Chapter 73

Episode 73: She Who Is Not Like a Maid

“It looks like we’ll arrive faster than expected.”

Triche, who was sitting next to me and driving the carriage, said.

With the fast speed, Triche’s hair was whipping around wildly.

I could feel that the carriage was going at quite a fast pace as the wind continually brushed against my face.

I happily relayed Triche’s words to Chaewon.

“Oh, did you hear? It seems like we won’t have to camp one more time.”

【Fortunately, we won’t have to camp again on that hard ground?】

“Iriya, did you hear too?”

I turned back to speak loudly enough for Iriya, who was sitting in the carriage, to hear.

“I heard it all!”

Iriya had not appeared to be in a very good mood since the carriage started moving.

This was because, even though I was riding the carriage with Iriya, we weren’t together.

After all, I was sitting next to Triche and driving the carriage with her.

Of course, Triche was holding all the reins used to drive the carriage.

In fact, it was more accurate to say that Triche was driving alone.

【Why are you sitting next to that maid?… Well, it’s better than being with that bug.】

To explain that reason, we need to rewind time a bit.

**********

Just before the carriage set off.

I vaguely remembered that the words I learned in school were almost identical to what Triche had just said.

No, it wasn’t almost; I believed it was 100% the same.

The words Triche had said and the words I learned in school were:

– “To dirty our hands and make the world clean.”

– “To dirty our hands and make the world clean.”

I found it odd that she seemed to share the same belief as me, so I wanted to ask her a bit more. I called out to Triche while we were on the road.

“Triche.”

“What is it? Didn’t you finish your business?”

What Triche referred to as “business” was likely the exchange of questions we had thrown at each other early in the morning.

Honestly, I wanted to ask her something about the similar belief I thought she had, but I couldn’t figure out how to phrase it.

“That’s not it, um… I have something to ask… is it okay if I sit next to you?”

So I decided to just ask out of curiosity and sought her permission to sit by her side.

“If you have something to ask, you could just ask our lacking little master, couldn’t you?”

“N-No… please, just… is there no way around it?”

“… If you can withstand the strong wind, then as you wish.”

“Thanks, I’ll let Iriya know that I’m going to sit in the driver’s seat.”

I quickly organized my things and moved away from Triche, heading toward Iriya, who was already onboard the carriage.

– Clatter!

“Oh, are you finally here… last night, I wondered what-”

As I opened the carriage door abruptly, Iriya, who seemed to have been waiting, called out to me.

“I’m sorry, Iriya! This time I’m going to sit with Triche.”

“That, that means… it sounds like you’re saying you’d sit side by side in the driver’s seat…”

“Yup, that’s right.”

“W-What… did you two get closer after your relationship from the other day?”

“What nonsense are you talking about first thing in the morning?”

For some reason, Iriya had suspiciously viewed my relationship with Triche ever since.

“If there’s no answer, I’ll take it that you’re okay with what I assume?”

– Clatter!

“Wait a moment!-”

Before Iriya could bring up anything tedious, I quickly closed the carriage door.

【Wasn’t that conversation unfinished? I only remember hearing to wait at the end.】

‘It’ll be alright… Even if she looks like that, she is the king’s daughter… as a princess, she should endure these hardships and more.’

I could hear sounds coming from inside that seemed to speak negatively of me multiple times.

I returned to the driver’s seat where Triche was seated.

“They said it was okay to sit up here with you.”

“… That doesn’t sound right to me… more than that, why haven’t you resolved the misunderstanding that our little master has?”

“Well, it’ll resolve itself eventually.”

“You’re not enjoying being mistaken for doing those kinds of things, are you?”

– Smack!

“Ugh, how could I?”

I hurried to sit next to Triche, who was already cracking the whip to guide the horses.

“… Don’t get too close since it’s distracting when I’m driving-”

“Well, if we don’t sit this close, I might fall off. Please understand.”

**********

Back to the present.

The ride in the driver’s seat was, of course, uncomfortable compared to sitting inside the carriage.

Inside, the seats had cushions, but here, it was hard.

“How can you endure this discomfort so well? My backside hurts, and it’s getting hard to bear.”

【Why does that sound lewd?】

‘It’s not lewd at all. You must be tainted by some lustful spirit.’

“That’s…”

【That’s?… Ah! Are you an idiot? Why ask something like that?】

‘Why again?’

【Unlike men, women have cushions on their backsides~ Surely, that woman also has a larger backside like mine and doesn’t feel discomfort as easily!】

‘… It’s a bit strange, but surprisingly, you make a point… However, you’re just floating around.】

【What are you talking about? I’m definitely sitting here. Right on your right shoulder.】

Chaewon was sitting on my shoulder again after a long time.

Just like when we first met and went out.

‘But I would think sitting on the shoulder would be more uncomfortable than the driver’s seat…’

【That’s because you’ve never tried sitting like this. Once you do, you’ll find it’s surprisingly comfortable!】

‘When would I ever get to sit on someone’s shoulder?’

“That aside, if you’re complaining about discomfort to this extent but still chose to sit in the uncomfortable driver’s seat instead of enjoying the scenery inside the carriage… I can take that as a sign that you have unfinished business with me, right?”

Triche, unable to answer my question about how she endures the pain in her backside, turned the question back to me instead.

“Huh? That’s right.”

“If you’ve taken a seat next to me because of any ulterior motives…”

Triche glared at me as she spoke.

Yet she did not forget to skillfully guide the horses.

Every time she cracked the whip, the speed of the carriage increased.

Dark circles were forming under Triche’s eyes.

I was just as sleep-deprived as she was from staying up all night.

“No, I’m going to ask now.”

The sound of hooves could be heard.

Continuously, without hesitation.

The sound of the whip as the driver guided the carriage occasionally echoed in the air.

Slowly, with rhythm, balancing.

I took a deep breath.

“… You realize I came here to Violet’s mansion with someone, right?”

“I know most of what has happened since you came to this mansion, so please don’t waste time with idle chatter and get to the point.”

【I can guarantee that maid has 200% chance of being a T.】

“… So, where is my companion now, and what are they doing?”

Without circling around, I directly asked Triche as she wished.

“When you say companion… are you referring to that blind woman with white or silver hair?”

“Yes… the white-haired one. Where is she?”

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

Since the moment Harin and I parted, I had not seen her here at all.

The reason I first asked Triche about this was simple.

It was about the wedding with Iriya.

Because I overheard Verdium mentioning that Harin would be used as a sacrifice at that ceremony.

Still, I faintly remembered hearing from Iriya that Harin was being taken care of in another room.

“That’s because the father of our little master has silenced all the servants.”

“But-”

“Something that can’t be done, can’t be done. Give it up.”

“Then, why is she being confined?”

“I believe it’s not that she’s locked in a prison.”

“No, I heard that the door to her room was locked from the outside. Why is that? What’s the reason for not letting her out?”

Triche paused for a moment as if contemplating.

Perhaps she was unsure if this was something she could reveal.

I seemed to have asked a question that narrowly crossed the line of what Verdium allowed her to say.

So, she was likely contemplating how to respond.

“The reason for not letting your companion out of the room… I’m not exactly sure, but I think there’s a place where she will be needed.”

“And that place will be used for a sacrifice at the wedding… right?”

“You knew about that.”

It seemed I needed to change the direction of the questions.

“I don’t understand the very idea of using someone as a wedding sacrifice… but why her?”

“Because your companion is special.”

“Does that relate to the ‘Parasite’?”

“You know about the ‘Parasite’, huh?”

The atmosphere around Triche suddenly shifted in an instant.

Previously, she seemed like a maid capable of combat without any openings, but now an aura of sheer strength emanated from her.

“Is it important state secret?”

“Few know about the Parasite.”

“Then, you must know what the Parasite looks like? I truly don’t understand why it’s tied to the wedding.”

“I don’t know what the Parasite looks like. I only know that it is a bug.”

“Oh… so you also have things you don’t know?”

“I think it’s natural not to know…”

“Why is that?”

“That’s because Parasites do not exist in this world.”

“What?”

“So, they simply don’t exist at all. Since they do not exist, knowing them only as bugs constitutes all the information about the Parasite.”

This world within the Gate certainly aligns with the ‘past’.

Thus, from listening to what Iriya said, I had thought that the Parasite possessed a weak power that still allowed it to control others by living as a parasite.

However, it turned out that the existence of the Parasite itself did not exist at all.

If that’s the case, does the Parasite come to be born from someone?

In fact, when they said they would use Harin as a sacrifice to the Parasite for the first time, I initially thought Verdium needed a sacrifice to stop the Parasite.

But now, after listening to what Triche said, I realized that Verdium would sacrifice Harin for the birth of the Parasite.

I didn’t know all the details about the Parasite, but…

I had definitely acquired a clear enemy.