Chapter 19: First Defense

I was now standing in front of the hole where Katagiri was.

Since we cannot leave him here, we plan to pull him up and carry him deeper into the forest. As I was about to head for the hole, Touya offered to help me, so I asked him to escort me as well.

“I’m a swordsman, and I’m sure there will come a time when I’ll have to do it. I want to help so I can get used to this kind of thing.”

“Oh, there will definitely come a time when I will tell you to do it.”

Touya nodded with a serious look on his face.

Before entering the village after finishing the matter, i took a peek at the ten people in the hole. Some of them were still making noise, but their voices did not have the same intensity as yesterday. Some were begging for help, but I ignored them and went back to the village.

When I headed for the house, I saw three women busy in the garden. It looks like they are preparing lunch. I just threw him away in the forest, so I didn’t think it would take that much effort… It seemed that time had passed.

“Welcome back. It’s lunchtime, do you want me to cook some rice?”

Tsubaki asks me to confirm, as I had decided every time whether to serve rice for the meal. To be honest, it is becoming quite diminutive. With the number of villagers increasing, I made the choice to forgo it this time.

“Shall we serve it at night instead of during the day?”

“Yes, we have to save money.”

“I wish we could grow rice or wheat…….”

The staple food problem has become serious. Just when I was thinking of doing something about it, Touya, who was next to me, said casually.

”Don’t you have brown rice at the village chief’s house?”

“Hm?　Maybe there is, but it doesn’t come with …… hulls and husks. It’s useless, don’t you think?”

I was wondering if I misunderstood something.

“No, it will germinate without the husk, I saw a video where they even harvested the plants.”

“What?　Seriously?”

“What was it, ……? I think he said that without husk and chaff, the rice tends to rot before germination. But they grew fine.”

“Oi oi oi! This is a big deal…”

It seems I was the one who misunderstood. I thought that once threshed, there was no such thing as germination. …… So you’re saying if the rice isn’t threshed, it doesn’t germinate?

“You know those otherworldly stories where they recreate things that used to be in Japan?　I was wondering how they actually do it. I was searching various videos.”

“If it was something like this, I would welcome it.”

“It sounds like a big deal. Well, I’m glad I was able to contribute”.

“I’m really happy. Thank you, Touya.”

“Seriously, it’s fine…”

I asked Touya, who smiles shyly, to trace his memories, and I immediately decided to challenge Tsubaki. Maybe we can make rice. There is also the possibility that there is something overlooked for other crops.

(At this time, let’s plant at random.)

◇ ◇◇◇

Life in a Different World, Day 12

Today, we are working in two groups, one to make waterways and the other to cut down trees.

The waterway group is Tsubaki, Sakura and Natsuki, and the logging group is me and Touya. Since we work within sight of each other, we can deal with any problems immediately.

The waterway cannot go up to the house due to the difference in elevation. However, it is enough if the water can be used for farming. For drinking and living water, there is the Sakura’s water magic.

The trees that were cut down will be used as materials for the toilet enclosure and the waterway. The current restrooms are also open and surrounded by nature, but it feels somewhat uncomfortable as if someone is watching ……. and I don’t feel refreshed. The number of people has increased, so I wanted to start early.

“You’re quite dexterous, aren’t you? I don’t know if it’s because of the difference in strength, or because of your skill in swordsmanship–I didn’t know you could do this with a hatchet.”

“I don’t know if a machete is in the same category as a sword. When I hold a machete, it feels very comfortable in my hand.”

We don’t have an axe, so I used a machete to cut down trees. But with me, it would take a long time just to fell one tree. When Touya does it, he takes it down in just a few strikes. Even though the trees were not that thick, the work was progressing at a very fast pace.

The distance between the trees is rather dense, so even if he cut it down, it would not fall completely because it was caught by the branches. However, Touya would forcefully pull and drag it out. By noon, we had finished cutting down 50 trees and pruning branches. The waterway crew had also finished digging the bare earth at an early stage, and they also dug holes for the posts to be erected for the toilets.

“Let’s go back for lunch, everyone.

“Yes!”

“I’m hungry.”

“Yes.”

After lunch, we took a break and headed back to the river, as we were scheduled to continue working in the afternoon. Everyone is eager for the completion of the restrooms. Not a single person complained.

We erected the wooden poles at the very edge of the riverbank. The soil around the pillar is pushed down to check the wobble of the post. Finally, the planking was fixed in place to complete the work. Although the toilet is a bit distorted in some places, it is a magnificent toilet with an enclosure.

“I can go out without hesitation with this.”

“Regardless of how you put it, it certainly makes me feel safe.”

“I’d be embarrassed to do that even in another world, wouldn’t I?”

“As you say.”

After all the scheduled work was completed, we continued to rest on the riverbank for a while. I thought it was a good time to talk about the treatment of those who have been neglected.

“I wanted to talk about what to do with the guys we had left behind. Tomorrow morning, I will take the ten men in the pit and dump them deep into the forest. Even if indirectly, it is an act of taking another person’s life. It is by no means mandatory, but I want you to think about whether you want to participate in carrying them away.”

Tsubaki and Sakura looked as if it was a matter of course, while Touya nodded silently. Natsuki seemed a little unnerved. While preparing dinner, I saw Tsubaki and Sakura talking with Natsuki about something. The two of them were talking to each other and it seemed that they took good care of each other and Natsuki was back to her normal self by the time dinner was served.

◇ ◇◇◇

Life in a different world, day 13.

At dawn, I went to check the hole by myself.

The 10 people in the hole were slumped over without saying a word, and more than half of them seemed to be in a daze. I don’t know if they are even out of breath, but they must be near their physical limits.

(It’s about time for ……)

After a light breakfast, we all headed for the hole. Natsuki had also firmly expressed her willingness to participate, so we could make it work. I don’t intend to be overprotective of her just because she is a minor, considering her future.

“I alone will go down to the hole and secure it with a rope. You guys pull me up, and Touya, you take care of the surroundings.”

“Hey, I’ll do it.　It would be bad if something happened to the village chief.” 

“No, it’s more dangerous to be attacked by monsters. I want you to be vigilant enough, watch out for other transferees.”

“I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

We carefully climbed down into the hole.

There was a possibility that they had hidden weapons or were pretending to be immobile. We stayed alert and carefully checked each person one by one, but none of them were in a condition to move.

In the end, we carried everyone who was in the hole in two separate trips. …… We were able to finish the thing without any monster attacks along the way. After wondering what to do with their belongings, I let them collect them all under my direction.

“Village chief, Katagiri’s corpse over there is gone.”

“There was no remains, so the monster must have taken it away. Others will probably do the same sooner or later.”

“Phew, ……, this one is finally over. I’m not sure if I’m being inappropriate, but I’m honestly relieved.”

“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Now, let’s go back to the village.”

I was about to return to the village when suddenly,  an announcement echoed in my head.

『The unique skill release condition <first defense> has been achieved』

“Ability Unleashed”

“The site can now be expanded.”

Does this mean that we have defended the village? It seems that we have released a new ability and this time we can also expand the site.

At any rate, the first defense of the village came to an end.

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