Chapter 75: Baron Ashro’s Estate 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Baron Ashro’s Estate 6
When Betzdo slaughtered everyone in Sepia’s village for sport, her survival was nothing more than a stroke of luck.
No, calling it luck would be a cruel joke.
There was nothing lucky about a young child witnessing the brutal murder and violation of every single person she knew with her own eyes.
After being adopted into the Marquis Rivayden family, Sepia had likely spent years investigating the man who destroyed her home. But she had found nothing. All she knew was Betzdo’s face. She didn't know he was a necromancer, nor did she have a single lead on his whereabouts.
All she could do was grow stronger, fueling herself with the hope of revenge.
“……”
Sepia’s gaze lingered on a happy family nearby until they vanished from sight. Only then did she finally speak.
“……Let’s go.”
As we walked, Sepia continued to falter. Her eyes would drift longingly toward every harmonious family or group of laughing villagers we passed. I didn’t know exactly what kind of village she had lived in, but perhaps the atmosphere here felt familiar. Her expression was a painful mixture of longing and sorrow.
A longing for the people she lost.
And the sorrow of knowing they were never coming back.
Quite a bit of time had passed since we arrived in the village, yet we hadn't made any progress.
“……I’m sorry,” Sepia murmured, her voice heavy with guilt for delaying the mission.
“It’s fine. We have plenty of time anyway.”
The one in a hurry was Baron Ashro, not me. Of course, I couldn't tell her that.
“Still, I’m sorry. I’ll focus properly from now on.”
She tried to step forward with purpose, but her head kept twitching toward the sound of laughter whenever it drifted through the air.
Watching her, I suddenly—
“Agh!”
I let out a theatrical cry of pain, clutched my left leg, and collapsed onto the ground.
“Pushover?” Sepia turned, startled by my scream.
“Miss Sepia, I think I twisted my ankle. How about we take a short break before moving on?”
Even to my own ears, my acting was painfully forced.
“Anyone can see you're faking it! Stop joking around and get up.”
I knew she’d see through it. Unless I’m in the heat of battle, my acting is usually bottom-tier. But while I lacked talent, I had plenty of shamelessness.
I flopped onto my back right in the middle of the road.
“Oh, the agony! It hurts so much I can’t move a single inch! I think I’d feel much better if someone just sat and rested with me for a bit before we left……”
Sepia stared at me with an expression that went past bewilderment and reached pure exasperation. As I lay motionless in the center of the path, the villagers began to whisper and stare.
“Fine! Fine! We’ll rest for a bit!” Sepia shouted, her face flushing a deep crimson from embarrassment.
* * *
Sepia and I sat in a spot with a clear view of the villagers.
“I really don’t know what we’re doing……” Sepia grumbled, though the break allowed her to watch the people comfortably.
“Now, now. Save the complaints for later. For now, let’s just relax and eat something delicious.”
I began pulling a variety of simple snacks from my Pocket Dimension.
“But the others are searching. Shouldn’t we be looking too?” Sepia asked, clearly bothered by the fact that we were resting while the others worked hard.
“Hmm. Then let’s do this.”
As soon as I spoke, glowing letters manifested in the air.
[If you know anything about Cardinal the Phantom Thief, please come here! Even Cardinal himself is welcome to drop by!]
“How’s that? Perfect, right?”
“Is it okay to be that conspicuous?”
“It’s not like our search for the Phantom Thief is a secret, so it shouldn't matter.”
With that, I finished pulling out the rest of the food.
“Just how much do you have in that Pocket Dimension?” Sepia asked, watching the endless stream of food emerging from storage.
“Enough that I wouldn’t starve even if I were stranded on a deserted island.”
“Most people wouldn’t call that ‘enough.’”
Usually, Pocket Dimension artifacts have strict limits. However, I had yet to find the ceiling of mine.
“That’s not what’s important right now. Try this.” I picked up a sandwich and placed it in Sepia’s hand.
“I can feed myself. But… thanks.”
Sepia brought the sandwich to her lips and took a small bite.
“……!!”
“How is it? Good, right?”
It wasn't just magic tools and elixirs that were enhanced by my Pocket Dimension; even ordinary food was improved. Unlike in some games, eating it didn't raise my stats, but the taste was definitely top-tier.
Sepia didn't even bother answering my question; she just reached for another sandwich.
“................”
“Emily, make sure you’re home before it gets late!”
“Dad, I’m not a child anymore! I can take care of myself!”
“How could you say that to your father… Gack!”
“Hoho, ignore your father and just make sure you have fun before coming home.”
Sepia watched the happy family laughing and chatting as she ate. I, in turn, watched her.
“Pushover, you know I’m adopted and wasn't born into the Marquis household, right?” she asked suddenly.
“Yes, I’m aware.”
There was likely no one who didn't know she was adopted.
“Then… do you know anything about the parents who gave birth to me? Not my current parents.”
I shook my head silently.
“Haha. Right? It would be weirder if you knew anything about parents who were just ordinary villagers you’ve never met.” Her laugh was hollow. “It’s only natural that you don’t know,” she whispered. “……But lately, I can’t really picture their faces. I remember the faces of everyone else in the village, though.”
Sepia murmured in a faint, hollow voice.
“What should I do?”
Perhaps her emotions had welled up from watching that family, or perhaps the feelings she had been suppressing had finally begun to spill over. It was a moment of weakness she never would have shown normally. Because of that, it felt all the more sincere.
“Sorry. I’m talking nonsense all of a sud—”
“Miss Sepia, do you remember the conversations you had with them? Or the games you played together?”
Sepia looked surprised that I had responded, but she nodded slowly.
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
“But!”
“The important thing isn't remembering someone’s face; it’s not forgetting the memories you shared with them.”
“Memories……”
“So, it’s okay if their faces only come back to you slowly, later on.”
“What if… what if I never remember them?” Sepia looked at me with trembling eyes, her voice laced with anxiety.
“Then I’ll help you remember.”
Because she spoke with such uncertainty, I answered with absolute conviction.
“How?”
“That, of course, is a secret. But don’t worry. There is nothing I cannot do.”
“Ahaha, what is that? Honestly……”
After that, we ate sandwiches while engaging in idle chatter. Just as the pile of food was about to vanish, a group approached us.
It was three men. Their appearance and clothing practically screamed ‘thug.’
“Heard you’re looking for Cardinal the Phantom Thief? If you play with us for a bit, we might tell you what we saw.”
They ignored me entirely and spoke to Sepia, their eyes glued to her face. I had used an illusion to change our appearances slightly so we wouldn't stand out—swapping my mask for a plain one and changing Sepia’s pink hair to a common brown—but she was still beautiful. Beautiful enough to attract pests.
Just as I was about to weave an illusion to chase them away—
“““Aaaaaagh!!!”””
The thugs suddenly screamed and vanished from my line of sight. As I wondered what had happened, a muffled voice drifted up from below.
“What the hell did you do?!”
I looked down. There, the three thugs were buried up to their necks in the ground, with only their heads popping out. It seemed Sepia had dealt with them using her spirits.
“Well, shall we start moving and look for him ourselves?” Sepia asked, picking up the last sandwich.
“What about those men?” I asked, looking at the heads sticking out of the dirt.
“Who knows? Someone will probably dig them out eventually. Let’s not worry about them and just go.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s head out!”
I started walking toward the more crowded part of the village.
“By the way, Pushover, didn’t you say you twisted your ankle?”
Ah, right. I did.
I immediately grabbed my right leg. “Ow.”
Sepia burst out laughing at my awkward cry of pain.
“Ahahahaha! You idiot, that’s the wrong leg!”
Hearing that, I hurriedly switched and grabbed my left leg.
Sepia laughed for a long time before walking ahead. After taking a few steps past me, she turned back to look at me.
“Loki... thank you.”
The sadness and longing that had occupied her eyes earlier were gone, replaced by a beautiful smile.