Light Novel commemoration Short Story: Our slow life at the frontier
Translator: Tseirp
Author’s note: This is a short story to commemorate the announcement of novelization. I hope it will be a read with a slow life feel to it.
“Good morning Lit.”
I greeted Lit who still had a sleepy look on her face.
“Morning ― ”
Lit answered with a smile.
Although Lit normally had the habit of concealing her mouth whenever she smiled, she would smile defenselessly during the morning. She wouldn’t be that way when camping out or when she was on lookout duty but Lit was weak in the morning on days where she did not have to be on her guard.
In other words, that was how it was like every morning since she started living with me.
“Today’s breakfast will be potato soup with an egg mixed in and toast with blueberry jam. In addition, there’s lettuce, ham, and tomato salad as well as sausages.”
“It smells good.”
Lit seemed to have been woken up slightly by the smell of breakfast as her relaxed lips firmed up.
Nevertheless ...
“You set your hair every morning, right? But you still don’t seem awake.”
Lit would always neatly arrange her flowing golden hair immediately after waking up from bed in the morning. Even though she doesn’t wear hair accessories, she would accent her hair with twists on the side. Her hair that swayed with every step was bright and beautiful.
That appearance of hers gave me the impression that she harmonized both extremes, her adventurer hero and elegant princess aspects.
Lit placed her finger on her chin in response to my question and tilted her head slightly.
“I pretty much set my hair unconsciously after all.”
“Eh?”
“I just kind of touch my hair absentmindedly in the morning.”
That’s absurd.
“Well unlike how I just have to fix my bed hair and lightly sweep my bangs, isn’t it impossible for Lit to set your hair while half asleep?”
“It’s easy since I do it every day.”
So skillful!
“Speaking of hair, Red is the same as well.”
“Hn?”
“I heard you went about with your bed hair when acting as an adventurer in Zoltan. But you’re setting it neatly ever since you opened shop.”
Lit grinned.
“I wanted to see it too, the sloppy-looking Red.”
“Uu .... ”
“Try to wake up lazily like me occasionally. I’ll make breakfast for you when you do.”
” ... That ...”
I scratched the back of my head to hide my embarrassment.
“I don’t want to keep my bed hair for so long when facing the person I like. Also, making breakfast for Lit is one of my joys so I will make it for you every day.”
Lit blushed after hearing my answer and she reached toward her neck to conceal her grin but her red bandana was not there because she had not changed yet.
Lit had no choice but to cover her mouth with her hand and trembled.
☆☆
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Today was delicious as well.”
“That’s great.”
Lit complimented my cooking with a smile. It was an ordinary conversation but these moments brought me irresistible joy.
How do I put it ... that is happiness.
But I did not have time to soak in the happiness. I couldn’t grin from happiness every morning without doing anything else.
“I was thinking of opening shop two hours later today to harvest some of the medicinal grass in the garden.”
“All right, then I’ll get changed after washing the dishes.”
Lit gathered the dishes and walked to the kitchen in her pajamas.
I changed my clothes during that time.
That said, I had pretty much changed into my clothes when I woke up.
All that was left was to wind a belt around my waist above my shirt and hang my copper sword kept in its sheath on the belt. Then, I put on a mantle that covered my shoulders. That was the end.
The mantle was made with a black cloth with a red border.
The cloth was made with fibers from the sturdy and water-repellent Drake Leaf through alchemy which was then made into fabric. It had a hood as well and could double as a raincoat when it rained.
The mantle I used was a half-size which covered up to my chest. A full-sized Drake Leaf mantle would be expensive and would be too bulky to wear on a normal basis. And it gives a slightly strong impression.
Well, it could be said that it was unusual to use a mantle in the first place. As for this mantle’s function, I could not go without it after knowing its convenience and multi-purpose use regardless of whether it was sunny, chilly or raining.
After I finished changing, I sat on the chair and waited for Lit.
“Sorry for the wait.”
Lit was dressed in clothes that were easy to move in which she normally wore. Around her neck was her trademark red bandana. Her sleeves ended in wristbands such that it was easy for work. On her belt were a pouch and her favorite shotel hanging on a band. The chest area of Lit’s shirt was open and I could see a valley made by her large bust. Around her torso was a red corset made from cloth manufactured from the bark of Drake Wood as raw material and further strengthened with magic. The cloth weighed the same as ordinary clothes but was a sturdy armor that could block regular blades.
Her skirt was made from a white fabric framed with gold threads and it felt elegant worthy of something a princess would wear while still designed for adventurers.
She had black knee socks on her legs. Her thighs which could be seen between her knee socks and skirt was dazzling.
Yup, Lit was cute today as well.
I smiled wryly inwardly at my foolish boyfriend act and left to the garden with Lit.
☆☆
“It’s good weather.”
A beautiful blue sky spread over our heads when we exited to the garden. Lit stretched comfortable.
It was fine weather today.
“We’ll be harvesting this Henbane grass today.”
“The medicinal grass effective for both hemostasis and disinfection right?”
Henbane grass was probably the most popular medicinal grass. It was a medicinal grass that grew in the entire Avalon continent except for the polar regions and could be applied to wounds as a paste.
It was not effective against poison that entered the body but one could prevent poison from entering the body by smearing Henbane grass salve on a wound made by a dirty knife.
It was widely used by adventurers, soldiers, farmers, and craftsmen.
That medicinal grass was harvested by harvesting only the leaves and leaving the roots. It was a strong plant that would germinate once again if the roots remained so it was possible to harvest the medicinal grass again without sowing fresh seeds. Well, to the gardeners, it was a troublesome weed that was hard to exterminate once it set root.
I drew the copper sword from my waist and harvested the Henbane grass.
“Hey, I’ve been thinking about it but isn’t it easier to use a regular sickle?”
“But don’t you use your shotel as well?”
“My sword is shaped similar to the sickle. Furthermore, the cutting edge of copper is terrible.”
“That might be true but it is more than enough for plants once you are used to it.”
Well, I could bisect drakes that possess steel-like outer skin with just a copper sword so harvesting plants with it was nothing much.
We harvested the medicinal grass with our respective weapons and piled them inside the basket.
“All right, this much should do.”
I nodded after roughly weighing the filled basket with my hands.
At that moment, a comfortable wind blew across the garden.
“Wa!!”
Lit cheered.
The blooming flowers on the tree near the shop danced in the wind and the white flowers sparkled as they reflected the light of the sun.
Lit and I stopped our hands as we looked at the scene of the flowers dancing in the air.
A single petal fluttered down in front of Lit.
Lit softly reached out. Looking at the petal that fell into her palm, Lit smiled and turned toward me.
“Shall we have today’s lunch in the garden?”
“Yup! I was just thinking that would be nice!”
That was just an ordinary day. A beautiful and mundane sight.
But for me who have been chased out of the hero’s party, I was having fun from the bottom of my heart spending a slow life in the remote Zoltan with Lit.