Chapter 228: After the Class
We brought food with us, which meant that the children could spend the entire day receiving intensive lessons from Chris and me without resorting to theft. As for myself, I hadn’t eaten anything. I couldn’t show my mouth after all. Besides, fasting for a few days wasn’t a problem for me, and missing just one meal was even less of an issue.
“Teacher, can we do this again tomorrow?”
Chirik bowed his head while asking me. Though it had only been a day, Chirik had improved his skills in spiritual arts. His progress was the reason he was asking for more lessons the next day.
It seemed that he thought he had grown quickly because of my teaching methods. But that idea is wrong. The remarkable progress he had made was solely due to his overflowing talent.
I, too, could use sand spiritual arts just like Chirik. Therefore, I had a lot to teach him based on my past experiences, and there was no doubt that I was a good match for him as a teacher.
But more than that, his talent exceeded my expectations. He possessed wisdom beyond his years and absorbed what I taught him as readily as dry sand soaks up water. I had already conveyed all the essential knowledge for using spiritual arts in battle to him, and there was little left to teach him except for some minor tactical skills.
“Tomorrow, both Chris and I have plans in the afternoon. We might manage to make time in the morning, but spending the entire day like today will be impossible.”
“Is that so… Then, could you please teach us at least in the morning?”
“Hmm… What do you think, Chris?”
Though there was a limit to what I could teach, I couldn’t outright refuse him when he asked. I checked with Chris to see if it was okay, but she shook her head with a disappointed look on her face. Apparently, she had various preparations to make from the morning onward.
I felt sorry for Chirik, but I was employed by Liselotte. Moreover, I was currently tasked by Robert to increase the security for the evening party. Considering the needs of us all, I had to prioritize these responsibilities over my personal connection with Chirik, a child I had come to care for.
“I’m sorry, but it seems we can’t make it tomorrow.”
“Is that so…”
Chirik’s shoulders slumped down in disappointment. Despite not having done anything wrong, I inexplicably felt as if I were being reprimanded. What was this strange sense of guilt?
“The day after tomorrow should be feasible. Until we meet again, continue practicing as I’ve taught you.”
“Yes, teacher!”
Overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of guilt, I hastily made the promise to Chirik without even confirming Chris’s schedule. Behind me, Chris was trying to stifle her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. I had braced myself for a scolding or some sharp words from her, but her laughter caught me off guard. Why was she laughing?
After making the promise to Chirik, I stood up, ready to return to the Rowell residence with Chris. However, someone was standing in our way. It was Magna with his arms crossed and head looking away, and Nana, who had seemingly dragged him there against his will.
“What’s going on?”
“Miss Chris, thank you for today!”
“…Thanks.”
Nana bowed her head firmly, while Magna did so slightly in gratitude. It must have been their first experience being taught martial arts, even if it was just the basics. The fortune of this opportunity was not lost on them, with Nana and seemingly Magna too understanding how lucky they were. Magna’s willingness to express his gratitude, despite his hate for adults, made this clear.
Nana raised her head and then turned towards me. Perhaps she had something to say to me as well?
“Also, um…”
“It’s Antares.”
“Thank you too, Mr. Antares. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Chirik look so happy.”
“Wai-, big sister Nana?!”
“Tch…”
Nana said this and bowed to me as well. I didn’t expect to be thanked and was taken aback. On the other hand, Chirik shouted in a fluster, and Magna glared at me with displeasure. It seemed like he disliked the idea of his younger brother becoming attached to someone other than himself.
Throughout the day, Chirik and I seemed to have grown significantly closer. A shared interest in sand spiritual arts certainly helped, but there was more to it. Our conversations brought a sense of ease and comfort. It’s hard to describe… but yes, Chirik and I just seemed to naturally get along well.
“Please come again. Next time, could you bring that girl with you?”
“You mean Lappy?”
“Yes. I now realize that what she said to me was right. I want to thank her for making me see that.”
Aaah. Now that I think about it, after she made that crossbow surprise attack, Lappy said something like a lecture to her. Nana must have pondered over it and eventually came to appreciate Lappy’s advice as reasonable.
Now that Nana was as she is, she would surely get along well with Lappy. I wasn’t opposed to bringing her along, but Lappy was Lieselotte’s favorite. Taking her to the refugee camp might upset Lieselotte if she felt separated from Lappy. I considered asking Chris to help soothe any potential displeasure.
As we reluctantly said our farewells to the children, we made our way through the evening bustle of the refugee camp and headed toward the Rowell mansion. The camp was crowded with people returning from their jobs outside, inevitably bringing everyone closer together… and some even tried to slip their hands into others’ pockets.
“Owowowoww!”
“Ah, this is different from our morning visit.”
“With more people around, many don’t recognize us.”
In the morning, those who had heard about Heintz’s attempt to extort me and his subsequent defeat were likely around. That incident had occurred during the day, and there must have been eyewitnesses.
However, by evening, those returning from outside the camp didn’t know us. Our neat appearance probably made us look like easy targets. It seemed wise to quickly return inside the safety of the city walls.
“Eeeh!”
“…Ah, that’s right, you mentioned dealing with thugs yesterday. So there are more people now who don’t know about that.”
Chris, after capturing and twisting the arm of a pickpocket, kicked him away to fend him off. Her handling of the thief was rough, but given that he had tried to steal a wallet, he was fortunate not to have his arm broken. It would be better to think of it as her being merciful.
The pickpockets’ malicious hands had reached me as well, with a bold one even attempting to steal the sword at my waist, not just my wallet. While I only swatted away the hands of those targeting my wallet, I reflexively delivered a rather serious chop to the one who aimed for my sword.
As I wasn’t wearing gloves, the exoskeleton of my hand was softened, so no serious harm came of it. Had my exoskeleton been intact, even with good luck, the thief’s wrist would likely have been broken.
“Did I go too far?”
“It’s the thief’s fault. Let’s head back.”
Feeling a bit remorseful, I allowed Chris to lead me by the hand straight back to the Rowell mansion. The people who opened the door to the Rawell mansion and welcomed us were not Gina… but Leo and Lappy, who were dressed as servants.
“Welcome back, Sir Antares.”
“…Mm. Welcome back.”
Leo greeted us with a serious expression, standing tall and speaking in a subdued voice. Lappy, on the other hand, looked to be sleepy as she murmured the greeting and staggered towards us with unsteady steps. Instead of approaching me, she clung to Chris who was at my side.
Chris seemed surprised but lifted the drowsy Lappy with a gentle smile. Lappy opened her eyes slightly and stared at Chris’s face, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
“Ah, you’re back… Oh, she fell asleep again.”
“Hilda, what’s all this about?”
“It’s nothing unusual. This is the result of the training for the young lady’s night party. Well, Lappy fell asleep before showing the results, though.”
…. It appeared that this situation was the result of intense tutoring by Lieselotte. Lappy had fallen asleep, so I didn’t know about her progress, but Leo’s demeanor suggested he had undergone quite the rigorous training.
Well, It was clear that a certain level of success had been achieved. Although anyone could tell that Leo was still not fully accustomed to his clothes, his posture and manner of speaking reminded me of Gina’s. This was a stark contrast to the usually lively Leo. Perhaps he had even earned Lieselotte’s approval?
“Miss Hilda, can you take them both to the night party?”
“Well, they’re just about passable. But I’ve been told to make sure they speak as little as possible. It’s all a bit superficial, and it could fall apart easily.”
To me, their performance seemed sufficient, but from Lieselotte’s perspective, it appeared they had just scraped by the minimum standard. Pretending to be servants of nobility was evidently not as simple as I thought it to be.
For now, I have learned about today’s achievements. All that remained was to have dinner and go to bed. Taking the sleeping Lappy from Chris, I followed Leo, who was leading the way to my room. Then Tigar and Decius were waiting in front of the door.
“Welcome back.”
“Hey, Boss. You’re back… Kukuku!”
“Don’t laugh, Dad! Ah?!”
“Hmm… Huh? Big brother… Zzz…”
While Decius greeted us normally, Tigar couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Leo with me. Until now, Leo had a calm face, but when his father, Tigar, laughed at him, he returned to his usual self. Yes, this more energetic version of him was definitely better.
Lappy awoke to Leo’s loud voice, but upon seeing my face, she tilted her head in confusion. However, she quickly fell back asleep, likely exhausted from the unfamiliar training required to be a servant to nobility. I decided it would be best to let her continue sleeping for now.
“My bad, my bad. But, you know…”
“Don’t laugh. It’s the fruit of his hard work.”
“That’s true. Sorry, Leo. My bad.”
“…It’s fine, I guess.”
“Really, I’m sorry. I’ll share some of my dinner with you, so forgive me.”
“Really!? Okay, then I forgive you!”
Tigar seemed to be feeling genuinely sorry and he surprisingly apologized sincerely. Leo was sulking, but he quickly forgave him with the promise of sharing dinner. Decius and I exchanged glances and then smiled wryly at each other. We then decided to let Lappy sleep and headed to her room to put her to bed.
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