The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 245
Two days later, Adelia Vest was still unable to gauge the silver haired adventurer that her daughter had brought along with her.
She was busy working at the town hall near her residence, receiving reports and consultations from officials. She was also busy looking over and signing important documents she brought home, so the only time she interacted with him was during mealtimes.
And so, she summoned the two maids who served as her main sources of information into her office. One was Natalie, who is a good cook, and the other was Rigeletta, a tall woman who also served as a bodyguard.
“Err… you wanted to know how Sir Archer is doing, Madam?”
“Yes. Don’t hold anything back, please.”
Acting as if she remembered something, Natalie recounted the spectacle she saw in town.
“I saw them yesterday while I was out shopping for supper. They looked good together as Milady carried the fox cub in one arm while the two of them held hands while walking around Velheim’s market.”
“I see… not bad. What about you, Rigeletta?”
Since they had been told to share their subjective views on the matter, the tall maid, who was a Silver class adventurer dispatched through the adventurer’s guild, fixed a slightly sharpened gaze on Adelia.
“He appears quite capable to me, though I cannot be certain until I have a chance to test him myself.”
“Thank you. It’s beyond my expertise, so I’ll just take your word for it.”
After smiling and thanking them for their hard work and hearing some more opinions on other things, Adelia dismissed the two maids and sat alone in her office in deep thought as she rested her chin on her hands.
She has not decided on what kind of trial to give yet even though Lord Azurite, who is the heir to the Dykebell family, would be coming over for the marriage interview tomorrow.
(As long as we were not the ones who requested the engagement, it would be possible to state our conditions, but…)
Since they could not afford to be rude, much less put the heir of another family in undue danger, none of the proposals so far have been a good fit.
I heard Sir Archer practices both magic and martial arts, so I was thinking of having them compete in terms of speed and precision when it comes to building spells, but… It would likely give Lord Azurite, who is graduating from the Magic Academy, too much of an advantage.
On the other hand, if the test is more physical in nature and is focused on measuring one’s physical capability, then the odds are stacked in favor of the well-trained and fearless Sir Archer.
“It’s so hard to decide…”
She let out a sigh and casually turned her gaze to see several sheets of parchment still on the desk. After a moment of silent contemplation, Adelia smiled.
“Christ is currently away so I was thinking of sending a request to the guild, but… Fufu, I might just be able to kill two birds with one stone with this.”
Her beloved husband was currently focusing on research and fund-raising for the introduction of oyster farming in Selkram, the royal capital facing the coast.
Remembering Christ, who told her about this with a boyish smile before he left, Adelia’s cheeks naturally relaxed as she pulled out the desired piece of parchment from the stack.
The document that she had pulled out from the stack contained details about a small magical beast known as the Lesser Buncle, which had been sighted in town the other day.
“It will be a good experience for my successor who will take over my work in the administrative office.”
After mumbling to herself, Adelia peeked from the third floor window where the light of the afternoon sun streamed in and saw her only daughter Muriel happily playing with her dog in the garden as Archer stood by her side.
The silver-haired youth had a subtle look in his face as he looked at the medium-sized dog who obediently stayed put as its owner ruffled its fur.
“Wafion, kuon?” (Something wrong, brother?)
“Guu, uuaruo kuouau…” (No, I just thought I saw someone I knew.)
The dog’s pointy ears, curled tail, and fluffy fur reminded me of Blau and his pack whom I met in the northeastern part of the Ancient Forest not long ago. Its appearance was similar to a newborn, prick-eared kobold pup running around the forest on all fours.
I wonder if this fellow is also simple-minded and gullible… While I was thinking of something rude about this distant brethren of mine who had taken a very different evolutionary path from the werewolves and the dog people a long time ago, my gaze suddenly met Muriel’s.
“You know, Baron is from a breed of hunting dogs that originated in Hinai, Dewa province in Yamato.”
Impressive, right? Muriel proudly exclaimed while puffing out her chest. But Baron, who had been given such a splendid name, made a pitiful sound and struggled in Muriel’s arms to retreat as I stepped towards them.
“…Kuu~n”
“Nn~, he looks kind of spooked… Sorry.”
“It’s fine, the little ones in the settlement also act the same when they see me for the first time.”
But if I looked after and played with the kobold pups more often like Ax and Lancer did, then I might get a different reaction.
(Maybe I should also practice next spring…)
While thinking of the not-so-distant future, I temporarily gave up on trying to get along with the pups and handed Muriel a bowl of dried chicken covered with beans, red potatoes, herbs, and other seasonings that I brought from the kitchen earlier.
“…….” (*drool*)
“Auuu…” (Don’t.)
I chided my drooling sister since she had just eaten bacon and eggs for breakfast, but I couldn’t really blame her since the chicken probably looks very appealing to her kobold senses.
Leaving that aside, it was necessary for me to confirm our schedule for the day.
“Are you going around the barn again after this?”
“Yes, I do some work around the barn whenever I go home… Alright, you can eat now!”
“Wauh♪”
The chicken that Baron was happily chomping down after receiving permission and other produce was thanks to the Velheim livestock industry which is naturally led by the Vest family.
After returning home, Muriel actively went around each barn to check on the health and condition of the dairy cows, chickens, and pigs, and even helped out with some of the work.
Eventually, I would have to join her, but…
(It would be tricky for a wolven kobold like me to take care of livestock.)
Although he had some doubts about his identity as a beast, Archer followed her around as Muriel happily made her preparations.
While they spent the day in such a fashion, the eldest son of the Dykebell family arrived at the mansion with his guards.
