Chapter 123: Leca’s Harvest (XIV)

Translator: AdCaelum

Editor: Evelet

QC: Adel

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123: Leca’s Harvest XIV

Gary walked in a relatively uncrowded direction, his steps heavy with irritation. He grumbled, “Who even cares about noblesse oblige?”

He had been humiliated by a mere child in front of so many people. Vio had been abandoned by his father and brother, so why was he so full of himself? Vio claimed that Gary didn’t know anything about nobles. He, who had served the lord for over thirty years. Of course he knew!

Gary slammed his fist against a the wall of a random house, a spark flashing in his blue eyes. He had planned on making up a half-minded report for Rupheus, but not anymore. He would make sure to find faults and report them. He decided to walk around town in hopes of hearing any unflattering rumors. Fortunately, today was the harvest festival. The flowing alcohol would loosen many lips.

After wandering around for some time, Gary happened across some older ladies gathered for a chat beside the well. They sat in chairs under the shade, ate snacks, and laughed. Gossip between women was a treasure trove of information. Gary sat on a wooden crate in the shade where the women wouldn’t notice him and eavesdropped on their conversation. It had been useless chatter until one woman raised a complaint.

“Talking about husbands, you have to hear me out. Mine is terrible!”

“Huh? What happened, Martha?”

“Oh, right, I heard your husband is infamous for his seriousness.”

It appeared that the woman named Martha had hardly complained about her husband, so the interest of all the ladies was piqued.

“He was definitely making something in secret,” Martha divulged. “He told me that he’d tell me all about it if things went well, but I saw him just the other day suddenly dumping the whole thing away! I think it was Leca flower-infused alcohol. He claimed it tasted horrible, but surely there could have been some other use for it. Alcohol doesn’t have to taste good to be used.”

The women all agreed that it was a waste to dump the alcohol. One said, “Is that what it was? Leca flower syrup tastes so good though… How strange.”

“What’s really strange is that he threw it out after talking to another official. That’s suspicious. It didn’t look like anything illegal, but he warned me not to mention this to anyone. I just don’t get it.”

“Fufu. Oh, Martha. I’m sure he just got embarrassed by his failure and doesn’t want others to know.”

“Exactly. I remember you mentioning how delicious your neighbor’s jams were. Perhaps he didn’t want to be compared.”

“Perhaps… Well, he’s a very proud man, so it’s probably that.” Martha was convinced by everyone and cocked her head to the side. “Anyway, more importantly, the clothes I dyed with Leca ink came out very well. I’m thinking about asking that spirit magician who moved in the other day to draw me a simple circle.”

“That’s great! Oh, that reminds me! Did you see Lord Violant at today’s opening ceremony? He was so lovely! The way he applied the Leca ink on his face looked almost like some kind of accessory!”

“And that elderly lady from the third district… She always throws tantrums but was in a good mood the rest of the day thanks to his compliments. Aaah, I want to be complimented too!”

The women’s conversation turned back to fashion. Gary took out his pipe from his pocket and smoked for a bit. The smoke dissipated into the blue sky. Alcohol, huh, he pondered. Something was indeed fishy. He was intrigued by the appearance of the official in that story.

After resting for a bit, Gary bought some Leca flower syrup and alcohol in town, mixed them, and tasted it. “I can’t believe it!” he said. His eyes widened and an evil smirk stretched across his face.

＊＊＊

Around two in the afternoon, Gary went to Vio’s mansion to greet him. “Young Master Violant, I will soon be returned to Nada. Thank you for having me these past five days.”

Vio was drinking tea in the dining room when he directly faced Gary and answered, “Of course. Please give the reports to Father.”

“Sir Peterson, I had the driver saddle the horse with the luggage you’ve entrusted me with this morning.” The butler Jill standing beside Vio also addressed Gary.

“Okay, thank you.” Gary nodded. “By the way, young master,” he turned to Vio, satisfied about something. “I heard an interesting story while walking around town today. It appears that alcohol infused with Leca flowers tastes disgusting.”

Vio’s face suddenly tensed, but he managed to maintain a smile and nodded. “Yes, that’s true. I strongly doubt it’ll be marketable.” Vio answered but closely observed Gary’s reaction, his own clenched fists beginning to turn clammy.

“But, you see, I love alcohol. I just had to see how it tasted… though I wonder why the lord hasn’t been notified of this.” Vio’s heart stopped. Gary had uncovered the effects of the Leca-infused liquor by himself. Vio had hoped things would be fine for now as long as they could make it through today. He hid his distress as Gary continued to say with a flat voice. “What a wonderful discovery it is, to cheaply recover mana this way. It could bring instant prosperity to this poor land. Were you alone planning on profiting from this? Keeping it a secret from the lord? That’s veritable treason, young master!”

Vio aggressively stood up from his seat. “Hold your tongue, Gary Peterson! I will never commit something as appalling as treason!”

Gary flinched at Vio’s outburst, but he soon readjusted his posture. “Hmph, have I caught you red-handed? That’s to be expected. As the seneschal, I have watched the young master from birth till now. It’s obvious you’d use your misfortune as an excuse to promote yourself.”

“I’m telling you that you’re wrong! I simply believe that I’m incapable of properly handling it! Do you understand how grave this discovery is?!”

At this rate, Vio would be treated as an ungrateful son trying to usurp the family head, so he pressed Gary. Fear made his heart beat violently in his chest. He was not only scared of the lord but also the unknown repercussions such a massive secret could bring.

“I am aware. Of all the riches that will flow into this land! The discovery is amazing! Truly wonderful!” Gary answered with an ecstatic face, but Vio shook his head.

“You know that’s not all. It could be the spark for war. Like insects attracted to light, they’ll gather here. Not only them; some may seek the recipe. If it ever gets publicized, the way wars would be fought will change, and I fear agriculture will too. This isn’t something a lord can handle by himself.”

Gary looked shocked by Vio. “Wait… you plan to report this not to the lord but to the king?! To trample upon the lord’s—your own father’s—trust?!” Red-faced, Gary angrily spread his arms. “The Lesserhain territory is too large for the royal family to ignore. The lord could even become the next king if such a boon were to fall on his land. Do you not wish to see the lord reach such a pinnacle?!”

“That behavior alone is treason against the crown. I am a member of House Lesserhain. We serve His Royal Majesty. We must show our loyalty.”

“Impossible. Oh, what heartbreak…” Gary listened to Vio’s rebuttal and stepped back in disbelief. “You should be showing respect towards your father first. You should leave this matter to be handled by the lord.”

“I doubt Father or Brother would report this to His Majesty. There will be war, Gary. The royal family will see the lack of a report as treason and forsake our family. If that happens, then what? While we’re weakened, we’ll simply be stabbed in the back by the royal family or by our former allies, and have everything drained from us. Then it’ll be the end of House Lesserhain.” An ending far worse than what he read in the manga immediately appeared in Vio’s head.

“Your cowardice is exactly why you’re known as the incompetent younger brother! It’s more dangerous if the royal family has a hold over us,” Gary said scornfully.

“Our family has Mother, Both His Majesty and His Royal Highness are smart. I’m confident they can find a better way to handle this. Please, Gary, you have to understand. If we need to report this, I can do it myself.” Vio tried to compromise, but Gary flatly declined.

“No! You are untrustworthy. I, Gary Peterson, am the lord’s number one servant! Even if his own son were to ask, I will refuse to comply. You will just have to see how things turn out in the end.”

Gary refused to listen, so Vio decided to physically stop him. He quickly glanced at Jill. However, Gary was a step faster. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and loudly shouted, “I beseech you!”

The moment he uttered the activation chant, a blinding light exploded. The dining room door burst into a shower of splinters.

“Are you okay, young master?!”

“Yeah.” Jill covered Vio and defended with a magic shield. “But more importantly, we have to catch Gary.”

“Yes!”

Jill quickly chased after Gary. Vio also followed, but when he exited the mansion, he heard a horse neigh and saw it galloping down the hill with Gary on its back. Jill cast lightning magic to try to stop him, but Gary anticipated this; he activated a magic shield and escaped.

“Dammit. It had to be when Rille and Legion are away…” Vio grumbled. If the quick-footed Rille or Legion had been present, then they might have been able to barely catch him.

“Are you okay, young master?!” Hauser ran over from the backyard stable with an iron bar in hand. Vio shook his head.

“This is bad. Gary found out our secret.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, Hauser, but something urgent came up. Go to town and bring Legion, Rille, and Rourke back. Tell them that it’s about that thing, and they’ll understand.”

“Yes, as you wish!”

Hauser ran back to the stable to grab a horse and descended the hill. Vio turned around to Jill. There was no time to waste.

“Jill, get my things. Pack light and focus on speed. Also, prepare some things that can be exchanged for money.”

“Yes, as you wish.”

A good butler never questions why, so Jill promptly ran off to prepare. Vio let out a deep sigh. The heavy snowfall that would soon cover this land was his only saving grace.

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Author’s Note: This is the end of Arc 4.

I checked the dictionary, but I don’t know if the term “treason” can also be used against a lord. If it can’t, can someone let me know? I would appreciate it.

I made an unthinkable mistake with the Leca liquor and had to alter the story accordingly, which means that Leca’s development will have to come later… And it’ll be winter soon over there. I’ve decided to postpone Dawn’s and Zora’s exchange. We’ll instead be plunging right into the Leca Liquor + Riot Arc. Below is a preview.

Arc 5: Leca Liquor + Riot (Preview)

Vio and his party quickly depart Leca, but despite their efforts, a bottle of Leca liquor and Gary’s report reach Duke Lesserhain. The duke implements a barricade and sends out pursuers, but Vio manages to outsmart the duke. He safely escapes to the neighboring country of Ruslan and plans to head to the royal castle via the enemy country. However, the Ravens are persistent in their pursuit. And as Vio had expected, the duke sets a grand plan into motion upon learning the secret of Leca liquor. Can Vio safely report to the king the secret of Leca liquor?

This is what I have planned for the next act. I had received several requests for side stories, but I have to focus on this new arc, so I’ll hold off on those. I can’t respond here, so until next time.

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

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