CH 281

Words : 988 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

We Went To Mr. Kalis’s Store “Now, where should we go first, Mr. Takumi?” “To Mr. Kalis’s store. I have to deliver the herbs.” “Ah, very well.” We entered the town, and then Mr. Ekenhart asked where we should go first. I answered that we should see Mr. Kalis. Otherwise, Nick might go to the mansion before we arrived. “Ah, brother! …And…the duke!?” “Nick.” “Oh, that one who was here last time.” We arrived at Mr. Kalis’s store, and right before entering, Nick came out to greet us. He noticed me immediately, but was shocked to see Mr. Ekenhart behind me. Now that I thought about it, he had been here last time, when we were talking about how we would go to the malicious store. “Brother…and Your Grace… What are you doing here?” “I thought that I’d come and explore the town a little. And Mr. Ekenhart came with me.” “Hahaha. You do not need to be so serious. So why did you come out, Nick?” “Ah, I was going to head to the mansion…” “Then we’re just in time. Here are today’s herbs.” “Brother! Thank you!” So the timing was perfect, as Nick was about to head towards the mansion now. It was good that we didn’t miss him. “Is Mr. Kalis here?” “Ye…yes! I will call him right now!” When Mr. Ekenhart asked about Mr. Kalis, Nick went back into the store to call him. “Your Grace! I’m terribly sorry to make you wait out here!” “Hmm. Well, think nothing of it.” “I will rebuke Nick when I see him again.” Mr. Kalis looked rather frantic as he burst from the door and apologized to Mr. Ekenhart. He felt that Nick making Mr. Ekenhart wait outside of the store was incredibly rude. But Mr. Ekenhart didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps I should have said something? It was obvious that Nick wasn’t used to this sort of thing. “So, what has brought you here today…? Ah, I’m terribly sorry. Please come inside…” “Oh, I’m not here on any particular business. I just came here with Mr. Takumi, who wants to look around the town. So we do not need to go inside.” “Well, I didn’t tell Sebastian that I was coming today. And I expect you to keep this to yourself as well, Kalis. As for guards, Leo is enough to protect us.” “Indeed, you would not need guards around if Leo is with you. Very well. I will not tell anyone about this. And I will say the same to Nick.” “Good.” As Mr. Kalis and Mr. Ekenhart talked, it was decided that this would be kept a secret from Sebastian. …Which seemed rather futile. Surely Sebastian would find out in no time at all? “Yes, yes, Mr. Takumi. I wanted to ask you about Leo…” “What about Leo?” “Wuff?” And then Mr. Kalis turned to me. “Well, uh…do you remember how Leo played with some children in front of the store?” “Ah, yes. It was the first day that the herbs went on sale.” “I didn’t know about that.” “Yes. …And ever since then, some of the children have been asking if Leo would ever return.” “Hmm… Leo?” “Wuff-wuff!” Mr. Kalis was speaking very hesitantly. But according to him, some of the children that had played with Leo wanted to know when Leo would be back. When I looked at Leo, she wagged her tail and barked happily. It seemed that she was fine with it. “In that case, we should gather the children here next time so that they can play with Leo. She does enjoy playing with children.” “Thank you. Then I will be able to share the good news with the children. If you could just tell me in advance before the next time that you visit.” “Yes, I will do that.” “Wuff!” After all, children might not gather around if we came all of a sudden. But if they knew beforehand, then Mr. Kalis could call them for us. Leo seemed to be looking forward to it, and she barked happily. At first, they had just gathered around her, and Leo didn’t know what to do. But once I taught them and had them form a line, they were able to play just fine and without any issue. “Well, we should be going then.” “Yes. “Ah, please wait one moment. If you are going around the town, then please take this…” “What is it…?” Now that we were finished talking, Mr. Ekenhart started to leave, but Mr. Kalis stopped us. He then took out something like a cloth and handed it to Mr. Ekenhart. “Some people in the town might recognise you. And so it would be best to cover your face so you don’t cause a commotion.” Mr. Ekenhart wrapped the cloth around his head so that it covered his mouth and most of his face. Indeed, I understood the logic of a disguise, but… But… Mr. Ekenhart was still dressed like a nobleman. And he was very tall. And his eyes were sharp… And with these coverings, he looked rather intimidating… Even if people didn’t recognize him as the duke, he looked like a very suspicious person. Maybe the guards would take him in for questioning…? Well, this wasn’t Japan, so it was probably fine. In any case, I decided that I wouldn’t worry about that now. “Now, let’s go, Mr. Takumi.” “Hah…yes. Good bye, Mr. Kalis. We’ll visit you again soon.” “Wuff.” “Please be safe.” And then the suspicious-looking Mr. Ekenhart walked away cheerfully. Mr. Kalis bowed his head, and I told him that we would be back. And then Leo and I walked away as well.

CH 281

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