“This village is finished,” the old man said with a sigh.
“Village Chief!”
As the old man spoke, many villagers gathered around him.
“Is that person the Village Chief?”
“Yes, it is. He’s very knowledgeable and respected by the villagers, but he’s troubled because it’s difficult for the village to solve this water shortage alone. We’re digging wells under the Village Chief’s instructions, but we’re not getting the results we want.”
Kent thought he was the Village Chief and, for confirmation, asked a middle-aged woman. He was someone the village relied on, and he seemed troubled by his inability to get the desired results.
“No one expected a water shortage. We have food reserves for winter, but every household assumed water would be available year-round, so they didn’t make preparations and are now troubled. We could transport water from outside, but if we consider the cost of transporting enough water to quench everyone’s thirst and for daily use, our village finances would collapse.”
“Indeed, water is heavy in large quantities, making transportation inefficient. Securing a constant supply would likely be very expensive.”
Kent didn’t know where the nearby water sources were, but even for a small village, the amount of water needed would be considerable. Transporting it by carriage would naturally incur costs due to the labor involved, and it was easy to imagine how burdensome it would be for people who lived by farming.
“Hanako, do you know why the river water dried up?”
“Hmm, I won’t know the cause until I see the water source.”
“I see.”
Kent asked Hanako, who seemed knowledgeable about such matters, but she replied that she wouldn’t know the situation until she saw the water source.
“Right now, you need drinking water, don’t you?”
“Yes. Some houses have already run out of their reserves, but we don’t have enough to share. Not even our house has any to spare.”
When Kent asked, the middle-aged woman replied with a sense of resignation.
“Perhaps it’s time, as the Village Chief said. We’re prepared to leave the village at any time, but it’s difficult to hesitate when you’ve lived on this land for so long.”
“What are the others doing?”
“Some are preparing to leave the village like us, while others intend to stay.”
According to the woman, some people were planning to leave the village because they couldn’t secure water, but Kent learned that some were hesitant to leave and intended to stay despite the situation.
(It’s Teacher Tia’s hometown, so I can’t just pretend not to know.)
Gruff gruff.
Kent thought that he could easily order drinking water using his terminal. He could only stay in this village for a maximum of three days, including today, so he couldn’t provide continuous support, but he believed he could provide drinking water for the time being. As Kent was thinking this, his sleeve was suddenly tugged.
“What is it, Hanako?”
“Hmm, I think you should do what you, Older Brother, are thinking.”
Hanako gave him advice as if to answer Kent’s dilemma.
“Thank you for saying that, it’s helped me make up my mind. But, what did you mean by ‘Older Brother’?”
“Hmm, if I called you Master, the villagers would be suspicious.”
Thanks to Hanako giving him a nudge, Kent decided to offer drinking water to the village.
“I see. In Tiol’s town, it wouldn’t be strange, but in this attire, it might be better to be seen as siblings rather than master and servant to avoid suspicion.”
“Hmm, Older Brother.”
Kent understood Hanako’s point and decided to act as her sister while staying in this village. When Kent agreed, Hanako happily hugged his arm.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
“Actually, I’d like to offer to provide drinking water. Could you please speak to the Village Chief about it?”
Kent asked the middle-aged woman to mediate and decided to offer drinking water to the Village Chief.
“Hahaha, you two are only carrying small bags. Where would you have water?”
“Actually, it’s prepared behind that building over there. It would be a great help if you could speak to the Village Chief and believe me.”
“Hmm, well, we’re desperate now. Alright, I’ll talk to him, but don’t expect me to hold back if it’s a joke.”
“Yes, I understand it may be difficult to believe someone who just arrived here, but please believe me.”
“Alright. For some reason, I feel like I can trust you, so I’ll go get the Village Chief.”
With that, the middle-aged woman headed towards the Village Chief, who was clutching his head near the well.
“Alright, I’ll take care of this now.”
“Hmm, I’ll help.”
Kent, in the meantime, hid behind the building and took out his terminal.
“About how many people live in this village?”
“Hmm, 256 people.”
“What?”
“Hmm, so 256 people. Do you need a breakdown by age group?”
“No, I just need an approximate number, so I’ll trust what Hanako says.”
Kent was surprised because Hanako provided a precise number, even though he only needed an approximate one for his calculation.
“Alright, let’s calculate for now at two bottles per person, which is 516 bottles, and order them.”
Kent ordered 516 bottles of mineral water, each containing two liters, through his terminal. Then, behind the building, 86 boxes, each containing six two-liter bottles of mineral water, appeared, forming a small mountain.
“I’ve brought the Village Chief! What is this mountain of boxes?!”
The middle-aged woman, as promised, brought the Village Chief behind the building.
“I heard you would provide water, but is this mountain water?”
“Yes, there is drinking water inside these boxes. I believe we can share about two bottles per person.”
The Village Chief, brought to the scene, looked at the mountain of boxes and said with a wary expression. Kent opened a nearby box, took out one two-liter bottle of mineral water, and held it out.
“It does seem to be water. However, we can’t rule out the possibility of something being mixed in.”
“I understand. Excuse me, could you please get me a cup?”
“A cup, right? Please wait a moment.”
The Village Chief seemed wary, suspecting some kind of trick. To dispel his suspicion, Kent asked the middle-aged woman to bring a cup.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Kent received the cup from the middle-aged woman, opened the bottle, and poured water into the cup.
“Well then, I’ll try drinking it first. Glug, glug, glug.”
“Gulp.”
In this village, where water was scarce, the Village Chief and the middle-aged woman looked on enviously as Kent drank the water poured to the brim of the cup.
“If you’d like, please both try some as well.”
Saying that, Kent poured water into the cup and handed it to the Village Chief and the middle-aged woman.
“Glug, glug, glug. Ahh, I’ve never tasted such delicious water in my life.”
“Glug, glug. It’s truly delicious. I realize anew how precious water is, which we used to drink so casually.”
The Village Chief and the middle-aged woman quickly finished the water poured into their cups. Their thirst was completely quenched, and they looked very happy.
“I apologize for doubting you. Now then, how much are you asking for this?”
“This village is the hometown of someone who took care of me. I’d like to repay them, even if it’s just a little, so I’ll give it to you free of charge.”
“What! Actually, our village is far from the nearest town, and there’s little interaction with people. We barely make a living by farming. Therefore, we don’t have much money, and I was worried that an exorbitant price might be demanded, but I am grateful to that person. Since it would be rude not to offer something in return, I would like to prepare a humble feast for all the villagers tonight.”
Kent had provided it as aid and had no intention of asking for money. When he told the Village Chief this, he offered to hold a feast to express his gratitude.
“Hmm, Older Brother, I’m really looking forward to it.”
“I feel bad about using the food we’ve stored for winter, but since my sister is saying so, we’ll gratefully accept.”
In winter, it’s difficult to procure food, so they store it during the warmer seasons and ration it to survive the winter. Kent felt it was a shame to use that precious food, but Hanako was eager to eat. Since it was thanks to her that they could come to this village in such a short time, Kent concluded that he had no choice but to comply with her wish.
“Ah, you won’t have a place to stay tonight, will you? You can stay at Brook’s house. Brook, you don’t mind, do you?”
“Yes, you’re our benefactor who saved the village, so it’s no trouble at all. My name is Brook. Please, feel free to stay at my house.”
“Understood. My name is Kent, and this is my sister, Hanako. We’ll be in your care.”
“Hmm, please take care of me.”
Introduced by the Village Chief, Kent and Hanako were invited to stay at the house of the middle-aged woman they had first spoken to, Brook.
