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Chapter 25 [It seems like we’re called the goddesses of the reclamation village.]
The reclamation project was reorganized.
It was harder than I thought, but we were able to recover in the first week for the time being.
Then, with the resultant free time, I took long walks to the nearby plains, picked herbs and edible wild plants, caught wild rabbits, and increased the things that’d make up our meals.
After the aid goods to the reclamation group arrived, there was no more need to worry about food, and it was decided that additional people will be coming starting tomorrow.
Having been to this reclamation village for 1 week—Tet and I went to bed at night after entering the bath surrounded with mud walls to prevent anyone from peeking.
I put up multiple barriers, so there was no one that could see.
“Phew, that was a good bath.”
“Nanodesu!”
There are times when being cleaned with the clean-type magic <<Clean>> is all one can do, but as expected, taking a bath warms up the body and feels good.
Also, when I use the shampoo that I created with [Creation Magic], my hair would have a fragrant smell, so Tet and I were satisfied.
While the cool night wind blew making us feel good, we walked back to the village from the riverside.
“We’re back~nanodesu!”
“Oh, Tet-Jouchan, welco……”
As soon as I arrived, I prohibited the alcohol supply goods, but after seeing the energetic adventurers work, I allowed around a cup of alcohol per person.
Currently, they’re amusing themselves with after supper alcohol and simple games.
Also, Gash-san, who was expected to be the governor, was scared of the tense adventurers before, but now they’re getting along.
“Don’t play around too much.”
“Umm… that robe, is that Chise-Jouchan?”
“Yup. Who did you think it was?”
It’s true that I usually wear a hood and they can’t see my face, but it’d be stuffy after getting out of the bath, so I didn’t put on my hood.
“Chise-Jouchan seems like a kid, but you sure got pretty looks.”
“So? You thought you could seduce a kid like me when there’s no other girls nearby?”
“It’s not like that!”
Gash-san had a wry smile at my sharp words, but he got himself together after his astonishment.
“Well then, I think the additional people that Gash-san requested will come tomorrow, so head to bed. Good night.”
“Good night~nanodesu!”
After saying that, we entered the house we were using.
It’s been one week since we’ve arrived, the reclamation project that was haphazard has been regulated to some degree.
Also, female adventurer guard requests have appeared due to the number of women wanting to live in the village increasing.
Additional food has been delivered, and our responsibilities have eased slightly.
“If that’s the case, I wonder if we can listen to various stories from other adventurers.”
For example, interesting requests and places they’ve been to up until now, or things like mage knowledge.
Recently, I’ve been waking up early in the morning and preparing breakfast, and doing more and more of the reclamation support during the day, so I was exhausted at night.
“Good night.”
“Good night~nanodesu.”
Having said that, I transferred my remaining mana to Tet and fell asleep after I covered the house’s circumference with barrier magic.
***
Side: Reclamation Party
“Phew, to think that Jouchan would reorganize the entire village.”
“How should I put it, it’s like I’ve lost all my confidence.”
“Ahh, you don’t gotta worry about it. Rather, you’re working hard together. I know, you know.”
“Ugh, got it.”
I hit the reclamation project’s supervisor, Gash-san’s, back.
The parents of the useless seventh-son aristocrat had the same expectations for him as the third or fourth son of a farmer family would have.
That’s why we became adventurers.
In this guy’s case, well, he had the chance to learn various things, so compared to me, he’s intelligent.
That’s why, if he becomes the director of the reclamation project that his parent’s family took out and succeeds, he’ll become the governor, the mayor of this village.
However, the reclamation project didn’t progress as expected.
After all, this is a village that was once destroyed.
There are more monsters around the village than expected.
It’s difficult to secure a safe place to sleep.
Many of the adventurers, who boast of their strength, are amateurs when it comes to agriculture and reclaiming the land.
There are magicians, but they use their magic to defeat monsters, so they don’t have the magic fit for reclaiming the land.
In addition, there are some delinquent adventurers who embezzle goods.
All sorts of problems were occurring, and I was beginning to feel anxious and lethargic.
Just when we thought the reclamation project was going to fail, a new supporter arrived.
“How terrible……”
The words of our new supporter, Chise-Jouchan, were indeed true.
However, I didn’t have the time to think about it at the time.
After that, it was a one-sided fiesta that made me laugh just thinking about it.
She was angry that we didn’t have a place to sleep, thus her partner Tet-Jouchan made a house for us.
She was daunted by the filth, thus she created a bath for us to enter.
All the dirty laundry was collected and washed with magic.
She prepared food that filled you up with the leftover ingredients for the time being.
She also did many other things for us.
The broken well was cleaned up with magic by Chise-Jouchan, then fixed with earth magic by Tet-Jouchan.
They made a place for us to store the wood we cut down and leveled the ground, where we pulled out the tree stumps, with magic.
Those who were injured while hunting monsters or during work and neglected it quickly found when they entered the bath with all their clothes off that they were being cured.
“Those who are injured should tell me. That is our job. Tet, bring the potions we made.”
“Gotcha~nanodesu!”
“Aargh, it’s cold!”
If the country would send out the court magicians it has surrounded to reclamation projects… that’s the example that’s right in front of me.
So once, during a break, I had a chat with her.
“If it’s you, couldn’t you end this troublesome reclamation project in a flash?”
Having been asked that, Chise-Jouchan showed a behavior as if she was pondering about it.
My expression screamed ‘she’s not denying it’ as it cramped while I waited for her response.
Then, she replied—
“I can, but I’m not going to.”
“Why’s that?”
“Certainly, I believe that Tet and I can create the village. However, where would your pride as residents be?”
Having been told that, I was worried.
Was there worth in a village that was just presented to us?
We’re adventurers, thus we take dangerous requests and have confidence in our skills and rank.
However, just as Chise-Jouchan said, would we have the fighting spirit to protect the village that we didn’t create with our own hands?
I’m sure we’d run away. Then, they’d want a place for themselves again and put another request for Chise-Jouchan.
“In that kind of village, they probably wouldn’t protect it thinking that they can have someone create it again for them.”
“Right? Therefore, the extent of our request is to assist. We’ll do the work we’re getting paid for, but we’re not going to complete all the reclamation work for the others. Additionally, the jobs that the people did during the reclamation will become those people’s roles in the village after all.”
“Role?”
“The village needs more than just farmers, right? Adventurers who exterminate monsters are hunters-cum-militia, right? If you’re a magician, you can read and write, thus you can be a doctor or a teacher. If you can use fire magic, you can be in charge of the public bathhouse by the river. If you like alcohol, you can open a liquor store in the village. If you are good with your hands, you can become a carpenter because you need barrels to make the alcohol. If you are bright and honest, you can be a village chief.”
Chise-Jouchan imagined the specifics of our reclamation village’s daily life clearly in my conversation with her.
“I’m a hunter, huh…”
“Well, you like alcohol, so you can brew alcohol in a wine cellar.”
“You can’t say you’re ‘sampling’ and steal a sip! If I’m brewing alcohol, then you guys gotta properly grow some wheat as my alcohol’s ingredients.”
“I was weak in the old days, but I was told I had the aptitude to be a tamer. Is there a job that I can do?”
“Then, you could raise livestock. You could also be a beekeeper!”
“Gash-san, please do your best as the village chief!”
Since there are adventurers who have traveled to many places, the topic of changing jobs from adventurer to various professions was going around.
Although I felt like it was just a harsh reclamation project, my view of the world was expanding without stopping.
“Thanks, Chise-Jouchan.”
“Well now, break’s over. I’ll be making dinner, so don’t get injured.”
After saying that, I felt like Chise-Jouchan’s lips curled up a little and her pupils hidden in her hood had a gentle feeling to them.
Then, in the evening, I enjoyed myself with some alcohol thanks to Chise-Jouchan who lifted my ban on a glass a day. After cleansing my festering, oozing wound in the bath, Chise-Jouchan found out and poured a cold potion on it.
Normally, I would have spent two or three silver coins on this injury, but she wouldn’t take money for the potion.
“I don’t need it because it’s included in my daily allowance and it’s just something I made for practice. If you want to repay me, be careful not to injure yourself or anyone else while working. The less you get hurt, the easier it will be for me.”
That’s why I think Chise-Jouchan has a very stubborn personality.
Stubborn and unsociable. However, she worries about us.
At the same time, even though she can use recovery magic and potions, she threatened us saying, “Do you know what will happen if you do anything rash or reckless?” She’s a scary Jouchan.
She’s suspicious as she covers her hood over her eyes, but rationally, it’s all the scarier to warn her.
A certain person said.
“—She worries about us, kinda like how our mom would.”
I don’t know what to think to project my mother on a girl who’s not even 12-years-old.
However, she’s certainly like my mother when she washes the dirty laundry and sighs when she finds the injuries we hid.
When I think like that, I feel like she’s somewhat trustworthy.
When I was a brat, my mother would always tell me, ‘Do this’, ‘Do that’. It’s kind of like that.
Also, I’m convinced that her intimidating air when she’s angry is similar.
The appearance of Chise-Jouchan, caused Gash, who had little self-confidence, to begin with, to lose even more confidence, and become an emotional drinker.
Chise-Jouchan, in no time, put in order the haphazard-like reclamation project and pushed through with the power of magic.
However, he’s back.
“At any rate, Chise-Jouchan did all sorts of things.”
“You bet. She reorganized the reclamation project that seemed to be doomed. She’s our angel!”
“Calling her an angel is holding back!”
“You ain’t wrong. Then, she’s our goddess! She’s a good woman we can’t even touch.”
“That’s pretty good! But, she’s not there quite yet in the age department. Maybe five years later!”
“““Gahahahaha——”””
While we were laughing about it, Chise and Tet-Jouchan came back from the bath late at night.
There was a beautiful girl with black hair and a beautiful face standing next to Tet, who looked as if her body had warmed up and her whole face was smiling.
Chise-Jouchan’s slit eyes narrowed pleasantly in the night breeze after her bath.
I thought she was a strangely mature twelve-year-old girl, but she had the kind of face that made me think she would definitely be beautiful in the future.
Gash, who was drinking with us, is an aristocrat, so I’m sure he’s used to seeing beautiful noble ladies, but he’s dumbfounded.
“Well then, good night.”
“Good night!”
She said, then entered the hut that was assigned to them.
“She’s seriously like a goddess.”
“She’s the Lady Luck for us.”
While saying such things, the reclamation party displayed feelings of gratitude to Chise-Jouchan.
In later years, the village became specialized in carpentry that processed lumber from the nearby forest, and a certain thing began to sell.
“This is the side view of the reclamation village’s goddess that appeared during the reclamation.”
A wooden plaque with a girl’s profile carved into it, and on the back of the plaque were important words that the girl had said during her pioneering days was sold as a lucky charm and spread among many settlers.
Thus, the witch Chise’s first title became “Goddess of the Reclaimed Village,” but she never found out.