CH 50

Conversation was a wonderful culture.

For example, even if there was a barbarian with a bloody axe in front of me, I could still have a conversation with him as long as I could understand his language. That way, he wouldn’t get my blood all over his axe. …… maybe. It depends on the mood of the person you are talking to though.

I couldn’t talk to most of the demons.

So I would have to kill them. It saddened me, but I couldn’t help it.

Speaking of which, I hardly had any conversations with my older siblings. I hoped they would die because they, too, had twisted natures. Three out of thirteen of my brothers were already dead.

No, of those who died, Brother Thuron and Brother Alphabes were good men. They were kind and respectful. But they were killed in a conspiracy, and it was absurd that only good people die in this world.

The Borsheit family was reduced in number by sibling rivalry in almost every generation. The father, the king, took the throne after killing all the other brothers. It was crazy. I wonder if the crown would have that much appeal.

In this regard, I could have a conversation with the people in front of me. I also liked the humanity in them. The saint would interrogate me at every opportunity, but I guess she had her own reasons for doing so. Whatever it was.

“The soup is almost ready.”

Dried meat and vegetables whirl around as Sareha slowly stirred the pot.

We had been discussing the labyrinth ever since we entered this small room. Whether the enemies were people or demons, how big the labyrinth might be, the reason for the density of the mana that filled the air, and so on. In conclusion, nothing was beyond the realm of conjecture. But we did find out what we didn’t know. That was good. The only thing left to do was to see for ourself.

Sareha asked Claude a question while serving soup in a wooden bowl.

“Is there any vegetables you don’t like, Claude-sama?”

“Don’t treat me like a child. I can eat anything as long as it has flavor.”

“Yes.”

Sareha was getting to know everyone. That was great. Sareha should make more acquaintances other than me. I could tell that Sareha was looking for something more than an older brother figure in me. I didn’t know if it was a father or a mother. I guess he was lonely. He had been alone for a long time.

“…… For you, Saint-sama.”

“……Yes ……Thank you …… very much.”

Saleh held out a wooden bowl to the saint. The saint responded in a whisper.

I took back what I said before. They were still not at an understanding level. If this situation continued, the saint’s soup would taste like tears. That was tough. Eating while crying weakened my heart.

Remembering the tear-flavored meal I had in my room long ago, I involuntarily felt a bitter taste in the back of my throat.

“Hey, you two, get along.”

“But……that person is……”

“Stop saying “that person”. Call her by her name properly…… I also didn’t call her by her name either, huh……?”

I dug my grave unintentionally. I’d been calling her ‘Saint’ for a long time, too. Even though she had a name, Lilianne Lefebvre.

I nibbled on a piece of bread. Yeah, definitely not tasty. I was chewing without paying attention to the three eyes on me.

I swallowed and then turned to Lillianne (Saint).

“I’m sorry, Lillianne-sama. I apologize about my brother. I, too, regret my rudeness.”

“I’m sorry Lilianne-sama.”

“……! No, no, no! As I recall, I was being rude too.”

The three of us apologized to each other. Meanwhile, Claude was sipping his soup, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He made a face as if he was thinking, “I can’t wait for this to be over.” I can tell.

“Well, you know…”

Claude spoke up to change the subject. He scratched his cheeks and was looking like he was out of place.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I left you in charge of those elf girls.”

“Thor and Sheila? Claude had his reasons, didn’t you?”

“Well…… there were the people who bought them. There was a small slaver who was behind it, and I put the word out that I had ‘some things for him. But I wasn’t sure I would be able to successfully do that without the presence of an elf girl.”

Claude did the dirty work in town while I took care of Thor and Sheila. Seeing the way I was then, Claude must have decided that the three of us would be able to survive. In fact, we did survive, despite everything that happened. No, I did die in the dungeon.

“Thank you, Claude.”

“You can be mad at me. I haven’t checked on you since then, and I think I’m a pretty dishonest guy myself.”

“No, no. Still, thank you.”

We both sip our soup to cover up the fact that we were somewhat embarrassed to be thanked or apologized to. The sensation of warmth passing down our throats and settling in our stomachs was pleasant. Even the hard bread tastes good when soaked in the soup. I could eat as much as I want.

As I was munching on my bread, Claude suddenly stood up and moved to the side. I sat down with the same momentum as he did. I wondered what was so sudden, but he hugged me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear so that they couldn’t hear us.

“That saint, I think we can trust her. I know you’re worried. She’s royalty. But I can see in her eyes that she is different from the scum I’ve seen so many times. You think so, too, don’t you?”

That might indeed be the case. If she had been a spy, she would not have asked me so clearly in the first place.

“You have to make the final decision yourself. But if you keep on wondering, the person you’re going to tell will end up dead.”

Claude smiled, showing his teeth. The crackling of the bonfire sounded louder than it should.

”I guess you’re right.”

I put my hand on the mask and gently remove it. Lilianne and Sareha looked surprised, but I didn’t care.

“Lillianne-sama, I am sorry that I have not been able to answer your questions. My name is Henry von Boesheit Lartgen. As you may have guessed, I am the son of Marie von Forestier.”

“I knew it, you look so much like….Marie-sama……”

“I’m glad you said that.”

Lillianne took my hand with tears in her eyes. My hand was warm as if it was wrapped around hers.

“How did you and Mother know each other?”

“I was treated very well when I went to the royal palace with His Eminence the Pope. At the royal court, I was backbitten as being of lowly birth, but only Marie-sama saw me as a human being.”

Lillianne told me about her encounter with Mother from the very beginning. That she was certified as a saint at the young age of ten. The abuse that came from not being born to a noble or holy family, a mere 10 years old village girl would not be able to endure it. In fact, she said her heart was broken there.

“I was looking at the flowers all the time in the royal garden…….His Eminence was discussing something with the king, but I had nothing to do, so I just kept looking at the flowers.”

A new saint. Lilianne was brought along to show off to the royalty and nobility. She was exposed to the eyes of malice, without a task to support her heart. It was said that she spent quite a few days in the royal palace until the Pope finished his business.

“I suddenly realized I had an ornament made of agate in my hair. There was Marie-sama, smiling and patting me on the head.”

Mother hated making flower crowns. Flowers would die if they left the ground. Therefore, she said, we should substitute flowers with artificial ones or just enjoy looking at them.

“She even let me stay in her room secretly. Do you remember that we slept in one bed, me, Your Highness, and Marie-sama?”

Yes, there was such a day. The girl who was there at that time was Lillianne? I was about four years old at the time, so my memory was hazy until I was told.

“Haa? I’ve slept with my brother, too-?”

“You shut up. Come here!”

“Mugugu—-!!”

Sareha, showing a mysterious rivalry, was taken away while Claude covered his mouth.

“So…… I had a talk with Marie-sama, who listened to me, and then, to my surprise, she scolded His Eminence the Pope. She told him to watch his children properly.”

Turning around, Lillianne chuckled and laughed. She was firm like my mother. I wonder if there was ever a woman in history who scolded the Pope. Probably not.

“Of course, Marie-sama’s position became worse. But every day she would accompany me in my practice of healing magic and praise me for it. She praised me for my ability to save people.”

That was apparently where Lillianne’s broken heart was tethered. From then on, she carried out her mission as a saint, raised orphans, and took up the position of an abbess, the head of the monastery, at an unusually young age.

“When I heard the rumor that His Highness Henry had taken possession of an estate, I immediately transferred to the monastery in Hafen. I thought that if I waited, I would have more chances to see him.”

How embarrassing. Was I the one who wore a mask to meet a familiar face? I was a clown.

“I see. I’m glad to see you too, Lillianne-sama. And…… I’m sorry, but I don’t know why my mother died, either.”

“No, for now it is enough to know that His Highness is safe.”

“I’ll be sure to let you know when I know everything. And since I am not a prince, please call me ‘Henry’ only.”

“Then I don’t need to be called like that either. We are the member of [Golden Pioneers].”

Both of us laugh with our mouths down, but in a subdued manner, not wanting the high orcs to find us.

After a brief conversation, we turned to Sareha and Claude, who had been quiet for a long time. I felt like thanking them for their consideration. I feel very good.

But there was Sareha, who was exhausted from the ruckus and was slumped over. How soft a magician can be! I almost laughed and suppressed my mouth.