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Chapter 77: Honey Village Rencia
ED: Lowe

“Because Arge-san was kidnapped! So I decided to chase”  (Kuzuha)
“Do you think it would be good if you get caught?”  (Arge)
“U~u….”

Although I’m saying it like that, Kuzuha-chan is also forgiven by the council. Akisame-san said that it’s okay… He’s a kind person.
It took a day to reach Rencia village with Akisame-san’s carriage. The members are Akisame-san, Habotan-san, Kuro-san, Kuzuha-chan, and me. Five people in total.

“Oni Banshu, you should stay at Sakuranomiya to maintain security and such.” (Akisame)
“I can’t let Akisame-sama go visit Rencia without an escort!” (Habotan)

Akisame-san descended from the carriage while talking with Habotan-san. Habotan-san was out from the beginning because she was in charge of escort.

I seemed to be counted as an escort but I wonder if it’s okay to get off the carriage after Akisame-san.[EDN: I don’t get this whole sentence…] I also got off the carriage.
It’s a small village. There are only ten houses in the visible range.
The flower garden spreads really far. I guess they’re for the bee farm’s honey. 
The wind carried the scent of sweet nectar.

“Hmm…” (breathing sfx)

It’s a nostalgic smell, even though it should be the first time I smelled this. There’s a sense of security as if I knew it from somewhere before.
While getting a strange feeling, Kuzuha-chan was standing next to me.
She sniffed the air. 

“It’s sweet, it’s a nice smell,”
“Yeah, It’s my and Satsuki-chan’s favorite honey. It has a nice smell today as well!”

Perhaps I can enjoy the smell as much as Kuzuha-chan and Kuro-san if I close my eyes. Well, I’ll let the two of the sensitive-to-smell-races enjoy and go out. Since I’m counted as an escort, it’d be better to stay close to Akisame-san. 

As I came close to his side, Akisame-san was smiling and looking around.

…He was smiling as he’s looking around.

His face was still smiling but his line of sight was moving.
Even though he took it lightly, he’s still a great master of the country. I can’t tell what he’s watching, but I can understand that he must be thinking of something.

“Did you need something, Arge-san?”
“No, it’s nothing.”

He suddenly talked to me and I lost it (was suprised).
I thought that he didn’t see me, but it seems that it wasn’t so.

“This is a peaceful place, isn’t it?” (Akisame)
“Ah? Yes, well, it may be.” (Arge)
“…?”

I felt something strange because Akisame-san reacted somewhat nonchalantly.
There’s an atmosphere that seems like he has been disappointed or something.
It seemed that it wasn’t pointed at me, but what would it be pointed at?

“It seems they came”

Before I can ask, Akisame-san muttered and moved his eyes. Following his line of sight, I could see a girl walking towards us.

A girl with black hair and clear golden eyes like flower honey.
While shaking the familiar Japanese-style clothes in the Republic, she slowly walked here.
Eventually, a few steps away from Akisame-san, she bowed. Her behavior was elegant, coupled with the flower garden background, she looked just like a flower fairy.

“Welcome, Akisame-sama” (Yōkoso irasshaimashita, Akisame-sama)
“Yup. You look pretty good, Renge-chan.” (Akisame)
“Geez, Akisame-sama never changes” (Renge)

The flow of conversation is friendly, so they seem to know each other.

“….” (Arge)
“…How have you been?” (Akisame)
“Ah, no. please don’t worry” (A, ie. Kinishinaide kudasai)

As I was watching this, when he called her Renge-chan, she quickly lowered her head to me. I wonder if it was due to mind?
Recently I often saw it in commercial guilds etc, so I may have been a little over sensitive. [EDN/Lowe: are you sure Arge-chan? it seems different to me.]

“Please, come this way”

Prompted, Akisame-san and Habotan-san walked after her.
Kuzuha-chan and Kuro-san also followed properly.

…With that big body, so quietly?

That’s surprising, Habotan-san’s movement. Two meters is a really tall height, but she’s walking without making a sound unlike everyone else. She should be prominent, but she isn’t conspicuous at all.
Oniwa Banshu. I don’t know the details, after all it is a secret system from the council. If she isn’t in sight, people might not even know that she is moving.

While admiring her, we moved and was eventually guided in front of one house. Because it’s a bit larger than the other houses, is it like the village head house?

“Otou-sama is waiting inside” (Otō-sama wa Chū de omachidesu) (Renge)
“Yup. I am saved. Uhm… May I ask Kuzuha-san and Kuro-san to guard outside? Their nose will be best suited for work.” (Akisame)
“Wafu, I understand!”
“I understand.”

After talking to the pair of sharp nose beastkins, Akisame-san entered the house ahead of the other.

…They are delicately anxious. (Arge means Kuzuha and Kuro) 

Certainly, their crisis awareness seems to be high, but it seems to me that there’s a different anxiousness between them. I wonder if they’ll be okay. (Arge mean Kuzuha and Kuro)
Nonetheless, since today I am the guardian of Akisame-san, he doesn’t bring any guard or attendant.
There is also my recovery magic if it comes to injuries, and as I have seen it, this is a peaceful village. I wonder if I don’t have to be on guard until that far.

We entered the house and were guided to the back. In the house, I saw a big table, with spots for six people lined up around it, along with a man with a thin, clean cut mustache already sitting there.

“Akisame-sama, welcome, please have a seat.” (Akisame-sama, yōkoso irasshaimashita. Dōzo) (‘Dōzo’ translate to ‘go ahead’ seem weird so I change to ‘please have a seat’)
“Yup. You seems fine and healthy, village mayor. I think that it would be better to lose weight a bit more.”

Build a light word to the extent that it can be understood as a joke, Akisame-san take a seat.
As a nominal escort, I remained standing like Habotan-san.

“You’ve come all the way from capital, please feel welcome”
“Well, it’s about a day in a carriage, and this year’s honey is more important than that.”
“Oh, as expected, you understand”
“I eat it every year. This year’s fragrance is particularly good”
“Since the climate is calm and the flowers bloom often this year …”

Although they’re talking, it was a bit boring as we’re standing.
It was a story of visiting, so it may be natural that it is quite hard, but as the story that is not interesting still continued, I feel sleepy … sleepy …

“…n nya”

Should not. I was completely dozed off for a moment.
The reason I wake up was the feeling in my right arm. Looking at the sideways, Habotan-san pinched my arm in a way that would not make any sound.

“Why?”
“Oh, no. Nothing. Please don’t worry”

Renge-san who didn’t enter the talk of adults and quietly turned a strange eye, I deviated from my role.
After that, I seemed to fall asleep on a regular basis and was repeatedly woken up by Habotan-san. I continued the security work. [EDN/Lowe: even after this far i still think her name sounds weird with ‘-san’]

“By the way, village mayor, there is some trouble in the village, right?”
“….As expected, Akisame-sama. You understand well. Actually this year, honey devourers are more active than usual, I’m in trouble”
“Un… I see, I see, If that’s the case, because we have came all the way here so let’s get rid of them, are both of you okay with that?”
“Of course, Akisame-sama”
“……, yes”

I’m half asleep, so my response was delayed.
Honey devourer? I don’t know what it is, but if Akisame-san says so, we have to get rid of it.
I feel troublesome. But now I am the one who has to attend Akisame-san’s visit. So it’s better if I listen to what he said.

“Well then, shall we start?”

Akisame-san sends me instructions with a smile.
Because I’ll get sleepy when i’m standing still, in some sense it might be better for me to do something. While thinking about such things, I nodded.

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