The Daughter of Evil - Volume 4 - Chapter 4.13

chapter 4, section 1-the monastery on the seashore; scene 3
Praefacio of Blue, page 238-249

♣ Yukina ~In the Former Lucifenia Territory, “Monastery/Guest Room"~

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There were several monasteries that offered lodging places for travelers. In fact, during my journey I had been allowed to use such things several times, such as during instances where I had been unable to find an inn out in the countryside.

The Held Monastery was no exception, having a number of guest rooms set up. They were plain in make, but the bed and sheets were cleanly put in order.

Clarith told me, pouring tea into a teacup, “Normally we’d take a small donation for this, but…We’ve already received plenty of donations from the Freezis family up to this point, so we couldn’t possibly accept money from you, Miss Yukina…Naturally, that applies to Miss Germaine as well, being your friend.”

Upon hearing that, Germaine happily sat down on the bed.

“Well then, heh heh, I guess I must be pretty lucky, Yukina.”

Was Germaine not going back to her own house?

“On that topic…”

When I asked her, Germaine replied, looking displeased, “Apparently it got ransacked a few times during the ‘Witch Hunt Order’, so when I finally got back home the inside was all trashed. I’m pretty angry at myself for that, and I don’t feel like tidying up right now, so I figured I’d find a place to stay outside for a while.”

That did seem like Germaine, but I also sensed an incongruity in her actions. Germaine was more the type to prefer working solo, and during this whole journey it had felt like she’d only come along with me because she had to. Why was she taking action to stay with me so positively now?

In truth, I wanted to talk to Clarith just the two of us. Despite worrying it might be a little rude of me I openly suggested that to Germaine, and she responded, not looking particularly cross, “Oh? Alright then. You’ve probably got a lot to talk about. I’ll go rest in the next room, if that’s alright.”

She moved to the room next door.

“But it really has been quite some time, hasn’t it?” I once more turned to Clarith, and the two of us spontaneously smiled at each other.

Clarith had worked as a servant for the Freezis family when we lived in Elphegort. Because she in particular could read and write, despite being a peasant, she was my exclusive maid, as I liked books.

Clarith had often been my playmate. As a child I had loved her a lot.

But, suffering in grief at her best friend Michaela dying, Clarith had quit her duties as a servant and left the Freezis family…

–Well, that was the story as I understood it up until recently.

In actuality, Clarith had started work at a monastery at my father’s recommendation. At first she had just been helping out with the orphanage, but now she was engaging in her apostolate duties as a fully-fledged Sister.

My father had kept this hidden from me. He must have thought that if I knew, I would run away from home to go see Clarith. Now that he was unconscious and I was able to freely use his information network, I was able to learn about what happened to her. If not for that I would be in the dark on her whereabouts even now.

Further still, I had ended up running away from home for reasons completely unrelated to Clarith, so in the end my father’s deception hadn’t really achieved much.

“It looks as though you’ve kept writing books, hm?” Clarith said, pulling out a single book. On the bottom of its red cover was the name “Yukina Freezis”. It was the first novel I’d ever written.

“I have all of the books you’ve written up until now on my bookshelf.”

“You bought them all?”

“Nuns are forbidden from spending money on amusements. These were all donated to me.”

I knew the answer to who it was who donated those books.

“…By Mama, huh?…”

The impetus for me receiving information that my disappeared mother had shown up at the monastery had been a letter from none other than Clarith herself.

“For the last six months or so, I think. The madam has started to visit the monastery from time to time.”

Clarith quietly started to tell me about my mother.

“She hasn’t told me the particulars, but it seems that she’s searching for something. If I recall correctly…she said it was the 'vessels of something or other’.”

The vessels of something or other–did she mean the “Vessels of Deadly Sin”?

Mama’s been–searching for the Vessels of Deadly Sin!?

Clarith continued speaking. “The madam came to the monastery just the other day. But it seemed like there was something off about her. She appeared distracted, almost like…she had been dazed. I was concerned even after she went home, but when I heard from a messenger of the Freezis family that the madam had gone missing…”

“Did Mama say she was heading somewhere?”

“No, nowhere in particular. I had thought that she would beyond a doubt be returning to her home estate in Marlon…”

“How long ago was 'just the other day’?”

“…Four days ago.”

In that case there was a chance that she was still nearby. Perhaps we could search for her with the monastery as a base for a little while. I asked Clarith if we could stay here for a few days, and she replied, smiling:

“Of course, you’re more than welcome. Once the director learns you’re a daughter of the Freezis family there won’t be any objections.”

After that the conversation moved on to more rambling topics. We talked about what had happened to us in the past five years. Clarith listened in with surprise and deep interest to my stories of my travels.

“Oh dear, it seems we’re out of tea.”

Just as Clarith stood, empty teacup in hand, the door opened without so much as a knock, and a single girl walked in.

She looked a little bit older than me. Her blonde, short bob-cut hair fluttering around the back of her neck, she set down a fresh pot of tea on the desk, expressionless.

“I thought you might be out about now.”

Clarith handed off the empty pot to her.

“Thank you, Rin. Ah, while you’re at it you’d be a big help if you took a fresh pot of tea to the room next door as well.”

“Alright, sounds fine.”

“When that’s done, please tell the people on cafeteria duty today to prepare two more meals for dinner.”

“…Got it.”

Though she seemed a bit displeased at being given consecutive tasks, the girl gave a quick nod.

I stood and greeted the girl named Rin. “Nice to meet you. I am Yukina Freezis.”

The other girl bowed deeply to my greeting. “Ah, hello. I’m a nun in training, Rin.”

When Rin looked up, she stared fixedly at my face. Her eyes were large, like a doll’s.

“If your last name is Freezis, that must mean you’re the daughter of the person who gave money to this monastery or something.”

“Indeed. I am Keel Freezis’ eldest daughter.”

“Huh. His wife came over earlier, and now his daughter makes her appearance.”

Listening to the conversation beside us, Clarith sternly rebuked Rin. “Mind your manners, Sister Rin.”

Rin stuck out her tongue. “Begging your pardon. Well then, is the person in the room next door Miss Yukina’s servant?”

Clarith shook her head. “She’s not a servant. The person next door is the 'Red Armored Swordswoman’, Germaine Avadonia.”

“Ger…maine!?”

“Yes, you know that name too, don’t you Rin? The one who spearheaded the revolution–”

And there, Clarith cut herself off. Her expression clearly read, “Oh crap”.

A loud clatter rang out in the room. Rin had dropped the tray that she was holding. Her face blanched, and her eyes were unsettled.

“I–I’ll take the tea to Miss Germaine after all. You can go back to what you were doing before, Rin.”

Clarith hurriedly gathered up the fallen tray, putting the empty pot on top of it.

I didn’t know the reason for their unrest. Maybe there was some connection between Germaine and this person named Rin. But now wasn’t the time for me to lightheartedly grill them on the specifics.

“W-well then, it seems we’ll have to continue our conversation tomorrow, Miss Yukina, so please just rest for today!”

Perhaps out of how impatient she was to get out of there, Clarith seemed to have forgotten that we hadn’t yet had dinner. She hastily tried to leave the room, pushing Rin from behind.

But they were a step too late.

“Oh, that’s just perfect. Hey~ is dinner ready yet? I’m starving…”

The moment Clarith opened the door, Germaine was blocking their way, carefree.

“Uh…”

Rin took a step back, terrified.

Germaine realized that Rin was there. But contrary to expectation, I couldn’t see any change in her countenance.

“Oh, who’s this? An associate of yours, Yukina?”

It looked as though Germaine didn’t know Rin. Germaine, and Rin, and Clarith. It was clear even watching from the sidelines the gap in tension between the three of them.

But that too was just a matter of time. The level of tension between all three of them gradually became equal.

I could no longer sense any of the carefree attitude that Germaine had just a moment ago. She had likely realized that Rin was someone she had a connection to.

When she did, I felt completely left out of what was going on. Perhaps it would have been better for me to play the part of a girl with no ability to read the room, so that I might clear this heavy atmosphere. There was the chance that if I innocently badgered them, merrily going “What is it? What’s going on?”, everyone would lighten up and break up this scene.

But unfortunately even I could pick up social cues, if a little, and so I was unable to put that into practice. There existed between them, or to be specific between Rin and Germaine, some deeply rooted link that was not just something of a short span of time. I could feel that on my skin.

“…What is your name?”

Germaine broke the long silence with those words. Until that point, she had been staring at Rin’s face. It wasn’t a glare, but it also didn’t feel like a warm, protective look. In the end, only Germaine herself could know what sort of feelings she had loaded her gaze with.

“It's…Rin,” Rin replied, as though forcing herself to speak.

“I see…Rin, huh?”

Saying only that, Germaine turned around.

And then, finally, in a voice so quiet it seemed liable to vanish into the air, she murmured:

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“Nice to meet you.”

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Germaine once more returned to the adjoining room.

“…Well then, I’ll excuse myself.”

Rin followed suit, leaving the room as though fleeing from it.

“…Phew.”

Clarith plopped down on the bed as though collapsing. She was soaked in sweat.

“Clarith, what the heck was that just now!? What relationship do those two have!?”

Taking advantage of the fact that the tension in the room had lessened slightly with the two of them gone, I rapidly pressed her for answers.

Clarith seemed to puzzle over how she should respond for a moment, but finally she said, as though remonstrating me, “…I can’t tell you anything now. But I think that someday, when you’re a little older, the time will come where I ought to tell you everything. The truth about five years ago–about the 'Daughter of Evil’. Try to forbear it until then.”

The…truth about the “Daughter of Evil”!?

“Come, it’s almost time for supper. It might not be as luxurious as the meals in the Freezis mansion, but I have confidence in its flavor. Our dishes, lavishly made with fresh vegetables, are quite delicious.”

Clarith returned to her lighthearted expression. She left the room, a calm smile on her lips.

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No meals had been prepared for Germaine and me in the dining hall. It seems that Rin had forgotten to send along the message. Because of that we were stuck having to wait close to thirty minutes while the other nuns and children ate. Well, they were giving us free room and board. Complaining about it wouldn’t help.

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That night I made several guesses as to what connection Rin had with Germaine while lying in bed. The things I’d seen and heard while on my journey, the knowledge I’d gained from the Freezis information network, and the “Daughter of Evil” from the “Lucifenian Revolution”–

After putting all those things together and sifting through them, I was able to come up with a hypothesis.

–The “Daughter of Evil” was still alive.

I had no proof, and there were several inconsistencies with it. Even I thought it was an absurd theory.

To verify it–I had no choice but to ask the person herself.

I shook my head to dispel such excited thoughts from my mind. What would happen in that case? If “she” was the “Daughter of Evil”, would I announce that to the world? Would anyone benefit from that? On the contrary, wouldn’t it just bring to madness the life of a person who was currently living happily?

That was something I ought not to do, for now. Why had I come here in the first place?

Yes, I came here to look for my missing mother. It wasn’t the time or place for me to go sticking my nose into other peoples’ business.

After thinking for a long while, I got pretty tired out. Before I knew it I was fast asleep.

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And then two days later, the time of my reunion with my mother was suddenly upon me.