Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi

Chapter 117: The Soldiers’ Window Logs

Volume 3 — The Northern Nobleman and the Raptor Wife’s Village, Great Renovation Plan!?

Jouluk(Note: ‘Dec’ in Finnish.) 02 Aake

The fort is peaceful again today.

We have shifts at the window, but only merchants come from outside. When the snow piles up, only one merchant might pass every two or three days. Though there are quite a few since the time before the polar nights is a season where goods are in great demand.

In contrast, the villagers, who live off the forest, pass frequently.

However, during the winter, only older people going out to hunt pass.

The village men, especially old grandfathers, act cold towards us.

Captain Artonen said that it couldn’t be helped.

Of course, we had been fooling around too much.

Once, we were being paid with our meal payments put aside.

That was because we were pouring all our money into alcohol as if it was the most natural thing. Such a system was implemented starting from the captain before the captain before the previous captain.

Back then, we borrowed endlessly since they couldn’t even pay for their own meals.

Really, I think that we were in a terrible state.

Working hour, what’s that? We slept whenever we wanted and woke up whenever we wanted.

The fort reeked of alcohol, and we even picked fights with the villagers. It’s natural that we would have been hated.

However, we changed thanks to the lord and his lady.

There were many events, and now we have been rehabilitated.

We can keep working diligently as soldiers because the lord’s wife, who has a frightening face, comes to inspect us frequently. I’m just joking. Many good things happened.

First, sometimes, the girls of the village bring us refreshments. They’re all cute, so the tension rises.

We all now lead well-regulated lives, so our body and health improved as well.

Also, when we are shovelling snow in the village, the villagers say, “Much appreciated,” or “Thank you.” It’s unexpectedly gladdening.

That’s why.

It’s a boring place without anything to do, but it’s better than before.

I’ll do my best again tomorrow.

Today’s number of people: 52 in total, with 3 merchants and 1 old martial race man.

Today’s work’, over!

Jouluk 07 Hanno

The lord who visited the window requested us to post some paper at the entrance.

On that, there was an advertisement for the new shop.

Remote Land Pub ‘The Crimson Eagle’.

It seems like it’s opening a few days later.

A place to enjoy meals and a little bit of drinks.

Surprisingly, the lord will be running it.

On the paper, it was written that a cute server will be there.

Is he hiring the village girls? When I asked further, he replied that the cutest girl in the world will be there.

The cutest girl in the world. Very intriguing.

Might it be Irola family’s Erica-san, or might it be Kalliom?ki family’s Hilija-chan?

It might even be the person rumoured to be on good terms with the lord, the most beautiful girl in the village, Bergholm family’s Aina-san! Or so I thought, but I remembered that a foreigner took her away just a few months ago.

When we found that out, my colleagues and I felt down.

On that day, we wished that we were allowed alcohol just for the day.

The man who got the treasure of the village was apparently a tall, blond soldier with drooping eyes.

—— We’re soldiers too, but why are we getting ignored……

The one who does not get swayed by anyone, ‘the salty Aina-sama’, we were all saying, but in the she picked a handsome man.

We felt sad at our ugly appearances.

I ended up remembering that. We were rather depressed.

Eating while looking at a cute girl. Isn’t it good, I thought.

Our scars might be cured too.

I quickly decided to invite my colleagues.

Today’s number of people: 67 in total, with 2 merchants and 1 old martial race man.

Today’s work, over~.

Jouluk 12 Jere

When we were in excited states, looking forward to the pub. We ended up receiving words of warning from Captain Artonen.

If we go in large scale right away, it will burden them. Thus, we decided that there will only have two people a day, for not more than two hours, as well as not drinking too much.

Since only a few people can go, we made a schedule.

I decided to bear it for the first time.

During our breaks, the atmosphere was lively from our discussions about the cute girl at ‘The Crimson Eagle’.

Then, the conversation moved on to the topic of who the most beautiful girl in the village is, but we couldn’t settle on.

Everyone had different tastes that names of many women came up.

Indeed, great girls like Aina Salonen Bergholm are hard to come across.

Someone mentioned that the daughter of the martial race family is quite beautiful, but the moment that topic was brought up, the father of that family appeared from the window so we were surprised to death.

When I wondered what it was, he apparently brought fish from the river as a snack.

—— Is he a bear of the forest or something?

The father of the martial race family went away soon.

That window, it’s not an entrance. He did that sometimes, but no one could point that out.

From around summer, he had been bringing us berries, beehives or fruit by his whims.

We can’t communicate with him, so his intentions are unknown.

The fish was jumping about on the table. The heartbeat did not calm down for some time.

By the way, the wife there is beautiful and has a great style, but the old man is too frightening.

We unanimously agreed that she should stop talking about the martial race family’s women.

Well, before that, a boy from the village is screening others away to not let them approach her.

In the end, we decided that we should focus on the pub girl.

Today’s number of people: 92 in total, with 3 merchants and 1 old martial race man.

Today’s work, over!

.

Jouluk 19 Kai

Today was finally the day for the opening of the Remote Land Pub.

I had work today, so I was to go tomorrow.

I am looking forward to it a lot.

We agreed that we should not talk about things in the store until everyone has had a chance to go.

That way, everyone can enjoy it in a fresh mood.

However, I was curious personally, so I intercepted my colleagues who had returned and asked them about it.

The two of them, Lassi and Mikko, returned with refreshed expressions.

Apparently, the food was all great, and the drinks were nice.

When I asked about the important cute girl, they said something strange.

—— Cute girl? We can say that it exists, and we can say that it doesn’t exist.

I’m not sure what they mean.

Today’s number of people: 100 in total, with 2 merchants and 1 old martial race man.

Today’s work, over!

◆ ◇ ◆

The next day.

The long-awaited holiday came.

We can only drink for a few hours at night. It’s during the polar nights, so the time’s around evening.

Surprisingly, even though it was a pub, it closed after 8 in the evening.

A colleague and I headed to the store as our hearts pounded.

Around the store, there were many villagers. It seems like they’re watching. When we peeked inside from the window, there were vacant spots. Without reservation, we entered.

When we opened the door, a bell rang.

Inside the store, there was a large fireplace to warm the body.

The interior had a warm tone and the atmosphere was warm.

The kitchen was attached to the kitchen, that we could watch them cook.

As we looked around, a calm woman’s voice said, “Welcome.”

The moment I heard, I stood up straight out of reflex.

I slowly turned toward the origin of the sound.

There was the lord’s wife, who had bright red hair and a sharp gaze.

“Please take a seat,” she said. “Yeth,” I replied.

She passed me the menu, but I was afraid of calling her over again, so I asked for the recommended dish and some water.

My colleague asked for the same.

Since the place is being run by the lord, it’s not weird if his wife is here.

Even so, she’s a bit curt. It would be nice if she smiled more. However, we would only panic if she did smile at us, so I immediately judged that it was unneccessary.

Anyway, where is the rumoured cute girl…?

No matter how much I look, there were no young women other than customers.

Suddenly, my colleague gasps.

When I asked what was wrong, he told me to look at the kitchen.

At the kitchen, there was a figure of someone working diligently.

—— Ah, there! A cute girl!

Her hair was tidied with a headbad, and she was wearing a cloth folded in a triangular shape on her head.

She was working hard, and those eyes pointing down are very elegant.

I tilted my head in wonder if there was such a cute girl in the village.

However, I soon realised that the person was the lord.

—— Th-This heartthrob thief!!

I could only see a part of his upper body, so I ended up getting completely fooled.

In the meantime, food was served.

While saying the name of the menu energetically, the lord served the dishes.

The food was something I was seeing something for the first time. Underneath meatballs and tomato sauce, there was something else.

It was apparently a food called pasta.

The name of the dish is ‘meatball tomato sauce pasta’, we were told.

With a fork, I had some of the meatball and the pasta.

—— D-Delicious!!

The meatballs flowing with flavour from the spices and the chewy pasta was mixed with the sour sauce, that it was very tasty.

My colleague and I ended up wolfing everything down in silence.

Afterwards, we decided to go back after having a few drinks.

As we were leaving, the lord came up and thanked us for coming.

Just in case, I asked about the cute girl in the advertisement.

Then, he glanced at his wife who was washing dishes in the kitchen and said, “Sieg,” in a a flustered expression.

“What part of her is cute!” I almost shouted.

Well, to him, as a husband, his wife is the cutest in the world. Though I can’t understand that.

When I told him that we will come again, he said that he was happy and flashed us a smile.

Once again, I imagined how it would have been if the lord was a woman.

Kind and diligent, good at cooking and cute.

He might have been the most popular woman in the village.

Then, I finally realised what Lassi and Mikko meant by, “Cute girl? We can say that it exists, and we can say that it doesn’t exist.”

—— So the cute girl is the lord in the end!!

However, the food was really delicious and filling, so I couldn’t care less.

We exited the store as the lord saw us off.

From the dark sky, snow was falling heavily.

We walked back to the fort by relying on the light from our lanterns.

When we returned to the fort’s window, the person on duty today asked how it was.

It seems that everyone wants to hear out of curiosity.

He hurried us for our impressions, so my colleague and I looked at each other and said that the food was best, while the cute girl was a cute girl.

I’m looking forward to his reaction tomorrow.

I decided that I’ll go to the store again when it’s quiet again for some meatball tomato sauce pasta.