Nicole and the Apothecary Family Live Freely
Dad and Uncle Arthur took two elderly people in the cart and headed to the town hall.
Mom and Aunt Dahlia stayed behind to take care of the remaining two elderly people, waiting leisurely for relatives to arrive.
By evening, two families had come to pick them up, and they were all overjoyed to see each other safe and sound.
I think those two had been on edge the whole time.
Seeing their relatives’ faces after such a long time, they finally smiled with relief.
When it was time to say goodbye, Mom quietly slipped small pouches filled with money into their pockets.
“If you ever have trouble, please visit this inn or the药师 (medicine) Guild.”
After saying that gently, Mom hugged Grandma Kina tightly.
Grandpa Alt was patted on the head by Alt.
A little later, I also said my goodbyes to them.
There will be tough times ahead, but I hope they stay healthy and keep living well.
We waved our hands as we watched their backs disappear down the road.
When the cart returned in the evening, only Dad and Uncle Arthur were in it.
They had completed the resident registration for the two elderly people. They visited an area where many Hateno villagers lived and found that many familiar faces resided there. Luckily, they discovered an empty house.
Though old and small, the rent was cheap, and the neighbors, knowing the situation, helped out with various things.
In the blink of an eye, Dad was made to sign a rental agreement.
“For now, I’ve paid three months’ rent,”
Dad chuckled bitterly.
He said he would observe the situation for a while to see if they could manage here.
“For the time being, we’ll check in frequently and look after the future of these four elderly people.”
“I’ll help too!”
Dad and Mom nodded firmly at each other.
Uncle Arthur and Aunt Dahlia, aiming to regain their adventurer’s intuition, went off starting from the next day to gather herbs and do low-rank jobs.
Even former high-ranking adventurers needed to start from the bottom due to the gap in their work.
“We’ll bring back extra herbs!”
True to their word, when Uncle and Aunt returned, they brought back heaps of herbs.
They delivered the required amount to the Adventurer’s Guild and brought back the rest.
It could be exchanged for money…
Though I felt apologetic, I accepted them without hesitation.
Alt and I didn’t have much to do, so we spent our days helping Jane pass the time.
The innkeeper kindly introduced Alt to the neighborhood kids.
Though he can be shy, Alt seemed to fit in well and played running around in the back of the inn.
However, every child has chores to do, so they only play for a few hours in the afternoon.
Otherwise, he sticks close to me, a cute little brother.
“Alt is so cute! You can call me big sister too!!”
Jane clung to him, which made Alt slightly uncomfortable.
My little brother is sensitive, so please don’t get in his face like that?
You might seem like a strange older sister to him!
◆◇◆
A week after we arrived in Tokaran Town, the Goblin Subjugation Squad finally set out.
“It’s about time!”
Though I felt frustrated, it wasn’t their fault—it was just our own impatience.
“The large-scale extermination of a Goblin settlement isn’t easy. If the village chief had issued an investigation request sooner, things might have been different…”
Dad muttered regretfully.
When dealing with a large settlement, naturally, higher-level creatures are suspected.
One goblin may not be a threat, but if surrounded by five to ten, even upper-level adventurers can lose their lives.
Even I can handle one cockroach, but not if there are too many!
“Goblins are the same.”
Dad also doesn’t want to fight cockroaches.
The threat of numbers is terrifying.
That’s why we’re fleeing right now―――.
Until now, we occasionally saw a few people fleeing from Hateno Village into town.
Even inside Tokaran Town, rumors about the villagers were spreading.
Villagers who came to Tokaran Town without proof of residence from the village chief weren’t allowed inside the walls and ended up camping outside for several days.
Even paying the toll, three large copper coins isn’t a small sum.
For individuals or couples, it might be manageable, but for families with children or grandparents, it was impossible.
Apparently, the truth was that because many villagers fled together, they gave up and started camping out illegally.
The gatekeepers of Tokaran Town panicked, fearing a deterioration in public order, and reported it to the town hall.
Only then did the officials finally stir themselves to conduct interviews with the villagers.
“Goblins attacked the village, and the southern farmland was destroyed! We don’t know what happened to that family… It’s probably hopeless!? …We barely escaped with our lives!”
“The village chief only cares about himself and ignores the villagers!”
“Because he was stingy with money and hesitated to send requests to the Adventurer’s Guild, look what happened! What kind of report to the lord is this!? He talked a big game but didn’t act!!”
“If we had stayed, we’d be dead… All we could do was run away…”
Those who barely escaped with their lives ended up tearfully recounting their stories.
That idiot village chief reportedly made a fuss about taking all his wealth and tried to force the villagers to carry his belongings.
“With barely enough money to escape, how could anyone carry someone else’s heavy luggage? If we had that kind of energy, we’d carry our own dressers!”
Very true.
In the end, it seems the village chief’s family was left behind.
Trying to take everything and getting left behind—what a disaster.
How much wealth could he have been hoarding?
If he had money, he should have bought at least a basic magic bag…
Hearing that, Dad and Uncle Arthur looked utterly exhausted.
As a result, Tokaran Town deemed the Hateno Village chief guilty of abandoning his duties, and the villagers were finally allowed into the town.
However, they had no homes or places to work.
The road ahead would be tough.
In such a situation, the hunters and the woodcutter families who had explored the forest with us found Dad and Uncle Arthur and greeted them.
I recognized their faces too!
The hunter father and son had adventurer qualifications and planned to make a living using their skills here.
The woodcutter family joined the Tokaran Town Lumber Guild and could be hired as temporary staff.
Whether their stay in town would be short or long was uncertain, but for now, I’m glad things worked out.
Other villagers had to find jobs using their respective skills.
They’ll have to stand on their own feet and live their lives to the fullest!
Since Hateno Village isn’t far from Tokaran Town, the townsfolk were also on edge.
An unusual tension hung over the town.
Soon, the adventurers heading to subjugate the Goblins would bring back information about Hateno Village.
“There was a Goblin King, apparently!?”
“Goblin Magicians killed some adventurers!”
“They say there were over two hundred of them!”
“That village is already in ruins, and the neighboring village is in danger too!!”
Such rumors were unavoidable.
Alt was anxious and couldn’t settle down.
Every day, many adventurers set out from Tokaran Town for the subjugation mission, causing a shortage of potions. The Medicine Guild requested reinforcements.
So Dad took Alt and me along, borrowed the Medicine Guild’s compounding room, and started making potions with the herbs we brought.
Thanks to the magic bag, we were able to bring a large quantity of herbs, which was helpful.
Uncle Arthur and Aunt Dahlia also gathered herbs daily and handed over their catches to the inn.
While consulting herb inventory levels, we divided tasks to make various types of potions.
Alt helped by preparing bottles and cleaning up afterward.
“When we go home, let’s buy some snacks!”
“Okay!”
His eyes sparkled.
People really do work harder with the promise of a reward!
The potions we made were sold immediately to the Medicine Guild, earning us a good amount of money!
After all, there’s a high chance we won’t be able to return to the village.
If life in Tokaran Town becomes long-term, we can’t keep living in an inn forever.
Should we rent a house or buy one for permanent settlement?
However, the herbs in the forests and mountains around Tokaran Town have lower magical potency than those from the village.
Though the quality is fine, as pharmacists, it doesn’t sit well with us.
Dad didn’t say anything, but I think he feels the same way.
It feels unfulfilling.
In that sense, settling in Tokaran Town presents some uncertainties.
For now, all we can do is diligently complete our tasks and steadily save money.