Chapter 117: Leca’s Harvest (VIII)

Translator: AdCaelum

Editor: Evelet

Afterward, Vio rode with Legion down to the town of Leca. During their leisurely trip, Vio began considering that it was about time he seriously started practicing his horsemanship.

“There certainly seems to be a lot of tourists,” Vio commented.

A carriage, possibly belonging to a noble or merchant, was parked in front of a store. In the distance, a lady walking with an umbrella could be seen.

“Do you think she came here for the festival?” Legion asked, but Vio ambiguously answered, “Well, that’s a possibility,” as Legion brought the horse to a stop.

Vio looked over and saw the sign indicating that this was the Salt’s shop. Legion quickly dismounted and held the reigns to allow Vio to dismount after him. After tying the horse to a tree outside the storefront, Legion grabbed the basket attached to the saddle and turned back to Vio.

“We’ve arrived at my parents’ house. Please give me a few moments,” Legion said and opened the door to the store.

“Oh, it’s big brother. Then that means this person is Lord Violant?” A teenage boy who was tending to the store saw the two, so Vio took off his hood and greeted him.

“It’s nice to meet you. I am the mayor of this town, Violant Lesserhain.”

“Um, uhhh, I am Merrill Salt… F-Father! Mother!”

Merrill opened his eyes wide and his face flushed red for some reason. He ran to the back of the store in a panic.

Vio looked at Legion with a puzzled expression. “Huh? You told them I was coming, right? Why was he so surprised?”

“Ha ha, I’m sorry for my little brother’s rude behavior.” Legion gave a vague laugh and apologized.

His answer didn’t seem like an answer, so Vio was still confused as he surveyed the inside of the store. Seasonings including spices and herbs—the store’s main products—covered half of the store while the other half was filled with boxes and luggage labeled with the names of other towns.

Oh, that’s right. Legion mentioned that their business was focused on transport, Violant recalled.

Since seasonings had good shelf lives, the Salts peddled them while they transported goods. Postal services like back on Earth didn’t exist in the Kingdom of Istiah, so it was common for people in this line of work to also deliver letters and parcels as they passed through other villages and towns. Additionally, most villages had at least one pub that functioned as a kind of post office.

After some time, a blonde-haired woman came out from inside and greeted them. “Hello. Oh, my, please come in and have a seat. I am Legion’s mother, Olivia. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”

She lifted the edge of her skirt to curtsy as a man with sharp eyes came out from behind her. If Legion was rougher, he would probably look like this man.

“Thank you for looking after my son. I am Lazeas Salt.”

“Not at all. Your son has been a great help to me. I am Violant Lesserhain. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Lazeas.”

Vio held out his right hand, and Lazeas opened his eyes slightly wider. Vio was confused by this response and cast a questioning look at him.

“…It’s nothing.”

After Vio and Lazeas shook hands in greeting, Vio went straight to praising the store.

“Your store feels very comfortable. It’s very well-organized. How is living in Leca for you?”

“Yes, thank you very much. We’ll have to get through this winter before I can say.”

“I see. The winters of this region are harsh, so please make sure you’ve thoroughly prepared for it.”

“Yes, we will be sure to. We plan to go out and peddle at least once before the heart of winter comes. Anyway, please follow me. We’ll prepare some tea.”

Lazeas walked with the help of a cane as he guided Vio and Legion to the dining room in the residential side of the building. Olivia set down tea cups around a large table that could seat six people. Merrill seemed nervous about something, as he stayed in the corner of the room. When his eyes met with Vio’s he bowed before quickly looking away.

“…?”

Vio thought this was strange, but then two small shadows popped their faces out from the kitchen. A girl and boy, both blondes, stared at Vio in curiosity.

“Hello! Wow, you’re so lovely, just like a prince!”

“Hello.”

The two greeted him energetically, so Vio returned a smile.

“Hello.”

When he did, the girl let out a high-pitched squeal while the boy hid behind the door. He was probably shy.

“That’s why I told you to stay upstairs. Hey now, how long are you going to hide there? Such helpless kids. Come here. Greet him properly,” Olivia scolded the two, but she soon gave up and directed them to greet Vio.

“I’m Natalie. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Roy.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

When Vio responded, the two children grinned and left the dining room before Olivia could complain.

“My apologies. They’re a rambunctious bunch.”

“They seem like good, bright, and energetic kids.”

“Oh, do you think so? They can get so rowdy at times. It’s like they’re little devils… Moreover, they have so much energy that I can’t get them to go to sleep. It really is a problem—”

“And their abundance of energy is from you,” Lazeas interrupted Olivia’s grumbling. He then instructed Vio, “Please, take a seat over there.”

“Thank you. Everyone too, please take a seat. Legi, over here.”

“Yes. Please excuse me.”

Vio directed Legion and sat down, and Lazeas sat down soon after. Olivia looked to be confused, but she still sat down in the end. Only Merrill remained frozen in the corner of the room.

“Umm, it’s my turn to watch the store, so I’ll take my leave.” He met eyes again with Vio, hastily gave his excuse, and left. Vio thought this was strange again. Lazeas, seeing this, laughed.

“Ha ha, he’s usually not this nervous. Please don’t mind it.”

“Okay… Mr. Lazeas, was it? I heard that you injured your leg. How are you feeling?”

“It’s completely healed, but I still need a cane to get around. According to the doctor, I’ll soon be walking like before if I keep at it every day.”

“That’s great news. Oh, that’s right. If you’d like, please take some.” Vio glanced over at Legion, who promptly took out a package of cookies from the basket. It contained the tea snacks he had asked Rille to make yesterday as a gift to bring. “Sorry that it’s nothing fancy.”

Vio looked dejected, but Olivia shook her head from side to side.

“No, not at all. Oh, my, it smells wonderful. May I open it?”

“Please.”

“Wow, they’re cookies. How delightful! Everyone in the family here loves sweets.” Olivia said, so Vio couldn’t help but joke.

“Even though your family name is ‘Salt’ like the seasoning?”

“Yes, exactly! It’s exactly that. It’s our family’s go-to joke! Ufufu.” It appeared that Olivia enjoyed Vio’s joke, and she gave a very delighted laugh. “I’m happy that our son is serving a master like you. Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Yes, we’re grateful. Oh, would you like some alcohol? How about a glass among the men?” Lazeas gestured a glass being raised in his hand, but Vio apologetically declined.

“I’m sorry…but I’m very good with my alcohol—”

“It is not good for your health so it’ll be best if you refrain,” Legion quickly interrupted.

Lazeas’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “Oh, that’s right. I heard that you are prone to sickness. I apologize for my inconsideration.”

“No, I’m very grateful for the invitation alone. By the way, I apologize for the trouble my older brother caused you.”

“Don’t mind it. Even without my son’s involvement with that matter, that issue was sure to blow up one day.” Lazeas bluntly dismissed the matter. It seemed that he truly didn’t care about it. “More importantly, I would like to express my gratitude for your suggestion. Because of that, we were able to avoid disaster. It is also reassuring that you would concern yourself with us even after we moved. We’re eternally grateful since it’ll take some time before we can return to our regular business after changing locations.”

Vio agreed with that and bobbed his head up and down. He was relieved that the townsfolk accepted the family. After drinking his tea and taking a short break, Lazeas continued, saying, “Lord Violant, has my son caused you any trouble? Legi is an earnest one, but that also means he has a very one-track mind.”

“No, he has done nothing of the sort. However, he has occasionally surprised me. …Such as being told that he could dodge lightning magic if he becomes accustomed to it.”

“Yes, that’s right. Once you’re accustomed to it, it’s possible.”

“…”

Lazeas agreed so casually that Vio was speechless. Olivia grinned and clapped her hands.

“That reminds me. You once brilliantly dodged a thief’s magic, right, dear? You were very cool-looking.”

“But you were the one who used water magic to gather them all in one spot. You were still full of energy even after using such powerful magic. Even now I wonder why your family are just merchants.” Lazeas shook his head in wonder.

“Don’t say it like that. Merchants have to have the strength to do our kind of work. Father told me that so it must be true. Work with gusto, right? He he.” Olivia cheerfully said and cutely laughed.

Vio thought he misheard the conversation as his smile was frozen on his face.

“…Legi?”

“You heard nothing amiss, Lord Violant. My father is, as you’re aware, someone who made a name for himself as a mercenary. And my mother is… well, a kind of natural airhead.”

Legion awkwardly looked away. Vio stared intently at Legion and completely agreed.

That makes sense. Legi’s like this because both of his parents are quite strong.

However, to dodge magic as long as he was accustomed to it… Vio had begun to think that this was the norm here.

Legion cleared his throat and forcibly changed the topic. “Oh, right, Dad, Mom, we noticed an increase in travelers. Do you know the cause?”

“I thought it was because the festival was coming up.”

Lazeas looked at Olivia, and Olivia tilted her head.

“Come to think of it, the visiting aristocrats mentioned something like they heard the rumors when they went to Endsk, so they came all the way out here to see.”

“Endsk…” Vio muttered. He had a very strong inkling of what it could be about.

“What were the rumors?” Legion asked, but Olivia didn’t seem to know.

“I don’t know exactly what the rumors are, but they don’t seem to be anything bad.”

“If there are any unpleasant visitors, please promptly report them to the office. I’ve only recently been able to leave the mansion so I’ve never attended the harvest festival and thus don’t know the situation,” Vio requested, and Lazeas and Olivia gladly agreed.

Translator’s Note: I know the previous translator had an issue with Legion’s last name being “Salt”, but it really looks like it was intentional. The JP even uses the kanji for salt in the joke Vio made.