Volume 7 - CH 10

Chapter 10 – Ms. Lurie

After meeting with Priest Francesco, Eto was walking around the town with Pastor Teilhard. As they went south of the main street that runs through the north and south of Veil, they entered a section where shops are lined up.

“Eto-san hasn’t arrived in Veil for long, right? From this area to the south gate, there are shops of various sizes, from large firms to street vendors, so you can buy most of the things you need here.”

“Having a lot of shops lined up, very convenient. Well, for now, my party and I are staying in the Knights’ facility, so there is nothing I need.”

“Ah, that’s right. There is a collaborator’s shop just around the next corner.”

Pastor Teilhard is going to introduce Eto to a woman named Lurie, who is one of the collaborators of the self-help group. According to the pastor, she is a calm woman in her forties, trusted by the victims, and plays a main role in the self-help group.

So, for Eto, who wants to make the self-help group activities a pillar of victims’ support activities, her cooperation would surely be a big help.

Pastor Teilhard guided Eto to one of the stores along the street. It is a fairly large store, and probably is considered a medium-sized or even a larger store in Veil. There are beds, mattresses, futons and pillows, and seemingly good quality sofa sets placed in the store.

An elderly clerk who noticed Pastor Teilhard approached and asked for their business after giving a polite greeting.

“Today, we came here to talk with Ms Lurie. May we meet her?”

“Ee. Madam is indeed here… Excuse me, but may I ask who this person is?”

The clerk is watching Eto with caution.

Apparently, the clerk was being on guard toward Eto. Even though it’s not uncommon to see a man dressed like an adventurer, Eto started to feel uncomfortable, wondering why the clerk was so vigilant toward him.

Eto don’t even remember meeting the clerk somewhere. Even after Pastor Teilhard introduced Eto to the clerk, his attitude didn’t change.

Pastor Teilhard and Eto then were sent to the drawing room, where they were greeted by a woman with a gentle smile on her face.

“Welcome, Pastor Teilhard-sama. And nice to meet you. My name is Lurie.”

She then bows her head, showing the white hair that stood out in her hair. Eto thought it was natural since she managed a store this big, of course she must have had a difficult time. Her hair was a mix of dark brown hair and white hair, the color was like pouring milk on black tea.

The two then sat down on the couch as urged by Lurie and waited for the clerk to make tea. Then, as if lured by her hair, Eto poured milk into the tea served in front of him. And as he stirs the tea lightly with a spoon, the milk swirls and becomes entwined with the tea, which becomes more and more like her hair color.

“Many guests who come to see me also add milk to their tea, just like you.”

Lurie, who should have been having a conversation with Teilhard, suddenly said. Eto was startled, thinking that she seems to have found out what he is thinking. So, he put down the spoon that was stirring the tea and slowly looked at Lurie’s complexion. Subsequently, Lurie smiles softly at him. In front of Lurie’s attitude, which seemed to see through everything, Eto felt the difference in their wits.

“I’m sorry. Did my gaze make you feel uncomfortable?”

“No. Fufufu, I do think it’s better to be thought of as milk in the tea than as an elderly.”

Lurie laughed cheerfully.

After that, she listened enthusiastically to Eto’s explanation about the initiative he is going to make. Eto also told her that the Knights and the Church will give their support to the activity, and he would also talk to the authorities about the initiative.

“If our initiative goes smoothly, we intend to actively accept those who became victims of crimes. And we hope to help the victims more than we ever could. Next, I heard that Lurie-san plays a main role in the church’s self-help group. For that, I would like you to cooperate with our initiative.”

The number of kidnapped victims currently protected by the knights is 75, including those in Cyril and the southern fort. Although some of them may be able to start their normal lives right away, for those who find it difficult to regain their normal lives, they need to be prepared to accept being a part of the self-help group.

Of course, Eto knew that it is difficult to run a self-help group with only a Pastor, escort knights, and his party alone. The number of victims may even increase further in the future when the missing persons are found. Hence, at least until the self-help group has gotten on the right track, Eto wanted someone with experience like Lurie to cooperate.

“Ee, of course I will cooperate, but I think it will be difficult to get the cooperation of the authorities. Because this initiative needs financial resources. And you are about to talk to the authorities soon, right?”

“Yes. I will do my best, so I can give a good report to Lurie-san.

At this time, Eto noticed that the male clerk who was standing near the wall was no longer guarded toward him.

“He is just overprotective toward me.”

Lurie said while looking at Eto apologetically.

“You see, I was kidnapped when I was young. Because of that, he seems reluctant to let me see an armed man I met for the first time. Even though it is normal for an adventurer to bring a set of equipment. At any rate, I apologize if he made you uncomfortable. I am very sorry.”

Saying that, she bowed her head. Even though Eto really just glanced at the clerk, she responded as if she could read what Eto thought. And then when Eto looked at the clerk again, he too, bowed his head with an apologetic look.

“I don’t really mind. It wasn’t that unpleasant, just a little worrisome.”

Thanks to Eto’s words, the atmosphere of the place became gentle. Earlier, Lurie easily told Eto that she was a victim of a crime. That made Eto think that to make the victims able to do that was a major goal in the support activities.