The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 109

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 109   Taking shelter from the rain

“Rain, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

We had been traveling for a few days on the highway, passing through several villages and towns since leaving the city. However, a few days away from reaching the capital, we were caught in the rain.

It had been quite unusual that it hadn’t rained until now, but at this moment, the pressing concern was what to do about the rain.

“What should we do? Even if we continue toward our destination, we won’t reach it today, right?”

“That’s true… I recall there was a village nearby, albeit slightly off our route. If we head there, we might find shelter from the rain.”

“Alright, let’s go with that.”

“Understood.”

And so, we decided to deviate from our planned route and head towards the nearby village.

While urging the carriage forward with a sense of haste, after a while, we spotted a faint light, which was likely the mentioned village.

“No one seems to be around. Perhaps it’s because of the rain, but then again, that’s expected.”

However, upon arriving, the atmosphere of the village seemed oddly somber, perhaps due to the rain, but something felt off.

“Let’s head towards the largest house for now.”

I agreed with Sofia’s suggestion, and we made our way towards the building that seemed to be where the village chief or a similar figure would reside.

It would have been great if there were inns, but in villages like this, inns were a rare occurrence. This village was no exception. It was off the main road, so that was understandable.

When there’s no inn, we usually seek shelter at the house of the village chief or a communal gathering place. However, naturally, some people decline. After all, they wouldn’t want to host strangers, and that’s entirely reasonable.

However, without asking, we wouldn’t know. So, once we reached the biggest house, we got down from the carriage and knocked on the door.

“Excuse us. We are travelers. May we trouble you for a moment?”

“Um, may I ask who you are?”

A voice came from behind the door. However, it sounded somewhat trembling. Were they afraid?

“We are on our way to the capital, but we got caught in the rain on our journey. If it’s alright with you, we would be happy to pay. Could we seek shelter with our horse until the rain stops?”

I said this, and slowly but surely, the door creaked open, revealing a man in his forties or so.

Initially, he seemed surprised, probably because of my height. He only noticed Sofia and had no awareness of me.

The man must have been astonished as he gazed at Sofia, wearing a slightly vacant expression. Even though it was midday, it was natural to be surprised when a maid stood at the entrance in such heavy rain. I think I would have had a similar reaction back when I was in Japan if a maid stood at the door.

However, this was a minor issue. He shook his head lightly, probably to clear his thoughts and was about to speak. But this time, he noticed me and his expression turned vacant again.

“Excuse me, but we were caught in the rain during our journey. Could we stay overnight until tomorrow morning or until the rain stops?”

Since it wasn’t progressing, I called out like that.

We didn’t want to stand in the rain any longer. If we were turned away, we’d have to explore other options, so I wanted to move the conversation along.

“… Just the two of you?”

However, the man seemed to be checking the area outside the door nervously, appearing frightened.

“Yes. Oh, and there are two horses over there as well… What do you think?”

When I said that, the man seemed to finally finish checking and looked at us with a sense of relief.

“Well, you did mention you’d pay, so I don’t mind…”

Saying that, the man seemed to realize something and stopped speaking, glancing away from us. … I wonder what he was thinking.

“Is something wrong?”

“…No. It’s just, you seem to be dressed quite well. I wondered if this rundown place would be suitable.”

The man said so, but I felt like there was another meaning behind his words.

However, I had no way to understand this meaning at the moment, and even if he was thinking something, I wanted to stay here today, so I pretended not to notice and proceeded with the conversation.

“Dressed well? … Is that so?”

This question was a small talk to move the conversation along, but the doubt itself was genuine.

Even though I should be wearing clothes that are commonly sold in the town, what does it mean for me to be dressed well?

“Normal travelers wouldn’t be wearing clothes without fraying or stains. Patching up is the usual way.”

Patching up, huh. Now that I think about it, that’s true. I recall seeing people wearing clothes like that. Well, it makes sense; they probably wouldn’t buy new clothes every time they tore.

“I see, understood. Please don’t mind it. I’ve only recently started my journey, so my clothes haven’t gotten that dirty yet.”

“If you’ve just started, does that mean you’re coming from Elvale or Aldoa?”

“I’m coming from Aldoa.”

“I see. Well, that’s fine. If you’re okay with our place, we can accommodate you. As for the horses… just wait a moment.”

The man closed the door momentarily and went back inside the house. From inside, I could hear some murmuring. Probably explaining the situation to their family.

However, it seemed like a slight disagreement was happening. It wasn’t a full-blown argument, but it didn’t sound like the conversation was smoothly concluding either.

“Come this way.”

After a short wait, the man appeared again from the door, and I caught a fleeting glimpse of a woman from the slightly ajar door. She’s probably the man’s wife. It was a brief moment, but it felt like our eyes met.

The man began to walk, gesturing for us to follow. I followed behind him, and Sofia guided the carriage, following his lead.

We parked the carriage by the side of the building, as directed, and then, guided by the man, led the horses away from the carriage and into the building next door.

“This is a warehouse, the barn on our property is full, so it’s not available.”

“No, we’re grateful for being allowed to use this space.”

Whether it’s a warehouse or whatever, just being able to shelter from the rain is a relief.

What should we do next? Taking care of the horses and the carriage, checking our gear and our health. And then, if they agree, we’ll need to explain our circumstances and express our gratitude to this man and also to the woman I glimpsed earlier.

For starters, I should dry my drenched body…

“《Purification》.”

While I’m thinking this, Sofia uses her skill on my body, removing the rain absorbed by my clothes and drying me off.

However, it seemed one time wasn’t enough, so she repeated the skill twice more, effectively removing all the rain that had soaked my body.

About to thank Sofia, I turned around. She smiled and applied the purification skill to her own body, drying herself, and then used the skill on the horses to repel the rain they had on them. However, just that wouldn’t return our cold, rain-soaked bodies to normal. So, to warm up the horses, I began to prepare various things, but I glanced away from the scene and looked at the man who provided us a place to stay.

“I’d like to express my thanks once again for lending us this space. We were on a journey toward the capital when we were caught in this sudden rain. My apologies for the late introduction; I’m Vesnar. And this is Sofia.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Scott.”

“If you have any other members of the household, I would like to greet and express my thanks to them…”

“No need.”

“I see… understood.”

I had expressed my wish to meet other household members, but that was promptly declined.

His gaze seemed to be scrutinizing us, evaluating us. However, it wasn’t a gaze filled with malice, but rather one that conveyed a sense of desperation. I could tell, having been subjected to much more intense and malicious gazes before.

“…So, are you planning to stay overnight?”

I had been pondering the reason for this sudden question from Scott. But what could it mean? We had discussed staying here, and I assumed that was the intention when he led us here.

“I would like to, if possible.”

“I see. Well, that’s the plan then.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No, I guided you here for that reason, so it’s fine. No issues.”

Although he said there were no issues, he wore a rather troubled expression. Moreover, unlike before, he avoided making eye contact with me.

“However…”

“However, what?”

Scott seemed like he wanted to say something, but his words came to a halt.

In an attempt to prompt him to continue speaking, I asked, “However, what’s the matter?” But Scott shook his head as if he had stopped some thought in its tracks, exhaled, and turned his back to us.

“…No. Just, try not to go out too much. People from elsewhere might get startled seeing someone wandering without any explanation.”

“Yes, understood.”

Probably, those words were different from what he had originally intended to say. Even though I understood that, I didn’t press further to hear what he had in mind.

It piqued my curiosity, yes. But that’s fine. There’s no need to force out things left unsaid, and I’m aware that prying could lead to trouble. If he’s asking for help, I’m not entirely unwilling to assist…

While thinking this, I watched Scott as he headed towards the entrance of the warehouse. Over there, just beside the open door, a woman appeared quietly. It was the same woman I caught a glimpse of through the gap in the door when I inquired about Scott’s house earlier.

“You… why did you come?”

“Well, if visitors arrive, shouldn’t we greet them? Besides, I thought it might be necessary if you were soaked in the rain.”

While saying this, the woman passed by Scott and extended a towel towards me.

“I’m Martha. You must have been cold.”

“Hey.”

Martha offered the towel to me with a smile, but Scott reprimanded her with a condemning tone.

However, undeterred, Martha pressed the towel into my hands, and I accepted it.

After taking the towel, Scott grabbed Martha’s shoulder and forcibly turned her body around. You could tell from his actions, even if you couldn’t see his expression, that Scott was clearly in a bad mood.

Even in this state, Martha turned her face towards me and, with a somewhat sad smile, spoke.

“However, it would be best not to overstay.”

“Hey!”

Upon hearing Martha’s words, Scott shouted much more emotionally than before, rebuking her.

And then, he must have thought that she couldn’t stay here any longer. Scott grabbed Martha’s hand and forcibly took her outside of the warehouse.

“So, they’re gone.”

Inside the warehouse, where the door was left wide open, allowing the sight of rain pouring in, I murmured as I watched the entrance where the two had left.

No response came, only the sound of rain could be heard.