41 - Troublesome Visitors
The attic cleaning was finished, and now I was completely free with nothing to do.
Thanks to Leonardo's good word, I was allowed to help out with small tasks, but they could not exactly entrust me with enough work to fill an entire day. After all, I was technically part of the employing side.
That being the case, it was hard to spend a whole day idly in this mansion. There was nothing I wanted to do, and nothing I had to do.
...Still, no matter how free I was, going outside alone was...
As a child, I could always go outside to play like a kid would, but unfortunately I did not possess the adventurous spirit to willingly head out into a place where I did not know left from right. I did ask Leonardo about it, but he was hesitant about me going out alone. For a while, I would probably have to tag along when Tabitha went to buy provisions, gradually expanding my range bit by bit.
Anyway, all I could do for now was wander around the grounds.
...So the back gate connects to the fortress grounds, huh.
Having nothing better to do, I explored every inch of the grounds today and noticed a small back gate for the first time. Through this gate, I could reach the fortress faster than going around the front.
...And the lookout... ah, there they are.
There was no one in front of the door on the mansion side, but when I opened the wooden door and poked my head out to the fortress side, two Black Knights were standing there, stifling yawns.
"Huh? Pearl-san?"
I recognized one of the two gatekeepers. He was one of the guards Leonardo had introduced to me the day after I arrived at the mansion, telling me to remember their faces.
"Tina-chan, this path is off-limits to anyone but Black Knights."
"Oh, is it? Sorry."
I apologized and was about to close the door, but Pearl stopped me. Apparently both of them were bored out of their minds guarding this deserted back gate. I had a feeling this might turn into a long conversation, but since I was also bored, maybe that was just fine.
"This path is an emergency route between the fortress and the mansion, so normally it is not supposed to be used."
He asked if maybe I wanted to see the Commander, so I honestly answered that I had just found the gate while exploring the grounds. No matter how bored I was, I would never consider sneaking into the fortress to see Leonardo. I did not want to bother him while he was working.
In the end, I could not escape the two gatekeepers who were even more bored than I was, and ended up keeping them company for a while. I picked up some small new tidbits of info about what Leonardo was like inside the fortress and that Tabitha and the others introduced as the Brownie couple actually had the real surname of Barlow.
...I never expected "Brownie" to literally mean the helpful house-elf type.
The name "Brownie couple" was more like a nickname. Apparently a few fortress lords ago, they had entered into something like a lifetime employment contract as the mansion's lord and its caretakers. Even when the lord of the mansion changed, only the caretaker couple remained the same.
...Well, I suppose hiring new caretakers every time the lord changed would be a hassle. If the lord kept changing frequently, it might actually be more logical to keep the caretakers fixed.
They told me I was not allowed to use the back gate for entry and exit, so I had to go the long way around to the front of the mansion. It seemed the back entrance was for servants, so the master's side was not supposed to use it.
...I wish they would let me use it regardless of master or servant. I am a toddler with short legs, you know.
I was the one who chose to walk around the grounds exploring, but I was getting a bit tired and wanted to shortcut my way back.
"Huh?"
At the front entrance were one of the guards who was usually at the front gate, Bart, and a group of unfamiliar people in white robes.
...What is this? Looks like some kind of commotion?
I approached the group that seemed to be arguing. It is not that I had a hobby of sticking my nose into trouble. It is just that they were blocking the front entrance, so I had no choice but to get closer if I wanted to get into the mansion.
...There is one person wearing gray in there.
Among the white-robed group, there was one man in darker clothes who stood out. He was not very tall. He had long brown hair braided and wore glasses.
...Bart-san looks busy, so who should I ask?
As I watched, I could tell Bart was keeping the white-robed group from entering the mansion. It felt like I should avoid slipping behind him and going inside by myself.
"...What is... all the ruckus?"
I stepped away from the apparently agitated group and tried talking to the man in gray, who seemed to be quietly observing. The man was startled by a voice coming from an unexpected direction. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, then dropped his gaze to me.
"You... no, little miss, are you a child of this mansion?"
...Ah, this guy. The unpleasant type.
The moment he saw me, he openly twisted his face as if to say "Why is a child here?" and then corrected himself when he saw the quality of the dress Leonardo had prepared for me. The type who judges people by appearance and status. The kind of person you do not really want to get close to.
...Well, judging someone as a jerk in one word makes me a pretty awful kid too, does it not.
Something about him triggered my wariness, and I took a few steps back to put distance between us. The man seemed to have noticed his first misstep and did not pursue me.
"What is... all the ruckus... in front of your house?"
"The ones making the ruckus are the old gentlemen of the Yuuta Hiraga Research Society, the brain of our Sedovara Church and its greatest shameful part."
"...Shameful... part?"
I did not know where to start questioning that, so I just repeated the word that caught my attention and tilted my head. The "I am just a harmless child" act was important.
"'Shameful part' means... the embarrassing part, I suppose."
"The old men... are embarrassing?"
"Embarrassing, yeah..."
The man's wry smile made the wariness I had felt toward him waver. We probably would not get along, but it felt like casual conversation might be possible.
"A bunch of old men raising a ruckus in front of someone else's home, demanding to be let inside, and snapping at the gatekeeper and servants... it is embarrassing as a fellow church member."
He meant their conduct completely lacked propriety and was hardly praiseworthy for elders, I suppose. I could not help but sympathize with the man as he shrugged his shoulders.
"...So then, little miss, are you a child of this mansion?"
...Ah, we are back to that.
The emotion I could read from the man's smiling face was something dark, like "Just what am I going to do if she is not a child of this mansion?"
...He has got that look like he is thinking, "You made me waste my breath explaining, I will not let you off easy."
I had approached him because he seemed calm while observing the commotion at the front door, but I had a feeling I had chosen the wrong person to talk to. Actually, it was not just a "feeling." I had definitely chosen wrong.
"If you are a child of this mansion, little miss, could you tell the servants to let us in? Just that they should allow us into the mansion, is all."
...Ah, so that is your goal.
If I gave the okay, Bart and the others would probably let the white-robed group inside. While Leonardo was at the fortress, I was essentially the master of this mansion. But I also prided myself on being entrusted with watching over the mansion by Leonardo. I could not just invite strangers of unknown background inside so easily.
"I cannot let... strangers... into the house."
The simplest and strongest refusal available to a toddler girl. There were other child-friendly refusals too, like "My parent told me not to" or "My friend said so," pushing the responsibility onto others.
"I see. You are right, you should not let strangers into the house. You are a good girl who can be trusted to watch the place, are you not."
"YOU SURE CAN READ A ROOM, CAN YOU."
I knew it would be bad to say what I was thinking, so I spat out my venom in Japanese. There was no way he would understand what I meant, but apparently he could tell I was cursing at him. The man made a strange expression for a brief moment, then immediately put his smiling mask back on.
"I am remiss for not introducing myself sooner. I am Jasper, of the Japanese Script Decoding Section within the Sedovara Church's Grenore branch."
"Sedovara Church... Grenore branch... Japanese Script... Decoding...?"
I could not catch the whole thing because his sentence was too long, but I thought I heard something about Japanese decoding. Did that mean the man in front of me could decode Japanese?
...Wait, do not tell me he understood what I just said in Japanese!?
I messed up. I messed up big time. I should stop venting and cursing in Japanese assuming the other person would not understand.
...Crap, crap, crap. Was I found out? Did he realize I was a reincarnated person? Aurelia warned me to be careful too...!
I was trembling with shock on the inside, but I could not let it show, so I wanted to run away. No, actually, running away now would probably make my position even worse. Besides, this mean-looking man probably would not let me escape.
"So then, what is your name, little miss?"
"Name?"
My heart was pounding with anxiety about how to bluff my way out, but the man who called himself Jasper had no idea about my inner turmoil and calmly pressed on.
"I have already given you my name as Jasper. After having me give my name, you would not intend to not give yours, would you?"
"...Ah."
...I see, so that is the tactic. Exchange names with a child, then say "See, I am not a stranger anymore" and talk your way in.
The whole Japanese decoding thing might have just been part of his introduction, with no ulterior motive. Of course, it could not hurt to be cautious.
"Uuh..."
Since he had given his name first, should I give mine too? I thought so, but somehow I did not want to be tricked into being honest with this guy. It was only a "somehow" feeling, but a strong sense of wariness was already stuck to me.
"I am Tina, Grenore Fortress's Leonyaldo-san's little sister figure."
Trying to match Jasper's long self-introduction, I gave a long one of my own, but as expected with a long speech after so long, I stumbled over my words badly. Even worse than usual. But Jasper did not particularly tease me for it. He just casually brushed it off and kept his smiling mask firmly in place.
"Then Tina-san, since we have exchanged names, we are not strangers anymore, are we?"
...I knew he would say that!
Now then, what excuse should I use to refuse this time? As I started racking my limited brain, new footsteps approached.
"Ah, Leonyaldo-san."
Leonardo arrived with a slightly stern face, accompanied by the other gatekeeper. Apparently, of the two gatekeepers, one had been holding back the white-robed group while the other had gone to the fortress to fetch Leonardo.
...He is in work mode with his bangs pushed up and a scary expression, but right now he looks like a white knight on a white horse to me!
Leonardo's appearance let me escape from this subtly difficult opponent. If a toddler girl broke off the conversation and ran to her guardian when he showed up, it would not seem too unnatural. I had never been so grateful to be a toddler girl.
"Welcome back, Leonyaldo-san."
I ran over to Leonardo with an innocent face. Leonardo welcomed me, patted my head with his big hand, and then pulled me behind him as if to protect me.
"Leonyaldo-san, are they guests? Should I let them in the house?"
I peeked my head out from behind Leonardo and looked up at him. Leonardo, looking down at me, turned his gaze to the white-robed group with a somewhat tired expression.
"They are guests, technically... but well, a bit rough around the edges."
His tone, blaming the group's rudeness, confirmed that Bart and the others had been right in their response. These were the kind of people who tried to force their way into the mansion. I was reluctant to let them inside while Leonardo was away.
"...Tina, yesterday's book was in the attic, right?"
"Yesterday's book...?"
...Meaning the biography of Saint Yuuta Hiraga?
I finally felt like I understood the purpose of these noisy, unusual visitors. Jasper, belonging to the Japanese Script Decoding Section. The white-robed people causing the commotion were from the Sedovara Church. The Sedovara Church was the institution entrusted with managing the medicine recipes created by Saint Yuuta Hiraga. And Leonardo had mentioned that many of those recipes had become lost techniques.
...Did they find some hint about a recipe from yesterday's book?
I had a vague sense of the white-robed group's purpose, and felt relieved. They were not just a noisy mob after all.
"The weird book from yesterday, attic..."
"What do you mean 'weird book'! How blasphemous!!"
I was suddenly shouted at. It startled me so much I reflexively pulled my head back behind Leonardo. But since I was the one who had been yelled at, I timidly peeked my face out from behind Leonardo. One of the white-robed men was pale-faced.
...Ah, so you are the one who yelled at me. I do not want to lift my head. What kind of face is Leonyaldo-san making right now?
Leonardo was clearly doting on me, to say the least. If someone yelled at me right in front of him, he would probably give them a sharp glare at the very least. Poor guy, the pale-faced white-robed man was stammering out a small apology for yelling.
"...Tina, were there any other books like yesterday's one?"
After letting out a long sigh, Leonardo spoke as if accepting the white-robed man's apology. As for me, the pale-faced man was already so pitifully white that I did not even feel like getting back at him by pretending not to notice. Really, what kind of face had Leonardo made?
"There were a few, tied with string. Under the bed. But now, in the next room."
"Were there Japanese characters written in those other books too?"
...Ah, so it really was about the Japanese after all.
I thought so, but I was not going to mess up here. It had just been moments ago that I cursed in Japanese in front of someone who could decode it. Having just made a mistake, I certainly was not going to make a new one right after.
"I do not know Japanese."
I played dumb, saying I did not know any Japanese and that there was no way I could recognize it even if I saw it. It stung a little to lie to Leonardo, who I knew was taking care of me, but it could not be helped for my own safety.
"Do you want to see the other books?"
As atonement for being unable to do anything but play dumb, I put on my best show of childish charm. When I came out from behind Leonardo and tugged at his hand, his expression softened considerably.
[Author's Note]
When I tried writing Jasper's personality, it turned out different from planned...