188 - The Suspicious Merchant's End and Aurelia's Change
When night fell, Alf came to the residence as usual. Normally he brought the day's reports on the fortress to Leonardo, but today there were probably also reports on incidents and accidents that occurred during the Harvest Festival. The documents and reports he brought as souvenirs were about twice the usual amount.
"Did something good happen?"
Since we were inside the residence, I adjusted my speech a little and asked Alf, who was smiling. I had put aside calling him "Big Brother Leonardo" since the summer quarrel, but my attempt to refine my speech as a ten-year-old lady was still ongoing. It felt strange when I talked to the children in town, so I still used my old way then, but inside the residence I had been gradually using more refined language.
"About that merchant..."
"What happened to him? Surely he did not sneak into the fortress, did he?"
"That's exactly what happened."
"Huh?"
I blinked and stared hard at Alf's face, wondering if I had misheard. Alf probably understood how I felt. His smile turned wry, and he made a truly perplexed face.
"I never thought he would actually sneak into the fortress. He probably never imagined you would quickly slip through the back gate to the residence."
It seemed that when I did not come out of the fortress no matter how long he waited, he grew impatient and eventually trespassed into the military facility's grounds. Mere persistent harassment that caused no actual harm could not be punished even by the Black Knights, but with a clear crime like trespassing into the fortress, arrest and imprisonment were at our discretion.
...A troublesome merchant versus Alf-san. Alf-san wins overwhelmingly.
It was unpleasant and bothersome, but there was no actual harm. So I could not forcibly remove him, but once I left it to Alf, it was settled in less than half a day. That was Alf for you.
"We had a lookout, so we knew everything he did. As soon as the sun set, he climbed over the wall, and was apprehended right where he landed."
"Wow, that's unbelievably stupid... wait, how should a lady say that?"
"I do not think you need to force it, but let's see... maybe something like 'My, I can hardly believe it, but it seems there was someone quite shortsighted after all'?"
He looked a little unsure of himself, but since Alf had kindly corrected my words, I tried saying it just like that, only for Hermine to scold me that it was not the sort of thing worth having my words corrected to say. Indeed, even if it was his own fault, it might have been like laughing at another's misfortune. I would reflect on that a little.
"...But at least I can walk through town safely again."
As a follow-up, I asked about what would happen to that merchant from now on. If it were just persistent harassment, he could make excuses like "we just happened to be heading the same direction," but once he trespassed into the fortress, his crime was clear. I could understand up to the point of catching him and putting him in jail, but surely they would not just release him with a stern warning.
"The punishment can be anything, but it's up to Leonardo's discretion."
"Then I am relieved."
Leonardo cherished his little sister, but he would not unfairly make the punishment heavier just because the victim was his sister. For better or worse, Leonardo was fair and impartial. By the time that merchant got out of the fortress jail, Elke and Petrona should have ensured he could not do business in the town of Grenore anymore, so he would have no choice but to leave town.
...I felt a little sorry for him, but it was all the result of his own actions.
"Is Aurelia's lace ribbon really so valuable that it could sell for that much?"
As I thought about the merchant who threw away his life, my mind wandered to the lace ribbon that caused him to miss his exit. Aurelia's lace, woven with astonishing intricacy, had a weaving method I could not figure out no matter how closely I observed it. I could not say for sure, but it was probably different from so-called crochet lace.
Setting aside the mystery of how it was made, there was one thing I did understand. The threads and gems used as materials were terrifyingly high-quality, so Aurelia's lace turned into an expensive piece. When I first received it, I did not understand the value of things, so I accepted it as it was, but if I were given the same thing now as "payment for helping out," it would be too expensive to accept. I understood now that it was not something that balanced with the help I did at Aurelia's house as payment.
It was a valuable product, but whether it could be sold was another matter. It was too expensive, and the customer base was limited. It was hard to imagine that the grimy merchant's clientele would include anyone who could afford to buy a lace ribbon.
"I do not think the merchant's eye for things was bad... but Aurelia's lace is something only Aurelia can make, so it has artistic value, but it is also highly valuable as a rare item."
As far as Alf knew, fewer than five people had received lace from Aurelia. It seemed that the misanthropic, difficult Aurelia only gave it to people she liked. Many noble ladies saw someone using lace they had received from Aurelia and wanted it too, but no matter how much money they offered, Aurelia would not sell the lace. I could easily imagine the rest without even hearing it. There was no way the misanthropic Aurelia would give things to people she did not like just because they asked. As long as she was holed up in the valley, no amount of money would do her any good. There would be no reason to sell the lace.
"Almost none of it circulates, and Aurelia is... a wise woman who has received favors from all sorts of people. Just being given lace by Aurelia means people who feel indebted to her might lend a hand."
For that reason, Alf's mother, whom I had never even met, had apparently decided to be on my side no matter what. Alf was the same. Because Aurelia gave me lace, as someone under Aurelia's patronage, he apparently intended to act as my guardian too.
"...So I had better not send a letter saying 'Why don't you spread lace-making since it could be a good product, Aurelia-san?'"
"I do not think Aurelia would show interest in commerce... but it does seem a shame to let that lace-making technique disappear."
Alf said it could not hurt to try inviting her, even if it did not work. He thought that if I asked, Aurelia might just cave and teach me how to make it.
"I don't think Aurelia-san is the type to teach me just because I begged, though."
Still, if similar lace became available on the market, I would not be chased by strange merchants like this time. The rarity of having been given lace by Aurelia would not disappear immediately even if the technique were spread. Someone who could weave at Aurelia's level would not appear so easily, so it should be possible to tell what Aurelia made from what she did not.
Two days after the Harvest Festival, when I entered the classroom at the Menhishumi Church, Elke and Petrona came over to me as if they had been waiting. They had proud smiles on their faces, but the content of what they told me was absolutely not something to smile about.
According to them, they had sent word to acquaintances and merchant houses that there was a traveling merchant doing fraudulent business. Now the merchant houses that dealt with their families would not get involved with that merchant, and since he had been seen persistently pestering me in town, other merchants probably would not want to get involved with him either. Nils delivered the finishing blow. Nils himself did not seem keen on it, but Elke and Petrona pleaded with him together, and he apparently ended up writing a letter to his family home in Lagarette.
...Nils cannot say no when people ask him to do things.
He was probably talked into it by those two girls and forced to write a letter to his family in Lagarette. Now that merchant could not do business in Grenore anymore, and had even fallen into a situation where he could not resupply for his journey home.
...Conduct really matters, huh.
I felt a bit worried about the merchant who had piled up too much life experience, so I asked Leonardo about it when I got back to the residence. What would happen to that merchant now?
"Tina does not need to worry about it."
...Huh?
His face wore a gentle smile, but it felt off. I had never seen Leonardo make such a forced expression before.
...I had made him angry sometimes before, but I had never seen Leonardo-san angry like this.
I could tell he was quietly seething. There was a smile on his face, and his voice was a little lower than usual but still gentle. Yet there was a forcefulness about him that brooked no argument.
"Um... did that merchant do something to you, Leo?"
I could not think of any other reason. When I told him about being persistently pestered, he just looked a little troubled, but now he was obviously angry.
"He did not do anything to me."
...So that merchant did something to someone other than Leo.
I thought he had learned his lesson after being caught by the Black Knights, but he did not seem repentant at all. Now that I had heard this much, I would be curious if I did not hear the rest, so I urged the reluctant Leonardo to continue. He resisted a little, saying it was not something he wanted to tell me, but in the end, Leonardo succumbed to his little sister's pleading.
"While in custody, he tried to bribe the Black Knight guard and escape."
"Wow..."
This must be what they meant by "beyond help." He was arrested for trespassing into a military facility, and during his detention, he tried to bribe the guard to escape. He just piled crime upon crime.
"Nils sent a letter to Lagarette, so I was starting to feel a little sorry for him..."
"He was not worth Tina worrying about. With trespassing into the fortress and attempting to bribe a knight, there is no need to worry about his return to his home country."
He told me he would not tell me what punishment the merchant would receive no matter how much I begged, so I obediently backed off. I could only imagine, but I understood that just trespassing into another country's military facility was a serious crime, and on top of that he tried to bribe a knight. An excuse like "I just wanted to buy a lace ribbon" would not fly.
"...Why could he not just give up when he was refused?"
I had clearly refused, saying I had no intention of selling, but that merchant would not back down. Not only did he not back down, he persistently pestered me and even jumped into a jail cell. His passion, which swung too far in the wrong direction, was frightening.
As autumn drew to a close, my coat changed from a thin one to one made of thick fabric. Since winter was approaching, Kalisa had been mass-producing cat and dog ear hair ornaments for me lately. Apparently so I could be a cat or a dog depending on my mood that day. I had already given up on winter costumes. My guardians were working so hard to prevent me from being kidnapped by spirits again, so I would just obediently go along with it. There was a tradition that once you became an adult, spirits lost interest in you, so this was only until I came of age.
"...Really? Are you sure? Truly, are you sure?"
"Your language is getting sloppy, Tina-san."
"I am sorry. But... huh? Really? Are you sure it is not a mistake?"
Hermine translated the letter from Aurelia that was being used as English teaching material, and I read the text over and over. I thought I could read this country's language well enough now, but no matter how many times I read it, it said something like "I will teach you lace-making, so you can come to the valley around winter."
I was so surprised I could not concentrate on the lesson at all, and for once I received a scolding from Hermine. But even so, seeing that most of the scolding was not getting through to me, she decided it was useless to say anything to me today and cut the lesson short.
I apologized to Hermine for the perfunctory lesson and rushed into Leonardo's room. If Aurelia said I could come, the next problem was my guardian.
"Can I go stay at Aurelia-san's place!?"
With a "urya!" I threw away the cat I had been wearing lately to consciously act like a lady. As I jumped onto Leonardo's torso with almost charging force, Leonardo, who had glanced at the letter from Aurelia, furrowed his brow.
...Ah, he is going to refuse this.
I judged that intuitively from Leonardo's expression. If I thought about why Leonardo would oppose me going to Aurelia's house, it might be because I was not her apprentice. If I became Aurelia's apprentice, I would not be able to leave the valley. He might be thinking I would not be able to live with him as Leonardo's little sister anymore.
"Aurelia-san only said she would teach me lace-making! It is not like I am becoming her apprentice in medicine!"
I pleaded, saying I would come back properly since I was not becoming her medicine apprentice. Come to think of it, Leonardo had been opposed to me becoming Aurelia's apprentice from the start. It was not that she would be teaching me medicine, but maybe he was still wary of me learning things from Aurelia.
"Please, Leo!"
I hugged him with all my strength, and even then it was not enough, so I pressed my forehead against Leonardo's chest. As I begged with a vigor like I was digging a hole to bury myself in, I heard Leonardo's troubled voice from above my head.
"...Should I take this as Aurelia's feelings finally beginning to turn outward?"
Leonardo said that while she showed no signs of leaving the valley, Aurelia had never before invited anyone of her own accord. Just that alone showed a change in Aurelia's feelings.
"I will talk to the Sedovara Church about it."
"...Meaning?"
If I only listened to the words, it was about Aurelia's feelings and saving face with the Sedovara Church. Leonardo's own feelings were not mixed in anywhere.
"If the Sedovara Church permits a non-apprentice to stay, then I will permit the winter stay too."
Well, if I left the negotiation to Alf, we would probably get permission. Unable to contain myself, I jumped on Leonardo and kissed his cheek. I could not convey my maximum gratitude and joy while wearing the mask of a lady. I just let my overflowing feelings guide me, honestly offering thanks and a kiss.
I heard Leonardo's voice mixed with melancholy saying "So this winter's trip will be alone again," but I neatly ignored that.
That is the end for the suspicious, persistent merchant. His life too, basically. I actually had another round planned, but it got cut because it is hard for a foreigner who trespassed into a fortress to come back out. Along with that, the description of Tina cutting her hair became meaningless. Well, these things happen.
I will fix typos and misspellings later. I have corrected the ones I found.