The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 6 - Chapter SS

Lord Foronda’s Perspective

KNOCK, KNOCK.

“Come in.”

Has even more work come my way? Ahh…I just want to relax.

“Pardon me, my lord, but you have just received a faax from Lady Ivy.”

From Ivy? Ah, yes. I remember happening to bump into Rattloore and his party one day and hearing they’d received faaxes from her. So she dropped me a line as well, eh? I didn’t imagine she would actually write back to me. What a good little girl. I wish I had a daughter like her.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the faax from my butler. I was curious about the work I had to do, but I was far more intrigued by the message from Ivy. Well, I can take just a moment to read it.

“Now, let’s just see how our Ivy is doing.”

“If you wish to take a short break, shall I prepare some tea for you, my lord?”

“That does sound appealing…but I’ve got work piling up, so I’ll pass on that.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for a leisurely tea break that day.

“Very well, my lord.”

After my butler left the room, I ran my eyes over the faax.

“Now, I seem to remember there was a problem connected with Hatow Village. I think I have an investigation report somewhere… Aha, found it.”

I picked up the lengthy document from the pile of papers on my desk and read it over.

“Yes…so it was Hatow. When I saw the faax from Rattloore, something did ring a bell, but I didn’t realize Ivy was in the same village that had that scandal. What do we have here… Illegal magic stone trading, eh?”

About a month earlier, Hatow had investigated the activities of its merchant guild master. All the magic stones in the village had skyrocketed in price, and they wanted to know why. And the investigation unearthed a collapsed magic stone cave and illegal magic stone trading done by the guild master. The caves in Hatow were unique in that man-made entrances were impossible to create. Your only choice was to wait for nature to open a hole for you, so it was a tough place to live. Hatow’s only export was magic stones, and their adventurer guild master and captain of the village watch were still rookies. I only hoped they would be no worse than the merchant guild master.

“I sure hope Ivy doesn’t get herself involved in the merchant guild’s scandals…then again, she does have a habit of getting caught up in trouble.”

I’m worried. Maybe I should introduce her to somebody in Hatow who can help her. Well, I suppose I should at least read her faax first. Let’s see…

“She sounds like she’s doing well. Hm? Oh, so she’s a tamer. I always wondered what she was. The Sword of Flames and Lightning Royals wouldn’t tell me. But a tamer…interesting.”

It didn’t seem like a skill she would need to hide from people…so why didn’t they tell me? Well, I suppose it’s rude to just blab about people’s skills without their permission.

“What?! She’s friends with the guild master and captain of the village watch in Hatow? Do most travelers just get chummy with the top dogs of the village like that? Well, I am glad she’s made some friends, but still…”

Ivy sure was a mysterious little girl. The only kid in the Sword of Flames and the Lightning Royals. Normally, I’d think something was quite amiss to see a child among their ranks, but oddly enough, I didn’t have that sense with Ivy. And she blended in just fine with all those eccentric adventurers, too. I didn’t let them see how shocked I was, but I certainly was startled.

“Hm? Oh, Ivy’s thanking me for introducing her to a nobleman. She didn’t need to worry herself over that… Ha ha! Yes, I agree, an uneventful life is indeed a good one. It sounds like things are going well with Druid, her travel companion. I suppose he’s trustworthy.”

Druid…Druid…I had the feeling I’d heard the name before somewhere. Where was it? Was he involved in some sort of incident? I certainly hope he wasn’t one of the culprits.

“Druid…Druid… Agh, it’s no use. I can’t remember.”

If he was one of the perpetrators, I definitely would’ve remembered. Which means…he must not be. Maybe Sifar would know? Next time I see him, I’ll have to ask.

“I know, I’ll just ask Ivy. Now, what should I ask to learn more about Druid? If I knew his age and his birthplace, that might jog my memory. Also, there’s…his hobbies? No, I think his quirks would be more important. So, I’ll definitely ask about those and…”

“Isn’t Ivy still only eight years old? Why are you asking so many personal questions?”

He has a point. It’s not appropriate to ask a kid what a grown man’s quirks are. Wait…is Ivy eight? No, I remember Rattloore saying Ivy is nine now.

“Ivy is nine years old.”

“Even so, it’s still inappropriate. You shouldn’t ask those questions.”

Yes, yes, no need to hammer it home.

“By the way, when did you get back?” I shifted my attention from the faax to my son. Why was he sighing so wearily at me?

“Several days ago, I sent you a faax saying I was coming home. Didn’t you read it?”

He sent me a faax? Ah yes, I do remember my butler telling me my son sent a faax. But I had a pile of work to get to, so I saved it for later and…then I completely forgot about it.

“Sorry, I forgot to look at it.”

My son’s eyes fell on the pile of papers on my desk. “That’s odd, Father. I’ve never seen you fall so far behind on your work. Has something happened?” He gave me a curious stare. He even looked a bit worried.

“Unforeseen circumstances forced me to go away from home for a while. Believe it or not, I managed to cut things short and come back early.”

It was a matter my subordinates and servants could not deal with, so I had no choice but to handle it myself…but my, was it a bother. I suddenly remembered how I’d gotten the giant pile of documents on my desk to begin with. After the disappearance of the giant crime organization, a bunch of people had popped up out of the woodwork to fill the power vacuum. Thankfully, most of them bit off more crime than they could chew and self-destructed. But some of the others had begun to do well for themselves. And many of them were trying to expand their crime organizations by recruiting aristocrats. Because of this, we’d had to send spies to observe the shady noble families. Several days earlier, I’d received word from one of those spies that a top dog in one of the gangs had made contact with a noble family. Now that the aristocracy was involved, it was too much for adventurers and watchmen to handle on their own, so I’d had to step in myself.

“I see, unforeseen circumstances… Oh, I just remembered, Sifar said he would be visiting tonight.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

So…he managed to get the proof we need to crush that noble family, eh? Good. Now, I need to read this faax and get back to work right away.

“Hm… What?!” I read the rest of Ivy’s faax, and its contents made me scratch my head. “Courting a princess? What’s that all about?”

“It says, ‘Was she pretty? I was shocked to hear you turned her down.’ Father, when did you start courting a princess?”

My son had crept to my side and read my faax without my realizing it.

“Princess, my foot! I would never court such a harpy!”

“Father, you’re showing your true colors. And don’t call her a harpy; she is technically a princess. That’s a bit rude.”

The way he called her “technically a princess” sounded just as rude to me…

“Besides, I also heard rumors about your courtship.”

“What?”

“When you caught Count Faltoria of Otolwa and shut down the gang whose claws were extended all the way to the capital, the king was terribly grateful and offered to let you court the princess as a reward.”

“Um… What the hell gave anybody that idea…?”

I knew word had spread that the king had taken a liking to me because I was involved in taking down the crime organization, but a courtship with the princess as a reward? That was no reward, that was a punishment.

“Just how far have these rumors spread?”

“Well, since it’s in Ivy’s faax, I’d assume rather far?”

I let it be, since I figured the rumor would fade quickly. I didn’t realize that it would do so much damage.

“Never mind that trivial matter, Father. Is there anything else of interest in the faax?”

“Trivial, my foot! Have you no compassion for your own father?”

Harsh words, my boy.

“I think there’s no use in worrying. A new rumor will quickly take its place.”

Well…my son certainly knows his old man. It does please me. However…

“You could show a little more concern, though.”

“Concern? For my cunning father? Hmm… I dunno, sounds like a waste of time to me.”

“I’m cunning, eh?”

“I think it’s just the perfect word to describe you, Father. By the way, that reminds me of something Rattloore said to me.”

Oh, what did Rattloore tell him?

“What did he say?”

“You’re the spitting image of Lord Foronda, especially your personality. And all the Sword of Flames members nodded in agreement when he said that. Don’t you think that’s rude? I wouldn’t consider myself nearly as cunning as you are, Father.”

I feel conflicted saying so, but his cunningness does match up quite well against mine.

“Come now, we are quite alike, son.”

Hey, why do you have such a sour look on your face?

“I…was unaware, Father.”

“Oh, please. The way you’re talking right now is cunning.”

“The way a man talks affects the way others will treat him, Father. And I’ve learned that speaking in this polite manner makes life easier in many ways.”

Yeah, that’s textbook cunning right there.

“What’s this? Ivy’s travel companion Druid also wrote to you… Ha ha ha! It’s your lucky day, Father. You’ve been spared the embarrassment of asking Ivy prying questions.”

What’s this? I took the faax from my son. Druid wrote down his personal information? Let me see…he’s thirty-four years old, born in Oll, and his hobbies are…

“What?! Druid of the town of Oll?!”

“Father…isn’t he the guild’s secret weapon?”

Ah, that’s right! He’s a famous adventurer from Oll.

“Ivy certainly knows how to reel in the big fish. But is it really okay for her to travel with this guy?”

He really was a top adventurer in terms of skill, but he never rose from the mid-tier ranks, so an investigation was launched about it. Based on the reports I read from that investigation, he didn’t seem like the type of person who would become the travel companion of a child.

“I think he’s a fine travel companion, Father. Based on the faax, it sounds like they’re having a fun time together. He even helps with the cooking.”

My son was right: It was clear from the faax that they were enjoying their time together. But just think, the guild’s secret weapon. That meant he was more than capable, which put my mind at ease to some extent…but I was still a little worried. Perhaps it would behoove me to find an excuse to go visit them.