But... Now I Understand
“So, there’s no position like village chief here. Still, I’m impressed you managed to get the townspeople to talk that much.”
“I think it was because I’m a child. That probably made me easier to talk to.”
After returning to the manor, I told Father everything that had happened today.
About the severe water shortage, and how the water source was in the mountain. About the pulley I’d made with alchemy. About the vacant houses. And about how the roofs on the homes were all nearing their limit.
“As for the roofs, I think we might be able to use bamboo.”
“The green tree you named, huh? Well, it’s wood, so it should be usable, but... it’s hollow inside. Can it even be processed into boards?”
“No, I won’t process it. Well, I’ll split it lengthwise, but that’s all.”
I vaguely remembered seeing buildings that used split bamboo halves crossed over one another as roofing material.
“I see. Then I’ll leave that to you, Dermont... Haaah. I’m a terrible father.”
“Eh? What brought that on all of a sudden?”
“You’re only eight years old, and yet I’ve started relying on you as though it were the most natural thing in the world. I’m ashamed of myself.”
F-Father...
I... I...
“I’m happy that you rely on me!”
“De-Dermont.”
In my previous life… I had neither relied on anyone nor been relied upon.
Even if I had relied on someone, nothing would have been solved. If anything, things would have gotten worse.
Parents were unnecessary. I didn’t need them. If they were nothing but poison, then they should disappear.
And if they wouldn’t disappear, then maybe I should.
That’s what I used to think.
And then I was reincarnated, with all the memories of my previous life intact.
I hated God.
But... now I understand. There are such things as loving parents in this world.
And the person standing before me right now was one of them.
The face of that young mother I had seen at the end of my previous life floated into my mind.
She must have been a loving mother too.
Even though she could have escaped after the car fell into the river, she desperately tried to save her children.
That was probably why I jumped in.
When I saw the parental love I had never received, I envied those children and that baby.
That’s why I thought I had to save them… maybe that was it.
Family love.
The people who taught me what that meant were this man and Mother.
That’s why…
“I’m grateful...”
“Grateful?”
“Ah... umm... I-I’m grateful that I was born as Chichiue and Hahaue’s child. I mean, if I’d been born as O-Ojiue’s child...”
At that point, the ultimate goal of my isekai reincarnation would probably have become killing a god.
Yeah.
“Aniue’s, huh... In that case, perhaps your gratitude is only natural.”
“Ahaha. Exactly. If I’d been born as his child, I’d probably be working like a draft horse by now.”
And no matter how hard I worked, the money would vanish instantly, while the business would produce nothing but losses.
I could only see the worst possible future.
“So, thank you. For giving birth to me. Ah, though Hahaue was the one who actually gave birth to me.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
At that moment, Father pulled me into a hug.
“C-Chichiue?”
“Yes. Yes. Thank you, Dermont.”
“Huh?”
“Thank you for being born into our family.”
F-Father...
S-Stop, Father!
If you say something like that, I...
I...
“You’re the greatest son. Truly, truly... I’m proud to have a son like you.”
“Chi-Chichiue... ngh.”
Uwaaaaaahhh! Endure it! Endure it, me! Hold it innnnnnn!!
“Thank you, Dermont.”
“Hhk... ueeeh.”
Uwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!
“Uuu... uwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhn! Chichiueeeee!!”
That day, I had a good manly cry for the first time in a long while.
---
The next day.
“Oi, kid. You sure were bawling your eyes out yesterday. Something happen?”
“Eh...”
“Young Master, did something happen last night?”
“Eh...”
“Dermont-sama. If something is troubling you, this Robert would gladly listen.”
“No...”
“Young Master, if there is anything at all…”
“There’s nothing! Nothing happened! I-I wasn’t crying! I’m telling you, I wasn’t cryyyyying~”
Everyone knew about my manly breakdown.
And somehow they’d all gotten the wrong idea too!
“I-I’m going to work! Boss, you’re coming with me too!”
“Mwahahaha! Alright, alright.”
S-So embarrassing.
That’s exactly why I didn’t want to cry.
That day, I spent my time cutting bamboo and repairing roofs with the dwarves, but they teased me nonstop from morning till night.
“There’s really nothing to it! Anyway, like this. Place the split bamboo with the inside facing upward…”
Then place another piece of bamboo over it with the inside facing downward, like a lid.
That way, rainwater would run down the lower layer… ah.
But for that to work, the roof would need a slope.
“Boss, I’m thinking of giving the roof an incline.”
The original roofs had no slope at all; they were just boards laid side by side.
Adding a slope would create gaps along the sides.
We could use the old roofing materials to fill those gaps.
The boards that were still in relatively good condition were planed smooth by the foreman, and then I cut them with alchemy…
“Kid. Alchemize some stone for the walls. Then carve grooves into it so these boards can be fitted in.”
“Got it. As for materials...”
The dwarves had already prepared them.
“There was a pit near where the bamboo grows.”
“A pit?”
“Probably where they quarried stone when they built the houses here.”
Apparently there had been piles of excavated stone left in that pit, and they’d hauled them over.
“And, kid. Us dwarves are thinking of using that place as our residence.”
“Eh? The pit?”
“Yeah. Dwarves originally lived in holes, y’know. We only live in houses because we’ve been staying in human towns.”
A-Ah, I see. The other dwarves were saying things like, “A hole feels more comfortable.”
Well, if that was how they felt, I had no objections.
Actually, that might be a huge help. It meant fewer houses we’d have to build.
“Come on, kid. Your hands stopped moving. What, are you remembering last ni…”
“I’m not remembering anything!”
Seriously, stop already!
My HP is down to 1!
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