The Daughter of Evil - Volume 4 - Chapter 2.23

chapter 2, section 2-the sorceress and the forest; scene 3
Praefacio of Blue, page 90-96

♣ Yukina ~The Country of Marlon, “Freezis Estate/Foyer”~

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The boy servant was arguing with someone in the foyer.

“I just can’t let you come in all willy-nilly without an appointment!”

I could hear a young woman’s voice from outside.

“What an unreasonable boy you are…No matter how many times I tell you I’m an associate of your master…”

“Lord Keel is out today. And he didn’t tell me that we’d have any visitors coming.”

“Ugh, in that case…Could you call Gumillia over? She’s staying here right now, isn’t she?”

“Lady Gumillia has gone out as well. And I can’t just introduce our house guests to some strange woman.”

The servant boy spoke in a bolder tone than usual, as though out of some conceit that he was protecting the house. Though in situations like these it was a common pattern in novels and such that the guest was actually some really important person, and the servant would get a good scolding later.

I probably ought to see who they were with my own eyes, so the same thing didn’t happen here. I went to the foyer, and called out, “What’s wrong?”

He began to loquaciously explain the circumstances, probably thinking that he’d find a supporter in me. “Nothing, just, this woman showed up suddenly just now, and I can’t just let her go see Master Keel like she wants to. I’m, well, I’m the servant entrusted with watching over the house for him, but no matter how many times I keep insisting she can’t just pass right on through she won’t listen to me. I mean, she is a very beautiful woman, and to be honest my heart got all fluttery the first time I saw her–but even so that’s that, and this is this. My granddad told me pretty harshly to watch out for a woman’s charms, so I can’t get ensnared in a trap like that…”

While half-heartedly nodding and agreeing to the servant boy’s words, I checked to see who the guest was.

In that moment, my body completely stiffened, and I was unable to move.

Ah, how could this be?

She was one of the regrets left from my journey. I had searched for her everywhere in Evillious, and been unable to find her. Who could have guessed that she’d come to see me instead!

She hadn’t changed a bit in five years.

Standing there was a bewitching woman with long pink hair–

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The sorceress, Elluka Clockworker!

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“Oh, you're…Keel’s daughter, right? Hello.”

Seems she’d noticed I was there.

On closer inspection, Elluka had a cat on her right shoulder. A cat with flaming red fur.

That’s rare. To see a red-haired cat like that.

A sorceress and a cat. They were quite a well-matched partnership, but she hadn’t been taking care of a cat when I’d known her before.

“Long time no see, Miss Elluka,” I greeted.

After a short period, she replied, “Yes…it has been a long time–are you well?”

I was the one who should be saying that. She had gone missing after being captured by Abyss I.R. three years ago. What had happened to her during that time? And why was she suddenly appearing before me now?

I had a mountain of things to ask her. I whirled for a moment on what would be right to say first, but as for the most part I wasn’t able to properly settle my thoughts at the time the answer I eventually arrived at was that I ought to treat her just like I would any ordinary person. Anyway, it would be rude to keep a guest standing out in the foyer.

“My father and Miss Gumillia are both out right now, but please come inside. I’ll take you to the drawing room.

The servant boy looked like he wanted to say something, but once I told him that she was an associate of mine he quietly backed off.

"I’ll have something prepared for you to drink. Is black tea alright?” He asked, starting to head for the kitchens. Elluka stopped him.

“I dislike black tea.” She petted the cat that was riding on her shoulder. “Please get some milk for her.”

The servant boy responded in the affirmative and then disappeared further inside

“I see you’ve started taking care of a cat.”

“Oh yes. Isn’t she cute?”

Frankly, I didn’t like cats very much. When I was little I’d been scratched on my right cheek after making a pass at an alley cat, and cried an awful lot.

“I guess so,” I vaguely replied. “Well then, I will–”

“Wait!”

The loud voice that halted me didn’t come from Elluka. A single woman behind her had her hand on the edge of the door, out of breath.

“Finally, we’ve met.”

Her–Gumilla’s–usual expressionless face had, unusually, a bit of emotion in it. It was a complicated expression that looked either glad, or angry.

A long-awaited reunion between mentor and apprentice. Doubtless this was very abrupt for Gumillia. She had hardly spoken to me about Elluka since our meeting in Beelzenia and coming here. But that was because Gumillia was not someone to let her emotions show much; she must have been terribly worried, and so I could imagine that she probably wanted to hug her mentor who was before her now as tightly as she could and cry.

While I considered how I should conduct myself with these dramatic circumstances, Gumillia cut in, with that peculiar expression, “Yukina.”

“Yes.”

“I would like to speak, alone, with Elluka.”

“I see. Well then you two should head for the drawing room. I’ll wait out here–”

“No, it shouldn’t be here. Outside–I want to talk in the forest.”

Gumillia turned again to Elluka, and stared her fixedly in the eyes. It was like she was wordlessly urging her to agree.

Elluka shut her eyes. She wasn’t smiling. Eventually she opened her eyes, and murmured, “…Well, I guess that’d work.” Out loud, she said, “Alright, then let’s go, little Gumillia.”

At her reply, Gumillia started walking outside. Elluka moved to follow after her, but suddenly turned around.

“I’ll be back so my cat can have her milk. See you.”

And with that, she vanished from sight.

They would have a lot of things to talk about. They probably wanted to do that in a place where no one would interrupt them. There was sure to be connections between them that I didn’t know. There was sure to be a dramatic story in it…

Even a self-acknowledged peeping Tom like me wasn’t so boorish as to not sympathize with their feelings. I wasn’t thinking about secretly tailing after them to spy on them–I wasn’t, really.

The forest they were heading for was the Column Forest. It wasn’t as big as the Millenium Tree Forest, so it didn’t have the same degree of vegetation and trees growing in it. I myself had some familiarity with this land, so finding those two again wouldn’t be all that difficult. Even so I really shouldn’t go in there. No, I really shouldn’t.

Well, I would probably head back inside soon. I would go play with Aile like I’d originally meant to.

I certainly wasn’t going to head back to my room to get dressed for going out.

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No, no.

Not at all.