The more I looked at him, the more unique he seemed to be. He gives off an aura like a lone wolf. He might be the type of person we shouldn’t get close to, but there’s only one path to go.
It would be ridiculous to return back to Lebon.
I felt nervous, but I walked as usual.
“Father, that man is catching birds. I’m sure he’s going to make them into yakitori.”
Where the man was kneeling, there was a net trap with a crow caught on it. But he wasn’t catching crows. Quite the opposite, he is removing the tangled net from the crow’s feet.
“Yo.”
When we approached, the man greeted us with a friendly smile. His eyes are clear and he doesn’t look like a villain.
“Hello. Is that a crow?”
“Yes. It looks like it has fallen into the trap for catching mountain pigeons. Well, it doesn’t taste good to eat……”
The man freed the crow from the trap and released it into the sky. The crow flutters into the overcast sky without looking back.
“Looks like it’s going to rain. I guess I should hurry too….”
The man picked up his cane, which was placed beside him, and began to walk with a slight limp. Even though he knows it is going to rain, he did not hesitate to stop and help the crow. He’s not a bad person after all.
He is walking in the same direction as us, so naturally, we ended up walking together.
“Are you children from this neighborhood?”
“Yes. I’m Cedi and this is Char. We live on that island.”
“Hmmm…… I’m Upa.”
He must have immediately recognized me as an aristocrat from the way I was dressed. But Upa doesn’t pry into this or that. He just walks leisurely, with his legs slightly covered.
“Upa, do you have a bad leg?”
“It’s an old wound, but it hurts sometimes, especially on a day like this.”
The clouds were getting thicker and thicker, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the raindrops would start falling. If he continued along the road like this, he wouldn’t come to a town for a while.
I wonder how far Upa plans to go?
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you stop by Gandalcia? There is a hotspring there and it is great for healing wounds.”
“Hot spring huh……”
Upa made a reluctant voice. Looks like, he doesn’t believe in the efficacy of hot springs.
However, in the world of Island Maker, hot springs were indispensable for healing injuries and illnesses. In the game, if you didn’t create a hot spring early on, it was not uncommon for you to get an infection and the game would soon be over.
I’m sure it also has a lot of potential in this world.
“The hot spring there works really well. It looks like it’s going to rain anyway, so you should stop by.”
Upa looked up at the sky as the clouds finally thickened.
“Alright…… My old wounds are throbbing, so I guess I’ll be in your care for a bit.”
“Great! There’s a canteen on the island that has a reputation for being delicious.”
“Heh~, that sounds good.”
Raindrops fell on my cheeks.
It seems that a drop of water has also fallen on Char’s head as she is also looking up at the sky.
“Maybe we should hurry.”
We walked a little faster and crossed the bridge over the island.
✲✲✲
Upa’s naked body was covered in scars.
“Oh, this one is good!”
We came to the hot spring together, and when he saw the hot spring, he immediately began to take off his clothes. His body is muscular and has countless scars running through it.
He was like a veteran warrior. But they’re all old wounds, and there’s nothing new.
“Pour hot water over your body before you go in!”
When Char told him bossily, Upa laughed and gave her a thumbs up.
“Got it, little girl. Now, is this all right?”
Char and I decided to go in together.
“Ah~, it’s seeping through…… No wonder, this is a really good water.”
“It will be more effective if you take about a month dipping here to heal your body. So, if you have time, why don’t you stay here for a while?”
“That’s true…… I’m a wanderer with no destination anyway. It’s not a bad idea to heal my knee here. But unfortunately, I don’t have much money……”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
The problem is where he is going to stay. However, if I build a gate for the bridge, he should be able to get a guard room.
It may be a bit small and cramped but he can use it.
Besides, if Upa is destined to become a resident of this island, there must be some changes to the status board.
I now have 42 skill points. I have no problem in creating any facility.
After refreshing ourselves in the hot spring, we came to Lynn’s canteen. It was past lunchtime, so there were no other customers besides us.
But that doesn’t mean the restaurant is always deserted.
Recently, word has spread, and fishermen and traveling merchants using the main road have started to frequent the restaurant.
“Oh, a customer?”
Lynn glanced at Upa.
Upa is a tall big man, so Lynn looks up when talking to him.
“This is Upa-san, who came to visit the island. What is your menu for today?”
“Today’s menu is bouillabaisse, with bread and a salad with lots of ingredients.”
“Heh~, that smells good. Let me have some then. I’ll also ask for Cedie and Char’s portion too. I’ll pay.”
Despite the fact that he said that he didn’t have much money, Upa is willing to treat us.
“You don’t have to, you know.”
“Children don’t have to hold back, just eat with me.”
Upa took a silver coin out of his wallet and placed it in the corner of the table.
“Is this enough?”
Rin, who came to put down the spoon, looked at the silver coin and laughed.
“Fufu, I don’t need the money for Cedie and Char, because Cedie is the owner of this canteen and the Lord of the island.”
“Lord of the island?”
“This was a deserted island that I inherited from my father.”
As we ate our bouillabaisse for lunch, I told Upa the story of what had happened up until now.
“—That’s why I’m living on this island with Lulu, Nowald-sensei and Lynn.”
“There is Char too!”
Upa nodded in understanding as he gulped down his bouillabaisse.
“I see, Cedie is also having a hard time huh.”
“That’s not true. Everyone is good to me you see.”
After drinking every drop of bouillabaisse, Upa scoops up the rest of the salad. Judging by the fact that he leaves the slice of ham aside, he seems to have a tendency to save his favorite food for last.
“Thanks for the meal! It was delicious. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this satisfied.”
Upa sighed contentedly.
“So, what are you going to do now? If you are okay with it, you can stay here and cure your wounds first.”
“Now that you mentioned it, even though it is this weather, my old wounds don’t hurt at all. It must be because of that hot spring.”
It was pouring outside.
“But, like I said, unfortunately, I don’t have any money to pay my long stay.”
The moment Upa said that, the status board unfolded in front of me.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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