General Store – Part 2
Sounds are coming out from the building. Rustle, rustle, like that.
It seems something is moving.
Something is……
“Oo~i……”
Elm is calling out, however……
Just the sound of rustling returns…… ara, a person appeared from inside…… she seems to be smeared in dust……
“Fuu~…… welc…… ah, Elm?”
Pat, pat she hits her body in a rush…… yes, she’s hitting it.
Just what has happened that it turned out like this…… a trash house……
“It’s not ‘ah, Elm’…… what’s up with you……”
“Lately…… overflow of monsters? Fields suddenly started overflowing? Anyhow, everyone is bringing things, and I don’t even know who brought what……”
“Ha?”
“Everyone just comes with magic stones and goes back hunting…… because vegetables are overflowing, they just leave it there…… then they immediately spoil…… I don’t know what to do……”
Umm…… an abnormal situation?
But, it didn’t feel like this in the village?
“Because there was nothing I could do, I thought about checking the old documents…… whether there’s some information.”
Let’s see, she didn’t know what to do, so she checked the old documents……
N? Documents? They have books here?
“Shall we help you with looking?”
“W, who?”
“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m called Koyu. I’m being escorted by Elm-san’s team, we are on our way to Tiyul.”
“Tiyul?”
“Yeah, I heard they have onsen there.”
“Where did you departure from?”
“Eh? Capital? I think?”
“Isn’t the direction wrong?”
Eh?
“It’s all right, we have definitely not made a mistake.”
“I, is that so?”
“Eh? You will get there, but aren’t you taking quite the detour?”
Eh?
“Yeah, a lot has happened on the way.”
N? What has?
Shien answers my confusion.
“Baasan…… a lot has happened, didn’t it?”
Shien?
Eh? What has?
Umm, my eyes switch from Shien to Elm to the general store miss repeatedly…… I’m getting dizzy……
“Rather than that, have you figured something?”
Eh? The explanation?
“Hmm…… somehow?”
“If that’s the case, how about cleaning the store first?”
“Eeh~…… I’m hungry…..”
“As if you could eat in that!”
“Not possible…… I feel unwell now……”
Ha??
Umm…… even though she feels unwell, wasn’t this person in there until now? Is she all right, I wonder……
For now, we have returned to the inn.
That’s because it has been decided to let the general store’s Mirei-san have a meal……
She was a bit…… no, she was considerably dirty, so Iris has casten Clean on her…… the dust danced around her and headed towards me.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…… Mirei-san eats while letting out such noises. Just when did she have her last meal?
Because there, unfortunately, were no leftovers from the breakfast, Landlady-san and Landlord-san had to quickly prepare the food.
We are amazed by her eating.
It seems it will take her a while to finish eating.
Yeah, let’s drink tea. And wait.
Fuu, tea is delicious, isn’t it? Carefree~ Such time is also occasionally nice……
Oh my, Elm is getting unusually irritated. He’s tapping against the table with his finger……
Yes, you can’t do anything even though you are impatient, you know? The person in question is focusing only on the food……
Besides, I also want an explanation
Oh my, it appears she finished eating. She drank everything from the cup.
“Fuu~…… I’m alive……”
“Looks like it. So, have you figured something out?”
Elm? You sound displeased, you know?
“Somewhere, there’s a possibility that magical power pool has appeared……”
“W, what……”
“So abnormal it makes magic beasts excited.”
Eh? What is magical power pool?
“It feels similar to Tsunami from hundred years ago.”
“Since when is it overflowing?”
“It’s about ten days that I started thinking it’s getting somewhat abnormal?”
“Ten days…… isn’t that just recently? Isn’t that weird? Usually, they would increase little by little.”
“That’s right. When it comes to Tsunami, it’s not so sudden, it’s slow, it increases without our knowledge, it will feel like we are too late when we notice it.”
“Yeah……”
“Therefore, I thought whether a magical power pool might have appeared nearby and Tsunami is going to begin from there……”
Oh my, then, isn’t this area in danger?
“But, you know……”
“To make even plants grow abnormally fast?”
“That’s the point. Normally, ordinary plants should wither when affected by magical power……”
“Is there something else?”
“Hmm…… there are few more books I would like to check……”
Check, she said…… in that building…… if she enters, won’t she turn into dustman again? Say, won’t you clean up first?
Besides, the vegetables left outside are pitiful……
“E, Elm? Umm, Mirei-san? How about cleaning first?”
“Ah.”
“Also, the vegetables are pitiful, won’t you make sure they will last longer?”
“Is that possible?”
Eh? Is that possible? you ask? You have no choice, but to do it, right?
“You should dry the vegetables or make them into the sauce and won’t the cleaning finish quickly if we split into groups of people searching for the books and people who clean up?”
Everyone is averting their gaze, though. It will be really terrible, but shouldn’t everyone lend a hand?
“There are five more books, but can you read the ancient language?”
Elm, Shien, and Iris shake their heads, but…… that being the case, Mirei-san will look for the books alone. Ara, what about the villagers?
“How about the villagers?”
Mirei-san answers.
“Those able went to hunt. Currently, there are only women, children and those who came from outside like you in the village. Also, those who remained for that reason such as the people of the inn…… ah, and Clon who’s working hard on the field?”
“Even though the village seems so peaceful. It’s really difficult at the moment, isn’t it?”
Elm also thought about something, and answers……
“Well, if they are just increasing, they can get the stones and food is increasing too……”
“Stones?”
“You don’t know about magic stones? They are the source of magical power of magic beasts.”
“Baasan, you saw it too, didn’t you? The Horn Rabbit. It’s that horn. Because magical power gathers in there, so it’s the source of its magical power. It can use it as a weapon too, but…… since it can attack only in a straight way, even children can normally avoid it. Kuku.”
Even so, why are you laughing, Shien? Mou……
“H, Horn Rabbit…… that horn, huh…… n, no. We don’t have the time to be relaxing, don’t we? Well then, shall we split and get to work? Let’s split into general store cleaning, vegetable processing, and magic stone processing.”
“Yeah…… is Koyu-sama fine with that?”
Elm suddenly used polite words, but aren’t you too late?
“Elm, don’t speak politely anymore. Also, let’s do our best at what everyone can do? Okay? Elm will take the magic stones?? I will leave them to you. Iris, you go and call Sapin and Ivar over. Also, be sure to don’t accept any more vegetables from the field to the general store. I have to ask if I can borrow the inn’s kitchen. Also, Shien will……”
“N?”
“Clean the general store with me! I will work you hard.”