| Author: Shizuku | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2130 characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1001 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
The reference book was still considered an experimental product, so it was only being sold in Ingralowe, but now that it would be published throughout the country, it would likely bring in a lot more revenue.
Somehow the notes a maid wrote for the lady of the house who struggled at studying had turned into a goldmine. But thinking of that just made Amy grin, that was what made trading fun.
During a tranquil afternoon, Ryuka looked out of the dining room’s window at the luscious garden of the Gardeland estate. Meanwhile Ruri was boiling some water, and just as she put some tea leaves in the pot, Olivia and Clarissa entered the room.
Ruri quickly arranged some cups and snacks, as well as some treats for monsters. Once everything was ready, they all sat down to enjoy an afternoon tea break.
“Is Natalia still out there..?”
Ryuka had been waiting for her.
“Yeah… Natalia is talking with mom, it’s best to let her be for now.”
Olivia’s voice was slightly taken aback, and Ryuka turned to her, looking slightly confused.
“When you say your mother, do you mean…”
“Yeah, she passed away a little before I entered the Magic Academy.”
Olivia looked rather indifferent about it, but Ryuka and Ruri were unsure of how to continue the conversation. Only Clarissa remained unbothered, eating from a food bowl on the floor.
“Don’t worry about me, Natalia and everyone else was there for me, so I never felt lonely and I’ve gotten over it already. But Natalia…I guess she was really attached to her or something, so I think it’s best to let Natalia visit her grave alone.”
“…”
Neither Ryuka or Ruri knew what to say. They had noticed the feelings Olivia had for Natalia, but they also knew their relationship was more complex than simply being master and servant, so they did not feel comfortable meddling in their matters carelessly.
But there was someone who did not care much.
“Big garden. Tried digging hole, but got scolded.”
Clarissa was done eating her treats, so now she rested her chin on the table and sighed as she voiced her complaints. As a wolf, digging holes was her instinct, so she was not pleased when she was told off from doing it in the garden.
“There’s a lot of plants in the garden that are medicinal herbs that rarely grow out in the wild, and I guess Natalia needs them for her alchemy. You can dig as much as you want in the training area behind though, so try to be content with that.”
“Woof.”
Olivia petted the golden fur on her head, which seemed to put Clarissa in a good mood as she closed her eyes.
“Speaking of which, the garden looked all overgrown when we just arrived, but Natalia has already tidied it up perfectly in a single night. Then the night before I saw her practicing alchemy, and shooting before that. Does she never sleep?”
Clarissa seemed oblivious to the seriousness of the topic they were discussing, so Ruri tried to get rid of some of the awkwardness.
“I know she always says she doesn’t require sleep, but it still feels like she’s overdoing it.”
“She’ll just say to not worry since she’s a magic automaton if we say something though.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Ryuka seemed worried about Natalia, but Ruri just mentioned her usual response, and Olivia agreed to it.
However, it was true that Natalia’s sleep hours had decreased dramatically compared to before. Even if her physical body did not get tired, mental exhaustion still existed, and that was starting to get the people around her worried.
“The maid doesn’t sleep?”
“Well, Natalia almost never sleeps.”
Clarissa sounded curious about that, and Olivia replied with a rather worried voice. But the next question was something no one could have anticipated.
“Boss, does the maid get bred1?”
“Wha-?!”
“?!”
“Pff-!”
Olivia and Ryuka’s eyes went round, while Ruri spat her tea.
“The leader of the pack breeds the second best. Boss is leader, maid is second best.”
Clarissa still thought of everything with the structure of a pack, but bringing up breeding habits was not something anyone expected.
“Well, I guess yeah. But I think that’ll happen once I’m older…”
In reality Olivia wanted to say “I’d like to do it if we could2,” but she decided to gloss over that. Ryuka and Ruri knew there was a lot more to what she said, but they knew it was better to not mention it. Then again, Clarissa was too socially inept to catch on.
“Ummm, anyway, I guess I’ll have to tell Natalia to sleep a bit more one of these days.” Olivia smiled awkwardly and tried to dispel the tense atmosphere that had just filled the dining room.
A chill breeze blows through the garden as I sit in front of two graves placed under the shade of a tree. It had been overgrown with weeds and covered in dirt when we returned, but I cleaned all of it so that it looks pretty again.
I take out a bottle of wine from my magic storage, take out the cork, and serve a glass which I then place as offering for the grave.
I also came here together with Olivia the day after we arrived, but today I wanted to be here alone for a bit to talk with her.
“Once again, I’m back home.”
There’s no voice to answer me though. That much is obvious, I’m the only one here. The dead don’t reply, and don’t drink wine. Though that might be a bit weird coming from me, who died once and then came back to life here.
“Olivia just keeps getting stronger. She’s not doing too well with studying, but at least she’s progressing towards her goal.”
I’ll give everything I have to keep Olivia safe, so you can rest in peace without worrying about anything. Saying that as a prayer, I slowly tip the wine glass.
