Even after the wedding was over, I could not live with my in-laws for a while.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Isolde..."
That was because Isolde, the eldest daughter, vehemently opposed me moving into the house.
"Will you take responsibility if I can’t get married because of that ugly bastard?! Don’t live with us until after I get married!"
"B-but..."
Once Isolde brought up marriage, Adelia could not say a word.
Normally, after a marriage, the wife lived at her husband’s home. But Ian was an outsider, so he had to rely on his wife’s family.
Of course, it was not merely an emotional issue that Isolde, who had yet to marry, would be uncomfortable living with me.
‘She does need to get married. But that marriage has already gone down the drain.’
Isolde seemed firmly convinced that she would marry John, the village chief’s son, but her fate was to become the village’s communal fuck-toilet.
That probably would not change.
Because John, whom she loved so dearly, would make her into one.
‘There’s no need for me to intervene right away.’
And living with my in-laws right now was not particularly good for me, either.
I still had plenty to do at night.
"My sister-in-law is right. If I live under the same roof as a sister-in-law who has not yet married, the villagers will doubt her chastity."
"T-that’s true."
Adelia wore a complicated expression at my words.
Because both she and I knew that Isolde was not actually chaste.
But what could we do?
I had already received the money, and I had agreed with the village chief not to mention that matter.
So it was none of my business.
"I’ll spend the daytime with Isabelle, and stay in the forest at night."
"Would that really be all right?"
"It’s fine. And Adelia, you can speak casually to me."
"No. You’re the head of the household now."
"It makes me uncomfortable."
"Then... I-I’ll try. No, I’ll do it."
Adelia said, scratching her cheek.
"Could you speak casually too, Ian? It feels a little awkward when I’m the only one doing it."
"I’m more comfortable like this, but if that’s what you want, I’ll speak casually."
"And call me by my name. I’m not used to being called your mother-in-law yet."
"All right, Adelia."
Calling my mother-in-law by name felt strange somehow, but considering our ages rather than our relationship, it was appropriate.
There was only a ten-year age gap between us, after all.
"Adelia, I look forward to getting along with you."
"Yeah, me too."
After we had exchanged enough pleasantries, I asked Adelia a few questions.
"Adelia, I’m going hunting soon. Is there any meat Isabelle likes?"
"As for Isabelle..."
I intended to prepare some nourishing food for Isabelle.
When your body was sick, your mind became vulnerable too.
At the very least, eating something delicious would put some life back into her.
"Rabbit. I want rabbit meat."
"..."
But Isolde, who was lounging around the house, suddenly cut into the conversation.
When it was time to keep her distance from me because I was ugly, she did just that. But the moment she heard I was going hunting, she started saying what she wanted to eat.
"Why aren’t you answering? I said I want rabbit meat."
"Sigh... Isolde, today is for Isabelle. Let’s have rabbit meat another time."
"I’m always the one pushed aside, aren’t I? Hmph."
Apparently displeased with Adelia’s answer, Isolde began sulking and left the house.
She acted no differently from an adolescent girl.
"I’m sorry. Isolde is still immature."
"It’s all right. More importantly, is there any food Isabelle cannot eat?"
"No, but Isabelle’s stomach is weak, so she probably can’t digest tough meat."
"How about quail?"
"That would be wonderful. It doesn’t have to be quail—bird meat is tender, so any of it would be fine."
"Then I’ll try hunting quail today."
"Don’t push yourself too hard, all right?"
Adelia took my hand, worried about me.
‘Looks like the affection-building worked properly.’
I tried to ease Adelia’s concerns.
"Adelia, you don’t have to worry. I may not look it, but I’m an excellent hunter."
Of course, that was a lie.
I could not even gather herbs yet, let alone hunt.
But Ian could.
‘The village chief didn’t scheme to make Ian settle in the village for no reason.’
Ian’s hunting ability in the game was enough to feed every villager.
And I had possessed Ian’s body.
‘This body will take care of it on its own.’
It was time to show off the one-click benefits of possession.
. . .
[Archer (Lv. 7)]
- Your understanding of archery increases.
- Strength +7, Focus +7
Ian’s archery was at a considerably higher level than I had expected.
‘At this rate, I could make a living as an archer.’
Unlike swords, which were popular weapons, bows required at least several years of training to handle properly.
Yet Ian had reached as high as Level 7 in Archer.
‘Now I’m curious about Ian’s past.’
Hunter (Lv. 10)
Swordsman (Lv. 5)
Archer (Lv. 7)
The combined level of all the classes I had unlocked so far was 22.
Considering Ian’s talent, it was an absurdly high level.
‘Did he have a teacher?’
Unfortunately, the story of [A Country Village’s Circumstances] only covered Ian’s life after marriage, so nothing was revealed about his past.
‘Just in case, I should investigate the campsite later.’
For now, I focused on hunting.
"Is this enough?"
The hunting went more smoothly than I had expected.
I found prey with the Hunter skill [Search], then shot it from a distance with my bow.
It was simple and the most efficient method.
"That’s enough for today... Hm?"
Night was beginning to fall, and just as I was about to return to my in-laws’ house, I spotted a familiar flower.
"This is a [Golden Flower]."
As befitted the world of an erotic game, it was full of perverted settings, and the golden flower before me was one of them.
‘Its effect was...’
Brewing its golden petals into tea and drinking it caused a powerful diuretic effect. One of the pleasures was forcing the heroines to piss with it, then enjoying the sight.
"I should keep some for later."
While gathering the [Golden Flower], I also collected the herbs growing nearby.
"This is a [Green Herb], this is a [Blood Herb], and... since this one has corners of its mouth turned upward, it’s a [Clown Mushroom]."
Finding the herbs I had seen in the game gave me a small pleasure, and before I knew it, I had become absorbed in gathering them.
"If I mix [Green Herb] and [Blood Herb] in a two-to-one ratio, it makes a healing potion, and if I mix [Ghost Mushroom] with [Blue Herb]..."
[You have unlocked the class: Apothecary (Lv. 1).]
And just as expected, I was able to unlock a new class.
. . .
Thanks to the quail Ian had hunted, Isabelle was able to eat a special meal containing meat for the first time since her father passed away two years ago.
That alone would have made Isabelle grateful to Ian, but he even took care of feeding her.
"Isabelle, open wide."
"Y-you don’t have to do this much. Mother will come feed me soon."
"Adelia is busy with housework."
"I’ll wait until Mother comes."
"It won’t taste good once it gets cold. Or do you dislike having me feed you?"
"N-no, that’s not it."
"Then please eat."
When Ian held out the spoon, Isabelle had no choice but to accept the bite.
"How does it taste?"
"Yes... it’s very delicious."
"I was worried it might not suit your taste, but I’m glad you like it."
Smiling, Ian continued to feed Isabelle.
"Isabelle, open wide once more."
"Ah..."
Was it because the porridge had meat in it? Or because her husband, rather than her mother, was feeding her?
Her appetite stirred, and Isabelle finished an entire bowl for the first time in a long while.
"Would you like more?"
"I-I’m sorry."
For Isabelle, the act of eating food came with guilt.
She could not bear the thought of herself, someone who could do nothing, consuming her family’s daily bread.
"There’s no need to apologize."
Did he understand how Isabelle felt?
Ian spoke as though it were nothing.
"If you want to eat more, then eat. If we run short, I just have to provide more."
"..."
At Ian’s words, Isabelle hesitated for a moment before speaking in a voice so soft it was nearly a whisper.
"More... please. I want to eat more."
"Of course."
At Isabelle’s request, Ian immediately put another spoonful of food into her mouth.
As her husband continued to take such care of her, Isabelle felt guilty and cautiously asked,
"Isn’t this difficult because of me?"
"No. On the contrary, seeing you enjoy your food makes me happy too."
"...I’ll have to live like this for the rest of my life."
"That sounds good. I’ll take responsibility for your meals from now on, too."
Seeing Ian answer with a smile made Isabelle’s thoughts turn turbulent.
‘Why is this man doing so much for me?’
Even her late father had considered her a burden, yet the man before her cherished her instead.
"You are my wife, Isabelle."
Had he noticed how Isabelle felt?
Ian gently took the back of her hand.
"It is my duty as your husband to take responsibility for you. So please don’t feel burdened."
Then he kissed the back of her hand.
At the thrilling sensation she had never felt before, Isabelle’s face naturally flushed red.
"Because I want to love you, Isabelle."
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