Chapter 20

Pond and Fish
They didn’t seem to be in the yard, so I decide to go to the village.

What is Richmond doing with Leo?

As I stroll through the village, which was as large as a farm in Hokkaido and provided good exercise just by walking, I think I heard a voice in front of me, in the direction I’m going, so I increased my walking speed.

“───……!”
“…….”

I found the two figures in the distance, and as I crept closer, I saw Leo confronting Richmond, wielding an unnaturally magnificent sword, and I opened my eyes wide.

“You’re going to leave a lot of gaps in your side if you swing like that.”

In contrast to Leo, Richmond poked Leo in the side with a wooden stick that looked like he had picked it up from somewhere around here.

“……”

A moment later, Leo was knocked out of position, and his head and shoulders were hit with the wooden stick with a thump, thump, and he fell down.

“I, I lost.”
“Mhm. You have done well for a Human being. But with your ability, you still can’t protect yourself, let alone Kanade. You know that.”
“… Yes.”

At Richmond’s words, Leo hung his head in frustration.

I wonder if this is what they call “discipline”?

“From today on, you will spend the morning working on your physical fitness and the afternoon training with me.”
“Yes, understood! I will be in your care!!”

After adjusting his stance, Leo kneeled down on one knee and bowed his head like a knight.

“Kanade, sorry we kept you waiting.”

Richmond, who had noticed my presence, turned to me and smiled.

“Lady Kanade.”

I helped Leo, who was kneeling down and bowing his head to me, up.

“He is your guard, so I thought I’d give him a little workout.”

As if reading my mind, Richmond, gave me an answer to my question even though I had not said anything. He looked at me with a youthful expression that I couldn’t believe was from an elderly man, and I ended up getting struck.

“I am sorry to have bothered you so much, Lord Richmond, for my inadequacies.”
“Don’t mind it. If you can move that well as a Human being, you’re doing great.”

Ohh, Leo, you have met RIchmond’s expectations!

“You must have come to see how we were doing, Kanade. Don’t worry, I’ll make Leo a full-fledged man.”
“Yes, I know I can entrust him to you! Leo, this village is located at the end of the ‘Demon Forest’. Inside the village is safe, but once you step outside, the place is crawling with monsters so strong that would kill you in an instant.”
“Yes.”

Leo nodded as he listened to me earnestly.

“Richmond is so powerful he hunts such monsters, so he will definitely make you stronger! I hope you don’t feel frustrated like that again.”
“… Lady Kanade…”

Leo wasn’t able to protect Logan’s family, so I think he’s probably concerned about protecting someone else.

I want him to be strong enough to protect everyone in the village, not just me!

“I have high expectations for you!”
“Thank you very much!!”

By the way, I asked him to stop calling me a Goddess on the first day.

I mean, I’m not a Goddess, and it’s making me feel ashamed.

This is how our new life began.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“………… T, there’s a poooond!!!”

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It has been about a month since the five of them started living in the village.

I was puzzled by the status nickname: “Goddess (lol),” and came to weed the field behind the mansion, but to my surprise, a pond as large as the 100-meter square field had been created in the back of the field!

A reservoir!? I thought, but the water was so clear I could see fish swimming in it.

“I, it’s fish… moreover, they are not pond fish!!… Ayu sweetfish, and Salmon!?”

Speaking of fish, there is a big fish that Richmond occasionally catches from the river flowing in the forest, but I never thought I could eat Ayu fish and salmon ever again…

“Cooked salmon… let’s eat cooked salmon for lunch.”

My mouth is full of drool as I remember the taste of salmon.

“Mother Kanade, what is the matter… uwaah, why is there such a big puddle here!?”
“Something, in the water…”

Lui and Arthur, who came from behind, shouted in surprise.

“Lui, Arthurt, this is a pond. The creatures swimming in it are fish. Have you seen them in a book before?”
“Y, yes… so this is a pond. And those little creatures are fish?”
“Fish Grandpa catches, much bigger.”
“Indeed. These fish are called Ayu sweetfish and Salmon, and they are very delicious!”

Their eyes lit up at these words.

Hugo, who always had a voracious appetite for knowledge, has been teaching them many things, and recently, I started teaching them how to cook because they wanted to try it.
They have developed a discerning palate and are quick to try anything they hear tastes good.

So they must want to cook these fish right away, too.

“You two, let’s catch some fish after we are done weeding.”
“”Yes!!””

I chuckled at their good answer, and thinking about the grilled salmon we were going to have for lunch today, I started to pick weeds in the large field.