Chapter 163, A Typical End of the Year

Translator: Xini

Proofreader: Silavin

 

We returned to Shiki.

I truly missed this old town despite only being away for a few days. It felt like I’d been away for months.

First things first, I need to pay a visit to Father Snow White to thank him for being the proxy Lord while I was away.

It was well into the night when we reached Shiki, so I decided it would be better to visit him the next day. So I scooped up a few souvenirs and set out to his house along with Lady Violet and Gray.

 

“Ah, look at all that snow.”

 

Shiki gets quite a lot of snow every winter, but the arrival of the season was a tad delayed this year, so there was little to no snow when we left Shiki. But now, Shiki was white as far as the eye can see.

 

“The thought crossed my mind last night as well, but seeing Shiki during the day makes me realize all the more how much snow there is. And all the sunlight being reflected makes Shiki look brighter than ever.”

“I assume this is new to you as the capital doesn’t see quite as much snow. Oh, please watch your step. The ground gets rather slippery.”

“Thanks for the heads up, but this isn’t my first experience with snow. So I should be fine?!”

“Careful!”

“I appreciate it, Lord Clo.”

 

As soon as we left the house, Lady Violet slipped and almost fell.

I’m sure she’s a little more used to life here by now, but her feet hadn’t so much as touched the ground before. I’m glad I warned her about the snow because I figured she would find the frozen ground hard to tread.

Thank goodness I was close enough to catch her before she fell.

 

“…”

“Lord Clo?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Please tread carefully. I’m sure the snow would cushion you should you fall, but you could still get hurt and getting wet could give you a frostbite or cold.”

“Thanks, I’ll be careful.”

 

I should calm down. Lady Violet had to layer up for today so she probably didn’t realize it, but when I got closer to her to help her regain her balance I caught a whiff of a wonderful scent which triggered the memory of our kiss from the other day.

Come to think of it, I think she took a bath early this morning. We’re supposed to be using the same shampoo but somehow it smells so different on her. Also, since she’s all bundled up her face is pretty much the only thing exposed and I can’t help but… no, I need to calm down. She might find me disgusting if I keep having these thoughts. And I really don’t want her to find me repulsive.

 

“Oh, I forgot to mention but please keep an eye out for Brown because he tends to fall asleep in the snow around this season.”

“And that’s okay? Should I do something if I happen to come across him?”

“Apparently you can totally leave him sleeping outside for two or three days. He goes through something like a hibernation phase. That said, we should definitely make sure he’s okay.”

“Thanks for the reminder. I really can’t tell if that kid is strong or just simple-minded.”

 

Probably a bit of both.

I mean, last year after my birthday on the 25th of December, he fell asleep at my house and slumbered for six days straight until the new year.

Either way, I had successfully changed the subject. After making sure she didn’t need any further assistance, I moved away from her and as subtly as possible breathed in some of the cold air in an effort to clear my mind.

 

“Should we get going then? Come along, Gray.”

“Roger.”

 

After regaining some of my calm, I called out to Gray, who had left the house earlier than us. He was stacking up fist sized snowballs to make a snowman.

Times like these when I see him act his age, it reminds me that I should be letting him play with the other kids in town. After saying hello to a few people, I’ll set things up so Gray can go have some fun.

 

“… You didn’t really have to let go.”

 

◆

 

The kids may be few in number but they were all little balls of energy playing around in the snow. Spotting us, they rushed over to ask us about what we brought back and begged to be given souvenirs.

Looking at all these innocent faces makes me want to fervently pray that none of them deviate from the right path like the other weirdos in Shiki. It makes me want to hope that they instead grow up to be like one of the few original residents of Shiki who tolerate the perverts living in their midst.

 

“Hey, were there all different kinds of people and way more of them in the capital than here?

“Surely there are more perverts there, right?”

“Are there way more poison lovers there that could put Emerald to shame?

“Are the womanizers there way more hardcore to make even Khaki flinch? I heard there are perverts of all ages there, even kids as young as me!”

 

Hmm, I better answer all their questions and quell their curiosity. If the capital were full of perverts as bad as the ones here, the country would only fall to ruin.

Lady Violet and I, though shaken, tried to resolve each misunderstanding with a, ‘Most certainly not.’

 

“Oh, you don’t say!”

“Well I’ll take your word for it, Clo.”

“Of course, you and Violet, who were born in the capital, would know better!”

 

Well, when I first arrived here, the residents had lost faith in their Lord, as for Lady Violet, she was a stranger and a bit intimidating in the beginning. So seeing the kids so eagerly strike up a conversation with us, feels like we’ve been doing something right.

 

“Kids are so innocent.”

“You’re right. Makes me want to keep an eye on them… to make sure they grow up right.”

 

Anyway, we handed the kids safe but flashy magical toys and bid them goodbye after giving each head a good tousle.

Though Shiki is brimming with perverts, it still has some people like them who haven’t fallen off the deep end.

Now that I’ve turned twenty, I need to do an even better job as the Lord of–

 

“Hey, is it true that people of many different races came together to celebrate boys?”

“Are any of you hurt? Even a scab is fine! Let me observe the stages of healing in the time it took you to get back here!”

“I heard a new toxic substance was discovered in the capital. Did you sneak some of it back?”

“Did you have any intention to bring a new girl back to Shiki? You didn’t? Then, I’ll get going to do just that! Haha.”

 

…Well I suppose these guys are also my people I should cherish.

 

“… The adults are innocent as well.”

“I guess so, in a way.”

 

Their desires aren’t inherently evil so I suppose she’s not wrong to call them innocent but I don’t like this kind of innocence.

Anyway…

 

“Here you go. One book with examples of recent cases of injuries. One pickled jar of poisonous snake. One book with a review of your favorite store.”

“Thanks!”

“And Gray…”

“This is something called a protective charm that I made with paper from the capital… would you be satisfied with just this?”

“Woww! You bet! Thanks, Gray. Did you have fun there?”

“Yes, loads!”

 

I passed them gifts they’d find agreeable. I felt grateful to Mr. Burnt and Ms. Amber who, upon request, bought all of these without getting any of the details wrong. I especially appreciate them getting the review book for Khaki. Though he isn’t really the kind of guy who would kick up a fuss even if we hadn’t gotten him anything.

 

“Did anything out of the ordinary happen while I was away?”

“It would depend on what falls outside of normal.”

“That would be you guys.”

“That was really uncalled for, Lord Clo.”

 

I say that, but collapsing after popping poison or some pervert showing off their naked beauty would all be considered normal in Shiki. Which can all be dealt with some timely interference and I would just need to hear all the sordid details from the Father later.

The only thing that worries me is that we never came across that person in the capital so I was wondering if they happened to pull something in Shiki instead. Though I don’t think that person is capable of handling Shiki, I still had to make sure just in case.

 

“Nothing in particular…? Oh this case of injury… haah… haah…!”

“Nothing really stood out…? Damn if I only had this, I’d be one step closer to creating the panacea… haah… haah…!”

“It was just the same old Shiki! Haah… Haah…!”

“I was just beating iron into shape as I usually do… haah… so this is Gray’s…!”

“I see. Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

“Is this really just the normal state of affairs that you don’t bat an eye to…?”

“Please stay as you are. This isn’t something you want to get used to.”

“O-Okay…?”

 

Well, I think she’s already grown a lot more used to things than before, but I really hope she keeps questioning their behavior to some extent. Even I find it weird to see everyone holding a book or other gifts with ecstasy etched on their faces. They would most certainly be behind lock and key if the police were to see them like this.

I heard about this later, but apparently, Mr. Bligh was so worried about Gray that he couldn’t focus on his smithing and that there’s a mountain of coal in his house. Is this blacksmith really going to be okay once Gray grows up and is not a  boy anymore?

 

“I may not understand everything but I’m glad to see that everyone likes their gifts. I couldn’t be more happy if we were able to share the joy and all the wonderful memories we made in the capital.”

“…”

“Oh, uh… Lady Violet? Why are you hugging me all of a sudden?”

“Don’t mind me. Always stay the comforting presence you are.”

“Hm, hmm…?”

 

Apparently, Gray looked at all the perverts acting excited for different reasons and mistook it for happiness about the gifts which in turn made him happy. Well, he’s not wrong about them being pleased, and maybe I’m being naive but not being genuinely happy about all this and wanting Gray to stay a source of comfort as Lady Violet said, were at war in my heart.

 

“Oh, right. Your 20th birthday was yesterday. Take this. This dressing can heal any kind of wound.”

“Here’s a cooking set with knives and stuff.  Your wedding was too sudden so I couldn’t give it to you back then. Make sure to keep the knives sharp.”

“Oh, I was planning to give you a gift too. Here. This is a tonic you can take when you feel chilled. I’ve adjusted the formula so even Gray can take it if necessary. I’m sure it would be inconvenient to walk around with all this stuff. I’ll drop off all these at your house later.

“Oh. Appreciate that.”

 

These guys are perverts… but when push comes to shove they can be reliable. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been able to do my job governing Shiki without a hitch. You can’t find a lot of people celebrating the birthday of their Lord and give him gifts to boot.

 

“Ah, right. Take this too!”

“By the way, what’s in here?”

“A handbook detailing 48 simple positions and Saturion- a drop of which is hundred times more potent than chocolate. I figured you might fall into a rut sooner or later, so these are for when that happens haha!”

“Thanks but no thanks!”

“Ahem?!”

 

This is a guy who thinks with his balls. His normal conduct is already questionable and of course, it only gets worse when he’s considerate.

I do know he means well.

 

“Speaking of chocolate, isn’t that what we had the other day? I don’t remember much of what happened after I ate it though… What would happen if you take a substance that is a hundred times stronger?”

“All I remember is that it was delicious. But if this is hundred times more effective, maybe it’s been preserved?

“I see. What are 48 positions?”

“I don’t get it either. But I feel like Amber once told me that I would need to learn about it for when I’m an adult.”

 

Before they pique my Wife and Son’s curiosity and put weird stuff into their head, I should take them away from here. Well, not that I’m any wiser.

Though there is a nostalgic feel to Shiki, I think the new year holidays wil shape up to be as rowdy as ever.