The Ruined Hidden Village

The Great Prairie stretched out to the west of Alf Town.

Beyond those rolling grasslands lay the Huge Beast Kingdom.

The temperature was pleasant enough, but the humidity was a persistent nuisance. It wasn’t the rainy season yet, so we weren't dealing with constant downpours, but a fine drizzle dampened the world at least once every three days. I’d heard that once the actual rainy season hit, the sky would open up for a week straight.

In the midst of this damp trek, I found myself being transported in the back of a carriage, my body securely wound in rope.

"…Remind me again why I’m currently restrained?"

"Because you were trying to make a break for it, Lord Yuri," Elu replied, her smile bright and merciless. Beside her, Fee gave a firm nod of approval.

"Yuri-sama said he was coming with us," Fee added, "but then he stayed up until dawn making Magic Tools and tried to back out at the last second."

"It couldn't be helped," I countered. "If I can build a Cooler, then building a Stove should be possible in theory. I was so close…"

"And you almost burned the house down in the process. It’s a good thing I noticed when I did."

"Right. S-Sorry about that."

I did feel genuinely bad about waking Fee up in the middle of the night. Still, I was technically the Lord of Alf Town. I had to wonder if this was really the appropriate way to treat a sovereign.

"Fufufu. It’s as lively as ever in here," Emilina chimed in.

"Don't just laugh, Emilina. A little help?"

"You don't appear to be injured, so there is nothing for me to do."

"Kuh… is everyone around me an enemy?"

The ropes weren't actually that tight. It was more a symbolic gesture than a functional one; I could have slipped out of them easily if I’d actually wanted to. But since there was nothing to do in the carriage anyway, I decided to play along with Elu and Fee’s little game. Emilina likely saw right through me and was simply enjoying the show.

"H-Hey, Yuri! Isn't this a little too fast? I’m not even pulling the reins!"

Fritz, who was supposedly our driver, sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack. The source of his distress was the "horse" currently pulling our weight.

"This is actually quite fun, meh."

For some reason, Ram—the sheep—was back in her original, massive form, happily hauling the carriage along. At this point, it wasn't a horse carriage anymore; it was a Sheep Carriage. Thanks to her enormous physique and her weirdly high levels of motivation, we were moving at a terrifying clip. Fritz had basically been rendered obsolete.

"Seriously, why is a sheep pulling us?!" Fritz yelled. "Is this thing even a sheep? It’s too damn big!"

"She says she’s a sheep," I said, "so we just have to accept it."

"I never said I was a sheep, meh!"

"You're literally saying 'meh meh' right now."

"…She’s got the catchphrase and the look," Fritz muttered, conceding the point.

"There’s no way a sheep could grow this large, meh."

"Maybe you just ate too much?" Fritz reached out and poked Ram with his Shovel.

"That tickles, meh."

As Fritz continued to frolic with the mysterious giant sheep, Elu reached over and poked me in the ribs.

"…What is it?" I asked.

"The village where I used to hide is nearby. Would it be alright if we made a short detour?"

"I don't mind. We aren't exactly in a race."

The territory had settled into a comfortable rhythm lately. Sasha was handling the administrative side of things, and the Mercenaries were keeping the Monsters at bay. Our income was stable thanks to the Mock Refrigerator sales, and since Melty could manufacture them without my direct supervision, our finances were secure for the foreseeable future.

As for food, while Al occasionally went on a rampage, the harvest yields were more than sufficient. Anything we lacked, Alan managed to source from outside vendors. We were still too short-staffed to expand our borders or develop the surrounding wilds, but as far as maintaining the status quo went, we were doing better than I ever expected. It felt like a dream that a village that had started with nothing had come this far.

Once I have this situation officially inspected, my competence as a Lord should be undeniable. After that, I just need to grow strong enough to slay the Demon Lord before the Original Game actually begins. Then, I can finally claim my independence as planned.

"Everything is going surprisingly well," I mused.

We’d had our fair share of scares recently, but once a problem is solved, it usually stays solved. Even with the First Prince—I’d captured him alive rather than killing him. Handing him over would net me a reward, and it shouldn't cause any diplomatic blowback.

"Yes, it really is," Elu said, her face flushing with a happy glow. Her tail was wagging so hard it was a blur.

◇ ◇ ◇

The mood shifted the closer we got to the Hidden Village. The chatter died away, replaced by a heavy, stifling silence.

The scars of battle were still fresh. Charred trees lay snapped like toothpicks, and the Earth was gouged with deep craters. It didn't take much imagination to see the violence that had unfolded here. Elu bit her lip, her jaw set tight. I could have easily used magic to smooth over the torn ground, but I sensed that interfering would be a mistake. I remained silent, watching the ruins roll past the window.

Eventually, we reached the center of what had likely been the village—now nothing more than a pile of rubble. The sight of it brought tears to Elu's eyes. This was where she had lived, hiding from the world. Now, the place was a hollowed-out shell, radiating a heavy, lingering melancholy.

I reached out and lightly stroked Elu's head. She took a breath and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I can't stay moping forever."

She was clearly forcing herself to be brave, but it would have been boorish to push her further. Besides, I had other concerns.

"In that case, could you head back into the carriage? Fritz, get ready."

"…Copy that." Fritz gripped the hilt of his Greatsword.

I felt it through my Presence Detection. There were two suspicious figures lingering in the area. Anyone hanging around a destroyed Hidden Village like this was bad news by default.

"Fee is fighting too."

"No, Fee, I need you to stay back and protect Elu and Emilina."

"Got it."

"…Is it time for a snack, meh?"

I looked at Ram. How she had mistaken this murderous tension for mealtime was beyond me. Or perhaps, for a wild carnivorous sheep, the two concepts were one and the same.

"It might be a meal for you. I sense two presences over there."

"Hooray, meh! I’ll go fetch them, meh!"

"Wait! We don't even know who—"

Before I could finish, Ram launched herself into the air with a massive leap, soaring toward the targets. I hadn't even given her coordinates; her own Presence Detection must have been sharper than I thought.

If the people hiding out there were actually elite warriors, Ram was about to become the main course. But there was no stopping her now. She was already gone. I could only pray for her safety.

Please, let our Ram (Emergency Food) come back in one piece…

"W-Who the hell are you?! Gwah!"

"What is this sheep?! My Swordless technique… gah!"

The sounds of a one-sided beatdown echoed from the distance.

Well, it sounded like she was doing just fine. For a sheep, Ram was apparently quite the powerhouse.

Wait, no, that’s not the point. The targets were clearly human. If she ate them, she’d get an upset stomach—no, that wasn't it either. Eating people was just fundamentally bad.

I looked at Fritz, who nodded back at me. We moved out, heading toward the spot where Ram had made her landing.

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Volume 3 begins. We reached 1st place in the monthly overall rankings! Thank you all for your support.