DLBF Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Day-time Stroll

Chapter 2, Part 1.1

Novel Title: ルーデンドルフ公と森の獣 (Duke Ludendorff and the Beast of the Forest)

Author：かわい有美子 (Kawai Yumiko)

Illustrator: 周防佑未 (Suoh Yuumi)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 藤森賢士 (Kenji Fujimori -MC), ユリアン ルーデンドルフ (Julian Ludendorff -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“Julian—”

Fujimori, coming around from the detached building with a Japanese garden surrounding it, called out to the man holding a sketchbook.

Julian looked up sharply and smiled.

“Are you sketching?”

Fujimori asked the man, who was dressed casually and had a bag slung over his shoulder that seemed to be filled with canvas materials. The man responded with a shy smile.

It was only recently that Fujimori had begun to understand that Julian often answered more through slight expressions, glances, and smiles rather than directly with words. Julian’s voice was low and muffled, and it couldn’t be heard well. So perhaps Fujimori simply couldn’t catch what he was saying. 

Still, as they lived together under the same roof, Fujimori had come to believe that he could now read Julian’s subtle emotional shifts fairly well.

Though Julian was fundamentally a man of few words, Fujimori realised that he showed various reactions through his expressions and glances directed at him.

Perhaps Julian had shown such subtle expressions even when he had a beard. But at that time, he hadn’t made much eye contact. With his mouth covered by the beard, Fujimori hadn’t noticed. 

Yet, whether it was just his own wishful thinking or not, Fujimori was pleased that they seemed to have reached a deeper level of understanding lately.

When they were together, their conversations started to flow more smoothly. Occasionally, they mixed German with English, talking about various topics.

Julian, though generally not talkative, was a good listener. He paid earnest attention to what Fujimori had to say. 

Topics about architecture, which past partners or friends had often dismissed as “too intense” or “too much of an architecture nerd,” Julian listened to with genuine interest.

Once, Julian had even said something like, “Kenji’s voice is like the wind heralding the arrival of early summer.” That analogy was so artistic that Fujimori hadn’t quite understood it. But it didn’t seem to have been meant in a bad way. 

So lately, during the time Fujimori was supposed to be teaching him Japanese, they mostly ended up talking about various buildings from different countries. The lessons hardly felt like lessons at all.

Fujimori tried to focus about sixty percent of their conversations on Japanese architecture out of consideration. But he wasn’t sure if that was actually beneficial for Julian.

Julian, however, was quick to grasp things, even understanding to some extent when Fujimori wove specialised architectural knowledge into their conversations. When it came to European culture, customs, and history, Julian was more knowledgeable. There were times when Fujimori found himself being corrected or given additional insights by Julian.

Julian also seemed to have a considerable talent for drawing, skillfully sketching illustrations to match Fujimori’s explanations.

When discussions about customs and historical costumes came up through Julian’s input, Fujimori found himself enjoying the conversation even more. This made Fujimori wonder if Julian was really okay with this kind of lesson, considering how much fun he seemed to be having.

Fujimori had recently learned that Julian wasn’t just writing in his room but also drawing animals from the forest, flowers, and landscapes. Just the other day, Julian had quickly sketched a picture of Wagahai curled up in the corner of his sketchbook.

It seemed that Julian mainly used coloured pencils and watercolours, which is why Fujimori hadn’t realised for a while that Julian was drawing as a hobby. If it had been oil painting, Fujimori would have immediately known because of the distinctive smell.

That was his overall impression when Julian had shown him some of his work—there were many pieces that seemed somewhat lonely, using a lot of cool colours.

In some way, this tied into Fujimori’s impression of Julian himself. Of course, Northern Germany is said to have long winters and mostly gloomy weather, so perhaps that’s why Julian favoured cool tones in his colour palette.

“By the way, I thought I might climb up the mountain behind the house a little,” Julian replied.

Fujimori learned that from the slightly elevated area, you could look down on parts of the estate.

Hearing this, Fujimori, who had a camera and notebook in hand, decided to join Julian on the walk.

Julian, who seemed to have already walked this path a few times, made his way up the small trail in the forest without hesitation. It was the kind of path where, if you entered it at night, you would surely lose sight of where you were going.

The path, which had logs placed to form steps, was relatively gentle and perfect for a walk.

After walking for about ten minutes, they came to a clearing in the forest where wooden tables and chairs had been set up. The tables and chairs showed signs of age. It seemed that Tanba had carefully maintained this place as well. 

Since it was on a hilltop, the spot was pleasant and offered a good view. It overlooks the back of the estate and the gentle valley on the opposite side.

The ground from there to the valley was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, making the ground underfoot pleasantly soft.

As they sat still, the sound of birds and the rustling of leaves could be heard from all around, and the fresh air among the trees seemed to cleanse both body and mind.

As Fujimori closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant breeze, he suddenly remembered Tanba’s words and muttered. “Hey, do you think it’s safe from bears?”

“Bears?” Julian laughed cheerfully.

“No, I mean Tanba-san said that bears appear around here, so we should carry bear bells when we walk. They’re supposed to be in the shoe room next to the entrance. I guess you’d call it a storeroom?”

“Bells, hmm…” Julian showed a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Don’t you believe it?”

“No, it’s more like an egg than a bell. It looks like a Swiss cowbell, with a Tyrolean-style ribbon attached.”

“A cowbell… is it big?” 

“No, about this size,” Julian said, taking Fujimori’s hand and forming a circle with his fingers to show a size slightly smaller than the palm of his hand.

Once they became close, Fujimori noticed that Julian was surprisingly affectionate.

“You can wear it if you want. But at that size, it might make quite a loud sound, don’t you think?” Julian said with a smile, still holding Fujimori’s hand. 

Julian was dressed for the outdoors today in a washed-out madras check shirt, denim, and worn leather ankle boots, which suited him perfectly in the forest.

“Then maybe it’s fine during the day. According to Tanba-san, if you encounter a bear, you should back away slowly without taking your eyes off it. It’s important, so remember that.”

“Got it, back away slowly.”

Julian smiled warmly, gently shaking Fujimori’s hand in an easy, playful manner.

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*Translator’s Note: “Kenji’s voice is like the wind heralding the arrival of early summer.” Sounds like a confession to me. Hmm? -K

Next update: 2024.11.06

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