/
Job 349
9-11 minutes 23.05.2023
“Especially with a loser like that”
“
?!”
I was totally annoyed at Claudion’s comments that went too far.
Kaneff, who was leaning back, also sat up straight with a blank face.
Alfred had the most extreme reaction – his body stiffened and trembled like crazy. It was really uncomfortable to see him like that.
I didn’t want to argue with Alfred’s brother since he was a guest at the farm, but I couldn’t let him disrespect Alfred like that.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but your words are too much, even though you are brothers. Please apologize to Elaine right now.”
“What did I say that was wrong?” Claudion replied, sounding pretty confident.
And this time Kaneff chimed in, “Seriously? You can’t just call someone a loser and make those kinds of comments. Plus, this guy is great at farming. He’s the best at picking strawberries.”
“Haha!”
Claudion laughed like he heard the funniest joke ever. But at the same time, he gave off this cold vibe with his eyes.
“He looks like a total loser. Even if he got sent here as punishment, he should have at least tried to get back to his family somehow. How can someone from the Verdi family waste time in a place like this?”
“Well, if you’re gonna call people losers, why did you bother to come here to pick him up? Why not just let him live his life here in peace?”
“It’s my father’s orders. And my grandfather, who sent my brother here, agreed with it too.”
“Ugh, typical old man doing whatever he wants
”
Claudion mentioned the family’s Lord and Kael, who were the most influential people in the Verdi family. We couldn’t really butt in since we were just outsiders.
“Brother, “Alfred finally spoke up after staying silent for a while.
“Yes, tell me.”
“If it’s the command of father and grandfather, I should follow it. Can I have a bit of time to clean up? I’ve been living here for a while, so I don’t want to leave any mess behind.”
“Elaine! Are you really okay with this?”
“It’s fine, Senior,”
Alfred smiled sadly and said it was okay. Frustrated, I was about to say something, but Alfred shook his head slightly, stopping me.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Claudion quietly looked at Alfred.
“Two days. I’ll let the family know. Finish things up in two days.”
“Thank you for understanding, brother.”
“I’ll come back in two days.”
-Tak.
“Thank you for having me over. I’ll take my leave now,”
Claudion stood up and later said he would return in two days before bowing politely and leaving the room with his subordinates.
The room was quiet for a while with just the three of us left.
“Ugh, that bastard ruined my nap,” Kaneff complained, getting up from his seat. He sauntered over to the door and turned back to ask, “Are you okay with that?”
“

”
Alfred nodded heavily instead of answering.
“Okay, then. I’m going to catch some sleep. Wake me up for dinner,” Kaneff said with indifference before he left the room.
Now there were only two of us left in the room, and the silence hung thick in the air. I didn’t know what to say, so I just felt uneasy inside.
In the end, Lia opened the door, and I hadn’t exchanged any words with Alfred. I watched Alfred go back to his room with a heavy heart, feeling uncomfortable and frustrated.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
That night, word quickly spread among the farm members that Alfred would be leaving.
“Wait, Brother Elaine, you’re really leaving us?”
“Haha, yeah. I came here to be punished, but I stayed longer than I thought.”
“Aww, that sucks.”
“It’s alright. We’ll see each other again.”
Lilia looked sad, but Alfred reassured her with a smile.
“It’s a shame. Senior Elaine helped me out a lot.”
“I didn’t do that much, Urki
 But help out Senior a lot in the future, okay?”
“Definitely.”
Alfred also talked to Urki, who was close to him, to ease his disappointment.
“The Verdi family came to the farm while I was away. Elaine’s older brother came to visit in person.”
“I’m surprised too, Andras.”
“It’s not that weird for Elaine to go back to his family, but it’s sudden. Have you heard anything else?”
“No, just that. He left after saying some rude things about Elaine wasting time on the farm. Are all Verdi people like that?”
Andras let out a bitter laugh at my comment.
“Noble families may have similar customs, but the atmosphere can be different. The Verdi family is known for being strict with their members and having intense loyalty and pride towards their family.”
“Well, that makes sense when I think about when Elaine first came here. But isn’t it harsh to call his younger brother a loser?”
“Siblings not getting along is pretty normal in noble families. Lilia and I are the exception.”
Sigh
Despite Andras’ explanation, I still felt frustrated.
“Papa.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Is Brother Elaine leaving the farm?” Speranza asked with a sad look, grabbing my arm.
I picked her up and ran my fingers through her hair, “Do you want him to stay?”
Speranza nodded. “Un, Grify and Finny will miss him too.”
“I guess so.”
The baby griffins were always trailing behind Alfred after Speranza and me.
I tried to comfort Speranza despite feeling down myself. “Even if he goes, we’ll ask him to come back and visit. He likes you, so I’m sure he will come.”
Speranza nodded again, “Un
”
While trying to smile as much as possible to relieve Speranza’s mood, bitterness kept coming to my mind. Andras, who was next to me, also had a similar expression.
During dinner that evening, the conversation revolved around Alfred, who was leaving the next day.
The continuous conversation naturally led to the talk of the farewell party.
The day before Alfred’s departure, we decided to have a simple farewell party on the farm.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
“You don’t have to help me today, you know
”
“Haha, it’s fine. As I said yesterday, I gotta finish up properly before I leave.”
Even on his last day at the farm, Alfred pitched in with the strawberry harvest.
Everyone told him to take it easy, but he insisted on working as usual.
Watching him, I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart.
“Oh
Mr. Alfred is going home.”
“Huh? We won’t see the cool demon brother anymore?”
Lagos and Miru looked bummed about Alfred’s departure.
“That’s how it is.”
“That’s a bummer. If we had known earlier, we could have thrown him a proper goodbye party.”
“He even taught the village boys how to sword fight. They’re gonna be bummed when they hear he’s leaving.”
For the beast people, demons were always an intimidating presence, but there was an exception when it comes to the farm family members.
Seeing demons and beastmen working side by side in the strawberry fields was normal now.
After finishing up the harvest, the beast people gathered around Alfred.
“Thanks for your hard work, Sir Alfred.”
“Take care of yourself when you go back home.”
“If you come back to visit, we’ll have the best strawberries ready for you.”
Each beastman said their goodbyes with regret and gratitude.
Alfred awkwardly smiled and accepted their farewell wishes.
“We’ll take care of the cleanup.”
Alfred wanted to help, but the beast people shooed him away and insisted he leave a bit earlier.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
I walked beside Alfred and chatted like always.
“I think winter’s finally ending. I saw some buds about to bloom earlier.”
“Yeah. When we had that severe snowstorm, I thought winter was never gonna end. But spring’s already here.”
“Time flies, doesn’t it?”
Our chat came to an abrupt halt, and I couldn’t seem to find the words I wanted to say.
If it were usual, trivial small talk would have poured out endlessly. But for some reason, the words I wanted to say today didn’t come to mind easily.
– Boo woo wooooo!!
We walked in silence until we heard Yakums’ distant cries.
Suddenly, I remembered something that happened a long time ago and went off the path towards where Yakums were.
“Come to think of it, when you first came here, you were so scared of Yakums. Remember that?”
“Of course I do. And I still find them terrifying.”
“Why? You’re used to being around them now, right? Don’t you think they’re a bit cute?”
In response to my subtle question, Alfred shook his head firmly.
“I’m just used to them. And like I always say, the only one who thinks Yakums are cute in the demon world is Senior.”
“Oh
 I remember when you first arrived and fainted because of Akum. Those were the days.”
“Please forget about that. How long are you gonna keep bringing it up?”
“Well, I’ll never forget it. It’s a lifelong bittersweet memory. You know what I said before? I’ll tell your son and granddaughter about it someday.”
Alfred groaned, but then laughed. I smiled with him.
I looked at the Yakums quietly with my hands on the fence. Alfried stood behind me, also gazing in the same direction.
Then, I casually spoke up.
“Are you
 Are you really leaving?”
(To be Continued)