Fortunately, we were able to arrive safely at the village before sunset.
If we had walked, it would have easily taken an hour to get down to the village, but since we rode horses from the start, we managed it in about 20 minutes.
As expected, horses are the best for traveling long distances.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
We reached the entrance to the village and slowly brought our horses to a halt.
They said all the village's young men were conscripted into the Demon King's army, but at the stone bridge marking the village entrance, there stood Beastkin children who hadn't even lost their baby fat, holding long spears.
Is this some kind of vigilante group?
The children recognized Barnessa, who had dismounted from the Bicorn, and bowed their heads.
"Hello! Captain Barnessa!"
"Yes. It's been a while since I've seen you two."
Unlike the slightly clumsy demeanor she showed when it was just us, Barnessa spoke in a solemn voice, handing the children candies she took from her pocket and asking,
"Today, I came to meet the Village Chief, do you know where he is?"
Then, the red-haired child quickly raised his hand.
"Ah! If it's the Village Chief, he'll be at home! He was bustling around the village since morning because an important guest was supposed to arrive today!"
"Thanks for letting me know. Roto."
Just then, another child tilted his head, perhaps having noticed us standing behind Barnessa.
"Captain Barnessa, who are these people?"
Barnessa then placed a hand on her hip and said in a boastful tone.
"They are very important guests I brought along. They are a dark mage sent directly by the Demon King to help with the village's labor."
"Wow! A dark mage!"
Hearing that, the kids looked up at me as if seeing something incredibly fascinating.
"Can you fly in the sky like a bird?"
"Of course."
Most mages couldn't do it, but for me, it wasn't particularly difficult.
I controlled the flow of air without incantations, causing wind of appropriate output to continuously spray beneath my feet, lifting my body slightly off the ground.
"Whoa!"
Seeing the children marvel with shining eyes, I immediately cut off the mana supply directed towards my feet.
Thump!
"That's the demonstration for today."
The children started clapping like seals and begging me to show them something else, but fortunately, Barnessa, standing nearby, intervened at the perfect moment.
"Kids. I'm sorry, but we're a bit busy. The mage plans to stay in the village for a few days, so could you let it slide for today?"
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
It seemed like she wasn't new to this, as Barnessa skillfully calmed the children and then motioned to me, who was standing behind her, signaling it was time to move again.
I followed her, mounting the Bicorn again, and slowly rode it into the village.
The Village Chief's house was located right in the center of the village.
A proper brick house topped with a blue wooden roof.
Seeing its unusually high level of craftsmanship compared to the other houses, it seemed the Village Chief was quite wealthy, fitting for a village elder.
Since there was no stable, we tied the two Bicorns and one warhorse to the trees in front of the house. Barnessa, stepping forward as the representative of our party, knocked on the brick house's door, and soon someone came out.
"Yes~ Who is it… Oh my! Barnessa-nim!"
"It's been a while, Violet. Is the Village Chief at home?"
"Ah, yes. Father is in his room. Please come inside."
The person named Violet was a Beastkin who looked like a mix of a fox and a human.
Not just the common image of a human with ears and a tail attached, but a form truly close to a wild beast.
Between the Beastkin kids we met at the entrance earlier and this, it's a village that people with suspiciously large amounts of money would seem to like.
Well, I could transform into the appearance I mentioned anytime, but people wouldn't likely endure such inconvenience in a place where only those similar to them live.
Following her inside the house, the cozy atmosphere unique to a country home welcomed us.
It felt like any ordinary, common household.
It seems that just because they are demons, they don't necessarily have peculiar living environments.
The Village Chief, whom Barnessa had mentioned incessantly on the way, was sitting on the living room sofa, reading a worn, hand-stained book.
"Father! We have guests!"
Perhaps hearing Violet's words, the fox Beastkin, who had long eyebrows and a beard like a Taoist master, closed his book and stood up from the sofa.
"You have finally arrived. Barnessa-nim."
"It's been a while, old man."
Barnessa said that, approached, and exchanged greetings warmly with the Village Chief.
The very short Village Chief looked at me with eyes filled with the wisdom characteristic of someone who has lived a long life.
"Is this the mage the Demon King-nim mentioned sending?"
Barnessa then patted her chest with a proud expression.
"This mage volunteered for our army a few days ago, claiming to be captivated by the Demon King-nim's charisma. They possess outstanding magical skills, and the Demon King-nim plans to utilize them greatly."
"If the Demon King-nim praises them that much, they must truly be an incredible person. It's a pleasure to meet you, mage-nim. I am Popo, the Village Chief of this village."
I looked down at him thoughtfully and stated the alias I had prepared before coming to the village.
"I am Patraash, the Demon King-nim's hunting dog."
The Village Chief showed a slightly surprised expression.
"So that's why the dog mask…"
It seemed he misunderstood my intentions, but I didn't bother correcting him.
After all, it didn't seem like he took it in a bad way.
After exchanging simple introductions with the Village Chief, we sat in the living room and began discussing the matter at hand.
"As you know, Barnessa-nim, the village's young men were all conscripted as soldiers half a year ago, leaving too few people to harvest the grain. If we don't harvest quickly before the heavy rains come, it will all fall to the ground and become unusable."
Hearing about the village's situation, I asked.
"Then, how much land is left to be harvested right now?"
"The remaining elderly and women in the village pooled their strength to harvest as much as possible, but there are still about 30,000 pyeong of land left unharvested. This is even after significantly reducing the scale compared to previous years because there's no one to tend the fields."
"30,000 pyeong!"
Barnessa exclaimed in surprise.
I was the same.
In my previous life, 30,000 pyeong didn't conjure a clear image of scale, but having been born the son of a farmer in this world, I knew it was an incredibly vast expanse of land.
Without tractors or anything similar, harvesting that much land purely by manpower would certainly require the villagers to work themselves to the bone for days.
As the Village Chief responsible for the village, his worries must be immense.
"The problem is how to harvest this…"
The Village Chief muttered, glancing sideways at me.
I roughly understood what he wanted, so I nodded appropriately and said what the Village Chief hoped to hear.
"Fortunately, given such circumstances, I think I can help."
The Village Chief's eyes widened, and he bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you! Mage-nim! You've saved us!"
While feeling awkward about his effusive gratitude, I confirmed one fact.
"However, can you prepare separate people to pick up the fallen grain from the ground?"
"If the mage-nim is helping, of course, we must prepare that!"
I nodded and said to the delighted Village Chief.
"In that case, I will gladly lend my strength as well."
After finishing our conversation with the Village Chief, we were treated to a lavish meal.
It seemed the village women had gathered since morning to prepare our meal in advance, anticipating guests from the Demon King's Castle.
Everything from various meat dishes and vegetable salads to soft, white bread made from wheat.
Being quite hungry, I took off the mask I had been wearing and enjoyed the meal.
After all, the demons living in this village wouldn't recognize my face, so I only needed to be careful about my name.
"There's plenty, so please eat slowly."
Perhaps pleased by the sight, Violet, the Village Chief's daughter-in-law who was serving us, poured water into my cup herself and gave a gentle smile.
While accepting the cup she handed me with thanks, I spoke to Barnessa, who was diligently cutting meat opposite me.
"I had no idea you were a woman."
Barnessa, who had briefly removed her helmet-which looked like a tin can-to eat, replied with an aggrieved expression, shaking her brown ponytail.
"Unlike the Princess, I've never particularly hidden my gender. Besides, isn't it obvious someone is a woman from their voice or body shape?"
Hearing that, I pointed my fork at her, criticizing the weakness in her logic.
"But the armor you wear doesn't reveal your figure, and when you wear that tin can helmet, your voice echoes, making it hard to tell if you're male or female."
"Kuhk!"
Perhaps unable to come up with a rebuttal to my coherent explanation, Barnessa chewed the large cut of steak with an aggrieved expression.
Meanwhile, Camilla, who was sitting next to us eating, seemed to have already finished her meal. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up first.
"I shall take my leave first. Patraash-nim, if you require anything separately during the night, please summon me anytime."
Saying that, Camilla gave a crisp bow, paid her respects to the Village Chief and Violet as well, and then went into the guest room first.
I glanced at her retreating back as she entered the room, then asked Barnessa, who was sitting opposite me.
"Camilla doesn't eat much usually, does she?"
Barnessa, who had known Camilla since childhood, nodded and whispered.
"That one is sensitive about managing her figure. She tends to eat little even when she was at the castle."
"Hmm."
From my perspective, she just looked like she wasn't hungry.
Perhaps, being a succubus, she can absorb nutrients in other ways, making regular meals less necessary?
I don't know much about the physical characteristics of succubi, but it was a plausible inference.
'I'm curious, so I should subtly ask her later when it's just the two of us.'
Thinking that, I tossed a piece of bread, dipped generously in soup, into my mouth.