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nChapter 61

nThere are several ways to secure your place in another world. Show off your strength or use your knowledge of modern Japan to provide a better life. Since I started playing “The Village of Destiny”, I’ve read many reference books. I took advantage of free submission sites and read mainly works in which Japanese people are active after going to another world.

nThere were several patterns established there, and the most common were those two patterns. First of all, as for strength, let’s give up on that. It’s not that I’m physically stronger or have special abilities. What am I supposed to do against a monster with a body that is no different from the one I had in Japan?

nNext, I’m going to show off my modern knowledge, but I’ve already passed on the knowledge that I could use to the oracle. However, the local villagers were more knowledgeable about wood processing and daily life, so I couldn’t be of much use to them.

n“I’m stuck.”

nI couldn’t help muttering to myself, but it was too early to give up. In the reference books, there was a section about being evaluated for entertaining with food. Using this as a model, I tried a few dishes at home that I could make with the ingredients sent from the “Village of Destiny. As a result of repeated trial and error, I discovered that a certain seasoning would make the dish extremely tasty.

nCarol brought it with her to Hokkaido as one of her souvenirs when she returned to the village. When I returned to my tent and opened my bag, I found a huge commercial size can of Chinese seasoning. It contains the flavor of chicken and pork, and can be dissolved in hot water to make Chinese soup, or added to other Chinese dishes to recreate the taste of a restaurant.

n“If I don’t have enough power, I can always rely on products!”

n……I feel sorry for myself, but I don’t care. I’m going to visit the cooking area with the red can in my hand.

n“If you’re still in the middle of cooking, do you mind if I make one dish as well?”

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nWhen I spoke to Chem, who was preparing the food, she had a complicated expression on her face, a mixture of dismay and surprise.

n“The, uh, the squire cooks?”

n“Yes. I brought some special seasoning from the Kingdom of God.”

nWhen I showed them the can, the villagers in charge of cooking looked at it with great interest. Still, they seemed uneasy about leaving the cooking to me, and didn’t give me a good answer.

n“To have the squire go that far is……”

n“Wow, Yoshio’s going to make me dinner again⁉ it’s so delicious, I’m looking forward to it!”

nCarol, who interrupted the conversation, is running around me, expressing her joy. Seeing this, Chem and the others kept their mouths shut and stared at the red can. Nice assist, Carol!

n“The rice seems to be almost cooked, so I’ll use this and the meat.”

nDon’t wait for the other person’s opinion and start working quickly. In this kind of situation, it is quicker to force your way through. This world is European, but with a mix of Japanese and Western influences, so modern Japanese ingredients and cooking utensils are commonplace. It’s nice to be able to cook as if I was cooking at home.

n“Do you want to try?”

nSeparate the meat from the fat and chop it into small pieces. I borrowed a hemispherical iron pan, like a wok, and slowly stir-fried the separated pieces of fat to release the oil. I threw the meat into the pan and let it cook for a while, and then I put the freshly cooked rice into the pan, which Carol had taken out for me. It would have been easier to cook the rice cold, but for now, speed was of the essence.

nI stir-fried the rice while blending in the oil, and seasoned it with Chinese seasoning and a little salt. The fried rice was ready in no time. As the plates are laid out in front of the villagers waiting in the dining hall, they stare at the mysterious rice dish. I’ve never seen a scene in the game where rice is seasoned and eaten, so this kind of dish may be quite rare. While everyone was exploring the surroundings without touching it, Carol was the first to take a spoon and scrape it down.

n“Mmm, mmm. Yoshio, it’s delicious!”

nSeeing her chewing with a big smile on her face, the villagers also spoke their minds.

n“Whoa, that’s…….”

n“Delicious! It’s delicious!”

n“I’ve never tasted anything quite like it before, but I don’t know how you can get it to taste like this.”

n“It’s delicious!”

nEveryone is eating it with enthusiasm. It seems that for the first time in this village, I was able to do something that made me feel like the hero of another world. Thank you, makers of this product! I feel a bit guilty that my reputation has risen even though it wasn’t my own strength, but the villagers are happy, so it’s not a bad thing, right?

nWe’ll just have to build relationships like this little by little, right? I’m still not sure what the reason is for coming here, but I can contact Japan and they won’t be suspicious of me because of the bad weather in Hokkaido. I’m sure the management will contact me in a few days and things will progress.

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n–More than three weeks have passed since then. The development of the village is going well, with the number of wooden houses increasing and the number of tents decreasing. I’m still living in a tent, but this is something I wanted to do, and I forcefully persuaded the villagers, “I don’t know when I’ll return to God’s country, so I don’t mind being the last.”

nFor the past three weeks, I have not heard a single word from the management, which I was expecting, and I am still carrying earth and sand today. I’ve been contacting my family every day with some kind of news, and I’ve been pushing through with the setting of heavy snowfall and the roads not being restored. Whenever they asked an inconvenient question I pretended to lose the signal to get through. As for the president.

n“I’ll be free in January anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

nBut even though I’m a part-timer, I’m in a position where I can’t complain about being fired if I’m absent for a month. I have yet to return the favor to the president who hired me. I want to go back to Japan as soon as possible, but at the same time, my desire to stay in the village, which is becoming more and more comfortable every day, is getting stronger.

n“If this was the Nietzsche era, I wouldn’t be so lost.”

n“Yoshio, what are you doing?”

nCarol was staring at me.

n“I’ve been doing some thinking.”

nI put my hand on her head and smiled back. Carol has been around me a lot, hasn’t she? The number of people in the village has increased, but there are only adults, and Carol is the only child.

nEven in such an environment, she is a child who can read the atmosphere, so she never says a single word of selfishness, and always acts cheerfully with a smile. But I know that she was always playing by herself, looking lonely. So I tried to spend as much time as possible playing with Carol, and she became fonder of me than I had imagined, until now.

n“Yoshio, are you done with your work today?”

n“I’ve got a few more things to do, so let’s go to……we’ll talk as usual.”

n“Yes!”

nI do the same thing every day, mainly physical labor, so I at least have time to talk. It is also my daily routine to share with her the fun I had in Japan and fairy tales for children.

n“Today, um, how do you get married?”

nThe unexpected topic of conversation stopped me in my tracks.

n“Hmm…Married?”

n“Yeah!”

nNo way, Carol is in love with me and wants to marry me…….We’ve been spending a lot of time together lately. It’s not uncommon to have a crush on an older partner. She used to be crazy about Gams, but I guess she’s moved on. Kids are always on the move. Sorry, Gams. I’m glad you feel that way, but as an adult, I think you should be gentle with her.

n“You’ll have to wait until you’re older to do that.”

n“Tell me how to get my brother Gams!”

n……I knew it.

n“First of all, there’s the matter of age. You have to wait until you’re older.”

n“No, I can’! Big brother Gams is very popular! People won’t leave him alone until I get older.”

nI think so too. There are a few women among the newcomers to the village, and some of them look like they really want to get Gams. It’s an emergency situation so Chem and Carol, feeling threatened, have teamed up.

n“I’ll ask Gams what kind of women he likes next time.”

n“Really! Thank you, Yoshio!”

nI guess she was pretty happy, because she grabbed my hand tightly and shook it up and down violently. I’m glad I could be of some help. Carol leaves, waving to me that it’s time to help, and I get to work.

n“Um, can I have a moment of your time?”

nWhen I turned around at the sound of a small, reserved voice, I saw Chem squirming. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were moist. This could be…….

n“How can I help you?”

nI reply gently, trying to remain calm.

n“Actually, I’d like to discuss something with you…….Hypothetically, hypothetically, is the love between a brother and sister an act against the teachings of God?”

nI knew this would happen so I’m not disappointed in the least.

n“Family love is a precious thing. God will not deny it.”

nI’ll say this without regard to legal or ethical considerations. It’s out of the question in Japan, but this is a different world, so there’s no need to impose our values on them. After that, I encouraged her by saying something random, and she left with a face as if she had been robbed. In the future, if Chem starts to actively appeal to her brother, I’ll be nice to……Gams.

n“I haven’t worked at all today. I need to catch up.”

nJust as I was about to take a big swing with my pickaxe and slam it into the dirt with all my might.

n“I’m sorry, Yoshio-dono. Do you have a moment to speak with me?”

nAnother voice came from behind me. I thrust the pickaxe into the earth. I think I’d better give up on work for today. Pretending to wipe off the sweat that wasn’t coming out, I turned around and saw Murus. I could……read what was going to happen next!

n“What do you need?”

nIf this happens, I might as well goad Murus into a three-way battle. I was beyond jealous of Gams, who was so popular, and a dark feeling of enjoying this situation was rising up in me.

n“Yoshio-dono came from the Kingdom of God, didn’t he?”

nI’m not in the mood for romantic advice. Let’s straighten up and listen seriously.

n“Yes, I do.”

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n“Then do you know the God of Medicine?”

nThe God of Medicine. As I recall, this was the god that the inhabitants of the village where Murus lived believed in. I once peeked at Murus as she mentioned the name during the game.

n“I’m sorry, but I’m not supposed to tell anyone about the gods. If it’s a follower of my master god, the Moon God, then we have a connection, but if it’s another god. I apologize.”

n“I’m sorry for asking such a rude question.”

nMurus is obviously depressed. Perhaps the god of medicine is a player. And Murus’ hometown is the village that was destroyed by Yamamoto-san, who was on the side of the Evil God.

n“I can’t tell you much, but……there can be situations where, for one reason or another, God can’t touch this world. It’s not for lack of faith, and it’s not because God has abandoned those who believe.”

n“……Yes, thank you.”

nI bowed and Murus walked away. I tried to think of something I could say to help her, but if I had been more eloquent, I could have eased her suffering a little. Spending time with the villagers in this world, I’ve grown more and more fond of them, and instead of feeling empathy for them, I’ve taken on their troubles as if they were my own.

n“Does that mean I’m part of the village?”

nIn the past, I didn’t even care about myself and didn’t even try to think about other people’s problems. I wonder if I’m getting a little closer to the ideal adult image that I used to admire……like my father.

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