novelzi Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Arriving at the Village
By the time we reached the village two stops away, the sky was dyed red. Huh? Did we pass by the neighboring village? When I voiced this question, Licht told me, “Our destination is two villages over, why would we bother going through the neighboring village for no reason?” R-Right, good point...!
“We pretty much arrived on schedule! I’ll be staying at an acquaintance’s house, what about you guys?”
As we got off the wagon at the village entrance, we each expressed our gratitude to Jet-san for the ride. “Don’t worry about it,” he said with a cheerful laugh. Jet-san is definitely a cool guy!
“Yeah, we’re planning to get a room at an inn. Can you recommend a place?”
“In that case, go straight down this road, turn right at the second corner, and you’ll see it right away. There’s only one inn in this village, but most of their customers are just there for meals, so I don’t think staying the night will be a problem.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks so much, you’ve been a huge help!”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll be in this village all day tomorrow, so if anything comes up, feel free to ask for help. Just tell someone at a store my name and they’ll probably be able to tell you where I am!”
He said he’d be going around to various places to resupply and greet people, so it would be easy to find him. He even has the aftercare covered.
“Ah, thanks. We’ll definitely ask for help if anything comes up.”
“Well then, take care. Get some good rest today.”@@@@
“Thank you so much!”
Ronny and I also expressed our gratitude following Licht’s words of thanks, and Jet-san patted each of our heads in turn. I was happy, but the two boys looked quite embarrassed. Boys of their age are complicated!
“Alright, let’s head straight to the inn. We’ll buy a few necessary things tomorrow and set out around noon.”
“Because we need to hurry, right?”
“Yeah... We’re still not that far from the Eastern Castle.”
Neither the previous village nor this one seemed to have received any news from the castle. But conversely, if they had received news, it would mean we’re late. We’d be found immediately.
“? What is it?”
“Ah, um, well...”
Maybe she noticed me staring, because the girl smiled and called out to me. I don’t have many chances to interact with kids this age, so I got flustered!
“You’re not from this village, right? Are you traveling?”
When I hesitated, the girl brought up a new topic. What great communication skills! Compared to her, I’m... pathetic for an adult... sniff.
“Yeah, um, we’re going to the central capital.”
I answered with a smile, trying not to show my inner dejection, and the girl’s eyes widened.
“The central capital? I’ve heard it’s really far! You must be amazing to go there, even though you’re still little!”
Wow, she complimented me! Aww!
“No, I’m just being taken there by everyone...!”
“It’s still amazing to travel! I’ve never left here.”
“I-I think it’s more amazing to do your job properly at the store!”
When I conveyed my thoughts in response to her many compliments, the girl tilted her head in confusion. Huh? Did I say something weird?
“This is the first time someone’s called it a ‘job’... Everyone else says ‘good job helping out’...”
After murmuring this, the girl’s face quickly broke into a smile. It was a face that said she was truly happy. It made me smile too.
“Because it is a job, right?”
“Yeah, a job. It really is a proper job!”
We smiled at each other as she thanked me. I was later told by Ravi-san that the people around us were watching over us with kind eyes, which made me embarrassed... but it was a refreshing moment for me too, so I’ll take it!