As I recall, there........no, my house, Mino rubbed his eyes.
　If Mino's memory is correct, there was a settlement near the 'Sinner Trade Union'.
　But where the settlement was located, there is only a building under construction.

I'm sorry. Wasn't there a Minotaur's settlement here? (BMO?)
Yeah, here it is.

　Mino asked, to which the man who looked like a craftsman replied without seeming particularly surprised.

'So, where did the inhabitants of the village go? Buh-buh-buh?
They've moved into the woods.
"Thank you.

　Riding the wagon again, Mino had to suppress his anxiety and agitation until they reached the new settlement.

*

　Breathing, Mino got out of the covered wagon and found a settlement.
　The house looked sturdier than the one he had in Sylvania, and there, Mino finally felt a pang of relief in his chest.
　Mino trusts Crono, but he would at least be upset if the settlement had moved to another location without his knowledge.
　Even though it has moved, the settlement is relatively close to the sea, and the wind blowing in from the sea is pregnant with two things: freezing cold and the smell of tide.
　A closer look revealed a field between the settlement and the coma forest.
　Out of pure curiosity, Mino passed through the village and headed for the field.

''.........''

　Mino stared at the field.
　The wheat wasn't even as tall as Mino's knees, but for some reason, he couldn't get the words out.

''........Brother! (PUMO~!)

　When Mino turned around, Aria was standing there.

'Aria, where are your fathers?' (Bum?)
'You don't know, brother?　'Dad and the others are doing the work that Crono-sama asked us to do.' (Pumo?　(Pmo~)

　Master Crono?　And Mino crossed his arms.

''Oh, you mean that one?'' (Bumo~)

　In installing a deputy in the Count of Caddo territory, Crono is setting up a magic item for communication between the Marquis of Erakis and the Count of Caddo territory.

''Brother, can you take it easy today?'' (PUMO?)
''I got a special leave of absence, so I'll be fine. But I can only take it easy for two days.

　I can't neglect my job as a deputy, and many of my men can't go home that easily.
　I can't relax when I think about them.

''Oh, I bought a souvenir. And also a gift from Crono-sama.'' (Bumo~)
"Let me help you, brother." (Pumo)

　He returned to the wagon and split up with Aria to unload the load.
　Youko sat down to help, but sat back down when he saw Mino and Aria unloading lightly.

'What is this?' (PUMO?)
"It's ... a thousand tooth treatment.

　What Aria was staring at curiously was an instrument called 'Thousand Tooth Handler'.
　It is shaped like a combination of a giant comb and a wooden frame.
　It could be passed in the form of dozens of long iron skewers at narrow intervals, or even substituting a long skewer for a fork.
　It seems that the 'Thousand Tooth Handler' was originally a tool used in the world where Crono was. Crono until Leila pointed it out to him.
It must be one of the obsolete tools because he says he forgot about the existence of the Thousand Tooth Handler.

"Crono-sama says it can be easily threshed just by passing it between the teeth" (Bumot~).
That's so much.
It's a great invention!
It's a great invention!

　Thud!　And two women dressed in ochre-colored priestess uniforms slipped in front of the 'Thousand Tooth Handler' at a ridiculous speed.
''Who are you?'' (Bum?)
''It's the priest of the Yellow Earth Temple. I recently came from the imperial capital.'' (Pumo~, Pumo~)

　The two priests stood up and looked up at Mino.

'I am Granette, a priestess in the service of the 'Mother Goddess of Ochre and Fertility'.

　The tall woman said, brushing back her long brown hair.
　I'd say she was in her late teens.

I'm Plum," she said. I'm a priest too.

　The short woman says in a tongue-in-cheek tone.
　Her age is in her early teens.

''You mean the Ocher Temple, are you junior to Lord Zion? (Bum?)
He's my subordinate, not my junior.
Master Theon, in recognition of his many years of hard work and merit, has risen to the rank of High Priestess.
We're the only people who work for him, though.

　That's good, Mino congratulated Theon on his career from the bottom of his heart.

''To be frank, the Marquis of Erakis has risen through the ranks because of the donation.
No, it's not!

　A puffy, dry wind blew through Mino's mind.

''That guy is in a world that is hard to know.'' (Bumo~)
Really. But it's lucky for the Marquis of Erakis, isn't it?　At least the people above are mundane enough not to think that the Marquis of Erakis donated it with good intentions.
"That's one way to think about it.

　It would be safer not to ask why a female priestess was sent.

''That said, the Marquis of Erakis is amazing.

　Granette lovingly stroked the 'Thousand Tooth Handler'.

'Why is it so great?' (Bum?)
It's usually a hand job. Yeah, I'm sure it's a hand job too.

　Granette clenched one hand as if she were grasping something and moved the other as if she were handling something.

'You use this like you'd use it to bind wheat together and run it through your teeth, right?
"I'm sure he said something like that, but...
Would it be a death sentence to spread this to other areas?
I don't want the death penalty.

　Plum clung to Granette with tears in his eyes.

''I'd rather make sure it's usable than spread it around.'' (Bumo~)
That's true.

　Perhaps regaining his composure at Mino's point, Granet nodded easily.

''So I wonder if this was given only to your village?''
"I'm sure Master Crono would have distributed them to every village.

　Mino added in his mind that he might be thinking of experimenting with it in this village before spreading it around.

'So, what do you think of our farm from an expert's point of view? (BMO?)
So far, so good.
"For now? (Bum?)
'I'm human and I can't make absolute promises. Well, the hard part is that I can't make promises, but I can't fail so many times.

　Granet said sorrowfully.
　It would certainly be bad form to fail after receiving five thousand gold coins in donations.

''I'm a little relieved.'' (Bumo)
Yeah?　Most of the time I get a bad look on my face when I say these things.

　Mino became embarrassed and scratched her head.

I'm not sure if it's because I've been in the military for a long time, but when people say that I'm a sure thing or a certainty, I worry more about that.
It's complicated.
"Not at all.

　As Mino carried the load, Plum hurriedly held it in his arms.

''The priests will be stationed here? (Bum?)
I'll be going from village to village for a while. The Marquis of Erakis seems to want to explore the area, so the frequency may increase, though.

*

　The new house was far larger and more solidly built than it had been in the Earl of Bowties' territory, obviously larger than the one near the harbor.
　According to Aria, the new settlement house was built with the help of Silva and several other dwarves.

''.........Mother.'' (Bumo)
'I'm glad you're back. You must be hungry.' (Bumo, bumo)

　Mino sat down in a sturdy looking chair, feeling embarrassed and apologetic.
　'I'm getting old,' she thought, looking at her mother's back.

'You're going to be able to relax for a while, aren't you?' (BMO?)
I've got work to do.

　Mino stared at the table, barely able to squeeze out her voice.
　I'm sorry because I'm guilty of running away from my hometown I'm guilty of leaving my family.
　I couldn't bear it, Mino said, clenching his fists under the table.

'Really?　I'm sorry to hear that. You have to take care of yourself.' (Bumo?　(Bummo~)
"I know, mom." (Bumo)
"Tell me something, brother! (PUMO!)

　Aria said as she read the air, shaking off the dark, subdued air.

"...where do you want me to start? ...bumo?
'Yes. A fun story is good.'' (Pumo)

　Mino closed her eyes and remembered what had happened since she met Crono.
　Although he had been in the military for a long time, the days he could call fun were after meeting Crono.

You're right. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I met Crono-sama...

　He spoke slowly, choosing his words slowly.
　Every day since he met Crono, as a caretaker.
　About Crono and Leila.
　About Hachel when it was unsafe.
　That Crono was attacked by thugs along the city walls.
　And how Kane, the head of the bandits, became a reliable companion.
　Little by little, everyone's efforts made Hachel's security better.

''You've gone through a lot of hardship~'' (..................bumo~)
.....

　Mino stared at the soup her mother had put on the table.
　It was a nondescript vegetable and fish soup.
　When I put it in my mouth, the back of my eyeballs went numb.

''.....................Delicious, Mom's cooking is the best.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere." (Bumo)

　Mino scraped the soup in one go, tilting the plate and drinking every last drop.
　

'Oh, you're back?' (Bum?)
"....dad.

　The father didn't seem particularly fussy......no wonder.
　
　Mino arched his back and looked upwards at his father.
　Why did they move the settlement?
　What about the field, how about the work that Crono had entrusted him with?
　He couldn't utter such questions.

''........Did you make a mistake in your job?'' ...bumo?
"I'm doing my job well.

　'Well,' my father said shortly.

''I've left a gift for you from Crono-sama. It's not just for our house, though.'' (Bummo Bummo)

　Many of the gifts are all practical items such as farming tools.

''Mino, Crono-sama.......what kind of man is that?'' (Bumo.......Bumo~)
"Dad? (Bum?)

　My father scratched his head awkwardly.

'I know. I know Master Crono is a good man. He's helping us finance the settlement, and he's buying us salt. Salted fish, too. He even helped me find a job in the winter.......honestly, he's been so good to me that it's uncomfortable.'' (Bumo, Bumo~)

　I know what he's going to say.
　I don't believe him, to put it bluntly.
　No, I suspect that he has a motive.

'Crono-sama.......is that kind of person.' (Bummo Bummo)
"So that's the kind of person you are." (Bumo)

　Something had to be said. Mino looked at her mother and Aria for a moment, her fists clenched under the desk.

"Dad....I'm a knight now.
What? (Bum?)

　It was lines like that that reflexively poked out of my mouth.

''Well, brother!'' (PUMO!)
"Oh, oh, minnow! (BUMO~!)

　Unlike Aria and her mother, who looked impressed, her father seemed to be stunned.

''You're a knight?'' (Bum?)
''My work was approved by Mr. Crono and the leaders of the Kingsguard wrote a letter of recommendation for me.
I have to go tell everyone. (PUMO!)

　As Aria ran out of the house, a cold wind blew in at that beat.

''.........You're the knight, huh?'' (.........bumo~)

*

　Within an hour after Aria left, it was known throughout the entire settlement that Mino had become a knight.
　It was naturally decided to have a feast, and a log was set up in the center of the village.
　It was a modest feast with alcohol and preserved food brought in, but Mino couldn't hide his surprise that there was enough room to bring in alcohol and preserved food.
　Ignoring Mino's confusion, the party went on.
　Honestly, it was uncomfortable to be called the pride of the village and so on, and it was also uncomfortable to be offered alcohol by a girl of her age, or to have a widow use her eyes on her.
　An hour or so passed, and the flames weakened.
　He must have drunk there, but he couldn't get drunk, and Mino was staring at the fire in a somewhat blank mood.

'I'm going to sit next to you.' (Bumo)
"...father, where are the others?

　I looked in the direction of my father's attention and saw several minotaurs lying on the ground.
　Mino was the star of the party, but it was probably my parents and Aria who were spoken to most often.
　It had been fifteen years since Mino had left his hometown.
　At that time, Aria hadn't even turned ten years old, so she was well outside the marriageable age range.
　Mino realizes that the reason Aria isn't married is because she was supporting the house instead of herself.

''It's the house that was in the harbor.'' (........bumo)

　My father said, staring at the wooden cup.

'They gave me money for eviction. That's right, it's the house we worked so hard to build. I couldn't just hand over the place even if he came back later and asked me to give it to him.

　Mino doesn't answer.

But in the end, we decided to give it away. It's not a bad price to pay for something called "something". If it wasn't for a woman like Elaine, it would have been worthless.

　Mino didn't know Elaine, but perhaps it was for the purpose of selling her favor.

''I wanted to leave Aria, I wanted to leave her some money. Do you know what?　He wants to open a diner." (.........bumo?)　(Bumm~)
"Dad, I'm..." (Bumo)

　When he was muzzled, his father lightly tapped Mino on the shoulder as if to tell her not to worry about it.

'It's true that you abandoned your home and left, but this is how I came back. Thanks to you, I'm living a life of hope. That's good, isn't it?'' (Bumo~)
"Dad, I'm a knight now.

　Too?　My father asked back.



　Mino told a story that she hadn't told her mother and Aria the story of the war.
　About fighting the Holy Argo Kingdom last May.
　Defeating the bandits the killing of a former colleague of Crono's.
　In January of this year, you invaded the Holy Argo Kingdom.
　Passing through the line of fire with Crono.
　And I know that Leo, Horus, Lysad and many others are dead.

"Father may doubt you, Master Crono, but I believe in you." (Bumo, bumo~)

　It's hard to convince. Because no matter how many words you say, it won't come close to the realization Mino got.

''I see.'' (Bumo)

　My father's reply was short. My father seems to doubt Crono, but Mino believes him.
　That's just the way it is.
　And so the night of the party ends.



　We ate, conversed, and walked around the village with my family.
　That was all it took to make the two-day vacation fly by.
　Now the covered wagon was moving east with Mino on board ... to Hachel.
　I've spent two days in vain, but my guilt over my family seems to have eased.
　Perhaps it's an illusion.
　From now on, that's exactly what Mino will have to carry the guilt with her until the day she dies.
　That's just the way it is.
　He couldn't stand the way his ancestors lived, so he abandoned his family at one point.
　So how could he not feel guilty at all?
　When you get to Hachel, you'll be busy again.
　And the next time you visit your home town, there will be a new change.
　Maybe there will be a harvest festival in the fall.
　Maybe Aria would set up shop in Sylvania.
　Mino closed his eyes as he thought about this.