I opened my eyes and realized I was already sitting on a long bench.
And beside me, there were Hime and Yuu-chan who still hadn't woken up.
"Yuki-chan, you're awake?" (She asked)
I turned and saw that old woman who was no longer floating.
"Um…." (I was a little confused)
She's already an old granny, isn't she? Then how did you three manage to get into her house?
"Just sit down for now." (Said the granny casually)
She stopped right in front of a small table placed before the bench I was sitting on.
SLURP
She poured tea that she had placed in a teapot with such luxurious decorations.
She handed me a cup filled with tea.
"Go ahead, drink it first, Yuki-chan." (She)
I stared at the cup and gulped.
There's no poison in this little cup, right? If I let my guard down even a bit, I could end up dead.
The granny chuckled softly.
"There's no poison or weird seasonings, really." (Said the old granny)
She poured tea into another cup and drank it.
"See, right?" (She said)
I held the handle of the cup and lifted it right to my mouth.
There was steam rising from the tea… is this hot tea?
Drinking hot tea in this scorching weather, seriously—
SLURP
I drank the tea. And I was a little surprised.
This tea wasn't hot but instead cooled my throat. It also tasted sweet, but not overly sweet.
The aroma of the tea was pleasant when I drank it, and the tea didn't feel heavy at all.
I drank the tea until it was finished and placed the cup back on the table.
The old granny chuckled a little seeing my behavior,
"Told you, didn't I? I still have plenty in the back, drink as much as you want." (Invited the granny)
My cup was filled with tea again, and just as I was about to take it—
WHUSH
"Gulp, gulp…. Ah! So gooood~"
I looked to the side and saw Yuu-chan had snatched my tea.
"What kind of tea is this? It tastes amazing!" (Said Hime beside me)
They both woke up just because of tea? What's wrong with them, seriously.
SLURP (the three of you drank the tea together)
"Where are you three from? Why are you still outside at this hour?" (The granny asked curiously)
"We were originally on top of the hill, so we're currently going down to the city." (Hime answered briefly)
The old granny's face turned surprised.
"You're newcomers to Ulvur, aren't you?" (Old granny)
"Locals around here never once go down the hill at noon." (Old granny)
I looked at her curiously.
"Why's that? Is there some kind of prohibition?" (I asked)
Usually in games, conditions like this happen because of some legend or belief passed down by the villagers. (Experience)
"It's not that. Here, during the day the sun is scorching hot." (Old granny)
"Just walking for 30 minutes could already make you faint." (Old granny)
"Luckily, you're all still safe." (Old granny)
Just because of the heat? I thought it was going to be something bigger or more mysterious.
"Ummm…" (Hime looked a little confused)
"Ah, you can just call me Obaa-chan." (Said the granny)
"I'm the type who doesn't really give my real name to strangers." (She continued)
"But if you still insist on knowing, just call me Lis." (She continued)
"But Lis is just my alias, okay~" (She added)
One thing I realized about this wrinkled granny.
She talks way too much nonsense. I feel like if we get involved with her, it's going to take forever.
"Lis-san—" (Hime)
"Obaa-chan."
Hime looked pressured.
"Obaa-chan, huh?" (Said the wrinkled one)
"O-obaa-san….." (Hime)
"That's better." (The granny)
This was the first time I saw Hime pressured by someone. Just how stubborn is this granny?
"Obaa-san, do you live alone? Because with a house this big, shouldn't there be a lot of people living here?" (Hime asked)
Hmm… but that's true. The bigger the house, the more people usually live in it.
"At first, it was just me and my grandchild living here." (Lis answered)
If she said it like that, usually it means the grandchild is no longer alive. (Usually)
"My grandchild went to a faraway place." (Said Lis with a sad tone)
Hime and Yuu-chan immediately lowered their heads.
"Why did she die, Lis-san?" (Yuu-chan asked)
If my guess is right, her grandchild must have been killed or kidnapped by the Abbys.
My guess must be correct—
But after hearing Hime's question, Lis-san looked confused.
"Die? Who said she died?" (Lis)
"Eh?" (Hime)
"Hah?" (Yuu-chan)
"My grandchild just went out of town, so she'll be back next week." (Lis answered innocently)
Hime immediately looked at me with a smile on her face. Even though it felt a bit…..
"Yukito-san, I'm going to get some fresh air for a bit, okay?" (Said Hime)
Without a second thought, I immediately followed Hime outside.
The sunlight was so scorching, it felt like it could burn anytime.
And Hime was standing in front of a fairly large tree, taller than Lis-san's house.
I quickly approached Hime.
"Hime, what are you—" (I asked while walking towards Hime)
BRAAAKKKK
Yukito's steps froze, his eyes shocked. His legs trembled and his stomach churned, along with a pounding headache. (N)
He couldn't process what he just saw—
Hime had just punched the large tree, leaving a hole in the middle of it. (N)
And Hime turned towards Yukito.
"Ara? Yukito-san, what are you doing there?" (Hime asked me)
My body froze still. I kept thinking about what would happen if I made Hime angry.
PLEK
Hime grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
"I'm already overheated, let's go in, okay?" (Said Hime)
Please, someone… keep me away from whatever disaster might come my way.
——
"Lis-san, how long would it take from here to the city?" (I asked)
We couldn't stay here too long. We had to report to the guild that on the way here, not a single monster appeared. (Our original mission to Ulvur)
"Good question, Yuki-chan." (Lis-san)
Seriously, I still don't get why Lis-san calls me Yuki-chan…. I'm a guy, you know.
"If you're walking, maybe just about 3 to 4 days." (Lis-san)
UHUK (I choked on the tea I was drinking)
"Isn't that way too long?" (Me)
"First, you can only walk in the morning, then stop from noon until evening before continuing again." (Lis)
"Second, along the road down this hill, there are no shops or water sources at all."
"Third… lately Abbys troops have often been spotted by guild scouts, so this area has become even more deserted." (Lis)
I'm sure Lis-san could go on and on even more than that.
"Before this, was this area often passed through by people?"
Well, she said earlier this place got deserted, right? But there's only Lis-san's house here.
"Hm? You haven't seen the back of my house, have you?" (Lis-san)
The three of us shook our heads.
Lis-san stood from her chair and took us through the back door.
CKLEK (Lis-san opened the door)
And the first sight we saw—
A field and farmland stretching widely.
Farmers were planting seeds, others were harvesting.
"Lis-san, this—" (Yuu-chan)
Lis-san nodded.
"This is my land, and at the end of this Ringo orchard, there is a statue that's almost 150 years old." (Lis)
"That statue has been there since the first time I built this house."
"Because I often talked about the statue whenever I shopped in town, many people came here to pay respects to it." (Lis)
"They say, well, supposedly, it's a harvest god."
"In Ulvur there are many farmlands and fields, so the villagers call it the harvest god." (Lis)
"But that's just a rumor, okay?" (She continued)
What was she just doing? Was she giving us a whole story again?
"Yukito-sama, your face looks like a dumb person." (Said Yuu-chan)
Ever since Yuu-chan gained her human body, she had been watching Yukito even more. (N)
And Hime was aware of it. That's why now Hime kept a closer eye on Yuu rather than Yukito.
(Author also wants to be noticed :/)
An old man looked towards the four of us.
He immediately called the other farmers, they carried something in their hands… and they were walking together towards us?
For some reason, my body trembled.
"Lis-san…. we're going to save you." (Said one of the farmers)
"We absolutely cannot accept his presence."
I was confused by the old man's words.
"Everyone, listen! They are not enemies—" (Lis)
Then, the old man pointed his farming tool at me.
They stood as if they were protecting Hime, Yuu-chan, and also Lis-san.
"This guy is after the three of you!"
"We can't let Lis-san's life be threatened."
"We must eliminate this rotten guy!!"
"Oi, I'm a good kid, you dirt-smelling old men!!" (I retorted)
I looked at Yuu-chan and Hime.
"Those two girls….. they.."
Yukito's words halted. He didn't know what to say.
On the other hand, when Yukito was about to say something about them, Yuu and Hime were already putting so much hope on him. (N)
Well, you already know the reason, right? But since Yukito didn't continue his sentence—
"Please judge that guy." (Said Hime with a sharp glare)
"Earlier, he leaned his head on my chest." (Said Yuu-chan)
"Oi! Don't be so cold, come on!!!!" (Yukito)