Chapter 84
(Kyle
Calendar Year 506: Age 13)
Yoru
Translator : PolterGlast
Am I dreaming?
The memory of my
father failing in grain speculation, which saw a huge crash followed by a huge
surge in just one year, and accumulating massive debt, feels like a distant
past now. To repay it, I ended up selling myself in the city of Est and was
sent to a new town where a new brothel was being built.
This new town was full
of surprises. Women my age were thriving and working vibrantly. In the
administrative office, the trade exchange, the reception and mediation offices,
and even the infirmary, women of my generation were at the forefront, actively
engaged.
I longed to return to
such a radiant place, but I repeatedly told myself it was a fleeting dream and
gave up. It was a world filled with bright hope that I could never return to.
When I entered this world,
I abandoned both my family name and my given name. "Yoru" was the new
name I chose for myself, a resolve to live in this new world, a world of night.
Then, someone said
they would bring me, someone like me, back to that dazzling world of light—a world
I thought I could never reach, no matter how much I wished for it. I was
incredibly happy.
So happy, in fact,
that I unintentionally revealed my true feelings, which I had kept hidden for
so long.
But I'm already
tainted; I can't take his hand. I would tarnish the honor of someone I respect
so much.
No, this is enough for
me. That esteemed person extended a hand to me. I'll live on with just this
joy. I reaffirmed that resolve once again.
※
I had a long dream for
the first time in a while.
To be precise, it was
a dream akin to a recollection of my life in the previous timeline. And in that
dream, at my final moment, a forgotten memory resurfaced, and I woke up.
"Yoru-san, so it
was you..." I murmured alone in my bedroom.
In my final moments,
one of the brave women who prayed for me—I couldn't recall her name then, but
now, I know clearly. She was the daughter of a merchant family whose father
went bankrupt and lost everything. She was taken into the administrative office
and thrived under Miseri-san's command. That was her, Yoltia.
In the previous
timeline, she never went to a brothel, and at that point, her father's shop
should have still been intact. The history I had altered in this world had
changed her father's fate, and her own.
Knowing that, I was
determined to save her no matter what; the matter of her being a Gravity Mage
was secondary. I made that decision and began sounding out various parties for
ways to rescue her.
※
"This time, I
object."
"I am grateful to
her. Still, this matter would tarnish your name."
"Her courage and
character are impeccable, I believe. However, taking her in would be perceived
by society as taking her as a concubine."
This matter was
vehemently opposed by Anne, Miseri-san, and Claire—all of them.
Their concern wasn't
with her as a person, but with her status as a prostitute and the fact that
acquiring her would require a "Miuke1,"
which they considered problematic.
Apparently, Miseri-san
had once approached the brothel through the administrative office, indicating a
desire to take her in.
Unless the
Lord himself is buying her, we are, after all, a business.
The administrative
office's request was reportedly dismissed as "unreasonable" by the
brothel.
A young lord buying a
woman from a brothel. That would tarnish my honor. It could lead to people
pointing fingers at me as the new Baron of Solis. No, they absolutely believed
it would happen.
Such a scandal could
even spread to the main Viscount family. If they couldn't stop me now, they
felt they couldn't face my father and mother in Est.
They vehemently
objected, refusing to budge an inch.
Always reliable,
always on my side—I had thought. But with my three most trusted companions
vehemently opposing me, I was truly at a standstill.
How much easier would
it be if I could just tell them the truth? But would they believe me if I did?
Would I have to continue carrying this secret and fighting alone forever?
Since the Clan
incident, I had unknowingly reached my mental limit.
"I need help... I
want companions with whom I can share the truth..." I thought from the
bottom of my heart.
『Takuhir, if you thought things through and did what
you did, then I intend to forgive everything. You don't have to be overly
considerate. Next time, please tell me everything.』
Suddenly, I remembered
the words my mother had said in Est. I immediately sent a letter to her.
『I have something important I'd like to discuss. I'll
be heading to Est soon, so please spare some time for me.』
That was the gist, and
I tried to keep it as concise as possible, but there might have been a bit of
whining mixed into the sentences.
※
"Takuhir-sama!
Lady Chris! Lady Chris is here!"
Miseri-san rushed in,
flustered.
Just a few days after
sending the letter, my mother had come to Teigun!
Receiving this
unexpected news, I rushed out in a panic to greet her. My mother had apparently
left Est the very day she received my letter.
I, who had never
imagined such a thing, only learned of her sudden arrival in the evening, after
she had thoroughly enjoyed sightseeing under the guise of inspecting Teigun.
When I heard the news
and rushed out, my mother was waiting for me in the central plaza.
"Teigun is such a
wonderful place. Everyone living here is smiling, it's incredibly lively, and
the town is well-organized and clean. Most of all, it's great to see the women
working so vibrantly. It's truly the town you're so proud of, Takuhir."
It seemed the town had
received a passing grade from my mother. To my mother, who was speaking in a
good mood, I said, "Mother, thank you for coming all this way. If you had
informed me, I would have come to pick you up halfway."
"But..." My
mother made a cute, troubled face—my weakness (or rather, my strength because I
love it).
"It's the first
time Takuhir has ever asked to speak with me privately, so I was too happy to
stay still."
With a cunning
cuteness that belied her 32 years, my mother stuck out her tongue and gave a
shy smile.
Afterward, I guided my
mother to the Lord's Manor Annex. We passed through the Second District, which
was undergoing large-scale relocation, renovation, and expansion to build the
Frontier Knight's branch, and as we entered the First District, my mother
stopped.
"This town's
defenses are really solid. It's incomparable to Est."
"Yes, much of it
is still under construction, but... I'm most focused on defense. Beyond this
inner moat and wall are the guesthouse, currently under construction, and
beyond that, the Lord's Manor Annex. It's still a simple residence, so I
apologize for any inconvenience, but the bedrooms and rooms are already
prepared."
In the Lord's Manor
Annex, I had prepared rooms for each family member just in case. There were
also a few guest rooms for visitors.
"Mother, please
rest for a bit first..."
"No, I'd rather
hear Takuhir's consultation right away; I've been looking forward to it."
Upon entering the
room, I immediately explained the situation to my mother.
"Mother, as you
know from the reports, there's a woman named Yoru at the Teigun brothel."
"Ah, the brave
girl who helped Miseri's speech."
"Yes, I'm
grateful for her actions, and my impression of her after meeting her was also
good, so I'd like to welcome her into the administrative office, but my three
most trusted people are vehemently opposing it..."
I explained the
circumstances surrounding her.
That she was at the
brothel because of her father's debt and needed to be bought to be taken in.
That the brothel
wanted the prestige of being "bought by the lord" and was refusing
the administrative office's offer to take her.
That Anne, Miseri, and
Claire were strongly opposing that, saying it would tarnish my name.
"I see, that is a
troublesome story. Is that all you wanted to discuss?"
"Ah, no, there's
something more important."
I told her what I had
decided.
"I've kept silent
about this until now, but it seems I have a mysterious power. For some reason,
I can somehow discern individuals with magical aptitude. And somehow... I also
have fragmented glimpses of major calamities that might occur in the
future..."
"Like your 【Unique Skill】?"
"That's what I
think too. Of course, not everything is certain... but I thought such a skill
would be politically very dangerous, so I kept silent about it."
"Yes, indeed,
being targeted would be a problem."
"Yes, I've always
feared that. That actions taken to protect the Solis Viscount family might
actually endanger it. So, I've been quietly proceeding on my own. But even if I
stay silent, my actions will be unnatural and create misunderstandings. Even
with her this time, I couldn't explain the situation to the three of
them..."
I added a few more
details:
That I sensed Yoru had
an aptitude for Gravity Magic.
That I wanted to
secure her, a woman with a super rare skill, unheard of even in the kingdom
right now, and give her a place to flourish.
And that, as a major
premise, regardless of her magical aptitude, I wanted her as a subordinate out
of gratitude for her courage and actions.
"I see, so that's
what it was..." My mother said, looking convinced.
"Only the Solis
Viscount family, no, only you, having this many mages—I thought it was
unnatural. And all the proposals you've made since you were a child..."
"I apologize for
keeping silent until now. I was completely overwhelmed and didn't know what to
do, so I consulted you, Mother.
There's actually
another me inside me, and I see unknown knowledge and fragments of the future.
The sad future of the Solis family, my family, and myself... I tried my best to
avoid that, but I've hit a dead end with various things..."
"You naughty boy,
worrying alone and keeping quiet from me..." I was embraced by my mother.
Somehow, I felt incredibly relieved.
"When I heard
Chrisia became a Holy Mage, I was almost certain something was up. Leave the
rest to me now."
"Won't I be a
bother?"
"Takuhir, you've
always been so mature since you were a child, never clinging, and I was
lonely."
Yes, that cunningly
cute expression and those words—my mother is truly adorable, unbelievably so
for someone over thirty. Things I never thought about in the previous timeline
have become especially noticeable since Nishida's consciousness merged with
mine.
"Tomorrow after
lunch, bring Anne, Miseri, and Claire to me. You just need to be by my
side."
Then my mother turned
to me with a serious look.
"Are those three
truly the ones you trust the most, the ones you can open your heart to?"
"Yes, while
Raymond-san and Vice-Commander also hold my trust in a different sense, those
three understand me more than anyone."
"Enough to tell
them about the magical aptitude? Enough to let them know everything about
you?"
"Yes! I don't
mind. Though I'm scared their perception of me might change..."
"As women, too...
do you like them?"
"Probably... I
think so. This is the first time they've vehemently opposed me, and it was a
huge shock."
Then I added,
"Oh, I forgot something important. The very best of them all is, of
course, you, Mother."
"Honestly, it's
that part of you that isn't childlike at all." My mother's face, though
she was scolding me, somehow looked happy.
"And this is very
important!" My mother's expression returned to a serious one. "Can
you continue to protect those three (as a man) from now on? Are you confident?"
"Yes, I will
cherish and continue to protect those three (as comrades) from now on."
"One more thing,
even if everything goes well, the way people view Yoru-san won't change for a
while. She might suffer even more hardships and heartless words than before.
Takuhir, no matter what happens, you must protect her properly! This is
absolute!"
Then my mother took my
hand and asked further, "Can you swear and promise me these things?"
"Yes, of course.
As one of my precious comrades, and as a man (a lord), I will protect her no
matter what happens!"
"Understood,
leave the rest to me. You truly are a grown boy now! So cute!" My mother
said, embracing me tightly.
Huh? Did I... say
something with a different meaning?
1 Miuke (身請け) is a Japanese term that broadly means to buy out someone's contract or
debt, typically in a context where they are bound by an agreement, often
involving a profession like geisha or courtesan, or a situation of indentured
servitude.
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