Chapter 122: Leca’s Harvest (XIII)

Translator: AdCaelum

Editor: Evelet

QC: Adel

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Thank you Yese02 and Pogato for the kofi.

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122: Leca’s Harvest XIII

On the day of the festival, Gary Peterson went out around town, happy to soon be able to return to Nada. Leca was the perfect place to escape the heat of the summer, but he found his room in the lord’s mansion in Nada far more comfortable. He looked forward to enjoying the expensive alcohol he bought with his salary and brought to work to enjoy during his small breaks.

However, he recalled Legion’s face and felt indignation rise in his chest. The knight was just as the Ravens described: impertinent, abrasive, and was always working their last nerve. Gary experienced just this when he encountered him the other day. Moreover, that maid girl joined in and Vio landed the finishing blow when he prompted Gary to show his cleaning skills after so long.

Having the tables turned on him like that was a miscalculation on his part. He let out an annoyed sigh. His legs and back hurt… although he doubted it was from age. The pay he received was nice, but traveling around the Lesserhain territory was very taxing. It might be time for him to retire. He considered buying a house in either Nada or the capital and using his savings to live the rest of his life in peace, but he was still too driven by his work.

However, he was currently in a pinch. Lord Rupheus had ordered him to find faults, but he was instead impressed by how much profit Vio had gained from such a poor piece of rural land.

Vio had delegated a majority of his duties to the officials. Due to his clearly weak body, he could only wait inside the mansion for reports and give instructions based on that. Despite that, because he knew how much he relied on them and showed his gratitude, the people here were infatuated with him. Unlike Rupheus, Vio didn’t personally observe his subordinates so the officials worked carefree at their own pace. But, was that better? Subordinates would suffocate from the pressure of a hovering superior, but on the other hand, they would naturally slack off once their superior’s eyes were off them. While Vio’s methods were fine in the short term, if he continued to govern this way, the stagnation from lackadaisical subordinates would be for the worse.

Gary planned to watch how things would unfold. The town’s agriculture wouldn’t change much, with only an increase in Leca flower production and the development of new goods, but the harsh winter would certainly be a hurdle. The repercussions wouldn’t be immediate, so Gary decided to report to the lord that he required some more time to see how things would unfold. There was also the thing Lord Rupheus had asked of him.

Between the current lord and his son who would one day inherit the land, Gary was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Find something, anything problematic,” Rupheus had told him. At most, Gary found the mansion terribly maintained, but that was a given with that low number of servants. Normally, at least ten people were required for a residence of that size. It was commendable that with just the three of them, the knight included, they could maintain the mansion.

Gary was aware of that, but it was his bad habit to pick at his underlings’ work. Moreover, he had despised the butler Jill since their time in Nada. From brushing off Gary’s snide warnings to smoothly doing his work and gaining the favor of the duchess, Jill simply annoyed him. Even though Gary was busy traveling, Jill had such an easy job. Staying by the beautiful duchess’ side was obviously better than being sternly glared at by the duke.

It was the same here in Leca. Seeing how the butler was comfortably walking around beside a beautiful and kind master even in this rural town aggravated Gary. Jill was treated well since he previously served as the duchess’ mother’s knight. The silver spoon bestowed in Jill’s mouth had rubbed Gary the wrong way. That was why, despite the mountain of work, Gary didn’t want to relinquish his spot as seneschal, the most senior of all the servants.

As he angrily stomped down the road with those thoughts in mind, a child suddenly ran into him, spilling yellow berry sauce all over the front of Gary’s white pants.

“Ah… I’m sorry! I was in a hurry and…” the modest-looking boy with brown hair said, looked at Gary, and turned pale.

Naturally, Gary, of all people, would have his annoyance instantly transform into rage upon seeing his favorite white pants stained. He asked, “How old?”

“What?”

“How old are you?”

The boy slightly tilted his head and timidly answered, “Um, twelve.” 

“Twelve? You’ve just reached adulthood, so what is with your lack of control?” Gary glared at him.

“I’m sorry…

“Um, but I’m in a hurry, so—” The boy looked embarrassed, but Gary continued to bite.

“Just because you’re in a hurry, you think you can dirty other people’s clothes?”

“No, I didn’t say—”

The boy’s attempt to defend himself only made Gary more irritated. As he continued to relentlessly scold the boy, a woman rushed over. The boy in tears was relieved by his mother’s arrival.

“I’m so sorry, Sir Seneschal!” the woman cried. “He dirtied your clothes? I will take responsibility and wash them for you.”

“Wash? No need for that. I’ll give them to you, so compensate me,” Gary said.

“Compensate?” The mother suddenly grew flustered.

“I bought this from the best tailor in Nada. So, how much do you think it cost?”

“C-can you please reconsider? We only have enough set aside to make it through the winter.”

“That has nothing to do with me. Your son’s carelessness caused this accident, so you’re at fault for not properly educating him. Harumph, I’m sure this was a good lesson for him to learn,” Gary snidely commented. The boy, whose face had gone completely pale, looked at his mother and was on the verge of crying.

“Please forgive us, Sir Seneschal!” The mother grabbed her son’s arm and made him kneel down with her. “Hey, apologize too!”

“I’m sorry. Mom didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me.”

“That’s right. It’s your fault, so as punishment, you and your entire family can wander the streets for all I care. Harumph, to not recognize the seneschal’s face… I come here once a year, so it’ll do you good to remember.”

“But there are a lot of people today…” the boy replied in a panic.

“Shush, be quiet!” The mother held her son’s head down to apologize and to prevent him from saying anything unnecessary.

“I came here as the lord’s representative. In other words, I am essentially the lord. Yet, what’s that attitude? Is that how much you respect the lord?” Gary’s voice was full of anger and he glared at those around him. “What’s with those eyes? Do you have a problem or something?”

“N-no, it’s not that… He’s just a child. Can you please overlook this?” a middle-aged man gently interjected.

“Then, will you compensate me?” Gary snorted. The man froze, and Gary let out a heavy sigh. “That’s it? Such flimsy conviction. Are you not willing to pool your money together to help them?”

The townsfolk murmured and exchanged looks. Gary knew that these people lived such poor lives that they struggled to survive winter, which is why he drew the sword he kept on him for protection and said this. “Fine. I won’t ask for money. Instead… I’ll take that child’s life.”

“Please don’t! I! I will take his place!” The mother begged and hurriedly grabbed her son.

The townsfolk obviously couldn’t stand by after that. They stood by the mother and son.

“That’s right. Please wait, Sir Seneschal,” one said. “Everyone, let’s pool a little bit of our money to help the Nisas.”

“Yeah. We need to help those in trouble,” another replied.

With that call for action, everyone reluctantly began taking out some money. They were more upstanding than Gary had expected, and he inwardly clicked his tongue. Then, someone started clapping. Gary turned around to see Vio approaching him from among the crowd.

＊＊＊

Vio was deeply moved when he saw the townsfolk offering to pay the compensation fee on behalf of the mother and son. The townsfolk mentioned before that in remote areas like this with heavy snowfall, people helped their neighbors, but to think that their hospitality extended this far too.

“How wonderful. I’m moved by all your kindness,” Vio said. Then he frowned and looked at Gary with cold eyes, causing Gary to flinch but maintain his haughty gaze. “Yet, in comparison, Gary Peterson…  The lord’s representative? In other words, the lord himself? Are you trying to impersonate my father? Despite having long witnessed how nobles comport themselves, you know nothing about us.”

Vio had only witnessed a little, but he knew this was another example of Gary’s sadism. It was clearly him venting his frustration. That part of Gary always aggravated Vio. 

“Boys shouldn’t be naughty for sure, but was there a need to coerce money from them? They already apologized,” Vio said and glanced at the mother and son. “You two, stand. You’ve apologized, so you may go.”

“B-but, the compensation… At least allow me to wash the clothes.” The terrified mother was still concerned about Gary.

“Do not worry. Leave the matter to us and go. And you too,” Legion consoled her.

“Thank you very much. We’re sorry,” the mother said.

“We’re sorry,” the son echoed.

At Legion’s prompt, the mother took her son, bowed, thanked Vio, and left. The crowd of townsfolk swallowed the two like a protective wall of people. Vio noticed Gary’s annoyed eyes on him and cleared his throat.

Gary sheathed his sword and objected. “Why did you let them go? The matter was between us.”

“You brazenly used the lord’s name yet you claim this is a personal matter? No, this involves House Lesserhain’s reputation.” Vio crossed his arms in front and sternly retorted, “In the first place, it’s ridiculous for a mere servant to claim to be the lord’s representative. Gary, you are but a seneschal.”

Gary gritted his teeth, but before he could say anything back, Vio curtly said, “Noblesse oblige.”

“What?” The unexpected word threw Gary for a loop, but Vio didn’t care.

“It’s the duty of nobility. Have you never heard of it?” Vio asked.

“Of course I have!”

“You know yet you acted that way?”

“…” Gary still didn’t understand Vio’s questions but he nodded.

“One of the principles is that those born into nobility must bear the burden of being at the top and be charitable to those of lower standing. The two from before apologized from the bottom of their hearts, yet not only did you not accept it, but you also attempted to coerce money from them. You are acting like a thief.

“In the first place, our territory exists because of these people. What worth would the land have if people didn’t live on it? You must not treat the children who are our future in that manner.”

“I can understand your misconception. It likely stems from your experience with my father and brother, right? Those two will stand on the front lines regardless of danger to protect the country if war were to ever break out. That is another duty of nobility, but not the only one.” Vio let out a heavy sigh. He assumed that Gary’s behavior probably came from how long he had been staying in Nada.

Vio’s chastising argument seemed to irritate Gary. Vio noticed the man’s blue eyes quiver with anger and was disappointed. Of course Gary wouldn’t listen to a boy who could be his grandson’s age.

“Is that so? Was that why the lord branded you as ‘useless’ two years ago? You may be doing well managing this piece of land, but you can’t fight in a war. How about instead of using your time to gain the favor of the lower class with pleasantries, you focus on your swordsmanship? Your actions are pointless if you cannot protect the land,” Gary said. Vio made a bitter face. Gary always knew how to prod Vio’s tenderest places.

“Yes, while I agree with you on the matter of war, let me make one correction. Naïvety and generosity are two different things. And I know the exact difference between the two.”

“Hm, are you sure?” Gary snorted and dramatically bowed. “Out of respect for you, I shall end this matter. Then, please excuse me.”

“Yeah.” Vio nodded and Gary left in a huff, the wall of people neatly dividing to make way for him.

“What’s with that pompous attitude towards the lord’s son?!” Rille said angrily and stuck her tongue out at Gary’s back.

“Rille, that’s unladylike,” Vio cautioned her.

“I apologize!” Rille looked dejected.

“Lord Violant, you need not pay him any mind. You’ve finally stepped outside the mansion, so let’s take our time to expand your horizons,” Legion said, comforting Vio.

“It’s fine. I know what I’m lacking. What Gary said is true.” Vio was slightly saddened, but he looked at those around him and smiled. “Everyone, I’m proud as your reeve to see you all work together to help those two out. Can you reassure the mother and her son not to mind what the senechal said?”

“Yes, we will!” The citizens bowed and began to redistribute the money back to the people who had donated it.

“You two, do you mind if I go back to the mansion?” Vio asked his attendants. Reprimanding Gary had eaten away at his stamina, and he was hit with exhaustion.

The two both said, “Of course not,” and followed after Vio as he cut through the traffic to the northern gate.

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Author’s Note

Hello, it’s Yoruno whose chest and stomach hurt when writing Gary’s spiteful comments. Please skim past them…

Gary is the type whose bark is worse than his bite when interacting with his inferiors. I hope I wrote him in a way that you agree he’s a meanie~. Villains are hard but interesting to write when there’s so many types. Although writing until my stomach hurts makes my pen more like a double-edged sword.

Our 12th grade vocabulary is enhanced by coffee. We would be elated by any philanthropic endeavors.

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