I pointed to the clothes hanging on the wall. These weren't the ornate, high-quality garments we'd been wearing before. Instead, they were old, shabby clothes that looked like they belonged to peasants.
"...Well, we have no choice. We'll have to wear these."
"Can you dress yourself? Should I help you?"
"You underestimate me. I can manage to put on clothes by myself."
I handed Elaine what looked like women's clothing, and I began dressing myself. There were more layers than I expected or rather, more pieces of fabric to wrap around my body.
First, I put on underwear, followed by a thin inner layer, and then a thick outer layer. I draped a leather-like cloak over my shoulders and slipped into damp, clammy shoes that felt unpleasantly sticky.
Having quickly dressed, I glanced at Elaine. She was struggling with the next layer after her undergarments. Born a noble's daughter, she had always relied on maids to dress her and had no idea how to wear peasant clothes.
"Let me help you, Lady Elaine."
"...Thank you."
"Here, just tighten the strings now."
"Weren't you unfamiliar with peasant clothes too? You seem to know how to wear them quite well."
"You know how curious I've always been about everything since I was young. I researched peasant clothing a while back."
I lied casually.
The truth was, I knew how peasants dressed because I had stripped them several times. Among the peasants, there were beauties who, once cleaned up, met my standards.
If undressing is the opposite of dressing, then putting clothes on should be easy.
Men's clothing is all pretty much the same.
"Mother, what do you think about this situation? I'd like to hear your opinion as a Magician. Were we kidnapped? Or..."
"The possibility of kidnapping is unlikely. If someone had kidnapped us, they wouldn't have left us so free. Yujin, can you sense your Mana?"
I tried to use my Mana, but I couldn't feel it.
"...No. I can't sense any Mana. It seems to have disappeared..."
"I can't either. Let's think calmly. We were attacked by a massive wild boar emitting a black aura that looked like a Monster while strolling through the village."
"Yes. It was a Monster I'd never seen before. And the Monster boar had wounds on its body. Three Knights used their Aura, but they couldn't stop it and were instead sent flying."
"Even my magic couldn't stop the wild boar. It was a monster capable of casually wiping out an entire village. Why it was wounded is another matter... but as the monster charged at us, its leg caught, and it stumbled violently."
"It was an astonishing sight. I never imagined such a colossal creature could soar so high into the sky."
"What happened next is what truly matters."
"The wild boar crashed headfirst into the ground. And embedded in its skull was a wooden doll. I couldn't see clearly, but it seemed to be shaped like a farmer. As the doll shattered, a blinding light erupted... and I lost consciousness. Oh, and I remember pulling my mother into my arms to shield her."
"The Wooden Doll must be an Ancient Relic. If it were magic, I would have sensed it immediately."
"But why would a wild boar have an Ancient Relic embedded in its head?"
"There are two hypotheses. Either the wild boar was fighting another Monster and the Relic accidentally became lodged in its head, or someone deliberately embedded the Relic into the boar's skull."
Elaine opened the wooden window and peered outside. Her eyes turned cold as she surveyed the scene. Before them lay an unfamiliar farm, and in the distance, a small stone-walled city was visible. This was not the Erenchir Village they knew.
"Mother, which scenario do you believe is more likely?"
"The latter. Someone wounded the wild boar and made it target us. That's the most likely scenario."
"Then who could the culprit be...?"
"...I don't know. Our clan has plenty of noble enemies, but none of them would dare to act so boldly. And if someone possesses the skill to control a monster wild boar, they'd be better off killing us directly for a more certain outcome."
"Hah... Anyway, where are we? I hope we're near Erenchir Village..."
"If we were swallowed by the power of an Ancient Relic... we could be on the opposite side of the continent, or even in a completely different dimension like a Dungeon."
"Either way, we're definitely in for a rough time."
We were in the middle of our conversation when a loud banging on the front door and a man's booming voice echoed from outside.
"Hey! Told! The sun's been up for ages! Why are you still sleeping?! You promised to help with the potato harvest today!"
Elaine and I exchanged glances. I quickly covered her head with a cloth, thinking her beauty might attract unwanted attention.
"I'll be out in a minute! Just wait!" I shouted back.
First, I needed to assess the situation.
Well, this was all part of my plan anyway.
Farmer Doll (Wooden Doll)
As Elaine had said, it was indeed an Ancient Relic, just like in the Original Work. However, its effects weren't as impressive as I'd hoped.
The Farmer Doll is a one-time-use artifact that invites people into a virtual world. In this virtual world, death or injury has no lasting consequences; upon returning to the real world, one is restored to perfect health.
According to the Farmer Doll's description in the original work... it was created by a noble in the past to discipline and teach his children, who looked down on commoners and farmers.
In essence, it's a roughly ten-day farmer simulation. Though ten days pass within the virtual world, only about three hours elapse in the real world.
If you just endure those ten days, you can return to reality. But Elaine doesn't know that.
The wild boar, for example, was Yuria's doing. I don't know the specifics, but she used magic to control it. After all, she was an Archmage.
In this world, the absence of Mana was intentional, a design by the Ancient Relic's creator to ensure a life of honest farming.
For the record, Elaine and I were supposed to be a poor farming couple. My name in this world was Told, and Elaine's was Tiel.
We were led out to the fields by Panres, the neighboring farmer who came to our house that morning. I naturally wanted to refuse, but Elaine insisted we go along with the situation for now, so we ended up working in the fields.
"Told, why can't your wife do any work?!" Panres snapped, glaring at Elaine in frustration.
We were squatting in the field, digging up potatoes. It was my first time harvesting potatoes, but since my physical abilities remained unchanged from reality minus the Mana it wasn't difficult at all.
In contrast, Elaine, a magician, was as helpless as an ordinary person without her Mana. Born into nobility, she had never properly worked in the fields.
"She was raised very delicately, you know."
"Raised delicately? We grew up together in this village since we were kids. What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Just joking. She's not feeling well because we were up late last night."
Panres gave a dry laugh at my grin. He was still a bachelor.
"Hah, well, if I had a beauty like Tiel as my wife, I'd probably..."
It seemed Panres also considered Elaine a beauty. After all, who wouldn't think so after seeing her face up close?
The protagonist in the original work found farming fascinating and enjoyable... But what's so fun about this? Honestly...
As I worked in the fields, I stole glances at Elaine. She sighed, exhausted from the labor.
Afternoon.
We carried the harvested potatoes into the small town. Since people can't live on potatoes alone, we needed to sell them.
"Potatoes for sale! Freshly dug potatoes! Get your potatoes here!" Panres shouted in the market, eager to sell them at a high price. Elaine pretended to help us while secretly surveying the surroundings.
As evening fell, we received our share from Panres.
"Told, let's go to the tavern for a drink."
"Ah, sorry. Maybe next time. My wife doesn't seem to be feeling well."
"Tch... No choice, then. Don't forget you promised to help me again tomorrow."
I returned to the dilapidated farmhouse with Elaine.
Midway there, Elaine stumbled. She seemed utterly exhausted from the strenuous labor she'd never experienced before. I scooped her up in a princess carry.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"You look tired, so I'll carry you."
"I can walk! Put me down immediately!"
"No."
"What...?"
Elaine struggled to escape my arms, but when I tightened my grip, she quickly gave up. Her strength was no match for mine.
"...Do as you please."
"Yes, I will do as I please."
The faint blush on Elaine's cheeks was no figment of my imagination.
Back at the house, we boiled potatoes for dinner and discussed our current situation.
"This world is completely different from where we came from. I asked the merchant about the date and the country, but he gave me unfamiliar dates and names."
"...How do we get back?"
"...I don't know. We don't have enough information to even guess. In the worst-case scenario... we might never be able to return."
"..."
The atmosphere grew heavy with despair.
Elaine spread her hands and examined them. Her delicate, pale hands were marked with scratches from the day's farm work.
"Mother, you look tired. It's late, let's get some rest. I'll sleep outside."
"...You know there's nowhere to sleep outside. Let's sleep together. We can at least share the bed tonight."
"If you insist, Mother..."
Elaine and I lay on the hard bed, dressed only in thin clothes. Despite the chirping insects outside the window, Elaine lay awake for a while, likely exhausted from her first day of physical labor.
When Elaine quietly moved closer for comfort and relaxed in my arms, I carefully held her.
A few hours later, Elaine opened her eyes while still resting against me. I desperately pretended to be asleep. My right hand was resting atop the blanket at her side, and I braced myself for an awkward conversation.
"..."
Elaine sighed softly, gently lifted my hand away from her side, and nudged me awake.
"It's morning. Wake up."
The second day unfolded much like the first. After finishing work, Elaine and I explored the city together, hoping to find any clues. But there were none.
On the third day, we worked in the fields in the morning and went to the town square in the afternoon. A peasant family was being executed there, charged with insulting a noble. According to nearby commoners, they had dared to defy the noble.
Elaine didn't say anything, but she seemed deeply troubled. Perhaps she was beginning to doubt whether we could ever return home. Her ironclad resolve was starting to waver. It might be because she couldn't use mana.
A magician unable to use mana that was a living nightmare.
Day Four. It was a holiday. Elaine and I stared blankly at each other inside the house. We had no idea how farmers spent their holidays, so we passed the time with pointless chatter. There was nothing else to do but talk.
I felt us growing closer. Perhaps it was because we were the only ones we could rely on in this world.
Day Five. In the morning, a loan shark came demanding repayment.
"If you borrowed money, you should repay it, shouldn't you?! Huh?! 340 Nelpi! Pay up now! Pay up, I said!"
"You're saying the 100 Nelpi we borrowed a month ago has become 340 Nelpi?! Are you joking?!"
"Look closely at this contract, Told! It's the one you signed with your thumbprint! Pay up immediately! If you don't have the money, sell your house!"
"You bastard!"
I fought the loan sharks and their men, throwing punches until I collapsed onto the bed, bruised and aching. Elaine nursed me, her worry evident in her eyes.
Of course, my collapse was just an act. There was no way I'd let those thugs get the better of me.
"What do you plan to do about the aftermath of this fight?"
"Mother, they crossed the line first. How could I stand by when they threatened to take our home?"
"Thank you. I'm so grateful you're here with me. If I were alone..."
"I feel the same way. I can endure all this because you're by my side, Mother."
Elaine stroked my hair. I deliberately nestled closer into her arms, acting like a spoiled child. She didn't push me away.
Sixth day. I dragged my body, still unaccustomed to farm work, out to the fields. As I swung the pitchfork, the thought flashed through my mind: Screw farming, maybe I should just become a bandit.
I've grown closer to Elaine, but she still sees me more as someone she has to look after than as an equal. Still, if the right opportunity arises...
It was afternoon.
The loan shark I'd beaten up yesterday returned with a Noble. The ugly Noble, his face glistening with oil, tilted his head back arrogantly and demanded, "Where is the woman named Tiel?"