This summer, I was able to follow Mr. Van on a week-long hunting trip. It was very tiring to go through the forest in silence, but the hunter’s meal, which we ate in a simple tent made of natural materials and made into a fire, was as good as Mrs. Eureka’s home cooking. The ingredients used are fresh and local, and it’s great that they include meat from birds, animals, or fish. Then, Mr. Van and I would just sit and listen to the forest at night.
Since the incident, I’ve been spending a lot of time with this quiet hunter, and I like it very much. He doesn’t talk much, not because he’s not a good talker, but because he believes in silence as a rule of thumb for hunters. Just as predators hide their breath and creep their feet when hunting their prey, hunters kill sound. As a result, Mr. Van is not very good at talking. A kind of occupational disease, I suppose. However, his silence speaks volumes about his wealth of knowledge.
Each of the plants and trees growing around him are identifiable to him. From the slightest traces on the grass and soil, he can read what was there days ago and under what circumstances. He knows where he has set his traps, as well as where to find foodstuffs that he can procure on the way to the traps.
Following Mr. Van’s example, I keep silent when I enter the forest, but his every gesture tells me something. At the encampments where we can talk, he tells me the meaning of the traces he has seen that day, and about the wildflowers he has collected for me, even though he is not very talkative. I think this man is a living book.
He doesn’t talk to me, but he will patiently share his knowledge with me as often as I want. His style of writing is somewhat quirky, and it takes some time to decipher, but it is fun at times. Above all, Mr. Van is a book of strategies specific to this forest. By all means, let’s put it down on paper and leave it behind.
For example, when the village suffers from a bad harvest, many villagers may venture into the forest, no matter how dangerous they know it is. At that time, if we had this forest strategy book, the survival rate would be completely different. I don’t want the forest to be raided unnecessarily.
With this in mind, I asked Mr. Van, the copyright holder, if he would give me permission. For him, it was an important source of business. If he shows even the slightest hesitation, I’ll keep it for my personal use. As usual, Mr. Van was silent and thoughtful for a while, and then nodded his head.
“Are you sure? It’s so easy.”
“There’s not enough here.”
What am I missing? I’m troubled by all the things I’m missing here.
“The……hunter.”
“Oh, I see. Do you want more hunters?”
“Hmm,” nodded Mr. Van.
When the food supply in the forest gets low, the animals come to raid the village crops. We’ve been lucky that this hasn’t happened in the past few years, but something strange always happens to the forest. At that time, if we don’t hunt more animals, the villagers will starve. In order to hunt more animals, we need more manpower. Even now, Mr. Van is not able to monitor the entire forest by himself, and he is worried.
“In which case, you’ve been kind enough to tell me…”
“In case…”
It seemed that he was expecting us to help him in case of emergency. No matter how kind Mr. Van was, I was convinced that he had taken the time and effort to do this.
In fact, it would be better if hunters from other villages would move to the area, but that would be difficult. Hunters need to have specialized knowledge, and their knowledge is heavily biased towards their native hunting grounds. They cannot be expected to migrate to an unfamiliar place. Mr. Van’s father, who was his teacher, must have been the one who responded to this unusual migration.
“If that’s the case, I’ll help you as much as I can.”
If it was for the good of the village, it would suit my purpose. I nodded my head in agreement, and the quiet hunter patted my head and smiled.
This guy is really cool. How come he’s not married yet? I bet it’s because he doesn’t talk much. I’ll talk to Mrs. Eureka about it. I’d like him to have a good family and make at least two or three more hunters for the next generation
＊＊＊＊
After a summer that was unusually busy with the forest, the income from the aloe ointment came in just as the autumn farm work was getting hectic. Mrs. Eureka told me that she first distributed samples of the ointment to her parents’ house. Perhaps because of this, our village’s first local product, aloe ointment, was sold as a very expensive product for the upper class.
I guess that’s why the first thing Mrs. Eureka handed me was a single copper coin. I wondered how much the unit price was, since this was part of the proceeds.
Mrs. Eureka happily told me that they were planning to sell it as a rare product limited to a few for a while, although there were some production reasons. I immediately went to thank Mr. Quid with my own money for the first time in my life. He had sold me the paper and pens at a deficit price, and I was going to make up for it.
“No, no, no! It’s nothing like that, please use it for yourself, Ash-kun, use it! Oh, don’t you need more paper? Do you have any more ink? Is the pen broken or anything?”
Not only did he apologize with a smiling face, but he also sold me paper and ink at a more than reasonable price. It was a huge help, but I wondered if it was a good idea. If Mr. Quid goes out of business because of the pressure, I’ll be in trouble.
“I wonder if it’s all right that you’re doing this for me.”
“No, it’s absolutely fine! Thanks to you, I’ve been having a good time!”
I don’t know what’s going on because I’m already out of the aloe ointment business.
“Thanks to you, Ash, I’ve been able to do business with the Amanobes, and from there they’ve introduced me to other houses, so I’m dealing with the richest people in the city! I thought this was all a dream!”
I don’t know the details, but I do know that he was able to become a merchant with access to the homes of the upper class. It seems that this bleeding service is because he was able to move up one level from being a small-time peddler who went from place to place.
“I see. That’s great, congratulations.”
It’s alright to be celebrated. I want to be a part of it as much as I can. If I can continue to have money at my disposal, there will be many things I want. If Mr. Quid can expand the range of things he can handle at that time, it will help me too.
Mr. Quid is happy, and I am happy. It’s a wonderful relationship. I also thought that I should return the favor to Mr. Van, but he didn’t accept it. Rather, he gave me some wildflowers that he had just picked up in the forest.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Van, but I’m afraid I can’t take too much from you.”
“Enough.”
That’s all Mr. van said, and patted my head. When I still try to insist, he starts talking about his skills as a hunter for some reason.
Wait. Why are you talking more than usual only today? If I have so much to learn, I won’t have time to talk about money. Oh, what you just said sounds very important. I just bought some paper, so please let me take notes.
In the end, by the time I left, instead of returning the favor, the favor had increased. Since he doesn’t seem to accept it normally, I’ll have to think of another way to thank him.
“So, please keep this money.”
In the end, the money was to be given to Priest Folke.
“No, wait, the Church doesn’t do business that way.”
“Well, then, I’d like to make a donation that I can draw on whenever I want.”
“That’s not a donation!”
It’s too much trouble to persuade him.
“Even if you tell me to keep it, I might steal it. I’m not sure I’m that incorruptible, you know.”
Is he still a clergyman? That honesty makes him sound like a quintessential clergyman, but it’s too problematic. However, if I turn a blind eye to the problems of being a professional, I think that if Priest Folke steals the money, that’s fine with me.
“Even if I bring it home, my father is bound to steal it for alcohol, so I’d rather have it stolen by Priest Folke.”
“Better?……I don’t know if you trust me or not.”
“In a way, I do. If Priest Folke were to spend money, it would not be on alcohol, but on books or writing materials for the study of ancient languages.”
“Hmm. To be honest, I’ve been buying too much stuff lately and I’m running out of money. In that sense, I feel uneasy about taking care of your money.”
You lovable research idiot. That’s why you’re single at your age. Basically, he is a good and serious person, but when it comes to research, he is blind to his surroundings. I’m wondering if I should be happy that he is aware of it or if I should think it’s too late to fix it even if he is aware of it.
“If that’s the case, please use the money I’ve entrusted to you as you see fit. If it’s a book, I’ll be happy, and if it helps you decipher the ancient language, I’ll be happy in the end.”
“Really?”
Priest Folke’s expression brightens like a childlike smile. It’s a shame that it would be extremely popular with some women.
“Oh, no, but, you know, taking away……Ash’s money would be too public.”
“You’re worried about public opinion?”
“I’m a priest, for God’s sake.”
“Well, if you mean to say that you have a position, then let’s call it a joint research fund, rather than a deposit of money. For research purposes, it is money that can be used by either me or Priest Folke.”
“Ummm……is that any different from what you just said?”
“There is no difference in substance, but there is a difference in construction.”
Public opinion is a trivial matter, so I deploy the spirit of no problem as long as the formalities are in order. Priest Folke was still scratching his head, wondering if that was the case.
“But that’s an interesting thought. If I had used the joint research fund when I was in the capital, it might have come in handy.”
“Research is expensive, you know.”
It’s hard to find patrons for such humble research. Priest Folke and other researchers who aspire to decipher ancient languages may be having a hard time. As we were having this conversation in Priest Folke’s private office, there was a knock at the door.
“Excuse me. I heard Mr. Ash’s voice, is Mr. Ash there?”
The one who peeked out was Miss Maika.
“Welcome, Maika. Is it that time already? Come on, Ash, watch her study today.”
“Yes, yes. I wonder if Mr. Folke will ever be able to teach again.”
“It’s very encouraging for me to have such a talented student.”
He grinned at me. As I moved towards the cathedral with Miss Maika, she looked at me nervously.
“I’m sorry I didn’t remember……sooner.”
“Not at all.”
I was taken aback by her sudden apology. I think that Miss Maika has a very good memory. She can already read and write very well, even with my amateur teaching methods. I’m sure she’ll pick up the rest naturally without me having to teach her. I was wondering what was wrong with Miss Maika, since she had nothing to apologize for, when something occurred to me. The reason was the exchange with Priest Folke earlier.
“If it’s the conversation I just had with Priest Folke, it’s not that I didn’t want to teach. It’s just that I was wondering why he, who should be teaching, wasn’t.”
“So that’s it. I’m glad. I was wondering if I was bothering you, Ash…….”
Miss Maika exhaled heavily, holding her chest. It was thoughtful of her to be so worried about me.
“Maika is so bright that I have little trouble teaching her.”
“Well, bright means …… smart, right? Heh.”
As you can see, the number of words that make sense is increasing considerably. I’m sure she’ll eventually become a brilliant beauty. Miss Maika, who was smiling shyly, suddenly tilted her head.
“But Ash, you were a much faster learner.”
“Not really. Sure, it may have been a short time after I started receiving proper study, but I was studying, a bit, before that.”
I’m talking about a memory that seems to be from a previous life. I’m not going to be honest about it, so that’s what I’m going to say.
“I didn’t know that at all. You’re amazing, Ash.”
“I’m just lucky.”
I’ve never seen another case of a memory that looks like a past life. I think I’m pretty lucky.
“No, you’re not. You’re amazing and my mom is counting on you.”
“It’s an honor.”
Mrs. Eureka is a smart person in a different way from Priest Folke, so it makes me happy when she praised me. If Priest Folke is brilliant as a scholar, I think Mrs. Eureka is brilliant as a manager.
“So, there’s something my mom told me to tell you, Ash.”
Miss Maika’s voice lowered a little. I wonder if she was a little jealous because her mother was praising someone else’s child.
“What is it?”
“It’s the aloe ointment, and it’s selling well, so she wants to make more. So she needs some of the villagers to help us, what do you think, Ash?”
“As long as Mrs. Eureka is okay with it, I’ll leave it to you.”
I don’t know anything about management or business, so I trust the capable Mrs. Eureka. Even if she betrayed me, I can’t help it because it happened with abilities that are beyond my control. There may be some disagreement as to whether this is trust or not.
“All right. I’ll tell mom everything’s fine.”
“Thank you very much. I’m sorry for using Maika as a messenger.”
When I bowed politely, Miss Maika flapped her hands and shook her head. She was in a hurry, but she was smiling happily.
“No, no, no! This is totally fine! I’m learning from you, and if I can be of any help to you, then I’m totally fine!”
After reflecting on my previous experience, I thanked her for not treating me like a child and she seemed to be unexpectedly pleased. I was reminded that courtesy is important no matter who you are talking to.
“Well, then, let’s begin today’s study. What’s on your mind?”
“Since I’ve been helping to make aloe ointment, I’ve been a little confused about numbers.”
“Oh, yes, that must be bothering you.”
There are ratios and such in that recipe, so I’m sure there are things that Miss Maika doesn’t understand now.
“So let’s talk a little bit about math today. Let’s use the aloe ointment as an example.”
This is a great way to deepen her understanding of the aloe ointment recipe, which is about to go into increased production.