Volume 6 Chapter 20 Moon Of The Other World
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I pushed my stealth skill to the max and moved quickly to an empty alley. Looking at me now, with this skull mask on my face, I must look like a mess. So I hurriedly took it off.
Now, I pulled the girl out of my magic bag because I had to stop her from panicking.
”It’s okay now.”
Using the magic bag was a bad idea. But maybe she didn’t know what just happened. If she suddenly finds herself somewhere else, she might think it’s teleportation.
Still, this girl seemed smart, so I wasn’t sure if I could fool her easily.
”Um… thank you for always helping me.”
Yeah, she was a regular. It felt like I kept meeting her every time she was in trouble.
”Why are you holding a chicken?”
I asked without thinking. It was a small, silly question, but the chicken was fluffy and soft and moving around. I couldn’t help but be curious. This girl wasn’t scared of people at all. It was kind of cute.
”I wanted to feed Yasmin some blue grass. If she doesn’t lay eggs, they’ll eat her.”
From that, I guessed the situation. The pet chicken she loved was old and stopped laying eggs. Her family wanted to eat it. It was a common story. Kids think about pets differently than adults. They do crazy things for their animals.
”I know it’s normal to eat chickens. But this one is the last of the chickens that have served our family for generations. If we eat her, her bloodline will end.”
Huh? Was this girl from a fallen noble family? Or maybe she had a strong imagination like Shea-Shea? Either way, she needed to be treated carefully.
”Are there no roosters?”
She nodded sadly. Yeah, roosters usually get eaten right away. But without hens, there can be no baby chickens. Even if you feed the hens well and they lay eggs, if no chicks hatch, it doesn’t help.
”That’s right. Just the right thing — I also have a chicken.”
I pretended to take something out of my backpack and pulled a live rooster from the magic bag. It was a stretch, but if I acted confident, no one would doubt me. It felt like a magic trick. Not a pigeon, though.
The Professor gave me about three pairs of chickens to raise in the new village. Giving this girl a rooster as a gift shouldn’t be a problem.
Unlike the calm hen she had, this rooster started squawking and flapping as soon as I took it out.
”It’s okay. Look, look.”
The girl said as she gently shook the rooster with both hands. Somehow, it calmed down. What a strange power. Maybe she had a skill to tame spirits?
”Ah, it looks like this one is attached to you too, so I’ll give it to you. Here, it’s a gift.”
The girl’s eyes lit up for a moment, but then she looked down fast.
”I don’t have any reason to accept something so expensive.”
No, a chicken isn’t that expensive, right? She must have been taught not to take things from strangers. What a polite child.
”Then how about this? Think of it as an investment. If you work hard and raise many chickens, you can give back a few extras when they multiply.”
”But if they don’t multiply well, I won’t have anything to return.”
She really thought about what happens if she failed. What a smart kid. If only someone like her lived in my village, I could fully trust them with the chicken business.
”If you succeed, I win. If you fail, I lose. That’s how investment works.”
I once heard about investments in Japan that never lost money. I wonder how they worked. If I brought that here, it would be a crazy cheat.
”But if that’s true, it means I won’t lose anything. Isn’t that strange?”
It was an unfair deal where only I took risks, but since she didn’t lose anything, I didn’t argue.
”If people only get free gifts, they become lazy. I don’t want that. Please let me do something in return.”
She said something hard to understand, even though she was still a child. I had to be more responsible myself. I often caused trouble while thinking I was helping. Maybe it was a cultural difference with this world.
”There’s a festival at my house today. It’s perfect timing. Please come as my guest.”
At Miss Floria’s mansion, they were probably already preparing dinner. I couldn’t refuse the invitation, so I planned to send a message with Pii-Pii. I was curious about the festival in the lower town too. It would be a rare experience in this new world.
Now, the wild rooster stayed with her while I held the calm hen. It was very friendly and cute. The hen looked at me with big round eyes and tilted her head. If I held her too long, I might not be able to hunt quail or anything.
Her house wasn’t far from Ms. Mahal’s shop. It was hidden deep in a maze-like alley, but Pii-Pii could fly there in seconds. The house was only one story, but it covered a lot of land. Compared to the small rundown houses around, it was large and nice, with a big garden. It looked Western but like a villain’s mansion in a period drama. I wondered if her parents were important people here.
”Ah! Saria’s back! She’s safe!”
Children quickly surrounded me. They looked ready to fight. They held sticks and stones. I was their target, and there were too many of them — it was a bit annoying.
”It’s okay! This guy’s a good hero!”
The boy who looked like their leader shouted. The children stopped being angry. I recognized him. I forgot his name, but he was the kid Agito had beaten up before. He seemed to remember I helped him.
Once they knew I was a friend, these kids became cute. I wanted to give them sweets but held back. Sometimes, kind acts can cause trouble.
The yard looked more like a farm or a garden. It was well kept and cozy. When the chickens were let out, they didn’t run away but pecked the ground, looking for food. The rooster cared more about showing off than eating. He followed the hens, stretched, and puffed up to get their attention. The hen looked old, but since the rooster liked her, maybe things would be okay.
”Everyone, it’s time to go inside.”
The girl put some thin greens into the chicken coop’s feed box. The hen quickly ran inside. Smart chickens. The rooster guarded the door for a moment but then wanted to go in too. The girl shut the door fast. Though rusty, the iron cage was strong and proud. I wished I had a coop like that. It would keep cats and weasels away.
The feed box could be opened from outside. Since I had the chance, I put in some barley grains and fresh Triglochin. Triglochin was a weed with small pods, and you could eat the whole plant. If you blanch it quickly and add vinegar and oil, it made a good salad. It was also a treat for birds. This grass usually grew where quails gathered.
The hen happily pecked the Triglochin. Vitamins were important. Right, calcium was needed too. I tossed in some dried small fish like crucian carp caught in the canal. The hen got very excited.
The girl noticed I was feeding the chickens but didn’t say much. This was fine, right? After all, this was for my rooster. I had the freedom to share food with the hen I liked.
”What’s this? You’re here already? You seem to be good friends with Saria. That saves me the trouble of introducing you.”
I was surprised by a voice behind me. I thought no one could sneak up on me, but it was a familiar woman. It was Ms. Io, the grave robber I couldn’t forget. She had appeared suddenly in the ruined village too. She was mysterious, but also the one who helped me earn 52 gold coins. That was a lot of money for me then.
”Uh… Is this girl perhaps your sister, Ms. Io?”
Character Notes:
• Yasmin – A white hen raised by Saria, the last descendant of a family that provided eggs to the Toyata Viscount house for generations.
• Shea-Shea – Mauro’s daughter. Hurt by Alexander. Became an eager fiancée after advice from protagonist.
• Miss Floria – Elegant, silver-haired noblewoman in her 40s, referred to as an ‘older sister’. Judge of the Supreme Court and Baroness. Former tutor of Princess Auroora. Initially stern but warms up, showing a playful side. Close with Ms. Nina (Princess Auroora’s doll copy), treating her like a sister. Trustworthy and explains legal matters clearly.
• Ms. Mahal – A talented alchemist and old friend of Mr. Zenom’s; she is knowledgeable about homunculi and leads the protagonist to a secret underground passage.
• Mahal – A talented alchemist and old friend of Mr. Zenom’s; she is knowledgeable about homunculi and leads the protagonist to a secret underground passage.
• Saria – Sar-Sar. A young girl from a noble family, the Toyata Viscount house. She is the daughter of Lady Laara and is destined to bear the fate of her clan.
• Agito – A cocky, high-level adventurer who is proud of their status and doesn’t respect those below their level. The one who was defeated by MC with stick.
• Io – Mysterious beauty. Asked the protagonist to bury corpses in the Village of the Dead or the Old Toyata Village.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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