“Adjusting is a bit… exhausting.”
At the top of the clock tower, Alexander was wrestling with all kinds of magic formations. The visible light and all other waves—radar and magical power—were flowing out, creating a high-level barrier that was impossible to detect. The clash of the cleverly installed observation magic formations was causing trouble. He had to make precise adjustments between the two to ensure that the observation magic formation remained hidden from the outside while still functioning properly.
“Done.”
Finally finishing the adjustments, Alexander stretched to relax his stiff shoulders, focusing on the observation magic formation. The magical formation reflecting the city’s landscape rapidly zoomed in until it reached a villa. It was a familiar sight; it was a villa that Alexander had personally visited. Familiar faces gathered in the garden.
“Hero… what are you doing there…?”
Hero Leopard. Duke Dragania. Julia. And her daughter, Tia.
The four appeared to be enjoying an afternoon tea time. It was simply frustrating that he couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversations. However, he thought maybe he could catch something if he kept watching. Suddenly, the Duke turned his head and stared directly at the observation magic formation. In that instant, Alexander felt as if their eyes had met, and his body trembled.
“Ugh?!”
Then the barrier and the magic formation shattered completely. Surprised by the agonizing pain as if his eyes had been gouged out, Alexander clutched his eyes and hid behind the roof. There was no way he should have been seen. He had blocked all paths for observation in advance. Yet, the dragon’s gaze pierced through Alexander from hundreds of meters away. With a single thought, he could have killed him in an instant.
“Haha…”
Alexander couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Such a well-secured villa of Dragania; what on earth was the reason for hiding Julia there? And why was Duke Dragania staying away from the institution for such an unusually long time?
“I have a lot of suspicions, but no evidence…”
Julia’s whereabouts had been confirmed ‘coincidentally’ right after the Holy Maiden had vanished. It was as if she hadn’t existed prior to that. The suspicions were overflowing, but he couldn’t just stir up trouble for a woman protected by the hero and the dragon with suspicions alone.
“The opponents are monsters that could reduce someone like me to powder in a heartbeat. How am I supposed to handle this?”
Alexander clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Shall we eat? It’s about dinner time.”
“I’ll just leave. Excuse me, Your Grace.”
“I believe Julia was involved in today’s cooking as well.”
“Oh. I do feel a bit hungry…”
“That’s right! Good thinking!”
He was taken aback. Leopard, who had insisted on not eating, suddenly changed his attitude entirely. While it was true that he participated in cooking, he had only helped out in minor tasks like fetching ingredients and tools at the chef’s command. Leopard’s face, on the way to the restaurant, revealed an excitement he couldn’t hide.
“Sit here.”
“What do you mean? Is it just the two of us?”
“Um. Julia, would you like to join us for dinner?”
“I’ll decline.”
Just as he seemed to be eagerly inviting her, I firmly rejected it. A maid dared not eat alongside her master. I needed to impress upon the Duke that I was devoted to my duties and had no intention of becoming close to him personally.
“Why on earth would two men have dinner together? How dreary.”
“Isn’t that right, Julia?”
“I clearly said I decline.”
“Tia, do you want to have dinner with us? How about it? I’ll give you some tips on what to do at school while we eat.”
“I want to eat! I want to eat with Leo!”
“…I’ll join as well.”
However, with Tia suddenly betraying him, there was no other option. I couldn’t leave Tia by herself, so I quickly accepted the invitation. If I didn’t sit down with them, I, as the maid, would have to eat somewhere else. While the hero Leopard was at the villa, I could never allow Tia to be out of my sight.
“So, just the other day, the little kid who was just a kid is going to school?”
“Hmm!”
“What’s the name of the school?”
“Um… what was it…?”
The dining table buzzed for the first time in a while. That was nice. It was good in a way, but…
“Don’t you know that yet?”
“Mom! What was the name of the school I’m going to?”
“…”
I was dissatisfied with the seating arrangement. Why was Tia sitting next to the hero while I was sitting beside the Duke across from her? I had assumed that Tia would naturally sit next to me if I sat down first. But seeing her dash over to Leopard without any hesitation felt like a stab to my heart. Was that guy better than me? Had she forgotten all his past misdeeds? Was she just swept away by that mere bouquet of flowers? I felt tears welling up with betrayal.
“Yes, Mom? What was it again?”
“It was called St. Sophia.”
“St. Sophia! A wonderful educational institution. In the past, it was notorious for gathering the old-fashioned and turning them into thugs, but recently, it has excelled academically and has become a prestigious school.”
“Huh…! So it’s a good school anyway?”
“That’s right. You understood well.”
They seemed to get along quite well. I felt frustrated as I realized there was no room to interrupt the conversation. I couldn’t take my eyes off the cheery table across from me. If Tia hears any weird things, I’ll immediately take action.
“Julia, don’t worry too much and eat.”
“That’s a tall order. How can I not worry?”
“If you’re really that anxious that you can’t eat… here. Eat.”
“Umm…”
A fork was suddenly thrust toward me, and a piece of meat was pushed into my mouth. It was cut into a size that was easy to eat. Perhaps it was due to being a dish for the Duke, but it tasted incredible. As I chewed absentmindedly, I suddenly realized.
“Wait?!”
This was an indirect kiss. Without any hesitation, I had accepted the man’s fork, but upon reflection, I was currently in a woman’s body. The Duke was now trying to charm me with this. In the process, he had mixed his saliva with mine… Ugh, the disgust washed over me. Of course, I had shared worse things before, but the circumstances were different this time. When I glanced angrily at the Duke, he looked back with a questioning expression, as if asking what was wrong. My face was on fire.
“Listen. School, you know? It’s like the wild, the wild.”
“The wild?”
“Yes. St. Sophia is particularly wild. It’s a school where not just humans, but many other races can enroll, so there’s quite a lot of conflict among them. I’ve heard there are even brawls between dormitories. If you’re considered easy pickings, you could easily be dragged away to a secluded place and subjected to a group beating.”
“A lynch? What’s that?”
“It means getting beaten up badly.”
“Eek…”
That must be a lie, right? Just a fib to scare Tia… I decided to believe that.
“So if you’re dithering around holding onto your skirt, you’re going to be in big trouble. Keep your shoulders back. Clench your fists. And then when you come across someone, widen your eyes.”
“Like this?”
“Well, that’s right, but…”
Leopard seemed to be desperately holding back laughter, trembling. It was understandable. Tia’s earnest attempt at looking intimidating was irresistibly cute. No matter how much she squared her shoulders and frowned, it only seemed to make her look like she was sulking because things weren’t going her way. Adorably cute.
“What if someone still picks a fight?”
“In that case, there’s no choice but to use force. If you back down, you’ll be completely marked as an easy target. You have to assert dominance all at once.”
“How? How?”
“Initially, everyone will probably look down on you. You’re a short girl, after all. Just wait until you get close. Then lead them down so your fist can reach their face. You can say something in a tiny voice, making it annoying. And at that moment, strike them on the nose with your fist! Just enough to not break the skull!”
“How sneaky…”
“What are you gonna do if it’s considered sneaky? You just have to win. Got it?”
“Hmph!”
That was a story from experience. I felt certain of it as soon as I heard it. Tia must have been looked down upon a lot while attending school because she was a girl. It seemed like there were a few skulls that had been broken along the way. And yet, teaching a child such things…
“Do you have any questions?”
“I have a question! You said there are many races other than humans at St. Sophia!”
“There are half-humans, elves—quite a variety.”
“Then are there demon races like Tia?”
“Demon races? There might be a few, but they are extremely rare. But Tia, you’re not a demon…”
“Tia. Stop bothering Mr. Leopard and eat your meal.”
“Hmph…”
I quickly interrupted and scolded Tia. Leopard’s eyes widened as he silently stared at me. It seemed to question why I hadn’t mentioned that Tia wasn’t a demon yet. He shot me an annoyed look, sighed, and then turned his gaze away.
Yes. I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I was a child born from being raped and had no choice but to give birth to Tia. If Tia were to someday sit down with me seriously and ask, I might tell her the truth, but for now, I decided to keep it hidden. After all, it wouldn’t make any difference if she believed I wasn’t her real mother. Nothing would change.
That’s what I decided.
“My appetite has disappeared. I think I’ll get up now.”
“Hmph?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not because of you. Do you want to go outside? There’s a frisbee; shall we throw that around?”
“I want to throw it! T, Tia has already eaten!”
“No, take your time eating. I just have something to think about for a moment.”
With that, Leopard pushed back his chair and got up, ruffling Tia’s hair before leaving the dining room. The glance he threw at me as he passed was cold. Tia, seemingly eager to follow him, started to gobble her remaining meat without even cutting it. An awkward silence filled the dining room in an instant.
“This really ruins my appetite…”
I felt like the only sinner.
