Isekai Ryouridou 014 – Interlude I

Village of Morihen has an early morning.

They awake with the sunrise, and then immediately do their morning work.

The content of their works are mixed, but in case there are no pressing work, cleaning of dinner comes first.

Throwing used tableware, cooking utensils and the cloth that is dirtied with fat to the inside of the iron pan and then wash it at a water source.

Why don’t they clean it last night? That is because even though it was on human territory that was open, risk of encountering dangerous wild animals still exist even though it’s rare in the night.

Giba that has strong awareness rarely appears but, they will come down to human settlements if they are hungry. Breaking through village of Morihen’s territory and attack the fields in Jenos’ territory that extend to the west side.

Besides giba,  there is also munto that is called carrion hunter, Giant rat Guise, also there is various poisonous snakes and lizards that is particularly dangerous. Large carnivores that prey on human beings didn’t exist, but if you get bitten by those vermins,  you will get a serious disease that is difficult to cure.

(TL: ムント: munto, ギーズ : Guise)

With that reason, was.h.i.+ng the cooking utensils are done in the morning.

The place is the closest water source near each home.

(TL : 水場 mizuba: water source. Try searching it at google. its like natural water source i guess)

The closest one from Ai Fa’s house is about 10 minutes walk on foot, a small branch of ranto river.

The small watercourse flows through the rugged rocky stretch. It something that looks more like a water trickling out of rocks rather than a branch of the river.

(TL : http://photo1.ganref.jp/photo/0/8a780a2b9286b2f3775fae6516a9c19f/thumb5.jpg)

I washed the pot and tablewares there.

The tool I used is something like scrub brush made from dried, hardened, and processed giba fur.

The pot and tablewares are greasy because of the fat, but when it’s rubbed with the short trimmed fur, it surprisingly becomes smooth and clean.

Cloths that is dirtied with fat are also washed that time.

Because I have extra time, I also washed clothes that time.

When the water inside the water jar almost deplete, I refill it again to full.

Because the pot and water jar are heavy, I used a tool called “Pulling board” to carry them.

I put the fur at the back of the large board, hardened fat was plastered there. It’s a tool for transportation. The baggages are fixed to the board using knitted dried vine. The same vine also used to drag it from the shoulder. It can be pulled by dragging it.

The friction is reduced because it was smeared with fat. It would probably reduce the weight by half, but when the water jug was filled with water until it’s full, it weighs about 100kg, it’s quite heavy.

But all other people that I occasionally encountered at the water source were all women. Mostly older women with the majority of them having robust physique than me, but there was also old women and younger women.

Even though they are women, they didn’t have a tired face while pulling the board. I can definitely say that my face has the most tired face, I think.

“What an incompetent man” is of course what my beloved and respected mistress said. d.a.m.n it.

(TL: Konchikusho~)

By the way, although I am able to meet people from other houses near the water place, as expected, no one tried to go near to someone close to Ai Fa.

Although there are some women that at least greeted me, they don’t seek anymore communication, I also don’t want to.

This is what it means to incur the wrath of patriarch of people of Morihen, Sun family.

Also, I don’t think someone with the appearance of a pale boy with white cooking clothes and t-s.h.i.+rt exist in this world, I am sure I will be seen suspiciously like someone evil.

I mean. Even though someone with strange appearance like me walking with Ai Fa, there are no one asked “Who is that?” Everyone just looked while surrounding us from a distance, not even trying to look at us in the eye.

Aside from that, there are some girls that is also wearing beautiful clothes, the same as Ai Fa. I don’t know if it’s to make them not standing out when they enter the forest, it has an elegant shades of deep green and dark brown. Those colors look ethical and fas.h.i.+onable with the complex spiral pattern.

Married woman wear and wind 1 big cloth to hide their chest down to their knee.

(TL: Just think of Ai Fa’s clothes with covered navel and long skirt to the knee. I don’t know what to call this kind of clothes. Like a “Sari” but shortened version of it. It doesn’t cover any shoulders and only reached the knee. or a long bath towel or a sarong maybe )

Unmarried woman wear the same clothes like Ai Fa, hiding only their breast and waist area.

Of course, woman that wear fur mantle and hang a big machete on their waist doesn’t exist, even Ai Fa, only brought the small knife when she is not going to the forest. If it’s only about the small knife, women that carrying it isn’t few either. It’s not to hunt Giba, but it have a wide variety of use like for picking herbs and cutting up vines.

Everyone in the Morihen settlements around the forest has a brown skin, their hair and eye color varies but light brown hair and blue eyes are the most standard one. Black hairs, red hairs, there are also a few gold-brown hair like Ai Fa. I can’t see clearly because I can’t come closer, but I think there are also black eyes and dark brown eyes, I think. It’s just that, there are no one else yellow-skinned like me.

Anyway, after the works at water source are finished, next are indoor works.

Knife maintenance as daily routine. (TL: Santoku knife)

Checking the blade and grip condition, perform reparation if needed. Whetstone in this world is a rugged s.h.i.+ny black stone with similar appearance to obsidian.

Once that is finished, I went to the food storage to confirm food ingredients condition.

Although I also check Aria and Poitan condition, the most important thing to check is giba’s meat condition.

While making sure the meat is spoiled or not, I stirred the pico leaves equally. Because the moisture of the meat move to pico leaves when pickling the meat, if you don’t stir it once a day, It’s said that pico leaves will absorb too much water and loses its preservation and antiseptic effect.

It’s finally breakfast at that time, so I cut the buried dried meat just like the raw meat.

I headed to the forest while chewing the dried meat that taste like rubber. (sfx: nicha nicha. The sound that come out when you chew a gum)

My purpose is to gather firewood and herbs and also to take a bath.

At that time, the sun is already high in the middle of the sky.

In other words, on the morning when I arrived at Ai Fa’s home, Ai Fa does the ch.o.r.es before dawn alone and then prepare the things needed to go to the forest early morning. After that she goes to wake me up, it’s something like that.

And yet, I did that unexpected and impolite act while half-asleep, I am ashamed.

When I apologize for the blunder, she kicks my foot. 3 times. It was very painful.

(TL: I don’t think I need to tell you guys which scene right ;) )

Anyway I head towards the forest.

I go to ranto river’s downstream and take a bath.

Bath.

Although the consecutive attack from big snake madarama and giba left a strong trauma to my heart, my dear mistress “That kind of situation rarely happens.” Says a cold line like that to a weak otherworld person.

But well, that big snake madarama is certainly giba’s natural enemy. Because it was reigning the mountains, giba choose the forest surrounding the foot of the mountain as its castle. If madarama starts appearing in the forest often, then giba’s number will be reduced more because it was fleeing to other places.

Because of that, madarama coming down to the foot of the mountain must have been an irregular situation. It probably fell into the river in the mountain and followed the flow of the river. What an annoying snake. 

Because I have that theory, I was finally able to enjoy bath.

Because the average temperature is about 30℃, bath feels really good.

I don’t usually have a morning bath habit but because I didn’t have so much time to bath like this before, it feels like paradise.

This is just a by-talk, but I’d like to mention that I didn’t violate people of Morihen’s taboo after that incident on the first day, I would like to specially mention that at least once. I swear by my soul, I never done something like that, really.

After bath is finished, It’s time to gather herbs.

Pico leaves are the most important one.

When pico leaves used as a preservative, it will degrade because it absorbs water from the meat. Even if it’s stirred once a day, it will lost its effect completely in about a month.

The storage for meat is 2m x 2m x 30 cm. Because once a month all of the pico leaves have to be changed is quite a lot, this is the reason why I have to gather a considerable amount of it daily.

A cut of pico leaves for a cut of meat. This matter of maintenance activity affect directly to life so if the gathered leaves doesn’t reach the calculated quota, then I have to give it priority and make time to gather pico leaves.

After that finished, I begin to gather gurigi fruit and reero leaves. (TL: グリギの実やリーロの葉)

Gurigi fruits are actually the nuts needed to make the insect repellent.

In order to protect themselves from venomous insects and snakes that lurk in the forest, People of Morihen make a bracelet knit from its fruit. I put it on my neck because it gets in the way of my cooking. Also, if you sow it around the house, the danger of being invaded from the window at night can be excluded, that’s why it’s also gathered regularly.

Riro leaves are the herbs needed to make dried meats.

Although it isn’t used in large quant.i.ty like pico leaves, it’s importance is not less than it.

By the way, the seductive smell that Ai Fa has, one of the factors that form the smell, is this Riro herb. It’s cool and calming, not only it can be used in aromatherapy, it also harmonize with the violent smell of meat and fat. It was a surprisingly wonderful herb.

But, Ai Fa doesn’t affected by its effect. Maybe, because I only get kicked in the foot.

When I finished gathering them, firewoods gathering are the last thing to do.

Because it will be a baggage, firewoods gathering is postponed to the last.

A fallen branch is enough to be a firewood, tie it into a bundle with nearby vines that grows naturally. If the amount doesn’t reach the target, find a young sapling to brought home, and then dry it at the house.

Also, rain like squall falls here several times a day.

Because it’s impossible to predict this natural phenomenon, it isn’t rare for the firewood that were gathered with great pains to be soaked. To not be discouraged, I gathered them with spirit. When it get wet it’s wet, I only need to dry it. That kind of spirit is necessary.

Moreover, because I will be cooking with my method, more fire will be used than usual, because of that firewood gathering is also an important thing to do.

However because both of us are occupied with our own work, one’s presence is not important in each of our works. That is certain.

Although pico leaves gathering is important, it’s also a matter of priority, either way everything have to be finished or it will be impossible to live.

Also was.h.i.+ng the dishes, drawing water, knife maintenance, managing food ingredients, gathering herbs and firewoods, even hunting giba. The purpose of all of it is to live.

If one of them is missing, my lifestyle won’t hold.

Work, in order to live.

Work hard everyday, so I can survive that day.

Because people of Morihen are engaged to a life like that, they never paid attention on how to “Improve their meal’s quality.”

Meat, also aria, also poitan, it’s possible to eat if it’s cooked.

Any more process isn’t necessary.

Eat, to live.

Just like other works, that’s the “mean” to live.

Something like entertainment doesn’t exist here.

Something like “taste”, doesn’t matter.

If you don’t eat, you die. So eat. No more no less.

That to animals, might be the correct way in a sense.

Giba nabe that Ai Fa made, giba soup that I made as well, might not have any differences in nutritional value.

Then, putting it in this world’s way, which one can be made in the shortest time might be the right thing.

But I am a person from different world.

A foreigner from the world that knows the pleasure of “food”.

Because of that, I have no choice but to live through my way.

Thus my fight in this different world, had just begun.