Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Elf and the Coffee Farm (12)
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"Good. Junior Karin. So, what was the geography and terrain like around the Empire when you visited?"
"Uh... It was close to plains."
"Then we can exclude this place."
Justina drew X marks across the mountain ranges spanning the western Empire on the unfolded map, along with the nearby cities. Next, she excluded the highland areas scattered a bit in the north.
She wiped out the generally flat regions too, including the occasional mountains and basins.
"What about the temperature during your visit?"
"W-Warm...?"
"Hmm."
After pondering for a moment, Justina drew a rough line from west to east.
It wasn't blatantly divided by climate, but her intent was to keep only areas leaning toward temperate to tropical.
She figured completely lying would be impossible to backpedal from, so Karin—who'd been vaguely muddling through with fact-based dodges—saw Astraea fall within the range and frantically spun her brain.
Of course, no brilliant ideas popped up; she just resolved to improvise somehow and dodge it.
"I was about to ask how bustling the city was..."
"Pardon?"
Justina's face soured instantly, making Karin shrink back, wondering if she'd messed up. But realizing Justina wasn't looking at her, Karin turned to see two women there.
As one of them—Rias—strode over boldly, Karin's body stiffened from the memory of their last encounter. Noticing Karin's tension, Justina patted her shoulder reassuringly before standing up.
"Why are you two together? As expected, you know something."
Before Rias could finish, Justina—who had shot to her feet—grabbed her collar and slammed her to the ground. Rias hit the dirt with a choked grunt.
Karin couldn't react to the sudden violence and just blinked in stunned silence as Justina planted her foot on Rias's throat.
"Keep screwing around, and I'll crush you. If you don't want to die, shut your mouth and scram."
"You... doing this crap..."
"I said shut your mouth."
Rias grabbed Justina's ankle with both hands and shoved it away, coughing harshly before staggering up. Annoyed by her carefully maintained hair now filthy with sand and dirt, she cleaned it with magic. She spat out the bloody phlegm from her coughing fit and snarled.
"You... you really gonna act like this?!"
"You think you're somebody? Don't shove that filthy mug in my face—go back to whatever hole you crawled from."
"Cut the bullshit. If it's about Julius, then I—"
"How dare you utter my brother's name from that foul mouth."
Justina, hardened by grueling training alongside her brother, didn't hold back as she slapped Rias's left cheek. Blood burst from her nose at the same time. Rias wiped under her nose with a stinging grimace, saw the blood, and her eyes welled with tears.
Seeing Justina grab Rias's collar to hoist her up again, Ermina—who'd come with her—rushed in to intervene.
Justina lightly shoved Ermina away with her free hand and smashed Rias back to the ground.
Karin watched the scene and instinctively clenched her thighs. Who could she blame? Justina terrified her—beating someone purely out of malice, with no goal in sight.
After kicking the writhing, bloodied, teary Rias once more with her right foot, Justina cracked her neck and approached Ermina. Karin agonized over whether to intervene, then squeezed her eyes shut and spoke up.
"Um... c-can we... finish our earlier talk?"
"Hmm. Take that thing with you."
"No, I mean... Rias might know something about Julius. That's why."
"And if she does, what then?"
"...I want to apologize."
"And why'd you bring that one along?"
"Rias won't listen to me alone..."
Karin recalled Rias calling Ermina a whore not long ago, yet here she was begging for help despite her pride.
In the end, she was rolling on the ground, sobbing with blood trickling from her mouth and nose.
Rias managed to prop herself up shakily, covering her mouth briefly before staring at her trembling hand.
Ermina hurriedly applied healing magic inside Rias's mouth—looks like teeth had broken.
"Such a drama queen."
"D-Drama queen? This? Are you insane?"
"You're the insane one. Does it make sense for a filthy face like yours to chase my brother's whereabouts?"
"What do you know?!"
"Who knows you better than me, who's watched you from your engagement to my brother right up to now?"
Rias looked like she had plenty to say, but whether it was too outrageous to voice or Justina's clenched fist scared her, her lips just twitched without words.
Ermina, caught between Rias—who'd openly despised her until recently—and Justina, who eyed her sourly too, didn't know what to do and quietly sidled next to Karin.
Karin, not wanting attention, turned her head away.
"Th-That's exactly why you shouldn't. If you've been watching us all along, unlike others."
"So what? Does that excuse your actions if there's a reason? I can't find one, at least."
"Right! It's my fault! So I have to fix it!"
"Nobody wants that. And nobody expects it from you. Not even your mother, Duchess Calamity."
"Expectations don't matter. It's something I have to do."
"...I can't fully grasp my brother's heart, but as his sister, I'd guess he wouldn't spare you a thought. Don't shove that face in where it's not wanted—reflect on yourself."
"...I know that too. I know Julius treats me like a troublesome 'kid' who just causes problems. But there's something I want to tell him, just once."
"I said scram."
Rias shifted from sitting to kneeling, bowing her head fully.
"Please, give me a chance. I don't need forgiveness—just a moment to speak my true feelings. I'm serious. I beg you."
"God. You never showed that kind of resolve in over ten years, and now it's like this. Too late. Go home."
"...You're not much different."
"Ha. What nonsense."
"Have you ever drunk tea Julius poured for you? Eaten bread he baked? Coffee he brewed? Food he cooked? You haven't gotten a single hobby craft from him, right? Of course not. Julius hated people who expected things from him—and you most of all!"
A slap even fiercer than before sent Rias flying through the air with a resounding crack, crashing face-first. Justina's fist dripped blood, her expression murderous.
Ermina screamed and rushed to Rias, urgently healing the unconscious girl.
Meanwhile, Justina—fuming more than Karin had ever seen—turned to leave, and Karin followed.
"...Sorry. You saw some family drama."
"I-I'm a bit shocked, but it's fine."
"Well, like she said, things get messy with all the history, but what can you do? Acting like that doesn't help."
Calling her "that" since earlier—she really doesn't see her as human.
Karin nodded and walked alongside Justina.
"One thing I will say for her—she's tenacious. She'll probably keep dogging us."
"What do we do then?"
"Stick with me for a while."
It was terrifying advice from the woman who'd burst her nose with a slap, slammed her on hard ground, and finally pulverized her nasal bone with a fist.
Justina, already set on it, contacted Sophia and Natalie too, suggesting they all eat together for a while.
What horrors awaited if she refused out of fear? Namei-senior said she was good to the weak and commoners, but could she trust that?
She agonized internally but had no choice but to nod.
"Then let's pick our next destination from where we left off. I think circling the biggest flatland-based cities in order sounds good—what do you say?"
Wasn't Astraea the Empire's second heart?
Karin racked her brain and answered.
"I-It didn't feel that bustling, I think."
"Cities can have bustling districts only, so better to check them all, don't you think?"
"Uh, uh. Y-Yeah..."
Emergency. She had to get back to the dorm and write that letter.