My Villains Episode 028
8. The Mill and the Undertaker (2)
I hesitated for a while at Ellen’s order to celebrate, but eventually left the room.
Hmm, I have a lot of work to do.
First of all… the pauldron was completely broken, so I had to buy a new one. Helmets and breastplates Boots and gloves also needed repairs.
Oh, I should ask him to put an iron frame on his shield. On the way, buy some special burnt ingredients for Ellen.
He got four gold coins from catching a crocodile, so he had plenty of time.
After leaving Ellen’s room and going down the stairs, I saw Daria resting her chin on the bar with a dazed face.
“Daria.”
“Oh, Poi. Mr. Ellen? Are you okay?” Wow, those caring eyes. Daria has the impression that she has grown up very well. I don’t know the details, but I wonder if I grew up in a harmonious family.
“I’m still struggling, but I think I’ll get better soon. He was full of energy.”
“thank god. what is that?”
Saying that, he stretched out his left hand, and the flower ring on his index finger caught his attention. Fortunately, the color hasn’t faded yet, so it looks pretty good.
I’m proud of it… I’m sure that’s not ragweed, right?
Thinking so, I showed off my military cap.
“There’s something I want to fix, but it’s not working. Are you good at sewing?”
“Yes, to some extent. What do you want to do?”
“It’s nothing special, inside here…”
After hearing my explanation, Daria showed her skill and quickly patched the fabric and stuffed it with cotton.
…”To what extent”?
“Wow, this is almost like a sewing machine?”
“A sewing machine? Who is that?”
“Uh— no. Does it look good?” At my question, Daria let out a sigh.
“Whew, I’m free now. But I have to go to take care of the milling soon…”
Daria’s face, as she spoke, showed a thought that could not be hidden. What’s going on?
After I asked her several times, Daria confessed her circumstances.
“There is only one mill that commoners can use inside the walls. It’s a bit remote, so I’m reluctant to go there.”
“what? Then, can the owner go?”
“Because you shouldn’t be away for too long. The atmosphere these days is a bit… that’s right.”
Indeed, most of the criminals who were publicly executed yesterday were robbers.
I heard that there were people who broke into inns and taverns, killed the owners and clerks, and plundered food.
Even so, the castle lord was not paying enough attention to public order as he was busy defending the walls and docks.
There were no significant differences between the guards and the number of unresolved crimes.
Daria’s pensive eyes made me hesitate for a moment before asking a question.
“Well, where is the mill?”
“To the west. A stream flows there.”
Gaecheon? no way?
“Is that… a watermill?”
“huh. however?”
…This is a must go!
“West? Then- I was going to go to the studio, would you like to come with me?”
“really? Thank you.”
Daria put her hand on her chest and smiled bitterly as if she were sorry.
“Ah… I’m so sorry. Just like the last time, it’s because of me.”
“Because it’s okay. I also sewed for you, but I have to repay you.”
At my repeated persuasion, Daria finally smiled slightly and nodded.
I went down the road armed and left the inn with Daria. It was half a sack of barley to be handed over to the mill.
Actually, oats can be roasted with the skin on and made like a pie or boiled and eaten as porridge, but barley is too rough to eat as it is. Milling it into bread makes a much better meal.
After talking about this and that, we arrived at the three gold workshops.
Ilton moved busily and brought the equipment I entrusted to the artisans.
I bought a new pauldron that looked similar to the one that was broken, and I also bought the vaccinia and shin guards I had been eyeing the other day.
Both were high-quality plate armor, but the waist armor sufficiently covered the elbows, and the shin support was structured to tightly tighten the calves, so it was very sturdy. Together with the pauldrons and vambra and shin guards, it was two gold coins.
Even after adding in the six pennies I paid for repairs, it was a pretty reasonable price.
After completing a satisfactory transaction, he left the workshop, but since most of the equipment was left for repair, his steps were very light.
It would be comfortable if you normally go around like this.
Buckler and Pulsion squeak and make noise, which bothers me, but without these, I’m afraid I won’t be able to walk around, right?
I was worried about the kingpin, or gangster boss Ubar’s subordinates, but I was relieved that the guards were nearby all the time as I headed to the mill through the castle tower and workshop gate.
In addition, according to Daria, there are no thugs around here.
The mill is definitely in a remote place, so people are rare, but it is said that this neighborhood also has its own district.
This is a neighborhood where people such as Park Pi-gong (劍皮丁), mill keeper and executioner live together.
Daria looked around the extension while explaining that.
“It’s a bit awkward, though. There are a lot of strange rumors about people in this neighborhood.”
“Strange rumors?”
“huh. It is said that the parchment worker hired beggars to steal livestock. What kind of rumors.”
Listening to Daria’s story somehow reminds me of a butcher or an idiot from the Joseon Dynasty.
I think there are many similarities, such as the work that I do, and the fact that I earn a lot of money because I am a professional in my own way, but I am treated with contempt.
After all, all places where people live are the same.
…then a watermill by any chance?
As I walked with happy imagination and excited heart, I arrived at the mill before I knew it.
The mill was covered with roof tiles baked in ocher color, and it was a building made by stacking bricks over a stream.
Contrary to the image I thought of, the water wheel did not turn vertically like a wheel, but turned horizontally while lying down.
It was a structure in which the water flowing from the stream was poured through a narrow hole, and the generated water power was used to turn the water wheel, and when the water wheel rotated, the wheel was moved through a pole attached to an axis
. said it looked different. Curious, I watched for a while.
The workers at the mill were all dressed in brown, as if they had been deliberately tailored. They took the grain from us and told us to wait in a nearby barn.
Daria quietly backed off, so I stayed still… Are you okay?
“But Daria.”
“huh?”
“The millkeeper mixes the grain with sand? Shouldn’t I be monitoring you from the sidelines?”
“You wouldn’t even start working if Ei was watching you? And if you peeked, it would be a big deal. Because no matter how famous a warrior you are, you will fight to the death.”
“what? why?”
As it turns out, the miller is also a skilled person, so it is said that unless you become his disciple, you cannot learn the milling technique.
Well, at first glance, it may not seem like a big deal, but isn’t technology originally an expensive intellectual property? You don’t want an outsider to steal your technology over your shoulder.
No complaints, of course. It’s not like I’m going to learn the art of milling.
Thanks to this circumstance, I was able to sit comfortably on the dry straw and talk about various things with Daria, and I was rather grateful.
It would have been nice if the barn was a little more- um closed.
Daria, who was chatting loudly, suddenly undid the wide cloth tied like a hair tie. Light red hair cascaded down like a waterfall catcher.
“Shall we play tag?”
“hide and seek?”
What is this again? Elementary school students won’t be playing hide and seek these days.
Oh, but- this world is not a world with computers and smartphones, right? Isn’t it strange that a grown adult enjoys such a game?
“Haven’t you?”
“What have you been doing?”
When I answered with a confused expression, Daria smiled brightly and covered my eyes with a cloth.
“Then I’ll go first. Can’t we get out of the barn?”
“I know what.”
The barn wasn’t very wide, so we had to be pretty careful.
If I set my mind to it, I was confident that I would go around Daria and make fun of her all day long… But originally, it’s fun to be caught in moderation.
Hearing my footsteps, Daria, who had carefully approached me, jumped up and grabbed me by the waist.
“Kyahak! got it!”
“Fuhahak! Hey, why are you working so hard?”
“I have a strong fighting spirit. Now it’s your turn!” Daria, who was fond of clapping her hands, untied the cloth and handed it to me. The cloth Daria had tied around her hair was permeated with a subtle scent.
It was different from the strong shampoo scent that was common on Earth. The light scent of flesh permeated between the soft lime scent was a scent closer to nature.
I feel like my heart is losing its way and shaking.
I swallowed dry saliva and covered my eyes with a cloth.
As I tied the knot at the back of my head, I could feel Daria running away with a triangular laugh.
“Here Poi! here!”
Daria ran around the barn, shouting mischievously.
Making noise by kicking a pitchfork on the floor and knocking on the other side with a pole hanging from the wall. Daria tried to trick me with all her tricks.
“Hey, not there! Here!”
ha cute
However, Phoenix’s senses were already out of the normal range of humans. I could feel Daria’s breathing and movements as clearly as I could see them with my own eyes.
So I needed a bit of acting to play with Daria.
Pretending to be caught up in her deceit, I flailed to the wrong place, and I ran after it in a narrow way and brushed the hem of my skirt with my fingertips.
He fumbled over the wall over Daria’s head, who was squatting in the corner, and turned around pretending not to hear her breathing.
Daria, who was being chased by me while playing around, stepped on something wrong. I made a noise and lost my balance.
Instinctively, I kicked the floor and jumped out, grabbing Daria. By the way –
“Uh.”
“Ha ha ha ha thank you…”
Daria’s rapid breath in my arms suddenly tickled my ear lobe.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and shoulders, and Daria was breathing heavily with her hands on my chest.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa-”
I could feel my chest repeating its swelling and sinking as I tried to catch my breath through my slightly trembling hands.
…Entrusting the breastplate to the workshop was a godsend. Through the thin fabric, you can feel the soft and voluptuous touch and the sound of your heart like beating a drum.
At that feeling, I stopped breathing. Then Daria’s breathing began to be felt more clearly.
The breath that passed through the cheeks and reached the nose was extremely sweet, with a faint scent of mint mixed in.
Wow, is this a bit dangerous? It’s unbearable.
“..Daria are you okay?”
I pretended to be calm and pulled down the blindfold. No, it was the car I was trying to pull down.
“Wait a minute.”
A trembling hand grabbed the hand that was heading for the eyepatch.
Soft, slender hands entangled large, rough hands. The fluttering or trembling flowing through her interlocked hands made the hairs all over her body rise.
I was startled by the sweet breath that passed through my lips and the soft, moist sensation that followed.
“O”
It seems that the joined hands have stiffened a little.
However, within a moment, something soft pierced his lips.
After a short kiss, their lips moved away leaving a moist breath on the tip of their nose.
Savoring the scent, I lifted the thumb of my clasped hand and pulled down the eyepatch.
The sunlight streaming into the barn was shining into Daria’s eyes.
Wow-
the Mediterranean Sea seen from an old castle in Nice on a summer day.
Those watery, sea-green eyes resembling the Mediterranean seemed to be holding me by the collar. I can’t take my eyes off it.
Is it because of tagging or kissing? Daria catches her breath and her eyes sparkle.
My instincts pulled her into my arms.
I kissed her with boiling heat, and Daria hugged the back of my neck as if responding.
What is this all of a sudden? Can I be this happy?
Uh, but- usually in games or novels, something like this always happens.
Boom
…somewhat ominous.
