Ah, Umm... P-Please Take Care of Me
By the time the surroundings had grown dark, the area in front of the lord's manor was filled with noise and activity.
Not everyone had come, but around thirty villagers had gathered.
“Thank you all for coming.”
Father began with a greeting, but nobody responded. Most of the villagers wore expressions filled with distrust or resentment.
The children were different. Their eyes were fixed on a certain spot.
The tables illuminated by the magic stones Father had tirelessly mass-produced and enchanted with Light Magic were lined with food. There was plenty of it, though not much variety.
It was a standing buffet, and more importantly, everything had been chosen so it could be eaten by hand.
Father started with introductions. He introduced our family, then the head butler, the Knight Commander, and Boss in much the same way.
Naturally, everyone else had to be omitted.
“We would like to work together with all of you to make this town a better place. And we hope to earn your cooperation as well.”
At those words, complaints finally erupted.
This was exactly what we'd been waiting for.
“What d'you mean, a better place!? You're no different from that bastard!”
“Because that guy pocketed the money the kingdom sent, our lives never got any better!”
“You're just the same as him, aren't you!?”
“That's right!”
“You can put out all this fancy food you want, but it's only for today, isn't it!?”
Hmm~ So even the villagers knew he'd been embezzling.
Well, that made sense. One complaint after another poured out regarding the former official.
Father simply listened in silence.
And when the villagers' anger finally turned into despair, and the venue fell completely quiet…
Father bowed deeply.
“I am sorry. I have heard that official belonged to a baronet family. As a fellow noble, I am ashamed of what he did, and I feel deeply sorry for all of you.”
The crowd stirred.
Nobles almost never bowed to commoners.
Maybe they simply couldn't understand what was happening right now.
This was one of the reasons I respected Father so much.
Even within this noble society, he could sincerely apologize to those beneath him in status.
That was only possible because he genuinely cared about the people before him.
Even when the fault wasn't his, he bowed his head when it needed to be bowed.
I believed that was exactly how someone standing above others ought to be.
“And I must apologize once more. It is true that the food laid out here today may be a one-time thing. We don't yet know how much can be grown on this land.”
The crowd stirred again.
Of course they were surprised.
They'd said, “This is probably only for today, isn't it?”
And he'd answered honestly, “Yes, it might be.”
But there was no point in lying.
Any lie would be exposed soon enough.
“However, if the land becomes even a little more prosperous, perhaps we can treat everyone again someday. We will do our best to make that happen.”
“D-Do our best...? W-What exactly are you going to do?”
“Hmm, let's see. Unfortunately, I only arrived here today. I still know nothing about the current situation here, nor what all of you need.”
The villagers glanced at one another.
Meanwhile, I could already see drool gathering at the corners of the children's mouths.
“So please tell me.”
“T-Tell you what?”
“Tell me about the situation in Zenas. And tell me what all of you need most right now.”
With that, Father beckoned me over.
Eh? M-Me?
Feeling a little embarrassed, I stepped up beside him.
Father placed a hand on my shoulder.
“It is impossible to accomplish everything at once. But little by little, steadily, I intend to work with my son here, Dermont, to solve each problem.”
“Ah, umm... p-please take care of me.”
Following Father's example, I bowed my head.
The crowd became even noisier.
When I raised my head, my eyes met those of a child about the same age as Zeke and Tiffany.
Tears were in the child's eyes. Drool was hanging from his mouth.
Haha. He was definitely at his limit.
“Chichiue, if you don't wrap this up soon, some of the children are going to start crying.”
“Eh? Was it... that long? My apologies. Well then, I hope you'll all enjoy this feast, even if it is only for today.”
As Father spread his arms toward the tables, the children, who had reached the limit of their patience, charged forward all at once.
They grabbed bamboo-tube bread, grilled Flower Scorpion, and roasted root vegetables skewered on bamboo sticks, stuffing them into their mouths with reckless enthusiasm.
In the end, the one who had grilled the scorpions was Father, using Fire Magic.
We'd used magic stones too, but they hadn't produced enough heat, so Father had handled the finishing touches himself.
Once cooked, the Flower Scorpions turned bright red. They looked exactly… yes, exactly like crabs.
“I wonder what they taste like.”
Following the children's example, I grabbed a piece of meat with my hand and tossed it into my mouth.
Mm… mmmmm!!
“This is delicious! This is crab! It tastes exactly like crab!”
Back in my previous life, I'd only eaten grilled crab once, at a company year-end party.
Even so, the shock of how delicious it had been came flooding back at this very moment.
As I stood there overwhelmed, my eyes met the children's.
Uh-oh. Maybe I'd gotten a little too excited.
“Hey, what's a crab?”
“Huh? Ah. So there aren't any crabs around here?”
There were crabs in this world, and crab dishes too.
But transporting them took time, so sea crabs were hard to obtain.
And even when they did arrive, their freshness had already deteriorated.
The head chef had once acquired some, but they'd spoiled.
“But seriously, being able to eat crab in a wasteland like this. Well, not actual crab, but still.”
“There are crabs here, you know.”
“S-Sir Robert!? There are crabs here?”
“Yes. If there are Flower Scorpions, then there should be Mushroom Cancers as well.”
… Mushroom...
.. .Cancer...
“Umm, do they happen to have mushrooms growing on them?”
“Oh! Dermont-sama, you figured that out right away!”
How could I not figure it out!?
“By the way, the mushroom on their backs has poison in the cap, but the stem is edible.”
“What!? Seriously!?”
“Unlike this fellow, the mushroom on their back is real. It tastes just like an ordinary mushroom.”
I want to try it!
Maybe that desire had shown plainly on my face, because Sir Robert thumped his chest and declared,
“Leave it to me.”
Not only me, but even the children around us stared at him with admiring “Ohhh!” and enthusiastic applause.
What do you think about this chapter?
