Chapter 5: Welcome to Elle Village!
“WITHOUT much ado, meet our new villagers!” I announce, waving my hands over the dozen or so people I abducted from the desolated village.
The servants I brought from Analia stare at us in shock. Not that I blame them for being surprised to discover that their mayor came back from a shopping trip for sugar and salt with thirteen strangers instead.
Meanwhile, the kidnappees don’t know how to react to my announcement that they’re now a part of my village. And by the way, I went through a world of trouble to kidnap them.
Things were working out great and all when the healing mist cured the injured, sick, and emaciated people who breathed it, but everything went south when the villagers zoned out thinking the sudden change in their health was just a dream. Amid the confusion, Canna and Jasper helped persuade them to come to Elle Village.
Even the branch-wielding boy who saw what I did was very hesitant at first after seeing his sister regain her health. But he was quick to pick up on who was responsible for it, thanked me, and assisted in convincing the other villagers. Apparently, the villagers put a lot of trust in him, because the majority didn’t resist once he spoke to them. He’s amazing for his age.
As for the boy, his eyes dart around the fields growing throughout the village. The seeds and seedlings have grown quite large since we planted them. The desolated village’s fields were more barren dust bowls than productive farmland, so he’s probably in shock seeing how lush and healthy the neatly arranged crops in our village look.
We ended up dedicating more land to fields than expected, which is likely going to come back to bite us during harvesting season with our lack of farmhands. Maybe it was the correct choice to bring in more people after all.
Our new residents are going to live in the open houses left over from Julius’s initial building project. Now it’s starting to feel like a pretty decent-sized village with about thirty residents. Still on the small side, but good enough. Women, children, and the elderly make up the majority of our newcomers. Or rather, that defines them all. Most of the able-bodied men left to become bandits, like the boy said.
Elle Village warmly welcomes our newcomers after I introduce them.
Meide whips up a soup that’s easy to ingest for our starving new villagers, and we sit down to eat together. The healing elixir may have relieved the long-term effects of malnutrition, but they will still get hungry. Not to mention, Meide’s cooking tastes the best in the whole wide world. I spot them cracking the occasional smile and starting to enjoy themselves as they eat their first solid meal in a long time.
What a relief. Everyone feels welcomed. Things should work out.
Reassured by what I see, I look around and notice Julius looming like an awkwardly placed statue a slight distance from where everyone else is eating. He’s been acting kinda funny, brooding ever since I cast my spell on that village. He hasn’t spoken a word and his face is grim.
I don’t like it…
“Lady Elle, is it all right if I give the new villagers clothes? I would also like to have them bathe,” someone says as I’m watching Julius, drawing my attention away from him.
Marie, the former laundress at my manor, is standing there with a big, friendly smile, holding the hand of one of the new children. The kid has a dorky smile after enjoying hot, tasty soup, but his clothes are full of holes and mud is smeared on his face and hair. The rest of the kids are just as filthy.
“Of course you can. Take them to the river first. I’ll bring some clothes by later.”
With my permission, Marie leads our new residents to the river.
I collect a bunch of garments and head to the riverside.
✦ ✦ ✦
“MARIE! I’ve brought clothing!” I call out, gesturing to the towels and clothes piled on top of the magic carpet floating next to me.
Marie thanks me and tells the girls and women washing up in the river that clean clothes have arrived.
The women show hesitant diffidence, as if they’re still nervous around me. But the children, having already adapted to the change, race over to the carpet and cheerfully clamor over who gets what outfit.
Hehe, that’s little girls for you.
Speaking of little girls, I don’t see a single boy?
“Hey, Marie, what happened to the boys?”
“I told them to wash up further down the river.”
“You did?! That’s dangerous! Aren’t there only young boys?! Is anyone older with them?”
I didn’t see a single adult male in that entire village. Each of the boys looked younger than ten, with the oldest-looking one being the boy poking the ground with a stick. The water current may be idyllic in this part of the river, but it’s game over if a little kid slips and drowns.
“Laurent said he would look after them,” Marie explains.
“Who’s Laurent?”
“The village chief you brought back with you, Lady Elle. He’s the man you call ‘boy.’”
“Then he’s still just a child! That kid was the village chief? Either way, I’d hate for anyone to slip and drown. I’ll bring their clothes and check on them in the process.”
“B-But Laurent is—”
Marie tries to stop me for whatever reason, but I don’t want to risk anything happening to them while I hear her out, so I hurry downriver.