<h4>18-32. Boy in the Labyrinth City (5)</h4>
"… Is it morning?"
Light is shining through the gaps in the windows and walls.
I have a sore throat. Is it because the air is dry?
Why, yes, this is abyrinth city. I became an explorer in thebyrinth city of Selbira.
When I got up and looked around, I found a familiar face sleeping in the small room.
The big Gon is sleeping spread out, so the thin Keros undey and the small and knowledgeable Zaki are likely to suffer. The quiet Lhasa is rounded in the corner of the room.
Sina, who is the only one in Beni, is sleeping in the girls'' room, so except for the rich Keros and Lhasa, she loses heat and wears only pants.
Put on my clothes that I took off yesterday and went outside.
There are many "Nagaya" (row-house) buildings around here, which are connected in a row with rooms simr to the ones we were in.
After a big stretch, I go to themon well and line up to draw water into the bucket.
This bucket is emptied in the room Jar. It seems that if you move the water to it and you will have toe back.
It''s a bit of a hassle, but since we''ve just arrived in thebyrinth city and we only have the personal belongings we need for our trip, it''s very helpful they to lend it to us for free.
"Is it impossible to run on a daily basis today?"
Near the drain, you wash face and empty it over your head instead of bathing.
"Hey! If you''re washing, do it in the river! Don''t waste your precious drinking water!"
I was scolded by an official who was managing the well.
Speaking of which, my acquaintance Zaki said: “Water is precious, because it''s near the desert.”
"Good morning, Sharon. It''s early."
"Good morning. China is fast, isn''t it?"
When I brought the water back, Sina was waiting in front of the room.
I have Sina open the door and bring in water.
There was sand in the jar, so I rinsed it with a small amount of water and then drained the bucket. If you don''t draw it twice, it won''t fill up.
Well, I don''t cook, and this is all I need.
" Everyone,It''s morning! "
Sina wakes up four sleeping people.
"Already it''s the morning …"
"The floor is hard , I want a bed."
"Because it''s small, we can''t have a bed."
"It''s impossible to have five people in such a small space."
Zaki and Keros get up.
"Hey, Gon got up too."
"Mom, let me lie down a little more"
When Gon''s body, which does not move, is shaken, he responds with a sweet voice that is different from usual.
I go to wake up Lhasa, who curls up in the corner of the room.
He got up as early as I did during the trip, but it''s toote today. Maybe he was tired because he entered thebyrinth for the first time yesterday, was attacked by a thief, and had a feast at a banquet of explorers.
"Let''s ventte. This room smells."
Sina, who had finished raising Gon, lifted the wooden door that closed the window and put a stick in it to support it.
I think we smell rather than the room smells. Because I was wearing clothes for days from leaving the city to thebyrinth city.
"I want to bathe somewhere"
I got water on my head when I was drawing water, but that''s just a temporary relief.
The uncle official told me to bathe in the river, and let me know where in the guild you can, so no one get angry even if we bathe.
"What a weird guy"
"Bathing is only in summer, isn''t it?"
Gon and Zaki look suspicious.
Yeah, it was like that in our vige.
At my home, my entric sister said, "Healthy life starts with cleanliness!", And it was normal to take a bath every day, but even in the vige, it was only in my home.
In the subtle air, Gon''s belly rang.
Even though he ate that much yesterday, his healthy body seems to be asking for breakfast as soon as possible.
◇
"I''m hungry. Let''s eat something."
"There are no preserved foods left, so let''s go eat delicious food!"
Rich Keros agrees with Gon''s words.
"But I don''t have that much money."
"I don''t have one, but don''t worry!"
Gon gives unfounded encouragement to China, who has a troubled face.
"Let''s go to the kitchen!"
Lhasa said.
It''s a powerful voice that doesn''t always seem like the usually quiet Lhasa.
I''m hungry, I''m hungry.
"Soup kitchen?"
"They said you can eat it for free."
I heard from a senior explorer at the party yesterday.
"It''s free! Let''s go early! It will be hard if it disappears!"
Gon jumps out of the room.
Even though he don''t know the location, it''s a movement without hesitation.
Everyone goes out following Gon.
"Let''s go, Sharon"
As I was taking out my helmet and dagger from my luggage, Zaki noticed that I waste at the entrance and called out to me.
"Sorry, I''ll go soon"
"Do you bring a helmet or dagger to prepare meals?"
"I''m in trouble if they are stolen"
"That''s true."
Zaki also picked up his dagger from his luggage and put it on his belt.
"What? Do you wear a helmet and go to dinner?"
Gon also told me the same thing I said to Zaki earlier.
"It''s ridiculous. I can''t bring such a heavy one."
"I''ll bring only the sword."
"I also have a knife"
Keros made a fool of me, but Gon and Sina have recovered their weapons.
By the way, Lhasa hadn''t let go of her dagger from the beginning. As expected.
"Is this the training center behind the guild?"
"There are a lot of people and it smells better than anything else, so there is no doubt."
A lot of people gathered to prepare meals.
"I can''t stand it anymore. Let''s eat soon!"
"Hey! Kids! If you want to eat, do line up properly!"
A strong old man yelled at Gon, who tried to go forward.
One leg of the old man is a wooden stick from the mid leg.
Maybe he''s the one who lost one leg in thebyrinth and retired as an explorer.
If you look closely, most of the adults who are mixed with children and the elderly have no hands or feet.
"If you line up, this is it!"
Children of the same age as us called out to us, so we all lined up after giving a bow to the strong man.
"If you line up, the one at the back should have this. If anyone lines up behind you, give it to him."
The child who called out handed me a bill with some letters written on it.
"Strange? What is it?"
"It says ''Here is the tail''"
It''s a word we don''t use very often, so it seems that China couldn''t read it.
By the way, I remember that my sister used to say that there was a traditions of turning such bills at a group of like-minded people.
"Sharon, what should I do?"
When I remembered something that didn''t matter, Zaki spoke with anxiety.
"What happened?"
"It says bringing your own tableware."
" That is troubling"
I left it with my travel luggage.
Even if you say tableware, there are only cups, bowls and spoons.
"It''s okay ~, if you don''t have it, I''ll lend you ~"
When I was in trouble, a cat kid who passed by told me.
"Thank you. Thank you."
"Don''t worry be happy~"
When I thank him, he replied with a mysterious sounding word.
Is it the word of the cat human race?
"Hey Sharon! It''s our turn!"
Gon pulls me with him.
That''s it. I have to eat rice.
We rent tableware and get meals.
The meals are a nice-smelling soup with tworge dumplings and a savory freshly baked thin bread. The bread is quite big.
"When you receive it, move it. If you stand there, you will get in the way."
"excuse me!"
Moved on like I was being prompted by my sister.
"Hey, let''s sit over there!"
Gon finds a suitable ce, takes a position, and everyone sits down and eats there.
"Delicious, delicious, delicious"
Gon eats while repeating the same words.
It''s a little light, but it''s very delicious. It''s like a dish with dashi stock that my sister makes.
Did my sister tell me to boil the bones I got from the hunter and get rid of the dashi stock?
"It''s delicious. This is the best disciple of" Legendary Cook ". It''s a dish made by" Maid King "Lulu-chan."
"--Jel!"
It was the senior explorer, "Great Shield Gell," who called out to us.
It seems that he was eating near us.
"Does Gell eat in the soup kitchen?"
"The breakfast here is delicious on a hangover morning. Of course, I''m paying for it. Other people also donate" Pendora too sometimese to eat."
I was told by the beastman in the blue cloak, who was eating at the edge.
"I''m about to go. Are you in a ss?"
Mr. Gell stands up while returning the empty container to his luggage.
"No, it''s still a few days away."
"Then, when you''re done eating, go to the guild. The mouth-to-mouth shop is gathering dayborers, so you can find a suitable job. I think it''s easy to carry Beria."
With that advice, Mr. Gell left.
"There are two types of soup ingredients, potato dumplings and bean dumplings."
"It''s delicious with a little meat in it."
Sina and Zari exchange words with a smile.
"If you break it up a little and mix it with the soup, the taste will change and it will be fun."
"Huh, try it."
I''m trying what Lhasa taught me.
The soup as it is is delicious, but the texture and taste of the soup mixed with the broken dumplings changes and you can enjoy the taste with a fresh feeling.
"Yes? The taste is light. I don''t feel like eating it."
The grumble Kerosined about the taste of the food.
"Gau, who said that the taste was light was intentional."
Arge dog-kin in a blue cloak tells Keros.
"On purpose? Why do you do that?"
Keros was surrly, but he was scared a bit by the dogman.
"Gau, Lulu-san and Alisa-chan''s story is "just a little unsatisfactory". If you can make money, you''ll want to eat another dish.
"Is this dish just a supplement?"
"Gau, is correct with that understanding. Many people feel unsatisfactory because the food in thebyrinth city has a strong taste."
It seems that Zaki and Lhasa can understand it.
"I hope you guys can graduate early."
The dog man left with a friendly smile.
After finishing the meal, we return the tableware and head to the guild where Mr. Gel taught us.
◇
"Wow, it''s so lively."
There are a lot of people and all. They are talking loudly with hubbub.
"Collecting manure is five bronze coins a day! Come dressed appropriately as you can get dirty!"
"No stinky work"
"But five bronze coins?"
"We are looking for five cleaners at the dismantling station! The daily allowance is three bronze coins! The surplus offal wille with you!"
"I''ll do it!"
"I want to eat meat! I''ll do it!"
"Me, me!"
The dismantling ce seems to be popr.
Gon seemed to go wandering, but Sina managed to hold him.
We look for the work of carrying Beria that Mr. Gel said.
"Every time you bring ten Beria, you get one bronze coin! I''ll hire as many people as I can!"
"There was! Over there!"
From children younger than us to adults with physical disabilities, a variety of people were working to carry Beria.
"We will do it too!"
"Okay! You guys don''t see it. Is it your first time?"
Nodding to the clerk''s words, he briefly exined the work, handing each of us tied tags.
"Hang this tag around your neck and go to the Beria field outside the city. If you mow the Beria having it, you''ll be caught, so be sure to wear it where others can see it. Keep up with the other guys."
Even while receiving the exnation, people who seem to be regrs receive the bills and run.
"Do you know Beria? If you greedily mow an amount of Beria that you can''t carry, you''ll be beaten by the on-site supervisor, so be careful."
"Hmm! I can carry as many leaves as you like!"
Gon is boasting.
In the meantime, people who want to worke one after another, receive the bills, and run.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"It''s a ce to go. The ce near the south gate will soon be full of people."
The uncle of the mouth-watering shop told me my question.
"No! We''ll hurry too!"
Gon rushes when he hears it.
"wait!"
Keros and Sina also run.
"Let''s go, too"
Zaki calls out to Lhasa and me and starts running.
--Brother.
I also stopped trying to run.
――When you do something for the first time, don''t rush. Be sure to prepare and collect information.
My sister''s teachingse back to my mind.
"Sharon?"
"What happened?"
Lhasa and Zaki look back at me.
"Wait, we should prepare and gather information."
I look back at the speaker.
"Ah! Is there anything I should do before going to the Berea fields?"
The uncle seller grinned at my question.
"You can borrow a basket behind the Alchemy Guild. Berea has a pain in her thorns, so you should also wear gloves."
"Thank you, uncle!"
I thank the uncle of the refreshment shop and head to the alchemy guild as I was taught.
There, I shows my bill and searcher''s card and rents a basket. The children of the city who were not the explorers were showing something else. We also line up.
"Don''t break it."
Show the bill and the wooden certificate and receive the basket from the scary-faced uncle.
The boy next to his uncle had recorded the number of his wooden certificate on his notebook.
--That''s it. For Gon and others.
"Please lend me three more"
"One for one"
"It''s for my friends."
"No"
I exined, but it didn''t work.
It seems that some people took away the basket, and as a countermeasure, they wouldn''t lend it if they couldn''t confirm the tag and the searcher''s card as a set.
"Come back, you guys too. It''s a hassle, so if you throw it away, you won''t be able to rent it for free."
The uncle said so and pushed us back to go quickly.
――Please follow the rules even if it is troublesome. That will help my brother.
My sister''s words go unnoticed.
When I was in the vige, I thought she was just noisy, but when I went out to the outside world, I realized that she had a good understanding of life. After all, my sister is a great person.
◇
The street in front of the South Gate is lined with wagons and caravans entering the city.
It''s many times more lively than the vige festival. It was amazing before yesterday''s Explorer Guild, but it''s even more amazing here.
"here"
Lhasa slips through people with a light movement.
I and Zaki also follow their backs to the gate.
"Mowing the Berea? It''s your first time you here? The Berea field is over there. There are no monsters, but be careful."
When I showed the tied tag to the guards at the gate, he told me the approximate Berea field.
People carrying baskets run toward different ces when they leave the gate, so it''s helpful because I wasn''t sure which way to go.
"Is that it?"
I could see the ce that seems to be the nearest Berea field.
The guards and the uncle of the mouth-watering shop used to call it a Berea field, but it''s just a ce where many stocks with thick thorny leaves are growing.
"Why not!"
"It seems so!"
There were Gon and Keros.
I think they were at a loss because they didn''t know where to go because they were still in such a ce even though they got out quite early.
A man with a spear drives away Gon.
"The priority is for those who have bad legs here! For those who are fine, go to the field over there!"
Is it the "social welfare" that my sister said?
We join with Gon & co and head for another field.
"Is this bad?"
The leaves are lined up.
There were some leaves growing in the strain.
"wait"
Zaki stopped Gon, who rolled his arms and entered the field.
"The sign says that collection is prohibited."
Arge cross is drawn on the billboard with red paint, and the letters are written below.
"No one is watching, isn''t it?"
"No. The leaves are still small, so I think they''lle out soon."
I say that to Gon who seems to be dissatisfied and head to the next field.
The nearby Berea fields were either hunted and banned from harvesting, or there were so many predecessors that there was no room for us, and we ended up going quite far.
I managed to find a field of Berea with few people, so I decided to mow it there.
In the Berea fields, many people work together to pick up the leaves.
"We will do it too!"
"ow"
"Thorns stuck"
Gon, Keros, and Sina, who had no time to stop and tried to work with their bare hands, injured their hands and separated from the leaves of Berea.
"I''ll do it"
Lift the leaf with a gloved hand and a petite Lhasa cuts the thick leaf root with a small knife. It seems that a small knife won''t cut well.
"I''ll do it!"
Gon roughly shed with a sword.
The leaves of Berea were cut vigorously and the juice sttered.
"Dangerous"
It was almost time for my leg to be cut.
"Don''t hurt the trunk or roots of the stock! You won''t be able to get the next one!"
We were scolded by an adult working nearby.
"It''s inefficient to do it with six people. Let''s split into two."
Zaki says so and divides into three people.
Gon seems to have decided to take off his shirt and wrap it in his hand to work. Keros and Sina cut the leaves lifted by Gon with a knife. Kerosins and sneaks into the roots of the leaves of Berea to work. Sina didn''tin, but she seems scared to sneak under the leaves.
"Let''s do it too. Lhasa, don''t use this."
"Do you get it"
I lent my dagger to Lhasa, and I lifted the leaves and let Zaki and Lhasa cut the leaves.
"This dagger has a great sharpness."
Lhasa raises a surprised voice that the leaves of Berea were cut off in an instant.
"It hurts … It hurts when I catch the cut leaves. If I''m about to cut, maybe one person should prepare to catch it."
Zaki, whose cut leaves collided vigorously, suggests so.
It seems that the Gons had the same experience, and when it was about to run out, Keros took on the role.
It took a while, but we all managed to get 10 leaves per person.
"tired"
"It''s harder than I expected."
"I have a backache"
It''s covered with sand before I knew it, and it''s sticky with the juice of Siberia.
When I put Beria in my basket.
"Don''t put the cut end of the leaf down. If the juice drips too much, they would not want to buy it."
An uncle who passed nearby advised me so.
"It''s none of your business"
Gonins to the uncle.
--Thank you for your kindness.
That''s it. My sister often said that.
"Thank you, uncle! We''ll be careful!"
When I thanked him, he waved behind him and left.
He''s blunt, but I think he''s a kind uncle.
"Don''t be quite bulky"
I packed the leaves of Berea in the basket, but it didn''t fit as I expected.
It''s full of about ten.
"Put me in too"
"Put in me too"
"Ano, my stuff"
Gons also try to put them in the basket, but even if they put in extra, two more are finally avable.
"I can''t enter any more"
"Why didn''t you borrow some for us!"
"Just so!"
"We could only borrow one for one."
We exin to Gon and Keros whoin.
"--Chi. I won''t ask you anymore!"
Gon wags his tongue and ties up the leaves of Berea with nearby weeds.
"That''s it!"
It seems that the thorn stuck in the shoulder and it hurt.
"Damn!"
Gon curses and drops Berea to the ground, undresses, ties up Berea''s leaves, and drags them so they don''t stick to her body. Keros also manages it.
"What should I do"
Sina looked around with a troubled face.
Can a girl take off her clothes and go home naked?
"The number will decrease, but we''ll carry it in small increments."
If we put two extra in the basket, we can carry six.
"Thank you, Sharon. I''ll take turns carrying the basket on the way."
"I''m fine, do it on behalf of Lhasa and Zaki."
We push the remaining four pieces against the person who is working and chase after Gon and others.
It seems difficult to tie it up with clothes and carry it, so we caught up with them well before the south gate. When asked by Keros to say that he was carrying the portion of China by hand, Gon and the two of themined, "That''s sly!"
Gon and Keros were bundled without aligning the cut edges of the leaves, so I advised them to re-bundle them, but they were dismissed as "noisy".
"No. The leaves are damaged by being dragged, and since you carried it with the cut end down, the juice of the medicinal ingredient has flowed a lot. Its a big loss and you get two copper coins. If youe again like this, I won''t buy it. "
"That''s right"
Keros and Gon have holes in their clothes, and theirbor costs have been cut down.
By the way, I, Zaki, and Lhasa each have one bronze coin. The number of China carrying six leaves decreased a little to three copper coins.
After all it is important to prepare in advance and collect information.
I thanked my sister in my heart.
◆◆ At a certain mountain vige ◆◆
"--Huh"
When I was working on the riverbank near the vige, I felt the love from Mr. Rom.
After all, we must be destined to be united.
As I was immersed in happiness, I heard a heavy footstep behind me.
I also look back alert.
At the same time, I sneak my fingers on the handle of the dagger hidden in the skirt.
"Reina-san, you were in a ce like this."
I was alert to the voice of a man.
This person is okay.
"Hello, Mr. Akindo. It''s been a long time." [Tr. Akindo= Satou]