Chapter 80
At my frantic reply, my brother covered his ears.
“Why are you freaking out? Did I say I’d throw him into a barrel or something?”
“…Then?”
“I was going to say, like a grown-up, ‘Student Sol seems uncomfortable with you. Please be considerate.’”
“Ah…”
After only hearing extreme solutions like locking someone in a basement or freezing them, suddenly hearing a normal solution threw me off. My brother’s eyebrows twitched.
“What did you imagine? Anyway, if it’s hard to refuse, I’ll help you.”
“It’s fine! There’s nothing to refuse! Today’s meeting wasn’t even arranged by him! He’s nice!”
Apart from my anxiety, I wanted to believe in Kai’s inherently good nature. Even Seraphina, whom I met at school, was strange but fundamentally good.
My brother looked unconvinced.
“Good or not, this is what worries me. Boys that age tend to act in predictable ways toward the girls they like. Anyone could see it and think, ‘Ah, his eyes have gone wild.’”
“Hahaha…”
“But Kai’s a little different. Seems like he has other schemes too.”
“You’re not suggesting we dabble in sorcery, are you?”
“Considering we’re in someone else’s body, maybe combining powers to play the medium could work.”
“…True.”
Now that I think about it, we did possess someone else’s body. Maybe we could try being mediums as a side business. We even have a rough idea of the future.
Apparently, my brother was thinking along similar lines.
“Shall we borrow a room in the temple to practice rituals? Might work as a side gig later.”
“You’ll get struck by lightning doing that.”
Exchanging silly remarks, we eventually made our way into the main hall, and then to the girls’ dormitory. The staff member waiting to give a word to the almost-late students smiled kindly upon seeing my brother.
Before we parted, my brother asked one last question.
“About the Duke—does he act really scary?”
“Huh?”
“You seemed really shocked when I said I’d take care of Kai. I was wondering if the Duke usually uses ‘take care’ in a terrifying sense.”
“Usually it means sending someone to the basement… but! If I intervene, he won’t! Probably!”
“…A villain.”
“I said villain. Hmm, but it’s okay. I’ve adapted somewhat, and sometimes good things happen too…”
My brother sighed deeply but smiled, patting my head.
“You live as a family to be happy. Don’t push yourself too hard to adapt.”
“Brother…”
“Of course, you can try, but if you can’t handle it, run!”
He gave a thumbs-up. Half of him was in Ignatz mode.
“If you ever want to leave home, just say it! I’ll help. There’s probably no other runaway expert in the entire continent like me.”
“Okay, got it!”
“Consider doing the rituals as a side business too.”
“Nope, don’t want to.”
He escorted me to the dormitory door and left. The staff member chuckled.
“Nowadays, you don’t make pickled cabbage and paprika, right?”
“No, we don’t!”
I had buried the mulberry and green bean paprika pickles behind the temple, but no need to confess that.
“They were like local delicacies. Sorry for stopping you from making them.”
“I understand.”
“Hmm… and, um. This might be a bit awkward, but I’d like an honest answer.”
The staff lowered their voice.
“You and that knight seem particularly close. You’re not… lovers, right?”
“No way! Turns out we’re like siblings with no blood relation, grew up in the same facility and got separated, and only share having a ghost attached—so no need to worry!”
“…Understood.”
The staff clicked their tongue and shook their head.
“If you ever need psychological counseling, just say. I can contact the temple.”
I hadn’t lied. Anyway, it was nice that someone cared.
The weekend is the day I settle my dues.
I check if I studied well over the past week, recall what I learned, check my posture, and review etiquette. I also bring clothes I realistically can’t wash alone.
And at the back gate of the school…
“I’m here to pick you up, Miss.”
I sigh looking at the large, pitch-black carriage sent by the Duke’s estate. I’ll never get used to students whispering at the sight of it!
“Next time, I asked for a less conspicuous carriage!”
“This is the smallest carriage.”
“Nothing in a plain color? Ordinary brown! Even a servant’s luggage cart would do!”
“If we put you in something like that, the next day I’d be riding in a coffin in that cart.”
“…That’s a joke, right?”
“…I suppose.”
The biggest problem with the Duke’s household is that you can’t laugh off their jokes.
I ended up riding the carriage said to be the smallest in the Duke’s estate. On weekends, I always simulate what the Duke will say when I return home.
Will he ask what I learned? About friendships? Did I cause trouble at school…?
While thinking through it, a sudden thought struck my chest like a thud.
It was not the teacher, but Eugene brother’s voice:
“You live as a family to be happy. Don’t push yourself too hard to adapt.”
Am I trying too hard to adapt to the Duke’s household by anticipating what to say? Normally, students wouldn’t rehearse conversations with their parents.
Compared to two years ago, when every day felt like walking on thin ice, it’s certainly easier… Even prisoners shackled and handcuffed feel relieved if just freed from their chains. Am I deluding myself like that?
While I pondered, the carriage smoothly arrived at the Duke’s estate. The maids took my laundry. One of them said:
“Oh my, Miss. You’re wearing this dress?”
“Ah.”
“Did you attend some event? This dress is really pretty.”
The maid held a muslin dress—the one I wore for my date with Kai.
Though the maid probably meant nothing by it, my guilty mouth moved on its own.
“Oh, just a small gathering of noble ladies! Yes, a tea party! I had to dress nicely!”
Ahhh! I know the more detailed the excuse, the more suspicious it looks. I could have just said I met a friend!
“I see—okay.”
“…”
Why does her tone sound like, “I know everything, but I’ll pretend I don’t”?
The maid gave a light wink and left. Naturally, I headed to the Duke’s office.
“Miss has arrived.”
The servant checked if there were enough drinks and snacks before leaving the room.
Once we were alone, my father rested his chin on his hand and asked seriously:
“Was there anyone this past week you wanted me to ‘take care of’?”
“No.”
“Really? I could have cleaned up without leaving a trace.”
“Ah, stop saying that! I won’t make you do such things!”
What kind of delusions does this man have about school life? Really scary stuff almost never happens!
Moreover…
“You must’ve heard, right? Last Wednesday I got rid of the leader-level noble girl.”
Right. It felt like a century had passed, but it was only a few days ago.
I expelled Pastel Arsen, a student manipulating noble girls with secrets. The Count even rushed to the main hall, so of course the Duke heard.
…Huh? But the Duke seems slightly surprised. His expression unchanged, but his irises tremble slightly.
“Was it you who made Count Arsen apologize before the bishop for his daughter’s wrongdoing?”
“Uh… you didn’t know? Yes, that was me. Didn’t make it widely known, but I thought you’d naturally know.”
“Why?”
“You always place information sources here and there, right?”
“Not at school. The… children really dislike parents investigating school matters.”
“….”
Well, the Duke sometimes does something admirable. Soon, he dragged his chair closer to me.
“Tell me how big of a deal my daughter did.”
“Ah… well, I can tell you, but…”
“But?”
“You must promise not to tell anyone!”
“…I wanted to boast.”
“I’ll tell you only if you promise not to boast!”
The Duke was still expressionless, but the trembling in his iris showed his feelings. He’s about to sulk. I smiled.
“Not curious?”
He finally surrendered, handing me a glass of iced juice.
“Go on. Tell me how amazing my daughter’s achievement was.”
“Ehehe, well! To start, it began with some roll-haired noble arguing with me in the corridor—”
All my planned reports on what I learned this week became unnecessary. But, of course, I wasn’t disappointed.
…I wasn’t overexerting myself to adapt.
Bragging about my accomplishments to my family, and having them seriously listen, was this delightful…
We drank two glasses of juice while chatting. My mouth was still dry, so the Duke rang a bell to refill the glasses.
Ah, this is something I couldn’t tell anyone fully, but being honest with someone grumpier than me felt truly relaxing!
“This is it! And I’m satisfied with these results, so don’t get revenge on anyone else for me.”
“Understood. Though, there was nothing in your perfect work to touch anyway.”
“Hehe… hearing my father call it perfect feels really nice.”
That concluded my storytelling. I sipped juice one last time.
“Is Elber home too?”
“No. Still at General Pine’s house. Do you have something to say?”
“Ah. I met him recently, nothing much to say.”
We ran into each other at a city tea house… Not exactly by chance, though.
Why did Elber come there? Surely—
“I still have one more question, Sol.”
…Right. Domado reacted strangely, so the Duke sent him to where I was.
“Elber said he could hear the full story from you. What happened to make the little Silver Dragon fearful?”
Perhaps he sensed the Cardinal Dragon’s presence through Kai.
But to explain that, I’d need to recount six years back when the Cardinal Dragon first sought me out.
Back then, just mentioning the Cardinal Dragon would make the Silver Dragon inside the Duke go wild—I couldn’t explain.
If I confessed everything now…
…Would the Duke bring out the Silver Dragon to eliminate the Cardinal Dragon?
Wow, in the original story, the world nearly ended because of one dragon. This time, it could be even more dramatic.
…Of course, there’s no guarantee the Duke would fight the Cardinal Dragon for me. If I told him, he might just shrug, “So what?”—which I wouldn’t like.
So, I chose to be a bit indirect.
“Father, I really thought about this…”
“Yes, Sol. Speak freely.”
“There’s a man who needs me.”
I wasn’t wrong.
