312 - Wild Yams
When told a meeting would be held, we gathered in the dining hall.
A wonderful aroma wafted from the kitchen; Adele-san had been making preparations as soon as she returned to the Rufens Royal Castle, looking completely confident.
General Broa, who had been summoned, wore a look of exasperation.
"If I'm told a sudden summons is related to food supplies, I certainly can't afford to miss it. But still, please have a little more consideration for my schedule."
The reason he was complaining was that he had been just about to head out for training. He had apparently shoved—entrusted the task to his subordinates at the last minute to come here.
Baldoa was soothing General Broa with a strained smile.
"Still, if we can solve the food problem, it's worth it. But I wonder what kind of ingredients she found?"
I was curious about that too. Rianne seemed a bit relieved seeing the confident Adele.
"So you've found a solution."
Adele-san nodded.
"Yes. There are some minor issues, but I've thought of solutions for those as well. Regardless of the taste, it's been determined that they are rich in nutrition. By the way, since they're yams, there's no worry about poison as long as the sprouts are handled."
It seemed Monica had judged the presence of poison, so there was no doubt they were edible ingredients. Baldoa nodded while resting his hand on his chin. He looked happy.
"Let's overlook some issues with the taste. High nutritional value is a good thing."
Beside Baldoa, a knight—no, his wife, Alette-san, nodded with a smile. The way she frequently found reasons to show her face in Rufens showed her happiness and anxiety.
She was worried about whether any strange bugs would swarm around Baldoa. To be honest, Baldoa was not only handsome but also skilled. Since women would flock to him even if he stayed silent, she was likely even more anxious.
"As a knight, at worst, you're told to find something edible in the mountains. It's not always the case that food is abundant. Just knowing that food is being prepared puts me at ease."
Rianne looked at Alette-san.
"You're the vice-captain of Rolfis, aren't you? Are there food problems over there as well?"
Alette-san looked a bit troubled.
"Expeditions are one thing, but the distances are quite significant. Until now, we've mainly focused on wars in the vicinity, so we lack know-how in that area. Well, because of that, even we can't judge if the food is sufficient... This time, I came to hear my h-husband's opinion."
Alette-san kept glancing at Baldoa. Then, Baldoa smiled.
"In that case, let's talk about that in my room later. I've acquired some good tea, so the timing is perfect."
From inside the orb, the Third watched Baldoa's response.
If only Lariel could do as much as this... no, a rain of blood would fall.
As expected, he was enjoying my precarious situations. Just then, a Valkyrie wearing an apron—styled like a dining hall auntie—emerged from the kitchen. It seemed the Valkyrie had done the cooking. Well, Valkyries are good at cooking. I'll try to be a little hopeful.
She brought a pot and plates for serving, but...
"Everything is ready. Now, please eat."
Adele-san was full of confidence, but looking into the pot, I thought.
"Yams? They don't look bad. But weren't yams already in the plan?"
As I took a plate and poked a yam with a fork, the faces of Baldoa and Alette-san, who had been smiling until a moment ago, turned pale in an instant. As for Rianne.
"I see. Is it a different variety? If so, the food situation might improve a bit. It smells nice... Ob-fuh!!"
Rianne, who had put a yam in her mouth, made a sound a princess should not make. Then, from inside the orb, the Third panicked.
W-wild yams! Why on earth would you bring something like this!!
Wild yams? As I tilted my head and tried to eat, Baldoa spoke to Adele-san.
"W-what are you thinking! Serving something like this! A-Lariel-sama, please do not eat this. This is no good. It's not food for humans!"
With a desperate expression, Baldoa snatched the plate from me and pressed Adele-san. Adele-san also had a serious expression.
"You'll understand if you eat it! Because they taste normally terrible!"
"You served something that tastes terrible with such confidence!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was different from the usual Baldoa, Alette-san shook her head and signaled her refusal with her hand.
"Impossible. This is impossible. Even if I were so hungry that I had to eat bugs, I absolutely hate these wild yams. I was forced to eat them as a senior's joke once... and even I snapped and punched that senior's knight."
Alette-san refused with a pale face. However, General Broa was eating the yams.
"Mmu! These wild yams are amazing! They taste normally terrible!"
He was astonished. Curious, I took a yam from the Valkyrie and tried it. Rianne was covering her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes teary. It was probably just my imagination that she seemed to be glaring at Adele-san.
The moment I put it in my mouth, my body immediately showed rejection. Moreover, when I chewed, it was a bitterness, or a sliminess, or rather, just terrible. Was I eating soil? My body did not recognize this as food. After somehow swallowing it, I had no desire to eat another piece.
"Isn't this too terrible?"
Then, Adele-san spoke, sounding almost offended.
"Even so, they're rich in nutrition! I've already made them better by processing them thoroughly!"
Baldoa shouted. I had never seen Baldoa like this.
"Don't mess with me! I absolutely refuse. I-I will never eat this again! Absolutely never!"
It was the first time I had eaten something that caused such a strong rejection response from my body. Rianne, still teary-eyed and choking, gave her opinion.
"...Let's set aside the nutrition and taste. For people on the verge of starvation, just being able to eat something is surely better. So, can we secure a large quantity of these?"
The look she gave Adele-san was very stern. Then, not Adele-san, but General Broa smiled.
"We can secure them in large quantities. If you plant them in a field, they sprout quickly, and depending on the location, they can be found in large numbers in the mountains. If these had been delicious, the food situation would have been solved immediately."
I looked at General Broa. It seemed strange that he was chewing and swallowing normally.
"The General seems fine with it."
General Broa laughed.
"Ahahaha... a long time ago, I got stranded in the mountains due to a superior's mistake. This was the only food available. I had to eat it to survive, but I didn't want to... it was the worst. Compared to that, just being able to eat is better."
Still, did Baldoa and Alette-san hate it that much?
"Even so, I absolutely refuse."
"I can't either. Absolutely impossible!"
However, Rianne, given her position, did not seem to judge based on taste alone.
"...If we can get them in large quantities, it's an option. Well, if things aren't settled in three months, will these wild yams be mandatory? Please consider this your meal."
The two of them turned pale.
The Third remarked, sounding impressed.
Did she turn a terribly tasting yam into a normally tasting terrible yam? Isn't this a revolution?
I didn't want that kind of revolution. Then, from the gap in the dining hall door, Novem was peeking inside. And for some reason, with a sad expression, he walked away from the room, looking depressed. It bothered me that he looked somewhat apologetic.
Around the time the food problem was somewhat solved.
I was visiting South Banseime for some business. It was partly related to armaments, but also to confirm if the necessary supplies were sufficient.
The craftsmen of South Banseime were working busily almost every day. Thanks to that, it seemed we would be able to secure the target number of armaments.
While walking through the streets of South Banseime with Monica, I ran into Vera.
"Oh, you're over here today?"
As Vera said that, a large amount of luggage had arrived in front of the Trace Trading Company's warehouse in South Banseime. Barrels were piled high, and they were being carried in one after another using horse-drawn wagons.
"Did you buy some liquor?"
When I said that, Vera laughed slightly and shook her head. As her black twin-tails swayed, Monica took on a huffy expression and blatantly swayed her own twin-tails. I left it alone since it didn't matter, and Vera explained.
"I went out a bit far. Want to see?"
With that, the lid of a barrel was opened. Inside was wheat.
"This is..."
Vera shrugged her shoulders.
"If you go a bit further, there are lands with different climates. The taste, or rather the texture, is different. It seems to be a slightly different variety. But it looks perfectly edible, so I bought it. You'll need it, right?"
I looked at Vera's face.
"...Eh! You're giving it to us!"
Vera crossed her arms and nodded.
"Of course. Well, consider it an investment. You're an important customer, so you absolutely have to win. This is all I can do, but make sure you return safely."
Vera's smile was very dazzling. Adele-san, who brought terrible yams to solve the problem, wasn't bad. But she was no match for Vera, who brought proper food.
I grasped Vera's hand.
"Th-thank you. Thank you so much."
As I shed tears, Vera was the one who became bewildered.
"Eh? Um... eh? It's not that much. In the overall picture, it's only a little. You don't have to cry that much."
I shook my head and hugged Vera just as I was.
"That's not true! Vera, you're the best!"
This probably wouldn't mean I wouldn't have to eat the terrible yams. But Vera's kindness touched my heart.
"H-hey! Everyone is watching!"
Vera struggled in my arms—and from the window of the mansion, Fidel-san was leaning out, looking at us with a bright red face. It was the face of a demon.
Seeing that, the Third laughed. However, what was slightly different from usual was...
Yes, Lariel is loved. With this, it'll be fine. It's already fine.
That night.
Appearing inside the orb for the first time in a while, I was curious about the Third's words.
In front of the Round Table, the Third sat in his chair, smiling as usual.
What's the matter?
"No, well... Third, um."
Seeing my flustered state, the Third seemed to realize what I wanted to say and remained smiling.
Ah, were you worried about this afternoon? You've grown quite a bit. Before, you seemed uninterested even when talking to people.
I scratched my hair, troubled. It's true that I was terrible at the beginning. I couldn't understand people's feelings and had hurt others.
"Before, how should I put it..."
But you noticed my feelings, right? Then, 'you've grown' is a fine way to put it. Lariel seems like he'll be fine even without me.
"I'm being supported by those around me. But I still want the Third to support me, or rather..."
The Third leaned his back against the backrest of the chair.
Do you not need my skills?
If asked whether I wanted them or not, to be honest, they were difficult to handle, so I appreciated the Third's advice more.
"It is a fact that I find the Third's advice more helpful."
You say such pleasing things. But, it's no good.
The Third stood up from the chair and walked toward his room of memories. When he looked back and smiled at me, I also headed toward the Third's room of memories.
Upon entering the Third's room of memories, the sight of the mansion where the heads from the First to the Third had lived spread out before me.
If you always need assistance, it's the same as relying entirely on that assistance. It's time to stand on your own, Lariel.
The scenery visible from the mansion was truly peaceful. In the midst of the Third's harsh era, it looked like a different world.
The era when the Walt family was a baronet family. Possessing multiple villages, the Third exercised his skill as the head—and an era where long battles continued.
The Third had also lost his life in war. Because of his achievements, he was called the Righteous General and carved his name into the history of Banseime, but he himself had not desired such things.
Looking at the peaceful scenery, perhaps the Third had wanted to live more ordinarily. However, he couldn't do that. Unlike me, he probably couldn't afford to be spoiled.
"The time for being spoiled is over, then."
That's right. Though from my perspective, you don't seem to need assistance. Lariel has grown quite a bit in these two years and a bit.
"...Compared to the previous heads, it's embarrassing, though."
Do you think so? I think Lariel has struggled more than any of the previous heads. You've worked hard to get this far, so have more confidence.
While feeling embarrassed, I felt very lonely.
I had thought the time for parting would come eventually, but when it actually happened, I hesitated. However, I understood that missing the timing was no good. I had learned that from the Second and the Fifth.
"I'll really be alone now."
Alone? No. Lariel has a lover—no, many wives—and the people around you to support you, don't you? Purely being alone doesn't happen often in this world. Maybe only when you die?
The Third corrected 'lover' to 'many wives'. He said it knowing full well, which made it worse.
"I feel like I've had various troublesome matters pushed onto me, though."
But Lariel was the one who chose them. Well, I had fun. Because I was able to see the future.
The Third spoke of his encounter with me.
At first, I wondered if such a useless child would be okay.
"...You say it so bluntly."
Yes. There's no point in lying at a time like this. However, now I think... I, we, are glad to have met Lariel.