[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 42: Waiting for Spring (1)
A long silence settled over the deserted mansion.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
And a month later...
Creak!
"Has anyone arrived?"
The first to return was Daniel, who had been to the Lengbaster territory.
He looked around and walked into the mansion.
As it hadn't been maintained, dust was rolling on the floor, and the air was stuffy.
"I'll have to clean up a bit."
Daniel muttered with a frown.
"Then let's do it together."
Someone spoke from behind.
A man walked in through the open door.
At the sight of that familiar face, Daniel unconsciously raised his voice.
"Hamel!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Daniel."
Hamel nodded calmly.
Seeing this, Daniel grinned and asked,
"It seems things went well."
"I was lucky. How about you, Sir Daniel?"
"Well, it wasn't that difficult."
Daniel took out a contract and handed it to Hamel.
Bearing the seal of the Lengbaster territory, it contained the details of the transaction.
The unit price and quantity of the lumber, the supply of the lumber, the delivery of the lumber, the payment, and the delivery period.
"This should be enough firewood for this year. And this much lumber for construction..."
Hamel examined the contract carefully, slightly surprised.
It was enough to build a small village, with a bit of exaggeration.
It would be more than enough to repair the villages in the territory.
At Hamel's reaction, Daniel laughed awkwardly and added,
"It's not because I'm good at this. It's thanks to you for saving the Lengbaster territory before."
"I didn't do that alone. You were with me, Sir Daniel."
"...Thank you for saying that."
Daniel was slightly touched, but then his expression hardened as he seemed to remember something.
"Ah, but there's something you should know."
"Something I should know?"
Hamel tilted his head at the heavier atmosphere.
Daniel continued with a grim expression,
"The Lengbaster clan... was almost annihilated."
"...!"
Hamel's eyes widened at the unexpected news.
This was the first time he was hearing about it.
Seeing Hamel's surprise, Daniel nodded as if he had expected it.
"I see you didn't know. The only survivor is Lady Irene Lengbaster. It seems everyone, including her family and servants, died overnight."
Hamel was speechless.
The people he had risked his life to protect were all dead.
He couldn't believe it.
"Who in the world would do such a thing..."
"It hasn't been revealed. Since the territory is in a vulnerable state, they seem to be investigating confidentially without making it public. The young lady is barely holding on, though she must be out of her mind."
"..."
Losing her family and the servants who helped manage the territory overnight.
Not to mention the emotional shock, there was no way the territory could function properly.
The territory must have fallen into even greater chaos than before.
And yet, she was enduring it alone.
Hamel nodded and said to Daniel,
"Apart from the contract, I must offer some assistance."
"...Hamel, I'm sorry, but isn't Heidern in no better shape than Lengbaster?"
Daniel asked hesitantly.
From his perspective, Heidern was in an even worse state.
But Hamel seemed to think differently and slowly shook his head.
"That's not necessarily the case."
After replying, Hamel perked up his ears and, with a faint smile, walked outside.
Daniel, puzzled, followed behind him.
There...
Rattle, rattle!
Dozens of carriages loaded with food entered the territory, flags fluttering.
The flags with the emblem of the Lawrence Trading Company fluttered in the wind.
With the hundreds of Blue Mane Tribe members following behind, the procession seemed endless.
"...What in the world is that?"
As Daniel muttered with a dumbfounded expression, Hamel nodded calmly.
"It should be enough to offer some help, though it may be insufficient."
The appearance of the trading company caused a great commotion in the village.
Azi Dahaka, skillfully dodging Ono, ran with a leisurely air.
"What's going on?"
"It seems he ate the seeds Ono sowed."
Daniel replied to Hamel's question with a somewhat deflated expression.
At first, Daniel had been wary of Azhi Dahaka, with a special-grade demon sealed inside, but seeing him like this, his vigilance seemed to have disappeared.
By the way,
"...Is Ono farming these days?"
"Since the order won't take him back, he must be looking for a new job."
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Hamel decided to contact the order soon.
At the same time, he subtly blocked Azi Dahaka's path.
"Squeak?"
Azi Dahaka flinched and looked up.
Hamel stared at him with an impassive expression and said,
"Stop."
"...!"
Halt!
Azi Dahaka stopped in his tracks as if frozen.
He might ignore others, but he always obeyed Hamel like a ghost.
Hamel approached him and said,
"Don't touch the seeds Ono sowed. If you're short on food, I'll give you more."
Sque... Squeak!
Just as Azi Dahaka was nodding vigorously,
"Gotcha, you rascal!"
Ono grabbed Azi Dahaka by the ears and lifted him up.
Then he grinned and said,
"How dare you, a mere rabbit, interfere with my farming? Last time you pooped in my room. Today I'll teach you a lesson..."
Yawn!
Azi Dahaka yawned openly and ignored Ono's words.
"You... little...!"
Ono's face turned red with fury, and he yelled.
Daniel, watching this, made a tired expression and approached Hamel, whispering,
"Do you think it's okay not to tell Ono the truth?"
"It's fine."
Azi Dahaka's seal was strong.
More importantly, Hamel had used an artifact from the mansion to cast a subjugation spell on him.
Now he couldn't harm anyone without Hamel's command.
Since he couldn't kill him, being immortal and indestructible, Hamel thought he might as well use him as a watchdog for the mansion.
He was strangely obedient to Hamel.
However, Hamel kept Azi Dahaka's identity a secret from Ono.
Because Ono's hatred for demons was even stronger than Hamel's.
He would surely, without question, blow off the head of the rabbit that Azi Dahaka was sealed in.
'That would be no different from releasing Azi Dahaka into the world.'
Hamel's hatred for demons was no less intense, but after a series of events, his thinking had become a bit more flexible.
Hamel's eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the village, turning his gaze away from the two.
"That's..."
He saw carriages and escorts along the forest path leading into the village.
It was the road connected to Lengbaster.
'Did Lengbaster send someone?'
His question was short-lived.
Because the flag on the carriage caught his eye.
"The order?"
Hamel tilted his head.
Given the direction, it was clear where they came from.
They were definitely people from the Letria diocese.
"Someone has come."
"Indeed. I wonder why..."
Hamel suddenly stopped speaking as he was replying to Daniel.
He could now see the figure sitting next to the coachman.
Priestly attire.
He was much smaller than the coachman, almost childlike, and above all,
He was wearing a white 'blindfold' over his eyes.
Hamel started running without realizing it.
Daniel, not knowing why, chased after him.
After running for a while,
Hamel reached the carriage that had just entered the village.
The blindfolded boy in the carriage suddenly got up and waved with a bright smile.
"That gait that conceals prayer, and the sound of that armor. It's been a while, you two!"
The surprised coachman tried to restrain the blindfolded boy, but he continued without a care,
"I'm back as promised! Lord Hamel! Sir Daniel!"
"..."
Hamel paused for a moment to choose his words, then nodded and replied calmly,
"I've been waiting, Antonio."
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]