318 - The Bride of House Wolt
When I woke up in the Wolt estate, I looked around my room.
In the room where I had spent my days under house arrest, a vast number of books had been placed. Yes, it was a fact that they had been placed there, but now, there was nothing.
It seemed that once I was kicked out of the estate, all my belongings were disposed of. The bed remained, but the bookshelves that lined the wall were empty.
I reached out to the jewel hanging from my neck and gripped it tight.
According to Baldoor, House Wolt still had reserve forces. He said he wanted them directed toward me to prevent them from being absorbed by Celes or to stop an attack from the rear.
In truth, he probably just wanted me to return to my hometown. I traveled to the surrounding territories and the lands of the dependent lords using a Porter, using the jewel's new ability—something similar to my father's skill—to break Celes's charm.
However, it wasn't as if everyone was happy to be liberated.
I felt conflicted as well.
As I was thinking this, there was a knock on the room's door.
"Chicken coward, people are gathering one after another from the surrounding territories."
I got up from the bed and told Monica, who called me a chicken coward, to report the situation.
"From the surrounding territories, huh. How are things at the estate?"
Monica shrugged her shoulders.
"Many people are attempting suicide. Additionally, I have received reports that family members outside the estate have committed suicide. Suicide notes have appeared, stating they are atoning for the failures of their sons and daughters."
Monica reported everything to me without hiding anything. But that was for the best.
"Tell them once more that suicide is not permitted. I'm not considering any particular punishment. They were simply manipulated by Celes's ability."
Considering the things they had done to me—thinking of that, it made sense that some would commit suicide. That was what surprised me.
The fact that it didn't just end happily with their liberation was truly unpleasant.
Monica looked at me.
"I spoke with Miranda-san, and we think it might be better to prepare some punishments. That way, we can prevent people from taking their own lives out of self-reproach."
Listening to Monica's opinion...
"...This really is a pain."
I had returned, but I couldn't feel at peace. The estate that had once welcomed me warmly did not return, even after being liberated from Celes.
Seeing the reality like this, I realized there were many people who felt sorry for me. However, I didn't feel happy about it right now.
"Maybe it was a mistake for me to come back here."
Then, Monica looked at me and clapped her hands twice.
"So, how do you intend to handle the people who have come to see you?"
I covered my face with my right hand.
"I can't exactly avoid meeting them. I also want to visit Baldoor's family home."
Thinking that I'd be busy even after returning, I picked up my coat, put it on, and left the room.
――Shannon was taking a walk through the Wolt estate.
It was a vast estate. Additionally, the Fifth Head had many children, so a separate building had been prepared as a children's house, which was later used when inviting guests.
As Shannon walked through the annex, she heard the words of Eliza, who was walking behind her.
"...It's somehow more luxurious than our castle."
Shannon recalled what she had heard from Miranda.
"House Wolt has the largest territory in Banseime, and it's larger than some small countries, so I guess it can't be helped. Ah, there it is."
Shannon arrived at a certain room, which was the destination of her walk.
It was a room in the annex that was not used as a guest room, and it was apparently a room left behind by the Seventh Head, the previous head.
Shannon, who held the key, opened the door, and inside, guns were hanging on the wall.
They were the ones Mireia had used.
The single-shot type, where you load a bullet and fire. Furthermore, the barrels had knives attached to them. There were several prepared, but they were all rusted, perhaps because they hadn't been maintained.
Eliza looked at them.
"So many of the same guns. But none of them look usable."
Shannon searched for one in good condition among them. She searched, and then picked one up.
"Hmm, maybe I'll take this one home? It's an important memento, and it belonged to my great-grandmother."
Eliza looked at Shannon.
"What, you're blood-related?"
Shannon held the heavy gun.
"My great-grandmother was from House Wolt. Apparently, they had a relationship with House Sarcly up until the previous generation."
Eliza nodded, as if she understood.
"I'll take it back and have it repaired. I think it's fine to have at least one."
Saying so, Shannon looked around the room with Eliza. Dust had accumulated, and it seemed the room hadn't been cleaned for years.
She asked the people of the estate, and apparently, during Meizel's time, they had considered turning the room into a guest room instead of preserving it. However, since they already had enough guest rooms, there was no rush, and eventually, it became a room that no one entered.
Looking at such a room...
"It's a lonely room, like it's been forgotten,"
she said――.
The cargo bed of the Porter.
Sitting on a long bench there, I was talking with Miranda, who sat next to me. Novem sat the furthest away, not within speaking distance.
It was obvious to anyone's eyes that she was avoiding me. However, it wasn't as if she wouldn't listen to what I said.
A distance had been created that was too great to be described as merely "awkward."
"Lariel, are you listening?"
"Eh, ah? ...I wasn't listening."
When I apologized honestly, Miranda sighed. Sitting on the long bench, she crossed her legs and clasped her hands on her lap.
"I was asked various things over there, like whether you've decided on a legal wife. Furthermore, people were talking about the family precepts of House Wolt. I'd heard about them, but did you really follow such family precepts?"
The family precepts of House Wolt were a lie told by the first generation during a drinking session. That had been passed down through generations and remained as family precepts.
"...I was a child when I heard them, so I'm not sure how serious they were. Well, it basically means 'let's take a talented person as a bride,' right? Or rather, I think those family precepts aren't needed anymore... ugh!"
As I was talking, Novem's gaze pierced through me. Hearing that I wanted to discard the family precepts left by the first generation, she looked very sad.
Miranda seemed to notice, but she deliberately pretended not to.
"It's fine to keep them. I've already cleared them, right?"
Miranda looked up at me from below.
"Y-yeah. Probably."
Then, Aria, who was sitting in front, looked at Miranda.
"The people at the estate also said that if Novem gives her permission, it's a relief. In that case, aren't there fewer people who haven't cleared them?"
Indeed, most of the members here were those whom Novem had passed. The only one Novem had strongly rejected was probably the Princess of Rolfis.
Shannon was playing cat's cradle with Eliza. Glacia was staring at them blankly.
Shannon won against Eliza and turned toward me with a triumphant pose.
"Speaking of which, I've been wondering."
"What?"
"What kind of people are the wives of House Wolt? You know, regarding the heads, I can ask Eva as much as I want since Lariel teaches her, but I have no idea what the women of House Wolt are like."
Now that she asked, there were indeed many unknown parts. I could see them sometimes being strict and sometimes being kind inside Lariel.
However, I didn't know the wives of the successive heads—the women of House Wolt—in detail.
Eva also became interested and leaned forward.
"I want to hear that too. If they welcome talented women, that means they're all talented, right?"
I crossed my arms and thought.
"Probably, yes."
Shannon looked around the cargo bed of the Porter. Mei was on the ceiling. Clara, who operated the Porter, wasn't here. Monica, while knitting...
"No matter who they are, as long as they give birth to Little Chick-sama, they are nothing more and nothing less to us."
――As usual. Shannon looked at the members on the cargo bed of the Porter.
"But surely they aren't more eccentric than this group."
Then, Miranda also looked around.
"True. Isn't this the most eccentric group since the start of House Wolt?"
Saying so, she laughed. Everyone laughed, saying things like "Indeed." However, being in this space, I thought...
――None of them think they are eccentric. They probably think they are the normal ones. ――
I thought.
However, when I looked at Novem, she averted her gaze from me. No, rather than from me, it felt like she didn't want to answer something.
"Novem, wouldn't you know a bit about it? ...I mean, there must be some legends in the Foxuz family."
When I spoke to her with a bit of mischief, Novem began to panic. She couldn't tell the others that she inherited memories through the power of an evil god. However, if I asked like this, she probably wouldn't be suspected.
For some reason, Novem's eyes were wandering more than usual.
Seeing that, Eva probably thought there was something.
"Is there some interesting story? Since the heads of House Wolt have various stories, I bet their wives do too. Or maybe they had a hard time being pushed around by their husbands?"
The surrounding gazes were full of expectation, wanting to hear. Novem tried to dodge the question, but it seemed it was no use.
"I-I'm not that detailed. Besides, I've heard that the wives were all people fitting for the family precept of welcoming talented people. Therefore, so that this trend doesn't end with Lariel-sama's generation――"
Shannon grinned.
"Novem is flustered. She definitely knows something."
Shannon is lacking in many areas, but she can read people's emotions like this. Hearing that, Miranda looked interested.
"It's unfair that only one person knows. Tell us."
Only Monica seemed uninterested, continuing her knitting.
"Fufu, with this, even if Little Chick-sama is born by the dozen, we won't be troubled by clothing. Besides, no matter how you look at it, several to dozens will be born every year. We'll be constantly taking care of them."
Monica, who was preparing baby clothes one after another, was drooling.
I think this girl alone will never waver, no matter what happens.
Then, the Porter suddenly stopped.
As everyone lost their balance, Novem was the first to raise her voice.
"What happened, Clara-san!"
Novem ignored the gazes that said "She escaped," and called for Clara. Then, Clara came out from the driver's seat.
"No, there was someone suffering. There was someone."
It was somehow vague.
The cargo bed door was opened, and when I went outside, Mei was poised in front of a suffering person. The person rolling on the ground and suffering――half of their face was swollen, and their right hand was abnormally swollen.
They were suffering, but it was eerie.
"Uguuuuuluuuu!! L-Lariellllll!! Kill youuuu!!"
It was like the growl of a beast.
I drew the katana from my waist, and the companions who descended gripped weapons in their hands. It was probably because the opponent's appearance was clearly strange.
Then, Shannon, who peeked out from the door, shouted.
"Eh, what is this... they're not alive, and a monster is attached... coming out from inside."
What I remembered was the sight of when Bread became like a monster using medicine.
The human shape had flesh swelling up and hair growing there, becoming a form that could no longer be called human.
From the nearby forest, similarly eerie growls could be heard.
I looked around and used a skill.
There were several reactions with clear hostility toward us. However, they weren't there until a moment ago. They had appeared suddenly.
"...Come to think of it, there were no reactions in the direction we were heading."
Where did these fallen humans come from? There are humans who cannot be caught by skills, but most of them are hiding using skills.
I didn't think there were enough of such people to surround us.
The knights surrounded the man who had turned into a monster.
"Please step back, Lariel-sama!"
The man who had suddenly jumped out and collapsed, and then turned into a monster, had a form like a beast that had taken a human shape.
Monica muttered, looking at the enemy.
"Rather than a monster, it's like a monster-man. But if it's an enemy of the chicken coward, let's eliminate it."
As the surrounding knights tried to thrust their weapons into the monster, the monster jumped up. It jumped dozens of meters lightly, and monsters who jumped from the forest in the same way descended toward me.
I gripped the hilt again and prepared to strike back, but a woman soared into the sky.
"Novem."
She swung the family heirloom staff she usually held, and it became a giant scythe, slashing through all the monsters. Then, as she landed on the ground and descended in front of me, a rain of blood poured down on Novem and us.
"Novem, you――"
I reached out, but my hand stopped. Because the eyes of Novem, who looked up, were clouded more than I had ever seen before.
Then, Novem muttered. Looking at my stopped hand.
"...Please do not push yourself, Lariel-sama. I understand that I am eerie. However, I simply could not forgive something like this. I will exercise self-restraint from next time."
Saying so, Novem was smiling, but it was very scary. With clouded eyes, an awkward smile, and drenched in blood, it was Novem.
I couldn't call out to her.