Chapter 143 News
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Under the clear blue sky devoid of any obstructing clouds, with the sun shining brilliantly, I fulfill my assigned role, albeit feeling slightly annoyed. While overseeing the slaves toiling outside, I am reminded of my responsibilities.
”Bowdi, it’s fine to take a short break, but refrain from sitting in the fields.”
”Ah, Lewya-sama, hehehe, my apologies.”
”Honestly, if Diana were watching, she would scold him.”
My job is to supervise the slaves working outside. Of course, there are other miscellaneous tasks as well, and I periodically switch positions with Diana, who oversees the slaves currently working in the mansion. The reason we don’t completely divide the roles between indoor and outdoor tasks, and instead have this periodic rotation, is because Diana wishes to have an accurate firsthand knowledge of the entire settlement’s situation.
Before our daily reports to Neil, I share information and discuss today’s tasks with Diana. Each time, I keenly feel that the quality and quantity of my own reports pale in comparison to Diana’s. Diana, who has received various education as a servant supporting her master since childhood, has a level of knowledge and refinement that I, lacking such privileges, cannot compare to. Hence, it seems Diana chose this rotation system to avoid burdening either of us entirely.
”Lewya-sama, is something the matter? You’re making a troubled expression.”
”…It’s nothing. I was just pondering how to report about you to Diana.”
”Eek!? P-Please spare me! Diana-sama is already intimidating, but if she gets angry, it will be even scarier!”
Laughter spills out from the mouths of the other slaves around Bowdi upon hearing his words. Feeling comfortable with the scene, I clear my mind of distractions and focus on fulfilling my role.
”Now, this short break should be enough. Get back to work. If you’re even slightly late, the supervision will be passed from me to Diana.”
The slaves respond sparsely, rising to their feet and returning to their tasks in the fields.
’Lewya!’
Suddenly, my name pops into my head unexpectedly. It is not a sound that reaches my ears but a direct transmission of words into my mind, the method of telepathic communication used by spirits. As there are no auditory characteristics like pitch and tone accompanying the transmitted words, only the emotions and unique wavelength that come along with the words allow for identification of the individual. The source of these words is a spirit that I am familiar with.
’I have received a message from your hometown(Re grido rono tousa).’
’A message (Rono)?’
How unusual. While I usually only communicate messages through spirits, there has rarely been any incoming communication from them. I wonder if something happened.
’Was it delivered by the Forest Spirit (Fa Alast Tuuna)?’
’Of course not (Fiwa), I wouldn’t go all the way to your hometown to receive a message myself, would I (Nore grido paaju harara rono taani ryinu)?’
’…That’s true (Horo no da).’
As always, this one tends to be verbose, or rather, once they start speaking in the language of the spirits, it’s non-stop. Though they may appear young compared to other spirits, and their words sent to me contain a youthful energy, it’s up to each individual whether they interpret it as the enthusiasm of youth or as immature and rough language. Putting that aside, I must hear the content of the message.
’What is the content of the message (Rono fisu)?’
’The content is (Fisu) ――’
…
…
I was in my office, crossing my arms while contemplating in front of two letters spread out on the desk. The cause of my contemplation was undoubtedly the two letters spread out on the desk. One was from Gibbett-san, the from Harvest Hoe, and the other from Amelia Pordhale, my magic mentor.
Gibbett-san’s letter mentioned the difficulties in the discussions regarding the three people he mentioned earlier who were supposed to join the settlement as additional personnel. It seemed that the talks were stalling, and there was a possibility of delays or, in the worst case, the plan falling through.
These three individuals had expressed their desire to leave the village and work in the city once they reached adulthood, and their families were supportive of their decision. Initially, they were supposed to work as apprentices under the Harvest Hoe, but due to delays in my recruitment request, Gibbett-san took the initiative to select them.
According to the letter, Gibbett-san had personally spoken with the three individuals and their families, receiving positive responses from them. However, the problem arose from the families’ concern about sending their children to a dangerous place like the settlement to work. It was understandable that opposition arose when the initial plan was for them to work under Gibbett-san but suddenly shifted to working in the settlement.
Currently, Gibbett-san was in the midst of persuading the families, but if the persuasion failed, we would need to search for other personnel separately. In case of failing to keep the promise, there was an apology mentioned in the letter from Gibbett-san.
”Sigh… Even when trying to keep secrets, there are limits.”
Hastily hiring humans would give opportunities for those who seek to uncover the secrets of the settlement. On the other hand, without increasing manpower, dealing with such individuals would be impossible. It truly is a challenging situation.
”Things don’t seem to be going well for my mentor either. No good news.”
The letter from my mentor detailed the progress of Pius’s treatment in the imperial capital. Ever since that incident, Pius has entered a semi-awakened state, showing minimal response to inquiries.
At first, I believed it was due to forcibly stopping Curtio, which had bound his mind, leaving his psyche affected. However, upon further investigation upon returning to the imperial capital, it seems that Pius had already broken free from Curtio’s influence.
In other words, Pius had chosen to close his heart on his own accord. The rehabilitation to regain bodily functions by following instructions is progressing well. However, due to his inability to respond, we still haven’t obtained information about the person who modified Pius’s body, nor do we know the origins of Curtio. I plan to bring Pius to the settlement sometime in the future and use the authority of the contract holder to extract information in that regard. That was also mentioned in the letter.
”The only good news is that Pius’s rehabilitation is progressing well.”
The Gaadhir family, in particular, seems to be concerned about Pius, so it might be worth informing them that the rehabilitation is going smoothly. As I pondered this, there was a knock on the door of my office.
”Neil, it’s Lewya.”
”Please come in.”
”My apologies… Am I interrupting your work?”
Seeing the letters lined up on the desk, Lewya must have mistakenly thought that I was engaged in paperwork. While tidying up the letters on the desk, I responded to the inquiry.
”No, I was just reading the letters from Gibbett-san and my mentor that arrived this morning.”
”Speaking of your mentor, you mean Amelia, right? Gibbett aside, it’s unusual. Is there any progress regarding Pius, perhaps?”
”Well… There might be some progress, although not much. But before that, did you have something to discuss with me?”
”Oh, right. Actually, there’s a message for you, Neil.”
There are quite a lot of messages today. Hoping for some good news amidst all the bad news, I listened attentively to Lewya’s words.
”Just now, I received a message from the elders of the village. Neil, they expressed their desire to meet with you and have a conversation.”
”With me? Why now?”
”I’m not sure about the details, but it’s likely related to the pending trade agreement. I think there might be some sort of answer among the elders.”
”I see. But didn’t the message explain the reason for wanting to meet and talk?”
”No, it didn’t. Even if I convey the details to the spirits, they won’t remember them accurately, and sometimes the content of the message changes as it is passed from one spirit to another. Normally, when requesting a message through the spirits, it’s customary to keep it concise.”
I see. So, if the content is too detailed, it becomes like the game of telephone.
”I understand that the elf elders want to meet and talk with me, but when will that be? It would be difficult to respond if they suddenly show up.”
”You don’t have to worry about that. The elders have weak legs, so it’s challenging for them to walk all the way here.”
”In that case…”
As if seeing through my thoughts, Lewya nodded and continued speaking.
”They want to invite you to our village, Neil.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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