* * *
“Stop! Cursed child!!”
The adults of Fenoben Village, as usual, block my way as I try to sneak into the village. They are armed with sticks and scythes, looking quite menacing.
“…………?”
Three days have passed since I accidentally learned the shocking secrets of Torch-kun and Caro-chan. I had decided to get a pot for cooking from Cody’s kitchen, where I was sure there would be spares since he never cooks, and came to the village.
But, you see.
When I was picking up stones for slinging, I flipped over a larger stone.
And there they were.
Glass eels.
Glass eels were there! Under the stone! Quite a lot of them! Along with creatures that look like pill bugs!
I thought they were some kind of bug, but they’re clearly fish-like. According to Extra-sama, they are a lesser-known creature with probably no official name, so I’ve named them “Okashirasu.” Apparently, they can manipulate weak magical power and use water magic to maintain moisture, allowing them to live in damp places like under stones…
I guess they move around on rainy days.
So, there were glass eels. Wouldn’t you want to boil and eat them? Up till now, I’ve mainly been eating everything either roasted or raw, so I thought I’d try a new cooking method and enter a new stage in life.
Extra-sama says it’s dangerous to get involved in their “story” of heroes and such, but I figured just going to get a pot should be fine! That’s what I thought as I headed to my family home.
…But something’s off in the village.
It’s on high alert.
Lookouts, normally unused, are manned, and groups of armed villagers patrol the village.
Caught off guard by this, I was spotted by one of the patrolling villagers, leading back to the opening scene.
“The black-haired, black-eyed cursed child who brings disaster to the village! We can no longer allow you to remain here!”
It seems the village chief was among the gathered villagers. He stepped forward and solemnly rebuked me, exuding ignorance and superstition.
“…?”
I mean, I mostly live in the forest, though.
What’s this old man on about now?
“Until now, we’ve overlooked you because there hasn’t been significant harm, but we’ve reached our limit!”
Eh, did I do something?
I haven’t done anything, right?
…At most, I’ve shared some seasonings from my home?
Oh, and I also want some new cooking utensils.
“The massive explosion in Naso Forest! Could it be your curse… brought about such a calamity!”
Huh?
“Truly the work of a demon! Unforgivable!”
“What will you burn next!?”
“We will protect this village!”
Haahhhhhhhhhh!!??
The adults of the village verbally attack me.
Eh? What? So, they’re saying I caused that explosion!?
No no no no no no no no no no no no no!!
That’s ridiculous! That’s impossible!
I mean, village chief! It was your son! Torch-kun!!
How could a 5-year-old like me possibly do such a thing!?
…Ah, Torch-kun is also 5 years old.
But still!!
First things first, let’s calm down.
Yeah, this is troublesome.
I won’t be able to enter the village at this rate.
I won’t get my pot.
<Isn’t there something more important than the pot?>
No, the pot is important. Extra-sama, you want to eat glass eels too, right?
<I do want to eat glass eels.>
See, so the pot is important.
<No no no… But Emi, you’ve calmed down surprisingly quickly?>
Yeah, I’m used to this from my previous life.
<…………?>
In my previous life, whenever something bad happened, somehow it was always my fault.
If a kid got a stomach ache from the school lunch, it was because I served it.
If someone slipped on the stairs, it was because I was walking behind them.
…If a child went missing, it was because I had talked to them the day before.
Of course, there was no evidence, so I was never formally accused.
<…………>
So, I’m used to this sort of thing! Bullying, persecution, bring it on!
Ehehe, although being accused of causing a big explosion is a first for me!
<…Emi…>
“Hey, cursed child! Aren’t you going to say anything!? You burned down our precious forest and not a single word of apology!?”
Losing patience with my silence, a villager, this must be Uncle Rand, starts berating me.
He’s convinced I’m a potato thief, so his hatred for me is particularly strong.
“…………It wasn’t me.”
“Silence, cursed child! Do you think we would be fooled by your nonsense!?”
Ah, here it comes～～! Rejection mode activated～～!
From experience, once it gets to this point, nothing you say matters. Talking is just a waste of time～～.
But, what is he doing? Cody.
He’s my father and the village’s guard, right?
He’s supposed to be here for all sorts of reasons.
“Hey! Gokutsubushi! What are you zoning out for! Hurry up and chase this cursed child away!!”
It seems the villagers felt the same, as Cody, who was standing at the back, was dragged forward.
As I’ve mentioned before, “Gokutsubushi” refers to Cody.
He’s such a useless person that he lives a life on pins and needles in the village.
His face is all red… definitely drunk, this one.
It’s a wonder he hasn’t been fired as the guard. Maybe he has connections in the village? Not that I care.
Cody, who came forward, was armed… with a cheap spear.
He looked pretty impressive holding it, as expected of a former adventurer.
But I wish he’d show off that coolness when protecting me, not when confronting me. Yes.
“Ah… uh…?”
Cody, with his face all red, wobbles a bit as he points the spear at me.
“Well, that’s how it is? Could you leave from here?”
In his eyes, there’s… not a trace of the sorrow of having to point a spear at his own daughter.
Yeah… well, someone with proper emotions wouldn’t let their daughter live a self-sufficient life in the forest.
I knew it, I knew it.
“I… I don’t want to hurt a girl?”
That’s debatable!
When I was at home (meaning when I was too young to move my body well), he would hit me as soon as he got in a bad mood.
If it weren’t for Extra-sama teaching me 【Body Strengthening】, I would have been killed by him. Killed by domestic violence.
Once again, what a terrible father!!
“Come on, get going. Otherwise, it’s going to hurt… ‘miss’.”
…Huh? Eh? “Miss”?
Eh? What does this person think I am?
Your daughter, you know?
And yet, “miss”?
Ah, is it too painful for him to point a spear at his daughter, so he’s deceiving himself? Is that it? That kind of guy? That kind of mental state?
Eh? No?
It’s true we haven’t seen each other recently, but?
Does this person not even recognize his own daughter’s face?
…I’m going to kill him.
<Emi!!!>
Oops! Yikes!
Almost let my intense murderous intent spill out!
I’ve got to hide it, hide it!
<Even if your opponent is a washed-up adventurer and you’ve enhanced your physical abilities, a child challenging an armed adult is dangerously unwise! If you’re going to kill him, a surprise attack at night would be the smarter choice.>
Wait, Extra-sama! A complete endorsement of murderous intent!!?
<Well, to me, the life and death of beings other than Emi are trivial matters. Even if they die, they’ll just return to the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn. The total amount of souls in the world doesn’t change, so it’s not a problem
Wow, there’s the perspective of a god!
No, but, yeah. No matter how badly I’ve been treated or how angry I am, I think as a person, it’s still an action that should be avoided, trying to kill someone because of it.
Yeah, okay, I’ve calmed down.
…Guess I’ll head back to the forest.
“Get out of here quickly!”
“Never come back again!”
As the adults of the village threw pebbles at me, I turned my back on the village and started walking. Occasionally a pebble would hit me, but with 【Body Strengthening】 applied, my body didn’t get a scratch. Such throwing stones don’t hurt or itch at all. You couldn’t even kill a naked mole rat with that!
Maybe because I was completely angered by that worthless man, I now have no feelings whatsoever towards this trash village. Up until now, somewhere in my heart, I think there was a slight feeling of “I don’t want to be disliked~” towards the villagers… But now, there’s nothing. Just emptiness.
Somehow, I feel refreshingly clear. It’s a strange sensation even as I say it myself.
The connection, severed. Just like that.
Yes, from this day, my ties with that village were completely cut off.
Up until now, I was “Emi, the village girl living in the forest.” From now on, I’m “Emi, the vagrant living in the forest.”
Just like that.
Nothing about my living situation has changed. So, what about it~? That kind of feeling~?
Just as I was about to reach the forest, the sky suddenly darkened, and it started to drizzle. Not wanting to get wet and cold, I took shelter under a tree I saw.
This place is the boundary between the village and the forest. A small meadow. Sitting in a squat all alone in the pouring rain, the air that was warm became cool. The scent of fresh grass wafted up.
I ponder aimlessly, about this and that.
That big explosion, it ended up being blamed on me, huh? I wonder if Torch-kun managed to hide his blessing well?
<Well, I suppose so.>
…Torch-kun blamed that explosion on me?
<The adults of the village connected the explosion with Emi. That boy merely played ignorant. The village children… well, the adults intentionally kept them away from you, so as you thought before, that boy probably doesn’t even recognize you. I don’t think he intended to make you out to be the villain.>
Hmm, I see.
So, Torch-kun will live on without knowing what happened to me because of his actions. How enviable. Truly fitting for a hero.
<…Emi.>
…Sorry, Extra-sama. I got a bit whiny.
Alright, let’s think about something more fun. Let’s think about the Okashirasu. Since I couldn’t get a pot, boiling them is out of the question now. But, I’ve just thought of something. There are other ways to do it. For example, wrapping them in large leaves and steaming them. Yeah, I think that might taste good! When we get back to base, let’s go catch some Okashirasu and try it out! Oh! But with this rain… maybe they’ve moved from where we found them last time!? Oh no!!
<…Emi!>
…What’s up, Extra-sama?
<No matter what happens, I am… I alone will definitely be on your side.>
………….
<You are not alone. I will always, always be with you.>
…Right.
<Yes.>
………….
After a while, the rain stopped. It was just a passing shower. Warm light shone through the gaps in the black clouds, illuminating the nearby Naso Forest. I… wiped my slightly wet face with my hand and slapped my cheeks briskly.
And then, I. We began to walk.
Towards the forest.