Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter SS3

A Latuule Family Production 

“...Isaac.” 

On the outskirts of Maalt, in the sprawling gardens of a relatively large manor, a young girl was elegantly drinking her red tea. Her name was Laura Latuule. Although she looked like a young girl, Laura was actually the head of the manor. 

However… 

“Yes, Mistress. I am present.” 

The response was muted, like an almost inaudible whisper, and it came from the young man kneeling at her feet. He was Laura’s subordinate, Isaac, one of the many servants working at the Latuule manor. Although he appeared young, and only seemed to be in his early twenties, he had a certain refinement to how he moved. He gave off the aura of a seasoned veteran. 

Laura turned her eyes to him, and, for a while, was silent. Then... 

“...As of late, Isaac, I sense that the atmosphere in the streets of Maalt has grown...dark.” 

Isaac had sworn an oath of absolute loyalty to his mistress. But what exactly was Laura going on about...? Isaac didn’t understand, but he held his tongue, waiting in silence. Laura soon after posed a question to her loyal servant. 

“Why do you think that is?” 

“If I had to guess, it would be because winter is coming. The flow of adventurers in Maalt, and their activities, would naturally slow down. This, in turn, could lead to the pulse of the town stagnating. That is my humble assumption.” 

Isaac’s assumptions were accurate. The people of Maalt were preparing to face a harsh winter. As a result, their consumption of goods decreased, taking away a certain sense of vibrance from the streets. 

But this was by no means a bad thing. It was a seasonal phenomenon one could expect to see in any town or city. It was hardly something to be overly concerned about. The liveliness would return to Maalt once spring rolled around. 

But Laura still had her reservations. 

“I would personally like for that feeling of liveliness to return to the streets of Maalt during this season.” 

“...Yes. Of course.” 

It was a sudden, unprecedented suggestion, but Isaac would never disobey the wishes of his mistress. 

As if drawing some strength from Isaac’s nod, Laura smiled in return before continuing on with her statement. 

“However, I am at a loss as to what could be done to achieve such an effect. Isaac, Look into this, if you would. Please head out to Maalt and collect some opinions from the townspeople.” 

“By your command.” 

Isaac understood Laura’s requests, up until this point. This was yet another one of his mistress’s flights of fancy. 

Laura was often very free. She would often seek one thing or other to alleviate her boredom, and the theme for this particular request was to “bring the liveliness back to the townsfolk of Maalt.” 

Isaac understood this phenomenon well enough. His mistress would never change her mind until her request was fulfilled, and it was with that knowledge that he set off to the cold streets of Maalt. 

“...Liveliness? Hmm... If I have something nice to drink, that’s enough for me, ya see?” all the middle-aged adventurers said as they burst into a collective peal of laughter at the local tavern. 

“Well, well. If only there’d be many more handsome young men like yourself! Good for the eyes, I’d say.” Such was the opinion of an older lady who’d been making preserved foods for sale in the marketplace, giving Isaac a few hearty slaps on his shoulder for emphasis. 

“I’d love to see a really strong monster!” 

“I wanna see a parade! Like the one they have in the capital!” 

“How about street performers?” 

“Cheerful music is the best!” 

“Oh, I’d really like to see a nice performance or two.” 

Isaac had thought to ask some children as well, only for them to laugh and provide him with a deluge of ideas. Though, the children’s wishes were more honest than their adult counterparts’, and Isaac personally found that easier to understand. He thought they made for a good point of reference. 

“I suppose this is the gist of it. I should return to the mansion and report on my findings.” 

With that, Isaac ran all the way back to the Latuule manor. 

“Hmm... I see. I see...” 

Laura nodded as she listened to Isaac’s findings. It seemed like the butler had adequately performed his task. 

But Laura’s goal had yet to be fulfilled. They were merely at the information gathering phase. It was still a bit of a mystery as to how one would have the streets become lively. 

Laura abruptly stood up, as if suddenly struck by an idea. She immediately turned to Isaac. 

“So you see, Isaac, clearly the solution would be to do all those things!” 

Whatever does she mean...? 

While Isaac did have the thought in his mind, he didn’t ask his mistress such a thing. Instead, Isaac began issuing orders to every single servant in the Latuule manor at an astounding speed. It was almost as if the somewhat stagnant atmosphere moments ago had never existed. 

“What’s that...?” 

The first one to notice was a child. From an unseen point far away, faint notes of seemingly cheerful music could be heard. The child looked up, gazing into the distance. He pulled on his mother’s clothes. She, too, looked in the same direction. Upon doing so, however, the two noticed a giant monster plodding along. 

“Aaaaiieee?! O-Oh...? Hmm? No, it’s... It’s man-made, isn’t it?” 

It looked almost like the real thing—a most intricately sculpted, dragon-like figure was moving down the central roadway, powered by mysterious, unseen forces. The dragon’s artificial nature was made clear by a flamboyantly dressed individual riding on its head. The figure waved to the wide-eyed mother and child, as well other equally surprised individuals on the street. It wasn’t possible for a real dragon to be so docile otherwise. There had been rumors of similar puppets in the capital. 

“Man-made? I see! It’s really impressive. There are so many people!” 

A closer look revealed a parade of people following after the dragon, each of them dressed equally as stylish. As well, each of them seemed to have a different talent to showcase. Jugglers, mimes, acrobats—there were even some clowns who amused the onlookers with their interesting and silly movements. 

Following the performers’ parade was an elevated, float-like vehicle, on which seemed to be hosting a play inspired by an old legend, but clearly with its own twists and turns. 

The children running happily beside the parade were in turn surprised by the clowns, although they were offered a treat of honey after their tricks. 

“It’s amazing...” the child’s mother said, despite herself. Many of Maalt’s townsfolk thought the very same. 

Soon, more townsfolk showed up as word of the performing troupe spread. It didn’t take long for the township of Maalt to feel like it was in the middle of a festival. 

Somewhere along the way, a spacious platform had been set up in the plaza, along with various merchants and hawkers offering various street snacks and alcohol. And so it came to be that the crowds went wild, the townsfolk almost shoving each other out of the way as they rushed toward the stalls... 

After this event, the townsfolk of Maalt all found themselves with a singular question: 

“Was it all just a dream?” 

Although attempts were made to figure out just how, for whom, and why this event was hosted, not a single one managed to uncover the truth... 

“Was that to your satisfaction, Mistress?” Isaac asked, as the two arrived back at the manor after the festivities. 

Even though they were still dressed as clowns, and hardly fit the sombre décor of the Latuule manor, neither of them seemed to mind. 

Laura turned to Isaac, saying, “Very much so. The townsfolk enjoyed themselves, no? We should really do this again sometime, Isaac.” 

The entire parade had been a Latuule Family Production. Although Isaac had doubts about appearing in public with such attire again, he’d never dream of going against his mistress’s wishes. 

“But of course.”