93 - Side Story, Alf's Perspective, Two People's Distance
Since the Memorial Service includes the families of Words Disease victims, there are times when children participate. So I understood why sweets were prepared alongside the food. It is necessary in some cases. But making a table with only sweets and juice was going too far. They had even considerately prepared cushions to adjust the seat height, so any Black Knight could tell who that seat was for.
...She worked hard in the quarantine zone, and I do not mind Tina participating in the Memorial Service itself.
But this blatant favoritism is questionable. They should either prepare food and alcohol like the other tables, or make two or three tables without alcohol.
...There seems to have been some commotion in the city, so being among children would be better than being surrounded by drunk adults.
While I was preparing three children's tables in addition to the one Leonardo had set up, Leonardo arrived at the Memorial Service venue with Tina. Wearing a deep crimson coat, Tina wore her usual expression. I had heard a report that she was almost taken by a suspicious person in the city, but the daytime commotion did not seem to have left any lingering effects. Whether drawn by the Memorial Service decorations, she was looking around curiously.
When the priest conducted the funeral service, Tina fit in well with those around her, offering silent prayers and reading aloud the words of prayer according to the ceremony's progress. While it could not be helped that Leonardo occasionally left his seat since he was the Fortress Lord, could he not be a little more considerate of Tina? If he was going to leave her side so often, he should have brought a separate guardian from the start. Bart and Tabitha were both at the residence anyway.
When the priest lit the largest candle as the representative, the funeral rites were over. After that, until the candle flames went out, the main event was the meal while watching over the individual soul-calming lights for each person. Some viewed it as just a banquet while keeping watch over the candles, but since candles were prepared for each victim, it meant watching over the flames all night long, so the reality was not that casual a banquet. Each individual candle would go out in about an hour, but the largest candle entrusted to the priest would burn all night. That one was larger than the others because it was the soul-calming light for those whose names and families were unknown, the merchants who had carried the source of infection and the bandits who had stolen their cargo and been wiped out.
Led by Leonardo's hand, Tina sat at the table where only sweets were prepared. In front of her were placed two candles. Tina had been quite doted on in the quarantine zone, so she was probably seeing off those without family. For a while Leonardo stayed and watched with her, but as the Fortress Lord, he could not devote himself solely to Tina. In the middle, he left Tina alone and moved away.
I was not the only one worried about Tina, so I could at least rest assured on that point. Even if Leonardo was not always with her, some Black Knight was always watching over Tina. And it was not just humans who looked out for Tina.
...Was he really not aware of it?
Tina, who had been talking with a man while watching the candles, did not notice the black creature lying at her feet. If I focused my eyes deliberately, I could barely see its ears occasionally twitching, but blending into the night darkness, the rumored Black Dog had been at Tina's side the whole time. It pricked its ears alertly, and when Tina's gaze seemed to turn toward it, it would slip into the table's blind spot to hide, and when her gaze moved away, it would come back out and lie down beside her. When someone approached Tina and asked her something, she answered while standing up. When I watched to see what the Black Dog would do as Tina moved, it followed closely, hidden behind Tina's shadow and the person following her.
...Really, it does seem to be just protecting Tina.
I felt bad for Tina, who complained of unease at seeing it wherever she went, but the common understanding among the Black Knights was "that Black Dog is guarding Tina." Whether the Black Dog itself understood that Tina was afraid of it, lately it stayed around Tina without showing itself visibly. Leonardo did not seem to be seriously trying to catch it, thinking it was better to leave it free to protect Tina.
"......Is that dog by Tina's side again?"
"She has been there ever since you left."
As I watched Tina, who had started guiding people to various tables, Leonardo returned. In his hand were two new candles. When I casually took the candles and checked the names, "Saro" and "Chloe" were written on them.
"......Who is it? An acquaintance of yours?"
"Tina's parents."
"Did not Tina's father go by 'Saromon-sama' or something?"
Leonardo's usual name for Tina's father did not match, and I furrowed my brow slightly. It was rare for Leonardo to change how he addressed someone. When I pointed that out, it turned out it was Tina's influence. Apparently, Tina had firmly declared that she was not the daughter of some noble named Saromon, but the daughter of Saro of Mey Village. That she was not going to find noble relatives and return to nobility herself, but would remain Leonardo's little sister as Saro's daughter. So Leonardo had decided to call Saromon "Saro" to treat her not as "the daughter of the noble Saromon" but simply as "Saro's daughter."
"......Tina seems busy."
"She worked hard in the quarantine zone. She has made many acquaintances, so she was probably suited to guiding the bereaved families."
She was bustling around the venue from corner to corner on her short legs. The Black Dog, which had been walking right behind Tina at first, had now found a spot where it could reach her quickly no matter where she was, and was staying in one place, staring fixedly at Tina.
"I might as well greet them first."
Shrugging slightly, Leonardo sat at the table where he had first guided Tina. Even Leonardo seemed reluctant to call back Tina, who was working cheerfully.
...That is a good call for Leonardo.
Both preparing the soul-calming lights for Tina's parents and letting Tina freely work even though she was already at it were rare for Leonardo. Leonardo, who had become a knight out of admiration for a knight who saved him long ago, had acquired martial and academic skills to help others, but tended to leave everything else behind. He was especially oblivious to women's hearts, and when it came to little girls, his obliviousness to children's hearts was added on top. I had thought Leonardo raising a little girl was the worst possible combination, but Tina herself was a bit different from ordinary. Tina, who also got along with Aurelia, was a slightly different breed from ordinary little girls, patient and smart. Even if Leonardo was somewhat insensitive and rough around the edges, Tina either endured it, swallowed it down, or was simply fine with it from the start. They seemed to be getting along reasonably well.
"......Tina is doing well every day."
I had not meant to listen in, but I happened to catch Leonardo's words, which started like that. The main content was a report on recent events, that he had named the puppy "Rich and Mellow Flavor," that he wanted her to use the room he had prepared on the third floor but she still loved the attic room, things like that.
"I think she is starting to warm up to me, but it is more like she still has not let her guard down..."
"Ah, but the other day she jumped onto my bed while I was sleeping, and sometimes she plays pranks..."
"After I catch her in a prank, the way she sticks out her tongue is adorable, and she is surprisingly a tomboy, making boys cry..."
I understood he was reporting on Tina's recent activities as they came to mind.
...But is reporting that to the deceased really appropriate? Can they rest in peace hearing that?
I did not know Tina from when she lived in Mey Village, but just from Leonardo's stories, she sounded quite the tomboy who pulled pranks constantly. Setting aside the tomboy part, there was no way Aurelia would like a child who was always playing pranks, so it had to be Leonardo's misunderstanding.
While I was inadvertently listening to Leonardo's report, Tina toddled back, apparently having reached a break in her guiding. There was some fatigue visible, but also fulfillment in her expression.
"......I am back."
"Welcome back, Tina."
After this ordinary exchange, Leonardo sat Tina in the chair with the cushion-adjusted height. When two candles were placed before her, Tina blinked in surprise. The names written on the candles must have been unexpected.
Staring at the candles with her parents' names, Tina blinked for a while. Like Leonardo, she seemed unable to think of anything particular to say. Before long she started shifting her bottom uncomfortably, so I decided to separate her from Leonardo. I thought there might be things she could not say in front of her current guardian (Leonardo).
...The report Leonardo had just been making would have earned him a custom shoe baptism if Tina had heard it.
They each must have things they wanted to report to the deceased.
I gave Leonardo some convenient errand to pull him away from Tina. As Leonardo left, the Black Dog came to Tina's feet and lay down. Now that Leonardo's ears were gone, I was a little curious what kind of report Tina would make, so I pricked up my ears, but even after Leonardo was gone, Tina did not speak to her parents. She just stared at the flickering candle flames, her expression fading from her face.
...Something is strange?
Something was off about Tina's state. Just as I noticed this and thought about calling out to her, one of the attendees spoke to Tina.
"......Whose light are you seeing off?"
It was a man she did not know, but after thinking a moment, Tina answered in a clear tone, "They are the lights for my father and mother." The moment the man said "Good girl" and patted Tina's head, I felt her face twist for an instant. But when she looked up, her expression was blank again, so it might have been my imagination.
"What was your father like?"
He must have heard the earlier conversation. A woman who came next asked about her father. Tina showed a thoughtful gesture again, then answered that he was soft-hearted.
"What about your mother? Was she good at cooking?"
Unlike the man before, the woman sat down and engaged Tina in conversation. Each time she was asked, Tina thought a little and answered. At first there were pauses before answers came, but gradually she began answering as soon as she was asked. At first I thought she was just shy, but it seemed different.
The memories of her parents were shut away so deep, so tight, that Tina could not recall them right away.
I realized this when Tina started crying aloud. Crying out for her parents, saying she was lonely, so lonely. Leonardo came back when he noticed, but I stopped him. It had been over half a year since her parents died, but this was the first time Tina had cried from loneliness. If Leonardo went to Tina, who had been holding back until now, I felt she would just hold it in again.
While an unfamiliar woman comforted her by stroking her hair, Leonardo stayed nearby, holding his breath. The Black Dog's ears twitched, so the dog was aware of Leonardo's presence. The priest, wearing a wry smile, glanced at Leonardo, then patted Tina's head as she finally stopped crying. I could see the priest exchanged a few words with her, and Tina was calming down.
"......Father, he saved Leonyaldo-san a long time ago, you know?"
After quite some time had passed since she started facing the candles, Tina finally spoke to the deceased through the candles. The content seemed to be mainly about recent events, as expected.
"Leonyaldo-san is amazing, you know. He is the most important person in the fortress! He is the Commander of three other knight orders besides the Grenore Knights, you know. He is strong."
She started talking about how amazing Leonardo was, but from my position I could see Tina's back and Leonardo's expression, which was quite amusing. Leonardo's face was slack with undisguised pleasure. Whether he was happy that his own topic came up first in the report to her parents, or happy that his little sister (Tina) was bragging about him. Probably both.
"...But he is dense, and if I leave him alone, he might fall for some weird woman, so I am worried."
I barely suppressed a burst of laughter by tensing my cheeks and stomach muscles. Who could have predicted that right after praising him, she would suddenly start trashing him in front of her parents? At this unexpected reveal of Tina's feelings, Leonardo's face had become quite interesting.
"In summer, he was tricked by a weird woman named Kaya... ah, but Alf-san resolved that for us. He is more reliable than Leonyaldo-san, Alf-san is!"
While I was satisfied with Tina's recognition of my reliability, Leonardo's glare was painful. A brother who has just been told he is dense and worrying, glaring at another man praised as reliable by his little sister. His heart was too narrow. I worried if he was okay.
"Leo-san is seriously bad. He is not suited to being a guardian. He completely lacks awareness."
...Huh?
Whether she was on a roll, Tina called Leonardo "Leo-san." This was the first time I had heard Tina call Leonardo anything other than "Leonyaldo-san" outside of practice. When I looked at Leonardo's face at being so addressed, the earlier displeasure had blown away somewhere, replaced by a self-satisfied smile that was frankly irritating.
...So this was not the first time for Leonardo himself.
Was he even aware that being called "Leo-san" in a report to her parents was not the time to be pleased? Setting aside the nickname, the content was purely criticism.
"In the summer, you know, he slept naked! No matter how young I am, I am a girl, and I think a grown man sleeping completely naked is questionable."
...What was he even thinking?
Suppressing my urge to laugh, I checked on Leonardo's state. His earlier proud expression had completely reverted to a pathetic one. Unaware that Leonardo was listening right nearby, Tina's report on her guardian flowed smoothly from her mouth. The girl who had been unable to find words at first, shifting her bottom uncomfortably, was nowhere to be seen now. With each report of "this is weird" or "I worry about that," Leonardo's complexion worsened, but it was entertaining to watch.
"...But he is really kind."
After all that harsh criticism, Tina suddenly murmured happily.
"He said he will support me until I come of age, so I am going to take my time becoming family with Leo-san."
So I am not alone, do not worry, she murmured, and then cried again. This time I did not stop Leonardo. I decided to watch how Leonardo would act to comfort her.
Picked up, Tina realized that her entire report to her parents had been overheard, and in Leonardo's arms, her cheeks flushed slightly pink, and she wore an expression so beautiful and poignant that words could not describe it.
The next moment, Tina's shoes attacked Leonardo's knee.
From Alf's perspective, it was actually a comedy-filled chapter.
I will fix typos and errors later!
I found and corrected some typos and errors.