Thank you all patrons!
Aiji S., Alexander P., BigZak, Brben, Chocolat, Corey, Dragoncamper, Deso, Daniel B., David G., DKLA, Jakers, Jason, Jaycob T., John V., Kaichu, Kiriaky, Luther S., Maverun, Max, Myla, Omniamore, Otto E., Scott M., ShadeRitten, SK, Soomin B., Taiyou D., Tim N., TsuTsu, Tuan N., Urko M. M., Will B., William H., YMK, and Z!
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
No, I Love Weeding
「Just until noonー」
「Yes」
Still crouching, I reply without looking at the other party’s face. Meanwhile, my hands were busy moving. Today’s task was weeding the flower bed.
We did not have visitors every day. If there were guests, then I would become an object. But if not, I am just a slave. Slaves had their own tasks fitting for a slave. It was simple physical and manual labor outside. Be that as it may, there was little they could expect from a weak child. So, it was completely reasonable to make them work in tasks that make full use of their small size, allowing them to reach small spaces.
As a measure to prevent heatstroke, so it would not interfere with my original purpose of being an object, they gave me a straw hat and white, long-sleeved work clothes. It would be bad if sunburn and insect bites make me look unattractive after all.
I could not stop sweating already. It was now Garnet month, meaning the sixth month. The sun of early summer was unexpectedly intense. But I would not complain. Even this kind of task was much better than standing for a long time being an object. At least for me.
Incidentally, that Nagia had been assigned to a different task. Her usual task was to help with mending and sewing, just like the typical girl’s tasks. Since she would eventually become a maid of the Viscount house, so it would not do if she does not learn some sewing at least. Especially in this world, sewing was an essential skill for women, along with cooking.
By the way, I am not the only one tasked with the weeding today. The boys in my room were also assigned this task. But they immediately abandoned their task the moment the young man watching over us left. They were sitting around doing nothing and messing about with each other, already slacking off.
These kids.....they were not thinking it was fine to force the task all on me, weren't they?
「Ara」
There was a sound of someone stepping on the gravel behind me. Looking back, there was Nagia holding a parasol with her older brother.
「You’re doing proper work today, huh」
A sharp tongue, as always. A proper work fitting for a slave. Kehh.
Even so, they were wearing their best clothes. What happened with her usual task?
「Oii」
A slightly sluggish voice. Nagia’s older brother beside her.....Ruud (ルード) was glaring at me. He suddenly steps forward and kicks the bundle of weed piled beside me as I crouch down.
「Don’t ignore us」
As I shielded my face with my hand so sand would not enter my eyes, a fist came from above. Even if I could see it, at any rate, I could not avoid it in this position.
Ruud looks nothing like his sister. His skin was slightly dark, and his hair was a normal brown. Above all, his face was not good-looking. If anything, how should I put it, it gives off a rough, bumpy impression here and there.
「Leave him alone」
Nagia says coldly.
「You will only make your clothes dirty if you hit something like that」
Hearing that, Ruud checks his own hands. Luckily, his coat was not dirty, but the shoes he used to kick the weed us slightly dirty with mud.
「Keh」
He was about to take his frustration out on me again, but then he changed his mind. His clothes might get dirtier if he continued. There was a chance I might grab his clothes with my dirty work gloves when I tried to dodge his fist.
「Let’s go. Otousan is waiting for us」
Aah, so that’s why
The wet nurse’s husband was entrusted with a merchant ship. It was crossing the inland sea south of Pyris, repeatedly conducting trade with Saharia on the opposite shore. Once it sails, it would take a month for it to return at the earliest. And it seems that it could take as late as half a year. In such a situation, the Viscount - who plays as the kind master - had no choice but to show compassion. So that was why, he gives them some time for their family to say send him off.
And since the merchant ship belongs to the Viscount, it would not do for the family to going to see him off to be dressed too shabbily. In short, you could explain the reason these two were in a bad mood and dressed up like this.
Ruud’s violence attracted the attention of the children around for a moment but it has now been forgotten. He was the big bully, inside the mansion. Excluding the Viscount’s own son, there was no one else with a higher status than him. The head maid’s husband was also a caravan leader, and although the two of them had several sons, even their youngest was already 13 years old. As a merchant-in-training, he was gaining hands-on experience.
Their footsteps faded away, and the incident from just before was treated as if it had never happened, just like that. I continue to pick and pull weeds, one after another.
I wonder how long it had been since then. It was already 30 minutes before noon
The working gloves on both of my hands were covered in mud so I wipe the sweat on my forehead with my elbow. And even my elbows were soaked in sweat. I had been working hard alone since then, but weeding was not a task that could be done somehow with an individual’s effort alone. You could only get a result that was in proportion to the time and effort you put in. Speaking of the scope of my responsibility, I think I had done more than enough, but there was still more than 70% work left untouched.
「This.....I wonder what to do with this」
There was no response,e even if I mutter dumbfoundedly. The children had already stopped being there and left to play somewhere else. And they would probably make some sort of excuses later. The slave Fay did not work seriously or anything.
Of course, the adults knew that. That’s why I would not be the only one scolded. Nonetheless, negligence was a collective responsibility, so I would still have had to do the remaining task. Moreover, it would be supervised next time.
While I still had a bit of time, it’s starting to feel ridiculous. I’ve done my job, so I’ll report it and take a little break. With that in mind, I headed to the internal affairs’ office.
I quickly wash my hands at the watering hole beside the back door and wipe my sweat with a towel. And as to be expected from a stone building, it feels cooler as soon as I enter. I walk between the slightly dim, cream-colored marble walls.
Climbing the stairs and walking on the carpet - a quality lower than the main building -, I push open the half-open on the right side. I immediately step inside, intending to report the children’s laziness.
「Ina-san, about the cleaning of the flower bed」
The tense atmosphere made my throat catch without me realizing it. Everyone inside turned to look at me with wide eyes.
「Now was not the time for that」
Miss Katug quickly yelled and then fell silent soon after.
「What should we do」
A young man wearing a somewhat fine quality gray tailcoat, standing in the bac,k said with a fed-up expression on his face. He jerked his chin at a large envelope.
「Th, there is nothing I can do.....it’s not my fault!」
「It is not our fault」
「That’s right! The person in charge of the merchant caravan was the one who forgot about」
Eh?
「But, we left the documents in the office」
「I didn’t receive it, nor was it handed over to me」
「I know, I know that, still」
「It’s always like this! Those people in the secretarial office! They are always slow in communicating and we are left to take care of it ourselves」
「Even if we say all these now, there’s nothing we can do, you know?」
「That’s why I said, what should we do! Even if you told me that」
Aah, this was.....
Could it be, could this situation be, ‘that’ situation. Something that was planned to be entrusted to the merchant ship departing today. It was still there due to a slip-up.
Un, let sleeping dogs lie. Either way, that has nothing to do with me. Now, a fun weeding awaited me.
「If no one is at least put up an appearance of having dealt with it, we’ll be forced to find who is at fault」
「What do you mean fault? What did I ever do!?」
Aah, scary.
Response or not, the ship would depart exactly at noon. This governor’s residence was located west-northwest of the city. There was a port ahead, but it’s the naval port. The merchant ship belonging to the Viscount was anchored at the east side, along with other ordinary vessels. So to speak, on the other side of the city. And it was not a straight path there either. Not to mention, during the day like this, there would likely be a lot of people on the main street. If there were war and the army was being mobilized, that would be one thing, but there was no way we could clear the road for something as trivial as a forgotten item.....they would not make it in time by running, and even on horseback, you would not be able to go that fast with the roads being so busy.....
If the ship captain himself noticed the lack of documents, he might have decided to set sail, but the person who should have received those documents would likely be one of the subordinate secretaries. And there was a high possibility that the person in question has not yet realized the fact that they had made a mistake.
Un, they’re backed into a corner. My condolences. I’m sure those were important documents, but it was already too late.
I quietly turned around.
「Aah.....you over there」
Hm?
「Hey, you, yes, you, the one with a straw hat」
Gehh.
Nervously looking back, I found Ina-san looking distraught and several men and women from the internal affairs and the man wearing tailcoat from the secretary’s office all staring at me.
「You’re free, right now right」
You’re kidding. Seriously? Was his head alright?
「No, I have weeding task」
「Okay. Stop that task. I’m sorry, but could you please deliver this envelope to the port?」
No way. No way, right?
Ina-san also has an expression that says she could not believe this.
「Umm, that is. Um」
This guy. This was a deliberate act
「Ev, even if you say the port.....I haven’t been outside even once, ever since I came to this mansion, you know?」
That’s right.
I hade been working inside the mansion for the past month or so. While this place was somewhat large in size, this place was not much different from Myluc’s housing facility.
「It’s fine. It’s on the east side of the city.....and it’s an area with all the ship masts, so you won’t miss it. Over there, I want you to deliver this envelope to His Excellency’s merchant ship」
「Wait! Are you serious!?」
Ina-san screamed. Right, that’s a sensible act.
I don’t know what kind of documents those are, but if they were that important, then you should not entrust them to a child.
「There is no one else with available so there is no way around this, right, Katug-san? Or, will you go?」
I wanted to tell Ifroz about this. Your subordinates, were all a bunch of scums.
This guy was already assuming that I would fail in delivering these important documnets. He would like to report that he tried his best, but in the end it was unfortunately unable to. He wants to make the one responsible in this case vague. He wants to lighten his burden by increasing the good-for-nothings. It’s nothing much, it’s the same train of thought, just like those kids slacking off in weeding....or when they told me to be late in morning assembly when they knew that they were going to be late.
「But」
「Remember, these documents also include a letter personally written by His Excellency Viscount addressed to a powerful family in Saharia. It is very important so deliver it properly, alright?」
The tailcoat-man grab my hand as I retreated and forcefully thrust the envelope into my hand.
「Please deliver it!」
I was dumbfounded, I could only open and close my mouth repeatedly. But, this guy doesn’t show any mercy.
「Now, hurry!」
I was running before I knew it. Outside the pure white, outer wall that was 3 times the height of an adult.
This was the first time I am outside since coming to Pyris. Except when I was in Linga village, I hardly ever had a chance to run around in this wide world. This moment has finally come, but only curses came out of my mouth.
There’s nothing for it. As it turned out, I was the one backed into a corner. There’s no way to refuse. If back then I said 「That’s impossible」, they would just report something like 「We can not deliver the documents because Fay was uncooperative」. Having said that, even if I carry these documents.....there was only 20 minutes left until noon, there’s no way I would make it in time. I’m sure that man from the secretarial section would say this「There were no available personnel, so I had no other choice but to choose Fay.....I gave him plenty of time to deliver the documents but it looks like he got lost since he has not been in Pyris for long」
Damn it. This was the worst. They probably thought it would be easy to push responsibility to a child slave. What was Ifroz doing? He should get rid of these idiots and set the place straight.
No. Perhaps he could not do anything even if he knew. They were the bunch of people at the upper ranks of the organizations that were the noble family. I’m sure they had a lot of secrets the outside world must not know. On the other hand, these people would not be able to live properly without the Viscount House. The nobles and the bunch of people who have served them had stuck together for a long time, they can no longer separate from each other.
Well, I didn't care about any of that. The problem now was me. This was a loss no matter how this turns out. If possible, I would like to get some results and improve my present condition quickly. I want to show them that I am a useful child and be in a position where I could move freely.
This was an important issue. I had Piercing Hand. As long as I had this, I could dramatically raise my own ability. But there were several obstacles in its practical use. The largest drawback was the situation where this secret was exposed. Also, even if I only steal the skill, I won’t be able to use it perfectly without the knowledge of that skill.
And improving my social position would settle these various problems. If only I could somehow - neatly and properly - become a loyal and capable servant. This would increase the number of convenient encounters and would also earn me learning opportunities of the usable abilities I had acquired.
But, it was difficult for the situation to change for the better.
Should I just use this opportunity to escape now? There were plenty of ways to go missing. I could take someone else’s body and life, or I could just turn into a bird. If I don’t make it in time....wait a minute?
I stopped and looked at the blue sky with great cumulonimbus clouds drifting. The governor’s residence was located on a slight elevation. Once I leave the premises, a wide view of the town below spreads out. Thanks to that, I was able to see an unobstructed view of the wide sky.
If I were a bird. I could ignore the crowded world below. And it was easy to carry a single, weightless envelope. I had to tightly clutched it with my nails so it won’t get carelessly blown by the wind.
But, I quickly abandoned that idea. There were 2 reasons.
First, the sea breeze caressing my cheeks right now. The wind today was stronger than I expected. The wind blowing from the southeast was good for sailing ships about to depart, but for me - who was about to fly -, it was both helpful and a source of worry. It was one thing if I could fly well, but I am not actually a real bird. It would be a serious matter if I get accidentally injured due to the strong wind. After all, there was not necessarily a place I could land right away.
And another one. There would be no change of clothes at the place I landed. Even if it was unavoidable, I am currently dirty, there was no way for a servant of the Viscount House to run around naked. Of course, even if I were in a hurry to fly, I would have to spare time or space to carry this entire outfit.
So, should I just not return to be a human? That might be good. A bird swooping from abov,e chasing the captain and throwing the letter to the captain.....if I were to use this method, it wouldensure success in transporting the letters even if the ship had departed. Only, I had only seen his face once. There was no guarantee that there would not be another ship departing at noon, and it would be disastrous if I were to deliver it by mistake.
Moreover, even if I could deliver the letter successfully, it would create another problem.
「When did Fay tame that bird?」
Nope.
What if they ask me to call the bird? There was no way I could call it, and I didn't have the ability to make animals work for me. This means I had no other choice but to transform myself. How magnificent, Fay was someone who could turn into a bird! .....don’t joke around. It’s better to run away rather than had my ability found out.
Couldn't be helped. Should I just give up?
No, wait a minute? If, I want to make it in time, there was still one other method.
I gently touched the necklace hanging on my neck with my sweaty hand. I still had several of the pills left. A magic that strengthens the body. If I could get an explosive physical ability, perhaps.
That’s stupid. It’s the same thing. A boy who runs like he’s flying? People would wonder, who was that? A 6 year old boy running around with that kind of advanced magic, that would result in a huge incident.
Nah.
As long as people don’t identify the kid as me, then it’s fine.
Luckily, I still had the towel I used to wipe my sweat earlier. If I were to hide my face with this..... And the moment I hand over the letter, I could just take off not just the towel, but also my top, and I could disguise my appearance.
In broad daylight. I would stand out if I made flashy actions. But there was no camera in this world. Perhaps a magician could record my appearance with magic someway but there were no people who could use such advanced magic around here.
What about the contradiction in time? That’s fine, I could fake it. The captain doesn’t know when I left the mansion. The secretary also doesn’t know when the ship set sail. There was no way they keep looking at the port’s direction from the high ground of the mansion all the time, right? In other words, the secretary would probably think the ship departed late, while the ship captain interprets it as I left the mansion at the last minute. The ship would return a month later at the earliest, and at that time, I’m sure the captain would have forgotten about the boy who delivered the letter.
And, because of this case, I could demand a favor from the internal affairs and the secretary.
Only.....
Even if I went to such lengths, would I make it in time? Even if I try, it might not work.
Furthermore, regardless of the success or failure of this task, I would lose one precious magic pill. Would the effort be worth the result?
But, even while I am worrying about it, like this time keeps on passing.
……eeii!
Cursing my own overseriousness, I swallowed the magic pill. My body - which felt hot and sluggish until just now - was now filled with an unbelievable amount of energy. I look around my surroundings with my heightened senses. Fortunately, this area was a high-end residential neighborhood. There were no people around. If it’s like this.
I quickly wrap the towel to completely cover my hair for now. Only my black hair should not be seen.
I slightly drop into a crouch, store up my strength, and spring upward all at once. My body floated in the air like it was a lie, and the next moment, I was stepping onto the roof of a nearby home.
I could do this.
I set my eyes on the masts clustered together in the distance and start running with all my strength. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
Support me through Patreon (by clicking on that Next Chapter) or through ko-fi here
No comments:
Post a Comment