Volume 5 Chapter 1 It Was A Tough Week
It had been a week since Cain returned to the Sanroze territory. During that time, he spent nearly every day with Lydia. There were several reasons, but the biggest was probably how lonely he'd felt after his stay in the Margrave Shield territory was unexpectedly extended to a month and a half.
He had also been honest with them about his trip to the World Tree Forest—something he'd already reported to the Margrave. Still, everyone remained on edge, as if he might vanish the moment they looked away. It took several unauthorized uses of the teleportation staff before they finally understood and let their guard down.
Even so, on the day he came back, they didn't trust him enough to leave him alone—and so, he ended up sleeping in Lydia's bed. While he was happy, the embarrassment was overwhelming. He barely managed a few hours of sleep.
Finally, thinking he could return to normal life, Cain woke earlier than usual that morning. He dressed on his own, eager to get back to work, and waited on the sofa for Barvish and Gardy to arrive. Soon, there was a knock at the door.
"Sir Cain, good morning. Thank you again for the week off," Barvish greeted him politely. "How have you been spending your time?"
"Um, I was with Mother Lydia pretty much every day, I think."
"That's good. I'm sure Lady Lydia feels much more at ease now."
"Well... yeah. It was kind of intense." Cain scratched his cheek. "By the way, where's Gardy?"
"He should be arriving shortly—ah, here he is."
Right on cue, another knock came, followed by Gardy's voice. Cain called out, "Come in."
"Sir Cain. Good morning. Sorry I'm late. Barvish, good morning as well."
Gardy entered, slightly out of breath.
"Morning, Gardy. Are you alright? You sound winded."
Cain looked at him with concern.
"It's nothing serious," Gardy replied, waving a hand. "Thank you again for the time off. I was able to relax with my wife. I'm looking forward to getting back to work."
"Same here," Cain said, nodding. He gestured for the two to sit on the sofa, then brought out the weekly memo board.
Barvish began outlining the plans for the week. There were no major construction projects, but they needed to distribute souvenirs and prepare to pick up Zain next week—a task that would take several days.
"This time it's a day trip, right?" Cain asked. "Just the three of us—me, Barvish, and Gardy—since we're not entering the village?"
"No," Barvish replied, "we should ask Lala to come with us, just in case. We did leave in a bit of a hurry last time. They might ask us to stay over."
"I agree," Gardy added. "If the chieftain insists, it'll be hard to refuse—even if it's not coming from Lord Zain himself."
"...So a day trip might not be enough. Ugh... I guess I'll check with Father and Mother Lydia." Cain sighed, recalling Lydia's overprotective behavior the past week. "I wonder how this'll turn out."
"Oh, right," he said, shifting topics. "I wanted to see the new city gate again. Barvish, could you take a look at the carvings? I'm curious how they shaped the part I made with magic."
"The stone you created is extremely tough. I'll contact the Head of the Maintenance Bureau and the Masons' Guild," Barvish replied with a nod.
"Thanks," Cain said with a smile.
"Gardy," he continued, "it's a bit late in the season, but do you think we can still plant the Satsuma?"
"I was expecting that," Gardy replied. "Preparations are already in place. How about three days from now? That should work best."
Cain's face lit up. He truly appreciated Gardy's thoughtfulness—especially this year. He wanted to use the harvest to make a new sweet for Alice when she returned on New Year's Day.
"Well then," Cain said brightly, standing up. "First things first—let's go give our souvenir to Head Chef Lloyd!"
Notes:
• Margrave Shield - Cain's grandfather. An elderly man, robust, with white hair.
• Lydia - Cain's Stepmother.
• Barvish - A slave dwarf with a muscular, compact physique, intended as Cain's retainer/bodyguard, brought via magical contract.
• Zain - A man in his 30s with long ears, possibly an elf or a similar race. He works in the basement of Ms. Merida's shop and is highly perceptive, noticing Cain's incredible mana from a distance.
• Lala - Cain's companion, likely a servant or minder, cautious and protective.
• Alice - Cain's Elder Sister, from the second wife.
• Lloyd - Head Chef of the Family.
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