[Saintess for You - 06]
[Saintess for You - 06]
"Welcome, Adrian. It's been a long time."
Ed's father.
Lucian Valtus.
Originally of commoner origin, he was a capable man who, thanks to the efforts of Ed's mother, Noel Valtus, was somehow accepted as a son-in-law.
I couldn't even imagine how much effort a commoner had to put in to be accepted as a son-in-law, but those efforts made to live with the woman he loved must have all been meaningful.
Just by looking, it seemed Ed took after his father, Lucian, more.
In particular, those sleepy-looking eyes, even when he was just standing still, were similar to Ed's.
"Adrian! My, it's been so long! You've grown so much!"
"It's been a while. Father, and Mother."
Mother.
So this person is Noel Valtus, the one carrying the blood of an elf? Her ears certainly didn't lack a slightly pointed feel compared to an ordinary person, but it wasn't that noticeable.
Well, Noel Valtus's elven blood had thinned out quite a bit, after all.
"And Saintess-nim. I, Lucian Valtus, current head of the Valtus family, greet you."
Greeting me politely, Lucian looked at me.
"I heard you were ill until a few years ago, so I am deeply moved to see you looking so healthy. I pray for your long life and good health."
"Thank you, Lucian-nim. Please don't be so formal. My education supervisor and one of the few people I'm personally close with said he was going to his hometown, so I came along feeling like I was on vacation."
"This Valtus territory doesn't have much to offer, but the air is clear and the scenery is beautiful. I sincerely hope you can recover your body and mind, which must be exhausted from the capital."
Ah.
This man.
He really is Ed's father.
I got the feeling immediately.
Even though he was polite and a genuinely good person while talking, I felt a sense of discomfort I couldn't quite place, and I remembered this sensation.
'That observant gaze, I can see exactly who Ed takes after.'
It seemed that not only his appearance but also his disposition was similar to his father's, as everything Lucian did and the way his eyes moved had parts that clearly reminded me of Ed.
Thinking that Ed would look like that when he got older, it felt like a handsome middle-aged man, so it might not be bad.
"Oh my, Saintess-nim. You are so beautiful. I am Noel Valtus."
"Nice to meet you."
Indeed, compared to Lucian, Noel didn't show signs of aging.
She was so young that it was hard to believe she was already middle-aged, and one could even believe she was still in her 20s.
This gave me growing confidence that Ed might also have a long period of youth, and it felt even more like destiny.
"And that person is."
"It's Eris... Ahem, I am Eris. I am serving as the Saintess-nim's escort. It won't be a long time, but I look forward to working with you."
"Oh my, nice to meet you. You're as pretty as the Saintess-nim."
"Th-thank you."
I realized while living together, but Eris was truly surprisingly weak to compliments.
I don't know if it was because of her environment that she had no experience receiving compliments, but she was truly so weak that I was worried she might be taken advantage of by someone trying to scam her with flattery later.
She is older than me, but honestly speaking, I treated her half like a younger sister.
I am stronger in terms of martial power, but keeping Eris by my side was partly because I wanted to increase my own people, and partly a kind of formality that a Saintess needed at least one escort.
I don't care about such things, but there were quite a few people who did.
And gathering talent and helping them grow by my side wasn't a bad idea, so I wanted to recruit more talent if the opportunity arose later.
It felt like I was playing a game of building my own solid faction.
If I were to compare it to chess, it felt like I was personally collecting chess pieces.
I could use as many knights as I wanted, and the same went for pawns or bishops. Collecting chess pieces to play a game of chess where there was only the restriction that there is only one King and one Queen wasn't bad at all.
"What is it, little grandson. No, are you not little anymore?"
"Grandmother. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you are well."
"I can live longer than you, you brat."
'That person is Ed's grandmother, and a quarter-elf.'
Aria Valtus.
Her personality felt a bit strong, and she certainly looked young. She was on a level that didn't pale in comparison to Noel.
The saying that when the two were together, people sometimes thought Noel was the older sister, didn't seem like a lie or exaggeration at all.
It seemed like that feeling was even stronger because of her smaller stature compared to Noel, but because I could feel a depth of experience in her face that couldn't be imitated by the passage of time, I felt that she was the older one.
No, perhaps I was feeling that way because I already knew the information.
"So you are the Saintess-nim. Welcome to the Valtus territory. This territory has just overcome a crisis, so it might be a shabby reception compared to the Cathedral, but please rest comfortably."
"Yes, thank you, Aria-nim."
"My, you already knew my name. Lucian, and Noel. Hurry and guide the Saintess-nim to her room. She must have had a long journey by Mana Car. Bath and meals are already prepared."
"Thank you for the grand reception."
"......."
Ah.
This person is similar to Ed too.
The gaze seen through her monocle was sharper than Lucian's, and it seemed to shine more statically than Ed's.
This person, too, was acting politely toward me on the outside, but her eyes were cold, and she was observing me from head to toe.
At this point, it seemed like Noel, who was just kind without a single thought, was the strange one.
Rather, it felt more convincing that Lucian was not the son-in-law, but of the Valtus family bloodline.
It seems there is such a thing as a mutation, and it seemed Noel was that case.
I hadn't met Ed's brother yet, so I couldn't tell.
According to Ed's story, he said his brother was a bit goofy and playful, but deep down, he was a person with depth. The story of the wise man who acts like a clown came to mind.
The story of a wise man who acts like a fool and pretends to be stupid, even though he is a person who is truly quick-witted.
If he was the person I imagined, then his mother, Noel, was definitely a mutation.
"Little grandson."
"Yes, Grandmother."
"Go see your older brother's face. You haven't forgotten your room since you've been gone so long, have you?"
"I remember."
"Still excellent. Personally, I thought it would be fine if you became the head, but holding onto someone who doesn't want it is ugly."
"I think it's an honorable position, I never said I didn't want it?"
"You say it in every letter by beating around the bush. Get lost, little grandson."
"Understood, Saintess-nim. Please excuse me for a moment."
"Hehe, please introduce me to your brother later too."
Ed nodded and walked away.
It was a shame I couldn't see the brother's face, but I could see everyone else's face except for that brother.
Lucian was the head of the family, but it seemed the actual pillar of this house was not Lucian, but Aria.
Even the head of the family, Lucian, including the servants, seemed to follow Aria's orders.
Since she was older than she looked, it was inevitable to rely on that experience.
Besides, it wasn't a peaceful situation, and it was a place that had been suffering from all sorts of notoriety until recently, so it wouldn't have been a situation to worry about formalities or dignity.
And that notoriety was probably still plaguing them even now.
If I and Ed get together, could I neutralize that notoriety to some extent?
If it's not something that can be solved by time alone, I could cause a bigger event, and my existence could become a repentance that forgives the sins of the Valtus family.
Not bad.
The more material I have to persuade Ed, the better.
I needed many reasons, not just emotional ones, but also rational and realistic ones, to corner Ed.
The extremely rational Ed needed both emotion and reason.
"......."
"Why are you doing that?"
"No, hmm."
Aria kept looking at me.
That observant gaze was so sharp that I felt like I was being pricked.
"First, let me guide you to your room. Later, I will send the little gra... no, Adrian, there as well."
"Thank you."
"How would you like your meal? Shall I have it brought to your room?"
"If you haven't eaten yet, I would love to join you all. I want to talk with my education supervisor and his precious family."
"Oh my, leave it to me. I'll tell you what Adrian was like when he was young!"
Noel is truly pure.
I also thought that in some sense, this person might be the one leading the atmosphere in this house.
"Understood. As the Saintess-nim wishes."
Lucian seemed to lack some initiative, but he seemed to have sincerity.
Surely, Ed's sincerity must have come from this man.
"........"
Aria looked at me for a moment and then said.
"I will call you when it's mealtime. Butler, guide them to their room."
"Understood. Saintess-nim, and Eris-nim. This way."
Eris and I followed the butler.
I felt as if Aria's gaze never left me.
That observant gaze.
Perhaps she might have noticed the sense of discomfort.
The fact that I am acting.
They say that experience is not something to be ignored.
"Saintess-nim."
"Why?"
"When are we going to eat that tree bread?"
"......."
I was so dumbfounded that I went blank for a moment.
I was flustered for the first time in a while.
I smiled.
"Haha, it'll be tough today, so let's go tomorrow. I'll let you eat until you burst, so bear with it today."
"Really? Is that a promise?"