113 - Side Story - Leonardo's Perspective - My Little Sister 5
I arrived at Mandez Fortress, east of Grenore, at noon the day before the Divine King Festival. We departed intending to arrive three days prior, so the delay was considerable. On the road, we captured villagers who had lost their livelihoods to the Woze disease and turned to banditry. I expected some delay, but this is why we ended up arriving just barely in time.
I ordered that the horses, pushed too hard, be given ample rest, and handed the reins to another knight. As soon as I removed the crimson mantle of the Grenore Knights, an orange mantle of the Mandez Knights was immediately offered to me.
"I understand your little sister is adorable, but I wish you would allow more leeway in your travel."
"It is a fact that my little sister is adorable, but the delay was not Tina's fault."
I tuned out Talmo's grumbling and headed toward the commander's office. We needed to discuss the Divine King Festival arrangements, but I also wanted to consult on how to handle the captured bandits. If they were villagers from the northern Lagaret territory, I could hand them over to the lord and be done with it, but unfortunately the bandits we caught this time were under Mandez Knights' jurisdiction. Another unit was scheduled to escort them to this Mandez Fortress at a later date.
"This winter we will feed them through labor service, but are their families in the village... I understand the circumstances, but we cannot just ignore those who turned to crime..."
And so, while considering the disposition of the captured bandits, I handled the Divine King Festival arrangements. Well, it was not so much the Divine King Festival as the rites for the War God Herkeiles held at the fortress. The content was the same every year at every fortress, but in my case, the location changed. As befits rites honoring the War God, it was decided that the one to serve as priest was the strongest person in the fortress. Therefore, in my case as lord of four fortresses, I was to serve as priest at each fortress once a year. Some suggested that since I spent most of the year in Grenore, I should leave all rites at Grenore Fortress to Alf and spend winters at the other three fortresses, but I firmly wanted to refuse. I understood the logic, but I wanted to spend winter with Tina, and it would be problematic if the War God Herkeiles came to recognize Alf as the master of Grenore.
I interspersed such jokes while listening to reports from spring through winter at the fortress. Since we had been in close communication since mid-spring to try to contain the Woze disease this year, the reports themselves were few. By the time we had dinner, all urgent reports were finished.
Once the rites concluded without incident after midnight, I listened to more reports while eating a late-night snack. At Mandez Fortress as well, a city had grown up nestled against it. It was smaller than the city of Grenore, but still a fine city. When I went into the city for a patrol at daybreak, adults and children dressed in beast costumes were overflowing everywhere.
...Tina must be enjoying the night festival in costume right about now.
Since Ms. Hartmann was preparing costumes, Tina must have gone out to the night festival too. I wanted to see Tina frolicking in her cat costume, but the earliest I could spend winter in Grenore was the year after next. A nine-year-old's winter only comes once, so it was a shame. A shame, but when I invited Tina to travel in winter, she firmly refused. If Tina would agree to travel with me next year, I might be able to see her costume a little sooner.
I leisurely surveyed the city from horseback. By early afternoon, I returned to the Mandez Residence, where I would be staying from tonight. As the word "return" suggests, this residence was also my home. Just like the lord's residence in the city of Grenore, the fortress lord was given a residence in Mandez as well. So, although it was a residence I stayed in barely once every four years, and only during winter, it was considered my home.
The construction was different, but the size was not much different from Grenore. However, the number of staff was greater than at the Grenore residence. This was largely due to the qualities of the lord four generations back.
"Welcome home, Leonardo-sama."
"Is it alright for you to come outside?"
"Thank you for your concern. In winter the clouds are thick, so it is quite comfortable."
Before I could knock with the door knocker, the one who appeared from the entrance was a man named Iridal, who served a role akin to a steward. With pale skin, white hair, and striking red eyes, this man had chosen to work as a servant at this residence because his skin was weak and he needed an indoor workplace where he would not have to work outside. While openly declaring that servants were no different from furniture, he purchased medicinal ointments necessary for his own survival by claiming it was maintenance of that furniture, using the residence's upkeep budget. A truly tenacious and nagging piece of furniture.
...But he was capable.
I knew that even in a residence I stayed in only once every four years, I could live comfortably and without inconvenience thanks to Iridal. Iridal had sold himself to the residence in order to live. Perhaps it was only natural from his perspective that he would strive not to be cast out.
"Welcome home, Leonardo-sama."
"...mas-"
"So your little sister is not with you after all, I see."
Three maids appeared from behind Iridal. The sight of three identical faces lined up was quite impressive, but I still could not tell who was who. There were some differences in personality, but their appearances were exactly the same. Named Alisa, Kalisa, and Salisa, these triplets had been abandoned for being triplets and taken in by the fortress lord of the time who had purchased Iridal. Since Iridal essentially raised them, they were apparently like parent and child in spirit. Ordinary servants managed and maintained the residence and supported the lord's lifestyle, but due to the special circumstance that the lord only stayed once every four years, the servants of this residence were uniformly highly skilled in clerical work. They even went to the fortress to assist with duties in place of their absent master.
"...Tina said she could stay home alone. That is how she turned me down."
As I answered while taking off my coat, Kalisa showed disappointment. She did not speak much, but apparently she had been looking forward to Tina coming.
"How disappointing. It is rare we get to host a little young lady."
"Salisa had even perfected a recipe for sweets, waiting..."
I felt like I was being blamed by the three maids in turn for being turned down by Tina. Alisa and Salisa were not so bad, but Kalisa's stare was particularly sharp.
"...Well, I will just enjoy being a bachelor for the first time in a while."
I shrugged, shooed away the triplets, and moved to the office with Iridal. There, I listened to reports about the residence.
After finishing my rounds of the residence and resting a little, I headed to the fortress again. They would come to me if there was business, but basically this was Mandez, where I only came once every four years. The work was plentiful.
The sun set while I was absorbed in reports. I looked up at the sound of knocking, and the window outside was completely dark.
"Commander, Alisa has come from the residence as a messenger."
"Alisa? Send her in."
"Yes sir!"
I had just heard reports about the residence during the day, so I wondered if there was some urgent business. As I thought this somewhat curiously and welcomed Alisa, she began talking about something strange.
"An unknown little girl is hiding in the living room fireplace, and she is calling for me?"
When I thought of little girls, Tina and her friend Mirshe came to mind, but there was no way they would be in Mandez, so I ruled them out. Once I did that, I had no idea what little girl would be calling for me. But when I heard the characteristics Alisa described, I could not think it was anyone but Tina. A cute little girl with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a coat with cat ears... I could not imagine anyone other than Tina.
...No, that cannot be.
It could not be Tina. That is what I thought, but if I was being called, I should at least check. It was getting late anyway, so I cut my work short and headed to the residence.
When I entered the residence greeted by Iridal, I could indeed hear Tina's crying. She was calling out "Leo, Leo" while apologizing for something. Saying things like "I will be a good girl, I am sorry, I will not play any more tricks," with her words occasionally breaking off.
...Something seems strange, does it not?
I felt a slight sense of wrongness about the crying that sounded like Tina. The capable steward Iridal, who had apparently been trying to calm the little girl down ever since finding her, came over to me with a face that was so tired it was quite rare to see. According to his brief explanation, around sunset when he tried to light the living room fireplace in preparation for my return, he heard a little girl's voice from deep within the fireplace. "Let me out, open up." Her voice was so desperate that he apparently opened the fireplace door, putting aside the question of why a little girl was in the fireplace for later. And then, inside, there was a little girl with black hair. With blue eyes full of tears, when he tried to reach out and ask what had happened, the frightened girl started crying as if ignited, and somehow managed to close the door from the inside and lock herself in again.
...The more I heard, the more it sounded like Tina.
She was basically a well-behaved child, but Tina sometimes did things that were hard to understand. I still did not fully understand why she would suddenly jump onto my bed or kick my toes.
"Would not her throat give out if she keeps crying like that?"
"Leonardo-sama."
Since the little girl was calling for me, I was urged forward and moved in front of the fireplace. Now that I was closer, the girl's voice was easier to make out, and from every angle it sounded like Tina's.
...It could not be Tina. There is no way Tina could be...
That is what I thought, but I could not help thinking it sounded like Tina's voice.
"...Tina?"
I gently tapped the fireplace door with my fingernail. It went clack clack.
"Tina? I am opening it, okay?"
When I called out again, the crying inside stopped abruptly. Whether the girl inside was Tina or not, she seemed willing to listen.
As I grabbed the handle to open the door, it was flung open from the inside with force. At the same time, a black mass tumbled out and sat down right in front of me.
"What? Tina? Really, is it really Tina? What happened? Why were you inside the fireplace...?"
She was covered in soot and tears from head to toe, but from every angle, the one who had jumped out of the fireplace was my little sister Tina. Her blue eyes went wide like saucers, and then large tears began to overflow visibly.
"Leeeo...!"
Wailing loudly, Tina reached out both arms and hugged me. She was saying something, but I could barely make it out. She just kept sobbing and sobbing, burying her face in my neck.
...What? What the hell is going on?!
I had absolutely no idea what was happening. I did not understand the reason, but I knew that to understand, I had to wait for Tina to calm down. For now, I kept gently patting her back so she would settle down quickly. That was the goal, but Tina, patted rhythmically on the back, fell asleep just like that.
When I lifted up Tina, covered in soot, of course I became covered in soot and pitch black too. Iridal made a sour face, but there was nothing to be done about it. It was an unfortunate accident. When I tried to set Tina down on a rag that Alisa had brought to put her somewhere and bathe her, Tina woke up. Once awake, as soon as she realized she was about to be let go, she started crying again. Faced with a reaction from Tina I had never seen before, I was at a complete loss as to how to handle it.
"Tina, you are covered in soot, right? Let us get you in the bath."
"I do not want to be apart from Leo."
I started trying to persuade her to get in the bath first since she was awake, but Tina refused this too. She said something adorable like she did not want to be apart from me, but Tina had never said anything like this before. Only Tina looked like Tina, and I thought she was Tina, but maybe she was not Tina after all.
"...Want to bathe together then?"
"No."
At Tina puffing out her cheeks and saying girls do not bathe with boys, I was certain this was indeed Tina. Even as a little girl, Tina refused to bathe with me. As her older brother, it was truly sad.
"...Leo, you there?"
"I am here."
She did not want to be apart, but she did not want to bathe together either. As a compromise with Tina, we set up a folding screen beside the bath, and I accompanied her bath from behind the screen. It was cute how she kept calling out anxiously to check if I was really behind the screen, but it also felt somewhat hollow. Additionally, Alisa stood in a position where she could see both the screen and the bathtub, keeping watch so that I would not peek at Tina's bath as per Tina's request. As an older brother, I had absolutely no credibility.
...But Tabitha reported that Tina could bathe on her own, did she not?
Kalisa, who seemed eager to fuss over her diligently, appeared to be taking care of Tina's bathing. I could hear Tina laughing sometimes, saying it tickled.
...Come to think of it, she did not react particularly when she saw Alisa and Kalisa's faces.
Twins were disliked as ill-omened children. In a closed-off village like Mey Village, I thought that kind of discrimination was more intense than in the city, but Tina showed no sign of disliking twins.
...Well, they were not even twins, they were triplets.
As I was thinking such things, Tina's bath ended. The perfectly natural question of where the new orange dress Tina was wearing had come from was blown away. Iridal was a capable steward. He had probably prepared clothes for my little sister in advance.
When I took my turn in the bath after Tina finished, this time Tina waited behind the screen for me to finish my bath. Occasionally she called out "Leo, you there?" and I answered "I am here." She asked so many times that a mischievous impulse stirred in me as well.
"Leo, you there?"
To the question that came again, this time I answered silently. What would Tina do if I did not answer? It was just a little mischief, but Tina did not call out a third time to confirm.
"Leo, found you."
She peeked her face out from the edge of the screen and confirmed my presence soaking in the bathtub. She scolded me not to peek, but apparently it was fine for her to peek at my bath. Since the opportunity was there, I asked her to wash my hair, and Tina agreed in a cheerful mood.
...Something is strange, is it not?
Something was off. I was certain of it, but I could not grasp what it was.
They say the UV rays are stronger on cloudy days, Madam! Probably Chapter 4 ends next time.
I will fix typos and missing characters another day.
I corrected the typos and missing characters I found.