AWDC Chapter 44
by VolareIn my previous life in Japan, a morning like this would start with the sound of fireworks.
Unfortunately, there are no fireworks makers here in Toriholi Village, so it wasn’t a grand opening. But precisely because it’s simple, the sight of everyone in the village rejoicing as one is more deeply moving than anything in Japan.
“Hey, Toma, good morning.”
“Tom, good morning. You’re up early today.”
“Of course. I can’t be sleeping in on a day like this.”
A carpenter’s work is from sunrise to sunset. In this region of high latitude, the sun rises late this time of year.
Even Tom, who woke up in the still dim morning light, couldn’t stay in bed because he was so happy.
“Aren’t you the star of the show today? Is it okay for you to be here?”
“No, I’m not the star. I’m just sitting quietly by the lord’s side.”
For some reason, today I’m supposed to be in the middle of the festival, sitting near the lord.
I’m not performing any acts, but being near the center of the festival is conspicuous and clearly different from the policies of previous lords.
Once the festival schedule was decided, I asked Roy why I was sitting near the center.
“When you were younger, we tried to keep you out of the spotlight.
You’ve turned twenty now. From now on, it’s different. You will be responsible for managing this village.
The purpose of this festival is to make the villagers recognize that as well.”
Apparently, the lord intended to prompt me to become aware of my position.
I thought I had always been responsible in my work.
But, I had always been hiding behind the lord and Roy. Being in the background allowed me to be inconspicuous and take it easy, which is undeniable.
From now on, I will be in a place where I am visible and attract attention from those in power.
I will be used and targeted by powerful individuals such as the king, nobles, the church, and merchants.
Even so, it seems I must continue to do what I have to do.
By yesterday, water had entered the reservoir through the tunnel from the water source and filled it. I had carefully checked to make sure there were no leaks or defects anywhere.
When I opened the gate of the weir at the water source, water began to flow into the canal, and it didn’t take even ten minutes to reach the tunnel. During that time, Ladapole and I watched intently.
“It’s okay. There are no leaks anywhere,” we confirmed together.
Then, when we hurried over the Lean Ridge, we could see water flowing into the reservoir from the tunnel exit.
“We did it! There don’t seem to be any problems anywhere.”
We looked around the reservoir and the three of us, including Jim, nodded in agreement.
We were able to confirm that our construction was completed without any problems.
“Let’s store water for ten days as is.” The reservoir was large, and it took several days to store water.
Today, the biggest event is opening the reservoir’s floodgates and waiting for the water to reach the village through the desert canal.
The reservoir’s floodgates were set to open at the same time as the sunrise.
According to my calculations, I thought the water would reach the village around noon.
But, even at 1:00 PM, there was no report that the water had arrived.
I had simply calculated based on the speed of the water flow, but the canal was completely dry. Therefore, the water at the leading edge was being absorbed into the dry land. I had overlooked that.
“The water’s here!” Finally, around 2:00 PM, that report arrived.
Young men on rail carriages were running along the canal, watching the water flow. They were shouting loudly.
“The water’s coming!” The villagers gathered near the canal and waited for the water to flow in.
And when the flow reached them, the men jumped in without caring about the muddy water. Some even submerged their heads and got their hair soaking wet.
The children were at the leading edge of the flow, playing tag with the water. It was a slightly dangerous game, as they looked like they might be swallowed by the water, but the soil absorbed a lot of water, so even children could easily escape.
The women also put their hands in the water, laughing and saying, “It’s cold!”
“Kyaa!” The men who had jumped into the canal were splashing water on the women who were watching.
“What are you doing?” The women, whose clothes were stained with muddy water, said in angry tones, but their eyes were smiling.
The festival then turned into a harvest festival.
The previous festivals were peaceful events where everyone brought the corn, eggplant, onions, etc. harvested this year, grilled them with pork and chicken, and enjoyed eating and drinking together.
This year, however, a rough event was added: jumping into the canal, or rather, being thrown in regardless of who you were.
The lord and Roy also received this baptism. I was a perfect target, and after being hoisted high in the air, I was thrown into the canal three times.
“Cold!” When I got out of the canal, I rushed to the bonfire, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up.
If I made eye contact, there was a risk that I would be caught again and made to dive into the canal.
I had no choice but to try to be as inconspicuous as possible.
As expected, they couldn’t be rude to the lord and Roy a second time, but my treatment was different.
The free-for-all continued until sunset, but it didn’t escalate into a fight anywhere.
Probably because no one wanted to spoil the joyous day of the canal that they had all worked so hard to create with a fight.
Perhaps the ritual of jumping into the canal will become an annual event in the future.
But, I don’t want to be thrown in anymore. I decided to somehow escape this ritual next year.