CH 177

Words : 987 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

I Asked Leo to Sniff Out the Barrels “In that case, please bring the barrels out from the storage. We must find out which of the wines is safe to drink.” “Ye-yes, you’re right. Very well. I will have all the villagers work together to bring them out.” “You don’t need to rush too much. Since we have the sphere, you can take your time.” I said, but the words had little effect on Mr. Hannes and the others. Regardless, it was best to have them act now, and so they would have less time to think negative thoughts. But it was as if they didn’t hear me…and the villagers rushed towards the storage house. Still, Mr. Hannes would be kept busy for now. “Leo. Sorry to ask you again…but you’re going to have to sniff out the barrels again.” “Wuff.” The smell and presence was very disagreeable to Leo, and so I felt bad for her. I didn’t think she cared much about wine, but she had been upset enough to start barking because of the smell. Still, she nodded firmly as if to say that I should leave it to her… I really was grateful for that. “Mr. Takumi, the glass sphere is secure now. …What should I do? Should I report this to Sebastian?” “Indeed… I’m not sure…” I would like to inform him as soon as possible. He might know what this glass sphere is, and what we should do with it. However, even though we knew the cause, there was still a lot that I wanted to do here in this village… “Mr. Takumi, sorry to keep you waiting. The rest of the barrels will arrive soon.” “Good. Please inspect each one with Leo. If she barks or growls, that means the wine is dangerous. Otherwise, they are safe, and can be returned to the storage house.” “I understand.” “I’m counting on you, Leo. I want you to bark or growl when you find a bad barrel, so that Mr. Hannes and the others will know. You don’t need to do anything to the barrels that are fine.” “Wou!” As I was wondering what to do with the glass sphere, Mr. Hannes and the other villagers returned with the barrels. And I could see other villagers following them from behind… There were so many barrels, I would have to make it up to Leo later. And so I left them to deal with the barrels. I had to think about our next move. I continued to talk to Phillip as Leo and Mr. Hannes got to work. “Once they are finished, we can ride on Leo and return to the mansion.” There were probably people who were already sick, and just hadn’t shown any symptoms yet. It could end up spreading all over again. And so I thought that I should make more Ramogi and watch them for a short while. If it was similar to a cold, then maybe they would have built up a resistance to it, but I wasn’t sure. Besides, there would be some people who hadn’t gotten sick yet, but would soon enough. As this was where it all started, I thought it was necessary to see it to the end. “Because if they need Ramogi, I will be able to make it quickly.” “That’s true. There will be no need to fear the illness if you are here, Mr. Takumi. …However, then word won’t reach Sebastian until much later…” “And so I have an idea, Phillip.” “What?” If I couldn’t go, someone else could go instead. “Phillip. What if…you were to ride on Leo and return to the mansion instead?” “…On Leo… But, I am a guard. I can’t just leave you here, Mr. Takumi…” Phillip had actually come as an escort for Mr. Hannes, but once we arrived at the village, he became my guard. And so for Phillip, it did not seem right for both Leo and him to not be close by my side. “I’ll be fine. This is a peaceful village. I am in no danger of being attacked. Besides, it is for occasions like this that I learned to use a sword. And some magic as well.” Though, the magic was just to buy a little time. However, it was better than nothing. Sebastian had told me of the importance of running away. Even if something did happen…it didn’t mean that I had to fight. But this was a peaceful village, and so anything like that was very unlikely. “Well… It’s true that you will probably be safe here, but…” “So you agree? The people have welcomed me here, and they have been good to us. I will be fine.” “…Very well. I will go to the mansion and send Leo back to you as soon as I arrive. But please don’t push yourself too hard while you’re here.” I had managed to convince Phillip. Though, he didn’t need to remind me to be careful… I intended to only make what Ramogi that was necessary and at a leisurely pace. Now, I just had to wait for Leo to finish sniffing the barrels, and ask her to run back to the mansion. …Really, I seemed to rely on her for everything. “Wuff. Wuff!” “Oh, Leo. Are you done? Thank you!” “Wuff!” A few hours later, Leo was finished with the barrels, and she returned to me with a wagging tail as if to make a report. I petted the proud Leo on the head, and then fed her some sausages that Mr. Hannes’s wife had prepared. As she had worked hard, I had to reward her generously. “Thank you. Mr. Takumi and Leo.” “Mr. Hannes. How many barrels were left?” “Indeed… About half of them…” “I see…”

CH 177

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