Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: It's Poison, Huh. Am I Dying Now?
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The next morning, I slung my carrot-shaped bag over my shoulder and gripped Dad's hand tightly in one of mine.
Dad had stubbornly insisted that the Senoa Temple might be dangerous, so I had to go with him.
As if the temple was dangerous. What could possibly be dangerous? I'm here!
That's what I thought, but...
Dad spoke logically.
"The temple and the Mirmod family are hostile to each other, Sien. There might be people after your life. I'll somehow negotiate—no, persuade them—and get permission in advance, so come with me."
Convinced by Dad's seriousness, I had no choice but to come along with him.
And, thinking about it, having a guardian with me today might actually be for the best. Even if I was essentially Dad's guardian in reality.
But the moment we arrived at the Senoa Temple with Dad and Acid, I ran into a massive problem.
Why are those scary-looking uncles here?!
They say leaks start from inside, but they're leaking from outside too.
Scary-looking uncles with cute pins in their hair were surrounding the temple area without a single gap, like they were guarding it.
It would be weird enough just having scary uncles wandering around,
but they were all wearing floral-patterned outfits, with flowers in their hair and awkward smiles on their faces pretending to be innocent...
...It created an enormous sense of dissonance.
I'd heard from the maid sisters last time that the temple was hostile to the Mirmod family, so we couldn't stay long. Is this okay?
"Those uncles..."
"Yeah."
I could see the uncles surrounding the temple walls tightly. They looked at least two meters tall, with fierce faces and clumsy smiles that stood out.
I whispered to Dad.
"Why do they have pins in their hair? Sigh..."
"...Weird?"
"Nooo..."
"It's weird."
"No, it's not weird..."
Strangely, as soon as Dad heard me and his expression hardened, the uncles' awkward smiles deepened even more.
Still, thankfully, those uncles didn't come inside the temple.
Before those uncles pick a fight and my status as a pushover gets exposed, let's get the checkup done as fast as possible and grab Ted on the way out.
I scurried after Dad into the Senoa Temple.
The atmosphere felt quite different from last time, after the maid sisters had been chased out of the temple.
As soon as we entered, people came out to greet us. Their expressions were mostly solemn and serious.
But...
Where's Ted? I thought he'd definitely come out.
I carefully moved my lips.
"Um, where's Sir Ted the Holy Knight?"
As I blinked and asked, the priest swallowed a sigh regretfully.
"Sir Ted has gone to the saintesses' tea party. He'll be out all day, so it seems we won't be able to meet him."
That was definitely strange. If Acid was coming, Ted was the type to drop any schedule and rush over.
I tilted my head in confusion.
"Why a tea party?"
"He's escorting a saintess."
I was certain no one was more important to Ted than Acid.
Suddenly, I recalled the content of the letter Ted had sent. The part about Gabrielle continuing to assign him as her escort.
"...Um, is it Saintess Gabrielle by any chance?"
The priest's eyes widened.
If my guess was right, he was probably thinking, *How did she know that?*
"Yes, he's gone as Saintess Gabrielle's escort. He'll be out all day, so I'm afraid you'll have to meet him another time."
It all fit together.
Gabrielle was also eyeing Ted as her knight, and she seemed to be hostile toward me.
Gabrielle must have noticed Ted's talent too.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and sank into thought.
And it was right then.
Acid, standing to my left, cautiously spoke up.
"Um... Lady Sien."
"Hm?"
I looked at Acid. He murmured cautiously toward me.
"Didn't you want to, um, meet my brother?"
"Yeah, I did."
But if he's not here today, I can come tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, the day after.
I could just camp out here every single day.
I'm super persistent!
But Acid, unaware of my determination, looked a bit dejected. He cautiously asked me.
"Then what do we do... Sh-should we come back tomorrow?"
"Baby?"
"...Huh?"
"Does baby not wanna meet brother?"
"I, I... Let's get the divine power test first. We can meet my brother... next time."
I was glad Acid's resolve hadn't wavered.
I patted Acid and said.
"Okay then. Since you're smart."
He was right.
Today was for meeting Ted and Acid, but it was also the day for Acid's divine power test.
Maybe Acid has divine power too...!
They say divine power is hereditary, so maybe Acid has even more than Ted.
Finishing my thoughts, I grinned widely.
But Acid, who seemed weak to praise like yesterday, had his face flare up bright red again. That look was just like... a burning sweet potato.
***
Acid's mind was filled with Sien's voice echoing like tolling bells.
"Okay then. Since you're smart."
"Okay then. Since you're smar..."
"Okay then. You're..."
Sien... definitely said that.
For a moment, words failed him. Acid heard a high-pitched *beep* in his ears.
Whether it was tinnitus or something else, he didn't know...
...But that line definitely made his heart sink with a thud.
It felt like a gentle spring breeze rustling through his heart. As waves of a sensation he'd never felt before washed over him, Acid's mouth fell slightly open, and a sigh escaped.
"Baby?"
Even when Sien called him puzzledly, he was too flustered to properly hear it.
"Baby!"
Only when Sien blinked and thrust her face right in front of his did he manage to find words to respond.
"...Y-yes, yes!"
This is weird.
As he gazed into Sien's green eyes,
all the worries from last night about whether he could pass the divine power test, all the thoughts about his brother, felt utterly pointless.
"We gotta go get your divine power test now. You nervous?"
The tension he'd felt about the divine power test melted away completely, like an egg stirred with chopsticks.
Acid nodded dazedly.
"Y-yes, l-let's go... I-I'm nervous. Yeah."
"Yeah? Give it your all!"
For a moment, Acid didn't even register what "give it your all" meant. That's when Sien stuck out her left hand toward him.
"Come on, hand!"
A doubt rose in him: *Can I really hold Lady Sien's hand?*
He was a commoner who'd begged for scraps, and Sien was a noble lady.
The thought that even touching her hand might be disrespectful made his hand hesitate and start to drop.
"Aah, hand hurts."
Sien casually extended her hand toward him, not giving him time to hesitate.
So the boy carefully grasped the precious little hand offered before him.
Sien casually laced her fingers with his.
"Hit it, let's go do the test!"
"Yes."
Every time he walked with Sien, a pleasant baby scent tickled his nose.
*I really want to protect her...*
Lost in his thoughts, Acid didn't notice Mathias's eyes narrowing as he stood by silently observing.
He was just looking forward to the divine power test that would come soon.
He hoped it would be something helpful to Lady Sien...
A splendid door inside the temple came into view.
Acid steeled himself and strode forward firmly.
He had to stand straight and confident.
Because there was a Sien he needed to protect.
***
The morning after Acid received his divine power test, a small sketchbook letter was delivered to the front of Delphia's mansion.
[You're invited to a tea party at two this afternoon.
-Sien-]
The crooked handwriting was unmistakably written by Sien herself.
It was his first tea party invitation like this, so Delphia was a bit flustered for the first time in his life.
And it was awfully sudden and pure. He'd thought it would be at least a month before she peeked her face out.
Sien Mirmod. Maybe Mathias doesn't treasure that kid all that much.
If she were truly a beloved daughter, he never would have allowed a tea party with him. Knowing what Delphia knew about Mathias, Mathias knew just as much about him. They would have avoided meeting as much as possible.
"It could be a trap from Mathias Mirmod. That guy's vicious, he might even kill..."
"Dying by Mathias? So what."
The maid's face paled.
"If it's fun, that's that."
Delphia grinned.
It was a smile oblivious to his own future.
***
That afternoon at two, inside the Mathias mansion. Delphia, who had come alone, was led by the extraordinary maids into the drawing room.
The drawing room was decorated brightly, just like a proper tea party venue.
Not bad at all.
In the pink tea party room suited to a girl's tastes, a tiny tot half his size scurried up to him.
"Hello, sister!"
Delphia was slightly flustered for the first time in his life.
Facing Sien, he realized anew that he'd never been this up close and personal with a kid her age.
What, she's so tiny.
...So tiny she looked like she'd die if he poked her hard.
Moreover, no one had told him Sien Mirmod was this cute.
He'd glimpsed her through a welcome projection spell, but seeing her in person was on another level of cuteness.
First, those plump cheeks.
They looked so squishy and bouncy, he wanted to pop them in his mouth and shake.
"Sit here... Hm? Why so skinny?"
Next, her speech trailed off a bit slurrily... like a squished steamed bun talking. And yet her expression was prim and proper.
"Damn, wanna touch..."
"Hm?"
"Wanna touch those cheeks once. Can I?"
Sien shook her head no no.
"No way."
As she shook her head, her puffy cheeks and neatly tied pigtails swung side to side. Delphia was someone who could survive even without laws in the bad sense, but for some reason, he didn't want to be hated by Sien...
So Delphia just stopped.
And he sat on the sofa opposite Sien, deciding to enjoy this tea party prepared by the cheeky little brat.
Though he had no idea exactly what this tiny tot had prepared.
Half of him thought, *What could this little kid have done?* and half hoped for some new event.
"Come on, this tea has holy lemon in it."
The tiny thing, having finished her debutante debut, hosted the tea party with surprisingly proper guidance.
"Yeah?"
Sien pointed at the table and said maturely.
"Yup. Drink up!"
Delphia took a sip of the lemon black tea without much thought.
Watching her, Sien lifted the corners of her mouth in a grin. It was an enchanting eye smile even on second look.
He took another sip without thinking, and Sien bared her tiny front teeth as she said.
"Um, that tea, Grandma said give it to you when you come..."
He thought grandma must be Duchess Lukella or something, and Sien tilted her head brightly.
"The silver spoon changed color. It's poison maybe!"
The silver spoon changing color meant there was poison in the tea.
Delphia, who had fallen for it so easily, set down her teacup and smirked.
"Yeah, it's poison, huh. So am I dying now?"