When I returned home from my daily routine of collecting materials and inspecting vegetation, I heard a woman’s yelling in my father’s normally quiet shop.
“…Eh. What’s going on?”
It was an unusual situation for someone to yell so loudly that it could be heard outside the store.
I approach the store entrance cautiously. I don’t think there would be much of a robbery if my father was there, but it would also be difficult for my father if it’s a woman.
I quietly opened the front door and peeked in, and there was a girl with red hair in twin tails and a woman with black hair in a single braid at the back. It seemed to be the red-haired girl who was yelling, and the black-haired woman didn’t scold her, she just stood next to her with a very annoyed and apologetic look on her face. Judging from the fact that the black-haired woman was clearly older, the red-haired girl must have a higher status than the black-haired woman.
“As I said earlier, I didn’t force anything on Alfie, right? It’s true that I was the one who sent the letter of recommendation to the alchemist, but he wouldn’t accept an alchemist job if he wasn’t motivated. In other words, it was his own will to quit being a priest and become an apprentice to an alchemist.”
“But even if I go to Alfie to request a meeting, the alchemist won’t let me see him? If this isn’t your will, then whose will is it?”
It seems that my father is being treated in a very annoying way.
He’s annoyed at how impossible this is, but I guess he can’t force himself to kick her out just because she’s even younger than me.
“Or perhaps this is your daughter’s wish? How jealous of her to prevent him from meeting a woman. I hear your daughter is a fairly talented magician, right? Perhaps she used force to threaten Alfie, forcing him to become an apprentice to an alchemist so that he cannot meet me–”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t do anything to Mr. Alfie!!”
As I was thinking about when to interject, the flow of the conversation became strange.
Hang on. Really wait. You’re making a really bad misunderstanding.
I hurriedly interrupted, causing the red-haired girl to turn around. She is a girl with big green, slightly slanted eyes, and a cute, cat-like face. She has a face that I would have liked to admire if it weren’t for this situation, but now she’s glaring at me, showing her displeasure.
“You seem to have a good hobby for eavesdropping, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hear it, but it was loud enough to be heard outside.”
I thought it was certainly rude to overhear and interrupt, but the red-haired girl quickly blushed and glared at me even more sharply.
“Are you saying I’m noisy?!”
Yes, it’s noisy.
Honestly, it’s a nuisance to the neighborhood.
I wanted to tell her that, but when I saw the girl glaring at me and breathing heavily, I found it hard to point it out.
“Your voice is definitely louder than mine. It’s a nuisance to the neighbours.”
And my father, who didn’t care to read the situation, pointed it out as if nothing had happened.
“Otsuki? If you’re her guardian now, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t have her observe the bare minimum of manners.”
“She’s not my guardian, she’s my servant, isn’t she?”
“Even if she’s a servant, you’re a minor who can’t travel alone, so if she’s with you as a companion, she’s your guardian. So she needs to use her common sense to discipline you. If all you can do is stand there, you… You shouldn’t travel alone with her.”
Furthermore, her father complained to the black-haired girl, who was probably in no position to say anything to the red-headed girl.
But I think it’s fair. However, the red-haired girl didn’t seem to expect such a point to be made, so she looked blank.
“I-I’m a saint. That’s why she can’t say anything to me.”
“If you understand, then you should be patient and take appropriate action. Because you are a saint, the only world in which you are forgiven is inside the temple. If you want to be forgiven for anything, just don’t go outside the temple without permission.”
The girl tries to protect the female servant in a panic, but my father is better at it. He politely states the correct argument as if he does not allow any counterargument.
“Don’t leave the temple. If we don’t cleanse you, you’re the ones who will be in trouble, right?”
“But without the temple, you are the ones who would be in trouble. And the temple collects money from us to maintain its status. It is a coexistence relationship, so to speak. And the saint alone cannot purify it. You only have to reach a place where there is maga. You shouldn’t be able to travel alone. Only with the help of a knight and a magician can you travel without being frightened by monsters, and you can only travel comfortably with the tools created by the alchemists. If you’re going to wield your power as a saint, you have to follow the temple’s rules. Is the temple allowing you to yell in my shop now?”
It is true that without the Saints, the maga cannot be erased. However, it is also true that a saint alone cannot do everything.
The girl’s face twisted in frustration at my father’s words.
“Now then. Do you want to continue this discussion? Or do you want to go back to the temple now? You are definitely Miss Alice Scarlet. It seems that your running away from home is a big deal at the temple in the capital, right? ”
“Oh, I left a letter.”
“You should know best that you can’t go out freely with just a letter left behind. Although it’s inconvenient, it’s also to protect you. Not only are you a saint, but you’re also the daughter of Marquis Scarlet. And the chances of you being kidnapped are very high.”
Saints are guaranteed many things, receive a high salary, and can buy whatever they want, but they do not have the freedom to go out and about. The saint can move freely only in the temple and school, but whenever they want to go shopping, they are always accompanied by an escort. I heard that visits are by appointment only, and that even if it is a temporary foster parent, they won’t be able to meet right away even if they want to.
“I can and should inform my former subordinates that you are here right now.”
“Dad. I would like to talk to her once, but is that okay?”
The red-haired girl looked like she was about to cry, but she held back.
Considering her life up until now, the journey to this point must have been a huge adventure for her and required a lot of courage. She didn’t want him to yell at her for her unreasonableness, but seeing her protect her servant made me want to talk to her once.
“I don’t like troublesome things. So while she’s inside this store, I’m going to protect her, so I will wait to contact the capital until after you talk, okay? I don’t want people to say that I’m hiding her or something. Even if we lose contact for an hour or two, it’s within the margin of error considering the distance from the royal capital to here.”
“Protect?”
“As I said earlier, as a saint and the daughter of a marquis, you are worth the risk of kidnapping. But I don’t want this store to be suspected. As long as I’m here, I’ll protect you.”
Alice looked puzzled, and my father replied in a bored tone.
“It’s a little early, but I’ll prepare lunch so let’s talk while we eat. But before that, I’d like to tell you one thing. Alfie and I are only acquaintances, and I haven’t given any orders to Alfie. I just happened to save Alfie when he was about to die.”
“What? Alfie almost died?”
“Yeah. I rescued him because he sent up a red flare when he was attacked by Killer Bee. By the way, Mr. Theo who was with him also almost died, so please don’t blame him.”
In the relationship between a guard and his master, it is the guard’s fault for failing to protect the master.
But Theo is only Alfie’s collaborator, not a paid escort. So even if Alfie dies, it would be wrong to hold a grudge against Theo. If I were to hold a grudge, I think it would be against the person who sent the priest to a place where there was maga.
“You were a lifesaver… I’m sorry for my rude behavior.”
“I don’t mind as long as you understand and we can talk calmly.”
Alice looked depressed, and although she was troublesome, I didn’t think she was a bad girl. Coupled with the fact that she is younger than me, I smile bitterly.
“If you want to prepare lunch, I’ll help too. I’ll still be cooking at the temple.”
“Lady Alice. Umm, it’s not really appropriate to use someone else’s kitchen without permission.”
The servant had not been able to stop her until now, but the moment Alice said that she was going to cook, she stopped her. Ah. After all, she’s the one who produces harmful substances every time she cooks.
“I can’t let the guest help. I’m just going to fix what’s left over from yesterday, so could you please sit down and wait?”
I was curious to know what the poisonous food would be like, but I didn’t have the courage to taste something as disgusting as poison, so I followed the servant’s advice and declined her help.
This saint is both more and less reasonable than I expected. Anyway, so far it is going better than I thought it would.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
