Working Situation
“I’m thinking about going out to find work.”
“That’s not a very definitive answer you landed on.”
I was drinking tea with Mezerir at her store. She sounded exasperated, but I had put a lot of thought into this. As a place that I could return to, Nanaze village was special in this world. However, if I stayed here, I didn’t know how many years it would take for me to be able to afford the treatment for my leg.
And once I did have enough money, I wanted to get the treatment in Amernisus. So I would be returning anyway. So there really was no need for her to look at me like I was indecisive.
In spite of everything, I did not really know if there was some great goal that I was aiming for as an Adventurer. I did not care much about reaching A or S-Rank. I was not interested in fame or glory. It all seemed so troublesome.
…Though, I could do with some wealth.
However, if asked if I just wanted to continue to live the slow life in this village…I didn’t really want that either. Perhaps it was because I had the body of a twenty-five year old now.
But more than anything, I wanted to know more about this world, which had no photos or videos.
“So, have you decided where you will be headed?”
“Hmm. It depends on what kind of work is available, but I want to go out to sea.”
“Sea! That sounds nice. I would love to see the sea as well.”
It seemed like everyone who lived inland had a longing to go out to sea. Especially when they heard the stories from people who had witnessed it.
Of course, I had seen it plenty of times on earth. However, there was no guarantee that it was the same in this world. Though, I had heard that it was vast, blue and salty.
“I thought if it was the sea, I could reach it eventually no matter which direction I went in or which job I took.”
“What? You haven’t planned at all then.”
“Plans can be vague. Then you just adapt to the situation.”
“Well, that is like you, Ajifu. So, have you told everyone in the village about it?”
“No, I thought I should talk to you first. I’m going to visit the chief after this.”
“I am flattered, but if you are serious, you should have prioritized that.”
She waved her hand as if to rush me out of the store.
“Aren’t you going to beg me to stay or anything?”
“Huh? Did you want me to?”
“No, not really.”
“You decided it. It is your path. And you should do as you like. Don’t worry, I and the others will always welcome you back.”
Yes, I could return. That was the one thing that made this different. That would help support me as I move forward. Just like Rowar and Nenreko.
“Indeed. Nothing will happen if I don’t take the first step.”
If I was being honest, I didn’t hate staying here. The village was comfortable, and I had someone who understood Reverse Age. Still, I could not hide the fact that I was jealous of those two who left.
“Exactly! Now go along now.”
She slapped me on the back as I got up.
While it was a little embarrassing I turned and raised my hand towards her. When I opened the door, it was the same old scene of the village. However, it somehow felt different now.
Gulp.
I stood in front of the door nervously. I had never felt so nervous to meet the chief before.
I knocked and heard his wife’s voice from inside.
“Hello. Is the chief home?”
“Oh, Mr. Ajifu. Welcome. Please come in.”
She opened the door and invited me in. I waited at the table for a short while, and then the chief appeared from the back.
“What is it? Did something happen?”
“I came to speak to you about something.”
He must have sensed that there was something different today. He sat down and we faced each other.
“Hmm. Let’s hear it then.”
“The thing is, I am going to leave the village for quite some time.”
I said, and the chief’s eyes widened. He then closed them and folded his arms. I suppose it was no surprise that he would not take this lightly.
“For how long, exactly?”
“Two years at the shortest. But probably longer.”
“Hmm…”
The chief opened one eye and grunted. My goal was to make three platinum. That was about thirty million in yen. It obviously was not a perfect comparison, but it was still a lot of money that would take time to save up.
“The reason is…”
“Ajifu.”
The chief interrupted me.
“You are still young. And I’m sure you have thought about it. But…don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”
“But…”
“Well, listen.”
In reality, we were probably a similar age now. But even if we weren’t, twenty-five was still an adult. It was rare for someone to treat me like I was some youngster. And while I understood that he wanted to keep me here, it did not really sit well with me.
“A lot of things do not go your way. And so I understand how you feel. I have seen plenty of young people leave like you. But…”
His wife seemed to sense that he would be talking for a long time, and so she placed some tea on the table. I got the impression that she was also taking her husband’s side.
“You running away like this will not solve anything. Why don’t you look into your heart once again and reconsider.”
Running away. That was harsh. Perhaps he saw how much I lacked the true will of an Adventurer. He wasn’t completely wrong. You were stronger if you had a clear goal.
Sometimes, that strength could be the difference between life and death.
But would staying in this village give me that strong will? Right now, I felt that I had to be on the road.
“I understand what you are saying. But… Still, no, because of that, I have to continue forward.”
Our eyes met, as if clashing. But I could not back down.
“Hmm…so you will not reconsider then… But I still think you will find that change here.”
“If you really care so much. You cannot give up after one or two failures. After all, we are rooting for you.”
His wife joined in. Give up? Rooting? What was she talking about?
“Care so much… About what?”
“About whaaa? Oh, you… Why, Mezerir, of course!”
“Why are we talking about Mezerir?”
I looked at the chief. We were both puzzled by each other.
“I thought you wanted to leave the village because you were rejected by Mezerir.”
“That’s not it at all! I want to leave in order to save up money for my leg treatment!”
“What? It is that? Then you should go. You looked so troubled that I thought you must be heartbroken. Really, how confusing you are.”
“Indeed, I thought you were being self destructive.”
The chief shook his head. His wife looked equally exasperated.
What!? So easily? I-I worked very hard for this village, didn’t I?
“Are you sure? I was thinking about how much trouble it would be for the village.”
“Well, Ajifu.”
The chief said in a gentle voice.
“An Adventurer of your age rarely settles in a village like this. It’s something you do closer to retirement. But you stayed here even after you learned Amerata. And so now, the only thing we can offer you is small payments.”
As for me, I had wanted to stay here a bit so that the rumors about the wyvern slaying would die down. But from the outside, maybe it looked unnatural.
“And so we all talked together about it. And we decided that Mezerir must be the reason that you are staying. You seemed to spend a lot of time in her store. Of course, you staying here was good for us, and so we didn’t say anything… But it looks like we were wrong.”
“Uh, you shouldn’t have expected that from me in the first place.”
I had no idea. Though, now that I think about it, they had looked at me with warm expressions.
As I had already been quite old when I first came to this world, thoughts of romance had not been on the forefront of my mind. Besides, if that did happen to me, the natural course of things here would be marriage and starting a family.
And settling down like that was not my priority, now that I was young again. Still, if I really did find myself in love with someone…well, I would think about it when the time came.
Perhaps now that my lifespan was no longer limited, I felt no rush and little desire for that.
“In that case, you should hurry up and leave the village. Nothing good will happen if you stay in this small secluded village at your age. You should go out and see the world. You can always come back later if you wish.”
Oh, now he was acting like I was some kind of shut-in that needed to go out more. I thought I had been working quite a lot?
“So everything will be fine here?”
“You don’t need to worry about us. Thanks to you, there are considerably fewer monsters in these parts. And the defense team is stronger than ever. We also saved up money, due to not having to hire Adventurers much in the past few years. We will manage just fine.”
The chief said proudly. It seemed like he was telling the truth. Indeed, there were hardly any strong monsters here, compared to when I first came. There were still weaker monsters occasionally, but the defense team could deal with them easily.
“Well, to commemorate this great decision you made, let’s open a bottle as a parting gift. Drink with us tonight.”
I was relieved by the chief’s reaction. While I had made my decision, it was nice to have the understanding of the village.
“Chief.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
I stood up and bowed my head. The chief looked surprised but then smiled back.
“Really, you… You have done so much for the village up until now. We are the ones who should be thanking you. Now, stop acting so formal.”
“And remember that you are welcome back here anytime.”
His wife said with a laugh.
Yes, I would definitely be returning. Even though I did not have the strong will of an Adventurer. My desire to return to this village could be my strength in the same way. It would help me during difficult times.
Their smiles made me think that.
Bonus chapter courtesy of Photo. Thank you so much!!
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