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Chapter 53
“S-sorry.”
Judging by the black skirt and white apron, she seemed like a maid working in the castle. She was very small—probably not even ten years old.
“You’ve got four ears, and yet you still don’t understand what I’m saying?”
Immediately, a sharp slap echoed.
Not only scolding, but actually punishing her too… I thought I should intervene, so I intentionally made my presence known.
“…Ahem!”
Even if I’m not in a position to give her orders, I can at least do this much.
The head maid raised her hand once more, but when our eyes met, she clicked her tongue and lowered it.
“Tsk. You should be grateful when I give you an easy task!”
Puffing with indignation, the head maid quickly walked past me.
I approached the fallen girl.
“Are… you okay?”
“Y-yes.”
The girl wobbled as she got up. Up close, not only did her upturned eyes match Shasha’s, but her ears and hair color were identical too.
‘A twin? I can’t just walk past without doing something.’
I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out a chocolate, which I handed to her. It was a leftover dessert from the guest room.
“Th-thank you.”
The girl hurriedly tore open the chocolate wrapper and ate it without even taking a breath. She looked about seven at most, and since she’d lost her baby teeth, her pronunciation was a bit off.
While she was focused on eating, I quietly cast a small spell to help restore her energy.
“…?”
The girl blinked, noticing my magic.
“You’ve got a spell that makes you feel better.”
“This chocolate?”
“Yeah.”
There isn’t really such a spell, but I gave a vague explanation just in case using magic without permission would be a problem. I suddenly remembered how Blanche had shoved chocolate into my mouth without asking.
“Do you want some?”
The girl hesitated, then offered me a piece of chocolate.
“Why?”
“Because the White Mage looks like they need it too.”
I chuckled at the thought that such a tiny kid could even understand that. Instead of chatting further with her, I left.
‘Come to think of it, they said the beastkin were allowed to live as citizens…’
I gazed at the mountains beyond the royal palace. If it was a notable achievement, there must be a considerable number, yet the only beastkin I had seen around the villages and palace were Shasha and this girl.
The next morning. While examining Billon, I decided to satisfy my curiosity.
Billon had previously said I could ask questions if I was curious, though it was hard to take him at his word. Still, if I phrased it subtly, I might get some clue.
“Your Grace, I have a question.”
“Ask anything.”
“Where do the beastkin live? I first encountered them in the Duchy of Tar and I’m curious, but I haven’t had many chances to talk about it at the castle.”
“Oh.” He chuckled and continued.
“Most of them cultivate farmland on the outskirts or work as miners.”
“Out in the mountains and outskirts…? Is that safe?”
I had heard from the carriage driver who escorted me to the Duchy of Tar that monsters sometimes descended from the mountains to the outskirts. I asked worriedly, and he sipped his tea before answering.
“The beastkin aren’t attacked by monsters.”
“Excuse me?”
“You haven’t heard? Well, that’s understandable—the creatures aren’t well known.”
According to Billon, the beastkin living in the mountains were a type of fox.
They had lived self-sufficiently for decades without interacting with humans. But an ancient dragon that had been asleep in the mountains eventually awakened.
“Fortunately, the Duchy’s soldiers were always vigilant for the dragon’s movements and dealt with it before the beastkin suffered significant losses. After defeating the dragon, the beastkin began living within the territory.”
“I see…”
“They seem to inherit special abilities through generations. With exceptional hearing and smell, they can be trusted to mine gemstones through tunnels. They are indispensable to the duchy.”
Despite that, they didn’t seem well-treated yesterday… I simply nodded, accepting it for now.
“Do you wish to interact with them?”
“Ha, well…”
“They’re cautious, so gaining their trust won’t be easy.”
Billon rolled up his sleeves, looking thoughtful.
“By the way, if you’re bored, why not take a walk in the plaza? A bakery just opened three days ago and I hear it’s very popular with young people like you.”
He added that it was about ten minutes from the entrance by carriage. Since my options were limited in this foreign place, I agreed.
“Then I’ll go now.”
After bowing politely, I quietly closed the door behind me.
In the corridor leading to the guest room, I felt someone following me. Light, careful footsteps, but unmistakable presence.
I stopped and turned, and Shasha approached, scratching his head.
“Hey, human.”
“…Me?”
“Yeah. You’re the only human here!”
He crossed his arms as if to avoid looking weak, though it made him look like a baby cat refusing a bath.
“Cute.”
“What?!”
I glanced at his tail, which was standing slightly upright, and his face turned bright red. I quickly looked away and spoke as he had, in a casual tone.
“Did you need something from me?”
“Yeah. I heard you helped my sister yesterday!”
“The girl with brown hair and pointy ears?”
“Exactly!”
Shasha leaned close, and I noticed the fluffy, puppy-like smell of his fur. His golden-brown eyes had vertically slit pupils. Just as I was about to tell him to say thank you properly, he bared his sharp teeth and blurted out:
“Human. You got money?”
“…Money?”
I wasn’t expecting that. Dumbfounded, I pushed his forehead with my finger. Shasha jumped, growled, and fell back.
“What the—!”
“You’re too small to be trying to extort money.”
“I’m not asking for it!”
Shasha lowered his voice and asked cautiously, “How much do you get paid?”
“Why?”
“Well, you must get quite a lot, right?”
He muttered to himself, counting on his fingers, then sighed and let his tail droop.
“Hey, kid.” I called, and his tail perked up along with his eyebrows.
“Kid?”
“Li’l kid.”
“You know who I am!”
“Well, I don’t. Then why did you speak casually thinking you knew my age?”
“Eek.”
He stepped back in fright. Using the villainous expression effectively can look quite scary—even if it doesn’t work on Eckart or Blanche.
“Cut to the chase.”
The boy hesitated, hands clasped, then spoke more politely than before.
“…Human. Could you teach me how to heal?”
“Healing magic?”
“Yeah. You’re a White Mage, so you’d know.”
I gave a straightforward answer.
“That’s not something you can learn in a few days. Even simple spells take months to study.”
“R-really?”
“You also need sufficient mana and a staff. If the patient has a special constitution, then that’s another story.”
Shasha’s shoulders slumped—clearly disappointed with my answer.
“You seem fine. Is someone sick?”
“Not exactly!”
His clumsy denial suggested it was true. I had a slight idea—yesterday, that girl hadn’t looked well.
“Then why?”
“……”
Perhaps he wanted me to heal her. I thought that, but Shasha didn’t answer.
I was curious, but it didn’t feel right to pry. I wasn’t close enough to intervene deeply, especially after leaving the empire for my freedom.
“I’ll go ahead.” I drew the line first.
“Al-already?”
“How can I help without knowing the circumstances?”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
Shasha dropped his head, disappointed but accepting.
On the carriage ride to the bakery recommended by the duke, I thought about my conversation with Shasha as I watched the quiet street outside.
‘If he needs help, he’ll say so himself.’
The carriage stopped in front of the bakery.
The bakery displayed baguettes, loaves, tarts, and cakes. It was simpler than in the empire, but charming and cute. Subtropical fruits were lavishly used too.
I chose the most popular-looking slice of cake. A nearby customer picked the same one, and a man who seemed to be the owner politely gave back the change.
“8 Tars! Enjoy!”
When it was my turn, I handed over eight 1-Tar coins.
“Two Tars short. Make it 10.”
“But you just charged the previous customer 8 Tars.”
“They’re a regular.”
“A regular… three days after opening?”
“…Tch.”
The owner looked me over instead of explaining.
“Traveler?”
“No.”
“Not? Well, just a word of advice—don’t go to the 3rd district.”
I wanted to retort that he shouldn’t overcharge outsiders either, but I let it go. The owner put the bread in a paper bag and added:
“Crime is bad there. Riots happen every other day.”
“Riots?”
“Yeah. People like us pay taxes too, yet they complain!”
I pondered for a moment.
‘…Maybe I’ll pass through another kingdom instead of the 3rd district.’
A wave of skepticism hit me. After distancing myself from the main players and leaving the empire, this is the kind of worry I end up with?
‘Is this really the freedom I imagined?’
I stood blankly at the counter for a moment, then refocused when I heard the owner’s voice.
“Next customer! Move along!”
“Ah, yes…”
I took the packaged cake and returned to the palace.
The cake wasn’t as sweet as I had expected.
I ended up leaving some uneaten, tidied the table, and went to the dressing room to change clothes. But the position of the clothes hangers was slightly different.
