“U-Um... That is all. This concludes the opening ceremony!” Paul boldly brought the proceedings to a forceful end.
I returned to Lord Nazel in low spirits.
“You were simply adorable,” he said with flushed cheeks. His strange words of encouragement didn’t bring me any comfort at all.
Next up, the men’s division for those aged ten or older began. The participants split into groups and took turns throwing taros. They were all giving it their best. And then, the lanky Mister Henry went out.
Will Mister Henry be okay?! And hold on, he’s participating?! It seemed that he was taking part as the representative of the fortress in Lord Nazel’s place. The taro he threw was predictably unsteady, but he got surprisingly good results.
“He’s currently in second place!” Paul and Ryuk in the commentator seats were also excited.
Mrs. Holly and their sons, who’d come to cheer on Mister Henry, were delighted. Incidentally, a veteran maid and Liliane were watching Solis at home today. Although Liliane had returned as a handmaiden, it seemed that she was still reluctant to appear in front of a large crowd. Her wedding had also been a small one attended by only a few acquaintances from Sutrena. In any case, that was how Mister Henry’s entire family was in the audience.
“The next group is the last one in the men’s division.”
Cheers erupted from the audience. Torre, the crowd favorite, appeared. He rotated his arms as warm-up and readied his taro, then...
“And he threw it!”
Torre’s taro flew forward at incredible speed. His control was also great.
“As expected of Mister Torre! It’s a new record! He jumps up to first place just like that!” Paul’s commentary was passionate along with more cheers from the audience. “Torre is the victor of the men’s division!” The audience gave a grand applause.
Next up was the women’s division. The participants took turns throwing their taros with fluid movements. Furla was considered the crowd favorite, but since this contest didn’t allow her to use her magic that made objects float, her record wasn’t that impressive. I could hear her screaming in frustration even from a distance. Mrs. Holly joined the contest without me even realizing, and I was surprised to see that she achieved a relatively good result. And perhaps because she was used to handling tubers, our chef Mather also did great.
“Time for the next group!”
Lord Nazel and I looked toward the next participant. Lo and behold, it was Kelly’s turn.
“Do your best, Kelly!”
She readied her taro with a serious expression, then threw it straight ahead with perfect form. It was a good ball, er, taro throw.
“Miss Kellyyy!”
“You’re incredible! Magnificent!”
“It flew really far!”
“You’re so dashing!”
“You’re the best!”
Paul and Ryuk shouted in turns. Their commentary had a lot of their personal feelings mixed in and showed blatant favoritism.
Kelly, the dark horse, jumped up to first place and subsequently held on to her position and came out the winner. By the way, Mrs. Holly and Mister Henry’s eldest son won the children’s division. I was surprised that so many people I knew had won. Each winner received a trophy modeled after a taro, as well as a small amount of prize money.
And so, the taro-throwing contest came to an end with great success. I saw the sculptors discussing a “Statue of the Margravine Throwing a Taro in the Wrong Direction,” which had me really worried... I felt sure Lord Nazel would give permission for its construction... At the moment, there were margravine statues all over the central town of Sutrena, and although I’d shuddered at the sight at first, I’d gotten used to them by now.
“Now then, Agnes, I need to take care of various things after the contest,” Lord Nazel said.
“I’ll help!”
“No, it’s mainly manual labor like putting back all of the equipment, so I’ll be having the male fortress staff take care of it.”
It seemed that I wouldn’t be of much use. I was wondering whether I should go home, when Lord Nazel said that he’d come up with a good idea and smiled meaningfully. At times like this, he was usually thinking of something worthless. That was what my past experience and intuition were telling me.
“I want you to be by my side while I give out orders,” he said.
“Can you really call that help?”
“Of course. My motivation and efficiency will shoot right up. Also, please tell me if you notice anything from your perspective.”
“But...” I looked around me wondering if this was okay, but the staff welcomed me with open arms, saying that Lord Nazel was really kind when I was there. But as far as I know, Lord Nazel is always kind. As I carefully observed his face, he noticed my gaze and I made eye contact with his amber eyes.
“You’ll make me blush if you stare at me like that. I suppose I should have you make up for it and do a bit of work,” he said and hugged me from behind. He still gave his subordinates precise instructions while doing that.
“Um...does this really count as work?”
“Of course. I feel really soothed right now.”
Lord Nazel’s behavior had been getting more and more extreme lately. However, not only was no one stopping it, but it was officially recognized and even welcomed at this point. The staff members passing by thanked me and gave me a thumbs-up before leaving. Lord Nazel didn’t let go of me the entire time.
“Gosh, Lord Nazel. Will you please stop— Eep?!” As I turned around while still in his arms, I saw Lord Nazel’s handsome face right in front of me. And it seemed that he was slowly getting closer. “Mnh...” By the time I realized, he had already snatched a kiss.
I-In this kind of place? I was worried that we were standing out, but it seemed that the staff continued working while avoiding looking at us. Apparently, anything went if it increased Lord Nazel’s efficiency.
After that, until all of the work settled down, I spent my time glued to Lord Nazel as he dealt with the cleaning up.