kscans

Chapter 59 - The Mysterious Boy

Old Man Audel seemed about to say something in response to Yuri’s misguided confession, but at that exact moment, Yuri opened the gate in the wall and invited the two into his home, cutting him off. So, the two of them said nothing more and decided to hold off on their questioning for the time being.

The house, surrounded by an abnormally imposing wall, turned out to look surprisingly ordinary, though it was quite large. That is, until they went inside.

""...Huh?""

Passing through the door, they entered an Earthen Floor Room of about fifteen jo, roughly twenty five square meters. At the right end, there was a sink and a Kamado. It seemed to be the kitchen, which was fine… but the problem was what lay beyond it. The remaining rooms adjoining the earthen floor were all built on a Raised Floor. The boy told the bewildered pair that it was a custom from his hometown, and asked them to take off their footwear when stepping up into the house, referring to the raised portion. As he said this, he placed a bucket of water and a rag in front of them. It seemed he wanted them to wipe their feet before coming up. Though perplexed by the completely unfamiliar customs, the two did as they were told, removing their footwear and wiping their feet with the rag before stepping up into the room. The interior seemed to be cleaned without a speck of dust, and the stone floor was covered with furs, so it didn't feel unpleasant on their bare feet.

The section of about twelve jo, roughly twenty square meters, connected to the kitchen seemed to be a room for dining, with a stone table and chairs. The boy led them there and told them to have a seat and wait. He then returned to the kitchen, drew water from a water jug in the corner into a pitcher, and came back. He poured water into cups that also appeared to be made of stone, they were a little heavy, and handed them to them. The days were getting warm enough to make one sweat, and the cool water was the finest of treats.

"So… what brings you two here? …Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I'm Yuri, currently the sole resident of this village."

Being addressed so politely, the two hurriedly introduced themselves. They gave their names, stated that they were from End Village, and explained why they had ventured into this area.

"...What? You’re running short on food down there?"

His attitude suggested this was the first he was hearing of it, which only deepened the pair’s suspicion. Even their own village didn’t have much food to spare, so how could a village run by a single child have no shortage?

"Even if you say that… the fields were quite large to begin with, and right now I’m the only one eating from them."

No, the fact that a single child is maintaining fields of this size is what's strange in the first place… Setting that retort aside for now, Old Man Audel asked the crucial question.

"So… you have plenty of food stored up, is that right?"

"I wouldn't say plenty… but well, I have a fair amount."

Yuri was naturally cautious, or rather, a worrier. He had a habit of persistently tapping a stone bridge before him. So much so that he would eventually get so absorbed in the tapping that he would break the bridge and feel as though he had achieved his goal. Being of such a nature, Yuri would never make the mistake of thinking that growing just enough food for himself was sufficient. He aimed for a production volume that would allow him to secure a stockpile for emergencies. And the area he cultivated grew year by year along with him… until it reached the limit of what Yuri could handle alone. Now, five years after his reincarnation, Yuri had a fair amount of food stockpiled by his standards. In other words, enough for him to live on for well over two years.

However, the breakdown of that stockpile was quite different from that of an ordinary farmer…

"Is it wheat? Or rye, perhaps?"

"Ah, no. I have wheat, of course, but I have a variety of things."

"A variety?"

Yuri explained the contents of his food stockpile to a skeptical Dona. Wheat, naked barley, buckwheat, potatoes, beans, chestnuts, walnuts, dried vegetables, dried meat… and then…

"...Starch… what’s that?"

"How should I put it… Basically, it's a powder made by crushing nuts from Shika and Dag trees, or Lycoris roots, and soaking them in water."

""...What?!""

By their standards, those things weren't considered food. They were supposed to be full of toxins, bitterness, and harsh flavors, not something you could properly eat.

"No? If you soak them in water to remove the bitterness and toxins, you can eat them normally."

Seeing their still-suspicious faces, Yuri decided that proof was better than words and served them dumplings made from Lycoris starch. They were well chilled in cold water with diluted Maple Syrup poured over them, what you might call shiratama dango in Japanese style. The two of them hesitantly, fearfully, brought the dumplings to their lips. Their eyes widened, and in an instant, the plate was empty.

"This is from Lycoris root?!"

"And what was poured on top wasn't wood honey! Yuri-kun, where on earth did you get something like this…?"

"Huh? It's certainly a lot of work to make, but…"

""Make?!""

"Yes… um… is something wrong?"

Yuri belatedly realized that, for some reason, his understanding and theirs seemed to be at odds on every single point.