102 - Black Dog VS Kokumaro
I did decline at first, saying that Nils had his own work to do, but he offered to guide me anyway. It seems that taking care of me within the Menhishumi Church is also part of Nils's job. I pointed out that should not it only be during the period when I am attending as a student, but Nils just tilted his head calmly.
...So Nils cannot just look the other way just because it is outside the period, huh.
I think if it were Lusio, he would have looked the other way. But Nils, who takes other people's words at face value for better or worse, was imprinted from the start with the instruction to "help me out," so maybe he naturally assumes he should help me even when I come during a period when I am not supposed to be here.
...That gentle, pure-hearted nature of his... I am a bit worried he might get taken advantage of by bad people.
When I inadvertently said something like that, Nils smiled and said there are no bad people inside the Menhishumi Church.
...Yeah, he is already being taken advantage of!
While listening to Nils talk on the way to the library, it seems that taking care of the owner of the room where he was carrying out the mountain of laundry was originally someone else's job. That person had pushed their work onto Nils and was attending a researcher's lecture instead.
...Ditching your own work to attend a lecture, is not that cheating?
I think so, but since Nils seems fine with it, I cannot say anything. If there were bruises on Nils, I could report the wrongdoing to Guide Anna, but he is just smiling placidly. There is a chance I would just be meddling, so I could not do anything.
"Here it is, Tina-sama. Volume six of 'Itsurateru's Knight.'"
Nils pulled out a book from a high shelf and handed it to Hermine. His words were addressed to me, but the item was passed to Hermine, who was recognized as my attendant. This seems to be how they treat a "young lady." A young lady does not carry her own books or bags. It is terribly inconvenient and troublesome.
Hermine's eyes slid across the cover as if to confirm the title, then checked the contents. While waiting for Hermine's verification, Nils came down from the stepladder.
"But it is strange. For a volume to be missing from the Fortress Lord's study..."
"Is it shtrange?"
"Itsurateru's Knight is a book printed at the Menhishumi Church, so one copy should always have been presented to the Fortress Lord's residence. For it to be unfindable..."
Not just Leonardo, but the lords of Fort Grenore donate large sums to the Menhishumi Church every year. As a return gift, it seems that one copy of every book printed at the Menhishumi Church is always presented to the Fortress Lord's residence. If I take that at face value, then volume six of 'Itsurateru's Knight,' printed at the Menhishumi Church, should definitely be somewhere in the Fortress Lord's residence.
"I will look into it a little."
"You do not have to go that far, deshu. Nils, you were in the middle of your work too, were you not, deshita?"
"I just need to check some documents, so it will be done quickly."
"Please wait in the reception room, young ladies," Nils said, gently ushering us out of the library. Because of the flammable paper, the library was not equipped with heating appliances like stoves. The Fortress Lord's residence was the same, so I basically take books to the living room or my room to read. I was grateful to escape the cold library, but I felt bad leaving Nils alone.
"...If you are going to read shomething, I could help, you know?"
"These are church documents, so please refrain, Tina-sama."
I tried to insist that I could at least help look through documents, but this too was politely refused. Pushing too hard would only trouble Nils, so I decided to quietly accept his kindness.
When I was shown to the reception room heated by a stove, a female servant brought warm tea and sweets. I was being treated completely like a guest. Being treated so much like a guest made me regret coming on a whim without any notice. I am sure that behind the scenes, the servants and church staff were scrambling to prepare everything.
...Being a young lady seems hard to handle, huh.
I myself think of myself as a commoner, but in the city of Grenore, I am treated as Leonardo's sister. Being the sister of Leonardo, the lord of the fortress, means I am essentially the sister of the city's ruler.
...Yeah, this really might be hard to handle.
I reflected again that coming here carelessly was a bad idea. And I thought that Hermine's ladyship education was urgently needed. If I am going to live as Leonardo's sister, I have to get used to being treated as a young lady. Learning the proper behavior for that is also important.
...Nobles seem troublesome too, but being Leonardo-san's sister is also pretty difficult, is not it?
The Black Knights are commoners, but they have acquaintance with nobles, and the other day, even a prince stayed at the residence. I feel like they are letting it slide for now because it is what children do, but I will not be allowed to behave like this forever. I should learn how to deal with nobles and royalty as soon as possible. As long as I am Leonardo's sister, I never know when royalty might suddenly show up.
...No, I want to believe there is no royalty that mobile except for Alfred-sama.
When I got curious and asked Leonardo about it, he said Alfred's personality is very similar to his father's. Alfred's father, by extension, is the king of this country. Apparently, the free-spirited king is supported by a steady queen and a hardworking first prince.
...Is this country really going to be okay?
As I was munching on baked sweets and thinking such idle thoughts, Nils came into the reception room carrying a stack of documents.
"I figured it out, Tina-sama."
"Was it shomething you could figure out by looking into the church records?"
"It seems so, this time."
The bundle of documents spread out on the table had a slightly yellowish tint, as if the paper was old. Looking closely, the edges were curled and there were fold marks here and there, so they seemed to be old documents.
"To put it simply, volume six of 'Itsurateru's Knight' was never presented in the first place."
It came to light because I happened to feel like reading it and looked for it, but it seems that 'Itsurateru's Knight' was printed over thirty years ago, and there was a war at the time. The fortress was so busy that presentation copies to the Fortress Lord's residence were temporarily withheld. Rather than making them go to the trouble of security and inspection, they decided to present the copy after the war ended, and then somehow the presentation of the copy printed that year was forgotten. When I looked into it, it was a really simple story.
...Which means, conversely, that no one had properly read the books in the study for over thirty years, huh.
Despite the presentation copies being given as a kind gesture, they were treated quite poorly.
"There were several other presentation copies that were forgotten back then... What would you like to do? If it is just 'Itsurateru's Knight,' it seems I could bring it back right away..."
"Eh? I can take it, deshu?"
"They were originally meant to be presented to the Fortress Lord's residence. Rather, we will finally be able to stamp them as presented, so the church is relieved as well."
In the end, Nils said he would deliver the presentation copies that had been stored in the archives, along with 'Itsurateru's Knight,' to the residence at a later date. He also said it would take a few days since he wanted to check if there were any other missed presentation copies.
...Huh? Did I just increase Nils's work again?
When I asked him about it, worried, Nils answered with a smile that it was originally the Menhishumi Church's job. Nils would never say that I made his work increase. I do not know if it is due to his personality or if he really thinks that way, but there is no doubt he is a smiley hard worker. I told him at least that there was no need to rush the presentation copies. There were still other books at the residence, so we did not need them immediately.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kokumaro."
When I came out of the building, the puppy who had been lying down waiting, perhaps recognizing me by my footsteps, stood up with its tail perking straight up. Its tail wagged happily, flapping back and forth. It was adorable.
I walked home, catching glimpses of a red collar against its black fur. The red collar had a charm similar to the one Leonardo had attached to my purse, and it was engraved with Cerberus as a symbol. This way, anyone could tell that Kokumaro was the dog of the Black Knight household, so even if he got lost, someone who found him could report it to the Black Knights and he would be able to return home. The purpose was the same as my charm.
I was practicing walking with the leash held short so that he would walk by my side during walks. The way he occasionally lifted his head to look at me was unbearably cute.
"...Ah?"
Suddenly, Kokumaro plopped his bottom down and stopped walking. What is wrong? I looked around and saw the usual black dog at the end of Kokumaro's gaze.
...Why is it here when I am with an adult (Hermine) today?
The pattern with that black dog has been that it does not show itself when I am with an adult. It had been that way. But today, even though I was with an adult named Hermine, that black dog was cautiously creeping out from the alley.
"Tina-san, this way."
Hermine grabbed my shoulder and hid me behind her back. The black dog, quietly growling, had an eerie atmosphere. I had always thought it was creepy, but that was because I would notice the black dog entering my field of vision, not because it showed obvious hostility toward me. Rather, I had never felt any hostility from that black dog before.
"Kokumaro! Come here!"
I tried pulling the leash from behind Hermine, but Kokumaro, who had sat down, showed no sign of moving. He remained planted on the ground, but perhaps feeling spirited, he started yapping at the black dog.
"Kyaa!?"
The moment the black dog leaped at Kokumaro, Hermine picked me up and stepped back several paces. I could not help but wonder where such strength came from Hermine's slender arms, but right now my concern was Kokumaro. Startled at being lifted up, I instinctively let go of the leash.
"Kokumaro!"
I thought he would run away now that he was free, but Kokumaro bravely faced the black dog. His tail was curled down to hide his bottom, but he positioned himself in front of me and Hermine, barking loudly. Perhaps, in his own way, Kokumaro was trying to protect us.
...Where is the owner!?
If it were a fight between pet dogs on a walk, the owners could pull the leashes and forcibly create distance to stop it. But Kokumaro aside, the black dog did not even have a leash, let alone an owner walking it. I could not forcibly separate the black dog.
The black dog only threatened Kokumaro and showed no interest in us. Hermine gently set me down on the ground. Then she carefully went around behind Kokumaro and secretly stepped on the leash I had let go of. Now we could catch Kokumaro.
"Kokumaro!"
The black dog snapped at Kokumaro, and my heart froze at the sight. Instinctively, I thrust my hand between the two dogs to separate them, and the black dog immediately pulled away from Kokumaro.
"Ow!?"
The black dog backed off when it saw me, but the puppy Kokumaro apparently could not make that judgment. Whether from excitement or blind panic, he bit my hand that had intervened, then quickly let go, startled by my scream.
For just a moment, both dogs showed the same behavior. They lowered their tails, flattened their ears, and let out uneasy whines. But that shared behavior lasted only an instant. The next moment, the black dog's demeanor changed. Its growl became intense, and although it was a dog, I could feel killing intent.
...Is Kokumaro going to get bitten to death!?
The thought flashed through my mind, and I tried to pick up Kokumaro and step back, but Kokumaro might have thought I was reaching out to scold him. Tucking his tail, he ran away from me too.
"Kokumaro!"
Right now, surely being away from me was more dangerous. I was certain of it, but Kokumaro did not understand. Hermine was stepping on the leash, so the distance he could escape was limited, but just moving out of my reach felt dangerous.
The leash attached to the collar went taut as the puppy fled. At a distance that was barely a single bound for the black dog, I closed my eyes tightly, certain that Kokumaro would be bitten to death this time.
...Huh?
For a moment, I felt like the area above my head went dark. The next sound I heard was not a puppy's whimper, but the howl of an adult dog in pain.
"Alright! Got him!!"
An adult male voice came from an unexpected direction, and I hesitantly opened my eyes. I saw three Black Knights running toward us from a short distance away.
"...B-Black Knights?"
If they were Black Knights, they were on my side. They would protect me and the puppy from the black dog. Relieved, the strength drained from my legs. I plopped down onto the ground, and that gave me just enough composure to look around a little.
...Oh, a throw net?
I remembered the black dog escaping before, but this time they seemed to have succeeded in catching it with this net. Or rather, perhaps the black dog was so agitated that it had not noticed the Black Knights approaching. Caught in the net, the black dog had already calmed down, its earlier ferocity toward Kokumaro gone.
"Tina-san, your hand!"
"My...?"
What about my hand? I turned my head toward the voice and saw Hermine with a worried frown. With the tension gone, I could not immediately understand Hermine's words and just stared back blankly. Perhaps impatient with me, Hermine took my hand without waiting for a reply and began examining it.
...Ah, right. Kokumaro bit me, did not he?
As I recalled the fact that I had been bitten, a throbbing pain began in my hand. It is funny how it had not hurt at all while it was out of my conscious awareness. The pain started the moment I felt relief.
"...There is a hole in your glove, but it seems you are not injured."
Hermine, who had turned my palm over several times to examine it, seemed satisfied and let out a sigh of relief, relaxing her shoulders. Since she said I was not injured, I too timidly looked at my aching hand. Small tooth marks lined up in an arc, but it seemed the skin had barely been broken. There was a hole in my glove, but no hole in my hand. It just throbbed dully, and there was not even any blood.
After being taken by Hermine to the Sedovara Church for disinfection just in case, when I returned, it seemed word had already been sent to the residence. The moment I entered the residence, Leonardo hugged me tightly, making it a little hard to breathe. But since I had worried him, I obediently stayed in his embrace.
Kokumaro, who seemed to have been feeling like my guard, appeared to be shocked that he had ended up biting me instead. With his tail lowered, he had shoved only his head into the basket that served as his bed. His dejection was obvious.
Hermine apologized for letting me get injured despite being with me, which put me in a bit of a bind. Hermine had shielded and protected me properly. The only bad thing was that I had instinctively thrust my arm between the fighting dogs. That was it. I insisted that Hermine had nothing to apologize for, but she would not budge, saying that when an adult is present, a child's injury is the adult's responsibility.
"...It wash jusht a whimshy outing, but it ended in disashter."
Thinking about Hermine, who had started voluntarily confining herself, I leaned against Leonardo, who was sitting next to me on the living room sofa. I did not have any real injuries, but I stared at the white bandage wrapped around my hand to hide the tooth marks after disinfection. The bandage was white, but it looked orange in the glow of the fireplace.
"Tina, you are forbidden from going out for a while."
"Understood, deshita."
"...You are being obedient."
"I am always obedient, deshu, you know?"
I reported to Leonardo what I had felt at the Menhishumi Church today, that there were many things to reflect on. That although I thought of myself as a commoner, it seemed I was being treated as a young lady as Leonardo's sister. That I had gone to the Menhishumi Church on a whim, but maybe I should have contacted them in advance. I continued reporting as thoughts came to me.
"I think it might be better if I learn how to behave like a lady from Hermine-sensei a bit more before I go into town."
Otherwise, I might unconsciously embarrass Leonardo. I myself thought it was my own responsibility, but Hermine regretted my being bitten by Kokumaro, saying that when it comes to adults and children, it is the adult's responsibility. My behavior would be dismissed as childish behavior, and responsibility would fall on my guardian.
"...About that dog."
"The black one, deshu?"
"It was hard to tell since it was black, but it had a collar."
The black dog that had finally been secured by the Black Knights today was apparently sitting quietly in a cage now. Since they could look at it up close, they had noticed the collar around its neck. As I had suspected that it might be a trained dog, when a dog trainer gave it commands, it showed some response, and they were able to confirm the plate on the collar.
"...It is a noble's pet, deshu."
Apparently, the crest engraved on the plate was one that every Black Knight would recognize. Even if not a Black Knight, it seems the owner of that black dog was someone that any citizen of this country would have heard of at least once.
"We need to send word that it might be a lost dog, but..."
This is going to be troublesome to handle, Leonardo muttered with a sigh.
At last, the black dog has been caught.
Tina's coat and gloves were made from fine fabrics that Leonardo carefully chose so she would not be cold, so a puppy's bite surprisingly did not do much damage. A victory for overprotectiveness (?).
Typos and errors will be dealt with another day... orz
I have corrected the typos and errors I found.