CH 63

The Capital City of the Kingdom Part 3

Traslators: Frostfire10, Skythewood

Around six days later, Sebas opened the main door. He had just returned from the Magician’s Guild after purchasing another scroll and recorded all the requests at the Adventurer’s Guild, a day of information collection. 

He passed through the door and entered the house. Several days ago, Solution would have come to greet him. However—

“Welcome… back… Sebas…ma.”

This task was now handed to the soft-spoken girl in the maid outfit whose long skirt covered her legs.

The day after he had picked up Tsuare, there had been a discussion, and it had been decided that she would work in this house.

They could have treated her as a guest, but Tsuare refused. She said that she felt uneasy about being treated as a guest on top of being rescued by Sebas. While it did not properly qualify as repaying his kindness, she hoped that she could do something to help around the house.

After seeing what her true intentions were, he began to feel uneasy as well.

In other words, she understood that her position here was precarious—that she was a source of trouble for this home—and so she wanted to work as hard as she could to avoid being discarded.

Of course, Sebas had told Tsuare that he would not abandon her. If he was the sort who could discard someone with nobody else to turn to, he would never have rescued her in the first place.

However, he lacked the persuasive power to heal the wounds in Tsuare’s heart.

“I’m back, Tsuare. Did work go well?”

Tsuare nodded.

Her hair was neatly trimmed and she wore a little white headdress which shook with her nod.

“It went… well.”

“Is that so. That’s good to hear.”

She seemed as gloomy as always and her expression hardly changed, but being able to live as a human being had gradually eased the fear which gripped her, and she could speak much more clearly now.

Sebas walked, and Tsuare walked with him.

Technically speaking, it would be a violation of maidservant etiquette for her to walk beside Sebas, her superior. However, Tsuare had never been trained as a maid and did not understand those formalities, and Sebas did not wish to educate her in such matters.

“What are we having today?”

“Po… potato… stew…”

“I see. I look forward to that, then. Your food is delicious, Tsuare.”

She blushed and lowered her face as Sebas praised her with a smile. Her hands nervously grasped at her maid uniform’s apron.

“You, you are too… kind…”

“No, no, I meant that. I know nothing about cooking, so you’ve done me a great favor.”

“That is not tr….”

Tsuare felt embarrassed and mumbled her words. However, Sebas indeed felt grateful to Tsuare.

Since they had a certain magic item, Sebas nor Solution had a need to eat, and only did so for appearances. However, Sebas nor Solution could cook, and they had to purchase food from outside.

Not having to bring back such prepared food erased one troublesome thing from the list and was a good thing.

“Do you have enough ingredients? Tell me if there’s anything you’d like me to buy.”

After all, he had been hiding so many things from her.

“Then I shall come to get you after discussing a few things with the Young Mistress.”

“Solu…san…”

Tsuare’s mood turned gloomy. Sebas knew why, but he kept quiet about it.

Solution had hardly met with Tsuare before. At the very most she had glanced at her in passing and left without saying a word. Anyone would feel uneasy about being ignored like that, and in Tsuare’s case she would probably be terrified.

“It’s fine. The Young Mistress is like that to everyone. It isn’t as though she has it out for you…. But Ojou-sama has quite the bad personality, but I did not tell you this.”

Sebas smiled, and after finishing his half-joking words, the unease on Tsuare’s face lightened somewhat.

“She often throws tantrums when she sees cute girls.”

“…I… How could I… I’m nothing like… the Mistress…”

Tsuare frantically waved her hands.

Compared to Solution who had a beauty that would enrapture those of even the same gender, she thought that she could not even be compared. Tsuare indeed had a pretty face, but it was not much when faced with Solution’s.

However, beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

“In terms of looks, I would prefer you compared to the Young Mistress.”

“What! How could…”

Tsuare’s face was burning red as she lowered it. Sebas looked kindly upon her, and then he saw her expression change and her brows furrow.

“And I… I’m… filthy…”

Tsuare’s attitude made a complete turn, and her faced turned dark. Sebas sighed. He looked straight ahead and spoke. As the volume of the footsteps had been lowered, the words of Sebas reached Tsuare very clearly.

“Indeed, that is the case with gems. Unmarked ones are worth more, and they are considered purer.” Tsuare’s face fell even further as she heard those words. “However—people are not gemstones.”

Tsuare’s face lifted and looked at Sebas’ face. His serious face.

“Tsuare, you seem to consider yourself dirty. But who can judge the purity of a human being? There are clearly defined standards for precious stones… but who will set the standards for a human being’s virtue? Is there some common value to surpass? Some public opinion that must be adhered to? Does that mean everyone else’s thoughts and opinions can be discarded?” Sebas paused here, and then he continued. “Every person has a different definition of beauty. If beauty cannot be determined by one’s appearance, then in my opinion, we cannot determine beauty by what people have experienced, but by how they are inside.. I do not know what you have been through and I have only spent a few days with you, but what I know is that the person inside you is the furthest thing from being filthy that I can imagine.”

Sebas closed his mouth, and the footsteps echoing along the corridor filled the world.  Tsuare seemed to have made up her mind, and she spoke.

“…If… you feel I am pure… then embr—”

Sebas’ footsteps stopped. In front of him was the most beautiful and extravagant door in the entire mansion. Tsuare cut off her words, and recalled who was inside.

“Tsuare. I will see you later.”

Leaving Tsuare who bowed with a lonely face, Sebas knocked on the door. He opened the door without waiting for an answer. As he slowly closed the door, Sebas thought about Tsuare’s last words.

If he was right, her next words would be [embrace] or something along that line. (TL Note: She used the word “Daku” which can mean hug or to have sex.)