3 . I suddenly came across a fever



 I slept in a simple hammock since we didn't have a bed yet, but it was quite pleasant to sleep and wake up, probably because I hadn't slept on anything other than the wooden floor of a wagon in a long time.

 Erdena came out of the living room looking a little sleepy, but as soon as she saw my face, she said
"...wait a minute...don't look at me in my sleep...
 With that, he rushed into the bathroom.

 'Good morning, Botchan, good morning Nya.
 In the living room on the first floor, Unja, the cat person (Cat People), was already preparing breakfast for me.
 She and Erdena returned, having groomed herself and her hair, and the three of us began to eat together.

'For now, we need to check on this neighborhood,'
 I say, as I bring my sandwich to my mouth.
Oh, uh, well, in that case...
 Anya spreads out the paper on the tabletop, where there is no food.
'If it was a radius of about a kilometer, I would have checked the whole area before dawn, Nya.
 On the paper, the situation around the village was scratched out in great detail.
 Erdena and I were really impressed with the skillfulness of the drawing.

 According to Una, the village is located on the slope of a mountain, and there were no dangerous creatures in the area.
 However, he said that the other side beyond the mountain top was not very human-infested and seemed to be rich in hunting catches.
The magic stone vein Erdena-sama is looking for seems to have some veins of magic stone as well.
 So it looks like we are on the verge of some self-sufficiency and the prospect of finding Erdena.

 After breakfast, we decided to spend the morning tending to some abandoned farmland near our house.

 Although the weeds are overgrown, there are glimpses of edible vegetables growing in their natural state.
 I removed the weeds with wind magic, stirred the soil several times with magic, and then disinfected it with sunlight.
It's very useful. Normally it would take three days to remove the weeds.
 Unya was very interested in the pile of weeds we had removed.

 Once some of the work was done, I returned to the house.

 After locking the windows and doors of the house with magic so that only Erdena and I could open them, the three of us decided to go for a walk across the mountain.
 Me and Erdena took our bows, as we might be able to hunt as well.
 Unja had her dagger at her hip and everyone's lunches in her backpack.

 We crossed the mountains and descended a bit, and came to a rather wide plain.
 As we strolled around, we saw quite a few wild rabbits, and although we shot them with our bows
Well it won't be like... an archery range.
 And, as Erdena says, it didn't quite work out.
From the side of us, Unja ran out of the room with great speed and killed four rabbits in the blink of an eye with one of her daggers.
 Erdena and I were stunned by the speed of his feats, and we could not help but be stunned.


One Month Later

 Life in the forest was going unexpectedly well, albeit slowly.
 
 We repaired the usable wood and furniture in the abandoned house and brought them into the house we were using for living, and we were able to put up a bed and a bookcase in each of our rooms.
 This allowed for reasonable storage for the items that everyone had brought with them.

 The research facility was simple, but it was equipped with enough equipment that it could be used to make simple medicines, and there were plenty of medicinal plants in the forest that could be used to make medicines, so we didn't have any trouble finding the right ingredients.

 During the past month, Erdena and I had improved our archery skills so much that we were able to hunt wild rabbits and foxes with our bows.
 Once, when we encountered a big tatami boar, we managed to take it down with fire magic, but since we killed it pretty deep in the forest, it was a challenge to carry the animal we killed home.

 The settlement also cleaned up the habitable houses other than the one you live in for now, and made them ready to be used in case of anything else.

 One of the houses used to be a small inn, and had several rooms on the second floor, and at the back of the house there was a hut for stopping wagons and a stable.
 This is where we parked the wagons and horses we had ridden in, and there was still quite a bit of room to spare.
 I was deeply moved by the fact that this place used to be crowded with travelers before the paved detour was built.
 In the field, we planted some edible vegetables that we found in the forest, and they are growing well, although we are still waiting to see how it goes. The harvest will be a little later, but we're looking forward to it.

 Then, just then... 
Hey, this is even better than I expected.
 Black, the Ogre People, accompanied by his troopers, stopped by this settlement.

 It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family.
 However, there are already facilities for stopping carriages, stables, and even lodging, so it's not hard to see why Black would be surprised.
I thought we'd be able to find a place to live for the time being, but it's not so bad," he said with his usual laugh.
 Black lets out his usual laugh.
 We couldn't help but smile, too.

 Kuro had brought food and sundries for us.
 Since he insisted that he didn't want money, he decided to stay the night instead, and we decided to have a party at night.
 Although most of the food was meat, vegetables, and mushrooms from the forest, Black had brought some liquor with him, and his followers, the goblin people, were happy to have a good time with us.

 During the feast, Black told me that...

 There is a small post town about two days southward from here on the highway, and it seems to be the place where the people of this village moved to, but I was told that I had already been banned from entering this place.
 I've been told that there is a large settlement of sub-humans at the foot of the mountain, about two days northwest of here, where trade is thriving and there is a lot of activity.
If you're interested in going there, I'll go with you and introduce you to this place. 
 Since Black said so, I decided to ask him for help.

 I thought that a place where we could trade would be appealing, and if things went well, I might be able to sell some of the medicines I had made.

 The next day, Erdena, Unja, and I set out on horseback with Kuro. We didn't go over the mountains, but instead followed a former highway for a while before taking a route into the forest. Even when Kuro isn't there, I mark the path on my homemade map so that I don't get lost.
 After stopping overnight along the way, I continue on for another half day, the forest suddenly opens up and a bustling village appears before me.
 The perimeter of the village is covered with a wooden fence, and the dog people, who have been watching from a watchtower, notice us and come up to us.
Hello, Googus. Hello, good to see you after all these years! I am! Black!
'Oh! It's you! It's been a while! How are you!
 They seemed to know each other and were shaking each other's hands and laughing at each other.

 Thanks to Black's introduction, we were allowed to enter the village right away.
 Almost all the people in the village seemed to be sub-humans, and I, being of an ordinary race, seemed to be a rarity, attracting a lot of attention.
I'm sure you'll find that if you want to do business in this village, you'll have to show your face at the union," said Black, as he led me to the union's hut, which he said was their office.
"Oh? Hey, Mr. Black! It's been a while!
'Oh! Alea's looking well, too!
 Black introduced me to the union's clerk, an ant people, a woman named Alea.
These people are my acquaintances," I said. They live in a forest nearby and they want to trade with us in this village.
If you're a referral from Mr. Black, you should be fine. In the meantime, can you fill out this form for me?
 The document that was handed to me said that, "Trade Application for Village at the foot of Mt. Gorun" and had a list of simple questions.
 First, there was a column to fill in the name, but since I have been disowned by my parents, I don't have a family name at the moment, and as I was wondering what to do, the
A name is all that matters in there. This is a subhuman village. Nobody cares about your last name.
 Black says that and pats me on the back.
 Relieved at his words, I just write 'Safate' in the name field and fill in the rest of the details.
'Safate, are you selling drugs?'
 I'm sure you'll be able to find out what I'm talking about by looking at me with a look of satisfaction.
It's not much, but I can use magic, so that's what I use to mix it up.
 As he explained that, Alea
Just in time!
 I was quick to say so, but he grabbed my hand and ran off.

 According to Alea, the number of people in some parts of the village who have been suffering from high fevers of unknown origin has been increasing recently, and she was troubled by this.
 He said that if there was a medicine for that, he would love to sell it to them.

 He took us to a small church on the outskirts of the village.
 When I entered, I saw about 10 sub-humans lying on bedding laid out on the floor, and an owl person (Owl People), who seemed to be a sister, was walking right and left among the sub-humans with a vat of water in his hands.
'Who are those people, Alea-san? This place is full of feverish people, sir.
I deal in medicine. I also have the ability to do some simple healing magic, so I might be able to help you with something.
 At my words, the owl rushed up to me with a visibly delighted expression on her face.

 Her name is Yome, and she says that she is here to perform therapeutic acts and do church work as a Sister, as she can prepare simple herbs.
 
 At any rate, I looked around at all the patients and found that they all had high fevers and all had red spots around their necks.
''It's ... depa fever, isn't it?''
Well I agree.
 Eldena nods at my words.

.
 When a person is injured in the woods, a virus called Depa bacteria enters the body from there and infects the body. Depa bacteria often breed in rotting meat.
 Depa bacteria that enter the body multiply in the lungs and there is a high risk of droplet infection through coughing or other means.
 There is a high risk that an infected person will develop a high fever and die from it.

 The antipyretic I had brought with me added a disinfectant spell to the antipyretic I was giving the patients to drink.
'You should take it too, Yome and the others. Even if you haven't contracted the disease yet, there's a good chance you've been infected since you've been in contact with the patients.
But.........how much is this medicine? Not everyone here is very well off...
'I don't need the money. There are people in danger right now, and we can't just abandon them.
A little boy! Are you sure?
 My words startled Anya.
You'll have a glass of unja like that, okay?
 My strong words were met with a nod of approval from Unja, and so....

 The effect of the medicine was immediate, and the patients began to lose their fever within a few hours.

 According to the sub-patients, there was a place near the village where many rotting corpses of tatami boars had been left, and they had developed a fever while trying to bury them.
 At any rate, it seemed certain that that was the source of the infection, so I advised them to burn all the carrion instead of burying it.

 Immediately, Googus, the guard, went out with his men and incinerated all the meat as I had instructed him to do.

 Perhaps this would put an end to the fever.

 The news of this one was soon spread throughout the village.

 We tried to return home, but the villagers welcomed us with open arms, and that night we had a big party in the village tavern.

 In the middle of the bar that had been turned into a banquet hall, Unja was happily dancing with the villagers.
She was enjoying herself in the middle of the tavern, dancing with the villagers. Why don't you go out with me?
"Meow-ha-ha..." "Woo-ha-ha is for you, little one.
 I'm enjoying watching all of that happen.
Thank you for your help.
 Erdena gets the food and hands it to me.

 Thank you for your hard work.

 I was able to do enough work today to get her to say that.
 I'm happy to have been able to realize that.

 The party continued without end on this day.