Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Life and Rules

Led by Colt, a man with silver fox ears who is Tina’s grandfather, we were guided to Colt’s mansion.

His mansion has an interior design that somehow evokes a Japanese atmosphere.

Indeed, the culture here is different from that of the human town.

“This is the guest room. Please make yourself comfortable.”

It seems that sitting at a table and chairs is not the culture here, as Colt sits seiza-style on something like tatami. Chloe, the elf, is sitting next to him.

Following suit, Tina and I also take our seats.

The elf woman from earlier brought us tea. She’s probably a maid.

After waiting for everyone to settle down, Colt begins the discussion.

“First of all, Kurt, I want to express my gratitude for coming to the Spirit Village at the risk of your life, despite hearing that an illness is spreading.”

Colt bows his head.

I’m a little surprised.

I was prepared to be told to leave without even hearing me out, as I heard they were an exclusive race.

“Please raise your head. I still don’t know if I can cure you with my power.”

“Nevertheless, I want to express my gratitude for coming here at the risk of your life. And I’m also grateful for bringing my granddaughter here.”

Colt gazes at Tina.

His eyes are filled with affection.

Tina seems to notice it too, as she relaxes her guard slightly.

Tina speaks up.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tina. Um, are you, by any chance, my grandfather?”

“If you’re Kururina’s daughter, then you’re my granddaughter.”

“…Then, I am your granddaughter…”

“I see, Tina. I’m glad to meet you. You really resemble Kururina a lot.”

“I am also the daughter of my mother and father, who eloped. Do you not dislike that?”

Colt looks surprised.

Then, he smiled.

“Dislike Kururina’s daughter? I could never. I still love that girl. And I hold no ill feelings toward that man either. I may have some resentment for taking Kururina away, but I understand why she fell for him. He was a good man.”

“Then why did you banish us from the Spirit Village!?”

Tina’s voice rises in anger.

She’s confused. She should be the embodiment of evil, driving her parents away for despising humans, yet the man in front of her doesn’t seem to show such hostility.

“That’s because it’s the rule of this village. Humans are not allowed to live here. This village was created by those who were driven away or hunted by humans, seeking refuge. Many here harbor ill feelings toward humans. As the leader, I cannot break the rules.”

I understand that sentiment.

If rulers don’t uphold the rules, nobody will follow them.

“But in the end, you couldn’t forgive my father…”

Colt shakes his head and adopts a more admonishing tone.

“It’s not about forgiveness or not. Kururina made her choice. Whether to live outside with humans or to live here separately from humans. Kururina chose to be with the one she loves, of her own free will, over staying in the village. I respected Kururina’s decision and even supported it. I believed it would lead to Kururina’s happiness. And I’ve told her she can always come back.”

Colt calmly delivered his words.

It sounds harsh, but it’s reasonable.

“That’s… that’s…”

“Back then, both Kururina and I had already accepted that conclusion. Perhaps, if we had tried to live together with humans in this village, both Kururina and the villagers would have ended up making each other unhappy by forcing themselves to accommodate each other.”

Tina falls silent.

Even though she may understand it intellectually, her heart may not accept it.

Colt seems to be about to ask Tina a question.

“I want to ask you something. Is Kururina doing well?”

“My mother passed away from a rampant illness, together with my father.”

“I see… If her life after leaving the village was happy, then that’s a relief.”

“That’s true.”

Colt briefly hides his eyes.

A single tear falls. But, a few seconds later, he releases his hand, and his expression seems calm.

“Tina, is everything okay for you since Kururina’s passing?”

“I’m fine. Kurt-sama has been taking care of me.”

As Tina says this, Colt looks at me.

“I am both a doctor and a nobleman entrusted with a territory. I hired Tina as a servant when she lost her parents and was in dire straits. Now, she’s more than just a servant; she assists me.”

He must be concerned about his granddaughter’s well-being.

Tell the truth as it is.

“Kurt saved Tina. I’m grateful many times over. And Tina, if you wish, you can return to the Spirit Village… no, forget I said that.”

Colt stops himself midway through, as if he realized it was inappropriate to ask Tina to come back.

It’s not because he harbors ill feelings toward Tina.

Returning to this village where the disease is spreading wouldn’t bring happiness to Tina.

You can tell just by looking into his eyes.

A suffocating silence envelops the room for a while.

“I apologize for bringing up my personal matters. Shall we get to the main topic? Kurt, you’re here as a doctor to save the village, but… I’m sorry. Won’t you go back instead?”

I gasp.

I didn’t expect to be hit with those words at this moment.

“W-Wait, Uncle Colt! What are you saying?”

“Chloe, this is my decision as the leader. Stay silent.”

“But! Everyone might be saved if we just–”

“If you continue to make a fuss, please leave this place.”

Colt reprimands Chloe for causing a commotion.

This is getting messy.

“Is it because you don’t trust my abilities?”

“That’s not the issue here. The Spirit Village has decided to live without involving humans. That’s all there is to it. I appreciate Kurt coming, and we’ll reward his courage and kindness accordingly. But we won’t rely on human power.”

It’s a rule.

I understand that’s the way it is.

But…

“I don’t think that decision should be made by you alone.”

I find myself naturally voicing my dissent.

“I am the leader. It’s my duty to determine the village’s policies.”

“That’s certainly true. However, this is an emergency situation. Kururina was able to decide whether to leave the village with humans to find happiness or to stay alone in the village. Why not let the villagers make that choice?”

It’s a somewhat accusatory remark.

But, I don’t think those words are entirely wrong.

“Kurt, I want you to make it clear.”

“I understand that there’s a rule in the village not to rely on humans. However, I believe it’s necessary to ask the people suffering from the illness. Should they die without borrowing human power? Or should they break the rules to leave the village in exchange for being saved by human intervention?”

In extreme terms, it comes down to this.

Die or be banished for breaking the village’s rules.

Those who want to die can die. But there’s no reason to let those who can be saved die.

If it were me, I’d probably choose that path.

“What Kurt says makes sense. Even if they leave the village, what then? They’re likely to be ignorant of what lies outside the village.”

“I can take care of them on my territory. Fortunately, my territory still lacks manpower. And there’s a precedent with Tina. There’s a soil that can welcome more than just humans.”

“Humans are the ones who prey on us.”

“Do you think I’m that kind of human, looking at Tina?”

Tina tightly grasps my hem.

Her trust in me is probably evident to Colt as well.

“…You’re quite the smooth talker. But, you’re right. Indeed, there are those who want to live.”

Colt chuckles wryly, then looks straight into my eyes and speaks.

“What do you seek in return? Kurt probably doesn’t intend to work for free.”

He gets straight to the point. Well, that’s fine.

“I originally intended to ask for 10% of the Pinaru fruits and Papuru seeds harvested in this village every year if I could save the village.”

“Is that enough?”

With a puzzled expression, Colt asks.

“The Pinarul fruit I tasted thanks to Chloe was truly magnificent. It’s more than enough as compensation for healing the illness.”

“You’re quite generous. I thought humans were more greedy.”

“I’m plenty greedy. It’s absolutely necessary for my dream.”

As Chloe mentioned, in the prosperous Spirit Village, this wouldn’t even make a scratch.

With no trading partners, they would have no choice but to waste what they couldn’t consume.

However, to Arnoldt, even fruits to be discarded have the value of gems. With Pinaru fruits from here, he could undoubtedly make a fortune by exporting sweets.

“But the situation has changed. While it would have been fine for the entire village, if we’re providing individual relief, then Pinaru fruits, Papuru saplings, and the people expelled from this village coming to my territory. That’s the deal. I intend to have them grow fruit in my village.”

It will take time until the harvest, but future harvests and labor are not bad conditions for me.

“The reward itself is no problem. However, I can’t give an immediate answer about bringing people from the village. After all, this discussion is based on the premise that the disease can be cured. Let’s first confirm whether Kurt can handle it by examining actual patients. There are patients on the second floor.”

Colt stands up and gestures for us to follow.

He probably intends to take us to the patients.

“Tina, Chloe, I’ll leave you two here. It’s not good to unnecessarily increase the risk of infection by adding more people who might get sick.”

Meeting the patients increases the risk of infection.

It’s enough for me to expose myself to danger alone.

“No, I’m coming too. That person is my mom! We’ve always been together, so it’s only natural!”

“Understood. Chloe, you come too.”

With that, leaving Tina behind, the three of us headed downstairs to the patients.

I didn’t verbalize it, but I had a bad feeling.

If that feeling turned out to be true, then even if we took the measures we just discussed, this village would soon perish.

I stood up, praying that my intuition was wrong.