Deku and Ochaco and Fumikage went on their way to the forest. Tsuyu came with them, not to find the hermit, but to look for edible mushrooms that didn't grow around her new village. "Easier than buying them at outrageous prices from the market," she said, hefting a basket.

"You think that the Hermit will be easy to find?" Ochaco asked Deku.

"I don't know. He kind of just showed up before," Deku said.

They looked around for a bit. Tsuyu found her mushrooms, and Dark Shadow found some woodmice, but they didn't find the hermit.

"How do you think he knew where to find you before?" Ochaco asked.

"I don't know," Deku said, a little impatiently.

"I don't mean to make matters worse," Tsuyu said, "but I've been thinking for a while that we're lost."

"Lost?!!!" they cried.

"This is a bad omen," Fumikage said darkly.

                                                                                          * * *

While these events were going on, Denki and Kyoka were going through a village that was actually only about 20 miles away from them. It was nearing the part of the territory where the warrior tribe was most likely to be.

Kyoka was against going into the village at all, but they needed food. And Denki insisted that Tibult would be less likely to get loose in a village. He was a little sensitive after the alpaca had gone missing twice already.

"You know she's too big to be an alpaca, right?" Kyoka said, "I've seen alpacas now. They're small."

"She's just heavy duty," Denki said.

"You sure she's not just a llama after all?" Kyoka said.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," Denki said indignantly.

Tibult made a sound to match.

Kyoka thought Tibult would be safer if they stayed out in the country. Alpacas were apparently valuable animals, and she must have stopped someone from coming up and stealing one at least 3 times in the last few weeks. She would give them a deadly look and they'd back off. (It might be possible they were not actually thieves. Kyoka tended to assume the worst about village people.)

Denki never had a problem at villages unless he played a song that they didn't like, but it was how he paid for things. Kyoka had not liked bards when they first met, but she tolerated the profession now. She seemed to have accepted he wasn't going to use his charisma to put a spell on her.

Denki took some time to do a little street performance recounting people with old songs. One he seemed to get requested a lot went like this:

https://youtu.be/IGmlRUeoD3c

Si vis amaris, audeamus (If you want to be loved, we presume)

In veritatis unanimi summus ( The unanimous high-Truth)

Sanat qui facet amoris vulnus (He wound heals to make love)

Quod me nutrit, etiam me destruit (what nourishes me, destroys me)

Tempus fugit, amor manet (Time flies love remains)

Under your spell

This is all I dreamed of

I surrender myself

As your servant to love

Nunc vivamus, atque amemus (Now we must live, and let us love)

Nulli secundus. Totus tuus (Second to none, All yours)

Semper fidelis, clam amantis (Always faithful secret lover)

Usque ad finem. Captus sum vobis (To the end. I caught you)

Faciam quodlibet necesse est (I will do whatever is necessary)

Under your spell

This is all I dreamed of

I surrender myself

As your servant to love

Odi et amo, odi et amo (I hate and love, hate and love)

Quare id faciam fortasse requiris (Why do I do this you may ask?)

Nescio, nescio (I do not know, I do not know)

Sed fieri sentio et excrucior ( But I feel, tortured)

Under your spell

This is all I dreamed of

I surrender myself

I'm your servant to love

[Servant to Love, Eurielle, translated lyrics with Google]

He told Kyoka the language in it was an old tongue used by scholars, called Latin.

"Why do you always have to play love songs?" she complained.

"Not everyone in the world abhors love as much as you," Denki said, "It's the most popular kind of song. Everyone wants to hear it. It's the only song you can just start playing, and people are immediately interested in it."

Kyoka sighed. "I don't abhor it, it's just not something I understand, and why is it so important? They all sound the same. 'I love love so much,' 'I met a man, or a girl, they were handsome, and I wanted to marry them,' and then it's either, 'But it can't be, for reasons,' or 'And we did. The end.'"

Denki gave her an annoyed look. "That's like saying every duel is just hitting each other's metal sticks until someone makes a mistake and either dies or wins."

"I suppose it's technically correct," Kyoka said, "but there's a lot more to a duel than just what we're technically doing. There's honor, testing strength, and so on."

"Exactly, and there's a more to a romantic relationship and a love song than what we're technically doing too," Denki said, "and stop being so clever about it. People build their whole lives around marriage, and civilization wouldn't be a thing without families. Isn't it true? Even royals have to marry and have children. If royals are doing that, then it's important, and why should you look down on a honest person who want to write a song about it? It's not more silly than writing a song about walking, traveling, or gardening. People make songs about everyday life to make everyday life seem more special, Kyoka... and the strange thing is, it is more special that way. Music is more powerful than magic. That's why I'm a bard and not a wizard."

"I thought you didn't have the power to be a wizard," Kyoka said.

"Hey!" Denki said, "Bards are powerful. Why you always have to say the worst things about it?"

Kyoka looked down. "I'm sorry," she said uncertainly, "I know it wasn't exactly just to say that. Something about it just makes me jittery."

"Well, that's clear enough from how you act," Denki said, "but it's not a bad word, Kyoka, and it just happens to be how I make a living, so can you maybe go easier on it?"

Kyoka stared straight ahead.

"I... forgot about your father..." Denki said guiltily, "Sorry."

"I know what you think, it's not right to judge every bard and every song the same because of one person," Kyoka said stiffly, "And perhaps that is true, but once bitten, twice shy. It's just how it is."

"That's true, I suppose, but people could do that with everything. You'll find bad sorts in every profession, so why does one in particular have to make you a bad guy?" Denki said.

"Doesn't it strike you as sort of strange that for all bards sing about love and people, they are so often alone?" Kyoka said, "They don't have a tribe like me, and they don't have families like other people. They wander everywhere. You seem to think I'm the one who's unnatural, but to be going around by yourself all the time is stranger than being in a tribe of all girls."

Denki considered that. "You have a point, even if it's kind of a harsh one. I am mostly alone, but I have friends everywhere, so it's not so bad, and I have a family."

"You told me they wouldn't notice if you were gone," Kyoka said.

"Do you have to remember everything I say about stuff? That was weeks ago," Denki said.

"Sounded important," Kyoka countered.

Denki thought to himself for a moment. "You know, Kyoka, I think I have just the thing to show you what I mean."

"You do?" Kyoka said, "What do you mean what you mean? I thought we had finished this... whatever it is."

"Oh, no, I'm going to show you what it means to have a real family in our culture," Denki said, "Come on, it should only be a few miles from here."

"What?" Kyoka said.

Denki grabbed Tibult's bridle. "Let's hurry it up, girl."

Tibult started to walk faster obediently.

Kyoka wasn't pleased to see that what they had come to was yet another town, but it was a small one, with the small thatched roofs and low fences. Very picturesque. "Why are we here?" she asked.

Denki was straightening himself, brushing dust and grass off his clothes, smoothing his hat. "You'll see in a moment... but don't make any sudden movements... and maybe you should take off that armor."

"Armor?" Kyoka said, "Why? I don't have anything else on!"

"Seriously, nothing?" Denki said, "Why did you have to tell me that!"

"Why did you ask!... It's just undersclothes, a smock," Kyoka said, "I can't go around in that."

"But so much metal..." Denki muttered. He nodded toward a sign. Kyoka read, "'Kaminaron Village. Where more thunder strikes happen than anywhere else in the kingdoms.'"

"Is that true?" she asked.

"If it's on the sign, it must be, right?" Denki said, "I know there's at least one thunderstorm per month here, and in the hot seasons, it's more like one every few days. Great for crops, but... bad for us." He looked up. "Well, the sky is clear for now, but if it clouds over, you should really put on something that is less likely to attract lightning."

"You should've said something before we got here," Kyoka snapped, testily.

"I didn't remember till now," Denki snapped back.

They went toward the center to the town. Some people started looking over. "Denki? Is that you?" they called, "What are you wearing now? Is that your bard get up?"

"How does everyone here know you?" Kyoka said suspiciously.

"I've come through here a lot. I have friends," Denki shrugged sheepishly.

"Who's that with you?" A few men who looked like smiths came up. "Did you finally marry? I keep telling your folks that if you were going to go off traipsing around the country playing ditties on that violin of yours, you should get yourself a wife."

Kyoka was going to beat them up, but Denki held up a hand. "Uh... it's more like... an escort. Yeah, you know, it's dangerous for ladies to travel around alone."

"And she wants you to escort her?" the men snorted, "You and your army of llamas, you mean?"

Tibult gave them a resentful look.

"She's an alpaca!" Denki said, "And it's a legitimate job."

"Give the bard a llama and a lute and he thinks he's a knight," muttered one smith to the other, "I always did think he got a little too big for his britches after he got that book learning."

"There's one in every village," the other smith said.

Denki walked away from them, looking sour.

"Charming fellows," Kyoka said, following, "Should've let me break their legs."

"We don't solve everything with violence here," Denki grumbled, "They're just ignorant asses, that's all. It's the whole 'do anything different from everybody else, and you're a freak' thing."

Kyoka said nothing to that, just frowned.

They went down a much smaller street with very small homes on it. Outside in the street there were at least 20 village children playing some kind of game with sticks and stones or talking. A few girls were sitting off on a wall with dolls. The boys were pretending to be knights or robbers.

Kyoka actually rarely saw young children, only when they went through villages, and it seemed most of them had been indoors then, so it was odd to her to see so many.

Odder still when at least 3 of them stopped to look at them, then the oldest one said, "Denki!" and ran up. The other two followed.

A bunch more of the children came after them to stare at them. They had rarely, if ever, seen anyone wearing armor; Kyoka was a sensation for them. Like a one woman show. Some of them tried to poke her armor, and she pushed their hands away, but that didn't scare them off. They were used to friendlier adults.

"Hello there," Denki said, as the little girl who'd called his name reached up for a hug, "Trixie... wow, you're so big."

"I should be. I'm 8 now," Trixie answered proudly, "I like your hat..."

"It's nice, right?" Denki held it out for her to see.

"Who is this?" Kyoka asked him.

"Hey, soften your tone. They're just kids. You'll scare them," Denki hissed, "And this is my little sister. And that's my two brothers."

Now that he said so, they did look like him. Kyoka had never met siblings before, and she stared at them like they were ghosts. They stared back at her. "Did you bring home a lady?" said one of the small boys.

"Mommy said you'd bring home a girl one day," Trixie informed Denki, like it was very serious news, "but I thought she was just teasing us."

"Uhh... well.. I don't think Mom exactly had this in mind," Denki said nervously, "This is Kyoka. I'm helping her get home safely."

"Are you knight, then?" said one of the children who was not his sibling.

"Uh, no Tommy, I'm a bard," Denki said.

"Oh." Tommy didn't know the difference and assumed it was something that was pretty much the same thing.

"So, uh, is Pop home?" Denki asked Trixie.

"No, he's in the field today. It's harvest time," Trixie said, "and that's where most of our brothers are too. Just these two are too little, and Mom said I had to watch them, so she can look after the baby and cook."

"Don't you have chores?" Denki said.

Trixie stuck out her tongue at him. "I'll do them later. It's sunny right now. I want to play."

"You'll catch it later," Denki said.

"Mom says you used to do the same thing," Trixie said deviously.

"Uh... nevermind," Denki said, "Well, Kyoka meet my three... I guess not youngest anymore, but three of my youngset sibling-- Trixie, Sammy, and Rupert."

"Rupert?" Kyoka said.

"My mom got that name from an old story. We ran out of other names," Denki said.

He scratched his head. "So, instead of 9 siblings, I have 10 now, is what you're saying?"

Trixie nodded. "Come on. You should come see baby Kate." She took Denki's hand and started leading him toward a house.

Kyoka followed, because she didn't want to stay outside and be gawked at. Tibult seemed content to stay there and let the children pet her.

"You haven't been home, and your mother has another baby?" she said to Denki.

"Oh, that's nothing unusual. My mother has been having a baby every year or so since I was little," Denki said. He lowered his voice. "A few of them between us older boys didn't... you know... make it... so it's good that so many of us did."

"Eleven children!" Kyoka shook her head. "How could anyone have so many?"

"My mom's strong as a horse," Denki said proudly, "All of us are. That's why there's so many of us-- we're hardy. It's the thunderstorms. They make you grow thick skin. My aunt and uncle have 8 children."

Kyoka couldn't even picture that family gathering.

"In fact, I'm surprised I didn't see any of my cousins out there..." Denki puzzled.

"Aunt and Uncle moved to a different village," Trixie told him, catching this, "Mommy said they couldn't feed them here."

"But... the village looks like it's doing well," Denki said.

Trixie bit her lip. She had a serious look for such a little girl.

"This part of it is. But... I don't know, there's something wrong at the eastern side of our farms. No one will tell me what it is, but I bet it's magic. Maybe it's trolls."

"I think I'd better ask my mother what that's about," Denki said, with a knowing glance at Kyoka, "Normally this village is pretty well off, with all the rain we get. So that's just not natural. And we live in such a densely populated part of the country that trolls and goblins hardly ever bother us."

"That's suspicious, then," Kyoka agreed, glad they were on a subject she understood.

Denki's house was way to small for 12 people to live in. And his mother, who came to look at them once Trixie called for her, looked tired and overworked. She seemed happy enough to see Denki, but distracted by soup cooking and a baby that was teething. She glanced at Kyoka oddly but seemed too tired to ask who she was.

Denki didn't spend much time on pleasantries. It didn't seem to be how his family did things. Instead he asked about the farms.

His mom (whose name was Sally) sighed. "Trixie likes to talk too much.... It's nothing."

"Mom, come on, I know Aunt Beatirce wouldn't have moved away from the family if it was nothing," Denki protested, "They liked it here."

"It's true they like it here." His mom glanced at Trixie. "Go look after your brothers."

Trixie rolled her eyes, as only an 8 year old could, and went outside.

"Beatrice's husband, you remember him? Finn? His farm was on the east side of the county," Sally explained, "And... you've heard the story before, Denki. Surely."

Denki swallowed. "Don't tell me it's the blight."

Sally nodded.

"But... wouldn't the whole village be swept up?" Denki said.

"No," Sally said, "As soon as we saw it, we got up a collection to hire some mages and clerics to come and put a protective seal on the blight. They said it would hold it off for a while... but to eradicate it takes a pretty powerful mage. Or perhaps a Holy Man. There's none around here closer than Grave Village, and that's a week's journey even by horse... We can't afford it. So for now we are just making do with the field on the other side... but some families couldn't subside without their farms, and they left. Beatrice has 8 youngins, you know."

"What about you?" Denki said.

"Oh, our farm was on the West side, so we're all right," Sally said, "Your brothers are old enough to start their own trades soon too. They're talking about apprenticing with the smiths." She cleared her throat. "And... there might be some opportunities in the next village for indentured servanthood..."

"What?" Denki said.

[Author's note: Though the terms and conditions vary, an Indentured Servant is like a slave that is conscripted for a period of time, usually 7-9 years if I remember it. Often a young boy, so he can learn a trade, and his board is paid by his employer in exchange for him having to basically belong to them until his time is served. Families who could not make ends meet would often turn over their sons to be indentured servants of successful businessman. It often meant not getting to see their sons hardly at all. But it was a way to keep them from starving.]

"We do what we must," Sally said, "Why are you so shocked? You've gone off on your own. It's high time they did the same. Your sisters too, they're old enough to marry and start families of their own."

Kyoka wasn't sure why Denki was acting like this was a bad thing, but he looked crestfallen.

"Speaking of families, aren't you going to introduce your wife?" Sally changed the subject.

"My what now?" Denki sputtered, "Oh, Kyoka. Us, well, Mom, she's not, uh, that is, she's actually..."

"Denki, if you've brought home your mistress I will chop your ears off!" Sally cried, grabbing him by one of them.

"No, Mom! It's not like that at all!" Denki winced.

It was well Kyoka had no idea what a mistress was, or Sally might have had her tongue chopped off instead of her ears.

"I'm a warrior of the Southern Tribe of Creati," she explained, "I unexpectedly had to travel home alone, and this bard here offered to escort me because of the dangers of villages."

Considering how much she hated admitting she was scared, that took some humility to say.

"Oh?" Sally let go of her son's ear. "Fancy that.... I guess Denki really has become a proper gentleman since leaving home.... I never thought that bard idea was going to succeed, but, I'm glad it did." She looked narrowly at them. "And it's just an escort?"

"Yes, mom!" Denki said, "Sheesh, have a little faith in me."

Sally looked toward the fireplace. "Ah, my soup is going to burn.... Uh... are you staying to supper?" She didn't seem to like that prospect. Kyoka looked at how little food was lying around the place.

"Oh, no, we have to get back on the road," Denki said hastily, "We're just passing through. Where would I keep Tibult anyway?"

"Do you still have that dirty animal?" Sally said, "You'll get fleas from it. I hope you wash it."

"I wash her all the time, mom. She doesn't have fleas," Denki said, annoyed.

"Do you wash yourself? You look like a tornado did your linen," Sally said.

"Uh..." Denki said, "Well, it's hard when you're on the road..." He looked embarrassed.

"If you want to say hello to your father before you go, he's on the Burnt Oak farm." Sally got up, picked up the baby off the floor, and wiped her hands on her apron. "Perhaps you can get a meal there too, if you help out. I'm sure they could use extra hands. It wouldn't hurt you to do an honest day's work with the family."

"Actually, I was thinking we could take a look at the blight..." Denki said.

"Why would you want to do that? It's nothing worth seeing," Sally said. She'd never seen it herself, if Kyoka didn't miss her guess.

"Well, mom, I've kind of met a lot of powerful mages, and maybe if I ask, one would come before the spell runs out and help..." Denki said.

"I'm afraid just small town mages are not powerful compared to the Capital's and big cities', son," Sally said dismissively, "But thank you kindly anyway. Don't trouble yourself about it. You should just go about your own business. It's not your problem."

Denki and Kyoka stepped back outside. "Are we going to look anyway?" Kyoka asked.

"Of course," Denki said, looking angry, "We should. It could be important, right?"

"That's what I thought. It's concerning," Kyoka said, "There is no Dark Land here for miles. Why should a blight start near your village?"

Of course she knew as well as he did that sometimes the blight started unpredictably. A spectre of the Dark Lord's or a monster might scatter some cursed soil, even on accident, and it if took hold, it would start spreading in a previously untouched territory.