Esmuer Bistim Tel Nua
Esmuer Bistim Tel Nua
"Esmue. Won't you try this one as well? It's one of the cakes that's highly praised for its refreshing taste—the chocolate and fruit combination keeps the sweetness from clinging unpleasantly to the finish."
"Sh-should I? But haven't I eaten too much already..."
"Esmue."
"Hm?"
I called Esmue's name in a firm, confident voice as the menu practically trembled in her hands, then looked her straight in the eye and began persuading her.
"Isn't it true that you need the occasional day like this so your body and mind, sharpened by work, can rest and press forward to what comes next? Even tools inevitably break down if you work them without a single day's rest, so the human body goes without saying."
"Th-that's true, isn't it? Eldmia, you really do have a persuasive way with words. And it's all so perfectly reasonable, too."
My name was Eldmia Ega. A man who always achieved his objectives. And this time, without fail, I'd achieved my objective once again.
The girl who'd introduced herself only as Esmue had kept her guard up surprisingly well, but I'd finally smashed through it and turned her into an adorable little creature eating cake like a hamster.
Wow. Seriously. This was pure healing. Was this how parents felt when they fed their children? How could she eat so adorably? She'd been capable of eating like this all along, yet had forced herself to stay so stiff and formal at every meal. How suffocating must that have been?
If I'd filmed food content with her back on Earth, a million views would've been a given.
I'd already whisked away more than ten empty cake plates one by one, worried that seeing the pile might snap her back to her senses. Somewhere along the way Esmue, who'd unconsciously relaxed enough to speak more casually, waited for the next cake with the same anticipation as a child tasting cake for the first time before speaking up.
"This is truly wonderful! I never imagined we'd get along this well. When I first heard that you'd killed Rudra's Young Lion for the sake of honor, it honestly alarmed me. Looking only at the act itself, one might call you a model knight, but people like that are invariably rigid in at least one respect."
So that's why she'd been tense when we first met. I beat down the instinct that had sounded alarm bells about her and shoved it into a corner, then answered with a smile.
"I believed it was a problem that could've been resolved without death, but the issue was that he placed an absurdly high value on his own pride and honor. A regrettable affair."
"Truly so. No matter how much he was acknowledged as the candidate for Rudra's next magic knight commander, that doesn't give one the right to ignore and trample another's honor. Such conduct is only possible because you consider the other party beneath you and hold the baseless confidence they can do no harm to your own safety. Failing to foresee this outcome is incompetence, and even if he did foresee it ending in death, if he failed to include his own death in that calculation, then he deliberately hurled insults to destroy his opponent. Rudra could have ten mouths and still would have no grounds to reproach you!"
How was she so good with words? Honestly, if I'd met her just walking down the street somewhere, she'd be so damn cute I might've gone crazy wanting to pat her head and squish her cheeks.
But I still hadn't heard Esmue's age, so I pulled myself together to keep from getting too carried away.
"Honestly, considering Gwilb's character alone, I was worried on several counts. Hearing you say that puts my mind much more at ease, Esmue."
"Hm. When I first received the report, I couldn't even believe my own eyes, so your reaction is more than understandable. He was a figure who far exceeded expectations in so many ways—the fact that I only learned of him today was rather shocking."
Even the way she wrinkled her nose as if thoroughly fed up was unbearably cute. Then the server returned far faster than I'd expected and set down the cake, and Esmue immediately broke into a blissful smile as if nothing had happened.
"Now that I think of it, I'm terribly late in asking, but what were you doing here? Were you waiting for Margrave of Levien to finish her class?"
"In the Empire, the atmosphere is such that if you're drinking tea alone, people assume you're engaged in contemplation and leave you be. I was catching my breath to avoid the people following me around."
"Mmm... a blind spot created by the academy's freewheeling atmosphere, I suppose. But as it's also part of what the Empire strives for, I'd like you to understand that there's nothing to be done in terms of imposing sanctions."
She said it as if it were her own fault. Could she be directly related to someone like the academy's board chairman? Just as I was thinking at least she was still eating cake well, Esmue suddenly shot up as if she'd only just remembered.
"Ah! Now that I recall, this was the whole point!"
"Excuse me?"
"We were talking so naturally that I completely forgot my original purpose!"
Her original purpose...?
Making Esmue eat cake like a hamster wasn't the purpose... ah, right. That had been my purpose.
"I came to deliver an apology and a definitive answer to you! And to think I forgot because I was so distracted by cake—what an absurd blunder!"
She must have been deeply embarrassed, because Esmue flustered about in a dither, scarfed down the remaining cake in a rush, then sat back down and straightened her posture. Judging by how she'd suddenly devoured the freshly-served cake without even a moment to savor it, she was genuinely quite flustered.
Still, thanks to that, I'd finally gotten to see Esmue with her cheeks full of cake, chewing away exactly like a hamster. I was thoroughly satisfied.
After chewing for quite a while and finally swallowing the cake, Esmue looked every bit as cool-headed as when I'd first seen her, but the face that had already turned red from embarrassment was beyond her control. As if she was aware of it herself, she fidgeted while steadying her breathing, and only after dragging it out for a good while did she finally open her mouth.
"The Empire wishes to express its deep regret over the actions of Rudra's Young Lion, who insulted both Margrave of Levien—here as an envoy—and you. An official document has already been sent directly to Rudra through diplomatic channels. I cannot promise specific compensation at this moment, but we will by no means treat this lightly, so I ask that you trust me and wait. The Empire had no hand whatsoever in this incident, and we will not gloss over it. On that, I stake my name."
"Ah... yes... understood. More importantly, it looked like you ate rather hastily—would you care for another cup of tea at least, Esmue?"
"E-Eldmia. What an astonishing reaction you have, even when I've gone so far as to stake my name on a promise."
Seeing Esmue's dumbfounded expression, as if she was looking at some truly bizarre creature, I figured this was something I needed to address.
"Hm... Esmue? I'd like to make one thing clear first. From our brief time together, I feel no ill will toward you whatsoever. Quite the opposite—I like you."
"H-huh?"
"I'm prefacing this because I'm saying it out of fondness, so I hope you won't misinterpret it or take it badly. Of course, how someone takes another's words is up to the listener, but..."
"O-of course! To speak of misunderstanding now, after we've already conversed like this—that's unthinkable. What is it you were going to say?"
"Esmue. As I said at the start, I still don't know who you are, or what your position is."
"...Huh?"
"Although your own position may feel perfectly natural and self-evident to you, someone who doesn't know what that position is will inevitably react differently to a promise like the one you just made."
I made it unequivocally clear, with all trace of laughter completely gone, utterly grave and earnest.
No matter how ideologically admirable and enlightened she might be, that kind of attitude wasn't good. If she went wrong and got twisted, she'd grow up into a wretched scumbag like Gwilb. And that would yield a horrifying result, no different from a daughter you'd thought was growing up sweet and upright turning into a delinquent.
Whatever position she held, I had to make sure she understood that introducing herself properly first was basic courtesy. And even when someone reacted differently from what she expected, she needed to grow into an adult capable of accepting that calmly.
Whether one of her parents was the academy's board chairman or whatever else it might be, that wouldn't change.
"I... I never even gave you a proper self-introduction... did I..."
Only then did Esmue's face flush bright red as she clearly recognized her own blunder, but I didn't laugh. Laughing at a child who properly acknowledged her mistake and tried to correct it was bad for her education. She deserved praise, rather.
"That's right. Even though we've shared refreshments freely and had a pleasant time together, if you're about to convey something you consider important, it makes sense to remind the other person who is making that promise."
"I-indeed, you're utterly correct. I honestly feel like crawling into a mouse hole and hiding. I've never made a mistake like this in my entire life..."
I almost laughed and said, "Well, that's because your life's only been a few years long, hasn't it." This tiny little thing talked exactly like a little old person. Was this how Asilie had felt when she first met me? I'd never once found a kid cute in my past life, but this one was just too adorable.
"I-I shall properly introduce myself again!"
"Excellent! Though the earlier blunder may leave you feeling embarrassed, everyone makes mistakes! Isn't the ability to overcome them and rise again what true growth is all about!"
"That is indeed so... but. Ugh. It's not like I'm doing this for the first or second time, yet it's still unbelievably embarrassing."
Esmue took several more deep breaths, hesitating and fidgeting. I didn't rush her at all; I simply waited with a faint smile, like I was watching a child's school recital, facing her with boundless patience and affection until she was ready.
And then, when she opened her mouth and began her self-introduction.
"I am the first child of the great 13th Emperor Pan Krasi Bistim Tel Nua who rules the Empire, and the White Star of the Empire who governs the people at his side according to his will—Esmue Bistim Tel Nua."
I had to feel the cold sweat starting to pour down my back like a waterfall, all while maintaining my leisurely smile.
I'm fucked!!