CH 199

Words : 1086 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The Merchants Were Escorted Away It was decided that they’d take the merchants to Ractos after lunch. Leo would return during the evening or night at the latest. If that’s the case, then I would be fine even on my own… I doubted we’d be attacked by monsters again. Sebastian intended to cast the same tracking magic on the merchants that he cast on Nick. And so we would be able to capture them easily even if they managed to escape. Also, since I still had some time, I would make some herbs with Weed Cultivation. “All right. I’m going to the back of Mr. Hannes’s house so I can make some herbs.” “Is there something you need?” “Well, I’ve been away from the mansion for quite a long time. And so I thought I’d make some herbs for Ractos.” “…Indeed. Phillip brought some with him, along with the glass sphere…but if you stay in this village for a few more days, then they will likely run out.” “Yes. And so I’ll make as much as I can.” “Very well. But don’t tire yourself.” After telling Sebastian what I would do, we parted ways. And so I headed to the house that was quite familiar to me now, so I could focus on growing herbs. “Sebastian, here are the herbs. Please send my regards to Mr. Kalis.” “Yes, of course. …This seems like a lot… How do you feel?” “I’m fine. But I’ll avoid using Weed Cultivation for the rest of the day.” I had worked for a few hours, and had made so much that I wondered if I had gone a little too far. After eating lunch, I watched as Sebastian and Johanna took the merchants and set off for Ractos. Sebastian had been surprised when I handed him the herbs at the village entrance, but I promised him that I wouldn’t make anymore that day. The last thing I wanted to do was faint while I was staying in this village… Of course, I didn’t want to faint anywhere. “Well, just be careful.” “Yes.” “And… Ah, that’s right. When we arrive in Ractos, the merchants will be questioned…and so I’ll have to stay there for a while.” “I see… Well, I’ll leave for Ractos as soon as Phillip arrives with the wagons.” “Yes. We will meet in Ractos.” If everything went smoothly, Phillip would return in four to five days. And since Sebastian would be carrying the merchants, the horses would not be able to run very fast. And so once Phillip returns and I ride on Leo after loading all of the barrels onto the wagons, then I should arrive in Ractos just as all the questioning was finished. Close enough, anyway. And once I met up with Sebastian, we could go and see Isabelle. “See you soon, Mr. Takumi.” “Goodbye.” “You too, Johanna.” Unlike when we brought the merchants to the village, they had put the merchants into the back of a wagon with Johanna to monitor them, while Sebastian was in the driver’s seat. It was one of the wagons that the merchants had brought, and the only one that hadn’t been damaged. The others were either destroyed by the orcs or trampled over by the horses. But I suppose it was lucky that even one of them was usable, considering their cargo. Once the wagon was out of sight, I went back into the village. “Mr. Takumi, when is Leo coming back?” “Rosalie. Hmm. I think it will be a little longer.” When I was back near Mr. Hannes’s house, Rosalie approached me. It seemed like she was waiting for Leo’s return. They had become good friends, and I was happy to see it. “I want to play with Leo again!” “Leo is so amazing!” A few other children had gathered around Rosalie. I suppose they were all waiting for Leo. They were the same children that Leo had played with. “Leo is running her fastest right now. She’ll be back soon. I hope you will all play with her when she arrives?” “Of course! Won’t we?” “Yes!” I said to the children, and Rosalie replied cheerfully. The other children were also looking forward to it, and they smiled and nodded. “It’s good to see the children so energetic. …It’s been a while since they were like this. I am so grateful towards Leo.” “Mr. Hannes.” As I watched the children, Mr. Hannes appeared to my side. He smiled at the sight of his granddaughter. “Well, there was the disease that had spread… But the atmosphere is so much brighter now.” “Yes.” “But even before the disease, we were all so busy with making the wine. And the children had little to do.” “You couldn’t play with them?” “I am not proud of it… But everyone who could work had to cut down trees and make barrels. And the wine… The village was very different once we started making the wine.” I understood why the village would seem like a dark place when everyone was sick. I had seen it in person. But what about before that? According to Mr. Hannes, the adults were so busy with work, and the children were often neglected. Right now, perhaps due to there being less wine, and having to rest after the battle with the orcs, there were adults resting all over the village. And they watched the running children with gentle expressions. Some of them were even playing with them. It didn’t look like a village where the adults were too busy to spend time with the children. “Even if the village was doing well…I feel it wasn’t the happiest place for our young. The only sounds you heard were of people working, not the laughter of children.” “…I see.” I thought back to the company I used to work at. If asked whether or not it was successful, I would say that it was. However, all one would hear was the angry shouts of my boss, and people shifting blame to the new people. We didn’t even have time to have friendly chats with coworkers. And while things were likely not that bad here, they still had to put their work before anything else. …It was in order to live, and so I couldn’t blame them.

CH 199

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