Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The man who had rushed out of the mansion was apparently named Cashin Sankeelay, a nobleman in this country who held the title of baron. On their way here, Tatsumi had received a brief explanation from Calcedonia about this Cashin.

As for Cashin himself, he was bowing obsequiously to Calcedonia with a broad smile on his face.

Seeing Cashin—who, though a baron, the lowest rank of nobility, was undoubtedly a full-fledged noble—bow without the slightest hesitation, Tatsumi was once again struck by the reality of Calcedonia’s standing in this country.

“Congratulations! To think even Lady Calcedonia, the revered Holy Maiden, is finally getting married. My, I wonder how many of your devotees will be heartbroken. Even I, for one, shed a tear when I heard the news.”
“Uh, um, Lord Sankeelay? It hasn’t been decided yet that I’ll be getting married…”

Though she wore a troubled expression, Calcedonia cast a meaningful glance toward Tatsumi behind her.

Although he was aware of that glance, Tatsumi chose to remain silent, simply watching the exchange between Calcedonia and Cashin. After all, the person standing before Calcedonia was a noble. It would be unwise for Tatsumi, a mere commoner, to do something inappropriate and upset Cashin.

“Oh? Is that so? But, since you, a priestess, have decided to leave the temple to establish a household, does that not mean you will be marrying in the not-too-distant future?”
“W-well… I suppose I do hope that will be the case…”

Glance, glance. Calcedonia casts another glance at Tatsumi. Moreover, Tatsumi felt as though there was a hint of delight in her gaze this time…

“What are you saying! There isn’t a single man who wouldn’t want to take you as his wife! By the way…”

Cashin looked around nervously.

“Is the man who is to become Lady Calcedonia’s husband not here with you today?”
“No, he’s…”

This time, Calcedonia turned to face Tatsumi. It seemed that only now had Cashin finally noticed Tatsumi’s presence.

“Hm? Is that man…”
“Yes, the one over there is…”
“Oh, I see! He’s your newly hired servant!”
“Wh… what!? No, this man is not a servant at all—”

Calsedonia’s beautiful eyebrows knitted tightly together. Oblivious to her reaction, Cashin cut her off and continued chattering away.

“But with just one male servant, he won’t be able to handle everything around the house, will he? What do you say? If you’d like, I can arrange for maids and other servants as well.”
“No! That’s fine!!”

Calcedonia rejected Cashin’s offer in a harsh tone. Seeing her clearly offended demeanor, Cashin had no idea why she was angry and could only stand there flustered.

“W-well, for now, why don’t we go take a look at the mansions I’ve selected? As per your request, I’ve picked out a few. Come, this way… Oh, right. I’ll have a carriage prepared immediately. Please wait a moment—”
“No, walking is fine! Just show me around quickly!”

Caledonia glared at Cashin with a menacing look.

“I-Is that so? W-Well then, this way…”

Overwhelmed by the sheer presence radiating from Calcedonia, Cashin hurriedly set off.

Calcedonia had been glaring at his retreating back, but when she turned to Tatsumi, she gave a slight bow. As she did, the stray strand of hair on top of her head wiggled slightly.

“I’m sorry. To think he’d call you a mere servant, Master…”
“I-it’s okay, don’t worry about it. I guess it’s no wonder he’d make that mistake—I do look pretty ordinary, after all.”

Tatsumi’s appearance was quite ordinary. It seemed that aesthetic standards in this world weren’t all that different from his own. Compared to Calcedonia—who was even called a “Holy Maiden” and treated with deference by nobles—Tatsumi was probably just what you’d call “Citizen A.”

“Anyway, let’s get going. To be honest, I’m actually a little curious about what kind of house it is.”

Perhaps to cheer Calcedonia up, Tatsumi said this with a playful tone. Seeing him like that, Calcedonia chuckled softly.

“Hehe. I’m a little relieved.”
“Huh? About what?”
“Master, the you I saw in my dream… Well, you had such a gloomy aura about you and seemed downcast the whole time. But now I can see you smiling just like this.”

Hearing Calcedonia say that, Tatsumi finally realized he was smiling himself.

From yesterday through today, he’d had more conversations than he had in a long time. Though his only conversation partners were Calcedonia and Giuseppe, it was still the first time he’d spoken this much with anyone—at least since Chiiko, the cockatiel, had passed away.

And he realized something. The reason he was able to smile like this now was because he’d been reunited with Chiiko.

It had only been a day since he first met Calcedonia. Yet, in every little detail of her demeanor and mannerisms, he could definitely sense the same essence as Chiiko, with whom he had lived for so many years.

In Tatsumi’s heart, Calcedonia was already Chiiko, and since she was Chiiko, she was already a cherished member of his family.

Just like when they used to live together, having her by his side made him incredibly happy and joyful.

So Tatsumi told Calcedonia—his Chiiko—plainly.

“That’s right. The reason I can smile like this is because Chiiko is here with me.”
“M-Master…”

Her eyes were crimson, like moist rubies filled with passion. Stared at from such close range by those eyes, Tatsumi’s cheeks flushed as well.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Cashin tilted his head, watching the two of them gazing at each other with a puzzled expression.

.

Tatsumi and Calcedonia were led to an area about a 15-minute walk from Cashin’s mansion, where particularly grand estates were clustered.

“This neighborhood is where the mansions of the nobility—specifically those of higher ranks, such as marquises—are concentrated. Of course, if it were you, Lady Calcedonia, no one would object to you entering that area.”

Cashin was grinning his usual insincere smile.

But Tatsumi was more focused on observing the surrounding buildings than on Cashin’s smile.

Every mansion was massive, with spacious, meticulously maintained gardens. Moreover, it seemed as though they were designed with the expectation that people would view them from the outside, as the intricate pruning of the hedges was clearly visible from every mansion.

Come to think of it, in Japan, the interior of the property—including the garden—is something to be hidden, whereas in Europe, the idea is that gardens are meant to be seen by others. Is that how it is?

With such half-remembered knowledge floating through his mind, he gazed at the mansions and gardens lining the streets.

“Well then, this is the one.”

The mansion Cashin pointed to was quite large and imposing, even by the standards of this upscale residential district—no, this aristocratic neighborhood.

“This mansion originally belonged to a certain wealthy marquis hy until a few years ago, but it seems that marquis had secretly been involved in the slave trade. When the kingdom found out, the marquis’s family was stripped of their title. The head of the family and every member of his household were beheaded. Since then, this mansion has stood vacant.”
“T-the entire family was beheaded…!?”

Tatsumi couldn’t help but recoil in shock at Cashin’s matter-of-fact delivery of such a horrifying statement.

But Cashin aside, even Calcedonia didn’t seem particularly surprised by it. If that was the case, then perhaps it was considered a reasonable punishment in this world—or at least in this country.

“────Now, regarding the price of the mansion, since it’s you Lady Calcedonia, we’ve done our very best to offer you a special rate────”

Cashin quoted the price of the mansion, but since Tatsumi had no idea about local market rates, he couldn’t tell if it was high or low.

Well, he figured a mansion of this caliber couldn’t possibly be cheap, but there was something else on his mind.

“Hey, Chiiko… Can I ask you something?”

Timing it just as the conversation paused, he tugged gently at Calcedonia’s sleeve and led her a short distance away from Cashin.

“So about this mansion… um… Chiiko and I are going to live here together, right? Giuseppe-san isn’t coming with us, is he?”
“Yes. Grandfather already owns a mansion.”
“…Then… this mansion is way too big, no matter how you look at it…”

Tatsumi looked up at the mansion before him once more. Even at a glance, it looked like there were at least ten rooms. Living in a mansion like this just the two of them was unthinkable from the perspective of an ordinary Japanese person.

A mansion this big must be a huge hassle to maintain. Just cleaning it would probably take up an entire day.

“Or are you planning to hire servants, like what Cashin mentioned earlier?”
“N-no… if possible, I’d… prefer to be just the two of us, Master…”

Covering her bright red cheeks with both hands, Calcedonia looked up at Tatsumi with a slightly downcast gaze.

“W-well, then a smaller house would be plenty, wouldn’t it? Besides, the places where the nobles live are so stuffy, or something… Honestly, I just can’t relax there.”
“Understood!! I’ll be sure to convey your wishes to Lord Sankeelay!!”

With a beaming smile, Calcedonia began speaking to Cashin again.

It seemed Cashin was recommending a large mansion to Calcedonia, but she refused to nod in agreement, choosing instead to follow Tatsumi’s wishes.

Eventually, Cashin gave up and began walking away dejectedly. Tatsumi walked alongside Calcedonia behind him.

.

After that, Cashin showed them several houses, but none of them were the kind Tatsumi and Calcedonia were looking for.

Everything Cashin eagerly recommended to Calcedonia were mansions rather than ordinary houses, and they were all located in the aristocratic district.

Since Calcedonia—from Cashin’s perspective—didn’t like any of them, Cashin seemed thoroughly at a loss.

“L-Lady Calcedonia, what kind of mansion are you actually looking for…?”

Seeing Cashin continue to force a polite smile despite everything, Tatsumi gained a newfound respect for him.

“My Master says he’d prefer a smaller house, more suited to commoners.”
“S-suited to commoners!? But if someone as distinguished as Lady Calcedonia and Lord Morganaik were to live there, wouldn’t a large mansion be absolutely necessary? In the future, you might even host evening parties at your home, and in that case, a commoner’s house…”
“Um, Lord Sankeelay? Why did Morgan’s name come up there? I’m not going to be living with Morgan, you know?”

At Calcedonia’s words, Cashin couldn’t help but let a dumbfounded, bewildered expression slip across his face.

“N-no, w-wait, h-hold on? B-but, if you’re going to marry, isn’t it with the rumored Free Knight…?”
“No, that’s not it. The person I’m going to ma… I-I mean, the person I’m going to live with isn’t Morgan—”

Caledonia tiptoed over to Tatsumi and wrapped her arms around him, burying his face against her ample bosom.

“—It’s Lord Tatsumi Yamagata right here. He is my one and true Master.”

With that, Calcedonia looked up at Tatsumi’s face with a blissful expression.

As for Cashin, he stood there staring at the two of them with his mouth hanging open.

Cashin had been absolutely certain that Calcedonia’s husband would be the “Free Knight” Morganaik Tycourse, just as the rumors had suggested.

Rumors had long circulated that the “Holy Maiden” and the “Free Knight” were lovers. Cashin had heard these rumors as well, and upon learning that Calcedonia was looking for a home, he had assumed the two would finally tie the knot.

But Calcedonia’s partner turned out to be an ordinary man he had never seen before and had never even heard of—a man he had assumed was merely a servant.

True, his black hair and eyes were rare in this country. The clothes he wore were unlike anything he’d ever seen.

But he wasn’t particularly tall for a man. Even now, standing side by side with Calcedonia, he was barely any taller than her. And his appearance was utterly ordinary—nothing like that of the “Free Knight.”

Speaking of the “Free Knight,” he is said to be the strongest among the soldier priests of the Temple of Savaiv. He excels with both sword and spear, masters various forms of magic, and is known for being kind to the weak while being extremely strict with the strong and himself. With his handsome features and slender build, he is a figure who commands the admiration of young women throughout the country.

Cashin had once seen the “Holy Maiden” and the “Free Knight” standing side by side at the temple, and he remembered being so captivated by how picturesque the two of them looked that he couldn’t help but stare.

But it seems the rumors were nothing more than rumors after all. Right now, right before his eyes, Calcedonia is gazing at the man she calls her master with a dreamy expression, looking truly happy. From any angle, she looks every bit the girl in love—she can’t be faking it.

It wouldn’t take long for this to spread as a new rumor. In that case, gathering even a little information about the man who would become Calcedonia’s husband might prove useful later on.

Cashin plastered another forced smile on his face, rubbed his palms together, and approached the man who was to become the Holy Maiden’s husband.

***

TL Note:

Important note, very important note now that I realized how confusing it might be down the line if I didn’t set this straight.

Calcedonia addresses Takumi with “Goshujin-sama,” which translates to both “Master” and “Husband” depending on who’s speaking. 主人 (Shuujin) means the head of a household, and back in the samurai era, the wives of Samurais would use it to refer to their husband. So while a servant (or a pet for Chiiko’s case) addressing you with Goshujin-sama means you are their lord/master/owner, a woman of marriage age or of a high society (like a priestess for Calcedonia’s case) addressing you with Goshujin-sama will have the impression that you are her spouse.

So when Calcedonia says *“My Master says he’d prefer a smaller house, more suited to commoners”* to Cashin, internally she means “my owner” but Cashin takes it as “my husband.”

I can’t find a good alternative for Goshujin-sama. My Lord doesn’t feel right because she is a pet not a servant, but My Owner feels too on the nose to be interpreted as anything but. I decided to keep it as it is.

A second note:

カーシン
→ Kaashin
→ Cashin
→ Cash in

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.