Living as an Unemployed in Another World

85 – 4. Silence in the Helm (1)

1.

Winter is a painful season.

Especially in this world. Even in a chaotic era where dungeons are springing up, monsters are rampant, and heretics are rampant, the chill always comes and covers the world.

On days when the bare old trees turn white, even the new shoots are covered in snow and the world freezes——even a bloodstained sword will not escape its scabbard. It’s just that everyone holds their own fire in their hearts and endures the cold to the bone. I’ve been feeling that fact keenly lately…… Etch!

“Oh.”

While sniffling the mucus that came out of my nose, I stroked my arm. I still don’t understand why I’m the only one enduring the cold and heading to the backyard on days like these when even adventurers rarely visit me, but what can I do? Living on top of it, I can’t ignore the request of the inn family.

There was still a lot of snow piled up outside, and the reflected light penetrated and it made my eyes hurt. I pushed the frosted door open with my foot, revealing a large basin, a poker, and a structure resembling a stove in the kitchen. I immediately closed the door and went inside. A cold wind blew through every crevice in the wooden plank wall, but once you start a fire, you’ll be able to bear it. I took out the short cane tucked into my waistband.

“Fire bolt【Fire, come】.”

As the spell was cast, flames erupted from the tip of the blunt staff. I almost set the fire on the wrong place because I was sneezing through my nose, which was suddenly heated by the sudden heat. I put my staff to the hollow brazier and lit the wood. Hwareuk!

“…… It rides well.”

I don’t know if it’s because of the strong firepower or because I chanted a spell, but the wet firewood was quickly deprived of moisture and burned well. I sniffed. Acquire! As if responding to the exhaled sneeze, the flames in the brazier danced. Once the fire was lit, the cold wind that penetrated through the cracks in the planks could no longer use its strength, and the narrow interior was enveloped in languid heat. I slumped down in front of the furnace and scavenged for firewood with a poker.

“… ….”

Thinking about it, it has been four years since that day. It’s been over a year since I was transferred to this world…… One night when the moon rose. So, right before my 18th birthday. That much time has passed since the day he justified himself by saying that he was in lieu of overdue wages, swept all kinds of items from the ownerless room, put them in a bag, and ran away.

At the time, I probably never thought that I would be able to survive to this age. In the middle of the journey, he had given up on himself, saying that the witch would surely be chased and captured. Even so, desperately getting out of the forest…… It was probably because there was no hope of living any longer. If his life was worth it, at least he wouldn’t have thought of stealing her stuff. No, perhaps because he knew the future of becoming a sacrifice and being eaten himself, he might have squeezed out his last strength and resisted as much as possible, and now he recalls that.

And I survived. I intercepted the embers escaping into the burning pyre. When I close my eyes, I still see the scenery of the mansion…… Her figure is vividly pictured in the eye, but she is at least not while her eyes are open. Feel the cold, feel the heat of the flames…… I feel intense annoyance. Oops, it’s an arm I threw down the poker and lay down on the floor.

This is all because of the witch. Everything is her fault I hate to admit it, but when I was living in the mansion, I didn’t need to chop wood or start a fire myself. Looking out the window, I could tell it was snowing, but the chill never invaded the inside. It was the best environment for a human like me to live in, with the same warmth always in summer and winter.

At best, I fell into a world with a civilization that fell a little short of modern times, and entered a space borrowed from all sorts of magical powers, so I inadvertently questioned what people should do in their lives. Just like this space, for example. In summer, it is enough to go to the nearby river and wash your clothes, but in winter, such convenience is not allowed.

That doesn’t mean I can’t help but clean myself all winter, so one day I have no choice but to take a bath using the water from the well dug at the inn…… The river and the waterway are often frozen, and even if you broke the ice and put cold water in a basin, would you dare to splash it on your body? If anyone has tried it, it is certain that within a few days you will get sick and be buried in the pit, so start by heating the water.

Until last year, the ‘golden mule’ paid quite a lot of money and loaded a wagon with an ignorant-sized stone that had the effect of heating water in the city and used it to the fullest throughout the winter. I spent the fall without writing. Why? Now, isn’t a wizard who can fire arrows whenever he wants to live with him?

I vowed not to cast a spell until I fully understood the curse clinging to my heart, but even that promise was useless in the face of pressure from the innkeeper. Hiring a wizard to light a fire all winter costs a fair amount of money, but I’m a sucker. It’s not a spell that consumes slots, it’s a small magic, so I just hope there’s nothing special.

Although the inn family made efforts in their own way, such as building a wooden fence and selling a fireplace to make the best use of my order, they didn’t find a way to keep the fire from going out in the room filled with water vapor. I couldn’t do it and ended up being the one on duty. It’s not like you’re chanting spells and burning firewood every day, but at least once every two days, you’re being summoned to make a fire like this, so it’s bound to get annoying. I was lying on the slightly warmed floor, whether the light was off or not, when I suddenly felt a presence stepping on my eyes from outside the bathroom and approaching me. I slowly got up and confirmed the identity of the visitor.

“Jin, is there?”

“Al.”

A giant with green skin and prominent tusks, one head larger than a normal person. Alphonse, of the half-orc tribe, held an ax in one hand and a fork with firewood in the other——it felt like an envelope because of his size——and brushed the snow off his head and entered the bathroom.

“Here, firewood. The rest is piled up in the kitchen.”

“…… I missed a lot. Okay.”

When I answered, he placed the firewood he had piled up on his shelf near the fireplace, then inhaled, closed the door, and left. Not even diligent

Alphonse, who has been staying at our inn since last month by paying a gold coin, has consumed a considerable amount of food to maintain his size, even considering that he paid four months’ worth of accommodation in advance. As usual, it would be appropriate to pay extra for the amount of food served, but…… After my persuasion and Mr. Cooper’s agreement, I used my big muscles to go to the mountains like this from time to time to chop firewood. The amount of trees they cut down every time they visit is at least to the point that they cannot stop doing this work with the excuse of firewood.

Even with that, he didn’t go outside at all except for times like this, and he stayed in the inn, so he thought that winter was scary. Before reducing energy consumption, it should be said that there is something that makes people lazy. Other adventurers are no exception, so unlike me, who has been very busy lately, unless the number of cases is large enough, they only step into the guild once every four or three days. Like lazy people.

Before the water had completely boiled, the flames were about to die down, so I ignited the fire with a rough swing of my staff, and crouched down in front of the stove, rubbing my hands together. By the way, the wand I am using now belongs to Zenith. In addition to her main weapon, the wand, it is a staff she carries as an assistant, and she is allowed to borrow it especially during the winter. It wasn’t even a request from me, but as soon as I was in charge of using magic to warm up the bath water, I subtly handed it to you. There is no woman who does not like taking a bath, so she thought so.

If you wait another 10 minutes, the water will heat up. I rubbed my hands in front of the stove and crossed my arms. In my heart, I want to soak in the bathtub first in exchange for labor, but today, female employees and female adventurers are supposed to wash, so I’m afraid of repercussions if I use it secretly.

Before I came here, the women were gathering in the hallway and having an in-depth conversation about who would wash the bathtub first, and maybe soon we’ll see who wins over the rest.

At last there was a knock that was smart and quite flat. It must be cold outside, but seeing that he doesn’t open the door, is he a rather sophisticated guest? I gave permission to enter the room with a cracked voice.

Before long, the girl in a loose-fitting dressing gown, having thrown off her corset, shook her head. Even if it was puffy, it was only a wide dress, so it couldn’t hide the ridge of the chest that pushed up the fabric or the feminine curves from the pelvis. She rarely met her eyes as she came out somewhat loosely with her hair undone in her ponytail. …… It’s celine

“Welcome.”

“Yes. He, can I do it now?”

I nodded her head and she hurried in and shut the door, lifting her skirt. The basin of soap and dry cloth was immediately set down on the floor, and she hurriedly gathered the breath in her hand. It was cold as expected. Seeing as she was her first guest, she must have knocked out all the other female adventurers in a brawl. Well, how could I ever get tired of my little girl having a ferocious temper?

Aside from the fact that Janice, who was so weak in assertiveness, lost the battle, it took a little while for Mira, who was first among the women in terms of flags and force, to yield her order. It didn’t bother me that much. After all, even she can’t win every time. In life, people sometimes lose.

I stood up from her seat as she undid her thong that slipped out of the back of her neck without her warning. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see it, but no matter how much, I have to get out of the way at times like this. When I opened her door without saying hello and let her squeal, she pulled out her bra and, startled, hugged her breasts and turned to look behind her.

“…… Store?”

“No, what. Go…… Ji?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Awkward silence rises. Again like this.

When spring comes after this winter, Celine will already be eighteen. It means that she will no longer be her little lady who used to be mean to me. Even so, after she confessed her feelings to me once, she often behaved incomprehensibly like this, so it was still frustrating and crazy for me who was used to her before.

A silence ensued, and I, who had nothing to say, said, “Slow down, I’ll be in the kitchen.” As if to run away while saying something like that, I pushed on her door and she slammed my back. What are you going to do? If you keep doing this, one day you’ll be beaten to death by Mr. Cooper.

“…… He, what shall we do?”

“Can’t we just stay? Don’t look.”

Wouldn’t you like to see it? I still looked at her ignorant and sighed inwardly at her.

“If you go in and I don’t come out, what will other people think?”

“You can say that the fire was being made…… Because it was cold, they said they were sitting in front of the stove.”

I turned to the side and put my hand on her mumbling head. Now that I look at it, it seems to me that I am complaining a little bit. She was cute, but her half-naked figure was no longer as cute as before.

“I’ll go.”

“…… Huh.”

I left the disappointed Celine behind her and hurried out of her bathroom. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I stay longer, so I have to run away.

I kept sneezing on my way to the kitchen. Acquire!