โItโs the rain of the spirits.โ
So said Kuro, muttering as she looked up at the sky.
Though there were clouds above, they didnโt seem like rain clouds, and the sun was shining. It was what youโd call a sunshower.
โRain, rain! Itโs starting to fall!โ
โWe canโt waste any time!โ
โExcuse us!โ
The villagers all bowed deeply to us in unison and then, leaving one person behind, they hurriedly ran off.
It seemed there was some work they needed to do while it was raining.
The villagers who ran off looked genuinely delighted.
โWeโre so glad itโs raining!โ
โTruly, thank you so much!โ
The one villager who stayed behind knelt in the rain and bowed to us, pressing their forehead to the ground.
โTo our villageโs harvest, rain is something truly special. My lady, thank you for this rain.โ
โLuria didnโt make it rain, you know?โ
โโฆEven so, thank you.โ
The villager simply repeated their gratitude over and over.
โRaise your head. Didnโt I tell you earlier?โ
โThis is merely to show my respect for the Grand Dukeโs household.โ
Even as they said this, the villager did not lift their head.
โThis rain will save not only the people of the village but also my wife, children, and grandchildren. Thank you so much.โ
To this, my mother spoke kindly.
โThereโs no need for you to worry about anything. Leave the matter of the deputy official and the water rights entirely to the Grand Duke.โ
โThank you very much.โ
โโฆHowever, let me repeat this one more time. You must not speak of my daughter to anyone, understood?โ
There was a certain weight to my motherโs words.
โY-yes, maโam. I will engrave it in my heart. We will simply say that the Grand Duke arranged for the canal to be opened.โ
โThat will be fine. โฆIโll leave the rest to you. Luria, letโs go home.โ
My mother entrusted the follow-up to the leader of the attendants and began walking.
I, along with my maid, hurried after her.
On the way back to the villa, as the rain fell upon us, I asked my mother,
โWhatโs going to happen next?โ
โWell, that depends on the investigation, but the deputy official wonโt be forgiven, Iโd imagine.โ
โI see.โ
โMost likely, heโll be stripped of his position and sentenced to several years of hard laborโten at least. But itโs up to Graf to decide.โ
Since this was the Grand Dukeโs territory, my father held judicial authority here.
โWhat about the taxes?โ
โThe taxesโฆ Well, that depends on whether the farming can catch up in time. Even if it does, we might still reduce them.โ
โEven if they catch up, youโll lower them?โ
โYes. Luria, Sara, remember this. The deputy official acts as the proxy of the lord.โ
โOkay.โ
โYes.โ
โSo, the deputyโs crimes are ultimately the responsibility of the lord.โ
It was probably to make up for the trouble caused by the deputy official that the taxes would be reduced.
โBaa~?โ
Perhaps intrigued by the conversation, a goat let out a bleat.
Goats, cows, and even boars were following us as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
While Carro and Koruko remained as calm as ever, Dau was playing around with the goats. It seemed happy to be able to play with creatures much larger than itself.
โHm? Has something changed about the lake?โ
โTo me, it doesnโt look like anythingโs changed,โ my mother replied.
While we were walking, I glanced at the lake and felt something odd.
โIt could be because the spirits have returned.โ
โAh, that makes sense.โ
When we arrived at the lakeside villa, I had sensed that the spirits were few in number. Now that the effects of the sorcery circuits had dissipated, perhaps the lakeโs atmosphere had changed.
โBut I feel like itโs not just that.โ
I could sense an increase in the presence of spirits. At the same time, there was something oppressive in the air.
โHmmmโฆโ
As I stared at the lake, lost in thought, my mother stroked a goat walking nearby and said,
โโฆMore importantly, Luria, what are these goats?โ
โBaa~!โ
โUm, theyโre animals that were in the nearby forest.โ
โI seeโฆ I didnโt realize there were animals this large in the forestโฆโ
โMoo.โ
โTheyโve been watching us since we left the villa, you know?โ
โI didnโt notice.โ
โMoooo~.โ
In the end, the goats followed us all the way to the villa.
โThanks for everything today, everyone!โ
โBaa~!โ โMoo.โ โSnort-snort.โ
I petted the goats enthusiastically.
After a while, they seemed satisfied and returned to the forest.
When they left, my mother looked genuinely relieved.
โIโm glad you didnโt decide to keep them.โ
โI kind of want to, though.โ
โNo, you canโt. Theyโre too big.โ
โAlrightโฆโ
After returning to the villa, Sara and I took a bath, ate dinner, and spent the rest of the evening peacefully.