Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 044 – Fufufu, son. It’s the June Field Study② [B]
Though they seemed quite formidable, Fie managed to hunt down monsters without any problems. Together with Rean’s group, which managed to secure foodstuff, they then shared it with the church, which was in charge of the town’s Sunday school as per Sara’s recommendation.
It was already night and even in the church, lit by dim orbal light, the aroma of the ingredients was enticing, and the parish priest and nuns sent words of gratitude to Sara.
But for some reason, all the windows are closed, blocking out the smell……
“I think they are a bit confused about being handed fish out of nowhere.”
“Fie, you also gave away meat and oil of monsters out of nowhere.”
“It’s given in more appropriate amounts than Rean’s.”
“Well, well, it’s all the same once it enters the stomach.”
Elliot, sensing the ominous intensity between Rean and Fie, who were holding fish and meat respectively, gently mediated between them, and Machia, who had woken up, was preparing food under Toval’s instructions.
Rean and the others once again help out, creating a menu centered on well-cooked fish hotpot.
All that was left was to distribute them, but per Sara’s instruction, Rean and the others greeted the parish priest and the nuns before leaving.
On the way back to Sara’s house, Elliot asked her why they left after just cooking dinner for them.
“Shouldn’t we continue helping with the distribution of food?”
“If it becomes known that we are distributing food, people will flock to us from all over the town. If we have to deal with all of them, the field study would end up being spent on procuring food. We should leave the distribution to them and take care of ourselves.”
“But leaving starving people is a bit……”
Machias pressed on, but Sara coldly refused.
The distribution of food they had just done could easily become a spark for a dispute in the first place.
“Machias, I can recommend this to all of you, but giving to charity is not something to be taken lightly. At the very least, not here in North Ambria.”
“Why?”
“There’s no limit to it. Even if you purchase food with your pocket money, it would only satisfy the stomachs of a few people and wouldn’t satisfy the hunger of the city, let alone the whole state. It would just be hypocritical.”
“But……!”
“Machias, your feelings are indeed honorable. However, that’s only from the perspective of whoever has the means. It’s only for someone like you, who has lived a fulfilling life with food, clothing, and shelter.”
“Then why didn’t Instructor Sara stop us from sharing food?”
If providing a soup kitchen wouldn’t be a fundamental solution to the problem, shouldn’t they just limit to just procuring food for themselves?
When asked that, Sara smiled with a somewhat sad look on her face.
“It’s what I told Machias earlier, just hypocrisy on my part. I just don’t want to see those children starve to death…… even if it’s only those around me. If we did it on a large scale, adults would just leave the children and rush to get the food, so I left it to people of the church whom I think would be able to distribute it well. So Machias, if that’s how you feel, then you need to anticipate what will happen next and act accordingly.”
With that, Sara told the group to keep an eye on Rean as she said she had some preparations to make for the next day and left.
The remaining Group B decided to have dinner at Sara’s house, but Machias, who heard Sara’s words, was hesitant to eat.
“It would be better if the nobles of the Empire, who have some leeway, were to shift their resources to this place……”
“They have no obligation to do that, so it’s impossible. Even if it’s not a noble, I don’t think there are many people who would willingly give up their mira even if they have some.”
“There’s no benefit for Reinford or Crossbell’s IBC, who has the most mira to do that, after all. Machias, I’m afraid your words are those of a child.”
Machias’s face twisted as Toval pointed it out to him while they were having dinner.
But Machias squeezed his hand as if to endure.
Although his remark might have been childish and he wasn’t an adult, he wasn’t that young either.
“Helping others for free is indeed admirable. But that’s on an individual scale. North Ambria needs support on a national scale, so if someone were to do that for free, it would instead be viewed with suspicion. It’s impossible unless a miracle happens. Realistically, a nation wouldn’t turn its attention to this state unless there was some kind of benefit to it.”
“That…… might be true, but……”
In the end, Machias couldn’t find the right words and just went away without finishing his meal.
Considering that the field study would start the next day, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some rest early, so Fie and Elliot also went to sleep.
It was only nine at night, but everyone was quick to sleep. They were probably mentally exhausted from today’s travel and the current state of the town.
Rean also tried to sleep, but he couldn’t sleep.
While the other three were fast asleep, Rean sneaked out and naturally found himself heading towards the church.
In the midst of all this, a hustle and bustle that was out of place could be heard in the otherwise quiet town.
“Go away, you devil child!”
“This is ours, we have nothing to give to you!”
“I’m not really——”
Looking closer, Rean saw a group of skinny people who look younger than he was and children, crowding around a young girl.
It seemed like there was some sort of quarrelling.
It wasn’t pleasant to watch the way people verbally criticize and insult the girl.
[“Fufufu, son. Didn’t the instructor said —— that giving alms is not something done casually?”]
It’s only to North Ambria as a whole, there’s nothing wrong with helping individuals!
{“You replied well.”}
Rean judged that there was no time to waste in using Arts, so he summoned Loa Valimar using the Power of Ashen, and shot an ashen beam straight up into the air to avoid causing any damage.
Perhaps Valimar had arranged it into Craft, as the beam of light exploded in mid-air without penetrating anything, crackling with a chalky white glow.
The sudden light illuminating the darkness of the night made the people instinctively look up to the sky, and the girl was no exception.
Using the opportunity, Rean slipped through the crowd and reached the girl, then took her hand and ran off without asking her opinion.
But he held her gently, so as not to burden the girl.
“Kyaa……!”
It all happened in an instant.
The people were dumbfounded when they realized the girl had disappeared, but by that time, Rean had already run away from the scene and made it to Sara’s house.
Whether by good luck or bad luck, Sara was just about to enter the house so Rean called out to her while keeping a cautious eye on his surroundings.
“Instructor.”
“R-Rean? You’re acting arbitrarily again……”
“This is an emergency.”
“……Eh……?”
With that said, Rean lowered the girl he was holding to the ground and introduced her to Sara.
The girl was blinking at the rapidly changing scenery, and couldn’t speak coherently as she simply looked back and forth between Rean and Sara.
“This girl was about to be assaulted by people on the street, so I took her under my care.”
“Assault……?”
“To be precise, it was one step short of that. They were all verbally abusing her and surrounding her with malice.”
“I see……what’s your name?”
“………My name is Valerie.”
“What about your house? Is it in this neighborhood?”
“I’m not from this neighborhood, but I’m in the area for business……”
“Rean, I’ll go see this girl off, so get some good sleep this time.”
“I understand.”
“U-um……”
“(I can tell that you’re among the wealthy. Aren’t you in trouble if you don’t come back soon?)”
“Gh…… um, thank you very much.”
The girl, who introduced herself as Valerie, bowed deeply to Rean and thanked him, and was then led away by Sara.
He brought her here in the heat of the moment and hadn’t had a chance to speak, but now Rean decided to just feel relieved that nothing had happened—— then ran off in the opposite direction as if he’d been bounced off.
The person waiting after Rean immediately closed the distance to a hundred arge was someone he didn’t recognize.
“Do you need something from me? You were kind enough to wait for me……”
“Hou~ I never thought you would actually see through it. Moreover, you come at me quickly once you recognize me. I don’t dislike such hot-blooded behavior.”
The one who appeared and said this was a man…… too young to be called an old man, just a little over middle-aged.
The bulging muscle beneath his black coat showed his well-trained physique, and the scars visible all over his body gave the aura of a seasoned warrior.
Contrary to the image of a strong person that he had unconsciously exuded, the man swallowed Rean’s ripple with the force of a tornado that swallowed everything.
“You are……”
“I’m just a passerby, or so I’d like to say, but the truth is I saw the commotion of light by chance. I ended up chasing after you, despite my age. Anyway, please join this uncle for a casual conversation.”
“I see……”
While Rean remained wary, the man maintained his nonchalant demeanor.
Dad, do you know him?
[“Fufufu, son. He is quite famous. He is the leader of Zephyr, Rutger Claussel. In other words, he is Miss Fie’s fa——”]
“Catch him——————!”
At the same time that Osbon spoke his name, Rean activated both his power of ogre and Power of Ashen —— and the summoned Loa Valimar slammed both of his massive arms into Rutger with all his might.
Author Note:
As expected, Rean doesn’t stay in the lodging at night.
Just because he was already in the front of the house, you let your guard down. This is what happens when you take your eyes off Rean, Instructor Sara!
So, after the appearance of Toval, Rutger-san follows.
The impression of Valerie, a student of a branch campus that appeared after Maya, was immediately blown away by Rean-kun’s action.
This is just an introductory chapter, but there will be a role in the North Ambria arc, so please forgive me…
two adults nodded to one another.
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