Eventually, we arrived at the skewer stall in question. They had a selection of different meats available, including pork, beef, and chicken. It reminded me a lot of the food stalls you’d see at festivals back in the other world.
“Sir, could I have two of your best skewers for myself and the young lady here?”
“Absolutely!” replied the vendor, “You’ve got quite the beauty with ya, eh? Here, I’ll give you a little discount.”
“Lord Weiss, I can pay for myself,” she whispered apologetically.
“Put your money away. This is thanks for always making me such delicious meals,” I said with a little bit of swagger.
That put a smile on her face. At the end of the day, she was always good to me, so I wanted to do something for her.
“Kew, kew!”
“You want some too, White?” I asked. “I mean, can you even eat meat? Aren’t rabbits supposed to be herbivores?” But White was doing his best to remind me he was there, so I ordered some for him as well.
It wasn’t long before the guy running the stall brought out some skewers with a delicious scent. I immediately took a bite, and my mouth was filled with the juices that poured out from the tender, umami-packed meat. I was a big fan of the upper-crust cuisine at the manor, but this was delicious in its own way. Plus, it had a fantasy vibe about it that was exciting for me.
“What do ya think, pal?” the vendor asked. “Good, right?”
“Yes, this is great!” I told him. “By the way, I heard the lord here was pretty corrupt, so I’m surprised to see the marketplace doing so well.”
Rosalia shot me a look that screamed, What are you doing? She was worried that the man’s response could hurt my feelings. I understood where her concern came from, but I’d made a promise to improve this territory, and that meant listening to the regular citizens.
The man wore a slight frown as he replied. “Hm, well… The previous lord’s son took over after he died, you see, and at first, it was pretty rough. He tried his hand at all sorts of enterprises and screwed up every time, leading to a busted economy. Then, one of his people brought some shifty guys into town and things got real unsafe. I remember complaining that we’d have been better off if his little sister, Firis, took over.”
I could see Rosalia stiffen up. I gently held her trembling hand in an attempt to let her know that I was all right.
“But he collapsed not too long ago, and it’s like he’s become a completely different person since then.” The man continued without noticing either of our reactions. “He arrested his guy that was causing trouble, and he even lowered taxes, so the economy has been recovering.”
“I see. He must be doing everything he can since he changed…”
“Yeah,” the vendor agreed. “Plus, there’s this noisy maid that works at his mansion who comes here skipping work sometimes, and according to her, the guy even took to the front lines with his soldiers to put down the mafia that was running amok in the city. She said he’s ‘amazing.’ Plus, I heard he’s planning to hold military exercises with House Bloody. Thanks to him, folks here can finally live in peace, which is why the marketplace looks like this now.”
I took a look around the area, gazing at the smiles on children’s faces and taking in the conversations the merchants and others were having.
My changes were making a real difference. I felt bad that all of Weiss’s hard work in the past wasn’t being recognized, but at least Rosalia and I knew. This was fine. I was a bit sad, but just as I made peace with that—
“Now that I think about it, he used to come into the city with his servants all the time when he was just a kid,” the guy behind the counter continued. “I remember him asking me, ‘What can I do to make life better for all of you?’ But after his father took Firis in, he stopped coming here…”
“Really?”
Weiss came into the city to listen to the voices of his future subjects? I couldn’t help but be surprised at this information that was nowhere to be found in the game.
“So, I guess it’s less like he’s been reborn, and more like he’s gone back to who he used to be,” the vendor concluded. “Really, when he first became the lord, I gotta admit that he did try his best. That’s why I’d be pleased as punch if you avoided calling him corrupt from here on out.”
“Oh, I understand. Thanks for letting me know,” I said, fighting back tears.
Man… There are people out there who see how hard you worked, Weiss.
“Master, use this to wipe your eyes,” Rosalia said, intentionally avoiding using my name, as she handed me a handkerchief. Was I just imagining things, or was she tearing up as well?
Of course she was. She believed in Weiss more than anyone else alive. His bad reputation was just as much a burden to her as it was to me. She might even be happier than I was that someone recognized his efforts.
“Thank you for the interesting information, kind sir.”
“Think nothin’ of it, and come again sometime!” He replied, “Actually, I feel like I’ve seen you around before…”
Before he could recognize us, I quickly settled the check and walked away from the stall, my steps much lighter than they’d been when I arrived.