"Subaru, that was an excellent reaction just now."
Rem had quietly appeared beside Natsuki Subaru at some point, a hint of admiration flashing in her azure eyes.
"After all, I couldn't just stand by and watch such a cute kid fall, right?"
Natsuki Subaru scratched his head and smiled, not thinking it was anything remarkable.
"Maid-neechan." Petra immediately bowed respectfully to Rem, then turned enthusiastically to Natsuki Subaru.
"Big Brother Subaru, would you like to try an Appa? These are freshly picked from my family's orchard, they're very sweet."
"No, it's alright..." Natsuki Subaru subconsciously waved his hand, declining.
"Take it, Big Brother Subaru."
Petra, without taking no for an answer, stuffed the largest and reddest Appa into Natsuki Subaru's hand, her little face full of expectation.
"This..."
Natsuki Subaru looked down at the red fruit in his hand, which resembled an apple, and smiled somewhat helplessly.
Petra, this child, is really enthusiastic.
"Since it's Petra's kind gesture, Subaru, you should accept it." Rem spoke up from the side. "Besides, as Lord Roswaal's servant, proper conduct is also important."
"Alright then." Natsuki Subaru nodded in agreement.
"Then I'll be going now, goodbye, Big Brother Subaru, Maid-neechan."
With that, Petra, hugging the fruit basket, skipped away, gradually disappearing at the end of the village road.
Watching Petra's small departing figure, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but smile:
"What a lively child."
...
After this brief interlude.
Next, Natsuki Subaru and Rem continued to purchase daily ingredients in the village.
Although the task of purchasing ingredients wasn't urgent, Rem still maintained an efficient work pace.
Natsuki Subaru, on the other hand, took the opportunity to familiarize himself with the situation in this otherworldy small village.
There weren't many ingredient shops in the village, only a few, mainly selling fruits, vegetables, and basic seasonings.
After all, it was a small village, and the variety of goods was limited.
However, what surprised Natsuki Subaru was that no matter which shop they went to, the villagers were exceptionally enthusiastic towards them.
So this is the treatment for a nobleman's servant, huh.
The gap between commoners and nobles is quite obvious in this world.
"This feeling of being treated like a celebrity is quite nice, people greet you wherever you go, it's almost like being a star."
Natsuki Subaru, holding the freshly bought ingredients in front of his chest, said half-jokingly to Rem.
"Although I don't understand what Subaru means by 'star', please don't get carried away." Rem handed a bag of potato-like ingredients to Natsuki Subaru. "Hold this."
"Rem, do you usually carry this much by yourself?"
Natsuki Subaru took the bag, feeling its weight, and asked with some surprise.
"This is very easy for Rem." Rem said, preparing to pick up another, clearly heavier bag of ingredients. "If Subaru can't carry it, you can take less."
"No need, I can handle all of it by myself."
Natsuki Subaru immediately adjusted his posture, and with the support of his 18 points in strength, steadily held all the ingredients in his arms.
Remembering Natsuki Subaru's earlier kind act of helping Petra, coupled with his current thoughtfulness in actively sharing the heavy load, Rem's favorable impression of him increased by several points. She slightly turned her face, the corners of her mouth inadvertently lifting into an almost imperceptible arc:
"Be careful, if you damage the ingredients, it will be deducted from your salary."
"Er..."
This faint smile momentarily stunned Natsuki Subaru.
Although he had seen Rem smile a few times, this was the first time he had seen such a clear and natural smile.
He didn't know what had opened her heart, but Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but blurt out:
"That sweet smile really suits you, Rem."
"Idiot... you should worry about the things in your own hands first."
Rem immediately turned her head away, her expression returning to its usual calmness.
But from an angle Natsuki Subaru couldn't see, her cheeks quietly flushed a little.
"Could Rem be... shy? Probably not, right."
Natsuki Subaru silently guessed in his heart.
After a while of shopping.
Seeing the ingredients piling higher and higher in Natsuki Subaru's arms, Rem pointed to an empty space under the shade of a tree by the roadside:
"Subaru, it's inconvenient for you to carry so much. Wait for me here for a moment. I'll quickly buy the remaining few seasonings and special ingredients."
"Alright then, I'll wait for you here."
Natsuki Subaru obediently nodded.
Knowing he couldn't identify those unfamiliar ingredients, he understood that the best way he could help now was to be a good porter.
...
During Rem's absence.
"Big Brother Subaru!"
Petra, with the red bow on her head, and a group of her peers, swarmed over.
"That's him." A little girl with pigtails pointed at Natsuki Subaru, jumping excitedly. "It was always Maid-neechan who came to buy things before, now we finally have a Manservant-san."
"Wow, his hair is really black." Another boy wearing a straw hat exclaimed in surprise. "It's like the night sky."
Hey, hey, is this going to be a fan meeting?
Natsuki Subaru complained inwardly, but seeing the children's sparkling eyes, he couldn't help but straighten his back.
"Are you the new servant from the Lord's house?" A round-faced little fatty strained on his tiptoes, peering at Natsuki Subaru as if looking at a rare animal.
"Petra said you caught her and a whole basket of fruit just now?"
Ha, someone finally noticed my heroic deed, even if it's just a bunch of kids.
Natsuki Subaru inwardly gave himself a thumbs-up, but on the surface, he feigned a profound look, cleared his throat, and deliberately raised his arm, striking a muscle-flexing pose:
"Of course, I'm a warrior who has undergone long-term special training. This little thing is nothing."
"Really?" A red-haired little girl with twin ponytails squeezed to the front, her eyes shining brightly,
"Then, Big Brother, can you perform... like the bards say, defeating an earth dragon barehanded?"
"Ahem..."
Natsuki Subaru almost choked on his own saliva.
Hey, hey, are kids these days so hard to deal with?
Asking for such a high-difficulty performance right off the bat.
Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru spouted nonsense with a straight face:
"Well... the earth dragon took a day off today, maybe some other time."
"Aww—"
The children immediately let out disappointed hisses.
"However..." Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru squatted down, and mysteriously lowered his voice, "I can teach you a super powerful ultimate move..."
"Really?" The little fatty's face turned red with excitement.
"Watch carefully." Natsuki Subaru suddenly pulled a very exaggerated funny face at the group of children. "The ultimate... art of making funny faces!"
"Ah! So scary... hehe..."
The children screamed and backed away, but then immediately giggled.
"You're too weak, Manservant-san..." The little fatty, unconvinced, made a funny face back at Natsuki Subaru. "Look at mine..."
What a bunch of innocent little rascals.
Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but chuckle watching the children horse around, but his gaze inadvertently swept past the outskirts of the crowd.
A blue-haired girl with pigtails, holding a small gray dog, stood there quietly, out of sync with the surrounding cheerful atmosphere.
That child is...
___
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