Village Tour
It had been five days since I started living with Mr. Alke, the bear beastman.
Now that I was eating properly and had regained some color in my cheeks, he decided it was time to show me around the village.
With all the trees surrounding his house, I'd assumed we were deep in the woods.
But apparently only certain areas like Mr. Alke's property kept their trees—the central parts of the village had been cleared long ago.
Trying to keep up with Alke's long strides was impossible—even at a jog, I couldn't match his pace.
He noticed my struggle and simply scooped me up without breaking stride.
The village, called Samania, had a peaceful atmosphere with houses scattered among small forests and cultivated fields.
A wide river ran through the center, making wells unnecessary.
Life magic like [Clean] took care of laundry, dishes, and hygiene, so there was no worry about polluting the waterway.
Instead of a well, the village square had a large tree where a group of women were chatting.
Rabbit, cat, and dog beastfolk—humanoids with animal ears and tails—would probably make this place heaven for furries back on Earth.
The moment they spotted us, the women descended like a flock of birds.
"My stars, Alke! Where'd you find this adorable little thing?"
"Oh my, she's human, isn't she? How precious!"
Apparently animal ears didn't change the universal nature of gossiping women.
"Now hold yer horses, ladies. Y'all're makin' Vio nervous."
I'd asked to be called Vio—Violet was too long, and most villagers apparently had three-syllable names anyway.
The women weren't being mean—they quickly apologized and started petting me gently.
I guess in a small village with little entertainment, a new child was big news.
"This here's Violet. Five-year human I fished out the river. Ain't got kin left, so I'll be raisin' her as my own."
His declaration caused a stir—not just among the women, but among other villagers who'd stopped to listen.
"Well I'll be! Haven't seen you this lively in ages, Alke!"
"Indeed! You raised those boys of yours just fine, and with your adventuring skills, she'll be safe as houses!"
A burly man voiced concerns:
"But without a wife, won't the little one get lonely? Shouldn't she have a mother figure?"
The women immediately pounced on him:
"What nonsense! Some fathers raise children just fine on their own!"
"Besides, all of us here can be her village mothers!"
Mr. Alke and I might as well have been invisible for all we contributed to the conversation—such was the terrifying power of determined village matrons.
"I'm Milina the shoemaker.”
Said a white rabbit woman, already measuring my feet with her eyes.
"Come by later—I'll make you shoes prettier than spring blossoms!"
"And I'm Lillium the seamstress.”
Added a Russian Blue cat woman.
"You can't keep wearing those boy's clothes—I'll make you dresses that'll make the flowers jealous!"
Turns out this had been Mr. Alke's plan all along—he quickly promised we'd visit their shops later.
Our main goal today was meeting the village chief, Harold, an owl beastman.
His "manor" across the bridge turned out to be just his apothecary shop—slightly larger than others, but still just a storefront.
"Fohohoho! They call me village chief, but I'm really just Harold the pharmacist."
He hooted, his large owl eyes twinkling.
"In a village this small, everyone works. Hardly anyone actually calls me Village Chief—just Harold or Shopkeeper is fine."
His owl-like laugh was almost comical, but I was impressed—unlike the useless village chiefs in stories, this one actually worked a normal job for a living.
I suppose even feudal lords here actually govern, so a village chief would work to survive too.
With Mr. Harold's approval, I was now officially free to explore the village.
What do you think about this chapter?
