A New Village

“I see…”

This village was somewhat larger than Tree Village had been when I first arrived.

Like ours, it was surrounded by a ring of sand walls.

The people inside didn’t seem much different either.

The only notable difference was the relatively large well, so water didn’t seem to be in short supply.

“Oh, Ran-san, welcome!”

“It’s been a while, Village Chief Jinga.”

When we entered, a middle-aged man came to greet us.

He seemed to be this village’s chief.

Compared to Shekuri-san, he was a bit more stout, and the top of his head gleamed brightly.

“There’s not much here, but please make yourselves at home… Oh? And who might these companions of yours be…?”

“They may be the saviors of this village.”

Ran-san said this with a merchant’s sociable smile.

Careful not to appear suspicious, I decided to greet him.

“Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Woody, and I serve as the lord of the neighboring Tree Village.”

“Ohhh, from Tree Village! I am Jinga, the chief of this village. Ah, but those dried fruits of yours are exquisite! Ever since I first tasted them, my wife and daughter have been utterly captivated. They keep pestering me, asking, ‘When is Ran-san coming? When is Ran-san coming?’—and I was at my wit’s end.”

It seemed he already knew Tree Village by name.

Our reputation was spreading, and I felt as if I had been personally praised—it made me happy.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought dried fruits this time.

But he didn’t need to worry.

I had brought plenty of freshly harvested fruits that would surely captivate him even more.

Thud thud thud!

I pulled apples, persimmons, peaches, and grapes out of the Harvest Bag.

Chief Jinga was struck speechless, frozen in place.

I smiled at him and said,

“If you’d like… please, have one.”

Naturally, a man who had eaten dried fruits before could never refuse such an invitation.

And so, in this neighboring village, another fruit addict was born.

“C-could I let my wife and daughters taste these too!?”

“Of course. We have plenty of fruit, so please don’t hold back.”

“P-please wait just a moment!”

In a blur of speed I didn’t know he had, Jinga rushed off like a startled hare, only to return with his wife and daughter.

“What is it, dear? Why are you in such a rush?”

“Father, what’s going on all of a sudden…?”

“Eat! Just eat it! You’ll understand if you do!”

It was like domestic violence—except fruit-based. I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the sight of “domestic fruit harassment.”

With his eyes wide and gleaming, Chief Jinga looked like a hopeless dad trying to drag his family down the path of ruin.

“Isn’t he basically the picture of a bad father…?”

“Exactly. From here on, we’ll drag Jinga and his family down into the swamp of fruit addiction…”

I put on an evil grin and chuckled darkly, and Aira gave me a blank look.

Beside her, Ran-san glanced between Chief Jinga and me and asked,

“Why is Lord Woody acting so maliciously on purpose…?”

“…Who knows? Maybe he just wants to pretend to be a villain at his age?”

Thinking ahead, getting Jinga and his family hooked on our fruit was crucial.

We’d drown them in fruit until they couldn’t turn back.

It was completely legal, so there was no problem at all.

Kukukuku…

“…I’m tired of this. Time to go back to normal.”

Worn out from maintaining both a villain’s face and mindset, I picked up a nearby persimmon and bit into it.

The skin of the ripe persimmon was soft enough to eat whole.

I liked firm persimmons too, but being able to eat them without peeling made this version much more convenient.

While we were fooling around, the Jinga family had each taken a fruit.

And after a single bite—

“““Deliciousssssss!!”””

In a three-part harmony, Chief Jinga’s family became completely enslaved to the fruits of Tree Village.