feelings of, ‘It’s a pain in the ass to explain’. Hope she understands it.

The goblin said “Fl o od ?” and tilted his head.

“Like I said, in 3 months, this place is going to be under water!”

Rita spoke angrily to the clueless goblin once again. So there are 3 months until the rainy season.

“Hold on hold on. Hm~, let me try to speak with this person, so please take Velsa and Ayle and guide them to the place the rare flowers are, Rita.”

“But!”

Rita made to protest, but it seems she can’t find the words.

Like this, Rita’s good impression seems like it’ll be lowered, and I want to know why this goblin came close to human habitation. More importantly, I can’t bear to watch.

“Are you two alright with this? It’s sometimes easier for men to talk among themselves.”

“Aah, I get it. Rita, take us there.”

Velsa said and lightly patted Rita’s shoulder. Aly crossed her arms and nodded for some reason. She might be trying to convey something to me, but I have no idea what.

“Alright then, later.”

“Aah, I’ll catch up later.”

Seeing off Rita and the others. I squatted to meet the goblin’s line of sight.

“I’m Naoki. Na, o, ki.”

Pointing at myself, I gave my introduction.

“Naoki… …. Bou. I, Bou.”

Looks like his name is Bou.

“Nice to meet you, Bou.”

“Nice to meet you, Naoki.”

When I went for a handshake, Bou properly grasped my hand.

Looks like we can communicate.

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<t/n: (2/2)>