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Carriage Journey
……where is this? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
What I saw wasn’t the blue sky. It’s the wooden ceiling of a building that doesn’t get a lot of sun. The place is filled with the smell of straw.
There are no windows, so I can’t see the outside, but the sounds of rain continuously hit the ceiling, and the lingering humidity made me aware of my surroundings.
I’m in a state as if there is a faint mist in my consciousness. When I try to get up, I realize that my whole body feels heavy. My legs and arms are creaking in pain as if screaming.
……eh? If I remember correctly, I was almost drowning in the river.....
This is not the unstable wooden plank. And my body is not wet. I’m covered in a cheap-looking rag, but thanks to that even I can feel warm.
…… a dream? Could it be what happened before….?
Maybe it’s because of the sense of security that a feeling of exhaustion overwhelms me, as though bearing down heavily on me and cutting off my consciousness.
The next thing I woke up to was the pain and vibration. And, there’s also the noise.
There is a blanket laid out on the floor. But, occasionally the wooden floor shakes violently that it even hurts my body, who is lying down on the floor. What is this?
I open my eyes. I feel like there is a blanket covering my eyes. I quietly remove it and look around me.
What I saw were pairs of feet. Isn't this the sitting-on-the-ground-grasping-one's-knees position? Children are sitting down, hugging their knees. I can’t see their expressions. Even so, sitting like that with such shaking must be quite painful for the butt.
I tried to get up. I feel much better when I wake up earlier. I still have muscle pains, but they’re faint. I feel hungry, but I had plenty of rest. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
However, the problem is this situation. Even when I got up, the expression on the children around didn’t change. It’s as if they have no interest in me. Thinking it was strange, I was about to call out when suddenly the ground beneath my feet violently shook.
I notice a light coming from the gap in the swaying cloth hanging behind my back and so I fix my gaze on it. The scenery is flowing past. Under the cloudy sky, the gravel road becomes more and more distant. Does this mean, right now.....I am inside a carriage?
But, why? What happened last time? If my memory serves me right, I should be holding onto a floating wooden plank in the river and was swept downstream. Then I lost my consciousness. My wet body was exposed to the chilly air at the end of autumn. It wouldn’t be strange if I died at that time, considering my weak physique of a young child.
The means, someone found, picked me up, and protected me. That’s great. But, why am I inside the carriage like this? And why are there so many kids? And what concerns me are their expressions. That’s not the typical expression of children at those ages. There was no playing, no noise, and no excitement coming from them, they were just sitting silently. This is abnormal.
The feeling of relief from escaping one danger gradually faded. I realized that while new problems were coming up,
The shaking gradually decreases. And then the carriage completely stopped.
I can hear the sound gravel being stepped on. Someone lifts the carriage’s rear canopy forcefully. I couldn’t see the man’s face with the light coming from behind him.
「Get out. Meal time」
It was a low, husky voice.
In response to those words, the children stood up unsteadily. Then they start to get out of the carriage in order. Now that I have regained consciousness, I should also obey. All the more reason since they are giving us food. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
When I passed through the canopy and looked down at my feet, there were a lot of bluish-gray pebbles scattered about. Nevertheless, the carriage’s height is higher than I thought. An adult could easily jump down from the carriage, but I wonder if this 2-year-old body can do that? But, it doesn’t seem like an atmosphere where I could try to ask for help. I made up my mind and jumped down.
「Iihh……」
Sure enough, I dramatically fell over. Apparently, I am weaker than I thought. Certainly, I managed to sneak out of Linga village, and I don’t know how much time had passed, but the last thing I ate was that drugged wheat porridge. I see, no way I could exert any strength.
「What the hell are you doing, huh」
A man who had been watching me approached while raising his voice. Although he’s not exactly tall, he’s a man with a tough-looking appearance. I’m sure he must be well-trained. His age is around 40 years old, covered in spots and freckles, his face resembles that of a squashed frog. He has dark brown hair, well, like someone from around here.
Wearing a dark leather jacket and matching leather pants. He is also wearing boots. And a broad sword is hanging from his waist. Someone carrying a weapon.....that alone immediately made me scared.
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Jusa Trikroma (ジュサ・トリコロマ) (39)
・Material Human Form
(Rank 4, Male, 39 years old)
・Skill Fores Language Level 6
・Skill Saharia Language Level 2
・Skill Business Transaction Level 5
・Skill Swordsmanship Level 4
・Skill Shield Technique Level 3
・Skill Cooking Level 1
・Skill Sewing Level 1
・Skill Farming Level 4
Empty (30)
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Compared with the man who tried to kill me the other day, he seems much weaker. But, I can’t get careless. If I just reach out my hand and steal his body.....no, at this situation, would it be safe if I take his swordsmanship?
But, while I was thinking about this and that, the man grabbed my shirt and pulled me up.
「Are you hurt anywhere? Oi, tell me if you’re hurt somewhere」
Huh? He’s worried about me? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
This is too distrusting. When I think about it, he could just cut me down while I’m sleeping if he wants to kill me. To begin with, this person wouldn’t know that I can take over someone else’s body. To him, I am just an ordinary 2-year-old kid, and he can do it anytime if he wants to hurt me.
But. Even so, I couldn’t accept the behavior of the children around me. Maybe this person is a good person who protects underprivileged kids, unlike his appearance suggests, and thus children will become attached to him. However, there was not the slightest sign of that.
The children came outside when they heard the word ‘meal’. From what I could see, there are young children, around 3 years old, just standing there. But children around 5 years of age are already working. They are gathering appropriately sized pebbles and picking up dried leaves and pieces of wood from nearby trees. What is this about their efficiency?
「You, don’t look like you can move around much.....yosh, then over there. Go over there and wait obediently like the other kids. Understand?」
Doesn’t look like he’s going to hurt me as long as I follow his order. I went to the spot pointed out by him obediently and sat down.
I finally look around me. The surroundings were inside a forest. There is a gravel road near a stream and the carriage was parked there. I am currently sitting in a sunny place with the carriage at my back, a little ahead, there are large rocks scattered around. Will the stream spread this way if it rains?
The weather is slightly cloudy. The weather was just as dull and unimpressive as the pebbles at my feet.
After making sure of my condition, the man - Jusa - busily looked around his surroundings. I understand him since there are several children, so he can’t take his eyes off of them. At that moment, two men appeared from the front of the carriage. They are a middle-aged man with a sharp look in his eyes, and also a young man with sharp eyes. No, the hair is short, but when I look closely, it is a young woman. I gasped when I saw them.
The two of them had black hair and dark skin. Could they be the same race as that Aneros Kukuban who killed me?
They are approaching me while talking about something. First, it was natural that I mistook the young woman for a man. Her hair was very short, and although she was dressed lightly, she had a leather breastplate. Even her slender limbs had a beast-like sharpness to them. There is also a quiver on her back and a bow in her left hand. She is also carrying a short curved sword, so she probably is someone who can normally fight. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
They probably won’t attack me suddenly, but it is going to be necessary to understand what they are like.
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Jill War Tock (ジル・ウォー・トック) (15)
・Material Human Form
(Rank 6, Female, 15 years old)
・Skill Saharia language Level 5
・Skill Forest language Level 5
・Skill Business Transaction Level 3
・Skill Swordsmanship Level 4
・Skill Hand-to-hand combat Level 3
・Skill Archery Level 5
・Skill Stealth Level 3
・Skill Sex technique Level 1
Empty (7)
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I don’t quite understand the standard for level, so it’s hard to judge, but perhaps she’s quite capable for her age.
But, the older man, as can be seen, seems to be on the side of someone who gives orders. He wears a white robe, and on top of that, a loose, bright red cloak. Also, he wears a short, thick, cylindrical hat on his head.
His face is well-proportioned, with a thin black beard. At a glance, he looks elegant. That appearance of his exudes intelligence while also possessing dignity. However, her cold gaze was what bothered me.
I focused my mind again.
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Myluc Necamel (ミルーク・ネッキャメル) (42)
・Material Human Form
(Rank 6, Male, 42 years old)
・Skill Saharia language Level 6
・Skill Fores language Level 5
・Skill Shuraigh language Level 4
・Skill Ruin language Level 4
・Skill Politics Level 3
・Skill Business transaction Level7
・Skill Hand-to-hand combat Level 4
・Skill Archery Level 6
・Skill Riding Level 6
・Skill Stealth Level 3
・Skill Sex technique Level 2
Empty (31)
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It looks like this man is a merchant. I don’t know world language that is but it seems like it is connected to regional language. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
So the woman walking with him, is she his daughter? But, they have different surnames. So, is he looking after a relative’s daughter and taking her to train or something? There are also similar features so there is no need to check every single one, so it’s probably something like that. At any rate, even if I find out their status, I can only know their names, age, and abilities.
Vegetables and a small amount of meat are simmering in a large pot sitting over a fire. Hooray. That’s quite a decent meal. I hadn’t been able to eat something like that often back in Linga village.
Perhaps the meal in front of my eyes is not a particularly extravagant meal. We are still on a journey. Linga village was quite poor and even within Linga village, my family was particularly poor. Furthermore, most of the living expenses were being spent on liquor, and neither of my parents had any interest in their son at all; the food I had been eating until now was really just enough to keep me alive.
The first middle-aged man I saw - Jusa - was serving the food from the big pot in bowls. It’s wheat porridge with meat and vegetables. The children are lined up. I also went to the very back. I hold the bowl given to me with both hands as if covering them. It’s warm. A wooden spoon is also in the bowl. I squatted on the ground next to the carriage in the sunlight just like the other kids, and started eating the meal provided.
The seasoning was too light. I wonder if they are economising on salt. Also, the temperature is too high. I almost scalded my tongue. Also, when making soup, you must not let it boil so intensely. Even if you use the same ingredients, it could be much tastier if you use a little more creativity.
But, even if I was aware of all these problems, I didn’t become dissatisfied with the meal. That’s because I’m absorbed in eating it. When I think about it, my staple food this past month has been only cockroaches.
I finished eating. I was planning to taste it slowly, but it also feels I finished it in an instant. My stomach feels warm for the first time in a while. I also don’t have to worry about throwing up. Thank you for the meal.
I think I had a satisfied look on my face. The moment I finished eating and took a breath, a shadow fell overhead. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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