Pagi Harinya, Desa Gempar - 17

Pagi Harinya, Desa Gempar

Sinar matahari pagi menyusup masuk saat aku mulai membuka mata, menghirup udara dingin yang segar. Begitu duduk di atas ranjang, terdengar bunyi derit kecil dari dalam kereta.

Mentari masih rendah, langit masih hangat oleh cahaya fajar. Paduan biru tua, ungu, dan jingga yang mewarnai cakrawala bikin mataku sedikit silau.

"Ah, Van-sama. Selamat pagi."

Till yang sudah bangun lebih awal buat bersih-bersih kereta menyapaku.

"Pagi, Till."

Aku balas sambil melongok ke luar jendela kereta. Kamsin yang lagi nyapu di sekitar kereta langsung menoleh.

"Selamat pagi, Master Van."

"Pagi juga, Kamsin."

Sambil balas salam, dalam hati aku agak heran. Ngapain sih nyapu tanah lapang? Tapi ternyata aku salah. Area sekitar kereta bersih rapi, bahkan kayak lapangan latihan ksatria Marquis.

"Makasih udah bersihin, kalian berdua."

Mereka berdua cuma mesem malu-malu.

Aku turun dari kereta dan meregangkan badan di bawah sinar matahari. Udah ganti baju sih, tapi nggak bisa mandi tuh rasanya aneh. Di dalam kereta emang cukup luas, tapi cuma beralas sleeping bag, badan masih pegal-pegal.

Mungkin harus modifikasi kereta ya? Atau bikin rumah permanen? Udah waktunya masalah ini diberesin.

Sebelum mikirin pertahanan desa, yang paling utama itu makanan, pakaian, dan tempat tinggal. Intinya, gue perlu bangun rumah.

"Aku butuh rumah."

Aku bergumam penuh tekad. Udah lama banget hidup berkemah, nginep di alam terbuka, dan pindah-pindah pake kereta. Bahkan sekarang setelah sampai di desa, kami masih tidur di kereta.

Gue ini bangsawan, kan?

Kadang suka kepikiran, apa jangan-jangan gue ini petualang, bukan bangsawan? Hidup di kereta, tidur di kantong. Ngenes.

Semangatku berkobar lagi. Aku tepuk tangan keras.

"Kamsin! Ambil balok kayunya!"

"Hah? Ah, iya!"

Kamsin berlari kencang, balik lagi bawa balok kayu. Kayak anjing aja, setia banget naruh balok-balok itu. Till juga ikut bawa beberapa balok.

Dalam sekejap, tumpukan balok kayu udah menggunung.

"Hei, ada apa ini? Eh, itu...?"

Entah sejak kapan, Rhonda udah berdiri di belakangku. Matanya melotot liat tumpukan balok.

"Nggak nyangka bahannya dari kayu," gumamnya.

"Aku mau bangun rumah di lahan kosong ini... eh, boleh nggak ya? Apa tempat ini dipake buat plaza atau apa gitu?"

Rhonda mengangguk.

"Meskipun ini pusat desa, udah jarang dipake sebagai plaza. Kayaknya nggak masalah kalau dipake buat bangun rumah Tuan Van. Malah, menurutku nggak ada tempat yang lebih cocok selain di sini."

Ada nada rendah diri waktu Rhonda ngomong gitu. Mungkin karena desa ini miskin, nggak sanggup ngadain festival.

Kalau gitu, nanti kalau udah mampu, akan kuadain festival kesuburan dan karnaval.

Sambil mikir gitu, tanganku menyentuh tumpukan balok. Apa bisa bikin rumah sebesar itu? Yah, kemarin aja bisa bikin gerbang, mungkin bisa.

Aku konsentrasi, sihir produksi mulai mengalir. Kubuat tiang-tiang. Ukurannya harus cukup buat Till dan Kamsin tinggal bareng. Dee dan yang lain bakal kubikin rumah terpisah.

Tiang-tiang disiapkan di empat sisi, ukuran rumah mulai terbentuk. Sambil inget pegal-pegal kemarin, aku atur jarak antar tiang dan menancapkannya ke tanah.

Ada kesalahan hitung yang menyenangkan pas masang tiang. Waktu bikin tiang, kubikin tipis kayak kawat, lalu kutanam dalam-dalam. Pas kuliat, ternyata kalau tiangnya ditebelin dikit, bisa jadi fondasi super kokoh.

Setelah ditebelin, tiang-tiang itu kokoh banget, nggak goyang walau didorong atau ditarik. Dengan fondasi yang reliable, aku lanjut bikin bagian lain rumah.

Balok-balok kayu berubah bentuk jadi struktur aneh, tapi aku tetep ngawasin karena bisa mempercepat proses. Gambaran rumah udah ada di kepala, tapi pas jadi, ukurannya lebih gede dari bayangan.

Setelah tembok luar dan atap selesai, kubangun sekat-sekat dalam.

Semua balok kayu habis, tapi untuk sementara rumah udah jadi. Ada ruang makan, toilet, satu kamar gede, satu kamar ukuran sedang. Juga dua kamar pribadi yang lebih kecil. Espada pasti bakal marah kalau aku nggak nyediain itu.

Kaca jendela belum bisa kubikin, jadi pake papan jendela dulu. Nggak tahu juga di mana ada pasir silika, nanti tanya peddler kalau lewat.

Aku mendongak, ngeliatin rumah.

"Apa kegedean ya?"

Begitu aku bergumam, Espada yang dari tadi nonton diem-diem buka suara.

"Tidak. Malah agak kecil. Tapi ini rumah terbesar di desa saat ini. Meskipun modelnya belum pernah saya lihat, tetap terlihat megah."

Wajah Espada biasa aja, tapi nadanya jelas senang. Till dan Kamsin juga keliatan bahagia.

"Keren! Van bikin rumah dalam sekejap!"

"Sihirnya Master Van lebih cocok buat jadi tuan tanah daripada sihir elemen!"

Kamsin ngomong gitu. Tapi setelahnya, Till, Espada, dan aku langsung kaku.

Aku terkekeh sambil geleng-geleng.

"Sihir ini emang menarik, tapi menurutku sihir serangan kuat yang bisa lindungin desa itu yang terbaik. Soalnya, tuan kayak gitu bikin penduduk lebih aman, kan?"

Till nampak sedih, nggak setuju.

"Nggak gitu. Aku lebih milih tinggal di kota Van-sama daripada kota Jalpa-sama."

Aku ketawa sambil ngangguk. Dukungan Till itu based on perasaan, bukan rasio. Espada buka suara lagi.

"Tuan Van. Kalau masa perang, mungkin Tuan Van benar. Tapi saat nggak ada ancaman perang, rakyat mencari tuan yang bikin hidup mereka lebih baik. Dalam hal itu, nggak ada yang lebih cocok selain Tuan Van."

"Aku bakal ikut Master Van!"

Till dan Kamsin kompak. Ya ampun, nggak usah lebay gitu.

"Wah! Apaan nih?"

Kali ini suara Orto yang kaget. Pas aku noleh, selain Orto dan petualang lain, Dee dan yang lain juga pada dateng. Semua melongo liat rumah yang jadi dalam sejam.

"Ini rumahku."

Begitu kuberitahu, Dee dan yang lain memandangku penuh harap.

"Yah kalau kalian ngumpulin kayu, aku bisa bikin rumah buat kalian juga."

Nggak sengaja ngomong gitu. Eh, keterusan.

Langsung aja Dee berbalik, teriak ke anak buahnya.

"Kumpulin kayu dan angkut pake kereta! Harus sampe di sini sebelum siang!"

"Siap!"

Tiga ksatria itu bergerak cepat, beda banget sama kelambatan mereka biasanya.

"Kalian, kita ke hutan. Cepetan. Bawa dua kereta, bolak-balik. Jangan sampe ksatria itu dapet pohon bagus duluan."

"Siap!"

Untuk alasan tertentu, Orto ngasih perintah dengan muka licik. Anak buahnya langsung lari.

Aku cuma bisa kedip bingung liat mereka nyusul Dee dan para ksatria.

Tunggu, kalian emang mau tinggal di desa? Kalau nggak jadi penduduk tetap, aku nggak bakal bikin rumah, Orto.

Maksudnya, mereka nganggep tuan tanah itu apa sih?

Sambil liat tiga kereta meninggalkan debu di kejauhan, Rhonda muncul dari belakang bawa serta penduduk desa.

"...Gimana, kami denger mau dibikinin rumah."

"Hah?"

Apa salah denger? Keringet dingin langsung ngalir, tapi mata penduduk-penduduk itu serius.

"Rumahku udah bocor kena angin dan hujan..."

"Rumahku lantainya bolong..."

"Pintu depanku udah lapuk, ilang..."

Permintaan renovasi bertubi-tubi. Coba ngadu ke kontraktor atau tukang bangunan yang bikin. Pengen ngomong gitu, tapi rumah mereka bener-bener memprihatinkan. Bahkan gudang pertanian aja lebih layak.

Jadi, terpaksa aku bilang:

"...Prioritas berdasarkan kondisi rumah. Antre, ya."

Desa langsung bergemuruh sorak-sorai.

Chapter 17: Next Morning, Village Goes Nuts

Morning light crept in as I opened my eyes, breathing in that crisp, cold air. Soon as I sat up in bed, the carriage gave a little creak.

The sun was still low, sky still warm with that morning glow. Deep blues, purples, and oranges painted the horizon—kinda dazzling, actually.

"Ah, Van-sama. Good morning."

Till, who'd gotten up early to clean the carriage, greeted me.

"Morning, Till."

I replied while peeking out the carriage window. Kamsin, sweeping around the carriage, turned to look at me.

"Good morning, Master Van."

"Morning, Kamsin."

Returning the greeting, I kinda wondered—what's the point of sweeping a dirt clearing? But I was wrong. The area around the carriage was immaculate, almost like the Marquis' knight training grounds.

"Thanks for cleaning, you two."

They just gave shy smiles.

I hopped out of the carriage and stretched in the morning sun. Changed clothes, but not being able to bathe felt weird. The carriage was spacious enough inside, but with only a sleeping bag as bedding, my body still ached.

Maybe modify the carriage? Or build permanent housing? It's time to fix this problem once and for all.

Gotta secure food, clothing, and shelter before focusing on village defense. In short—I need a house.

"I need a house."

I muttered with determination. Been camping forever, sleeping outside, moving by carriage. Even now after arriving at the village, we're still sleeping in the carriage.

I'm a noble, right?

Some days I can't help thinking I'm more adventurer than noble—living in a carriage, sleeping in a bag. Kinda pathetic.

Motivation reignited, I clapped loudly.

"Kamsin! Bring the woodblocks!"

"Huh? Ah, of course!"

Kamsin dashed off, soon returning with woodblocks. Looked almost like a dog, faithfully carrying those blocks. Till also brought some over.

In a blink, there was a woodblock pile.

"Hey, what's going on? Um, is that...?"

At some point, Rhonda had appeared behind me. He seemed stunned by the pile.

"You wouldn't think the material was wood," he muttered.

"I was thinking of building our house in this open area... ah, is it okay to build here? Do you use this place as a plaza or something?"

Rhonda nodded.

"Although it's the village center, it's used less and less as a plaza. I believe there'd be no issue using it as your home's construction site. Actually, I can't think of a better place for Lord Van's home."

There was self-deprecation in his tone. Probably because the village was so poor they couldn't even afford festivals.

If that's the case, I'll do my best to hold a fertility festival and carnival when I can afford it.

With that in mind, I put my hand on the woodblock pile. Can I actually make something as big as a house? Well, I made a gate before, so maybe it's possible.

I concentrated my magic and started making pillars. Should make them large enough for Till and Kamsin to live with me. I'll build Dee and the others separate housing.

Pillars prepared on all four sides, decided the house size. Remembering those backaches from earlier, I set the pillar distances and thrust them into the ground.

Made a happy miscalculation installing the pillars. When making them, I shaped them thin like wires and inserted them deep. Looking at them, I realized—if I thickened the pillars a little, they'd become super stable foundations.

After thickening, the pillars became firm supports that didn't budge when pushed or pulled. With such reliable foundations, I moved on to the rest of the house.

The woodblocks looked kinda strange morphing into various structures, but I watched anyway since it speeds things up. Had a house blueprint in my head, but the finished house looked way bigger than I'd imagined.

After exterior walls and roof finished, I built inner dividing walls.

All woodblocks consumed, but for now the house was ready. There's a dining room, toilet, one large and one medium bedroom. Also two smaller private rooms. Espada would've been angry if I'd settled for less.

Couldn't make window glass yet, so used window boards instead. Don't even know where silica sand is—I'll ask peddlers next time they come.

I looked up at the house.

"Is it too big?"

When I muttered that, Espada, who'd been silently watching, opened his mouth.

"No, it's actually a bit small. Nevertheless, it's the largest mansion in the current village. Although built in a style I've never seen before, it still looks magnificent."

Espada's face was the same as usual, but his voice held definite joy. Till and Kamsin also looked happy.

"Awesome! Van made a home in a blink!"

"Master Van's magic is much better suited for a lord than four elements magic!"

Kamsin said something like that, but afterward Till, Espada, and my expressions tightened.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"It's interesting magic, but I still think strong attacking magic that can protect the village would be best. You see, a lord like that would make inhabitants feel safer, right?"

Till denied it with a sad face.

"That's not true. I'd rather live in Van-sama's city than Jalpa-sama's city."

I laughed and nodded at Till's encouragement—completely emotion-driven rather than rational. Espada then opened his mouth.

"Master Van. During wartime, perhaps Master Van would be right. However, when there's no threat of war, domain people seek a lord who makes their lives better. In that sense, there's no one more suited than you."

"I'm going to follow Master Van!"

Till and Kamsin followed up. Geez, don't overdo it.

"Whoa! What the hell is this?"

This time I heard Orto's startled voice. When I turned, besides Orto and the other adventurers, Dee and the others had also come. Everyone was stunned, looking up at the house built in just an hour or so.

"This is my house."

When I told them, Dee and the others looked at me expectantly.

"Well, if you gather the wood, I wouldn't mind making homes for you guys too."

Couldn't help saying something unnecessary.

Immediately after, Dee turned and shouted at his two men.

"Gather lumber and transport it by carriage! I want it in front of me by noon!"

"Yes sir!"

The three knights began moving with urgency I'd never seen before. Where was their usual lazy air?

"You guys, let's head for the forest. Quick. We'll take two wagons, ride back and forth, and don't let the knights beat you to the good trees."

"Yes!"

And for some reason, this time Orto gave orders with a devilish look, his comrades all breaking into runs.

I couldn't help blinking at the sight of Orto's group overtaking Dee and his knights.

Wait, are you guys even going to live in the village? If you're not permanent residents, I'm not building you a house, Orto.

I mean, what do those guys think lords are?

While watching three carriages kick up dust in the distance, Rhonda appeared from behind with villagers in tow.

"...Well, we heard you were building people houses."

"What?"

Did I mishear that? Broke out in cold sweat, but the villagers' eyes were serious.

"My house can no longer keep out wind and rain..."

"My house is missing a floor..."

"My front door is rotten and gone."

Remodeling requests came one after another. Tell that to the house builder or construction company. Wanted to say that, but their houses are in terrible disrepair. Even a farm warehouse would be more comfortable.

So I had no choice but to say:

"...I'll prioritize requests based on house condition. Please form a queue."

The village filled with cheers of joy.

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