Like those old announcements you’d occasionally hear around the neighborhood when I was little—
“Buying broken computers, refrigerators, air conditioners!”
I didn’t have a loudspeaker, but I shouted with all my strength.
Maybe my desperate cry reached someone, because before long, someone stepped forward.
“H-How?”
“There is a way. Just trust me this once!”
My first customer was a middle-aged woman whose stern personality was obvious just from her voice.
“You’re saying you can restore my daughter’s ears?”
“Yes. Can you find your daughter’s ears in here?”
I quickly held out the basket I was carrying. Since I’d left most of the larger body parts—arms and legs—with Carol, the basket was filled with fingers, toes, and ears piled together in a messy heap.
“…These…”
After hesitating for a moment, the woman picked out a pair of tiny ears.
“She once got an infection after getting her ears pierced, so they left scars. These are definitely hers. But… how are they completely intact?”
“Where’s your daughter?”
At my question, a small child peeked out from behind her mother’s skirt.
Just as she’d said, where her ears should have been, there was nothing.
“Come over here for a second.”
Squatting down, I reached out.
The little girl glanced nervously at the people around her before slowly walking over.
I’d always liked children, so seeing someone who couldn’t have even started elementary school yet in this condition made my heart ache.
…Even though this was just a game.
‘Restoration.’
Holding the two detached ears, I activated my ability.
The soft, pale ears reattached themselves to their proper places as if nothing had ever happened.
A collective gasp erupted from everyone watching.
“C-Could you restore my missing arm too?”
“What about my leg?”
After witnessing the unbelievable sight, people began bombarding me with questions.
Before the crowd could become completely chaotic, I pointed toward Mr. Scrooge.
“Miss Carol, Mr. Scrooge’s daughter, is bringing the rest of the body parts. Once you’ve found what’s yours, I’ll restore it, so please don’t panic!”
As everyone’s attention shifted back toward Mr. Scrooge, I carefully worked my way out of the growing crowd and moved to the edge of the square.
Standing there…
“Hi.”
…was the boy I’d spoken to when I first entered the village.
The owner of the finger that had fallen from Carol’s body.
The boy hid his hand missing its index finger behind his back, looking strangely timid.
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
Unable to approach me, he instead took a few steps backward and muttered quietly,
“I… don’t have anything to give you.”
“Huh?”
“In our village, everything’s done through barter… But I don’t have anything to trade. A-And… I can’t make another… ‘trade’…”
So that was what was bothering him.
I glanced around.
At some point, Mr. Scrooge had stepped down from the platform and was lingering nearby, unable to bring himself any closer.
I gestured toward him before turning back to the boy.
“This village won’t use body parts as payment anymore.”
The firm declaration was immediately followed by a question directed at Mr. Scrooge, who was standing only a short distance away.
“Right, Mr. Scrooge?”
“…Of course.”
He gave a short nod before slowly speaking.
“Until now, I wasn’t in a state where I could think rationally. Because of that, I committed unforgivable acts against all of you—people who were once my good neighbors. I know my actions can’t be undone, but from now on, I’ll live honestly and devote myself to making amends.”
The hostile atmosphere eased ever so slightly.
He must have already apologized and explained himself to the villagers, because unlike before, no one openly hurled insults anymore.
No one knew whether his words were sincere, so it was only natural that their reactions remained lukewarm.
But what I noticed was something else entirely.
《Monter Village Code of Conduct》
1. All transactions are conducted through barter.
However, due to Monter Village’s shortage of goods, parts of your body may, in certain circumstances, be considered valid trade items.
↓
1. Transactions are to be conducted using the Empire’s standard currency. Barter is permitted when both parties mutually agree.
However, trading body parts based on subjective value is strictly prohibited. Any transaction violating this rule shall be deemed invalid.
‘The rules changed here too.’
Just like they had back at Belmond Manor.
After quietly reading through the revised code of conduct, I held out my hand to the boy.
“You heard that, right? Big sis will fix it.”
Gently taking his hand, I used Restoration.
A faint light shimmered, and his missing finger reattached itself perfectly.
It looked much the same as when I’d restored Carol.
Still, it was amazing to watch.
“M-My finger… it’s really back…”
His voice trembled with emotion.
He stared at his restored hand in disbelief before bowing deeply.
“Thank you so much!”
Not long afterward, Carol arrived, pushing a cart loaded with the remaining body parts.
I sat atop the wooden platform—once used for hangings, with ropes still dangling from it—and spent the next several hours quite literally repairing everyone who had come after hearing the news.
Just to be safe, I also used Purification’s Blessing on each of them.
Fortunately, not everyone in the village had entered one of Mr. Scrooge’s awful “deals.”
By late afternoon, nearly everyone who had lost part of their body had been restored.
The more I used my abilities, the more exhausted I became.
But it was worth every bit of it.
***
Once the crowd finally dispersed and things settled down, I returned to the Luden Trading Company with the two of them.
The basket was no longer filled with human body parts.
Instead, it was overflowing with unfamiliar coins.
Even though I’d repeatedly refused, many villagers had insisted on bringing whatever money they still had at home.
Leaning against the same table where I’d been served tea on my first day, I finally asked something that had been on my mind.
“Mr. Scrooge… what did Monter Village usually sell when it traded with other places?”
While helping Carol gather the body parts, I’d realized something.
The Luden Trading Company’s warehouse was practically empty.
If normal currency was going to circulate again, the village’s economy had to recover.
As things stood, Monter Village was, quite literally, dead.
Mr. Scrooge remained silent for a long while before finally answering.
“Probably wheat… corn… potatoes… crops like those. The open land surrounding the village used to be farmland.”
“Then why is it…?”
“After that day, nothing would grow from the soil anymore.”
He paused.
“Now that I think about it, it’s very strange. At first, many people starved to death. But at some point… we stopped needing food altogether.”
“And we didn’t even realize it.”
“You mean… you didn’t even feel hungry?”
“No.”
The answer came not from Mr. Scrooge, but from Carol.
“Before I met you, Miss Windsor, I never thought about food at all. But once my mind became clear again… I suddenly found myself craving potato soup. Fluffy potatoes simmered with rich cream… it smelled so wonderful.”
I nodded to myself.
As I’d suspected, Purification’s Blessing definitely had some kind of positive effect.
If that was true, Monter Village would soon need food supplies again.
‘Supplying food to the village is probably something I can discuss with Edwin after I return to the manor. As for the farmland… hmm.’
I could probably use Purification’s Blessing on the fields as well.
Now that the villagers had regained their health, labor shortages shouldn’t be an issue either.
So this is how the game expands your territory?
One problem kept leading to another, but strangely enough, it wasn’t annoying.
If anything, it was fun.
‘Thank goodness Carol kept all the body parts.’
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I looked over at her.
[▶What Carol Wants (Completed)]
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