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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Secret Outing
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Menelik let out a short laugh.
“You don't have to go if you don't want to, even if the Saintess is calling for you.”
“But I’m going to go.”
The divine power might make me throw up, but it was better than having the entire duchy constantly harassed.
Besides, her real target was Kivrin, so she probably wouldn't torment me too much.
Plus, this would get rid of one of her excuses to come here!
“...”
The room suddenly fell silent, and everyone stared at my face.
Even Winter and Kivrin.
Y-you scared me...
* * *
Winter summoned me an hour later.
She had bathed and changed into a comfortable dress, but her expression was displeased.
Y-you’re scary, Mother.
Like a child seeking out the adult who seemed less likely to scold them, I subtly went and sat next to Menelik.
Winter raised an eyebrow.
“You’re saying you’ll go to the Grand Temple where the Saintess is?”
“If my sister summoned me directly, I have to go. She’ll make things incredibly annoying if I don’t listen, you know?”
Besides, the Temple’s attitude was also a concern.
I fiddled with my fingers and mumbled.
“If I go alone, it will be over quickly...”
“No.”
Winter stated flatly. As if that wasn't enough, she emphasized it again.
“Don't make me repeat myself. If your parents and the Saintess had a decent track record, I might have made a more lenient judgment, but no.”
“...”
There was nothing I could say.
My biological parents had sold me to the duchy, and even the emperor knew my sister’s personality was garbage.
Menelik, who was crunching on a piece of candy, spoke up.
“What’s the rush? Let’s go together, nice and slow.”
Ugh.
“You’re going to come with me?”
“Yep, I’m free.”
Menelik’s eyes curved into a smile.
Excuse me, you just said something that should never come out of the mouth of a proper head of a household.
Instead of stopping Menelik, Winter simply instructed him.
“Watch her carefully. Make sure she doesn't cause any trouble.”
“That’s my specialty.”
Winter scoffed.
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Cheria. Keep a close eye on Rik so he doesn't do anything foolish.”
“...”
Winter patted my head before leaving to handle her overdue work.
As I was thinking that this family would have fallen apart long ago without her, the head butler arrived with a priest.
When I declared my intention to go, the priest’s voice rose with excitement.
“A wise decision! Let us depart tomorrow at once!”
But Menelik was cold.
“We depart in three days. Cheria has never been outside the castle, so we won’t be using a warp gate.”
“B-but that will take ten days...?”
“Is there a rush?”
The priest’s face instantly fell.
“The Saintess will be waiting eagerly for the Young Lady.”
“I doubt that.”
Menelik’s voice grew heavy.
The sound of his fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest of his chair was ominous.
...He's sulking because of what Winter said earlier.
“You know something? A one-armed cripple has no patience. When something annoying shows up, I don’t play around with it. I kill it immediately.”
The priest, unaware of the circumstances, trembled in fear.
“D-departing in three days sounds perfect. If that is Your Grace’s will, then we must follow. Ha, haha...”
As the priest scrambled away, Menelik moved the hand that had been resting on the armrest.
Instantly, a man appeared without a sound.
“You called.”
The man, hidden in the shadows, awaited Menelik’s command.
“Follow him and find out why he’s acting like that... Hm?”
Menelik noticed me, my eyes sparkling.
“Are you going to tail him? Are you going to eavesdrop on his secret conversations?”
“Interested?”
Of course! I’m also curious about what they’re plotting.
I nodded my head eagerly.
Menelik chuckled and dismissed the man.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to show you.”
* * *
Menelik and I donned cloaks and left the castle.
He looked the same as usual, but he had just returned after several days of subjugating monsters.
Worried that he might be overexerting himself, I studied him intently.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“You underestimate a Sword Master. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Really?”
“A Sword Master doesn’t lie.”
What does being a Sword Master have to do with lying...
I shook my head.
“Alright. He’s probably far away by now. Can you catch up?”
“Of course. There’s nothing a Sword Master can’t do.”
He’s really been emphasizing that.
Ah, was I supposed to be impressed just now?!
I drew upon my social skills from my past life.
“Wow, that’s so cool! Sword Masters are truly amazing!”
I clapped my hands, mustering every last bit of my wandering soul, and Menelik finally looked satisfied.
...I miss Winter.
Even though we had taken our time leaving and should have had trouble catching up to the priest, Menelik didn't falter for a moment.
Soon, he stopped on a street with a view of a certain building.
Two men in plain clothes, but who reeked of being holy knights, were guarding the entrance.
Aha, so you already knew where the priests were staying.
The Crescent Moon Forest wasn't that far, so he must have been receiving reports on the situation at Crescent Moon Castle.
...So this isn't a Sword Master's ability, it's just his subordinates doing their job!
I was so baffled my mouth formed a thin line for a moment, but Menelik, having spotted something, muttered grimly.
“The public order here is a mess.”
Huh?
I followed Menelik’s gaze.
In an alley across from the building, I saw a group of thugs smoking cheap cigarettes.
“Those punks are doing something even I can’t...”
“...”
This is not the time to be cracking your knuckles while looking over there.
“You should be focusing on something else right now.”
I tugged on the cloak of my father-in-law, who was clearly suffering from withdrawal.
“I should just wipe them all out of the territory...”
“Father?”
“...”
Menelik finally seemed to register my presence.
What? I can’t call you 'Your Grace' out here, can I?
And you’d just sulk if I called you 'mister.'
I looked up at Menelik with innocent eyes.
“Can you hear what they’re saying inside? Should we get closer?”
If we did, the divine power might make me feel sick or my skin itch, but I had come prepared to endure it.
“...No. This distance is enough.”
His voice was much calmer.
Menelik took out a lollipop.
He gave one to me, and I quietly popped it into my mouth.
“They’ve put up a crude barrier. It seems they came in a hurry without time to prepare, but it’s no match for me.”
Ah, it’s grape-flavored.
For my sake, since I couldn't hear anything, Menelik gave me a play-by-play.
“He says the food in the duchy doesn’t suit his palate.”
Menelik’s face hardened, as if they were picking out only the most infuriating things to say.
“Get on my back. If I just stand here, I think I might charge in.”
...They're badmouthing Winter.
Menelik bent down. I obediently let him lift me onto his back.
“Mother is the most beautiful and elegant person in the world. I like her very, very much!”
At my whispered words, some of the tension left Menelik’s shoulders.
He agreed, supporting me with one arm to keep me from slipping.
“Me too.”
My vantage point was instantly higher.
Suddenly, Menelik tilted his head.
“They’ve abruptly changed the subject to a bird. Of all things, they’re saying they saw a strange red bird fly to the duchy’s townhouse on the morning we left?”
“...”
I-is that maybe... Rose...?
I broke out in a cold sweat and sucked on my lollipop.
I-I don’t know anything.
I have the feather Rose gave me in my pocket, but I’m innocent!
“So... ‘no good omens should ever befall the duchy’... is that it?”
It seemed Rose’s true form, unlike a snake, was considered a good omen.
Does this person even have any intention of hiding their identity...?
I was keeping their secret as requested, but I had my doubts.
Menelik clicked his tongue.
In the end, the Temple was getting anxious because a good omen had appeared and, despite Kivrin being rescued from the Snake Pit, the duchy was far too peaceful.
Seriously, what do they have against the duchy?
Their particular contempt for Winter is so uncalled for!
I started crunching on my lollipop.
There was at least a pretext for treating Kivrin like a monster, but I couldn't understand why they treated Winter this way.
The theory that they ostracized her for being from the Moritia Kingdom was also strange.
There were plenty of nobles who had defected to the Empire, and as long as they made donations, the Temple welcomed them with open arms.
Besides, Moritia had already fallen 300 years ago.
There was no reason for it to be on bad terms with the Empire or the Temple.
Even looking back at the novel's plot, there were no sentences that offered a clue.
Then again, what could I expect from a novel that didn’t even bother to describe Winter’s beauty?
Menelik slowly backed away.
It seemed he had heard a few more words but decided not to relay them to me.
A window that had been tightly shut flew open, and the timid priest from before poked his head out.
“...It would be a shame to just leave.”
Instead of turning back, Menelik kicked a small stone at his feet.
It shot through the air at high speed and struck Thug #1, who was smoking a cheap cigarette, squarely on the head.
“Ack!”
Thug #1, now sporting a fresh lump on his head, looked around frantically.
It didn't take long for him and his cronies to spot the priest in the building right behind them.
