The discussion of how to make the boss feel better ended quickly because I was planning to meet with merchants at Elden village in the afternoon.
Last time, we were going to discuss a contract for strawberry jam, but that could not be carried out due to the intrusion of the Selberg family and the honor duel.
I headed to Elden Village with Andras and Alfred.
On the way to the village, Andras brought up the story about Elden village.
“I think the Elden village is included in Sihyeon’s territory.”
“What?”
“It was originally vaguely included in the Selberg family territory, but in this process of establishing the boundaries, the area around Elden seems to be adjusted to be Sihyeon’s territory.”
“Then, what will happen now?”
“It’s simple. Sihyeon will be the new lord of Elden.”
I will be the lord of Elden village?
Andras looked at my awkward expression and asked with a smile.
“Are you not interested in being the lord of Elden village?”
“It’s not like that… I don’t know if I can do the Job as a Lord properly. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Really? From what I’ve seen, I think you’ll do well as a Lord.”
“I feel the same way as Andras. You’ll be a much better lord than that snarky Selberg little lord”
The two encouraged me, saying I would do well, but my troubled expression did not easily disappear.
“Do I really need to be the lord of the Elden village? Wouldn’t it be enough to just let them escape from Selbergs’ influence?”
“Whatever you choose, it’s up to Sihyeon.”
“I think we should not talk about the Lord issue in Elden Village for now. I don’t want to make the villagers more uncomfortable.”
The people of Elden already felt very uncomfortable with me because of the fact that I was an Ester appointed by the Demon Lord.
I liked the comfortable atmosphere from before, so I decided not to announce the news that I became the Lord for the time being.
But as soon as I arrived in the village, the plan I had in mind quickly fell apart.
“Ergin of the Golden Clock Chamber meets Lord Cardis.”
“Algott of Orphine Chamber of commerce meets Lord Cardis.”
As soon as the two merchants met me, they greeted me very politely, using the title Lord Cardis.
It was only natural for the villagers to be surprised by the merchant’s polite attitude and the name [Lord].
I was confused, I looked at Andras and Alfred and whispered.
“What’s going on? How did they know that I’ve been granted the estate when it’s not even confirmed yet?”
Andras replied with a bitter smile.
“I think the news about you has gotten a lot of attention, so the information came out much faster than I thought. Sihyeon, merchants get this kind of news quickly like ghosts. The faster the information, the more profitable it can be.”
“Huh…”
Perhaps because of the merchants’ behavior, the way the villagers looked at me was very cautious.
The two merchants did not care about my disappointed expression and began to brag excitedly about what they had prepared.
“Hahaha! I knew that you would someday reach a great position. But even I couldn’t believe it when I heard that you were granted the status of a nobleman directly from the Great Lord. Today, as a celebration, we’ve got some of the most valuable things available at the Golden Clock.”
“Congratulations on becoming a Lord. Today, I brought a letter written by the owner of the Orphine Chamber of Commerce and congratulatory gifts..”
They took out a bunch of presents they had prepared even before I answered.
There were so many diverse gifts that, soon the large vacant lot of the village got filled with gifts prepared by the two merchants.
From spice-like ingredients to fancy robes, jewelry, ornaments, and pets.
The time when I first met Ergin in the Mercenary Guild came to my mind.
Even then, I remembered him preparing so many burdensome gifts.
Of course, the size of the gift at that time was incomparable to the ones now.
I saw something unusual as I was looking around the presents.
“This is …?”
“It’s a fruit called Bez from the East. It’s not as good as the strawberries that the Lord makes, but it’s still quite popular.”
Ergin explained about Bez, which was slightly larger than ordinary grapes and was surrounded by blue shells.
I was curious, so I picked up the fruit and tasted it.
As soon as I chewed, the nectar flowed out of the skin.
At first, I frowned at the sour taste that reminded me of lemon, but as time passed, the sour taste softened and I felt a subtle sweetness.
The texture was very interesting, but the flesh inside the shell was chewy like gum, giving it a unique feeling.
“This is pretty good. Andras, you should try it too. You too, Elaine.”
I took out two more Bez fruit and gave it to them.
As soon as they tasted it they also showed signs as if they liked Bez.
Ergin had a proud expression on his face.
When I was in the middle of tasting Bez, I could feel the eyes around me.
It was the children of the village who were smacking their lips at the fruit they saw for the first time.
Among them, I saw Miru next to Reville.
I took out one Bez and beckoned her to come closer.
Normally, she would have laughed brightly and would have come running right away, but now, she hesitated while looking around.
I think she became cautious hearing the news that I became a Lord.
I felt sorry and disappointed by the behavior of the cat girl, which felt like the distance between us widened.
At that time, Reville who was standing next to Miru pushed Miru’s back slightly.
Miru looked back in surprise, and Reville smiled and nodded as if saying it was okay.
Thanks to this, Miru, who gained courage, came toward me little by little.
I lifted the cat girl up close.
“Hehehe!”
I smiled as I hugged Miru, who was laughing softly.
“Miru, it’s been a while.”
“Yes…”
“Did you forget my face in the meantime?”
Miru shook her head at my question.
“Then why didn’t you come when I called you? The Miru I know would have come running in no time.”
“Because…. they said you became a lord…”
“What? So you’ll forget me if I become a Lord?”
“No! It’s not like that. I just thought I shouldn’t act like I used to.”
I smirked and stroked Miru’s head.
“It’s okay to act like you used to, I like it that way.”
“…really?”
“Of course. Have I ever lied to Miru?”
Miru once again shook her head at my question.
I felt that it was cute, so I burst into laughter once again.
I handed the fruit in my hand to Miru, who looked a little brighter.
Her eyes shone brightly as if she wanted to eat the fruit.
She carefully took the fruit to her mouth and took a bite.
Miru trembled as soon as she took a bite due to the sour taste.
However, after tasting the sweetness and chewy texture that she felt afterward, she opened her eyes wide.
“Uncle, uncle! This fruit……!”
“It’s interesting, right?”
“Yes! I’ve never had a fruit like this before.”
“Do you want to try one more?”
Miru nodded excitedly because she liked the taste of Bez fruit.
Contrary to my worries, the cat girl seemed to have quickly regained her usual appearance.
I looked at Miru happily eating the fruit.
There were still many Bez fruits that Ergin had brought.
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I turned my eyes to the children of the village and gestured them to come close.
“Kathy, is it good?”
“Wuuu, it’s gud unkul. Give me mooore!”
“Our pretty Kathy eats so well! Wait a minute. I’ll cut it into small pieces.”
I cut the Bez fruit into small pieces by hand and brought it to the baby rabbit’s mouth.
The baby rabbit ate the fruit I was giving her.
Next to me, Alfred distributed snacks to the village children.
At first, he handed out only Bez fruits, but soon we ran out of the fruit so we gave snacks to the remaining children.
The two merchants looked sad when the things they were trying to give me disappeared into the mouths of the village children.
But what can they do?
I got it as a gift and it’s up to me to do what I want with it.
I want to share it with everyone.
“Thank you, Strawberry Prince.”
“Idiot! Now you should call him Lord, not Prince!”
“Prince, are you really going to be the Lord of our village?”
“Hehe, I really hope you become our lord.”
I felt awkward because of the adults who became cautious for a moment.
The children approached me as usual and chatted about the news of becoming the lord, perhaps because there was a lot of intimacy I had accumulated from them by handing out snacks.
Meanwhile, the villagers were fidgeting at the behavior of such children.
It seemed like the fear of the name Lord was still greater than the closeness to me.
Kathy, who was eating the fruit on my lap, pulled my clothes with her small hand.
“Unkul!”
“What, Kathy?”
“Is Unkul the Lod now?”
“Well… … Does Kathy want me as a Lord?”
To my question, the baby rabbit thought seriously for a moment and answered with a slight shake of the drooping rabbit’s ears.
“It wud be nice if Unkul is Lod.”
Saying that she soon hugged me.
A smile spread at the warmth that was felt in my arms.
The thought that it would not be bad to be a Lord bloomed in my head.
“You’re still popular with kids.”
“ Reville!”
“Kathy. Do you like Sihyeon that much?”
“Wuu, I lik Unkul the most after mommy! Hehe!”
Kathy grinned as she answered Reville’s question.
Of course, a happy smile also formed on my face.
“Kathy, I’m sorry, but I need to talk to Sihyeon. Can you go to your mother?”
“Uhwuuuu”
I was also disappointed, but I began to soothe Kathy.
“I’ll play with you again later, Okay? Now be a good girl and go to mommy”
“Wuuu.”
“Good girl. Here, I’ll give you more of Kathy’s favorite Bez, so share it with mom.”
I handed Kathy to her mother who was standing nearby.
She bowed to me many times and left.
Kathy stuck her face out over her mother’s shoulder and waved at me.
“Sih…, no, should I call you Lord now?”
“Call me like you normally do, Reville. That’s more comfortable for me.”
“You won’t put me in jail for contempt of the nobility later, will you?”
“Hahaha! I’ll never do that, so don’t worry.”
Reville’s playful question gave me a small laugh.
He sat next to me and continued.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I didn’t expect that you would become Lord of this village.”
“It’s not confirmed yet.”
“Well? I think both the Golden Clock and Orphine merchants practically confirmed it when they move like that?”
I looked silently toward Ergin and Algott.
They were talking about the construction plans of the strawberry jam workshop that had been postponed.
Reville took a peek at me and asked cautiously.
“Are you not happy to be our Lord….because we are Beast-peo…?”
“No! It’s not like that… I’m worried if I can take responsibility for this many people as a Lord.”
“Hahaha!”
Reville burst into laughter at my answer.
“Sorry, sorry! It’s nothing like what I thought.”
“‥‥?”
“When I heard that you were going to be our lord, Lagos and I were very happy and worried at the same time. We thought this humble village might be a nuisance if it becomes your territory.”
“…….”
“You said earlier that you were worried about being responsible, right? But you know what? You are already a benefactor who has done a lot for our village. No one will ask you to take responsibility just because you become a Lord. Rather, we should try harder to repay the favor we have received until now.”
“Are you really happy for me being a Lord?”
“Of course! It must have been a shock to everyone since it was too sudden, but on the inside, everyone in the village must be happy.”
Reville’s words touched me a little.
After many twists and turns in this village, I developed a lot of attachment in my own way.
The story that everyone welcomed me made me feel comfortable and happy.
“Thank you, Reville.”
“No, thank you.”
While Reville and I were talking, Andras, who had finished talking with the merchants, approached us.
“Are you done talking already?”
“Yes, we’ve decided to postpone the date and carry it out as it was previously. They gave us a lot of money, and we ended the conversation quickly.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Oh! And I asked you about the honey beer, just in case. As expected, the two merchants didn’t know anything.”
“I see…”
I smacked my lips with regret.
It seemed to be a really hard-to-get item to the extent that two influential merchants did not know at all.
“Hmm? Do you need honey beer?”
Reville, who was listening next to me, asked.
“Do you know about honey beer, Reville?”
“I know. I’ve drank it once before.”
“Really?”
“Are you sure?”
When we found a clue again in a place we never thought we would, Andras and I asked back with an excited look.
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“I’m not sure. There is one person who can answer that question.”
“……?”
“……?”
Reville smiled.
“Maybe I can give you a proper congratulatory gift.”