Chapter 317: The Reason for Working
I rolled up my pants and sleeves.
“Ah—no, no! Not a crab!”
I poked at the gap between the rocks with my Ex-Staff, trying to catch crabs. But this time, what bit was a long fish that looked like an eel.
There’s a crab called Laseo that’s supposed to be quite delicious. The island kids often catch them along with shrimp and small fish.
Since the bigger ones are deeper down, I had the Ex-Staff stretch out to poke at the rocky seabed.
I swung the Ex-Staff and swatted away the eel-like creature that had bitten first. So far, I had caught three crabs. With Ash, the Butler, Dinoss, Retze, Dean, and Chris each taking half, I needed one more for myself.
I poked at sea anemones and leisurely searched for crabs in the sunny sea. The direct sunlight was a bit hot. The spot where the water from the channel flowed in was cooler, so the kids tended to gather there during the hottest part of the afternoon. But the catch was slightly different there.
“I did it! It’s huge! I’m a genius!”
“Whoa!!”
I pulled up a large crab! Well, technically, I hooked it with a loop tied to the end of the Ex-Staff.
“Waaaaahhh!!”
A scream from the crab!?
No, wait, from behind?
“King’s Branch, King’s Branch…!”
“What on earth…?”
Soleil looked like he was about to faint, while Orlando stood there dumbfounded—along with Auro.
“Is the discussion over? Just a moment.”
I tied the other crabs I had left in the shallows and hung them up.
“The main points have been discussed. The finer details will be addressed another day. I came to inform you that you’ll be returning to Naruadeid today.”
Soleil always answered work-related questions precisely, no matter how flustered he was.
“That’s a relief.”
“I couldn’t discuss many conditions! Various things! Various…!! Marlu…! The King’s Branch…! The crabs…!”
But as soon as the work talk ended, he reverted back. It seemed Marlu had been caught sparring with the Ex-Staff.
“Don’t worry, my handling of the Ex-Staff is correct.”
“Wahahahaha! I did a great job today!”
Ex-Staff laughed cheerfully, wiping away nonexistent sweat.
“Worry…!”
“I’m worried!”
Soleil and Orlando chimed in dangerously.
“I heard that Lord Paorul is staying in Naruadeid, so I was looking into it. Where did you meet?”
Auro asked with a smile while wiping my legs with a towel.
I snatched the towel from Auro and started wiping myself. Oh, better wipe the Ex-Staff first.
“That tickles!”
Ex-Staff giggled.
“Right? Why suddenly Lord Paorul!? I was just probing a bit, and then a big shot appears…!”
“I just happened to be visiting the Spirit’s Branch in Naruadeid. I had a chance to talk, and it seemed he was interested in managing the branches on this island, so I brought him along.”
After confirming his intentions, I had checked with the Spirits, so it was safe.
“When did you confirm that…?”
“About the time Orlando came to tell me he got the travel permit for the island?”
Now that I think about it, Orlando wasn’t there…
“That was too quick!”
“Absolutely! Lord Haynes is wonderful, but please take a little more time to assess the character of those involved! Just because the master is great doesn’t mean the servant is decent!?”
Wait, is he really saying that?
“It seemed like a good opportunity for both me and the Old Man. If I had hired three people, I doubt they would have come.”
“You wouldn’t hire an inexperienced young girl even if she had talent, would you?”
Soleil quickly added. But that’s not it.
“You’re leaving your brother Thomas behind, right?”
“…Is that also for Lord Haynes?”
Orlando asked, surprised.
“Thomas is infatuated with Asmomii, right?”
Staff A, aka Thomas, was more than infatuated; it was clear from our brief encounter that he was taking care of Asmomii.
Somehow, I felt that the Old Man’s interest in our island and his decision to take a job here was to give Thomas a reason to be freed. After all, they seemed to have come from the Fortress City, and Thomas probably couldn’t just switch to serving someone else so easily.
If he wanted to meet me, he could do so easily on our island, so it worked out perfectly.
“Indeed, Thomas plans to break his oath of servitude and stay in Naruadeid. However, that’s not all. Lord Haynes was looking forward to visiting this island, and when the thin cloth moved without wind at the Spirit’s Branch, he was quite moved. He doesn’t usually show much emotion…”
Wait, was that encounter with the branch the decisive factor!? Is the Old Man going to be okay?
“Eh!? That branch…!?”
“Soleil, it’s the branch on this island.”
Soleil shouted what I had kept to myself, and Auro smiled as he gently admonished him.
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to accept everything I offer without question… After all, I’m still not entirely convinced myself.
“He doesn’t say it out loud, but Lord Haynes is troubled by the fact that he can’t see Spirits and is less affected by them.”
Orlando said, casting his eyes down slightly.
“I see, that place seems like it would offer plenty of mysterious experiences related to Spirits…”
It might even lead to nightly dances.
He was happy, huh…