Emilia stroked Puck's fur as she held him in her arms and said softly, "Please take it to the dining room, Rem. Would Green and Subaru like to come too?"
Green shook his head, "No, Emilia. Subaru and I have already eaten. I need to accompany Rem to the nearby village to purchase supplies in a little while."
"Oh, is it Aram Village? That's a particularly beautiful village. If I'm counting the time right, it should be exactly when the mountain cherry blossoms are in bloom."
Emilia's tone sounded somewhat cheerful and wistful.
Seeing this, Green casually invited her, "In that case, would you like to come along and see it, Emilia?"
"Me?"
A flicker of longing flashed in Emilia's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by thick worry and dejection.
She smoothed the hair behind her ear, not wanting anyone to notice her unease.
"Well... I won't be going. After all, no village would welcome a Half-Elf..."
Puck jumped onto Emilia's shoulder, then launched himself with a recoil start, unleashing a kitten-version Super Punch.
With a soft "poof," the fist landed softly on Green's face.
"Dummy Green made Lia sad. Minus ten points."
Green rubbed his right cheek, which was tickled by Puck, looking innocent:
"Puck is just too indulgent with our princess. If you want to become the King of Lugnica, you can't be afraid of your own people."
Emilia opened her mouth slightly, seeming to hesitate.
After an internal struggle, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
"I... I'm a little hungry. Rem, let's go to the dining room first."
The dejected Half-Elf girl lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet Green's eyes, giving off a feeling of fleeing in disarray.
Puck made a face at Green, then flew back into Emilia's arms, satisfied.
Rem, holding a tray, closely followed Emilia towards the dining room. As she passed Green, she said:
"Green-kun, please wait for Rem at the dragon stable in the backyard. Rem will come as soon as she finishes her tasks."
Green reached out and snatched a few cookies from the tray, replying, "Okay, Rem."
...On the forested mountain path bathed in golden sunlight, the dragon carriage rumbled over gravel with a steady sound.
The bronze carriage frame was enveloped by the "Divine Protection of Wind Avoidance," ensuring those inside felt not a hint of wind resistance.
The blue-haired maid skillfully pulled the reins to stabilize the dragon carriage's direction.
When she glanced sideways, her pupils reflected the dazzling sun in the sky. Her tone was calm yet resolute:
"Green-kun, hold on tight. After one more bend, you'll be able to see the buildings of Aram Village."
The morning mist had long since dissipated. Aram Village was bathed in warm, toasty sunlight.
Just as Emilia had said, the cherry blossom trees lining the village roads were in full bloom.
Pink and white petals fluttered down, covering the thatched roofs of the log cabins and the bluestone paths, looking soft and fluffy.
"This is amazing. The scenery is so beautiful."
Green praised.
These mountain cherry blossoms looked sturdier and healthier than any cherry blossom trees he had ever seen, with larger and denser clusters of flowers.
Children playing at the village entrance chased and roughhoused, some clutching freshly broken cherry blossom branches.
Upon seeing the eagle family crest on the dragon carriage, they began shouting excitedly.
"It's the lord's dragon carriage!"
"So cool! This Earth Dragon is awesome!"
"Quick, go tell Grandma the village chief!"
Among the group of children was a rather eye-catching little girl with reddish-brown shoulder-length hair and peacock-blue eyes gazing curiously at the dragon carriage.
"Petra?"
Green muttered to himself, feeling that these important characters even seemed more vibrant in color than the others.
Rem, worried about damaging the village buildings, reduced the dragon carriage's speed before entering the village proper.
As they passed the group of children, Green pulled a handful of cookies from his pocket and offered them to one of the leading kids.
The little boy was rather skinny, with a perky topknot tied at the back of his head.
If he remembered correctly, his name was Luca.
"Haha, thank you, big brother from the lord's house!"
"You're welcome. Share them with your friends! Just remember not to use the hand you wiped your nose with."
Green waved happily, then gestured by running a finger under his nose.
The kid's snot was about to drip.
Rem glanced at Green and said, "Rem doesn't recall you grabbing so many cookies at once."
"Oh, I snagged a few more from the kitchen after you left."
"It seems we'll need to lock the kitchen door in the future."
"Don't be so ruthless, Rem!"
Rem drove for a while longer, finally stopping in a relatively open area of the village.
Rem first tied the Earth Dragon's reins to a sturdy post, then took a large bag of coins from the carriage.
"Green-kun can look around for now. Rem will notify you after selecting the supplies."
"Sure, Rem. If there's anything too heavy to move, please let me know. I do have some strength."
Green rolled up his sleeve, displaying his meager bicep.
Rem blinked: "Rem thinks you should work out a bit, Green-kun."
With that, the little maid left without looking back.
Green was instantly plunged into self-doubt, striking several bodybuilding poses on the spot.
"It's not that bad, is it? Could it be I've been doing too much cardio?"
Engrossed in his muscle research, Green didn't notice the faint, rustling footsteps of little feet behind him.
When he snapped back to reality, he was already surrounded by the same group of children.
"Big brother, what are you doing?"
"Big brother's poses are so weird!"
Green put away his smile and threatened, "You little brats, daring to mock me? Don't you know what my true identity is?"
Luca raised his hand: "I know! You must be the lord's coachman, mister!"
The twins Dyne and Cain also squeezed forward: "He could also be a cook."
Petra nibbled on a cookie, crumbs still at the corner of her mouth.
"I... I think big brother is a gardener."
"Stop, stop, stop! What nonsense is this? Quiet, all of you, be quiet."
Green quickly silenced the chattering brats. Once they all closed their little mouths and looked at him curiously, he lowered his voice mysteriously and said:
"Have you... ever heard of the child agitator?"
"Hmm... no."
"Haven't heard of it. Is it a new job?"
"Me, me, me! I know! It's the castrator! The animal castrator! I've seen them; their knives are super fast!"
You little chubby kid, you're quite the talker.
A surge of anger welled up.
Green first nodded expressionlessly, silently picked up a stick from the ground, and then immediately flew into a rage.
"Alright, alright, animal castrator, is it? I'll castrate you right now."
"Ah, big brother's gone crazy!"
"Big brother, come chase me!"
"Hahaha, me too, me too!"
The children scattered in all directions. Green, wielding a small stick, chased after them desperately.
"Faster, big brother! If you run that slow, a wolf might catch you!"
"You little mice, scurrying so fast!"
Green chased for a long time but couldn't catch up. He leaned against a cherry blossom tree, panting heavily.
Seeing Green stop, the child brigade actually turned back, cheering him on from about ten meters away.
"Hey, animal castrator, we're over here!"
"Come chase us! If you catch us, we'll treat big brother to cherry blossom cake!"