Chapter 334 – Feast and Renaming

“Congratulations, Camilla.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Camilla, with tears in her eyes, and Donato, with a gentle smile, exchanged words.

“My congratulations on this occasion.”

Kennel, who had been watching them, quietly bowed his head and offered words of blessing. Though Kennel also wore a quiet smile, his eyes were red.

“Kennel-dono… I can finally rest easy too. What do you say? Shall we drink through the night?”

“No, no, that would be too much. I have other plans later, and more importantly, I can’t keep up with Donato-dono’s drinking prowess. But if I have some free time, I’ll join you for a few drinks.”

“That’s more like it.”

So… after the ceremony, we were scheduled to ride the carriage again and hold a banquet at the Silun Baron’s residence. I’ll get off the carriage temporarily and head to retrieve the Sirius.

When I boarded the Sirius, a golden wolf was positioned in front of the pilot’s seat. I had left Ignis on watch on the deck too… but it seems he wanted to keep watch himself as well.

As I approached, the golden wolf slowly stood up, moved as if to yield the pilot’s seat, and twisted the corner of its mouth.

…Hmm. Well then, I suppose I’ll move the ship. I should park it above the grove, just like when we arrived in the Barony of Silun.

While gazing at the Barony of Silun, which had already turned into a festive uproar, I moved above the grove and parked the ship. Since I have a meeting later that will also serve as entertainment for the banquet, I plan to bring Harvesta along to the Silun Baron’s residence. I’ll also bring the Monster Pumpkin I brought from Termwills. As I used Levitation to float the pumpkin and prepared to disembark, the golden wolf also came out onto the deck.

“Are you coming to the banquet too?”

When I asked, the golden wolf shook its head. I suppose it intends to keep watch over the airship like this. Well, it’s not a shipyard. If it’s going to protect the ship, that’s certainly appreciated.

“Well… it should be fine. Ignis is standing by too, and without knowing how it works, no one can operate it. You should come along.”

When I said that, the golden wolf hesitated slightly before nodding.

After all, the power source is the golden wolf’s main body, and it has an elusive nature, so if it comes to it, I should be able to cut off the energy supply, right?

“Still… it’s inconvenient to keep calling you ‘you’.”

If I were to give it a name, it would probably be Sirius, but that would conflict with the ship’s name. As I muttered these thoughts, the golden wolf stared intently at me.

…Does that mean it wouldn’t mind me giving it a name?

“…How about Alpha?”

It’s a name taken from alpha wolf, indicating the leader of the pack, and from Alpha Canis Majoris.

The golden wolf didn’t say anything in particular, simply sitting regally on the deck. I can’t really tell if it likes it or not, but it doesn’t seem to be protesting. Its tail slowly swayed largely from right to left.

Well… I suppose Alpha is acceptable.

So I left the ship in Ignis’s care and descended from the deck to the grove with Alpha, Harvesta, and the Monster Pumpkin.

“Whoa. I arrived first, it seems.”

Though I reached Ashley’s mansion, the carriage hadn’t arrived yet. Checking through my visual link with Caduceus, it seemed they had just passed through the main street and would be here soon.

Hmm. The Monster Pumpkin takes up space. I’ll tell the servants first and have them place it somewhere out of the way.

And just as everyone arrived at the mansion, the banquet began. Irmhild and the others continued to volunteer as musicians, playing bright and cheerful music. With five people acting as musicians, they said they would take turns eating and manage well.

Since there were many family members, it seemed they had opened up the great hall of the Silun Baron’s residence, arranged tables and chairs there, and prepared an environment where people could freely talk with each other.

Alpha was drawing attention just like Tephra, but it was well-behaved. It was sitting quietly on the floor with Lavigne. Alpha was also having its head petted by Marlene and Charlotte.

It seems to have something like a physical form.

“Theodore-sama, Ashley-sama. Congratulations on this occasion.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The baron’s retainers came to greet us one after another. Since we’re the lord and his fiancée, we should properly fulfill our roles here. Given that the Silun Baron’s family’s future looks bright, there don’t seem to be any people trying particularly hard to sell themselves. They seem to be strictly following etiquette and trying not to dampen today’s celebratory mood.

The Silun Baron’s family has had various hardships. With former garrison captain Oslo causing a scandal, they’re probably straightening their collars.

“To meet Elliot-sama again… and on such a happy day at that… sob”

Since greetings were coming to me too, it’s only natural for today’s main characters, Elliot and Camilla.

They seemed quite busy, receiving congratulatory words and greetings in turn from the Silun Baron’s family’s retainers and servants. Some retainers were crying as they greeted Elliot.

Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana also seemed to be receiving greetings in turn. Mercedes and Elmer, who were surrounding the two princesses, also seemed tense.

“Good work, both of you.”

And—just as the round of greetings finally settled down and things calmed, Grace smiled wryly.

“Can we finally settle down and eat some food?”

I also returned a wry smile.

Since Kennel had been preparing for several days, the well-stewed dishes were exquisite. The meat seemed to melt the moment it entered your mouth.

“Delicious.”

Sheila said while bringing stew to her mouth. It seemed the performance team would take turns eating, starting with Sheila.

“The town was like a huge festival.”

“Yes. I could see it from the Sirius too, but it was quite lively.”

I nodded at Ashley’s words. It was like a drink and sing revelry. Everyone was dressed up, dancing and singing in the streets. Ever since we arrived on the Sirius, our efforts to liven things up with the show seem to have paid off.

“By the way, I’ve issued notices for the adventurers to gather at the Guild and drink there. Even if they get drunk, the likelihood of trouble occurring with the residents should be low.”

Beryne said with a smile. Indeed, I saw adventurers raising mugs filled with ale in front of the Adventurer Guild, toasting.

As always, Beryne is flawless, you could say. It’s probably consideration tailored to the Barony of Silun.

“Speaking of which… is that Evil Weed the Harvesta-kun you mentioned?”

Noticing Harvesta placed on the window frame behind me, Beryne asked. She probably heard some of the circumstances from Kennel.

“That’s right. Ashley grew it with Water Magic from when it was a seed.”

“So the monster’s properties are determined by the environmental magical power during its childhood. Of course, there are differences depending on the species, and there are inherently violent species too.”

Beryne nodded at Claudia’s words.

“…That story is quite interesting.”

For the Adventurer Guild, if it’s a story related to monster properties, they probably can’t let it pass.

Hmm. If we’re going to talk about Harvesta, it might be better to mention it before everyone gets too deep into their drinks. I’ll also call Father and Malcolm and discuss it with them.

“—So, this is the pumpkin in question.”

When I brought the Monster Pumpkin into the great hall using Levitation, cheers of “Oh!” rose up. Between Harvesta being held quietly by Ashley and the giant pumpkin, they were quite eye-catching. They might be excellent at livening up the banquet.

Since the baron’s retainers are entrusted with managing villages throughout the territory, well, it’s probably appropriate to talk about it in this place.

“Even though it grew that big, doesn’t the taste worsen?”

“I cooked and ate it, and it was sweet and delicious.”

“I’ve also been planting the Evil Weeds I received along with crops behind the mansion, and they’ve grown quite large too.”

Said Kennel. It seems the Evil Weed farming method is progressing smoothly at Ashley’s mansion as well.

“Since we have the opportunity, shall we cook this pumpkin here and serve it?”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Then, shall we cut it up?”

“Shall I do it? If you keep it floating with Levitation, I can cut it up.”

Rosemary asked. …Hmm. It would probably look better than my Water Magic cutting. I’ll leave this to Rosemary.

When I nodded, a Magic Circle expanded at the tip of Rosemary’s feather fan. Then, as she flashed the feather fan two or three times, the Monster Pumpkin was severed by Magic Thread.

“Today is a celebration, so we have to liven things up.”

Rosemary hid her mouth with her feather fan and laughed quietly. The servants collected the floating pumpkin pieces and carried them to the kitchen. The guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, which was most important.

“As for future challenges… I want to investigate whether the soil’s strength will be depleted when planting the next crop after producing such large crops. What happens when Evil Weeds go through generational changes. And then… other crops… particularly what happens when used with wheat.”

“Hmm. A truly interesting story.”

“Indeed. Wheat probably won’t grow larger, but if it helps crop growth, the harvest might stabilize.”

For Father and Malcolm, of course, and for the barony’s retainers too, this isn’t someone else’s problem. They were nodding with serious expressions.

“If small crops grow larger, that alone would reduce suffering from hunger. If there’s surplus, livestock would fatten too. There still seem to be things to investigate… This might be a tremendous discovery.”

Father was groaning with a serious expression. Does that mean we can expect increased production of livestock products as a secondary effect? That’s certainly true. Dairy cows would produce more, and farm horses would have more strength.

“So… I’d like to recruit farmers to experimentally plant the nature-changed Evil Weeds and grow wheat. If continuous cropping issues arise, I’ll restore the land’s fertility with Water Magic and Earth Magic, and even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll provide compensation for cooperating with the experiment. It’s also something His Majesty Melvin is supporting.”

“A wonderful story. There are people interested in this topic, so I’ll convey what you just said to them too. They’re scheduled to visit the mansion tomorrow.”

It seems Kennel has been properly laying the groundwork. With Kennel’s selection, there probably won’t be any mistakes.

“But if that’s the case… I feel calling them Evil Weeds etc. is somewhat inappropriate.”

“Hmm. If their nature has changed, shouldn’t we change the name too? Harvesta was the name Ashley-sama gave to the individual, right?”

The barony’s retainers exchanged words. Then their gazes gathered on me.

…Hmm. Renaming Evil Weeds.

“…How about Noble Leaf? I get the feeling they see us more as partners than protectors.”

Considering the nature of wild Evil Weeds, it might be because of their solitary nature. Helping the growth of surrounding plants might also fit the word ‘noble.’

This story about Harvesta and Evil Weeds—now Noble Leaf—is also positive news for the Barony of Silun. Among the banquet attendees, happy smiles were noticeably prominent.