156 - The Black Dog's Owner
"Leo, we have a guest deshu."
Even though it was his birthday, Leonardo was staring at his desk as usual. They were work documents so I could not look at them, but he was always reading through some kind of papers or stamping them. He said doing nothing but paperwork would make his body stiff, so occasionally he would go out to the garden for sword practice or running, but more likely than not the purpose was stress relief rather than physical training.
"A guest? Who?"
"I did not know him deshu."
Apparently Bart knew the face, but I did not know the man. Since I was at a loss when asked who it was, I just listed the man's features.
"About the same as Leo or a little bigger, a scary-faced black-haired ojisama deshu."
From my age it might have been 'ojiisama' rather than 'ojisama', but with his dignified bearing and stern expression, I somehow felt reluctant to describe him as 'ojiisama'. He had an air that was hard to fit into my personal category of old people.
"I have a few people in mind who match that description..."
"His eyes were purple deshu!"
I added the color of his eyes, which I had seen first, as a feature I had remembered. That seemed to let Leonardo figure out who had come. He made a troubled face and started thinking things like "Could he have come in person?"
"The guest is waiting, you know?"
Aren't you going? When I tugged his hand, Leonardo came back from sinking into his sea of thoughts. Laughing and saying "That is right," Leonardo placed his hand on my head.
"...Tina, did that person say anything to you?"
"He did not say anything deshu yo?"
I added, "But I did mess up." Since I had been sure it was Alf at the front door, I had opened it cheerfully in my usual way, and apparently I had startled the other person.
...That scary-faced ojisama, but at that moment he had a surprised look on his face.
That was surely a rare expression for anyone who knew that man. As I secretly laughed thinking about it, Leonardo cleared off his desk and stood up.
"Tina, once you have greeted him, could you stay in your room on the third floor?"
"I do not mind, but... why deshu ka?"
When I asked why I had to shut myself away on the third floor, saying I did not like being confined without knowing the reason, he told me that while he could not say for sure without seeing the visitor's face, he was probably the owner of that black dog. Apparently they had contacted him saying his dog was being kept safe in the city of Grenore.
"...So he is the owner of that black dog deshu ka. Then I will stay quietly in my room deshu."
The black dog that had been appearing around me all through autumn, I had heard, when they caught it, it turned out to be a noble's pet. Both royalty and nobility were too much people from another world, and I wanted to stay as far away as possible.
...Whether they take a liking to me or dislike me, it seems troublesome. Not getting close is the right answer.
Since I had already come face to face with him, I could not pretend not to be home anymore. In that case, the best option was to just greet him and then shut myself in my room. Fortunately, the man had visited the residence alone. If that was the case, even if I holed up in my room, there should not be any selfish troublesome grandchildren barging in.
My tomboyishness was probably already exposed, but I put on an oversized cat mask anew and followed Leonardo as he left the room.
When I entered the reception room, the man from earlier was already looking relaxed. I had not thought I was in Leonardo's room that long, but tea and refreshments were already properly prepared.
As Leonardo and the man began exchanging greetings above my head, I felt something catch my attention and tilted my head slightly.
...I have heard that name somewhere before, have not I?
As I searched my memory for where I had heard the name, the greetings apparently came to a pause, and both Leonardo and the man's gazes came down to me. Realizing it was time for me to greet him, I bowed with a lady's smile straight out of Hermine's training.
"Nice to meet you. I apologize for earlier. I am called Tina."
Leonardo had already explained that I was his sister, so I omitted that. Lately it felt strange to correct it to "sort of like a little sister."
...Really, I have gotten used to Leo being Big Brother.
Before, whenever I was introduced as his sister, I had corrected it with "I am like a little sister," but now I felt neither shyness nor resistance about calling Leonardo my brother. I was even at the point where I might develop a big brother complex, saying things like "My big brother is amazing, you know."
Alright, I greeted him properly. All that was left was to quickly leave the reception room and escape to my room. Without showing any hint of what I was thinking inside, I gave him a smile, and the man returned a polite greeting as well.
"This is a well-disciplined young lady. I am Bertrand Auguste Cantal. Your brother's... senior, I suppose?"
Saying that he used to be a Black Knight, Bertrand smiled awkwardly. Maybe he was trying to force a smile in front of a little girl, but since his original face was so stern, a halfway smile was actually scarier.
...Huh? Bertrand?
It was a long name, fitting for a noble I had thought, but I finally reached the truth of the familiar-sounding name that had been catching in my mind.
"...Is Bertrand-sama the same Bertrand-sama from the history lessons I learned at the Menhishumi Church deshu ka?"
"So that is what they are teaching in lessons now?"
Saying "That is a little embarrassing," Bertrand laughed. This laugh was a natural smile without any awkwardness.
"I learned it in history class. Oh, the anecdote from the Potsdaal Forest Great Annihilation Operation, about smashing a rock bigger than a carriage with bare hands, is that really true..."
"Tina."
My shoulder was gently held by Leonardo, and I calmed down. I had intended to wear an oversized cat mask, but I had easily thrown it off.
...That is right. He told me to go to my room after greeting him.
I had gotten excited at the good opportunity to hear the truth behind the anecdote, but this was more a boy's reaction than a lady's. In front of a living hero, Hermine's teachings had flown right out of my head like a scone.
"...I apologize. With a child like me here, I would be getting in the way of your conversation. For today, I will just say my greetings and take my leave deshu."
Putting my lady's mask back on, I said "Please take your time" and gave my farewell greeting. I wanted to know the truth of the anecdote, but Bertrand should have come to the city of Grenore to pick up his dog. He would not have time to entertain me.
"No, no, she is a very well-disciplined, well-mannered young lady."
He gave a token gesture of keeping me there, saying I would not be in the way at all, but I brought up the incident at the front door and withdrew, not wanting to fail any more. He was not as scary a person as my first impression suggested, but still, he was a noble. It was best not to get too close.
I told Kalisa in the kitchen that I was going back to my room. Since I had been told to stay in my room while Bertrand was here, I would have to leave all the rest of the tatsuta-age to Kalisa. When I returned to the entrance hall with Kalisa, who said she would escort me to my room, Pearl, who should have been at the front gate at this hour, was standing there. In his hand was a thick chain, and at the end of the chain was that black dog.
"Wh-why is that dog in our house...?"
From strange tension, I unconsciously clenched both hands. Unpleasant sweat formed on my palms. As I tried to cross the entrance hall along the wall to get to the third floor without getting too close, the moment our eyes met, the black dog barked "Woof!" energetically.
"Kyaaaaaa!?"
I literally jumped in surprise, and the moment my feet touched the ground, I clung to Kalisa. As I flailed my arms frantically, Kalisa picked me up.
"What is wrong!?"
Hearing my scream, Leonardo came rushing out of the reception room. Bertrand, who was supposed to be a guest, also came rushing out, and looked between the black dog and me being held by Kalisa.
"Leo..."
Seeking a higher perch, I reached out from Kalisa's arms toward Leonardo. Leonardo looked a little troubled, but he quickly came over and picked me up.
"...Does the young lady dislike dogs?"
"I like dogs. But I do not like that one deshu."
"Oscar is a smart dog. He has charm like this too."
When Bertrand raised his hand, as if that was some kind of signal, the black dog who was apparently named Oscar barked once and then rolled over, showing his belly. So this was the face he showed his master, seeing this spoiled gesture so like a pet dog that I had never seen from the black dog before, I was more than a little annoyed.
"That one bullied Kokumaro, and he also bit Teo, so I do not like him deshu yo."
"Koku...? And who is Teo?"
Normally I was only ever held in someone's arms, but today I climbed up onto Leonardo's shoulder. I just wanted to get away from the black dog.
When Leonardo explained about the commotion the black dog had caused in the city of Grenore on my behalf, Bertrand placed his hand on his chin as if thinking things over. Dogs might have had their own circumstances between them, but he said he should probably go greet the human (Teo) at least once.
...Apologize to Kokumaro too, not just Teo. He was depressed for a while because of it.
With the black dog sitting in a rigid posture beside Bertrand, I had Leonardo carry me to the stairs. When he set me down on the second step, I pointed at the black dog and declared firmly.
"In our house, dogs are not allowed on the second floor! Please absolutely do not let him up to the second floor deshu!"
Hmph, I told him, I said smugly, puffing out my chest, and the black dog, as if understanding he was being addressed, let out a "woof." Not expecting to get a response, I was startled and ran up the stairs at top speed. The black dog, sure enough a well-trained dog, did not chase after me even as a child ran away before his eyes.
When dinner time came, I went down to the dining hall on the first floor. I had been relieved that surely Bertrand and the black dog had gone home by now, but when I opened the dining hall door, that black dog was there.
"Wh...why is that one still here!?"
Reflexively I moved to the wall, keeping distance from the black dog along it. The black dog, maybe just wanting to check who was entering the dining hall, went back to Bertrand's side when he saw my face.
"Lord Bertrand should, in principle, be staying at the Fortress Lord's residence..."
...Yeah, if that happened, I would not come out of my room until Bertrand-sama left!
Regardless of what I was thinking inside, it was explained that it was impossible for Bertrand to stay at this residence. The current Fortress Lord's residence had too many people. The third floor was a family space and also had only women, so even guests who were men were refused, and the second floor, which had rooms originally used as guest rooms, was being used by Jasper who was doing the transcription and the Silver-White Knights who were watching over and guarding him. There were rooms to be had, but not a single one of a rank suitable for a noble like Bertrand to stay in was free.
"...And so, it has been decided that you will be staying at Vice-Commander Alf's residence."
For that reason, Bertrand would rest at this residence until Alf came to pick him up, and once Alf arrived, since tonight's menu was tatsuta-age, he would join them for dinner.
...So Alf-san likes tatsuta-age too, huh.
The fact that he was being lured by tatsuta-age to stay for dinner made me feel nothing but regret that I should not have prepared tatsuta-age tonight of all nights. It was normal for Alf to stay for dinner, but today because of that, even the black dog was here.
"...Dogs are not allowed in the dining hall deshu yo."
This is our house rule, I appealed to Bertrand. Kokumaro was also basically not allowed in the dining hall.
"Oscar is a dog who can lie down and wait, so it should be fine."
"No deshu. Kokumaro also waited outside deshu kariya."
When I called out "Oscar" for the first time, the black dog lying at Bertrand's side moved his ears and raised his head. He was still lying down, but he seemed willing to listen to my words. Facing the black dog staring fixedly at me, I tried being a little assertive.
"Dogs are not allowed in the dining hall! Oscar, outside deshu!"
I pointed sharply at the door that Kalisa was just about to close, and Kalisa's movements stopped. When Kalisa instead opened the door she had been about to close, Oscar lifted his body smoothly and walked out of the dining hall.
"...He is a mean one, but he really is a smart dog deshu ne."
As I muttered that, feeling a little anticlimactic, Bertrand tilted his head slightly. It was rare for Oscar to obey anyone other than himself.
"Maybe it is because he knows that if he does not follow the rules of someone else's house, he would embarrass Bertrand-sama?"
He was still scary, but I had no choice but to revise my assessment that the black dog was a smart dog who followed orders. If he was a smart dog, I felt like he would be able to read the atmosphere for his owner's sake.
After dinner was over, Bertrand got into the carriage Alf had prepared and left. Of course, the retrieval of the black dog was also complete. I thought if he had come to get his dog, he would probably leave the city tomorrow, but Leonardo told me he was planning to stay for a while. Besides wanting to greet Teo, who was bitten by the black dog, and his family, Leonardo had heard that Bertrand had other business in the city of Grenore.
...What kind of business does a hero have, I wonder?
I vaguely imagined Bertrand standing at the lectern at the Menhishumi Church and secretly laughed. If the hero himself taught history class, Nils and Teo would probably be overjoyed.
So that is how it was, Mr. Bertrand was the black dog's owner. I had actually thought about naming rules, but the timing to explain them in the story got shifted. Since I had notes anyway, I will share them here secretly.
Commoners are basically "Name - Family name (or region name)" or just "Name (only)." Since Tina is the child of a couple who eloped, she has no family name, so "Tina Meyu" (meaning from Mey Village). Leonardo is "Leonard Dupre" (Dupre is the orphanage name).
Nobles' names are "Name - Head of Family's Name - Family Name (or territory name)." In Bertrand's case, "Bertrand Auguste (his guardian during his knight days) Cantal." If Leonardo becomes a noble, it would be "Leonard Siegwald (probably acting as guardian) - territory name."
Royal names are "Name - Father's Name - Mother's Name - Grandmother's Name - Country Name." Alfred's full name is too long, so I will omit it.
I will fix typos and errors another day. I have found and corrected the ones I spotted.