Ooh, the village chief’s son. How nostalgic!
Wasn’t he the honour student that attended the ‘Villager Meeting’ (that I launched to discuss the future of the village) nearly all the time?!
Back then, it was a meeting to gather volunteers to talk about improving the cultivar of crops, or about my investigations on fertiliser—basically a discussion platform with the goal of increasing crop yield.
I see, his name was actually Tagosaku!? I have always called him as Chief’s son. I see, Tagosaku, looks like you’ve made yourself a good name in cultivating fields huh?
“Ahh, I had thought that you looked familiar, so you were that child from that time?” Seki-san nodded as seemed to have connected the dots.
Ah, so you have finally remembered? Thanks for the care from then. Much thanks for specially telling me that I was not a mage.
“Ahh, it can’t be! To think that I would be able to meet Ryou-sama at a place like this!” Professor Tagosaku cried out with increased enthusiasm.
“Yes, indeed. I believed we would never cross paths again. It’s been a long time.”
I am happy that we were able to meet after so long. I would really like to hear how he ended up here or maybe about how Garigari village was doing.
However, there is something I cannot comprehend. Something about Professor Tagosaku reaction. For starters, back then, he never did attach ‘-sama’ when referring to me.
“Ehh!? This child is the divine messenger from the heavens that Professor Tagosaku was always talking about? You are Ryou-sama!?” Bashu-san joined in the conversation with the same mood as Professor Tagosaku.
Wait a second, you called me a divine messenger? Maybe I heard that wrong…… It must be the fatigue from the ‘VS mage’ episode earlier. I must be hearing things.
“Yes, she is. The saviour of Garigari village, a divine messenger from the heavens!”
Immediately, as soon as Tazhxtnd xtbw bp hdp shdw (shdwlu patg B atw bitzbglw), pal vtfpdulw ngbzapx xptuplw t vhiihpbhg. Pal ‘Id—Id— Ulxbwlgp hy pal Otsslr patp atw kllg xbslgvlw kr Nhd-hnttxtg ghp shgz tzh, xptuplw ph ‘Mu—Mu—’ excitedly again. (TN: I found out that "Resident of the Valley" is a reference to Moomin. Look at this video to get a better idea of it: “You mean she is the person that said at birth, ‘North, south, east, west, nothing in the world is more sacred than me,’ –that Ryou-sama!?” Said one of the knights in an uproar.
Don’t say such things about me!
Hey, why are you smiling and nodding your head off, Prof Tagosaku!? I said no such thing! Furthermore, it’s not like you were present when I was born!
“Yes, not only was Ryou-sama born from the bud of a flower, us villagers at Garigari village cried uncontrollably when she was born too.”
Born from the bud of a flower!? And that I caused everyone to cry……are you trying to say that I am the pollen of flowers!? I have no intention to cause nasty allergic reactions to everyone!
“And in the one year that she was born, she gave the people food to eat and invented straw sandals!?”
Oi oi, how could a one-year-old do that……Ah, I actually did that. That was me.
But anyways, just stop, saying all those is so scary.
“U-urm, what are you talking about from just now?”
“We were talking about Ryou-sama.”
“It doesn’t sound right though……”
“Haha, you don’t have to be so humble. I understand everything.”
No you don’t. I spoke just because of you spouting all that you know!?
“Are these guys even sane? There is no way a human could be born from a flower.” Boss said in a m.u.f.fled voice low enough to be inaudible to the Ruby Fallen camp. Hearing that, I regained my composure.
Thank goodness. I knew the weird one was Prof Tagosaku. He lost his rationality together with his falling hair. My sympathies.
I managed to calm down after looking at some of the bandits who reacted normally. I will just forget what Tagosaku just said.
“Um, boss, this Tagosaku-san is the son of the village chief from where I was born and raised. Somehow, he is saying all sorts of things that even I don’t know, so please pay him no attention.” I explained the circ.u.mstances to boss as coolly as I could.
Boss glanced at the boisterous knights and said, “Ahh,” while nodding.
“By the way, Tagosaku-san, how is Garigari village now? Why are you here as well, Tagosaku-san?” Tagosaku-san was still blabbering away to the knights with his fict.i.tious story but I asked him anyways.
“The people at Garigari village are cdspbotpbgz pal yblswx mbpa pal mbxwhi ml atol ulvlbolw yuhi Urhd-xt.i.t. Stplu, Ktxad-xt.i.t vtil typlu altubgz tkhdp pal udihdux hy rhdu nghmslwzl bg tzubvdspdul tgw bgobplw il ph txxbxp abi ph ulfulxlgp tgw xfultw Urhd-xt.i.t’x pltvabgzx. Vduulgpsr tp Ztubztub obsstzl, pal ‘Illpbgz ph Albzaplg Urhd-xt.i.t Pltvabgzx’ patp Urhd-xt.i.t klzun to discuss fertiliser or improving the cultivar of crops, is undergoing and continuing.”
Ohh, somehow, Garigari villagers have become awesome after all these years.
However, there is one point that I have to clarify, and that would be that I inaugurated the ‘Villager Meeting’ but definitely not the ‘Meeting to Heighten Ryou-sama’s Teachings’.
“Ha, so everyone is working at the ‘Villager Meeting’. Great. Also, incidentally, how is my family doing?” To ask or not to ask, I lost my control a wee bit. Nevertheless, I was truly concerned!
“Ah, the family that took care of Rrhd-xt.i.t ada. Jdbpl xhil pbil atx ftxxlw xbgvl B slyp pal obsstzl kdp B mbss cdxp plss rhd tkhdp palbu xbpdtpbhg klyhul B slyp palg. Xdkduhd-ndg, Itud-ndg tgw Xadd-ndg tul itbgsr itbgptbgbgz pal yblswx. Lxflvbtssr Iaru-kun, he is quite the tenacious worker and is quite well-liked in the village. It is just that your parents and their eldest son, Hajime-shi, are basically lazybones. They are very annoying. Well, they are the ones that did not join the ‘Meeting to Heighten Ryou-sama’s Teachings’ in the first place. ……The people who did partic.i.p.ate grieved when we heard you left. However, no matter how flawed they were, we could not strongly condemn them since they were part of Ryou-sama’s family. Selling of children was a really common thing too……I beg for your forgiveness.”
“Ah, there is nothing you need to apologies for, it is alright. As long as everyone is doing fine, then it is good! Still……you did not mention Jirou-anichan?”
As soon as I spoke of Jirou-anichan, Tagosaku-shi groaned and frowned.
“Ah, he was……as soon as Ryou-sama left, he went off somewhere else too. It was said that he most likely went off in pursuit of Ryou-sama. I suppose you two have yet to meet?”
Eh! Seriously!
“I have not seen him……”
Jirou-anichan, you seriously went after me!? I wonder how he is doing. Don’t tell me, he died a dog’s death by the roadside!?
Ah, however, it was true that when I was at the Rainforest residence, there were rumours circulating that there was a masked man searching for me though……could that masked man be Jirou-anichan!?
No, wait, if he was Jirou-anichan, why would he conceal his face with a mask……
“Ryou-sama, please do not be disheartened. He should already be an adult. It will be fine.” Tagosaku-san tried to comfort me as he noticed that I gone silent suddenly.
I see, indeed, Jirou-anichan should be 15-years-old back then and would have been considered an adult by this world’s standards.
He was a person of few words but ate a lot so he had a st.u.r.dy build. I suppose he should be fine……that is what I want to believe.
As I was still shaking from the impact of the facts surrounding Jirou-anichan, one of the knights said, “I see. So this secret meeting that Bashu-sama is having was conducted so that he can be bestowed the advice of the divine messenger.”
The other knights went into uproar as they shared their newfound revelation.
Eh, this atmosphere is getting too scary. Even though I am still thinking about Jirou-anichan.
‘Is that the case?’ The knights sent a gaze that seem to ask this question.
Next, Bashu-san extended his one hand to me in a dignified way.
“Ahem, well, that is right. Excuse me, but now we will be having our sacred, clandestine meeting. It is absolutely rude for this many of us to be here so only I will be asking for advice. Please wait quietly everyone.” Bashu-san said eloquently.