Chapter 11: As an apology for the warehouse explosion
The next day.
I rode a shared carriage with female adventurers from early morning and arrived at a stop near the Demon King’s castle in the afternoon.
After saying goodbye to the kind adventurers, I went to check the warehouse that had exploded the other day. Originally a ruin, it remained as it was on the day of the explosion.
“Miss, what are you doing in a place like this?”
Ojii-san who spoke to me was clearly not dressed as an adventurer. He was a man in ordinary pants, a jacket, and a hunting cap, holding a broom in his hand.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you from Maytart Village, the one managing this stop?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
Asked a question in return, Ojii-san nodded with a surprised face.
“I want to go to Maytart Village. If it’s okay, could you connect me to the village chief?”
“The village?”
The kind expression of worry turned into a suspicious face. Ojii-san looked at me from head to toe, showing his guard.
“Why would a girl like you. . .”
“The truth is, I’m the one who blew up this warehouse.”
“Eh.”
In front of the surprised old man, I lifted one side of the scarf on my head.
The halo, which had looked uncomfortable, faintly shone as if asserting its existence.
“Eh, are you a saint-sama?!”
It must have been unexpected. Ojii-san was stunned.
“Um, wait a minute. You blew up the warehouse, and Saint-sama has business in the village. . .so. . .”
“I want to apologize to the village chief for blowing up the warehouse and. . .I have something to consult with him. Is it possible to request a face-to-face meeting?”
“Well, if it’s just that, it’s fine. . .”
But muttering to himself why a child like you would do such a thing, Ojii-san put me on the carriage and sent me to the village.
“Make sure you catch the last shared carriage on your way back, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for your kindness.”
As I was swaying on the carriage, I thanked Ojii-san and then looked at the scenery.
It was not a long distance to walk, but I was using a carriage because I had a lot of luggage. Soon, I could see the village and the fields.
About half of the fields around were not being cultivated, and grass was growing thickly on about half of the cultivated land.
The village looked like a dilapidated shack, even from a distance.
It was a typical situation for a village where there was a shortage of working men.
(As I thought. . .)
I had been curious about this village since I passed through the Demon King’s forest, and my expectations seemed to have been correct. This was probably a village where only people with some kind of problem lived.
The carriage that entered the village was returned to the stable. From there, I was taken by Ojii-san to the village chief’s house.
It was rare for an outsider, especially a saint, to come here, so people gathered one after another.
“It’s a girl.”
“A saint?”
“What’s that big circle on her head?”
“What’s she carrying?”
“Will she burn?”
By the time I arrived at the village chief’s house and sat in the reception room, the villagers had crowded outside the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor. There was probably not much entertainment other than a visitor like me.
The village chief was an elderly man who had lost one eye due to an injury and seemed to have difficulty walking, leaning on a cane to move around.
Even the glass of water he offered me was slightly chipped.
“So, in other words. . .”
After hearing my introduction and the circumstances of the incident, the village chief began to speak.
“You’re the one who destroyed that warehouse, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
“That warehouse was originally rented by the merchants in the capital, but they skipped out on the rent, so it was left as it was. It was already broken, so don’t worry about it.”
According to the village chief, the land where the carriage stop was located was owned by the village and they collected usage fees from merchants and noble families in the capital as revenue. It seemed like a profitable story to have real estate income, but it didn’t seem like the village’s management was stable.
It was probably still often skipped out on or undervalued.
I cut to the chase.
“Can I borrow the location of that warehouse? I want to demolish the warehouse and open a restaurant.”
“A restaurant. . .?”
The village chief widened his one eye. The onlookers outside began to murmur.
“A girl like her opening a restaurant. . .?”
“Even if you build a restaurant in a place like this, it won’t sell because it’s probably contaminated or something.”
“Please spare us. We’ll just get skipped out on again. . .”
While listening to the voices of the onlookers outside, the village chief also made a grimace and rubbed his chin.
Perhaps the reason why these onlookers are left alone is to hear the village’s consensus in real-time. I see.
“Hiira-san right? Even though you’re a saint, I can’t help but think it’s reckless for a young girl to suddenly run a restaurant. Besides, that’s a place where rough adventurers and nobles gather. For safety reasons, I can’t recommend it.”
I understand what the village chief wants to say. There’s no point in arguing about it here. While looking at the onlookers outside the window, I proposed with a smile.
“By the way, Village Chief, are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry.”
He returned a wry smile. I clapped my hands with a particularly bright attitude.
“Well then, would you like to try my cooking for now? Everyone can join in. If I can borrow the kitchen, the ingredients are here.”
Here. I pointed to the halo above my head.
“Can you eat that halo?”
“Is it fried food?”
The onlookers looked puzzled. Of course, you can’t eat the halo. Sometimes it looks delicious, but you can’t eat it.
“My nickname is [The Saint Beloved by the Earth]. They call me the Flour Saint. With an infinite supply of flour, please let me treat you all.”
” I’m hungry.” “Since we’re here, should we have her make something?” Voices came from all over. The village chief thought for a while, but. . .
Grrrr. . .
His stomach growled, and he agreed to my proposal. Yay!
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