My name is Jack.
I’m the leader of the migrants Fouche rounded up.
I know everyone in the group—some are old friends, others are acquaintances of my wife.
I didn't exactly get elected to be the leader; it was more of an unspoken agreement. Before I knew it, I was the one in charge.
I don't mind the responsibility, but I do wish the others had a bit more backbone. I’ve always wondered why they’re so keen on fading into the background.
Still, as their leader, I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.
Since arriving at our new home, it's been one shock after another.
The others were gawking at demi-humans they'd never seen before, but I was busy being floored by the inn we were shown to.
It looked like a plain wooden building from the outside, so I hadn't expected much, but the room itself was pure luxury.
It had real beds and curtains.
The chairs didn't even wobble when I sat down, and the desk surface was perfectly smooth—not a single bump or knot.
It was incredible.
A room this size just for a husband and wife?
They even said private rooms were an option if we wanted them.
The treatment was unheard of.
Normally, you’d pack ten people into a space like this—twenty if the landlord was a real piece of work.
But here, they’d actually provided beds... and they were soft!
Was this really okay?
For someone like me to even be near a bed this nice...
I glanced at my wife, and she looked just as overwhelmed as I felt.
Until someone came to get us, we just sat on the floor in the corner of the room.
They called it a "welcome party," but my heart was filled with nothing but dread.
I couldn't wrap my head around the food they put in front of me.
Buffet style?
I could take as much as I wanted and eat it?
I didn't understand what they were saying.
This was it... we were going to be executed.
This was the Last Supper.
As it turned out, it wasn't my final meal.
It was delicious. It was so delicious it was moving.
Apparently, this wasn't even their best stuff.
The hosts actually bowed and apologized, saying they were sorry for serving something thrown together so quickly.
Thinking back on what I’d been eating my whole life up to that point... I almost wanted to cry.
That night, we stayed in the room.
The bed was too intimidating, so we both slept on the floor.
My wife did too.
We slept like logs.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't resist rolling around on the mattress for a bit.
It really was soft. Incredible.
My wife took a turn after me.
She seemed to love it.
"Sleeping like that is a bit much... you’ll probably drool all over it."
She punched me.
Breakfast and lunch were just as good.
I tried to tell myself that this kind of treatment couldn't last, but I still found myself wondering what they’d serve next.
Of course, there’s no such thing as a free meal.
They were feeding us like this because they expected us to pull our weight as members of the new village.
I got it.
Step one was fitting in.
The folks here were eccentric, to say the least, but they didn't seem like bad people.
Fouche had told us the same thing—to just focus on starting our new lives.
They gave us a rundown on how things worked, like how every couple would get their own house.
They explained plenty of other things, too.
I listened to all of it, but they were missing the most important part.
I couldn't help but speak up.
"I think I have a handle on the living situation," I said. "But what about our work? What's our job?"
Exactly. Work.
What did they need from us? Just give me the word.
But I didn't get the answer I expected.
Instead, they just told us to focus on getting used to life here for now.
Get used to it? Please.
I could get used to any kind of life in three days flat.
Then it was time to head to the place where we’d actually be living.
A carriage?
Whose noble's property was this?
Hey now, was it really okay to just attach that strange attachment to it on your own?
I mean, I didn't want to walk, but still.
Wait, what?
The two of us had to ride on the Centaurs?
...
It was time for a leader's privilege.
I’d take the carriage... no, even that strange thing on the back was fine.
It all came down to a game of rock-paper-scissors.
I don't think I've ever played a more high-stakes game in my life.
And yet, there I was, climbing onto a Centaur's back.
My wife had lost, and as her husband, I had to be the one to step up and take her place.
"I... I'll be in your care."
I bowed as politely as I could to the Centaur who was carrying me.
I put those etiquette lessons Fouche drilled into us to good use.
The Centaur wasn't scary at all, actually.
He walked at a gentle pace and chatted with me along the way.
Honestly, it might have been a better seat than the carriage or the trailer.
We arrived.
It was a beautiful village.
And what a shock—the wolves and spiders from the previous village were all lined up in a row.
Incredible.
Had they staged this just to impress us?
No, that couldn't be it...
They told us we could pick any house we wanted.
...
After a quick talk with my wife, we made our choice.
I'd actually had my eye on one for a bit, and it turned out she had, too.
We both pointed at once.
It would've been a nice moment if we'd picked the same one, but we didn't.
We weighed the options and eventually settled on one.
I’m not saying whose choice we went with, though.
The place was fully furnished with high-quality chairs, a table, and shelves.
Splendid furniture.
There was even a bed in the bedroom.
I was hoping for that same softness, but it was just the wooden frame.
I suppose life isn't that easy.
But just as my heart was sinking, Mam—the Beastman assigned as our caretaker—brought over the mattresses.
She had enough for everyone.
W-was it really okay to sleep on something like this?
It was, wasn't it?
It felt like a dream.
With the housing sorted, they threw another welcome party that night.
The spread was different from the day before, but every bit as delicious.
Was it possible I'd stumbled into an incredibly wealthy village?
If so... I wanted to stay.
No, I wanted to live here.
I'd give it my all.
My wife and I took the nameplate I’d received from the Village Head and hung it proudly by our front door.