The Carriage and the Warmth of Family
The carriage sent by the Imperial Treasury Department—no, the people Lorsch McKellin had dispatched to bring me back—was surprisingly luxurious. I had assumed they would slap a blade to my throat and haul me off in an ox cart. It seemed she had shown some consideration, claiming we were childhood friends. As expected, there really is no treasure like an old friend. Lorsch, my dear companion, I will never forget you.
Before boarding the carriage, Glacia embraced her parents and bid them a short farewell. That must be what familial affection looks like. I had never experienced it even once in my life. Because of that, I never suffered from the chronic homesickness that plagued other reincarnators from other worlds. After all, with no family and no hometown, there was nothing to miss.
After finishing their goodbyes with Glacia, Melissa and Melchior approached me. I expected something like, “Take good care of our daughter,” the kind of line parents give to camp counselors when dropping off their kids. But contrary to my expectations, Melissa and Melchior hugged me.
Whether it was because of the cold weather or because my own heart was frozen solid, I couldn’t tell… but their embrace felt incredibly warm. It was different from the heated lust I had felt when holding Glacia. It was a warmth I couldn’t quite put into words.
“Werner, take care of yourself out there. If anything difficult happens, send a letter to your big brother. If some son of a bitch bothers you, tell me right away. I’ll beat the shit out of them for you.”
“Our youngest, who couldn’t even hold a knife properly without his big sisters just the other day, has grown so much already. I can’t even wrap both arms around you anymore, damn it. And don’t worry too much. Whether it’s the Black Round Table or black bullshit, we’ll crush them all.”
“Brother… Sister…”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. They weren’t an act—they came straight from the heart.
“If it’s shitty, tell us. If it’s hard, tell us. If something feels unfair, tell us right away. If anyone looks down on you, tell us immediately. Your sister and her husband will come and destroy them all.”
“Sister, I’m not—”
“So don’t carry everything alone like you used to, Werner. Don’t make your brother and sister feel disappointed.”
If this was what family felt like… it wasn’t bad at all. If I had been reincarnated here with a family like this, I might have gone crazy wanting to return home by now. Reincarnation wasn’t something you could just brush off with, “Oh, I got reincarnated? The reincarnation storm is the best!”
I didn’t know who had reincarnated me, but I felt a little grateful that they had let me experience this kind of warmth.
“Sister…”
“What is it, youngest?”
“Sister, you’re really short…”
Her height really was on the level of an upper-grade elementary schooler. Being this close made her small frame feel even more painfully obvious.
“The youngest really is asking for a beating until the very end.”
The fist covered in hardened blood was quite painful. This felt like getting hit right in the guts… Getting punched by a fist covered in congealed blood—could this be the true meaning of blood sausage? Fuck.
“Your punches are still spicy as ever, Sister.”
“That’s right. Your sister is still strong, so don’t worry too much and just take care of yourself.”
I answered with a laugh, waved my hand, and walked toward the carriage.
Irene, Camellia, and Glacia had all finished preparing to depart. The coachman who approached me bowed politely and spoke.
“Lady Lorsch McKellin sent me. I originally thought it would only be Sir Werner, so I brought a slightly smaller carriage. Will that be alright?”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to worry.”
The interior of the carriage was as luxurious as its appearance, reminiscent of the highest-class compartments I had seen during rail travel in Japan back in my previous life. If only there was a bento sold at the station, I would be the spitting image of that middle-aged protagonist from the ekiben manga. And I even had beautiful women with me…
“Wow, the inside is surprisingly luxurious too, Master.”
I thought it would have been more surprising if the outside was flashy but the inside was trash, but I decided to hold my tongue. Kids at that age tend to spout nonsense anyway. And since they spout nonsense at that age, don’t you see news stories where underage brats kill people and then babble that it was just a mistake or a prank? Normally I get paid when I work, but when dealing with those bastards, it was different. At those times, I would channel the mercy of Mother Teresa and take care of them for free.
“…Then would it make more sense if the outside was luxurious but the inside was shabby? I would appreciate it if you could use just a little bit of thought.”
I could clearly see a wrinkle form between Irene’s brows for a moment. Did she really need to nitpick every single thing like that? It felt like watching politicians debate—one wrong word and they’d tear you apart.
“Well, there are cases where something looks flashy and beautiful on the outside but is an ugly monster on the inside. I saw a case like that not long ago.”
“It seems you have a death wish.”
“Ah, I’m just saying that because I saw a building not long ago that was flashy on the outside but shabby on the inside. Did that sting? Or are you the kind of person who prides herself on her beautiful appearance?”
“At the very least, I pride myself on being more beautiful than a beast who doesn’t even realize how vulgar it is. Both in appearance and in heart.”
“Hmm… They say demonic beasts are cute when they’re young… But can a beast abandoned even in its youth really be called beautiful?”
That engagement story hurt me more than it did Glacia… Because of the sins my damn previous-life self, Werner, had committed, my chest felt heavy for no reason.
“Just sit down already. We’ll be departing soon.”
Camellia, acting like the elder, stepped in to peacefully resolve the situation. Though calling it peaceful was a bit questionable since her hand was resting on the hilt of her sword, she ultimately didn’t resort to violence, so even Gandhi would probably acknowledge it as peaceful, right?
Irene snorted and turned her gaze away from Glacia, while Glacia ignored her completely and sat down in the innermost seat.
Although the interior was luxurious, the seats were prepared for exactly four people.
“The inside is a bit wider, so please sit beside me.”
Glacia was clearly inviting me to sit next to her. But Irene twisted even that and walked over to Glacia’s side before speaking.
“Why are you deciding seats however you please? You go over there. I’m going to sit on the inside with Master.”
“It seems you’re mistaken. Sir Werner and I are engaged. It is common sense in society for engaged couples to sit together. It appears Sir Werner did not teach you such basic common sense?”
Why the hell were they suddenly ignoring the teachings of the Great Teacher Werner? I had definitely taught them everything properly, including common sense. It was just that Irene hadn’t listened properly.
“Master and I have a teacher-student relationship. Isn’t it only proper for a teacher and student to sit together amicably? Ah, perhaps because you’re a monster, you never learned such propriety?”
“How ridiculous. Aren’t you ashamed of spouting nonsense about propriety this and that? I have known Sir Werner for over fifteen years.”
“So? How much of that time did you actually spend face-to-face? I’ve lived face-to-face with Master for over twelve years.”
Camellia shook her head as if the noise was annoying and sat down in the opposite seat first.
“Watching little kids fight is exhausting no matter how many times I see it.”
I completely agreed. Children’s fights really were tiring. Moreover, those two might not have thrown actual punches yet, but they were already in a state no different from brawling.
“In the end, what matters is the meaning of the relationship. Therefore, it is only right that I, who am engaged to Sir Werner, sit on the inside with him. So please go sit over there.”
“No, what matters is the depth of the relationship. It’s a bit disgusting to see you trying to sit next to him now after not even seeing his face for twelve years. So you move aside.”
“The carriage needs to depart, but you’re making us late. Please move quickly.”
“Look who’s talking. You go over there.”
If they both wanted the inside seat that badly, there was nothing I could do. I sat down right next to Camellia. Since the space was a little narrower than the inside, my arm brushed against hers.
“Sorry, Sister. It’s luxurious, but the seats are a bit narrow.”
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault, and I’m not the type to care about such things anyway.”
Then I turned my gaze toward Irene and Glacia.
“If you both like the wide inside seats that much, I’ll be considerate. Irene, you can sit next to Lady Glacia.”
I was confident this was a brilliant judgment that even the wise King Solomon would applaud. If they were both so insistent on sitting on the inside, then just let them sit together. It was truly a change of perspective, the same principle as the Gordian Knot.
Irene looked dumbfounded, and Glacia let out a sigh while shooting Irene a glare full of irritation. It seemed neither of them was particularly pleased with my brilliant judgment. Still, that was fine. History would be the one to evaluate such rulings. Even if the parties involved didn’t like it, history would prove that this judgment had been truly right and just.
“Now that the seats are decided, hurry up and sit down. It’s so noisy I can’t stand it.”
Despite grumbling like that, Camellia looked like she was secretly smiling just a little. Or maybe it was just my imagination.