LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 90
After the Subjugation Team headed into the forest, the remaining villagers anxiously guarded the outskirts of Fungusbee.
Naturally.
If we were to liken the strength of the Subjugation Team to the front line, those left in Fungusbee were, so to speak, reserves—perhaps even beyond that.
A few C to B rank veteran Adventurers stayed behind in case of unexpected events, but since most of the village’s power had ventured into the woods to solve problems, it was only natural that they felt tense, considering the power of the Mushroom Golem mobs they had previously encountered.
Even though they were called mushrooms, they were still golems.
And mixed among them were gigantic ones that would seem fitting compared to wooden barriers.
Before long, the chaos began.
Thud—Thud—Thud—
Rustle—
“Archers and Wizards, get ready!”
“Don’t shoot early out of nerves!”
“Skirmishers, hold your positions! I said hold your positions, you crazy fools!”
And just as the wrinkles on the surface of the Akusare Mushroom Golem became clearly visible from behind the barrier—
“When are we supposed to wait until?!”
“Now! Fire all at once! Wizards, save your magic! No Fire Magic! No Fire Magic! Not yet!”
Ice, lightning, water, and rock spells, along with arrows, flew from the barriers as the battle commenced. The large and small Akusare Mushroom Golem mobs, which had been slowly approaching, quickened their pace in response to the attacks.
Still, being golems meant their speed was slow, but there were always differences among individuals.
The gigantic golems took the lead due to their natural stride, outpacing the relatively smaller ones.
“The money pouch is coming close!”
“Don’t get greedy—attack together with your comrades!”
“Go go goooooo!!!”
In response, the Adventurers waiting in front of the barrier rushed forth to intercept the gigantic Mushroom Golems.
Though it seemed like a reckless tactic at first glance, there was a reason behind it.
When hunting animals and monsters, the common approach is to target those that break off from the group first.
Even though the massive Mushroom Golem had a walnut-like appearance thanks to its origins in the Akusare Mushroom, it was imposing, but conversely, that also meant it moved slowly and had many openings.
Even their powerful and threatening attacks often ended up hitting their own kin due to interference with one another rather than targeting the Adventurers.
Little by little, the cores of the golems were destroyed by the Adventurers, silencing them.
“Phew, I was nervous, but it’s not as bad as I thought—”
“Hey, Dwarf. Better keep that tension back!”
“Uh? Oh.”
But before they could catch their breath, the next wave of attacks was already underway.
A (relatively) smaller group of Mushroom Golems joined the fray.
Clearly, there were many more Mushroom Golems than there were Adventurers.
Naturally, the battle turned into a melee, and the battlefield was slowly edging closer to Fungusbee.
However, this didn’t necessarily mean it became disadvantageous.
Getting closer to Fungusbee simply meant they were nearing the barriers.
“Be careful not to hit any people! Aim for the outskirts—not the center!”
“Ah, it’s right in front of me! Can’t I hit it?!”
“Skirmishers!”
Arrows, spells, and stones attacked the Mushroom Golems as if they had been waiting for them.
“One! Two! Three!”
“Throwing like this, doesn’t it remind you of the Undead during spring?”
“True, oh no! Over there!”
The harsh and dangerous conditions of Iceland forged people tough, and that didn’t differ much for ordinary villagers either.
Stones.
The second most available item in Iceland after snow.
Though it might be dismissed as just a stone, it was indeed a stone.
Even a simple toss could injure someone; it was hardly odd for not a single Adventurer to hit the Mushroom Golems with them.
“Right! Right!”
“Dang it! What the heck is so dangerous—?!”
“A huge one is coming!”
Then, sure enough, the truly massive Mushroom Golem, towering even to the barriers, was slowly advancing.
Boom—Boom—
The faint sounds and vibrations from outside the village could also be heard by Karem, who was in the shelter.
Surrounded by barriers, even if it was a wealthy district, Fungusbee remained just a small village.
It was strange not to hear anything.
Karem turned his head and looked around.
The people in the shelter were either too old to hold a weapon or too young to be of any strength.
But Karem paid no mind to such trivialities.
He focused on the pot set over the campfire in the center of the shelter.
The oil that had solidified overnight began to melt, and as the savory smell wafted through the air and the oil rippled, he promptly scattered bite-sized pieces of hardtack into it.
Sizzle—
Bubble-bubble-bubble—
The final trace of anxiety on the faces of the elderly and children slowly dissipated as the aroma of the fried nuts began to rise from the pot as the hardtack cooked.
Of course, this was Karem’s plan.
After all, this was a situation the village had never once faced before.
Better to die from famine than to be attacked by monsters, save for the undead.
Even then, that was something manageable for a small village.
Moreover, it had been decades since anyone had starved to death in the village.
This was the village’s first encounter with such an unprecedented disaster.
A gloomy atmosphere enveloped the shelter, and everyone flinched as the sounds and vibrations from outside grew louder.
Karem could no longer stand the oppressive mood.
And to turn the situation around, he quickly went to the village chief’s house, which he had been using as a lodge.
He had only grabbed the pot of Akusare oil.
In any case, one of the biggest causes of unnecessary worries was an empty stomach. Or perhaps lack of sleep.
Fortunately, the shelter was filled with all sorts of preserved foods as a proper shelter should be, and Fungusbee being a wealthy district didn’t hurt either.
That said, it was all just jerky that could be sliced with a whetstone, hardtack harder than stone, and cheese even tougher.
Yet, there were many places like Moston Village that had none of that.
Moreover, all the preserved foods in the shelter were remarkably tough and dry items that showed no signs of mold or humidity.
The old folks who looked at Karem with suspicion soon dropped their doubts.
“Goodness. Just look at this delicious smell.”
“Such a large quantity of oil! Where on earth did you find this, sir? It doesn’t seem like pig fat—”
“It’s Akusare oil.”
“Akusare? Eating that could be trouble!”
But once again, a hint of skepticism flashed across the elderly faces.
For the elders of Fungusbee, who had experienced the hardships of Iceland, Akusare oil was essentially poison.
After all, the previous chief had famously succumbed to a single ladle’s worth during his youth.
“Ah, don’t worry, elders! I ate it yesterday, and it was perfectly fine!”
“Isset! I told you since childhood not to eat anything suspiciously found!”
“Goodness, our bright Isset sometimes has such dim moments—”
“No, that’s not it. Ugh!”
With burning curiosity from the elders, the chief’s daughter responded with earnestness.
Without further ado, she tossed the fried hardtack pieces that had been cooked by Karem into the mouths of the elders without hesitation.
Startled by both the heated family loyalty and the hot hardtack, the elders were surprised.
But no one spat it out.
The unique nutty and savory flavor of the Akusare oil filled their mouths.
Moreover, the long-fried hardtack allowed the deep aroma of Akusare oil to penetrate its very core.
“Mmm, it’s still hard tack, but not overly so. Is it fried?”
“I knew the aroma would be this good, but this much?”
“Hahaha! So, all the oil that was wasted until now?”
The hardened hardtack had been deep-fried in hot oil.
Once released, the fried hardtack became so crispy, it could be crushed even by the teeth of the elderly.
As it crumbled, a richer nuttiness engulfed their mouths.
And that piqued the curiosity and appetite in the eyes of the elders.
The once sad and teary-eyed children now looked back and forth between the elders and Karem with twinkling eyes.
What that implied was obvious.
“Alright, all the hardtack is fried now. Bring me a plate—”
“Here it is.”
Karem gathered a heap of fried hardtack into the plate handed by the chief’s daughter—one for the children and another for the elders. Naturally, the conversation flowed, and the mood lightened.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Karem let out a sigh.
As he noticed the atmosphere, he hadn’t had the chance to look around, but he was curious about what kind of building this was, as it had an old-fashioned feel.
Seeing Karem’s reflection, the chief’s daughter approached him.
“Is there something you’re curious about?”
“You said this was a shelter, right?”
“Yes. Would you like a tour?”
“Sure.”
But there was much that felt off about simply calling it a shelter.
The shelter at the village center was larger than the chief’s house where Karem had been staying.
Moreover, the stone floor was meticulously laid, and the stone pillars formed a structure made of dark wood that exuded a solemn atmosphere.
Various animal statues were placed everywhere, as though guarding the people who had taken refuge.
In that spacious room at the end, numerous animal statues and candle holders arranged like a small organ surrounded figures of a warrior and a woman holding an axe, with a stone altar set before them.
Or rather, it looked as if it had been enshrined.
“It seems far too luxurious to simply call it a shelter. It looks well-maintained too.”
“Oh, I’ve heard it used to be a temple.”
“A temple? Whose?”
“They say it used to dedicate to Skadi.”
Karem nodded in understanding.
That explained the lavish interior and the vast space, larger than any facilities in the village. Or did it? Past tense?
“The word ‘used to’ suggests it’s no longer a temple now?”
“It is still a temple—”
“But there’s no Priestess.”
“Yes. The priestess who managed the temple left a long time ago as his predecessor. And no other priestess has come since then. However, with the arrival of the Subjugation Team, Skadi’s priestess, who is active among Adventurers, has come to oversee the temple for a short while.”
The mention of leaving suggested death.
Yet, something still nagged at him.
With a curious tilt of his head, Karem asked the chief’s daughter.
“Isn’t it usual for a priestess from another temple dedicated to the same god to take over when there’s an opening?”
“From what I’ve heard from my father, there aren’t many priestesses, and since this village is relatively safe, it takes time for them to come.”
Hearing that, Karem was able to piece things together.
Essentially, it was a problem stemming from the lack of people in Iceland.
Although the current Duke of Iceland, Alfred Felwinter, had brought some abundance, population growth wasn’t that simple.
Moreover, Iceland itself was immensely vast.
And in contrast to the villages currently suffering, this relatively safe village seemed to have fallen low on the priority list for priestess dispatch, Karem cautiously thought.
“But before that, a temple…”
“Is there something that troubles you?”
Karem silently nodded.
He quickly prepared the hardtack, frying it and heaping it into a dish to place on the altar in front of the sculptures of the warrior and woman.
“Even if it’s a shelter, it feels a bit off to have barged in like this.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
The chief’s daughter, who had only been blinking, consented to Karem’s opinion and knelt in front of the altar, clasping her hands.
In response, Karem, who had been standing hesitantly, soon sat down beside the altar, dropping his basket and awkwardly closing his eyes to begin praying.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say he felt no anxiety.
As Karem prayed, following the chief’s daughter, the statue depicting Skadi seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, looking down at the basket as if it were watching.
One, two, three.
With a soft light, the seasoned chicken in the basket slowly began to vanish.
Karem realized something unusual only after finishing his prayer.