Chapter 9
A Rival's Gift
The members of the White Knights Order went to the training grounds on the hill.
As they had said, Vernon taught Nia, and Gillianna cooked food that the child could eat.
And Heath, as always, didn't lift a finger, cleaning with the magical items he had made, except for the floor that the White Commander had specified in advance.
Thanks to these capable people, the training grounds quickly transformed into a place where a child could stay, clean and smelling of warm food.
Yes.
It was truly the optimal co-parenting environment.
But now, those grateful and wonderful members were looking at Lucia, who was sitting next to them, as if she were the wickedest stepmother in the world.
"...White Commander. I didn't think you were this bad."
"I mean, White Commander. She's only five years old, and it's been days. It's like she's a salt farm slave."
"...It's a bit much."
They scolded her and then looked with pity at something wriggling on the floor of the dormitory.
At the end of their gaze was Nia, holding a neatly folded rag in her tiny hands, diligently crawling around and wiping the wooden floor.
"White Commander. Should I erase it?"
Heath said,
"No! Nia, Nia will do it herself!"
Is this the power of the Saintess?
The little child spoke cheerfully with a bright face, and Lucia, filled with guilt, felt as if she would be blinded by the dazzling light.
So the four grown adults sat on the sofa, fidgeting uncomfortably, lifting and lowering their legs, just watching the child crawl around and wipe.
"Sniff. Such a small child...!"
"Damn it! I want to help. She won't be able to get the stains out like that."
As they said, the child's movements were very clumsy, but it was very difficult to remove the black stains that had seeped into the wooden floor of the training grounds with just water.
"Then that's even better."
At Lucia's small murmur, the two fell off the sofa they were sitting on, went to the corner, and whispered, glaring at her with very contemptuous eyes.
They had always been like that, but they were very well-matched.
"...Well. There's a reason."
Despite their commotion, the child silently did her job.
What was fortunate about this pitiful sight was that the child, who had been so wary of strangers, seemed to be adapting more than expected, perhaps because she had a goal.
"...White Commander. It's only May."
Heath spoke to Lucia, who was watching Nia intently.
"Hmm. It's May."
"..."
Heath rolled his eyes at Lucia's appearance.
When Heath stayed next to her without saying anything,
"It's your birthday."
Even at Lucia's indifferent tone, Heath slightly raised the corners of his lips as if that was the correct answer.
And Heath quickly turned his head so that she wouldn't notice that.
'How bland. You're not going to do anything special anyway.'
Lucia didn't even bother to look at him, as if she had already expected him to do that.
Heath was a boy whom Lucia had picked up when she was 17 during her first Monster subjugation expedition, and she knew his habit of repeating this around this time of year.
Among the many members, Heath was the only one who secretly came to see her face every May during the five years of training.
Perhaps he was the only one who knew for sure that the Saintess was not her child, but Lucia knew.
That Heath would not question her.
'Come to think of it, I've never given him a gift before? Should I do something this year?'
But she would probably forget it soon.
-Knock knock.
Since when did the training grounds, where no one had ever visited, have so many people coming?
As soon as Lucia heard the sound of knocking, she didn't move, intending to ignore it as always.
But the two members with perked-up ears.
They seemed very eager to act as butlers for this dormitory, opening the door wide with light steps.
"What's the matter?"
"Who is it, who is it?"
'It's like it's their house.'
Lucia was displeased with their natural appearance, even though it wasn't her house either.
"Sir Leon Luwins sent this."
'...What? Leon Luwins?'
Lucia recalled him threatening her fiercely a few days ago.
"Huh? That Leon Luwins?"
"The White Mage Commander? Let's see."
Vernon quickly received the address from the delivery man.
"It's real? White Commander? The White Commander seems to have sent something."
Lucia slowly got up from the sofa, looking very annoyed.
And as soon as she got up, she was quite surprised by the scene at the entrance.
Boxes with cute wrappings and big and small ribbons were being filled one after another by the delivery men.
"...What the heck is this?"
While Lucia was surprised, Vernon and Gillianna covered their mouths.
And their eyes, looking at their White Commander, became teary and sparkling.
"...It's love!"
"...It's love!"
Despite their unknown cheers, Lucia was speechless at the procession of gifts that continued to pour in like waves.
Before she knew it, they had proliferated to the living room, blocking all the passages in the house.
The dynamic scene seemed to express someone's heart that was quickly moving forward as if the brakes had been released.
*
[I will no longer hide it.]
The card that the delivery man threw as he ran away, overwhelmed by Lucia's energy, read like this.
'What does this mean?'
Leon Luwins.
He was the son of a conservative chancellor of the imperial family, a gentleman without a single flaw in anyone's eyes.
So, if she were to guess, he might think that her actions were against his ethics.
Of course, she had become a Sword Master and kept her promise with the Emperor, but on the other hand, she was also an immoral knight who had given birth to a child during those five years.
Moreover, what made his intentions even more suspicious was that the contents of the gifts came randomly, regardless of gender.
'If he was being friendly, he would have only sent things for girls. So, does that mean he's trying to kick me and the child out of here by filling this place with gifts?'
Perhaps Leon didn't like her using the imperial family's residence for her private life, so he was trying to fill this place with gifts and kick her out...
...Of course, that's not it.
Lucia was completely misunderstanding.
Leon had simply sent everything because he didn't know the child's gender.
She felt resentful, but she decided not to think too much about this issue as usual.
These conservative nobles eliminated those they didn't like in their own elegant way, and such harassment was always familiar to her.
However, what bothered her more than those things right now was Gillianna and Vernon, who were cheerfully unwrapping the many gift boxes.
"Wow, cute! Look at this! There's such a small dress? The taste is a bit more, um, wild, but."
"Look at this! Such a delicate pony is a child's toy. The price must be enormous, as expected of the Marquess family!"
"Stop opening them. It'll be hard to return them."
Lucia, who had been watching their fuss, frowned and said.
"Eek? White Commander? You can't be serious!"
"That's right. Why would you return such good things?!"
They hugged the gifts in their arms like Gollum, glaring at Lucia warily.
"Look. Can't you even notice that there's no place to step?"
Lucia looked at them with pity, as if they were still far behind.
But of course, it didn't work. The two looking back at her had eyes that seemed to be boasting.
"White Commander. I don't know what you're thinking, but it's not polite to just return a gift with such a clear purpose."
Vernon replied seriously and whispered to Gillianna.
"Gillianna. Sir Leon is being so proactive, shouldn't we help him?"
"Good. It's not easy to do this much for someone who already has a child. What else could this be but true love?"
Unlike Lucia, who had no tact, they accurately judged the meaning of the gifts.
But.
'Yes, like this. It's not polite to return it.'
Never avoid a fight. That was one of the virtues of a knight that Lucia believed in.
Her expression became ominous, as if she were thinking of a bloody revenge.
That expression was enough to make anyone who knew the situation want to pat Leon on the shoulder with a wistful look.
"White Commander. Finally, there's clothes that Nia can wear. Wow, there must be about 30 of these?"
Gillianna said, opening the gifts in a place where there were several of the same packaging.
Soon, there were simple dresses that a small child could wear.
They seemed much more suitable and comfortable for Nia, who was still wearing Lucia's clothes awkwardly.
'Come to think of it, where's Nia?'
The child who had been wiping the living room floor was nowhere to be seen.
Since the gifts had poured in, she definitely hadn't gone outside, so it was either the kitchen or the reception room.
Looking at the door of the reception room that was open through the gaps in the boxes, she hurriedly cleared them away, and she saw a large box with small feet attached, moving little by little.
"Nia."
At the sound of her name being called, Lucia quickly supported the box that the child had dropped from her hand.
"I, I'm sorry...!"
It was the cry that the child made, quickly hiding her hands behind her back.
Nia, facing Lucia's flustered gaze,
"Ah, th, that's because it came in so much. But, that's clean..."
The child, saying incomprehensible things, fidgeted as if there was something dirty on her hands.
"..."
Lucia was a little surprised.
It was a development that she had never expected.
'...She's still worried about it.'
It had been a week since she had brought her from that hellish, dirty place, and although she had no contact with the members, she answered well.
And decisively, she had even slept with her in the only bed.
In her opinion, it was something she couldn't have done if she thought she was dirty.
But there was something that Lucia didn't notice.
There was no five-year-old child who slept anxiously huddled on the dangerous edge, even in the most intimate bed.
She had never lived intimately with others, and therefore did not know that this dry life with the child was not normal.
It was then.
"Little White Commander! Try this on quickly. Isn't it pretty?"
Gillianna went near Nia and held up a fair white dress.
It was a cute and comfortable-looking dress with lots of small, unadorned ribbons.
Then the child stepped back as much as Gillianna approached and said firmly.
"Nia, Nia is no, not Nia. Wear this all the time...!"
Nia twisted her short arms tightly, as if she wouldn't let go of Lucia's clothes.
"Hey. Those clothes are dirty now, so let's wear new clothes~!"
It was an innocent remark from the tactless Gillianna, but as if the words had hurt her, the child's golden eyes fluttered violently and soon filled with tears.
"Uh? Why? Don't you like this that much? Little White Commander?"
Flustered, Gillianna hurriedly shook the tiny dress in front of her eyes, and the sobbing child shook her head, stepping back as if the dress was a Monster.
It felt like she had returned to the day she first saw her. Only, she had changed from rags to her blouse.
She had thinly persuaded the child to take responsibility for what she had done and had been taking care of her, but the child's heart was still stuck in that warehouse, not having taken a single step out of it.
