Volume 13 Chapter 7 In The Dining Hall
The dining hall was large, with two big tables for over ten people each, but only one was in use. At the head sat Naresh and Lord Radyard. Others included Lord Radyard's son Sigmund, Desmond from the Levy merchant guild, and Al with his friend Kane. Craig was helping as a servant.
Al thought more important people would support Naresh, but only Lord Radyard, the knight from the Viscount Lester family, was there.
The Internal Affairs Ministers present weren�t high-ranking either. Some mercenaries and transport leaders from the Levy merchant guild usually joined, but not today.
Al found this relaxing, but he wondered if everything was okay. This was Margrave Rain's territory, on the front line against the Tempest Kingdom in civil war with the Sylvester Kingdom.
Kane looked closely at Al's worried face and smiled brightly.
"Al, you look worried. But it's okay. We're not the ones fighting. There are two knight battalions, with over a hundred knights and more than a thousand attendants stationed at the fort on the border to the west.
Sir Naresh and the Levy merchant guild helped a lot with food supplies. Now, some support is coming from the country and the Margrave family. The supplies for the knights are fine, but it's still unstable for the refugees.
Right now, Sir Naresh's job is to coordinate with the people who fled from the Tempest Kingdom. When the war starts, we can just run away."
"--Hey, hey, that might be how you see it, Kane, but it's a bit different."
Sigmund interrupts Kane. Kane apologizes but secretly sticks out his tongue. Al sees this and thinks about the war. If it breaks out, the knights who escaped from the Tempest Kingdom will fight, and Naresh won�t abandon them.
However, it feels like Naresh is being underestimated. Earlier, he mentioned the budget is tight. Even though he�s the second son, it's surprising that only the knight in charge is sent by the Margrave.
Anyway, everyone took their seats, and the meal began. Naresh and Kane talked about their lives over the past few months. When Naresh arrived in this city, tensions were high between the refugees from Tempest and the locals in Parker.
There were daily fights, partly due to hoarding essential goods, including food. Naresh helped supply food through the Levy merchant guild and acted as a mediator between the refugee leaders and the Viscount of Parker. He also worked hard to improve living conditions.
Naresh dug wells to help the community. His mother, Tara, the daughter of Count Senet, helped the refugees accept him at first. However, it was his caring actions that earned their trust.
Thanks to this, Naresh became known as "Brother" among the refugees from the Tempest Kingdom. After a while, support supplies started arriving from the Kingdom of Sylvester and Margrave Rain, but even now, he was still respected and welcomed by the refugees as the one who saved them.
"I think I went to a small village called Clarence, which is west of Outis town, around that time. I heard stories about 'Brother' Naresh there too. It made me happy to see you were doing well."
As Al nodded and spoke, not just Naresh but also Lord Radyard and Kane smiled happily.
"Clarence Village is near Clarence Fortress, right? I've heard that people from the Tempest Kingdom have been seen around there a few times. Did you go there because of that, Al?"
Sigmund asked about Clarence Fortress. Al met Lord Duran Ferdinand at the hot springs in Clarence Village, where he shared stories about his grandfather.
Al remembers hearing from the village head about tents set up beyond the Nash Mountains. His memory is fuzzy, but he�s sure there wasn�t much more activity than that.
"No, no, it wasn't for that kind of work. I just happened to pass by, and the villagers asked me to help with the overpopulation of deer. It seems there are many areas at the foot of the Nash Mountains that aren't managed well..."
"I see. The Nash Mountains still have Barbarians roaming around, after all."
Al nodded. If you go further south down the Nash Mountains, you reach uncharted lands untouched by humans.
At the base of those mountains is Channing Village, where Al is from. The Sipree Mountains are mostly frontier areas, though some parts are better than others.
"Back to the topic, did Donald, who disappeared when the previous Baron Sanford was killed, have a family?"
When Al asked, Lord Radyard shook his head.
"I heard he was living with his disciple when he was killed. He had a wife and kids, but they always fought. Over five years ago, his wife took the kids back to her family in Gladys's town. Since then, they've barely spoken.
I asked the guard team, and they said the wife and kids are fine in Gladys's town. The kids worry since their dad is missing, but the wife seems uninterested in her ex-husband now."
"Is that so? So, there's no chance they were threatened as hostages or anything?"
Lord Radyard nodded at Al's comment.
"That's right. We don't know if he was tricked or threatened, but we suspect that Donald helped somehow, so we searched for him, but we still have no idea where he is. He might have escaped or been killed..."
"What about Donald's house?"
"Of course, both the guard team and we searched it. But nothing suspicious was found. The guard team is still keeping an eye on it. If you want to investigate, I can help you. But today is not possible. How about tomorrow morning?"
"That sounds good. Please, I'd appreciate it."
With that, the plans for tomorrow morning were set. However, since the guard team had already searched, it might not lead to much.
Al hopes to hear something from Baron Zora instead. After that, he�ll check Alder Tree Street. He�ll visit Donald�s house first and then go from there.
After finishing the meal, as everyone was heading back to their rooms, Al quietly spoke to Naresh.
"Naresh..., it's about your mother, Viscountess Tara, and Baroness Tabasa."
Naresh looked around and shook his head. He seemed like he couldn't talk in front of so many people.
"Can we use 'Telepathy' later?"
Seeing Naresh nod, Al moved away from him and called out to Desmond, who was probably the support of head of the Levy merchant guild and would be taking care of them starting tomorrow. Then, he left the Levy merchant guild's mansion.
* * *
After leaving the mansion, Al stepped into a shadow and made the hand gesture to connect the 'Telepathy' spell with Naresh. It was more comfortable in his room at the Rabbit Hunter inn, but it was too far to go there now.
'I'm sorry, Naresh.'
'Oh? Uh, wait a second.'
Naresh seemed confused by the 'Telepathy' spell at first, but after a while, he seemed to get the hang of it and replied.
'Is this okay?'
'Yeah. You don't have to say it out loud, but it might be better to think of it like you're talking.'
After repeating this kind of exchange, Naresh seemed to calm down.
'Well, about my mom... thanks for worrying about her. We've been exchanging letters since then, and from the way she writes, I think she's probably okay. Of course, I'm still worried about Princess Patricia. More importantly, how is Princess Patricia doing? Is she hiding nearby? If needed, I can talk to Mr. Desmond and arrange a room or a hideout for her.'
Naresh felt a bit relieved by Al's words. He had been worried that Patricia had run away without telling Viscountess Tara.
'Patricia is okay; she's in a safe place. I'll explain more when we can meet again, but for now, there's no need to prepare a room. Also, I heard about a lady named Baroness Tabasa from Mr. Craig. What kind of person is she?'
'Well, she has a quiet and kind vibe. She seems a bit timid and is likely in her late twenties. She has a capable maid who encouraged her to escape here.
Since she's a woman of status and doesn't have many relatives, she's staying in this mansion because she's not feeling well. However, she seems scared of men, so she hides in a room at the far end where not many people go. I've only seen the maid for a while now.'
'I see, thanks.'
Al thought for a moment but decided to discuss any further matters with Patricia later.
'Well then, let's continue this tomorrow. Take your time to rest.'
'You too, Al. Thanks for coming.'
'You're welcome. Don't push yourself too hard.'
Al and Naresh finished 'Telepathy,' and Al hurried to the (Rabbit Hunter) inn.
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