The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 58.2

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Chief of Ratomi Village

BEFORE MY EYES sat rotting zaro fruit.

“What is the meaning of this?!” I glared at the people around me and watched them shudder and avert their eyes. Their reactions only amplified my rage. “Answer me! Why are they rotting?!”

The group went quiet. I was enraged, but before I could shout again, a man stepped forward.

“The fortune-teller Ruba was the one who told us when to harvest the zaro. You should be aware of this, Chief.”

“What does that matter?! Should a village fall apart due to the death of one hag?!”

“The zaro harvesting window is extremely narrow,” the man insisted. “Even for people who have watched over the crop for a long time, it’s very difficult to ascertain. That’s why we needed Ruba! And yet you…!”

“Silence! Do you know to whom you are speaking?!” I gave the man a good kick. People screamed all around…and some men with farm tools stepped forth. “The nerve! Surely you wouldn’t threaten your chief?!”

I didn’t like this. Not one bit.

They wouldn’t dare! “All of you, stop letting the zaro fruit rot!” I roared. “When the merchants come, you sell it for a high price! Got it?!”

Who do these cretins think they are? I’ve half a mind to raise their taxes. Let them learn the consequences of opposing me! And what does that dead old witch matter? She got uppity just because my father took a liking to her. I never wanted her opinions! Who did she think she was?!

Still, the zaro were in bad shape. Tch. Here I thought I could take things easy once I became chief, but people never stop disturbing my peace and quiet.

It was clear that the zaro harvest was pathetically small, so I was forced to go back to the fields for the first time in a while.

“What is this?!” I snarled. “Where did the other laborers go?!” There were clearly fewer people harvesting than before—half, at most. These slobs were slacking! Making light of me! “Hurry up and bring me those shirkers!”

“Um…Chief?” A man spoke up. “We informed you two days ago…”

Two days ago? What? I was with my mistress then, so how could I possibly know?

“Informed me of what? Speak!”

The man, his face pale, slowly explained. “A large number of people have left the village. We requested that your wife ask you what we should do, but…”

“They left? They…left?! In the middle of the harvest?!” Those rats, receiving the bounty of our village and disappearing when it became inconvenient for them. They would suffer for this! “Damn them! Who was it? Write their names down!”

One woman frantically began writing. Each and every name she scratched out fanned the flames of my rage. For some reason, she paused a moment before adding one last name. I felt as though I’d heard that name before…a child, was it? Alone? Well, what did I care. Even if she didn’t have parents, she still could’ve made herself useful. Perhaps I could’ve sold her as a slave.

“Umm…we don’t have enough people for the harvest,” one of the villagers said. “What should we do?”

“What you should do is figure it out. And don’t you dare rest until every single fruit is harvested!”

How dare they make a mockery of me? They won’t get away with this! I seized the list of names and mounted my horse. Tch. How inconvenient that there’s no guild close by.

After riding down the road from the village for hours, I finally spotted the carriage of a merchant that the people of Ratomi knew well. “You there! Merchant!”

A man emerged from the carriage and approached. “Hm? You’re Ratomi’s chief, aren’t you? Do you need something?” He must’ve been the merchant himself. Behind him were two burly men—likely bodyguards. Though they were surely paid guards, they hung back near the carriage; only the merchant approached. A little strange, but…perhaps he had skimped on their pay.

“I have a request for the guild. Give this to them!”

“The guild? You mean the adventurers’ guild or the merchant guild?” he asked me.

“The adventurers’ guild. They’re going to recover the funds stolen by my villagers.”

“I…think that may be unwise—”

“Silence!” I roared. “Don’t presume to meddle in my village’s affairs, merchant!”

“Hmph. Fine. Your request is to recover assets stolen by fleeing villagers?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll need five gidal.”

“Huh? Five gidal?”

“That’s the request fee.”

“Is it really that expensive? You’d better not be lying to me.”

“I’m not. Ask any merchant, and they’ll say the same.”

“Tch, fine,” I sighed. “I’m sure we can squeeze those gidal right back out of the people they catch.”

“…”

I handed the merchant his fee.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Hm? Of course,” I answered. “Those vermin think they can make a fool of me.”

“All right, then. But it’ll be some time before I can put in the request. Like Ratomi, Ratofu doesn’t have an easy avenue to communicate with the guild.”

“Mm, yes.” After leaving the request with the merchant, I spurred my horse back to Ratomi Village.

Back home, I thrust the door open. I waited and waited for that woman to come greet me from the back of the house, but…she didn’t.

“Damn it!” I shouted. “Your husband is home! Come out here, what are you doing?!”

Refusing to receive her husband, failing to pass on messages—she was useless. Who would she be if not for my father’s introduction? Furious, I stomped inside the house without even removing my shoes—but there was no sign of anyone.

“Come, now! I’ve had enough of this!”

There was no sign of her nor any of the household staff. Where had they gone?! Out messing around at such an important time, were they?! They’d best have their fun now, because it would be a different story when they came home!