Chapter 29: Another Settlement

Day 38 of Living in Another World

Four days have passed since the village meeting.

Thanks to the hard work of Rudrug and Natsuki since then, two weaving machines had been completed. It looks like something that used to be used in Japan in the old days to do threshing. It’s like the story of the crane returning the favor (A japanese story).

They are currently working on the third loom, and as soon as it is finished, they will go back to building the house. Sorry to Rad and the others, but they are installing a weaving machine in the bathhouse where they are sleeping. They are almost finished with their own house, so we have to ask them to be patient until then.

Meanwhile, in order to secure meat and demon materials, Touya and Sakura of the hunting team are going hunting with two Rabbit men. They say that the rabbit men’s hearing enables them to detect monsters, so they have become much more efficient. According to Rad, there are many giant spiders on the south side of the village, so they are focusing on that area.

“Keisuke-san. Tomorrow, I would like to harvest potatoes, so I need your help.”

“Oh, you’re already harvesting for the second time? Rad must be looking forward to it, right?”

“Of course. The potatoes in the village are excellent, and I would love to help with the harvest.”

While tending the fields with Tsubaki and Rad, I was preparing for tomorrow’s harvest. I am feeling less and less panicked these days, and I am beginning to feel that I am living a more fulfilling life, I sincerely feel.

“By the way, Rad, you told me about the great mountain ranges before, didn’t you? The ones with big, precipitous mountains that go on and on and on.”

“What about it?”

“I just realized something. Why can’t I see it from here?”

If you walk at a normal speed, you can reach the mountain within two to three hours north of the village. At such a distance, it should be visible from the village, but it was clearly unnatural to look in the direction of the …… mountain and see nothing but sky and clouds.

“I’m not sure. If you go close enough, you can see them normally, but once you get some distance away, for some reason you can’t see them anymore.”

“It goes all the way to the north, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know about the human race territory, but it’s the same in the beast race territory. It’s said to be magic of the demon race. It’s all just rumors. There’s no harm in particular.”

“I see, it’s a strange place, isn’t it?”

This is a different world, so there’s no point in worrying about a few things. I decided to think that this phenomenon must be something divine.

“I have one question too, Rado-san. May I ……?”

Following me, it seems that Tsubaki also has something to ask.

“What is it?”

“I know this area is called the Great Forest, but I think it’s a bit small for that. …… No, it’s a big forest, but it’s not that big.”

“Oh, I see what you mean. The Great Forest is essentially the area east of the river there. The vast forest extends all the way to the far end, as you can clearly see from the high ground of the city. That is why it is called the Great Forest.”

“I see, so that’s what it is. Thank you very much.”

“I’m glad I could be of help. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Although  I understood Rad’s explanation. I wondered what in the world was going on in the eastern forest. ……

“By the way, are there any other settlements of the rabbit tribe in this forest besides Rad and the others?”

“There is only one village where ……10 people live together. Other than that, most of the Rabbits live in the forests west of the city or town.”

“Is that forest as big as this one?”

“No, I’ve heard that it is a very ordinary forest. I have never been there, so I don’t know all the details.”

They don’t seem to interact with the forest tribes to the west.

“I see. And where is this other settlement located?”

“Southwest of here. From our village, it is half a day south.”

“Hmmm… ……. It seems like a good detour route to the city, and is it possible to make a stop along the way?”

“Fair enough, but ……, are they willing to move here?”

“Depends on what they’re willing to do, though, right? And I’m not helping them. Please think of it as a way to secure manpower in the village.”

“Yes, I am well aware of that.”

There’s also the possibility that they’ll be attacked just like Rad’s village, so there’s no problem with 10 more people. Rather, it was convenient because I wanted more manpower.

“Then you should invite them directly Rad. Also tell them about the rules of the village and their allegiance.”

“Okay. Let’s negotiate.”

◇◇◇

40th day in another world

Following the large harvest of potatoes the day before yesterday, today we finally start the threshing of the rice. The first thing to do is to make sure that you have the right amount of time to dry the rice, but we decided on a date based on Touya’s video information.

Since we don’t have bales or bags, we will have some large tubs made in the warehouse, where we will store the brown and milled rice separately. The all-purpose warehouse would prevent quality deterioration, so there should be no worries about oxidation or pests.

The threshing process is going smoothly using a thousand-tooth trowel. There is more rice straw with the rice husks than I expected, but I don’t mind …… and keep going.

After threshing, the rice was put into Natsuki’s special mortar and pounded with a pestle. As the rice was pounded over and over again, the rice straw was removed. The rice husks were also removed as the rice was pounded further.

We then transferred them to a colander and blew on them while shaking the colander. Only the light husks fly away, leaving only the brown rice in the colander. Since the work is done manually, the amount of rice that can be threshed in one cycle is not large. But the work itself went smoothly.

“It seems to be going better than I thought.”

“Yes, but at this pace, it will take quite a few days. I don’t know when it will be finished.”

Judging from the amount of ears, the harvest is more than twice the normal amount. It’s nice to have a good harvest, but it’s too slow for manual labor.

“The rice straw will be used as roofing material for the houses. We want to use it right away, so let’s just unhull the rice first. Let’s put off hulling and polishing until later.”

“I understand. Let’s concentrate on the threshing, using the spare miller’s trowel as well.”

After confirming the rough threshing procedure, we headed for the place where the rabbits were to live.

Rudolph, it’s time to get the straw over here. Tell them where to put it.

“Oh, long time. We’ll have the framework finished before noon. Then we’ll start on the roof!”

“Thank you for working so fast. Anything I can do to help?”

“Not really. Why don’t you go and see how the weaving is going?”

“Well, I’ll go check it out.”

The construction of the house was progressing very well, and I was interested in weaving myself. I left Rudrug in charge and decided to go check out the loom where Natsuki was working.

“How are things going, everyone?”

“Oh, Village Chief, I knew it! I knew it would be perfect if I could just figure out the procedure! Look, just watch me for a minute!”

Natsuki dexterously operated the loom and wove the cloth. There was no hesitation in her movements, and she handled the loom like a skilled craftsman.

“I’m really impressed with the craftsmanship of the weaver. Still, it’s strange that spider silk is treated as fiber, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about the details. More than that, please praise me!”

“The village’s finances depend on Natsuki’s skill! I’ll be counting on you!”

When I jokingly said so, the women rabbits working nearby joined in and laughed. But in fact, Natsuki’s skill was impressive and everyone was praising her. Hearing this, Natsuki was also happy with a big smile on her face.

-Two houses for rabbits were completed that evening. The families with children quickly moved in.

The children are having a blast in front of their familiar home. Rudrug, who saw the situation, seemed very satisfied.

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