Translator: Adel

Editor: Evelet

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 98: The Hermit of Endsk (VII)

[I just want to say thank you to mii and your team for their work on the first 94 chapters — I hope to achieve your standard. Also Adel for translating and most of all Yoruno Sutera for your amazing writing! ~evelet, Ella, and Chloé.]

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“Oh hello, what a coincidence to run into you here. Are you taking a break?” a voice from an unknown direction asked Vio as he took a late lunch at the eatery that Nicoli had recommended. 

Vio paused from enjoying his ham and potato gratin to look around and see where the voice came from. He found himself looking at Karam Simmons, the man he had met at the bar the previous night.

“Viscount Simmons…”

“Please, if you will, call me Karam. May I join you for your meal?”

Vio didn’t know how to respond to Karam’s question. He was somewhat uncomfortable with the man joining him. But declining would have been impolite, so he reluctantly agreed instead. It was important for nobles to form connections, anyway.

Karam gleefully took a seat across from him. Vio began eating a bit faster than he had been before.

“Isn’t it a wonderful day for a stroll? Lord Violant, did you happen to visit the observation deck? The view is breathtaking.”

“No, I actually came here for business…”

“Oh, is that so? I’ve been here for the last week, ever since His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday party. I’ve become quite familiar with the town, so I’d love to show you around.”

“Yes, well. It might be unsightly for me to have someone else take me on a tour in a town in my own family’s territory.”

Karam continued to make cheerful conversation, and Vio visibly strained to force a smile in response. Vio had only just met this man yesterday. Why was he being so friendly? Vio struggled to wrap his head around it.

“Oh, is that so…? That’s a shame.”

Karam dropped his shoulders, looking dejected. He picked up the sandwich that had been brought to him.

“Viscount Karam, what brings you here?”

Vio gave Karam only a glance as he asked, feeling as if the situation demanded it.

Viscount Karam’s father was Count Simmons, one of the cabinet ministers who were hostile to the Lesserhain family. If Karam was trying to investigate current affairs among the Lasserhain family, it would give him an incentive to get close to Vio, except Vio was only the second son. Vio was not only uninvolved with the family’s affairs but also widely known as the family outcast.

“At His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday party, I fell off my horse and injured my knee. I came here to visit a medical facility my friend recommended as excellent.”

Vio’s eyes went wide upon hearing Karam give a surprisingly serious reason.

“For treatment… That must have been difficult for you. How is your recovery going?”

“Over the last week I’ve spent here, the pain in my knee has been subsiding slowly. I found the herbal baths to be very effective.”

Karam took in a quiet breath and then lowered his voice.

“Actually, there are hot spring in our territory as well. However, they are not well known. I came here as an experiment. If the hot springs here work really well, my family will use our springs more often.”

“Oh, is that so?” Vio replied.

“Yes. To be honest, the area where our hot springs lay is below a dragons’ den. It’s not very ideal , so we keep it hidden. Also, it reeks of dragon’s breath, so it wouldn’t be a good image for our territory.”

“You mean it smells of sulfur?”

“Yes, yes, like that.”

According to Karam, having a dragons’ den in your territory could cause damage to the region, but by catching and training them, you could profit by selling the young dragons. It seemed that there was both an upside and a downside to the situation.

“I’ve heard that Lord Violant suffers from illness as well… Does your business here also happen to be for medical treatment?” Karam asked anxiously and Vio shook his head in reply.

“No… There is an appointment I must attend. ―Viscount Karam, I am sorry to leave you in the middle of your meal, but I must return to the inn. I enjoyed our conversation.”

Vio made an effort to get the social pleasantries over quickly before escaping his seat.

He should be more sympathetic with Karam, but the man made him uncomfortable. Karam gazed at him intently, and Vio found himself unsure what to do with himself.

“Yes, I understand.”

Karam lowered his eyebrows in disappointment before returning them to their original position.

~~~~~

Before getting into the carriage, Legion asked Vio in a concerned tone, “May I ask, is he that person who talked to you like you were a woman?”

“Oh yes, that’s the one. How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

Vio made a sour face.

“Was my attitude towards him that obvious? I’m a little bad at hiding it.”¹

“No, it’s the attitude of that nobleman, not the attitude of Master Violant. It looks like he is trying to get close to you.”

“Well… It’s likely because he tried to behave in an aristocratic manner and form social ties. Even if his family is an enemy of mine, he still has to behave elegantly.”

Vio got in the carriage, thinking that maybe returning to the inn after visiting the magical items store wouldn’t have been that bad, after all. Legion and the others joined him in the carriage, and the carriage started taking them back to the inn.

I hope I can clear up the issue with Zora soon, Vio thought to himself.

I have to return to Leca by harvest time. I can’t stay here much longer.

When Vio arrived back at the inn, Liona was already there and invited him for some tea.

Vio decided to enjoy tea and a chat with Liona, telling Legion that he could take a break.

“Lord Violant, this town is fascinating. The view from the observatory deck is enthralling. From there, you can see steam pouring out of different spots all over town. When I get back to my country, I will look for an area of land similar to this.”

“I am thrilled that you are enjoying it. What did you think of the hot springs?”

“Ah, yes, my skin is really smooth now. I say that we rest here for another three days. How did your errands go?”

Vio shook his head.

“The response I got wasn’t very positive, but I think he is an excellent candidate. I’m not sure if it will work out, but either way, I need to be back to Leca in the next week or so.”

“I see. You’re quite busy, aren’t you?”

“I could not call it busy when comparing myself to the affairs of a princess. I hear the Princess is assisting Her Majesty in the education of the next queen and venturing around the country… I even hear that sometimes she fights pirates.”

Liona nodded to affirm his beliefs.

“We often have issues with pirates setting up base in the smaller islands. They go there to try and raid for pearls, which are irresistible to them. The dragons have been a big problem, too. Sea dragons are relatively gentle, but they are unforgiving when it comes to their eggs. Sometimes, the pirates will leave sea dragon eggs on our country’s ships as a form of revenge, and there have been some very close calls.”

Because they couldn’t just abandon the eggs so it was difficult… Liona grinned.

It seemed the concerns differed greatly between a nation of the sea and a nation of the land. In Vio’s case, he had to be more worried about agriculture.

“It’s interesting because of how abundant the medicinal herbs are here. In the country of Clarina, medicine is more advanced, and it might be due to how there is more variety there than in our country.”

“Ruslan is rich in marine life. Perhaps some medicinal uses could be found in the types of seaweed?”

“Hmm, seaweed, you say… That is very interesting. I’ll have to look into it.”

Even though it seemed they were just making idle chatter, Liona was learning from it.

Perhaps she was interested in the subject now that she had first-hand experience with what an herbal soak in a hot spring feels like.

“I feel so relieved that I’m getting to talk to you, Princess Liona.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Well… There was a noble that I met at the lounge of a bar yesterday, and he approached me. It seems like he wants to be my friend, and I don’t know why. We have never met before, and I’m not handling the situation well.”

“Ah, well, sometimes people just don’t mesh well with others. That’s not too strange. When he was getting close to you, was he being overly familiar with you?”

“It’s not that he is overly familiar with me, rather more intense than that… He was being clingy. It feels like I am trapped around him.”

Vio felt awkward recounting the events and sighed. Liona burst out laughing.

“Maybe he’s just fascinated with your looks? You look like a work of art, you know—beautiful. I can understand how he feels.”

“A compliment is fine. But calling someone a work of art should be reserved for someone like Princess Liona, and it sounds more befitting of a woman.”

“Hehe, thank you, but you don’t need to flatter me.”

Liona turned her face away as she brought the tea to her lips.

“Anyways, you don’t plan on staying here much longer, right? It might feel a bit confining to be around him, but you will be gone soon.”

“I guess you’re right. I’ll try not to worry about it.”

Liona was right, after all. Vio decided to change his mindset about the situation.

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Editor’s Note: The cats help me work.

Translator’s Note: The awkward tension of people cowering in fear of Vio and then finding out he’s an absolute cinnamon roll: helps me work. {Also Eve’s felines}]