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Hesitant to speak, Viviana went silent for a moment before turning her eyes to Ciel with resolve.

「There’s no point hiding it, is there? I’ll tell you the truth.」
「Okay.」
「My family, the Amyulute family, is generally affiliated with the Fiiyanamia faction. Although we are not a large family, we have a strong foundation. Our influence is not as great as that of my teacher, but if someone were to win us over, they could utilize our power.」
「So?」
「So there is a faction that is persistently trying to win us over. They have already won over my older brother and are now appealing to my father through him. Although my father has ignored them until now, he intends to make a proper decision after gathering information, including the results of this request.」

Uwah… How do I say this, that’s really messy. On top of her family having a divided opinion, they’re also being targeted by troublesome folk.

『That’s quite unfortunate.』
『Is that so? I suppose so?』
『To put it simply, it’s like if you and I have differing opinions.』
『In that situation, as long as it’s not too bad, I think I’d follow Ain’s opinion.』
『Well, sure, I think I’d adopt your opinion as much as possible myself.』
『Oh, you’re right, it’s a problem, a big problem.』

Ciel answered cheerfully, but that’s not it. Though, since she’s enjoying herself, I guess it’s fine. Rather, it’s on me for giving a bad example.

「How do you think it’ll go?」
「I’ll convince him to stay with the Fiiyanamia faction. I have my older sister as well, so even if I’m against the next head of the family, we should be on roughly equal grounds. And I’ve also had a glimpse of your power. That should help, but…」

『If things don’t go well, we might get targeted it seems.』
『By Viviana’s brother?』
『Yes, if he can provide evidence to support his claim that Mother Fii’s daughter is weak, it would undermine Viviana’s credibility.』
『In that case, then the answer is simple.』

「Even if it’s your brother, I can’t guarantee his life.」
「Of course, I’m aware of that. I don’t believe he can cause you harm, but if he’s fallen to the point of attacking you, then I’d accept whatever the outcomes. And to be frank, I don’t really have many good memories with my family.」
「Really?」

Ciel asked, but now that she mentioned it, I do remember her saying something similar before. After all, since her circuits were short, her maximum output was extremely low and so she was considered to be lacking as a sorcerer.

「While I’m now at a point where I’ve gained an alias thanks to you, I was originally a failure. Having become a hunter after being abandoned by my family, I have no intention to stake my life just to protect the Amyulute household. I just want to keep my dear sister from being dragged into this mess.」
「Hmm. I see.」

From her words just now, I suppose only her older sister didn’t shun her. While there are also people like Friere, abandoning aristocracy to be a hunter against your own will must’ve been extremely humiliating.

「I’m glad I became a hunter.」 Though it seems like Viviana’s fine with it now.

Well, Viviana has reached the rank that puts her on par with nobles as a hunter, after all. I guess she also doesn’t have much lingering ties with her family.

Rather, it’s possible that maybe it’s her family that’s making the effort to appeal to her now. Yup, the more I think about it, the more messy it gets. Is this the world that Ciel would have originally been cast into?

Still, as much as she is part of the Amyulute household, Viviana is also an individual now. One that’s independent enough to cut ties with her family if need be. Actually, isn’t her older sister the only reason she’s still with the Amyulute family?

Hmm, this is tough. Honestly, I don’t want to poke my nose in other people’s family problems. But too bad for Viviana, I still want to meddle in it to expose Ciel to different kinds of worlds. As a sample for the upper-class world, I just have to give Ciel exposure and she’ll figure out her own answer to the situation.

『Would you mind if we switch?』
『Nope, but is it okay?』
『I’ve judged that Viviana is alright.』
『Alright, understood. Go for it.』

Ciel removes her necklace and switches with me. Fully switched, I then put on my ring and hair ornament. It might seem unnecessary, but I actually find it enjoyable.

Seeing the change in color, Viviana had a look of surprise, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by our actions.

「Based on what you’ve said so far, let’s discuss what to do next.」
「You, are you Lady Cielmer?」
「No, I’m Ainsel. I’m an ext-」
『Again, you’re not an extra!』
「No, I’m Cielmer’s protector… I suppose?」

It seems like Ciel really doesn’t like me calling myself an extra to her. So with no other choice, I went with protector instead and…

『That’s right.』

…she sounds quite pleased. Viviana was puzzled but still nodded and began speaking.

「So back then at Estoque, there were times when it was you and times when it was Lady Cielmer?」
「That’s right. Don’t be too hard on us for hiding it from you.」
「Of course. Considering your situation, it’s only natural. Rather, had you thoughtlessly shared it, I would have cautioned you against it. Still, sharing that right now…」
「Means that I’m putting my trust in what you have said. At the same time, this also a warning in case everything was a lie.」

The latter probably didn’t need to be said, but I intentionally said so to show that I’m not keeping any secrets. Viviana is a noble herself, so I hope she takes the hint.

「You believe me?」
「We’ve shared a bath, after all.」
「It was you back then? Rather, your colors change?」
「We were only able to change recently. The appearance is generally that of Ciel’s, so it won’t be wrong to say that you bathed with Ciel. However, I was the one in control then.」

She could probably tell from the way we speak, or so I thought, but there’s no way she would remember after such a long time. And even if she did, anyone can change the way they speak anyways.

「What did you mean by “protector”?」
「No comment, or so I’d prefer, but just think of me as a being that’s possessing Ciel. I can’t separate from her and when I’m not in control, it’s not like I can do anything.」
「I see. No, I can’t really say that I fully understand it.」
「We’re just two souls sharing one body.」

What I mean by “just”, I don’t know myself. It’s difficult to explain briefly in any other way. That’s why I must rely on Viviana’s flexibility. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem too confused by our conversation, so it should be fine. Viviana has interacted with both Ciel and me, so perhaps she already had some suspicions.

「So, for what reason did you appear? You wanted to discuss about something, correct?」
「That’s right. However, I have a few things I’d like to check, so please let me hear your answers.」
「What is it?」
「Viviana, are you with the Amyulute family only because your older sister is there?」

There’s not much point being indirect and most of all, I don’t know how to ask in that way, so I just went straight to the point. Viviana’s expression didn’t change, but I somewhat feel like she’s surprised.

「That’s true. If not for my dear sister, I would’ve cut ties with them long ago. I’m not particularly attached to that house, after all.」
「In that case, how about we lend a hand in pulling your sister away from the Amyulute family?」
「Why… do you say that?」
「It’s to study society. Our lives up until now haven’t been normal, so we practically have nothing of what’s called common sense. As such, I think that by solving what seems to be an extremely messy aristocratic problem, perhaps we might learn a bit of how a noble should be.」
「Then what do you want in exchange?」

Nothing… probably won’t work as an answer. It’s not like I want to do volunteer work, but saying that it’s just for societal study would likely make her uneasy. I still haven’t said anything about how we’d help though, so I don’t even know if it’s worth asking something for.

「Loyalty to my mother, I suppose? That’s not quite right, but anyway, it’ll be fine to just swear that you won’t go against Mother Fii. And depending on the situation, we might have to take custody of your sister.」

The former is for formality, the latter is just to be sure. She seems to be alright with it, so anyways I continue the discussion.

「I’m not very informed about these matters, how can you break off from your family?」
「The simplest way is to be thought of as talentless. You’ll be sent off with ease.」
「Is your sister talentless?」
「Far from it. Her being talented is precisely why she can’t leave the family.」

『Is just running away not enough?』
『Depending on where she escapes to, she might get taken back. Besides, even if she succeeds, she likely won’t be able to appear in public. After all, if she gets found out, the family would probably come for her. If she had to escape, she’ll have to at least leave the country. But if she could, then this wouldn’t be an issue, would it?』
『We also took a long time, after all.』
『It was pretty short, actually.』

In this world, getting to B-rank by 20 is already considered fast. Our journey can’t be used as reference at all. Besides, even if we take her out of the country, we don’t have anyone to entrust her to, and I don’t know if Viviana has anyone either.

And if we do successfully get her away, the issue would be how she’d make a living from then on. Having her escape but then die from starving due to unemployment won’t be funny. Viviana might be able to provide for her sister by herself, but I suppose this is something they should talk amongst themselves. All I need to do is to present as many alternatives as I can.

「Another is to persuade the head of the family. Generally, children are considered the property of their parents, and for girls, this continues until they marry, I suppose. However, in my case, I’ve already left the family. Another way is to receive orders from those above.」
「But even if it comes from higher up, it wouldn’t be that easy, would it? Acting arrogantly for no reason would lead to the loss of authority, in my opinion.」
「What are you even talking about? You’ve become the child of someone with completely untouchable authority.」

Right, Fiiyanamia isn’t someone that can be stopped if she decided to do something like that. Rather, even if everyone in Central fought against mother, I’m sure she will win. As for us, well, we probably wouldn’t die.

「For this, I want to do things properly and avoid going by force. It’s a study of society, after all. And so that Ciel doesn’t abuse her authority.」
「How wise.」
「By the way, we’re making progress here but does your sister have any intention to leave the family?」

We’ve made progress, but it’ll depend on the future. And, well, even if we continue from here, it’ll end in vain if we don’t know if her older sister’s on board with it. I started this whole thing, though.

「…Who knows? There’s no telling until we ask.」
「Then please ask her about it. I’ll ask from mother as well.」
「Understood.」
「Now, we’re still not done with this topic, but let’s end the discussion here. Or do you have anything to ask?」
「You will be in Central for a while, correct?」
「That’s right. As of now, we don’t plan on leaving. If you send out a messenger to the manor, we should be able to keep in touch. And even without that, I plan on visiting the Hunter Guild occasionally, so it should be fine.」
「In that case, let’s finish here. Let’s talk again sometime. It’s awfully late, but I’m glad that you reached Central safely.」
「Thank you, see you later.」

I waved goodbye, switched with Ciel, and left the room.

One familial conflict to dive into, fresh from the oven! We’re doing the opposite of hiding now, it seems like it’s time to dive into a bothersome affair!

First of all, it’s nice how Ain can now introduce herself as herself, it’s been, like, the 5th person excluding Fii and the maids. Moreover, Viviana is someone that tried to help her (them), although she was refused. Once again, it’s nice to see that Ain, despite not being too concerned about it, can now appear in the world as herself.

Second, I like how there’s a slight similarity between AinCiel and the Amyulute sisters, both from a family that’s not quite the best, exiled for uselessness (Ciel and Viviana) and only has a good relationship with an elder sister (elder sister figure in Ciel’s case). Not that Ain noticed it, she seemd to be just concerned about the opportunity, though it’s also hard to deny that Ain can be a tsundere sometimes, so maybe she does want to help? Well, two birds with one stone at least.

Anyhow, it seems like we’ll be getting a new character soon, so I hope we see her soon (sweats).

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay clean, stay safe, and have a nice day~!