I Departed for Range Village
“I should hurry up and settle down?”
Leo was telling me to tie the knot already…as if that would happen…
I didn’t even have that relationship with anyone?
“With Ms. Claire or Ms. Lyra. What a rude thought.”
I replied, and Leo shook her head and sighed with exasperation.
…Ms. Claire was high-born and the daughter of a duke, while Ms. Lyra was a servant that worked in this mansion.
And I wouldn’t presume to be worthy of either of them…
“…So I won’t be able to eat Ms. Helena’s cooking for a while…”
“Mr. Takumi, I prepared some food for you to take on your travels.”
I had hurried to the dining hall in order to escape Leo’s interrogation. There, I ate breakfast with everyone… Well, except Milina.
After eating, we drank tea, and I thought regretfully about how I wouldn’t be able to eat Ms. Helena’s delicious cooking while I was away.
While Sebastian had packed some food for me, I knew that it wouldn’t be on the same level.
It was with such thoughts that I grabbed my belongings from my room, along with the food, and went to the entrance hall.
“Please be safe, Mr. Takumi.”
“Come back soon, Mr. Takumi!”
“Please help those poor people, master.”
Several of the servants, Ms. Claire, Tilura, Milina, and Sherry came to see me off.
I listened to their final words as I strapped everything onto Leo’s back.
Surprisingly, a large cloth had been prepared, and everything was put inside and tied up, making it easier to strap to Leo.
It was strange…the pattern reminded me of Japanese style cloth…
And so I looked a little like an old-style Japanese thief as I climbed onto Leo.
…It was a little awkward, since I had to place my arms around it, but the clothes inside acted as a cushion, so it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.
“Well, let us depart, Mr. Takumi.”
“Yes… Huh? You’re coming too, Mr. Sebastian?”
Sebastian had climbed onto Leo and sat behind me.
I hadn’t heard anything about him going to Range village. Besides, wasn’t there still work to do regarding that store…?
“No, just to Ractos. Since I need to go today, I thought I would hitch a ride.”
“Ah, of course. Leo, it will be a little heavier than usual… Is that all right?”
“Good Leo told me yesterday that she could handle a little extra weight.”
Apparently, Sebastian had already asked Leo about it.
Leo nodded reassuringly.
“Well, let’s go then.”
I turned around and waved to the others who stood by the door.
“Have a safe journey!”
The servants said with a bow. And then we were off.
…I thought I had heard the voices of Ms. Claire and the others as well…
Milina was a servant in training, but it seemed off for Ms. Claire to be in sync with them.
It was with such thoughts that we left the mansion.
As we were on Leo, it was much faster than riding a carriage.
“Good Leo is so fast. At this rate, we’ll reach Ractos in half the amount of time.”
“Indeed. She usually adjusts her speed to match the horses. Besides, she’s also careful so that the rider doesn’t fall off. Leo would be even faster if she was alone.”
Sebastian was very impressed by Leo’s speed while riding.
But if Leo was running her fastest, she could probably reach Ractos in a matter of minutes… I would have no hope of staying on if she ran that fast now.
“By the way, Sebastian…”
“What are you going to do in Ractos?”
It was unusual for Sebastian to leave the mansion alone.
In fact, I don’t think he had done it once since my arrival.
So surely there must be a good reason for him to leave and visit the town now.
“It concerns that store. I want to see it in person… There is information one can’t acquire if they just stay in the house.”
“Yes. If I stay in the mansion, all the information that comes in is just hearsay. And it’s important to actually go and see and hear things for yourself. Besides, it’s best to get information while it’s still fresh.”
Yes, there definitely is a difference when it comes to information you got on your own. Seeing is better than hearing, after all… Well, sometimes…
In any case…communication technology was not advanced at all in this world. So it could take a while for you to acquire the latest information.
Perhaps gaining information on sight was more important than I thought.
Well, even information on the internet wasn’t always correct. And so it was best to find out for yourself when possible.
“Also, I have to go to Kalis’s store.”
“To tell him to lower the prices. Kalis is a good merchant, but…I do not think he will agree to lowering the price of something that is already selling so well.”
“I can understand why.”
As the illness was still spreading in Ractos, the Ramogi would continue to fly off shelves without any price adjustments.
However, in order to ensure that the poor had access to it, we had decided to lower the prices for a limited time.
But for a merchant, it was just decreasing your profits, and so he was not likely to take it well.
“A mere letter may not be enough to satisfy him. Though, he would hardly refuse, especially since it is to help the poor.”
“He also understands how His Grace likes to conduct things. The people of this land should be able to live as comfortably as possible… That is the principle of his businesses.”