The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 48

“Herbs! I found one!”

Already? Taran came running with a bright smile on his face. He did well to dig it up without damage, but unfortunately, it was a miss.

“You dug it up well. But this isn’t it.”

“Huh? Isn’t this Dwean?”

“What kind of herb was Dwean again?”

“The leaves and roots are toxic when used separately, but when boiled together, they cancel out each other’s toxicity and produce a pain-relieving effect. Oh, and the toxicity isn’t strong, so it causes diarrhea with abdominal pain. It heals in a day or two without needing an antidote.”

“That’s right. But this one has one more leaf than that.”

“Eh? Then what is this?”

I leaned towards the flower in Taran’s hand. As I tucked my flowing hair behind my ear, I enjoyed the flower’s scent.

“It’s just a fragrant flower. It grows in the same environment, so it’s easy to confuse.”

I used to confuse them quite often too, and got scolded by my teacher for picking the wrong ones. I vaguely remembered Luwen fidgeting beside me, trying to comfort me when I felt dejected.

Did he give me candy he had stashed in his pocket to comfort me then? I hated sweets, but that candy was tolerable. It did make me feel better.

“…No, ah, young master, really…”

Taran stepped back hesitantly, his face turning red.

“Hm?”

“W-why are you smiling like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re going to melt… No, nevermind. Anyway, this isn’t it, right?”

Taran flung the flower away and wiped his hands on his clothes.

What’s with that reaction? It’s just a flower. Someone might think he had caught a bug or something.

“I’ll go get it again. Five leaves!”

Taran quickly disappeared as if being chased by someone. Not understanding what had happened, I followed his retreating figure with my eyes for a moment before shifting my gaze.

Luwen seemed to have found a tree he liked and was chopping at it with an axe. It looked like a proper stance to me, but it must have seemed quite clumsy to the Kans who had followed Luwen. One of them approached first, took the axe, and demonstrated.

Luwen, who had been observing with a serious face, took the axe back and started chopping the tree again. This time, the Kans gave him a thumbs up.

As expected, Luwen is a genius. How did he get a thumbs up after just a brief demonstration?

As I watched contentedly, the wind direction in the field changed. As I brushed my nape, feeling itchy, a sour smell mixed with the flower scent tickled my nose.

‘Ah, this is the scent of Odrif.’

Luwen must have stepped on it while looking at trees. The scent becomes stronger when the stem is broken. It’s a pity there are no roses, but I thought I might pick some flowers as a substitute.

While moving to the field and finding flowers I liked by smelling their fragrance, suddenly a loud noise was heard.

Boom!

Startled, the flower I was fiddling with crumpled in my hand. Naturally, my hand was stained with flower juice.

“That startled me…”

It was the sound of the tree Luwen had been chopping falling down.

I knew there would be a loud noise, but was I too focused? I got startled for nothing.

“Young master!”

Luwen’s proud voice followed. I broke off the crushed flower in my hand, picked up a small pebble, and headed towards Luwen. On the way, I didn’t forget to pick some Odrif stems that the boy had stepped on, releasing their scent.

“I cut it down!”

“Well done. Do you like this one?”

“Yes!”

“Can you guys move it for me?”

I spoke to the Kans, who looked at each other with troubled faces.

“It’s not like I’m going to run away, and there’s nothing dangerous around. Trim it well and bring it to my tent. I’ll pay you for the errand.”

“Meat?”

“Meat!”

The two shouted in unison. Yes, the meat you like.

“If that’s what you want, that’s fine.”

“Meat is good. So we just need to cut this and move it, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t go anywhere until we come back. If the boss finds out…”

The Kans on the left drew his thumb across his throat. A playful smile hung on his lips.

“Understood.”

“Great! Then shall we get to work?”

I like how straightforward they are. The two rolled up their sleeves.

I watched them work for a moment, then turned to return to the original tree shade. Luwen, with a sullen face, quickly stood beside me.

“I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“That they don’t respect you, young master.”

Ah. It’s because they spoke informally to me.

“There’s no ill will. They just don’t know better.”

“You could teach them.”

“It doesn’t matter since we won’t see them again once we return to the mansion.”

We might meet once more, but that’s something I can’t explain to Luwen.

“More importantly, Luwen, look at this. You stepped on some Odrif stems.”

As I showed my palm and spoke, Luwen replied with an embarrassed smile.

“I was so focused on the trees that I didn’t see and stepped on them. Do you need them? Should I look for more?”

“This is enough.”

I placed the Odrif stems and flower petals on a suitable rock and ground them together with the pebble I had picked up. As the petals and stems clumped together, the sour smell faded, and instead, a strong flower fragrance wafted. It was a powerful scent as if we were surrounded by a field of flowers.

However, it didn’t last long. Soon, it dispersed with a small breeze, leaving only a faint fragrance. This is enough, but it would be nice if we could enjoy it a bit longer.

“Doesn’t it smell nice?”

“The sour smell is gone!”

Luwen’s eyes sparkled with fascination.

Then, I rubbed the finely ground, dark green clump on my wrist and neck. A faint expectation appeared in Luwen’s expression as he watched my actions.

“Do you want to try too? If you pick some flowers, I’ll do it for you.”

“I want the same as you, young master.”

Luwen grinned and leaned his head towards me. He obviously thought I would apply it for him. Of course, I will.

“Pfft! It tickles!”

After applying the ground stems to Luwen’s wrist and rubbing them on his neck, the boy giggled. His bright smile was refreshing enough to blow away all worries and concerns.

“All done.”

“Do I smell good too?”

Luwen tilted his head to one side and came very close. It seemed like he wanted me to smell, so I was about to bring my face closer when suddenly my waist was tightly grabbed, and I was pulled backward.

“What are you doing?”

In an instant, Luwen’s expression turned hostile. Then, he pushed Taran’s shoulder with a rough hand, the one who had grabbed me, while gripping my arm with his other hand.

“No, even if there’s no one around, how could you! In a place like this, ki- ki- no, no, po- ah! I’m a person too, you know!”

“What nonsense. Take your hands off the young master right now.”

Luwen seemed confused, but I realized what Taran had misunderstood. Certainly, depending on the angle, it could have looked that way, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Even so, there’s no way I would do such a thing with a child. I wonder how Taran sees me.

“Taran, you’re misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding! I saw it clearly with my own two eyes!”

“What is it? Why am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

After I explained the situation, Taran’s ears gradually turned bright red, and he eventually buried his face in his hands. His trembling shoulders indicated the extent of his embarrassment.

It would be better to pretend not to notice. Luwen, who belatedly understood the situation from my explanation and Taran’s reaction, pulled me away from Taran and said,

“To think such thoughts.”

“You little…!”

Taran jerked his head up and glared at Luwen. Then, seeing us close together, he made a pitiful face and shouted,

“No, but I feel wronged! I don’t think this is just my problem! You two are too close!”

“It’s because I’ve raised him since he was young.”

“Even so, that’s too much!”

“Don’t shout at the young master. Your ignorance makes you rude.”

“What? Ignorant? What’s so great about you? You’re just a servant!”

I can brush off all criticisms directed at me without a care. But Luwen was different. I got angry at the comment that crossed the line, treating the boy as a mere servant.

“Taran. Luwen is not a servant.”

At my chilly voice, Taran opened and closed his mouth before shutting it tightly. Unlike his confident demeanor just moments ago, Taran’s voice trembled as he suddenly became dejected.

“…I’m sorry. Are you angry?”

“A little.”

Taran lowered his head and fidgeted with his fingers.

‘He might cry at this rate.’

Come to think of it, Luwen did provoke him first. But as the saying goes, “blood is thicker than water,” and I couldn’t help feeling partial. I’m not an altruistic person after all.

But I don’t like seeing others cry, and if he doesn’t want to be scolded by me again, he probably won’t say hurtful things to Luwen anymore, so I guess we can stop here.