Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 9 - Chapter Int4

Chapter intermission 4

Intermission: Sera's Misfortune

 

"I'm home . "
"Ara, Sera-sama . Have you finished your business with Duke-sama?"
"Yes, I was only confirming the attendant's schedule . "

A female temple staff greeted me when I was at the side entrance to the temple staff room . The woman always serves as the guard during food distributions .

I was just at the duchy castle, as the esteemed grandfather had called me . The kingdom conference next spring will be attended by grandfather and Tisrad-oniisama, not father . It's been decided that I'm going to be his medic for when his physical condition deteriorates .

Even though the royal capital is quite far, it's only going to take a few days to go there with the airship .

Moreover, Satou-san should be attending the kingdom conference . I look forward to meet him after a long time .

That voices in my mind shouldn't have been heard, but .

"Right right, Sera-sama . I saw sir Pendragon just a while ago . "
"Eh?! W, where is he?"

I raised my voice involuntarily from her remark, which made eyes to gather here . If it's the head miko-sama, she would have forgiven me, but chief miko-sama and the head priest are going to scold me for it .

I put my hands on my mouth, and confirm to her in low voice .
Since he was going to the north in a carriage, he must have been going to viscount Shimen's mansion . I decided to ask the waiting coachman who had escorted me to take me to the viscount's mansion .

"Please wait, I think the he's going to visit here . . . . "

I heard such voice from behind, but since I'm not going to have any work until afternoon today, there shouldn't be any particular problem .


◇


I apologized for my sudden visit and requested for a meeting with viscount Shimen Hosaris, but it wasn't possible since he was readying to go to the royal capital . He's busy like usual .

Since I can't go back just like that, I'm going to visit the annex where Toruma-ojisama resides . He's said that it's okay for me to visit anytime, and I've asked the maid to pre-announce my visit, so it shouldn't be inconvenient for his family .

"Heya, Sera . It's rare for you to visit us . "
"Excuse me for the long silence . Toruma-ojisama . "

Oh?　I wonder why, his face is looking sad that doesn't suit the cheerful toruma-oji .

"Sera, won't you call me Toruma-niichan like you did in the old days?"
"Ara, Oji-sama . Isn't it rude to call a married man, who has already had a baby, Onii-chan . What's wrong?　Toruma-ojisama . "
"Kukuku, Se, Sera-sama, please excuse him for that . "

My talk partner has changed to his wife, Hayuna-sama, from Toruma-sama who's begun to look like he's crying while clinging to oba-sama .
<TLN: Oji-sama= uncle, oba-sama=aunt . >

I'd like to ask about Satou-san quick, but it's rude for me to start asking during the talk, I need some kind of topic, topic . . . . That's right! There's that talk choice!

"I've heard from grandfather just now that oji-sama will be granted baronet title during the spring conference . Congratulations!"
"Thank you . It's a honorary baronet, so Mayuna won't be able to succeed me though . "

That reminds me, where is Mayuna-chan I wonder? I've not heard crying voice since a while ago .

"Ah, Mayuna is sleeping . Thanks to the toy that sir Pendragon had brought, she was in good mood from the beginning when she was awake until she slept after getting tired from laughing . She's not being handful, it's nice . "

Yes, I've been waiting for that name to come up .

"Has sir Pendragon come here? I believe he's not going to go back to the duchy capital for a while . . . "
"He said that he came here alone from a trade port for a business at the scroll workshop . "
"Satou-san had gone to the duke castle . Apparently, he was looking for red pickles, so he was going to ask the chef-san at the castle about it . "

Chefs at the castle! Then, we've passed with each other haven't we .
I was able to quickly leave since Hayuna-sama was smoothly leading the talk for it . As expected of Toruma-ojisama for trying to stop it dead at its track .


◇


"I, if it isn't, Sera-sama . What would be your business in this place where lower-class people work?"

A lot of people are working busily in the castle's kitchen that I've visited for the first time . The maid who had guided me called the person in charge of this kitchen, but Satou-san doesn't seem to be here .

"Ah, Chevalier-sama should be going ta' the downtown after he heard about the pickles there . "

This time it's the downtown! Mou, Satou-san is mean .

In the end, I wasn't able to meet Satou-san even though I went to the downtown . I couldn't concentrate during the practice that day, and got scolded many times by the head miko-sama .


◇


"Sera, you see . "
"Sera, masita was here . "
"Hey! You guys, call Sera-sama with Miko-sama or Sera-sama . "



Little sea lion children started talking to me when I was chatting with the wives after the food distribution was over . The official of goddess Forina who was there scolded the children for not using honorifics to call me . I think there's no need to scold over such minor things toward such little children .

"What is masita?"

I bend my knee, and match my line of sight with the children's . I'm imitating Satou-san . It seems that it's easier to talk with the children if I do this . I feel that the distance between me and the children at the orphanage on consolation visit has decreased after I started doing this .

"Umm, ummm . "
"Masita is, Nana's masita . "

The Nana that I knows is Satou-san's attendant . Come to thinke of it, didn't Nana-san call Satou-san with master?　Moreover, I remember that Nana-san often carried these children on her arms .

"Have you perhaps seen Satou-san?"
"Satou?"
"What I saw was Nana's masita . "

It's not hitting the point well, but I'm going to follow the children for the chance . The official of goddess Forina didn't look too happy, but I made the official permitted it by having some guards follow me .

The children lead me by hand to the street that's left with very few people after the morning market is over .

"Sera, masita, was here . "
"Hey, masita is?"

The children point to an elderly woman who's tidying up goods that look like pickles .

"Miko-sama, what are these children doing?"

I apologize to the perplexed oba-san, and ask about Satou-san .

"A 15 years old refreshing-looking black haired calm man, wearing refined looking robe who is also a young noble? Is he miko-sama's lover?"
"I, it's not like that! Satou-san is my friend . "
"Right isn't it, you do have to value your friend . "

I can't stand the encouraging very tepid gaze from the oba-san .

"Oba-chan, feed me something, I overslept too much and couldn't join the food distribution . "
"You've worked every night right, buy something yourself . "
"I don't even have one copper coin since I send them all as remittance for my hometown . The Kuhanou pickles I got from Sac-chan aren't satisfying to munch after all~"

A woman on her late 20s, with a slightly vulgar clothes, cut herself between Oba-san and my talk . I wonder if men are attracted to these kind of voluptuous person?

"U, umm . "
"There are many young men with black hair . Oh right, the nii-san that had saved Futsuna the other day was also a black hair . "
"Hmm? The one Sac-chan's talked about?　Sac-chan said that he had some great techniques even though he was young . Thanks to that, she had lack of sleep . "


"What are you saying in front of Miko-sama . Here, I'll give you an onigiri, bear with that . "
"Yay, I love you oba-chan . "

I excuse myself since I'm in the middle of a work .

"Masita, not here?"
"Satou-san doesn't seem to be here . "
"Ara? The one that Miko-sama looking is called Satou? Sac-chan said that he left the duchy capital with the very first ship in the morning . "

N, no way . . . that's cruel, Satou-san . Won't it hurt you to show up for a bit . I thanked the woman who had informed me, and went back totteringly to the temple .

But, I wonder what kind of relationship they have?


◇


It's 10 days afterward when I meet Satou-san .

『Today, light hill, your chevalier . 』

I was given such letter during food distribution . I couldn't see the other party's face, but is this really from Satou-san?

Light hill is a hill at the edge of the downtown with beautiful reflection of the stars on the great river, it's famous for being a place for trysts between lovers .

I can't go to such place as a miko myself . . . . But, it's fine if I go just to meet him right?


◇


"A star seems to have fallen into the great river . "

The priest has asked the guards to go with me .
However, the one that waits in the hill is not Satou-san .

"Fuhn? As expected of the princess of the archduke to bring along guards during her secret date~"

When the boy with white hair pulls out his sword, the guards quickly make a wall in front of me . The grandfather's private soldiers that have guarded me from a distant protect me . Due to my kidnapping incident during the attack on the duchy capital back then, they've been protecting me from this kind of ruffians constantly .

"Ahaha, with such few number of small fries, you can't stop me you know~?"
"I've been in the imperial guard since my youth days . You brat won't be able to match me . "

Silver flashes glitters, I can hear the sound of swords clashing .



Very slightly after that, the guards have all fallen to the ground . The dumbfounded guards are going to run away while taking me, but the white-haired boy cuts them in a blink of an eye .

"I need to take you a hostage to lure out someone . I will pluck off your feet and hands if you resist, so be obedient okay~?"

He slowly comes to me while shouldering his bloodstained sword . He moves like a weasel who's torturing prey .

"What are you doing on someone's garden?"

Satou-san?

I wonder why, I mistook him for Satou-san for an instant even though that person's voice and height were different . That person who's wearing black clothes is about three fists taller than Satou-san, and his voice is different above all .

He's holding a beautiful sword that scatters blue light in the middle of the night, while overwhelming the white haired boy .

Is that sword a holy sword?

But, his physique is too different than hero-sama . Is he Nanashi-sama who has saved the duchy capital from crisis together with hero-sama?

After some exchange of blows, the white haired boy took some distances away . He's probably going to run . I thought that but--

"O Long Horn, feed on my hatred for the violent power!"

He was going to push the long horn that he had taken from his bosom to his own forehead, but a person with purple hair confiscated that away . Where did this purple haired person come out from?

"Give it back . "

The white hair attacks the purple hair, but the purple hair evades the attack casually, and he knocks the white hair down with his fist like he's scolding a little child . The people who have guarded me aren't weak soldiers . To easily overpower the one who has slaughtered those guards like this, he must not be an ordinary person .

"What's wrong Nanashi . Weren't you going to just look from the back?"
『This guy took out something dangerous . I had to disempower him before he could use it . 』

This purple haired person seems to be called Nanashi . Why does he has such stuffy voice I wonder? Nanashi-sama produced a rope out of nowhere which moved by itself to capture the boy .

With a wave of Nanashi-sama's hand, the wounds on the dying soldiers disappear .

Is that chantless magic?

『Well then, Miko Sera . I will excuse myself . Please send my regard to head miko-sama . The duchy capital sentries are coming here soon, but please don't approach that white hair . "

So he said, and the two disappear like they've been swallowed by the darkness . Thanks to this miraculous encounter, it seems my life is saved .
The uninjured soldiers who have been healed by Nanashi-sama, gets up and captures the white haired boy . I pray for the soldiers who have died protecting me while looking at that scene with a sidelong glance .

However, I wonder why does Nanashi-sama know my name?