Chapter 17: Prelude

With how loud the surroundings were, it was natural for Jura to get awakened by the rowdiness.

"There's free mutton soup tonight."

Menmo also smiled after hearing that. There's even a burning motivation that was difficult to conceal, showing on his face.

"Yeah, and you should stop being lazy, or your share might get cut in half."

Garu sat back and jokingly said to his brother, though his eyes said differently.

"Alright, alright. I know, right? I got it."

Jura raised both hands helplessly. Well, after all, he had indeed gotten lazy at work just a few hours ago.

But because he was the younger brother of the village chief and the latter didn't say anything, they didn't say anything either.

But now, it seems such privileges can only be used in the morning. Because in the afternoon, such laziness can't be tolerated anymore.

"Pfft~"

Nobody knew who started it, but everyone suddenly found it funny and started laughing.

"Haha ha."

"Ha hah ha."

"Ha ha ha."

They infected even the usually serious Menmo with laughter a few times. Juan naturally followed behind.

"Ha ha ha."

This caused Garu to also laugh, infected by everyone's laughing atmosphere.

As for Jura, he could only wryly smile in response and give some funny reason to defend his nonexistent dignity.

A while later, Garu stood up and said to everyone:

"Return and have some lunch first, everyone. We can't work with an empty stomach after all."

"Yeah, your right, Village Chief. Well then, well excuse ourselves first."

"I'll be back anew after this."

"I wonder what food my wife prepared this time."

Jura stood up and left too after saying, "Alright, be right back."

"Menmo, you can leave the counting to me and Juan. I need you to start working on site after this."

Menmo nodded after hearing Garu's order.

"Indeed, I'll go and start flattening the soil after this. It's time to harden the foundation."

"Let's return for now, Juan."

Garu turned around and was about to leave with Juan, who also stood up, when the latter suddenly said.

"Village Chief, I'll follow behind after some time. I'm going to gather some firewood for just a little bit."

"Eh? Why?"

Garu asked, confused, and then, as he thought, he guessed something. He facepalms himself in realization and sigh helplessly.

"It's cold at night. So I want to gather some firewood to warm the place when the night comes."

Juan answered while mimicking how he shivers everytime a cold wind blows.

"I know it. I'm sorry, I didn't notice it. More like I completely forgot about your situation."

Garu sighed, then patted Juan and said,

"Gather some firewood first, after putting them in your house. Come and have lunch in my house after; I'll be waiting."

"I'll also give you some things you need after that. Remember, don't enter the forest; it's dangerous."

Soon, Garu left with Menmo by his side.

As for Juan, he was already moving around, gathering twigs and dry branches around the edge of the forest.

As for entering the forest, that was a suicidal thing. Juan won't go, even if he was armed with guns from his previous life.

While he was on that, his mind was also thinking about Garu's action.

In his mind, he was actually guessing about why he had to wait for a week to get his salary.

Although he had been given a free house and lot, he had neither money nor any other things inside.

With money, he could buy a blanket, pillow, and bedsheet and avoid shivering every night on a cold wooden bed.

Since Garu has already said it was in a week, that means he can't ask for an advance payment. He got checkmate.

With no money, he had no choice but to accept Garu's kindness and have to eat dinner at the latter's house and with his family.

So he was expected to be grateful for that. And then there's the honey trap, which should have resulted in him falling in love.

The coincidence of being given a free forging of a chosen weapon by the blacksmith Albert.

Each of these is pushing him to be grateful and closer to Garu, his family, and to the village.

There's no way Juan would think of this as a coincidence, but more like a well-thought-out plan.

There's a high chance that all of this was just to let down his guard and let him spill more beans about himself without fighting or relying on hard actions.

Or him, as someone who came out of the grassland alive, might be the biggest reason for all of it.

Anyway, both reasons fell into the same category. And that is his current identity.

A mysterious young man came out of the [Grassland Neverland] alive, which was said to be a land of no return.

It can be said that it's normal to be wary of him as an outsider. Working under the village chief's eyes meant being observed and monitored.

But that observation will end in a week. And in that week, they will come to conclusions about whether he was harmless or should be killed in silence.

Juan shudders at the thought of that.

But there's also a chance that this is all a coincidence. It was really an act of kindness with no hidden motive.

They all believed in his story and didn't question it further.

That Ceth act of getting too close to him is actually real, and there's a romance involved.

What happened in the Smithy wasn't actually planned but was indeed a lucky chance and coincidence.

"This is so complicated. I got to think about all this because I can't put my trust in human like me." Juan looked up with his body straight and stretched out.

Wanting to embrace the land and sky above. And just let go of everything while he went and flew where the wind blows.

"Unfortunately, I can't." Juan sighed. "For the time being, I'll just follow the current flow."

After a few minutes of gathering some firewood, just as he was about to leave. He suddenly shuddered and subconsciously took a few steps away from the forest.

He had just this uncanny feeling of being stared at or targeted by a dangerous entity.

"No..way, I'm just imagining things."

Juan laughed at the fear that started to crawl out of his heart, but it seemed to be a bit forced before he became silent.

"There's no way."

Before he could think further, fear suddenly took root and gripped his heart.

It caused him to subconsciously halt his breathing for several seconds as he noticed something strange in the forest.

The leaves didn't sway yet the shadows did under the shades of the forest eaves.

They seemed to have come alive and were dancing in response to his reaction.

Run!

There's no way he would hallucinate this time. Juan could almost hear his instinct to survive screaming overriding his body and mind.

Swish~

Without hesitation, he immediately turned around and started running with the fastest speed in his life.

Chills spread from the back of his sole to the back of his spine and then to his head. Making his skin and scalp almost numb.

Run!Run!Run!

Just what the heck was that forest?! How could there be something evil living in there?!! 

There was no evidence, nor was he overreacting; Juan could feel that familiar sensation, as though he had experienced it once already.

But where and when was it? There should be only two places he has stepped in all this time when he woke up in this world.

Suddenly, Juan widens his eyes in disbelief as he recalls something from when he had been drifting in the river back then.

It should have been four days ago, during the afternoon. He had just completed roasting and drying the fish he had just caught at that time.

He somehow felt something horrifying was coming his way, so he returned to his raft and paddled to speed up along the current.

His instincts were telling him something horrid was coming. There was no telling which direction it will come, but when he got relaxed,.

At that time, he saw it. Although it wasn't much, he indeed saw something moving under his raft.

It was a long, big, unknown monster passing by under the river.

When Juan saw a part of its body, his mind screamed and his body turned stiff, forbidding him from moving.

'That's right, this feeling is the same as that horrible feeling I got from that monster in the river four days ago! '

'But compared to that river monster, my current situation is completely different. I can still move and run away.'

'Could it be another monster? But different from the river one, this one is a little weaker?! No matter if it's a monster or not, weaker or not,

'Just the fact that I'm still alive and gradually escaping without anything happening means that I once again survived! That's the most important thing! '

A few seconds later, he stepped onto the entrance of the village, but he did not stop running.

"Uh?"

The two guards didn't notice Juan because they were dozing off just now. But still, it woke them up confused for a while.

Juan immediately returned to his house and dumped all the firewood he had gathered on the empty fireplace before he closed the door and shut himself for a while.

"...monster."