I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[106] Water Sage’s Refuge #2
The Elder’s House nestled within the thickest Ancient Tree in the village.
When Nia knocked—tap tap—Radi and I swallowed hard.
“Come in.”
As I stepped inside, tense and wary, I saw an elderly deer-horned Beast-kin seated in a chair.
The numerous ornaments dangling from his antlers made it immediately clear he held the highest position in this village.
When Radi and I bowed respectfully, the Elder gestured and spoke.
“Welcome to our village, young ones. I am Bernando, the Elder and headman of this place.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Bernando. First, I express my deepest gratitude for allowing us to stay in this village. And… I sincerely apologize for damaging the door and chair.”
“Such things are of little concern. However, I would appreciate your caution. This village is isolated from the outside world, and resources are scarce.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Both of you, sit here.”
As I took the seat the Elder offered, he immediately moved to the main topic.
“I’ve heard the general circumstances of how you came to be here. You fell victim to the Flower Queen’s malice, I understand. How much has your condition improved?”
“Actually… it seems a parasitic seed has been planted in me.”
“…A parasitic seed?”
The Elder’s expression grew grave. He straightened in his seat, then examined my body with a faint magical aura emanating from his fingertips.
Soon, he furrowed his brow and spoke.
“This is unmistakably a seed planted by the Flower Queen. Only she possesses the power to cast such a curse. Moreover, this is a parasitic seed of a plant called ‘Veinflora.'”
“Veinflora…”
I had heard of it before.
Once it takes root, it torments the host for roughly two days, then enters a dormant period lasting about three days.
After repeating this cycle several times, it blooms into a flower sustained by the host’s vitality and stats.
It meant I didn’t have much time left.
“But… is there any way to determine how the seed was planted in the first place?”
“I cannot say with certainty. However, judging by the location of the roots, it appears to have penetrated through a finger.”
“A finger? Damn it all!”
Realization struck me like lightning. I rummaged through my belongings.
The flower-shaped jeweled ring Lenar had given me as a gift. Ever since I discovered her true identity, I’d found it unsettling and had been leaving it off… but now it all made sense.
I hurled the ring away, and Nia deftly caught it mid-air.
“You’re throwing this away? It’s so shiny and pretty, what a waste…”
“Please, take it if you’d like.”
It had already served its purpose, so the ring itself shouldn’t cause any further harm.
“Elder, do you know a way to remove this seed from my body?”
“The removal method is simpler than you might think. One need only brew a specific medicinal herb and drink it.”
“That herb is…?”
“A rare orchid that grows only in this Primordial Forest. But don’t worry. Our village herbalists have just ventured outside, and they should return with the orchid in about a week.”
I exhaled slowly.
“I can endure until then.”
“That’s fortunate.”
The Elder nodded and rose from his seat.
However, he added with a grave expression.
“But I must caution you on one matter. Many residents here are wary of humans, so do not act recklessly. And the moment your treatment is complete, you must leave this village.”
“Immediately, you say…?”
“It may seem harsh, but it cannot be helped. By principle, humans are not permitted within this village. This time, we made an exception only because Nia, our finest warrior, insisted strongly on it.”
“…I understand.”
I glanced to the side.
Nia was holding up the ring on her finger, watching it sparkle in the light.
Since she was our benefactor along with Radi, I could afford to show a bit more gratitude.
“…Thank you once more, Nia.”
“Huh? Don’t mention it!”
Nia laughed cheerfully, seemingly unconcerned.
A smile untainted by the world’s grime.
It was hard to believe that this young lady would join a Large Guild two years from now and slaughter enemies without mercy.
After hearing from the Elder about precautions to take within the village, we bowed respectfully and stepped outside.
We had no choice but to remain here until the village herbalists returned.
Radi asked quietly beside me.
“We’ll need to stay here for a while until Doran’s body is fully healed. Truth be told, I haven’t completely recovered from the aftermath of that battle either… What will you do now?”
“Well… it feels awkward to just rest all day, so maybe I’ll lend a hand with village work.”
Just then, the log window updated.
Ding─!
「You were miraculously rescued while under attack from Lenar, Queen of Flowers! Once the medicinal herbs arrive, you may be able to remove the parasitic seeds embedded in your body.」
「But remember this well. The Flower Queen will surely employ her schemes again.」
「A sub-quest has been added!」
「Build affinity with the residents of Water Sage’s Refuge!」
「If you gain the trust of the residents, you may receive aid when the coming crisis arrives.」
「Current resident affinity: [0/200]」
‘Resident affinity, huh…’
This worked out perfectly.
Since I had to stay here for a while anyway, it was better to repay their kindness in some way rather than sit idle and consume their resources.
If I helped with whatever tasks I could, I should be able to raise the residents’ affinity.
‘And this coming crisis they mention is also concerning…’
“…Let’s slowly explore the village and see if there’s anything we can help with.”
After parting ways with Nia with a smile, Radi and I wandered throughout the village, striking up conversations with the residents.
However, their responses were far colder than I had anticipated.
Radi, being a Sugar Glider Humanoid, could exchange brief pleasantries, but the residents I approached either turned their backs or pretended not to hear me, quickly moving away.
Their wariness of humans ran bone-deep.
“This approach seems like it’ll only backfire…”
“Right… I didn’t expect it to be this closed off.”
Radi and I sat on a moss-covered chair, lamenting our predicament.
While I was pondering how to befriend the residents, a small patter of footsteps echoed from somewhere nearby.
Turning around, I found a Beast-kin Girl approaching hesitantly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“Wow… you really don’t have a tail! Say, mister—are you that human?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“The adults say… that humans are an untrustworthy race…? Is that true? Are you a bad person too?”
I hesitated for a moment, then crouched down to meet her eyes before answering.
“No, that’s not true. Humans and Beast-kin are all the same. Some are kind, and some are wicked. I’m one of the kind ones.”
“Really? Then… could you fix our elevator? It’s broken, and my mother has been suffering because of it.”
“Sure, let me take a look.”
Following the Little Girl, I examined the elevator and quickly identified the problem.
‘The pulley gear has become far too worn.’
Because of it, the slightest shift in weight caused it to creak and slip uselessly.
“This gear here is too worn out—it needs to be replaced. Do you have any spare parts?”
The Little Girl nodded and pointed toward a nearby Warehouse.
I retrieved a new gear from the Warehouse, installed it, and inspected everything thoroughly.
But I noticed one more problem.
‘The auxiliary rope is nearly snapped….’
It wouldn’t cause immediate issues, but it could become dangerous in the long term.
“Do you happen to have a spare rope?”
The Little Girl shook her head this time.
In a place with so little contact with civilization, supplies would always be scarce.
“This is troublesome… I can’t just leave it as is either.”
As I rested my chin in thought, an idea suddenly struck me.
‘Wait… couldn’t I solve this with my own abilities?’
I concentrated my focus and drew out non-adhesive spider silk from my fingertips.
While each strand was far too thin to be of use on its own, twisting multiple strands together increased the strength, and a surprisingly sturdy temporary rope was complete.
Once I installed the finished rope and activated the elevator, it moved quietly and smoothly—far different from before.
The Little Girl’s eyes widened in wonder.
“Wow….”
“I’ve made the repairs, but this is only a temporary solution. Make sure to tell the adults that it must be replaced with a proper rope later.”
“Okay! Thank you!”
The Little Girl nodded vigorously and dashed off somewhere.
Ding—!
｢The Little Girl, having witnessed your kindness, is opening her heart to you! At the very least, this young girl will not fear you.｣
｢Current Residents’ Favorability: [3/200]｣
‘So that just increased my favorability by 3.’
It wasn’t much, but I was satisfied with this progress.
A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Reducing the residents’ wariness was the priority.
Whether observed from somewhere or not, it wasn’t long before the neighborhood children began trickling over cautiously.
“Um, excuse me.”
The child at the front held out a crumpled straw ball.
“Can you fix this too?”
“Of course. Bring me anything you’d like repaired.”
That was the beginning.
“My wooden top won’t spin right! Can you look at mine too?”
“The Elder gave me homework… could you teach me these characters?”
“Our cat got stuck inside a tree hole and hasn’t come out for an hour…!”
Requests cascaded endlessly, one after another.
｢The village children, drawn by curiosity, begin to lower their guard around you!｣
“Alright, everyone! I’ll help you all, so line up one at a time!”
I stepped forward with a smile, rolling up my sleeves.
Time was something I had plenty of in this place anyway.
* * *
About a week had passed since I arrived at the Secret Village within the Great Water Desert.
After suffering high fever for two days due to the seed, I finally managed to get out of bed.
As I opened the door and stepped out of my room, a villager greeted me warmly.
“Hey there, human! Feeling better? I heard you were quite ill.”
“I’m doing much better now. Thank you for your concern.”
“A young man like you shouldn’t be getting sick so easily. Here, try this medicinal wine I made myself!”
“My, how precious… I’m grateful to accept it!”
Over this past week, I’d been helping the villagers with everything—repairing the Monster Holding Facility, hauling timber, checking the children’s homework.
Because I always did it with a smile and without complaint, I’d grown quite close to the villagers.
As a result, I’d made considerable progress on the sub-Quest as well.
｢Current villager favorability: [186/200]｣
‘I’ve nearly filled the favorability bar.’
One or two more significant contributions should complete it entirely.
As I wiped the sweat from my brow and smiled, Radi looked at me with fascination.
“…Honestly, I was a bit surprised.”
“About what?”
“Well, I didn’t know you had this side to you, Doran. You play so well with the children, and you’re surprisingly domestic… At first, I thought you were just a battle-obsessed eccentric.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been like this.”
Even now, I’m a modern person who lived in an advanced civilization.
It just happened that way after being reborn into this world and tumbling through circumstances beyond my control. If anything, this side might suit me better.
In the middle of my banter with Radi, Nia approached with vibrant energy.
“Hey! Looks like you’ve adapted pretty well to life here! The kids absolutely love you!”
“It’s all thanks to you creating these opportunities for me.”
“No need to be so stiff about it!”
I nodded with a smile.
During my time here, I’d grown quite close to her as well.
Nia continued, swishing her tail.
“So here’s the thing! Do you have time to go hunting with me?”
“Hunting?”
“Yeah! The village people are running low on food supplies, and I usually go alone, but I thought it’d be fun to go together!”
I exchanged a brief glance with Radi.
If I helped Nia gather food for the village, I could instantly boost the villagers’ favorability toward me.
With luck, I might gain abilities from monsters other than the Giant Spider, and I had plenty of time before the next episode struck.
With Nia around, I’d feel secure even if Lenar tried something again.
I nodded vigorously and answered.
“Let’s go, Nia!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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