Aftermath (3)
“Hey! You little punk!!!”
Kerry spotted Seu and immediately tossed her backpack and weapon aside, striding over with heavy steps.
“I thought you’d gone and died on us!!”
Slap!!
Kerry slapped Seu so hard she staggered. The burly guard at the entrance thought it was a fight and started to step forward, but I raised a hand to stop him.
“Ha, fuck… This is exactly why I can’t hang with you greenhorn brats. Ugh…”
Kerry slapped her, then plopped down right there on the spot, covering her face with one hand. Tears leaked out between her fingers.
“Uw… I’m sorry.”
Seu clutched her reddened cheek, sniffling as she apologized.
Kerry had been the first to rush out when Seu collapsed and the one who’d given her emergency treatment. Seeing her like this, I could imagine how worried she’d been on the way here.
“Dad… besides Kirgil, there’s another one…”
Seu expressed her gratitude in her own unique way.
There was a bit of commotion, but Liard, Lirisa, and Kerry all rejoiced over Seu’s survival like they’d reunited with long-lost family.
Back in my old world, I was strongly against domestic violence or child abuse, but if it was between people who understood each other’s feelings like this, maybe it could be seen as intense communication. It wasn’t like she was hurt beyond recovery or mentally scarred.
“Kirgil, my cheek’s all swollen. It hurts, it really hurts—can’t this be healed?”
Seu, talk to Ashushikara, not me. Still too shy to speak to her directly?
“Hee hee hee, it’s just growing pains.”
At a glance, Ashushikara had zero intention of healing it. I agreed. Still, we should at least disinfect it lightly.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!! Hot!! Hot!! It’s hoooot!!! Kyaaaaaaaah!!”
Agnes’s special brew doubled as treatment and discipline. I hoped this intense pain would stick in her memory so she’d never again pull the idiot stunt of hiding her injuries.
After that, we settled the request payment and planned a celebratory feast for completing the job unscathed. But as you might expect, everyone except me and Seu had spent over a week in the wild without proper baths or meals, crashing in whatever shelter they could find. So we decided to reunite tomorrow after they checked in with their families, unpacked, and scrubbed off the grime.
Ashushikara led me and Lirisa to the Kalderan Cathedral to show our faces to the diocese head. Then we slipped out again.
This diocese head guy is way too intense. I’d come prepared to cooperate a little, but when he started prying into not just my past but my three sizes, I couldn’t help yelping. Was he planning to make a statue or something?
Anyway, I slyly used a bit of my ability again this time.
Oh, and I learned for the first time that Ashushikara really loves cute things. She tried carrying Lirisa off like a teddy bear, so I had to use extra nerves and ability to extract her.
“By the way, Lirisa, aren’t you going home?”
“Th-that… M-Master…”
Lirisa had been sticking to me the whole time. Thanks to her, I could pass as an ordinary adventurer’s daughter out for a casual stroll instead of the Hero Kirgil. But she followed me all the way back to the inn room I’d booked.
It didn’t seem like she just wanted to learn new ancient language spells.
“C-can’t I sleep here with Master?”
For a split second, my moral compass blared alarms. But rationally, that didn’t seem to be her reason.
“What about your family? Aren’t they worried about their cute daughter being out overnight for over a week?”
Even as I said it, it felt a little off. She was the daughter of a proper merchant house with standards and common sense, and everyone knew adventuring was dangerous.
“Lirisa, did you run away from home?”
“N-no, not exactly a runaway, but… if I go back like this… if I go back… I’ll get scolded. By Dad… again… th-that… I might get really hit… I’m scared to go home…”
Just thinking about it made Lirisa tremble and her eyes well up with tears.
This was the real problem with domestic violence, unlike Seu’s case earlier. How badly had they beaten this kid to make her react like this? Sigh…
You shouldn’t meddle in other people’s family affairs. I couldn’t become Lirisa’s parent, so jumping in recklessly might make things worse.
Interference from an outsider might calm things momentarily, but later it could spark even bigger violence or retaliation.
“Then come back with me.”
That said, I couldn’t just ignore Lirisa shaking in fear. I took her trembling hand and headed to the merchant house inside the inner castle.
For a kid like this to have registered as an adventurer… impressive.
“I-I… I-I’m… h-home…”
The moment Lirisa stepped into the merchant house entrance, she trembled violently and barely managed a greeting. A neatly dressed middle-aged man inside seemed to be the head, her father probably, but she was too scared to even look at him.
Not knowing what might happen, I pulled up my hood and watched discreetly from outside the door.
“…Lirisa?”
The man spotted Lirisa and eyed his raggedly dressed daughter with a puzzled expression. Her skirt was torn, exposing her legs, which especially caught his eye—he scanned her up and down in shock several times. Hm, she looks cute to me.
“You! You!!! Always bitching about using useless magic!! And now you vanish for days at a time!! What the hell is that getup anyway!!”
“Eek… Uw waaaaah! Sob! I-I’m sor…”
“Get over here, you brat!! I’m gonna beat your legs black and blue today!! I’ll burn all those damn books too…”
The owner rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a thick club like he was chasing off a beggar or thief.
Sigh, as expected, this world saw violence as a natural part of child-rearing, unlike mine. Well, even back home, child protection laws were pretty recent.
“Excuse me.”
In the end, I intervened in their family matter.
Honestly, if it’d been a heartwarming “You’re finally back, my daughter! I was so worried!” reunion, I would’ve just left. But leaving things like this, Lirisa’s whole body would be bruised black and blue by tomorrow.
Piterio, the head of the merchant house, flinched the moment he saw me. Just as I expected.
This place had exceptional talent recognition. He knew exactly who I was at a glance. That’s why I felt confident stepping into Lirisa’s family drama.
“I’m Kirgil. Lirisa here helped me out big time over the past week, so I came to express my thanks… Ahem.”
I deliberately stared at the club in Piterio’s hand. He hurriedly chucked it out of sight.
“Y-yes, of course. What rudeness… Wait!? Lirisa helped Hero Kirgil!?”
Well now, I hadn’t even mentioned my title, but he knew I was the Hero. Then he must know about this miracle too. Groups in the streets were even toasting in my name.
“Lirisa’s an excellent mage. She was a huge help on my adventure—you must not have realized, sir. Haha.”
“What? Lirisa, a mage? And she helped you, Kirgil? I can’t believe…”
He must’ve never seen Lirisa cast magic. Makes sense—with a scary, strict dad like that, even doable spells wouldn’t work.
I briefly explained the guild request and my personal errand that took me to the Kalderan Cathedral a day early. No need to detail the miracle—he’d know.
“Lirisa? My Lirisa did all those amazing things? And I didn’t even know…”
Good. Piterio didn’t seem to hate or resent Lirisa like some unwanted child.
There are plenty of parents like that—not hating their kids, but clueless on how to show love or interact.
My own dad was like that: “How’s your studying going these days?” or scolding me over some issue. Nothing else.
Probably the same here. Without affection, he wouldn’t be rubbing his scruffy, week-in-the-wilds daughter’s face while hugging her tight.
“I nearly made a huge mistake. Kirgil, please stay at our home.
You’re welcome anytime you visit. Come, Lirisa, show him to the good rooms—not the traders’ quarters, the premium guest suites.”
I hadn’t aimed for this reward, but it worked out. Lirisa gripped my hand tight, tears sparkling as she beamed.
Wow, this face is so cute—I’d snap a photo if I had a camera. Totally worth it, pure healing.
As we headed through the inner passageways to the lodging, I ran into a tall, model-like girl with an air of elegance. Her sharp eyes gave her an edgy idol vibe. Short hair, but black like Lirisa’s, and a slight facial resemblance—sister maybe??
The girl spotted me and Lirisa and suddenly yelled.
“Dad!! Dad!! Look at big sis Lirisa!! She brought home another weirdo beggar!! Do something about it, Dad!! This is so annoying!!”
Hearing the shout, Lirisa panicked with an “awawawa.” Poor thing—must’ve gotten frequent scoldings from Dad and tattled on or bullied by her little sister. Figures.
I patted her comfortingly. Lirisa’s like a little pet; her sister’s a stylish villainess. You’d mistake the sister for the older one.
Moments later, Dad came rushing at his daughter’s scream-like yell.
“Ririna!! What’s with that rude mouth!! Apologize to your sister and the guest right now!! Hurry!!”
Ririna puffed up like she wouldn’t, but paled upon hearing my identity from Dad and apologized immediately.
After, Dad roughly dragged Ririna off. He wasn’t planning to use that club on her too, was he? Better tell Piterio not to—I came to shield Lirisa’s misfortune, not create someone else’s.
I want to minimize meddling in family stuff.
Lirisa sniffled beside me, begging me to stop him.
Lirisa really is cute.
But if she has a grown sister like that, how old is she exactly? Agnes’s age showed in my
Status Window
because it was special, but normally it doesn’t.
“……”
No.
Better not know.
Just keep spoiling her cuteness like this.