Chapter 72: Breath of the Wind
Chapter 72: Breath of the Wind
After that incident, Eric and I went back to the southern main street’s resting spot after looking around the shopping street, weapon shop, armor shop.
Incidentally, this is the place where Ra-chan and I met for the first time.
「Haa, I’m a bit tired.」
Even though I’m not in the position to say that since I’m being shown around, to walk around the crowded royal capital is tiring. If you ask me why would I walk around the place eagerly, that’s because people will not get suspicious of me when I use Teleport to go to the royal capital later. Furthermore, I was also looking around for a place, a place near the one I’m about to go to.
I already checked it carefully, a back street which is clearly suspicious, and a building with a guard standing by over there among other things. I mostly would like to know about the place covered by the knight’s patrol route, but as expected, it would be impossible to do so in just half a day. Even if I come back another time, I would have to observe them thoroughly.
「You’re pathetic. I want to say that, but I’m also tired. Let’s take a break here and go to the west side, after that I guess we’ll head to the theater in the northwest.」
「Okay. Then do you want buy to drink?」
Them, the two of us went together to a stall to buy a juice that was a mix of vegetables and fruits
Thereupon, there was something like a carriage that was parked near the stall.
Hmm, are there some nobles coming or something? As far as the luxurious carriage is concerned they seem to have quite the financial power. Our carriage main body looks seedy because of the excessively gorgeous crest.
Even so, this carriage, I got the feeling that I have seen it before, or was it just my imagination…
「Ah, that is――」
「It’s Alー! And there’s Eric tooー!」
When Eric opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by a high-pitched voice that sounds familiar.
There was the figure of Ra-chan holding a juice she received from the stall in one hand, waving her hand to us while smiling. Because she shook her hand too enthusiastically, she was about to drop the cup of juice in her hand, and her panicked look was very cute.
Ra-chan gave the juice to the maid-san waiting behind her, and then she faced us while giving us a smile with an embarrassed look.
I’m being healed just seeing that genuine smile.
For that Ra-chan, from the bottom of my heart I pray that she would not become like those twins we met at the shopping street.
And when I thought like that, I think I could understand a little bit about the feelings of many people living in the royal capital.
Err, it’s just a little bit, alright. That’s because the previous incident was so shocking, you see.
Ra-chan running up in front of us *tete* (SFX).
「What are Al and Eric doing?」
「The two of us were walking around the royal capital to various places today. And we’re about to take a break now.」
We’re actually about to enter a store somewhere, but somehow I just feel so lazy to get up after sitting down.
Not to mention that Eric’s mind is also in a mess.
「Ahー! How nice! I also want to play with Al and Ericー」
Ra-chan puffs out her cheeks and says that while sounding envious. Each time she moves, her twin tails also lightly sway along.
Even though Ra-chan looks envious, I think it would be tiresome for a little girl to walk around the place. Even the trained Eric, and for myself included, it's as if my legs have turned into sticks.
「What is Ra-chan doing today?」
「Umm, I’m on my way back home from a tea party. Then, did you come here to drink the tasty juice again?」
I see. So you stopped here on your way back home from another noble house’s tea party huh. That reminds me, I think Nord-tousan and Elna-kaasan also said that there would be a tea party.
「That’s right.」
「Are you going with just maid-san today?」
「No. There’s also oneechan you know.」
When I look around the carriage, there is no one else, apart from maid-san and the coachman.
When I tried to make sure again, I met the maid-san's eyes so I lowered my head a little and the maid-san bows as a sign of courtesy. She seems to pretty much know us, since she didn’t follow Ra-chan when she moved away. Well, no matter what happens, Eric will protect me, or rather I will just use Eric as a shield.
As far as her dignified appearance goes, I guess maid-san also works as a guard.
When I was looking at her and having such thoughts, I heard a voice coming from the side.
「Just what are you doing… Can you not overly associate yourself with my sister? 」
The first thing Shelka said was some rude thing. She has a wooden cup in her hand, maybe she bought juice at the stall.
Today she is wearing the Magic Academy’s uniform, blazer-like clothes, and a skirt. The blue mantle goes well with her beautiful light brown hair that looks as if it was amber-colored.
She looks like a refined female student.
「What does Shelka-san think about us?」
「Wait a minute you. Right now, Miss Shelka is looking at you and calling ‘you’. So I’m not included in that. 」
When I made an objection to Shelka, Eric who was beside me said that. This guy is so cold that he cast me away without batting an eyelid…
So that means in Shelka eyes, she perceives me as a bad influence to Ra-chan, huh?
「That’s right, it’s you.」
Shelka ruthlessly said that, seemingly after guessing by looking at my expression.
「That’s so unthinkable. There’s no way I’m a bad influence to Ra-chan――」
「Al, there’s no poor maid today?」
「…………………」
The piercing gaze of reproach from Eric and Shelka were stabbing at me.
No way. I’m the older one here, so I have to pay close attention here.
「It’s not ‘poor maid’, okay. It’s Mina you know? You have to properly call her by her name.」
「Ehー? But that’s what Al call her?」
Guhaa. I don’t have any more words to reply to that. Right now, I severely felt the weight of one’s words.
Now I understand the reason why people with high positions desperately paid a lot of money to try to cover up their mistake or to withdraw their statement. Even so, that doesn’t mean I didn’t say it.
By the way, Eric sighs as if he was astonished by me, and if looks could kill, then I’ll be killed by Shelka right now.
「Well then, what shall we play todayー?」
「Ahー! Al speak like Papa when he want to evade my questionー!」
I thought that I could trick her with that, but as expected from the Head of the Duke’s house. It seems that he had already used this method and so she was able to see through this method quickly.
Hhnggghhh, don’t do that papa-san.
「…………………」
If you criticize me, then it means you also criticize the Head of the Duke’s house, so I guess that’s the reason Eric chose to remain silent.
「This is so embarrassing.」
Maybe she was embarrassed that her family’s particulars became known, Shelka is covering her face with both of her hands.
× × ×
After that, we sat down to take a break for a moment. Then Shelka got up and said 「Let’s go home」.
「Ehー! It’s still early!」
「No! We’re going back now.」
「Why? It’s still not dark yet right?」
「It’s going to get dark soon.」
Err, there’s now way that’s true. Surely the Misfid house must have a mansion in the royal capital. And it is unlikely that it will turn into evening soon because of the short distance.
「But it’s just still past noon isn’t it?」
「We get back slowly, and by the time we arrive at home it will be dark. Ra-chan will become a bad child if you were to play with these two people you know?」
I see. It seems that she doesn’t want Ra-chan to get too close with me that much, huh.
Eric nodded as if in agreement, so I’m going to hit his head.
「Don’t wanna mon! So I’m going to play with Eric and Al.」
「You can’t! It’s fine if you want to play, but not with this two!」
「Why is that neechan!? I don’t understand!」
Can I, get angry? Ra-chan, say something to her.
「Naa!? Me too!?」
「It’s bothersome anyway, so it’s fine to just lump the two of you together isn’t it! Even when in the party venue, they’re always stuck together! Because of that, which one is the one attacking and which one is the one receiving is not clear you know!」
「「……haa?」」
My anger was blown away in an instant, and our weird-sounding voices overlapped.
「Receiving? Attacking? What’s that?」
Maybe Eric couldn’t understand it - for better or worse - he knitted his eyebrows as he said dubiously.
As for me, I can guess it using my knowledge from my previous world and the familiar Koryatt village.
It might be the first time for me, that a woman acquaintance of mine - with the same age as me - has that kind of hobby.
No, perhaps if I were to look for them outside of Koryatt village, a swarm of them will emerge.
「……you, don’t tell me……」
「Ahh! That’s not it! This is, that……………anyway! Ra-chan, let’s go back now!」
Maybe because her hobby was exposed, Shelka got embarrassed and grabbed Ra-chan’s hand to go home right now.
「I don’t want to go home!」
Though, Ra-chan shook her hand off.
「Let’s go home already!」
It could be that Shelka herself wants to go home, she uses half more strength than before. It might also be because she wanted to escape from the embarrassment, this time she didn’t give any reason.
Because of that, she couldn’t convince Ra-chan to agree.
「Mou! Oneechan is mean!」
Ra-chan puffed her cheek and shook her arm off again. The people in our surroundings can be seen to move away from us, likely to avoid any trouble with the nobles. Looking at the response of the citizens of the royal capital, one can see that they’re already used to it.
And Ra-chan’s next action took me by surprise.
「『I ask thee Of air 』」
She chants a magic spell on a crowded main street full of people.
The people in the surroundings notice that, they let out surprised voices, and took a farther distance from before.
「『Breath of the Wind』!」
Then, a fierce wind blew in the main street, strongly lifting up Shellka’s skirt………!