It feels like His Majesty and Apelta have completely worn me out in the royal capital. There’s no doubt that Van is the most hard-working noble lord in the entire Scuderia Kingdom. By the way, as an apology for pushing yet another troublesome task onto me, I received an incredibly extravagant souvenir—something completely unexpected. Even Panamera was taken aback, her eyes widening at the sight of three large carriages with the royal family’s crest.
Incidentally, after my outstanding contributions in the battle with the Yellenetta Kingdom, I had already received more lands and rewards than anyone else. So this time, I returned with treasures, gold, silver, and other things that I knew Van would appreciate—spices and materials, to name a few.
To be blunt, I can confidently say that Van’s domain is now the most economically prosperous in the entire Scuderia Kingdom.
However, even with all that prosperity, the officials and knights who support the domain, including those from Ceat Village, are some of the busiest in the kingdom. As a fun fact, the hardest workers are Espada and Murcia, and personally, I believe Van ranks right after them.
Well, I guess they should at least be getting paid for all the work they’re doing, so I should endure it.
Despite all the complaints, life has been fulfilling, and there’s no denying that I’m having a good time.
As I was thinking about all this, Van finally returned to Ceat Village.
“Ah, there’s Ceat Village!”
“Actually, it's the adventurer's town ahead, but…”
“Ah, right, I still need to make some improvements to the adventurer's town…”
Hearing Til and Kamshin’s voices, I was reminded of other work and couldn’t help but chuckle. Still, it felt good to be home after such a long time.
“Van-sama!”
As we passed through the adventurer's town, I received a greeting, and it seemed that Targa and Espada were waiting for me at the gate of Ceat Village. Targa called my name loudly, and Espada stood quietly beside him.
“I’m home!”
I stuck my head out of the carriage and waved, calling out. Then, I heard cheers from the top of the castle walls and gates. Wow, I haven't been greeted like this since I returned from the war. Heh, being popular is tough.
As I continued waving to everyone, a voice that wasn’t part of the plan suddenly reached my ears.
“Van-sama! Since it’s been so long since your return, we’re having a barbecue festival, right?”
“We’re preparing it now, so please wait a little longer!”
“We’ve been waiting for Van-sama’s return!”
The voices were loud and full of excitement, as if they were drooling. Was that their purpose? Well, they’re getting vegetables instead of meat, I guess.
“Geez! I thought you guys were happy to see me back!”
I raised both hands in mock complaint, but instead of answers, only laughter echoed back. Something felt off. Van is currently the lord of a viscount family. Eh? Isn't a viscount someone important?
Feeling doubtful about my noble status, I sat back down on the carriage seat. Then, Arte and Til both looked at me with smiles.
“...Van-sama is loved by everyone.”
“Everyone notices at least a little bit of Van-sama’s greatness! Oh, but I’m the only one who knows everything! After all, I’ve seen Van-sama since he was a baby!”
Arte spoke with an unexpectedly sentimental tone, and Til, with a snort, said something in response.
“No, no, the way you're treating him is like a local child, right? Honestly, it seems like they just love the barbecue... Oh, and at the barbecue festival, they serve free alcohol, so maybe that’s the real reason.”
Til crossed his arms, exhaling sharply, offering a dose of reality. Kamshin nodded deeply in dissatisfaction.
“That’s rather rude to Van-sama... It would be ideal for everyone to quietly line up at the side of the road, waiting to watch Van-sama’s return…”
“Eh? Are you saying everyone should line up and stare at me? That’s so creepy. No way!”
I immediately rejected Kamshin’s outrageous idea. Kamshin was visibly shocked, but I ignored it.
“...Well, I’ll probably have to leave soon anyway, so the barbecue festival might be a good idea.”
I don’t know if it’ll be in one or two months, but once Marquis Rosso or someone from the royal capital summons me, I’ll have to leave immediately. Considering the travel distance, when the notice comes, I’ll need to depart right away. It would be better to get things done now.
The first thing on that list is the barbecue festival.
Hmm? Something’s off.
As I thought this, I headed towards Targa and the others, and from the very first words, I muttered, “I’m so tired.” I had a bad feeling, so I tried to subtly convey that I needed a little rest right from the start.
However, it had no effect. The demon nodded lightly and spoke without expression.
“Then, let’s start studying in two hours. Please let me know when you've finished eating and bathing.”
“You’re kidding, right…?”
I asked in disbelief, but they only tilted their head in silence.
The demon has appeared in our village—everyone, run!”
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