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By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 18




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Chapter 6 Episode 18: Lord of Fatoma

After the hunt the following morning, I decided to speed through lunch to prepare for my meeting with Lord Fatoma. As the villagers were already aware of the meeting, they served me lunch before the others, which I appreciated... But after a certain point, I could no longer taste my food. The other members of the Pier, seated at the table with me, seemed to share my sentiment. After all...Lord Fatoma had joined us at lunch.

“Mmm, delicious!”

The lord was a pig beastkin, as I was told; a species overweight across the board. With his kimono and bun on the top of his head, I couldn’t see him as a noble or lord, but as a sumo wrestler. Much becoming of his stature, he was currently chowing down on an entire bowl of rice with at least four sides.

To recap how I found myself in this situation...

Lord Fatoma had sailed across the lake to the village and arrived early due to the wind or something. The village chief, not about to keep the lord waiting, tried to fetch us, but Lord Fatoma countered that he was the one who was early, and wanted to wait, to which the chief insisted that the lord at least have lunch while he waited.

And so we were sharing our lunch table with a noble lord whom I had never met before. As it would not have been prudent for someone of his status to wander about alone, he was flanked by attendants, even as he ate. One of them was young and resembled a samurai, with scales covering his right eye. The other was dressed like a sumo wrestler, same as his lord, with scales on the bottom of his palms and wrists. Both of them appeared to be dragonewts, which checked out, given what I’d heard about Lord Fatoma inviting dragonewt scientists from their land.

“Another bowl, please.” The sumo wrestler-looking attendant ate just as much as the lord... Maybe he wasn’t a bodyguard after all. Seeing how the samurai didn’t touch his food and kept a silent watch on his surroundings, I wondered if he was the sole guard for the lord at the table.

In any case, I had to finish my own lunch.

■ ■ ■

After lunch, Lord Fatoma spoke with a contented sigh, “My, that was a feast. The women here sure know how to cook. Many thanks. Chief, I truly appreciate such a warm welcome, even while you are surely preparing for winter. I didn’t exactly hold back my appetite. I’ll have food delivered to you presently; it’s not much, but I hope it will add to your winter stock.”

“An honor, my lord,” the village chief replied.

Lord Fatoma had not betrayed his reputation as a down-to-earth and kind ruler so far. At the very least, it looked like he was going to repay his hosts, and he didn’t seem like the type to be boastful about his title or expect unquestioned hospitality for it.

“So, you are the adventurers in charge of protecting this village,” Lord Fatoma acknowledged. “Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the lord of this territory, Count Porco Fatoma. First and foremost, I thank you for your aid in the village’s defense.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Shin spoke for Sikum’s Pier, visibly nervous.

Lord Fatoma saw this and gave a smile. “No need to be so formal. Let us be frank with each other.”

With that, I could see the weight being lifted off of their shoulders.

“All monsters, not merely mad salamanders, have been on the increase these past few years,” he continued. “Which is why I had reached outside of the territory to recruit adventurers... But this year, the numbers are through the roof. Monsters have raided whole stockpiles from a few villages where we just couldn’t muster enough to mount a solid defense.”

I didn’t know things were so dire in other villages.

“I know this village was threatened by just as many salamanders, but it’s been a huge help how you have not only defended the village perfectly, but allowed us to allocate manpower to other villages.”

“We can’t take credit for that, my lord...” The Sikum’s Pier collectively turned to me.

“I’ve heard that a young tamer contributed greatly to the improvement in the village’s defense, but surely that doesn’t discount the dedication of others involved. I thank you all for your contribution. And for your honesty!” The lord laughed, lightening the mood.

“And... That tamer would be you, right?”

“Correct. Name’s Ryoma Takebayashi.”

“My pleasure. The village chief tells me you have a letter for me.”

“Yes, from the duke of Jamil, R—”

“Reinhart?!” Lord Fatoma shouted in surprise.

That surprised me. Was something wrong? “Yes. I have it saved in my item box. May I retrieve it?”

“Yes, I would very much like to see it. Cast any magic you need.”

I produced the letter with the count’s permission, and he personally took it from me. From what I had heard before, people of high status like him usually had one of their guards take anything from an unfamiliar source in case of an attack. Lord Fatoma, however, seemed unconcerned by that... He opened the letter and intently read the whole thing.

“Hmm... Ryoma, was it?”

“Yes.”

“Did Reinhart say anything when he gave this to you?”

I recalled when he had given me the letter. “Only to seek you out if I was in any trouble because he trusts you. Come to think of it, it did seem like he was holding something back.”

“Holding something back. I see... Ha ha ha ha!” Lord Fatoma guffawed, culminating in a pig-like snort. Everyone at the table, the lord’s attendants included, looked just as confused as I was.

“Beg pardon,” the lord said after his laughter finally calmed down. “Reinhart thinks very highly of you.”

After catching his breath, he continued. “The letter describes you as very talented, so much so that Duke Jamil is considering hiring you as a technician. It also has a request to help you with whatever is troubling enough for you to come to me. He even asks that I refrain from recruiting you since he found you first.”


“Really...”

“It’s rare enough that Reinhart writes a letter to anyone, but I didn’t expect to read anything like this. What a treat,” he remarked, his expression incredibly kind. I watched him for a few seconds when he looked up and caught my gaze. “Ah, I see he hasn’t told you much. Are you wondering why I, a count, speak of Reinhart, a duke, without using his title?”

“No, I wasn’t...wondering about that, but now I’m curious about your history.”

“Another honest one. In short, we were schoolmates.”

“I see. So you’ve known each other for quite some time, then.”

“We do keep up appearances in public, of course, but we’re close enough to speak frankly in private. Which is to say, I have a few embarrassing stories about him under my belt. Most likely, he didn’t give you any details because he didn’t want to speak too much of his school days. There are times when he tries to play the part of a ruffian.”

“Really...?”

“I would know. Only natural, considering his environment...and being the son of the renowned Duke ‘Dragonflame’ Reinbach. If you haven’t heard of Dragonflame’s claim to fame—”

“He signed a contract with a divine beast,” I chimed in.

“That’s right. His school years were hindered by having such an accomplished father, garnering him both great expectation and harsh comparison. As a noble, he couldn’t afford to show any flaws, no matter how small.”

“I never realized...”

“That meant close friends were hard to come by. I just happened to share the same burden of living up to my father... Though I dare say, I had it much easier than he did. Maybe that’s why we naturally got along and sought advice from each other. All good memories, now... Oh. Look at me prattling on; I’ll never get to the point if I keep this up.”

“Thank you for such an interesting story.”

“We’ll discuss it again some other time. But now I’m sure.”

What was he sure about?

“A tamer who uses many slimes and has a good relationship with Reinhart... Your name is known to me, Ryoma, but if I may ask... Do you not run a laundry shop in Gimul?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I knew it! You’re the Barley Tea Sage!” Lord Fatoma exclaimed, leaning over the table.

I, on the other hand, was thoroughly confused.

“The Barley Tea Sage...?”

“I trust you know of the traveling Semroid Troupe?”

“I do! We crossed paths this past summer.”

“Then there is no doubt about it.”

Accordingly, Lord Fatoma had heard a tale of a traveling bard who sang of a ‘sage’ who saved a poor farming village by teaching the method of making a new drink called barley tea. As it turned out, the bard was staying in a nearby town at the time, allowing the lord to invite him and hear the song for himself. Moreover, the bard confirmed that, while parts of the song were embellished, there really was a village that was saved by the introduction of barley tea.

He wanted to speak to me after hearing this and discovered that Reinhart knew of the Barley Tea Sage. Just as Lord Fatoma was planning to ask Reinhart to introduce him to me, he caught wind that someone matching the Barley Tea Sage’s description—i.e., me—was already in his land. And so he decided to pay us a visit at short notice, as a sort of thanks for our contribution in the hunt.

I hadn’t expected the Semroid troupe to come near these parts, and certainly not for Prenance the bard to actually write a song about barley tea. And then for Lord Fatoma to hear of the rumors and decide to come see me—it’s a small world, indeed.

I was glad that the troupe seemed to be doing well. What did the lord want to seek me out for, anyway?

“Two things,” Lord Fatoma explained. “But no need to place too much stake in it. Nothing urgent, really, so I will take no offense if you refuse. Firstly, I would like to create a dish that this land can be known for.”

“A local delicacy, like barley tea?”

“Indeed. Roads being paved during my father’s rule had led to an influx in the population and the economy of the land. I’d like something other than fish that would bring people in. Of course, I only ask for a dish because I want to taste it,” he said, patting his portly gut. “I’ve sent word to towns throughout the land. Despite many suggestions and recipes, none of them have struck me as sensational. I would appreciate any hints or ideas from an outsider’s perspective. The second favor I would like to ask of you relates to your talent as a launderer; there is a mountain across the lake from here, near the summit of which stands a hot spring that my father was very fond of, and a cottage he had built near it. I would like to hire you to clean them both.”

“Is there something preventing an ordinary cleaning crew from doing the job?”

“After my father passed, I neglected the place, being caught up in adjusting to the job. Grime piled high and solidified, and now there are spots that I cannot clean at all, no matter how many times I send a crew out there... Do you think you could do it?”

“Grime can come in all shapes and sizes, so I can’t say until I see the place in person...” I recalled that I had the morning off from hunting the next morning. “May I go visit the cottage tomorrow? If it looks feasible to do so, I’ll clean it while I’m there.”

“You’ll take a look?! I’ll have a guide ready tomorrow morning. If you can clean it, there’s ten small gold coins in it for you.”

Ten small gold coins was an exceptional sum for a job like this, and the table began muttering as much.

“Is that not too generous, my lord?”

“I think it to be perfectly adequate. Not only is it a tough cleaning job, but I consider the cottage a keepsake of my father’s.” Lord Fatoma’s tone was casual, but his eyes were slightly downturned.

“Understood. I’ll do it for your asking price.”

Lord Fatoma beamed and thanked me before leaving the dining hall.

Once all was said and done, it was a rather easy encounter, considering how nervous I was in the beginning. Not too bad for our first meeting, especially given the help of Reinhart’s letter.

As I watched the lord’s boat depart from the shore among a crowd of villagers, I regretted not asking why he was dressed like a sumo wrestler...



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