Volume 12 Chapter 4 Channing Village Part Iii
After defeating the Hidden Badger, everyone got busy butchering it and having a great time. Since there were no butchering experts in Channing Village, they had to do everything themselves. The catch was too big to transport without butchering it first, but luckily, a river was nearby. Lippi quickly ran back to the village for a cart.
Using Al's 'Thermos' spell to keep things cool, they started the bloodletting and carefully skinned the animal. They cut open the belly without damaging the organs, keeping the anus closed to avoid a mess. They also had to carefully remove the gallbladder, which was valuable as a medicine ingredient.
With everyone, including Al's father, Lord Nelson, helping out, they managed to cut the meat into chunks small enough to transport with the cart and the 'Carrier' spell before it got dark.
Channing Village isn't very big. When the cart piled high with meat came through, people gathered around. They were curious about what they had hunted. Most of them were familiar faces to Al.
"I'm back!"
Al called out to the crowd.
"Sir Al, you're back!"
"Yeah. I just arrived this afternoon. I was supposed to come with Orson, but I got delayed because of something that came up."
The surprised voice belonged to Mia, the Channing family's housekeeper, who had taken care of Al since he was little. She was also the mother of Neville, the knight who helped during the Hidden Badger hunt, and she was one of the people affected when Al was attacked by goblins.
"Ah, are you talking about Orson, the adventurer who recently came to the village? Sir Nelson said he could stay in the empty house, but he's a friend of Sir Al, huh?"
"Yeah, that's right. He really helped me out in the border city of Lester. Be nice to him, okay?"
As Al said this, he started organizing the distribution of some meat from the hidden badger to the villagers with Neville and Mary. Mia quickly joined in the work.
The hidden badger was taken down by Lord Nelson's family, his knights, and the guest Orson, and it was a big catch. They needed to process the meat into sausages, salted meat, and smoked meat before it spoiled, and they also had to tan the hide. This required a lot of hands.
Giving out the meat was like a pre-payment for the villagers' help with the processing. The villagers understood this, so they didn't hold back.
This time, with Al's 'Thermos' spell and not being in the middle of summer, they had some leeway, but in the poor village of Channing, helping each other was the norm, especially when big game was caught.
"Thanks for your help tomorrow."
"Yeah, I got it. I'll come by just before sunrise. Sir Al has grown a lot since I last saw him."
Al smiled and nodded at the familiar response. As they chatted, the sun began to set.
* * *
After a lively dinner, Al visited his father Nelson's study.
"Thanks for coming back at a good time today, Alfred."
"That's great. I'm glad Mr. Orson helped too. Neville seemed happy saying there was a lot to study."
'Al's father, mother, nice to meet you.'
Nelson sat in an armchair next to his mother, Pamela, who had her red hair tied up like Mary and looked relaxed. Glee greeted them in a voice only Al could hear. It was hard to explain her, so they agreed to talk about it later. First, they needed to explain Patricia. Al sat down in a chair facing them.
"Yeah, it was just right. The villagers probably remember that I'm back now."
At Al's words, Nelson frowned a bit.
"Is something complicated going on?"
Al tilted his head slightly and gave a wry smile, closing one eye.
"No, I left Patricia in a secret place, so I think it's fine."
Nelson let out a big sigh of relief.
"Since it's you, Alfred, I believe you're not doing anything bad, but the letter only said you want to help a girl named Patricia and that you're trying to disguise yourself by having the adventurer Orson and the courier Lippi bring things here. Can you tell me more about it?"
"Right. Didn't you bring that girl Patricia today?"
As expected, the conversation turned to Patricia. Of course, they were curious. Al smiled brightly.
"Actually, Patricia is a princess from the neighboring Tempest Kingdom."
Nelson made a loud noise as he got up from the armchair. Pamela also opened her mouth, frozen with wide eyes.
"W-why did it turn out like this?"
"Well, um... how should I put it? At first, I met her by chance at a hot spring in Clarence Village, west of Outis while working as an adventurer..."
Al explained how he grew close to Patricia while escorting her to her aunt, Viscountess Tara. He shared that a magician from the Tempest Kingdom almost killed her and how they escaped together from the border city of Lester. To cover their tracks, they had Orson and Lippi help them come to this village. He also mentioned that the Tempest Kingdom had killed her parents and uncle, and she wanted to hide because the nobles were using her against her will.
"It's like a bard's tale! Alfred wants to help the princess of the neighboring kingdom, huh? That's amazing! Father, I found the story about the Battle of Gladys Plains interesting, but now it's Alfred's turn..."
Nelson nodded, impressed, looking lightly into the air. Al thought to himself that it was typical of his father to remain calm. He showed no doubt about what Al said or its correctness.
"I understand the situation. It sounds unbelievable, but Alfred is already 15. You should follow the path you think is right. Of course, if you run into trouble, you can rely on me. My sword skills aren't that great, but I've been protecting this land with everyone's help."
With that, Nelson smiled and puffed out his chest a little.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Once the issues with Princess Patricia and the Tempest Kingdom settle down, bring her here. I may not have much, but I'll do my best to treat her."
"Thanks, Mom."
Al stood up from his chair and hugged his parents tightly.
"Thinking about bringing Princess Patricia, it's better not to reveal too much about her status to everyone. I won't tell Jasper and the others until we know what will happen. So, Alfred, what are you going to do now?"
"Well, after I deal with the Hidden Badger, I plan to head to Border City Parker. I have a friend there, and I want to hear more about the situation in the Tempest Kingdom. After that, I might return to Lester."
"I see. Make sure to come back here sometimes. You promised Mary, too."
He had brought back a cute dress for Mary, but she complained that it wasn't suitable for running around in the mountains. She asked for good leather armor, boots, or a bow next time.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll try to visit as much as I can."
Now that he could use the 'Fly' spell, the distance didn't seem so far. He nodded, thinking he would visit again.
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