Chapter 248: Nothing Good Comes from Being Bored
I decided to skip buying food from the stalls and switched to a breakfast of canned goods. Even though Dinoss was supposed to have eaten at home, he was still munching away.
I carefully washed and stored the Spirit Iron.
“It’s impressive how you manage to carry your stuff properly even though you can store it,” Dean remarked.
“I feel like sometimes you hide things in the wrong places, but I guess I can appreciate the effort,” Dinoss added.
So that’s how hiding the [Storage] connects to it. I just thought that if we were going together, we should have the same conditions. Rishu needed his walk, so I couldn’t leave him behind, and I hoped they’d understand that I wanted to go home a bit later.
“Gene is quite sociable,” Ash said, sounding somewhat impressed, but I just wanted to blend in with everyone.
“Ruta, thanks in advance. It’s a bit heavy today,” I said, distributing the weight evenly so that the load wouldn’t sway and hit Ruta.
Thanks to my physical abilities, what felt bulky to me wasn’t heavy at all, but it was a different story for Ruta. I was glad I had eaten those canned goods.
“Isn’t it lighter than Karn?” Dean chimed in.
Karn was riding a draft horse that had a certain imposing presence, you know? Elegant horses are nice, but there’s something cool about a sturdy, hefty one too.
While I was lost in thought, Ruta rubbed against me. He’s the best among the horses, so I felt reassured.
It had been a while since I’d gone out, aside from long rides with Ash. Unlike those long rides, there might be Demon Beasts lurking on this journey. I hoped for a safe trip.
Kanum’s Horse Rental Shop had connections with the Fortress City, allowing them to lend and borrow horses, and they often returned with passengers. Apparently, they were relatives.
Ruta and Karn’s horses were set to be taken care of there. Meanwhile, Retze had already handed over money to the rental shop, contacted the Fortress City, and secured accommodations for all of us.
Whether we earned money in the Demon Forest, explored the mine shafts, or ventured into the Labyrinth, the inns in the Fortress City filled up quickly if you didn’t have preferences, but they were generally clean and affordable.
With preparations complete, we set off toward the Fortress City. There were two people who were familiar with this road, so I left it to them. Instead of the merchant road, we took a path closer to the forest that adventurers with some confidence would use.
We sped through areas where Demon Beasts were likely to appear and had already marked rest points, so the journey went smoothly.
Given that, Dean and Chris led the way, followed by Ash and me, the Butler, and finally Dinoss, Retze, and Karn. Ruta tried to take the lead, but he calmed down when he walked alongside Ash.
Ruta, why do you huff like “I guess I have no choice”?
“Hahaha! Ruta is clever!” Dean laughed.
“When the owner is unreliable, this is what happens,” Chris added.
“Did I make you feel uncomfortable?” Ash began to sincerely thank Ruta.
“Just a little more…,” What does he mean by “a little more”? Butler?
“In my time, the goal was just to have more children. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t take action now,” Karn said, revealing a perspective on family and chastity that seemed out of sync with modern views. I hadn’t asked him directly about his views, but this was my conclusion based on observation.
“Even in this era, rural areas are quite open-minded. They tend to have more children to gain workers. In contrast, cities value chastity. Merchant families and nobles often engage in political marriages, so knowing whose child it is becomes a huge issue,” Retze explained the stark differences to Karn.
In rural areas, people marry young, while in cities, even if you’re not a noble, you need to achieve a certain status through apprenticeship before you can marry, which delays things. Apprenticeships usually involve living with a master and doing their chores while learning, so you can’t get independent or be allowed to attend classes unless you reach a certain level.
You need to achieve a certain status to have the means to support a family! In rural areas, you can secure food based on what you cultivate, which gives you strength.
Whether you think of it as labor force or heirs—either way, childbirth is a life-or-death matter, making it tough for women. For some reason, during the sixty-six days after childbirth, they can’t allow the Spirit’s Power to touch them, so healing potions made with Spirit Water don’t work.
There’s a hypothesis that until the newborn awakens a minimum level of self-awareness to avoid being taken over by spirits, both mother and child become immune to the influence of spirits, but I don’t know if that’s true. At the very least, for those sixty-six days, it’s dangerous, so both the mother and those around her need to take care.
Even if healing potions worked, most people couldn’t afford them. In rural areas, you might never see a gold coin in your lifetime. Childbirth is, in a sense, equal; both the rich and the poor face life-threatening risks. Of course, the wealthy can create a safer environment.
Additionally, midwives are said to be the inheritors of birthing techniques monopolized by priestesses serving the Great Mother Goddess, who flourished long before the winds and flames. The Great Mother Goddess is also known as the Earth Mother and was a spirit of the earth in female form.
In ancient ruins, the goddess is often depicted with a bountiful figure, suggesting she wielded considerable power over a vast area.
“Even if you put them in the same room for a night, nothing would happen. According to my wife, Ash talks a big game but doesn’t realize it’s about himself. Gene, on the other hand, was so happy just holding hands the other day that he’s not even as advanced as my En,” Dinoss exclaimed.
Hey, Dinoss!!!
“If you keep talking about it, they’ll run away. I know it’s frustrating, but still,” Retze said.
That’s right, just like Retze said! It’s unbearable!
If nothing happens on the way, everyone will get bored!