Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 4.4

4

“Goodness, what an unbelievable incident...” Polarth remarked as they left the Alphan manor.

As they passed through the front door, Kamyua Yoshu turned toward him.

“Lord Polarth, what do you intend to do with them?”

“Hmm? Have them tell the whole truth, of course. Pointing a blade at family and tricking the guards in order to hide that fact are both crimes in the eyes of Genos,” Polarth sternly replied. “Everyone should be judged fairly according to the law. All the facts must be properly conveyed, including that Mateela lost her life due to an unfortunate accident.”

“In that case, what will become of the house of Alphan?”

“Naturally, they shall be stripped of their rank. The folks in the capital would insist that a duke’s house would need to carry on no matter what, but when it comes to a rank such as viscount, it shall be left to Duke Genos alone to handle. All he’ll need to do is send a totos to deliver the news to the capital,” Polarth stated, then broke out in a light grin. “Well, that may turn out to be happy news for them, though. To someone who doesn’t want it, a title is nothing but a burden. In exchange for casting aside the honor and easy living that nobles enjoy, they have gained their freedom. Lady Tetia and the gardener will likely be imprisoned for a while, but once they have paid for their crimes, I believe I shall ask them to work for the house of Daleim.”

“Hmm. Then, what about Lady Nicola?”

“I believe I’ll ask her to work for me while she awaits the return of her sister and partner. Our head chef is looking for assistants at the moment, so perhaps she can serve in that role.”

“Oh, I see,” Kamyua Yoshu remarked with a smile. It looked carefree and natural, which was unusual for him. “Well then, I leave the rest up to you. And please give Duke Genos my regards.”

“Right! And next time, I shall invite you to my house!”

After saying farewell to Polarth, who waved to them as they left, Kamyua Yoshu and Leito passed through the gate.

The pair strolled along the stone-paved road running through the castle town side by side. The whole place seemed bright and lively, knowing nothing of the tragedy that had occurred at the Alphan manor.

“Um, there’s still one thing that I don’t quite understand...” Leito said as they walked.

With a “Hmm?” Kamyua Yoshu sent him a questioning look.

“Even with her lacking strength, Lady Nicola could have finished off the dame without dropping her from the bed, right? But you concluded that Lady Mateela lost her life due to her own carelessness. I can’t understand why.”

“I tried not to come into it with any sort of conclusion in mind. I was watching the shifts in Lady Nicola’s expression and actions the whole time that I was talking. The only reason I initially stated that she wasn’t the culprit was to make her let her guard down,” Kamyua Yoshu nonchalantly replied. “Still, I hadn’t expected her to be so skilled at hiding her emotions. She seemed to have a stronger will and nerves than most, but I didn’t think she was the coldhearted sort who would harm her own relatives. So I figured she was innocent despite the lack of proof on that point... If not, her soul will eventually be judged by the western god in our place.”

“I really can’t measure up to you, Kamyua...” Leito remarked with a deep sigh. “Even though I was right there beside you, seeing the same things, I just couldn’t reach the same conclusions. I’m sorry for being such an unworthy apprentice.”

“You’re being a bit dramatic there. Just how old are you, Leito?”

“You already know that. I’m eleven this year.”

“So young!” Kamyua Yoshu chuckled. “When I was eleven, I was just a quivering mess who knew nothing about how the world worked. You’re shockingly mature in comparison, Leito.”

“Just being mature isn’t enough, though. I want to be an adult already.”

“The years will pass you by regardless, so why not enjoy your youth to the fullest for now?” Kamyua Yoshu replied with a smile, patting Leito’s head with his large hand. That was rather unlike him too.

“Um, this just makes me feel even more like a kid...”

“At eleven years old, you absolutely are a kid. There’s no need to force yourself to be anything else.”

“Yes, and I suppose you’re thirty, Kamyua.”

“I’m twenty-nine! How awful, saying that when you know better!” Even as he complained, his hand remained fixed in place. The warmth helped his apprentice feel calmer. “Listen, Leito, it may be true that you’re my apprentice, but that’s just as a bodyguard. All I can teach you is stuff like how to swing a sword or ride a totos.”

“I know. I want to work hard to become someone like you, in my own way.”

“Why are you aiming to be someone like me?! I imagine if you told a hundred people that, every last one of them would be strongly opposed to it.”

“Well, then I’d be the hundred and first.”

With a strained grin, Kamyua patted Leito on the head a number of times and then finally removed his hand.

“It’s pretty much certain that a guy like me will end up dying a dog’s death. I think you’d be a lot happier trying for a more comfortable life.”

“Yes, Bartha of Masara warned me that you wouldn’t die a peaceful death.”

“Yup, and that’s only natural. It’s extremely important, how a person dies. No matter how blessed a life you live, if you end up hated by your family in the end, then it was all in vain, right?”

He must have been talking about Dame Mateela.

Was Mateela at fault for fixating on the title of viscount?

Or was it Tetia, for failing to restrain her emotions?

Perhaps Tetia’s father for having a child with his maid?

Maybe even Tetia’s mother for failing to reject her employer’s advances?

That was beyond Leito’s capabilities to discern.

“I’m still only eleven, so I can’t really picture my ideal death... But I’d like to live a life that satisfies me, and accept whatever awaits me at the end.”

“Hmm. It sure is scary, seeing an eleven year old think that far ahead...”

“You’re just under thirty, Kamyua, so can you picture how you’ll die?”

“Stop emphasizing thirty like that! Anyway...even if I die a dog’s death, I’d want my soul to go to the western god alone as I laugh my head off like a fool,” Kamyua Yoshu said while actually giving a foolish chuckle. He was staring off into the distance as if scrutinizing something. “You know, thinking back on it, it’s possible that Mateela died a surprisingly happy death, believing that Lady Nicola would become the heir as she perished. It’s those left behind who have to suffer.”

“Is that why you won’t have a child of your own, Kamyua?”

“Who can say?” Kamyua Yoshu chuckled. “Well, I don’t think I’m ever going to feel the drive to have a kid at this point, but I’d be satisfied if I could at least see my beloved apprentice able to stand on his own as a bodyguard.”

“I’ll try my hardest to live up to your expectations.”

“Yup, give it your all,” Kamyua Yoshu remarked with a grin. “Now then, I figure we’ve got at least enough time left for a snack, so how about we hurry back to the post town?”

“Right.”

Though they had been together for two years now, Leito still only partially understood Kamyua Yoshu. He traveled wherever he pleased, ignoring taboos and never worrying about the wrath of any god, earning both respect and scorn from a great many people along the way. So was he happy or not? Perhaps Leito had remained by his side all this time out of a desire to learn the answer to that question.

Still, either way, I want to be like you, Kamyua, Leito thought to himself as he chased after his unusual master down the stone path.