The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~-Chapter 180 - The Village
Annie and Alice had gone out to buy food for dinner and after returning they immediately headed to the kitchen and started cooking.
After some time they came out with what they prepared and we all ate together.
“This is good.”
It’s not heavily seasoned, but it’s easy to eat and has plenty of flavor.
“Yes, I can eat this.”
Leanne was eating without any complaints.
“Annie-san is really capable. She seems like the type who can handle anything effortlessly.”
AI-chan praised Annie while eating happily.
“I always thought I’d live alone.”
She was an adventurer on her own and quite independent.
“Is that different now?”
“I’m glad to have a leader who’s more capable than me and makes things easier. Yep, it’s so much easier.”
“That’s a great thing, I think. Relying on others is important. Feel free to lean on Master all you want.”
“This little fox is becoming less subtle...”
Annie frowned.
“......AI-chan only has Yuuma on her mind.”
“Probably, even if more members join us, they’ll only be young women.”
Alice and Natalia nodded in agreement.
“Phew... thanks for the meal.”
Leanne was the first to finish eating.
She hadn’t eaten much at lunch, so she must have been hungry.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“This really warmed me up.”
Leanne fanned herself with her small hands.
“That’s because it includes herbs that have that kind of effect.”
“Aren’t you an apothecary?”
“That’s right.”
“Why are you working as an adventurer?”
I wondered about that too.
“Adventuring came first. I became an adventurer because I had magical talent and could earn money that way. Afterward, I studied to become an apothecary.”
“Hmm... but being an apothecary seems more profitable.”
“I do it because I like it. You must have a job more suited to you than being a guild master, right?”
“Well, I suppose...”
Leanne also has teleportation and mysterious magic.
“Well, it’s good that Annie is an adventurer. She’s very reliable.”
Far more so than our clan leader.
“Absolutely.”
After we finished eating, we spent some time hanging out in the room, and headed to bed sometime later.
The next day.
We woke up late, had breakfast, got ready, and headed to the Demon Continent.
With Leanne’s teleportation, we arrived at the small stream from yesterday and began walking toward the village.
Gradually, plants and trees started to become more noticeable, and we could see the village in the distance.
We continued on and arrived in front of the village.
The village was surrounded by a wooden fence, but it was decayed in places and didn’t inspire confidence.
When we reached the gate, there was no one guarding it.
“Is it okay to just go in?”
“Hmm... well, we’re just here to talk, after all.”
It wouldn’t do any good to wait around here...
“Alright, let’s go. Leanne, don’t get off Koma-chan under any circumstances. Natalia, stay close to me.”
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
Leanne nodded, and Natalia moved closer to me, grabbing onto the hem of my clothes.
We entered the village and walked around, looking around as we went.
The houses in the village weren’t exactly nice—they looked like they were just barely enough to keep out the rain and wind.
As we walked, we made eye contact with an old man working in the fields.
However, the old man quickly dropped his gaze disinterestedly and resumed plowing the field.
“It doesn’t seem like this is a particularly closed-off village.”
AI-chan murmured as she looked at the old man.
“They don’t seem particularly welcoming, either... So, who should we try talking to?”
We walked on, looking for someone who seemed approachable.
Soon, we spotted an old man resting in the shade of a tree and decided to approach him.
As we got closer, the old man looked up at us.
“What do you want? Are you adventurers?”
Huh?
Well, we are, but... do they have adventurers as a profession on the Demon Continent too?
“Ah, we just got a little lost.”
I decided to play along.
“Young folks these days don’t even carry maps?”
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Ninety-nine and eighty-five aren’t exactly young, you know.
“No, we have a map. Do you know where this is?”
I crouched down and showed the old man the map Merell had drawn for us.
“Hmm? What a messy map... This village is here.”
The old man pointed to a spot roughly in the center of the western part of the continent.
“I see... still a long way to go.”
“Where are you trying to get to?”
“Here.”
I pointed to the northern port town, our destination.
“Oh, you’re heading to Ludoe, huh? Are you sightseeing, or joining the military?”
He must mean the army that invaded.
“I just want to visit the city. We came from the south, but it’s gotta be the city, right?”
“Bah! Youth is enviable, huh? But Ludoe’s got the military, so it’s annoying. If you’re going, head to this place on the way instead.”
The old man pointed to a spot between this village and Ludoe.
“What’s here?”
“It’s a town called Tarble. It’s fairly big, and if you’re adventurers, this place would suit you better.”
Hmm.
We should aim for there first...
“Old man, you’re pretty knowledgeable.”
“I used to be an adventurer myself, traveling around various towns. I retired when I got older, and now I’m the village chief here. A lot of information comes my way.”
So he’s the village chief.
“I see. Thanks.”
“Hm.”
The old man held out his hand.
“Money?”
“Of course. Information isn’t free.”
Well, fair enough.
“I don’t have much on me, though…”
“You’ve got something, don’t you? Or do you plan to pay with a woman?”
What’s this old geezer saying?
Not that I’m one to talk…
“Will this do?”
I said, pulling out a silver coin from my pocket.
“Hmm? Let me see.”
I handed over the silver coin as he asked.
“I picked it up from a corpse along the way.”
Let’s just leave it at that.
“I see... This is a continental silver coin.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s currency used on the other continent. Just like here, they’ve got gold, silver, and copper coins. Their coins are of better quality... but this will do. It’s usable here, too.”
So it’s usable...
“Alright, then. We’re heading to that place called Tarble.”
“You’re leaving already? Why not rest here for a night?”
“No thanks. I’d rather not risk losing the rest of my money—or women.”
I didn’t miss how his eyes lit up when he saw the silver coin.
“Haha! Is that so? Well, hurry up and get going. Even in a small village like this, there are scoundrels around.”
The village chief himself seems like a scoundrel.
“Yeah... there are fools everywhere. See you.”
I stood up, took the three of them with me, and quickly retraced the path we came from.
