CH 71

“Welcome back, young lady.”

We’ve been brought to a big house.

I can’t help but gulp when I see it. It’s bigger than the inn in that village where we were living.

As soon as we step inside, a butler and maids come to greet us. The place isn’t showy or gaudy, but it exudes freshness and cleanliness, and there’s a soft air about it that makes me think I could live here without any stress.

I imagine something more nouveau riche when I think of someone in such an important position like a cardinal, but that’s not the case here. There aren’t any expensive vases being displayed or anything. The only thing that seems kind of out of place for me is seeing maids and a butler in the house of a priest of sorts.

Leila and the others are visiting this place for the first time too, but they go in and don’t seem too nervous about it. Hikari walks right behind them too.

And me? Even that is a tall order for a lower middle class person like me. And it’s a girl’s house too. I’m not alone, but I still can’t help but be nervous.

“Yor!”

We go to the guest room, and a girl runs our way and hugs Yor.

“Yuri, it’s been a while. You’ve gotten bigger.”

“You never come home, Yor.”

The girl protests while puffing her cheeks.

Apparently this is Yor’s first time coming home since she joined that magic academy. It seems she’s been writing letters frequently, but didn’t come home even when they had a lot of time off.

Part of it is because she’s been so focused on her studies, but it’s also because she’s been busy being an adventurer. Then again, testing her magic that way is part of her studies too.

“Let me introduce you. This is my little sister Yuri. Yuri, this is my senior, big sister Leila, and my colleagues Trisha, Casey, Luilui, and Talia. And those two are my master, Mister Sora, and Hikari.”

We exchange greetings, and I notice she’s still calling me her master.

“Nice to meet you. I know my sister is always bothering you. I’m Yor’s little sister, Yuri Apostel.”

She says with a beautiful bow. Every movement of hers feels refined.

“H-hum, what is your relation to my sister?”

Didn’t she hear her sister introduce me as her master? I’m guessing Yor has told her about everyone else in her letters.

“We met while we were traveling, and he helped us with all sorts of things. He was on his way to the holy city and didn’t know about the advent festival, so he probably wouldn’t be able to find an inn. And it doesn’t feel right for him to stay with Hikari, so I invited them.”

“Yes. I was invited. I will be in your care.”

“H-hum… I see. My sister never wrote about you, so I was surprised to see you.”

“Master here is great. He knows more about how to control magic energy than the teachers in the academy. I would actually prefer it if he taught me from now on!”

“Will you stay here all the time if Mister Sora becomes a private tutor?”

“Hum, about that…”

Yuri looks at Yor with expectant eyes, and Yor looks like she’s really thinking about it. Would it be right to say that this is typical of Yor?

“That’s so typical of you, Yor.”

Says Leila with an awkward smile.

“Yor, are you quitting the academy?”

Whispers Talia with a sad expression. I guess she figures that’s possible, coming from Yor.

“D-don’t worry. There are still things I want to learn about in the academy. And if Hikari joins the academy too, master will come along, so that solves that problem.”

Don’t just enroll other people on your own. And don’t look at Hikari with those expectant eyes either.

“Oh dear, I thought I heard noise, and it turns out Yor is home.”

As we talk, someone new appears. She looks like Yor and Yuri.

I figured one of their servants would tell her, so if she didn’t know, does that mean she just got home?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I know my daughter is always causing you trouble. My name is Roux Apostel. Will you be staying here during the advent festival? Please make yourselves at home.”

Do they always just assume Yor is causing trouble?

“And you brought a boy with you. You really should have told us first, especially because of your father.”

She says with an amused laughter, but I’m really not that important.

“There is a lot I want to ask, but I’m sure you’re tired. Take them to their rooms.”

She says to the maids waiting in a corner of the room. She seems considerate.

“You’re going to stay here too, right Hikari?”

“Yes, with master.”

There’s some quarreling about the room assignments, but in a way, I guess that’s to be expected. But I still don’t know why they always get so worked up.

This is the most comfortable bed I’ve laid on so far. When I lay down it feels like I’m being hugged by something soft, and I feel all the strength leaving my body. The slight resistance I feel on my back feels nice and supportive too. I feel like I could forget everything and stay here forever.

“Master, I want to stay here and sleep.”

“Me too, but it’s the middle of the day.”

It’s tempting, but we can’t go to sleep so early.

I crawl out of bed, as if to resist that temptation, and hear noise. The walls have pretty good sound-proofing, but I can still hear some of it.

I open the door to see what’s going on, and a flood of noise rushes towards my ears. Those voices feel really agitated, and filled with explosive emotions. I get the sense that they’re reverberating through the whole mansion.

Leila opens the door next to mine and I see her face. I unconsciously frown.

After a while I hear a dull noise, and the noise stops.

Yor comes over to me, looking tired, and tells me to go to the guest room with everyone.

When we get there, I see a middle-aged man sitting listlessly on a sofa. He’s wearing a comfortable looking and mostly white robe. There are some decorations, but nothing showy or fancy.

Yor walks over to him and strikes him with a thud. And as if a switch has been turned on, the man’s eyes open.

“This is my father, Dan Apostel. He’s almost never around, so you don’t have to remember that.“

“Y-Yor, what kind of introduction was that? It wouldn’t hurt you to put more affection on the way you introduce your dad.”

He looks like he really didn’t like it.

The man greets Leila and the others with a smile, and then his eyes move over to me.

He moves his head to Yor, and I swear I can hear a creaking noise. He has a big glare on his face when it moves over to me again.

“Hn? Who are you? Oh dear, you walked into our house without permission? Rondot, please grab him and throw him out.”

“Master, that is young lady Yor’s guest.”

“Ah, nonsense. I don’t believe that! You… This is unlawful entry, you know? That will get you in jail.”

His smile is scary. His eyes aren’t smiling.

Suddenly there’s another dull noise, and Dan falls with his eyes open.

“Please excuse my idiot father.”

Yor appears from behind her father with an embarrassed expression, and Leila has an awkward smile on her face as she watches this unfold.