184 - Returnees from the Frontier Village
As the Harvest Festival approached, the whole city seemed somehow restless. In my case, I only got to see the state of the city on my way to and from Menhishumi Church, but according to Elke and Petrona who lived near the city center, and Mirshe who lived on the south side, decorations for the Harvest Festival had been put up here and there. I did not feel like going out of my way to see them before the festival, but since it was a festival held within the city, most of the reports gathered at Leonardo's place. Now that I could read letters, I had come to be able to read the contents of the documents on Leonardo's desk.
...Well, when I read them out for fun, Leonyaldo-san hid them, though.
He must have completely let his guard down. Maybe those were documents an outsider (me) was not supposed to read. Since then, Leonardo never left documents out on his work desk. I had also learned my lesson properly from having my eavesdropping discovered and my bottom spanked. I did not intend to deliberately expose things I knew were hidden, so even if I could not read the documents that gathered at Leonardo's place, it was not a problem.
One afternoon, three days before the Harvest Festival, I was unusually called by Alf and went to the Grenore Fortress. Thinking it was rare to be summoned, when I passed through the fortress's main gate, I was led not to the Commander's office that Alf had been using recently, but to the courtyard. The courtyard where spectator seating and the arena were fenced in during the martial arts tournament had only one large tent set up today. And around that tent, about fifteen people were standing.
...Ah, could those be...?
I recognized some faces and trotted closer. The faces I could see clearly as I approached were the former infected who had fought Words Disease in the isolation wing of the north building.
"Welcome home!"
I had heard they would be coming back soon, but I had not heard it was today. Delighted, I ran over, and every face was one I knew.
"Tina-chan, we are home."
"I am so glad. You are saying 'welcome back' to us."
"Huh? Did your lisp get fixed?"
"And you have grown taller!"
Arms reached out to me along with replies. My head was tousled with such force I was nearly squashed, and the hair Kalisa arranged for me every morning got messed up, but I did not mind. Every hand was touching me with affection and closeness. There was little I could do for them in the isolation wing, but I had more than a little attachment to those who had overcome the same disease that had wiped out Mey Village. Now that they had returned to the city, I could finally find closure.
"I did not know you were coming back today! When did you get here? Why the courtyard?"
"We arrived in the city around noon. As for why we are in the courtyard..."
Pointing at the tent, saying it was for examination and disinfection just in case, was Rosario, who had been sought after by the handsome man from the Memorial Service last year. He had seemed like he might immediately chase after Rosario and charge into the frontier village, but apparently he had followed the Black Knights' advice and limited himself to sending letters. I heard his letters were a great help in the frontier village during the winter.
...A little, anxious?
Everyone was smiling, happy to be reunited, but looking closely, their expressions were a little stiff. Even I could guess the reason.
...I know their disease is cured, that they were isolated for the period when they might have been a source of infection, though.
To city residents without proper knowledge, the presence of former infected alone might feel threatening. Even though they were long healed and there was nothing to worry about, they might fear the disease would spread again. They were probably worried that out of ignorance, city residents would fear them as infected, even if former, and they might be ostracized. Having to explain the situation over and over until all the city residents understood correctly would be difficult. I think those who chose to stay in the frontier village rather than return to the city made that choice with this in mind.
"...Ah"
What could I say to encourage them? As I was worrying over this beside them, Rosario gasped. What was wrong? When I looked up, standing where Rosario was looking was the handsome man from the Memorial Service. When his eyes met Rosario's, his beautifully chiseled face lit up with joy.
"Welcome back, Rosario! You have finally returned to me!!"
After that, there was no time to stop him. The man with a radiant smile ran over to Rosario and, still moved with emotion, started bawling loudly as he held Rosario tight. A grown man crying in public, I fleetingly thought, but I felt the atmosphere around us soften. The former infected who had been anxious about returning to the city seemed relieved that at least one person had come to joyfully welcome them back. As Rosario, watched by everyone around, seemed to be wondering whether it was okay to hug the man back, I found the words I should say.
"Welcome home, Rosario-san. At least two people are definitely happy you and the others have returned."
Considering they had gone out of their way to call me to the fortress, it might be three including Alf. He had not come to welcome them, but Leonardo was probably happy too.
"Two?" When Rosario looked confused, I pointed at the man and myself in an easy-to-understand way. These are the two happy people, I indicated.
When they returned to the city, there might indeed be people who would not welcome them. But Rosario and the others' allies were not zero. I thought hardships surely awaited them, but I hoped they would overcome this difficulty too, just as they had overcome the disease.
Welcomers appeared one after another, and for a while we celebrated the reunions, then the former infected went back into the city. As I saw each one off, Bertrand came into the courtyard, dutifully speaking to everyone he passed while checking their faces. Seeing Bertrand apparently confirming faces as he talked to people, I remembered that he had said something about Jean-Jacques. Bertrand had probably come to check whether Jean-Jacques was among those who returned today.
"...Jean-Jacques is not here, you know?"
"I have heard, but I am confirming just in case."
Just in case for what, I wondered. But I swallowed the thought, figuring it would be rude to press too much about something I was not that interested in. Instead, I decided to ask a question that would not be particularly rude or strange.
"By the way, Bertrand-sama, is it really alright for you to stay in Grenore city forever?"
Bertrand had arrived right on Leonardo's birthday, so he had been staying in Grenore city from the end of spring to the middle of autumn. If he planned to stay in the city until the beginning of winter waiting for Jean-Jacques, then Bertrand would be away from his own mansion for half a year.
...And, I think staying at Alf-san's residence for half a year would be a nuisance, honestly.
Speaking of long-term stays, Jasper and the Silver-White Knight were also staying, but they had work to do so it could not be helped. The transcription work was difficult because unlike just copying letters, they were capturing unreadable Japanese like pictures and copying them.
"I have someone watching my house. Half a year away is no problem."
He answered my question, but Bertrand's gaze was not on me. His eyes were directed at the former infected who had just returned to the city in the courtyard, confirming their faces.
"Someone watching...? Ah, you mean you have passed on the household and your child is looking after things?"
I did not like the way Bertrand was looking at them, and I wanted to divert his attention from the returnees. I racked my limited brains. Was there a topic that could divert Bertrand's eyes and attention?
"No, it is my grandson at home. He is feverish and bedridden year-round, but he should be capable of watching the house."
"Huh? Your grandson is watching the house... Ah, if he is Bertrand-sama's grandson, then even if you say grandson, he is an adult... right?"
"He is about four years older than you, young lady, but he is still a child, not yet an adult."
"Four years older than me..."
That meant he was only fourteen. And if I added more of Bertrand's words, he was a sickly boy who ran fevers all year.
...I sure hope he does not give that sickly grandson the same kind of punishment I heard about, right? Seriously.
Like running around the mansion until morning, or tying him to a tree and hanging him. If he did something like that to a sickly child, I could only see him falling ill.
To think he had been away from home for half a year even though he had a grandson like that... I felt irritation bubbling up inside me against Bertrand. Instead of casting uncomfortable looks at the returnees here, I thought he should go home and reassure his grandson.
"Your grandson must be lonely! Please go home soon!"
"I have not raised him to be such a weakling that he would get lonely over half a year away from home, so it is fine."
"Whether he is lonely or not is for your grandson to decide. It is not for Bertrand-sama to judge!"
"What are you saying," I sighed in exasperation. Even though he was the same type of muscle-brained hero, I had thought having a family made him more sensible than Leonardo, but that was a huge misunderstanding. This Bertrand was probably exactly what Leonardo would become in the future. Because he was blessed with a healthy body, he could not think from the perspective of someone weaker. Leonardo, perhaps thanks to our fight early in summer, had started to show slight improvement, so he would probably evolve into a better guardian than the current Bertrand. I was beginning to believe that.
"...Bertrand-sama, you really should go home once! If you wait for Jean-Jacques to return, it will be winter."
Winter travel was slow, and the cold was harsh. When I advised him to return, he answered that even winter marching was no trouble at all.
"That is not what I am saying! I am telling you to go show your face to your grandson!"
Even I would be lonely and cry if I were separated from my guardian (Leonardo) for half a year. I would cry loudly and take my frustration out on everyone around me. It was more than a little pathetic, but I was confident of that.
"Anyway, whether he is lonely or not is for your grandson to decide! Not Bertrand-sama!"
When I puffed out my chest and declared "Go home!" as a final blow, I heard Alf's troubled voice from the side.
"Tina raising her voice, that is rare."
"Girls have sharp tongues. I cannot win."
Bertrand pointedly plugged his ears with his fingers and raised a voice of protest to Alf. He seemed to be trying to bring Alf to his side, but I would not let him.
"Bertrand-sama is the terrible one! He has a sickly grandson at home, but he has been in Grenore for half a year and has not gone home!"
I pressed Alf to also urge Bertrand to return, and Alf patted my head with a wry smile.
"...If Tina was already urging him to return, then the timing is just right?"
Saying that, Alf held out a white envelope to Bertrand.
"An express messenger for Bertrand-dono. It says your grandson has fallen critically ill, and his life is in danger at any moment."
"That boy goes into 'life in danger at any moment' mode about ten times a year. It is nothing unusual... ngh!?"
I could not hold back anymore. Silently, I delivered a baptism of my custom-made shoes to Bertrand's shin. I knew Leonardo would scold me later, but this time Bertrand was in the wrong. Even if I got scolded, I would not regret that strike.
"Just because it happens every time, does not mean he will recover as usual every time!"
There were people who closed their eyes as usual and never opened them again. Even with Teo, after quarreling as usual, we could not make up as usual. There was no guarantee he would recover from illness the same way every single time.
Anyway, go home once. If he did not go home and reassure his grandson, I would not let him meet Jean-Jacques even when he came back. I had no such authority, but swept up by the momentum, I declared this.
I wanted to believe my persuasion had worked, but apparently Bertrand set off on his return journey with the Black Dog (Oscar) the next day. Alf's face, as he told me this, looked a little relieved. The long-suffering Alf had probably been carrying burdens I could not see too. Maybe thanks to that, even though I had kicked a hero (Bertrand), there was no special punishment from Leonardo.
...Oscar being gone is a little lonely, is it not.
With the Black Dog who was always by my side gone, I felt a little lonely. I had completely grown used to that black dog's presence.
...Kokumaro, I hope you come back soon.
I was forbidden from seeing the black puppy, on the grounds that I must not get too attached until his training was complete. The earliest I would be allowed to have him back was half a year later.
I will fix typos and errors another day. I found some typos and corrected them.