The Ghost of Struve
Summer has arrived.
People walking through the streets have properly switched to light clothing, walking around the streets without any shame.
So the high exposure rate of humans in fantasy worlds was reasonable after all…? Well, I guess it’s just their culture.
It’s one thing for men, but even women show no particular sense of shame about it. Bare legs, exposed navels, bare shoulders – they do it all without a care. It’s a feast for the eyes, if you will.
However, when you can see body hair, it kind of ruins the appeal. I wish they’d properly take care of that. Maybe I was born in the wrong world…
I also change my equipment during this season and wear lighter clothes.
There’s this miraculous material called breathable leather, but I just wear a single cloth shirt. At first glance, it looks like a short-sleeved shirt. Combined with the rough texture, it probably looks like an aloha shirt.
So here’s this plain-looking guy carrying a single bargain bastard sword, heading out on missions. The birth of a starting avatar adventurer. Without the sword, I’d probably look like nothing more than an ordinary civilian.
However, even doing all this, when I put on my backpack, there’s nothing I can do about the stuffiness. I thought about making a mesh back pad to prevent stuffiness, but I always give up before getting that far each time. There’s only so much crafting I can do by myself…
“Barley harvest assistance – there sure are a lot of them again this year.”
“Yes. With the increased production of beer and whiskey, the cultivation area has also increased. It’s been gradually increasing year by year, but I think next year will be even busier.”
“Like with the wheat harvest, will they draft guildsmen as escorts? Milène-san, have you heard anything?”
“Hmm, we haven’t heard about future plans yet either… But the number of escort requests has certainly been increasing, so it might be possible from next year onwards.”
“I see…”
Barley harvest is also in season right now. There are quite a few requests for harvest assistance and escort duties. It might be a money-making time for Bronze ranks, but for me, who finds long, drawn-out expeditions troublesome, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
There aren’t any other particularly noteworthy requests either. Crazy Boars taste bad during this season too… So it might be good to take a break from being a guildsman for a while.
“Alright, I’ve decided. Milène-san, I’m going out camping for a few days. As for free subjugation, well, I’ll do it if I feel like it.”
“Camping, is it? How long are you thinking?”
“Give me about seven days.”
“That’s quite long? Oh, that’s right, Mongrel-san always does this around this time of year.”
“During summer, you won’t freeze to death even when camping at night. It’s the perfect season to spend time leisurely outdoors. Making smoked meat outside is also quite nice, Milène-san.”
“Hehe, is that so?”
She doesn’t seem particularly interested in such manly romance, so Milène-san brushed it off with an appropriate polite smile. How sad.
However, I got permission for free subjugation without any problems. During this period, I won’t be treated as a suspicious person even if I’m outside the town, and I have enough trust built up for that not to happen.
Seven days of camping. Well, that’s not bad either. It’s my preference.
But what I’m doing this time isn’t that kind of recreation… it’s a bit of a homecoming.
I exit through the east gate, take the Charles Highway, and enter the Forest of Baroa. Officially, I’m supposed to spend a week here, but I ignore that and continue further east.
I run with full body enhancement, weaving through the gaps between trees.
Today I’m carrying various supplies on my back, so it’s heavy, but it’s still not enough to strain my stamina. Taking advantage of no one watching, I charge through the rough terrain. Even if I make detours, I only pick a few evening primroses along the way.
Eventually, I enter the edge of Baron Hermite’s territory. Around here, I become more of a “who the hell is this guy” rather than a guest, so I take routes deep in the forest to avoid being spotted as much as possible.
I won’t get lost in this forest though. I brought my handmade compass. However, this thing doesn’t point north due to some characteristic of this world’s magnetic force, which makes it a bit troublesome. It probably points toward the Demon Continent. The principle is a mystery.
Because of that, it’s a bit hard to read, but as long as I remember the shape of the needle when it points east, there’s not much of a problem.
“Ah, good afternoon.”
“Guge!”
During mountain climbing, I must not forget to give a proper bastard sword greeting to any goblins I pass by.
I don’t particularly like Baron Hermite, but… well, it’s a guildsman’s duty. This extermination is a service.
Even running at full speed like this, I won’t reach my destination.
Running in the dark would be dangerous and just scary, so I quickly set up my tent and went to sleep that day. I burned monster-repelling incense while also producing insect-repelling smoke, but this season has so many bugs. It’s hard to sleep and annoying…
In the middle of the night, a goblin got caught in my noisemaker and woke me up with its loud voice, so I quietly put it to rest. I didn’t cut off its nose. It’s dirty.
In the end, I didn’t sleep very well. Camping is easier in autumn or winter… personally…
Early morning, I departed as soon as it got slightly bright. I refilled my water bottle at a river and continued charging through the forest.
Proceeding further, the pathless path became even more treacherous, with terrain of extreme elevation changes. Coming this far, I’ve probably entered the edge of the Latraille Mountain Range.
Running while mountain climbing is honestly tough, so I head east while being careful not to come out onto the highway, hiding in groves and such.
I camp again that day near some appropriate water source.
I didn’t bring food, so I decided to beat to death about three Halper Ferrets that attacked me during setup and roast them to eat.
However, these Halper Ferrets taste like absolute shit, probably because they’re carnivorous monsters.
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Halper Ferrets are monsters similar to weasels, with thick, long tails that have scale-like jagged hard keratin on the sides of their tails. They have a unique attack method of swinging or striking these to slash at their prey.
They’re about cat-sized, but they don’t cower even against large humans or monsters, being ferocious creatures that boldly attack.
Their fur sells for a decent price, but… the meat is devastatingly bad. I probably should have looked for and hunted other prey.
In the end, I finished that day’s meal without even reaching 80% full and quickly went to bed. I couldn’t finish most of the meat and left quite a bit behind. Forgive me, weasels…
“I’m so hungry.”
The next day is trail running again.
However, coming this far east into the frontier of frontiers, close to the border with the Holy Kingdom of Sunglaire, major settlements decrease and military outposts increase.
Even those military outposts are just small forts watching the highways, and if you go through the forest, they’re not much of a problem.
And as I get closer to my destination, even such forts become scarce.
“Ah, finally arrived… hah, hah… I’m tired…”
I arrived at Struve Pioneer Village.
No, it’s not a village anymore. This is where Struve Pioneer Village used to be. It’s nothing more than ruins now.
This is the land where I was born. My hometown, abandoned by the country and destroyed by enemies.
“It’s getting swallowed by nature more each year… At this rate, won’t it be consumed by the forest in another two or three years?”
When people think of abandoned villages, they might imagine scenes of completely dried wastelands with scattered bricks, but here in Struve, since it was a place carved out of nature, it doesn’t become completely dried like a wasteland.
The packed dirt roads and gravel roads are all just covered with weeds. If this continues to be left alone, small trees will probably start growing eventually, but that will take a bit more time.
Right now, it’s just a weed-covered vacant lot.
“Let’s see, the watchtower is that one… Wind-kun mk.2 is over there… and my house is over there. …Ugh, was it used as a monster’s den or something? It’s worse than last year.”
The materials from the abandoned village were mostly taken when it was destroyed.
Lumber for building houses, pillars, metal fittings – most of it was completely stripped away. What remains are the foundation parts of buildings and parts that were too troublesome to loot and were left untouched.
Among them, the house I lived in had a solid foundation, so it’s probably one of the better-preserved structures when looking at the entire village. …Though it’s just a stone foundation with a collapsed roof.
Well, there’s room for small beasts and monsters to settle in, but it’s a bit too wild for bandits to use as a base. In a way, this environment where people don’t come is more convenient for me.
This way, I can come to visit my parents’ graves every year without worry.
“Hey there, I came to visit. Father, Mother.”
Large gravestones placed behind the house.
Just two tall stones placed side by side – that’s my parents’ grave marker.
The two of them sleep beneath this. Whether they’re getting along or not, I don’t know. They had many lovey-dovey moments, but they also fought quite a bit. Without me around, their relationship often became strained, so I wonder how they’re doing now. They say children are the bond that holds couples together, but without my previous life’s influence, I think it would have been a normally tense household. For better or worse, they were a young couple.
“I brought flowers for you. I didn’t let the evening primroses wilt, so be grateful.”
I offered evening primroses to Father’s grave marker and dandelion flowers I picked nearby to Mother’s grave marker.
There’s no incense culture in this world, but I burned some monster-repelling incense to make it feel appropriate. It creates atmosphere… though it’s a bit wasteful.
“I’ve surpassed both of your ages, so now I’m older. It feels strange, doesn’t it? I’m still only 30… Well, I am 30 though… That’s pretty scary. Time passes too quickly even in this boring world.”
In my previous life, I hardly believed in spirits and such things at all.
Even now, I trust science more. …But above all, I myself performed the miracle of reincarnation.
It’s a world where undead exist. Honestly, even when talking in front of graves like this, I can’t help but feel like the two of them are somehow behind the gravestones. Maybe I just want to think that.
“I actually thought about pouring whiskey on the gravestones to show off to you two. But they don’t sell it anywhere. Maybe the nobles took it all again. Really pisses me off. Well, so can you save that for next year’s fun? By next year, I think I can probably get at least one bottle.”
I draw my bastard sword and cut the grass around the gravestones. It’s all overgrown because it’s summer. Grass cutting used to be rewarding work, but I won’t be throwing this grass into the small handmade compost bin anymore. It’s just left scattered around.
“I went fishing with that junior I told you about last year. There weren’t many fish, so it was mostly shrimp and crabs. Waterside areas really are nice. The reservoir here is… now buried with sediment, wasn’t it? Well, anyway. There’s a big river nearby, so if I keep at it, I think I can catch something. That’s what I’m looking forward to right now.”
After finishing the grass cutting, it’s time to tear away the vines entangled in my ruined home.
“I’ve made more acquaintances and juniors too. Legol is a nice place. Despite the population constantly growing, public safety is good. I said all nobles should die before, but I might have to seriously take that back. Among them, well, there are some decent ones. It’s obvious, but actually experiencing an example makes a big difference.”
Phew, outdoor work finished.
“Now, was there anything else to talk about…?”
Without conversational catch-ball, it’s quite tough.
It reminds me of my father from my previous life sleeping in the coffin at the funeral home. I was confused about what to say then too. I just need to talk on my own.
“…Well, anyway. I might not be able to show you a grandchild’s face, but I’ll live a long life.”
I take out my equipment from my large luggage and put it on my body.
Ah, it’s hot in summer even with this… even though it wasn’t in direct sunlight…
“So don’t worry and stay dead. Reincarnating in another world is also good – if you wander around as ghosts in this world, I might accidentally kill you by mistake. If possible, please go somewhere else. Oh, if you get cheat skills from god, I recommend Appraisal or Item Box. You can survive with either one. If you get the chance to choose, remember that.”
I unwrap the bundled cloth and reveal my helmet. I put that on too. Hmm, this one feels cool. If I were active outdoors, it would get hot and humid anyway, but right now it’s heaven.
“…Well then, I’ll clean around the village a bit and then head back. See you later.”
Wearing full equipment, I walked toward the center of the village.
This Struve is already Sunglaire territory. But even after finishing their occupation, they don’t establish residence all the way to this village.
Why?
Because every year, I attack this village and the Sunglaire military facilities around the village.
Halperia has no way of knowing this, but the Sunglaire bastards have been living in fear for nearly twenty years now.
Of the “Ghost of Struve” that appears in this land – something that might be human or monster, they don’t know.
“‘Erosion.'”
I activated my Gift and began my annual patrol activities.
To conclude, this year ended with just destroying one unmanned fort under construction.
Peaceful and very good. It would help if they stopped construction next year too.
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Erosion… huh?
So that’s his gift. But what about his absurd body enhancement?
Mongrel actually have multiple secret powers because isekai privilege