"Tw–twenty times...?"
Jeanne d'Arc murmured that number, almost unbelieving.
"Laurent, did you hear that? Twenty times!"
She practically jumped for joy.
"This is great! Now everyone in the village won't go hungry anymore—all thanks to you, Laurent!"
The girl was too excited, almost unable to find words to express her feelings.
But her words quickly drew the attention of others.
Very soon, a bunch of people who knew about the situation were staring straight at Laurent, making him feel rather awkward.
Hey, you dozen-or-so big guys, what exactly do you want with me...?
At that moment, Féros, who'd led the returning team, suddenly remembered how they'd gotten all this wealth.
"That's right! It's all thanks to this kid Laurent that we succeeded! I tell you, those nobles just loved our sweets and all kinds of breads! They even said they want to maintain a production relationship with us! Don't you think we should celebrate properly for the hero who made this happen?"
"You're right, I always liked this brat Laurent."
"This brat spends all day hanging around the d'Arc girl—must've had bad intentions all along, eh?"
"Haha! That kid Laurent's smart! Unlike us muscle-brained idiots who can't get anything done!"
Quickly, the crowd surged around Laurent, leaving him momentarily flustered, unsure how to respond.
"You little brat, we definitely have to thank you properly this time!"
Before Laurent could even react, the crowd encircled him, lifted him off his feet, and started cheering:
"Laurent! Laurent! Laurent!"
How could Laurent withstand the strength of these burly men? He was soon thrown high into the air.
"Hey! Be careful! You better catch me properly!"
Laurent called out nervously as he was tossed up again.
Jeanne d'Arc watched this scene with a bright smile.
Right now, she couldn't describe her mood in words at all.
They did it—Laurent's hard work, everyone's efforts—all had finally paid off.
"I've decided! Tonight we'll have a celebration banquet! Laurent is tonight's main hero!"
"That's a great idea! If we don't properly celebrate something this good, we'll never have another chance!"
"Haha! You guys better properly learn how to make those delicious breads and sweets to satisfy those nobles' tastes!"
Anyone could feel this cheerful atmosphere.
"We succeeded..."
Even Uncle Jacques stood beside his daughter, looking at Laurent, who was surrounded by people like a star among stars, smiling warmly.
He finally did it—fulfilled his own promise.
"Jeanne, what do you think about Laurent?"
Amid this joyful atmosphere, Uncle Jacques's smile turned gentle. Looking down at his daughter, he suddenly felt how blessed his life had become.
"Of course he's amazing!"
Jeanne d'Arc's spirits showed no sign of calming; she joined the crowd, cheering Laurent's name.
Jacques wanted to ask something more, but seeing his daughter looking so genuinely happy, he decided to leave it for later.
...
After several minutes of cheering, they finally put Laurent down. He stood there a bit unsteadily.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Jeanne d'Arc rushed up and embraced him. Perhaps because she had missed the earlier chance to cheer his name with the crowd, she was making up for it now.
"The villagers won't need to worry about hunger anymore."
Feeling the warmth pressed against his chest and her rapidly maturing body, Laurent awkwardly scratched his nose, secretly feeling a little grateful.
Mm, it's definitely not because Jeanne feels nice to hug.
"Yes, it really is a perfect outcome, but we can't let down our guard. From now on, we'll have to put in even more labor and skill."
"I'll help too."
"Even if you didn't want to, I'd still need your help."
The short conversation quickly ended there.
Everyone in the village began distributing food and discussing plans for the future. Laurent and Jeanne, who ordinarily wouldn't have been included in such matters, were now allowed to listen and offer suggestions.
Unfortunately, Laurent didn't end up contributing much after that.
He was a medical student after all, and although he had some knowledge of hospital operations, the professions were too different. It was hard for him to give any truly helpful advice. At most, he'd mention a few recipes from his era.
Let the people skilled in business handle these matters.
Right now, he was more focused on how to stop Jeanne from pursuing those dangerous ideas.
Then, night fell, and the celebration banquet officially began.
Laurent was naturally included as one of tonight's main heroes.
Every single member of the returning merchant team was also celebrated tonight.
Even before nightfall, Laurent saw large quantities of wine and food had already been prepared.
His mouth twitched slightly. He could only hope they wouldn't force him to drink tonight.
He really didn't enjoy alcohol, neither now nor before.
However, adults in this era were different from his original world—they didn't forbid minors from drinking; instead, they'd already begun teaching him to drink long before adulthood.
His alcohol tolerance was okay, about average—after a few drinks his face would flush, but he'd never gotten truly drunk.
Still, Laurent could already clearly imagine a bunch of drunkards causing havoc tonight.
...
"I've told ya all long ago! My daughter and Laurent were matched by heaven itself!"
After three rounds of drinks, Laurent covered his face helplessly, unwilling to watch Uncle Jacques any longer.
This was exactly how he became every single time he drank.
Right now, Jacques looked as if he was declaring himself first in heaven and second on earth—one foot propped proudly on a stool, hand gripping a wine cup.
"Papa, drink less, please."
Jeanne gently tried persuading him from the side.
"You-you-you don't interfere!" He waved his hand dismissively. "Go play with Laurent—this is adult talk!"
Seeing her father's delightfully drunken appearance, Jeanne had no choice but to sit back down by Laurent's side to continue eating.
Yet Jacques's earlier words instantly drew everyone's attention.
Suddenly, all eyes at the table turned to Laurent and Jeanne.
"Speaking of which, isn't the d'Arc girl about the age to talk marriage already?"
"Ah, that's true—do you have any boy in mind yet?"
"Haha! Isn't that obvious? Of course it's Laurent, who's played with her since childhood! This kid might act cocky, but his character is solid."
Laurent's mouth twitched again.
This was exactly why he didn't like it when people got drunk.