Downtown in the capital, Labrys’ little sister, Lizbell Scarlet, stared at Chrom Chronogate silently.
She moved swiftly from the cover of one shadow to the next.
(Ahh… What incredibly perfect tailing. Only Liz here could still be tracking him without losing sight of him.)
She said with a self-satisfied tone while wiping sweat off her brow.
“Mommy, what’s that?”
“Fufu. Spring makes people behave oddly.”
Lizbell seemed unaware of all the eyes on her. Or that Chrom had already noticed her for that matter.
And so, although she could not look any more suspicious, she continued taking notes about Chrom.
(…Hmm? So that’s our guest Chrom Chronogate, the one big sister Labrys says she owes a debt to…)
According to what she heard when she eavesdropped on her father, Chrom Chronogate destroyed a secret base of the Sorcerer Association by himself, and saved her big sister Labrys.
And to thank him, her father invited him to their mansion.
(He was so weak, and now he’s strong all of a sudden? Destroyed a secret base of the Sorcerer Association? No way. That can’t be right.)
Yes, Lizbell knew. Chrom was a failure who couldn’t use any magic until very recently.
Magic was determined by birth. People’s talents couldn’t just bloom, and they couldn’t suddenly become strong.
Lizbell… Knew that very well.
(Good grief, is everyone at home just ignorant? Do they actually believe this nonsense? But your luck’s run out now, because Liz is here… Liz will unmask you and save dear big sister Labrys.)
A creepy smile formed on Lizbell’s face, as she held a spider toy she bought at a stall.
But then…
“Tenth Memory (Memory Manipulation Ⅹ).”
She felt she heard a voice behind her. A strange and unmemorable, pure-white sounding voice.
Lizbell casually turned around, and…
“…? Is Liz hearing things?”
No one was there, but she did see a white piece of paper fluttering out of the corner of her eye.
It looked like it belonged to a book. Was it taken that way by the wind?
Lizbell didn’t think too much of it, but…
“…Ah? …Aaah!?”
The pages multiplied in the blink of an eye, and filled Lizbell’s vision.
“W-what… Wai…!?”
The way they were moving was clearly strange.
It was like they were after her, like the pieces of paper had minds of their own.
Lizbell quickly shielded her face, but each time the pieces of paper touched her, she could feel her consciousness fading.
“Is this… Magic!?”
That word popped up in the back of her mind, but she had no idea what kind of magic it was. She had never heard of magic like this.
(…Anyway, at this rate… This is bad.)
Lizbell pushed through the pieces of paper, like she was drowning in paper. She struggled and struggled to escape them any way she could.
But then she saw something. Through a small gap in the paper blizzard, she saw a pale girl watching her.
“…Uh…?”
The paper blizzard vanished, like it was an illusion.
The only thing that remained was Lizbell, standing alone.
(What was Liz… Doing here? Ah, yes…)
Remember.
Remember. Remember.
Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember…
She wondered how she could forget something so important.
“Liz has to defeat Chrom Chronogate.”
Yes, she was just formulating a plan for that purpose.
And Lizbell was ready to put it into action.
And thus, like a marionette, Lizbell staggered her way back to her mansion.
◇
“Hum… The Scarlet mansion is this way, right?”
We’ve been walking for thirty minutes since we got to the capital, and we reached the noble town. The central district of the capital in the inner part of the old city wall street.
El and I are now standing in front of the huge gate of the Scarlet residence.
This thick, black metal gate reminds me of a castle’s walls.
I see phoenix crests carved into the gate’s pillars, the Scarlet family crest.
That means we’re in the right place, or at least I think we are…
“Fuwah… I haven’t been here in a long time, but it really is incredible.”
“It sure is…”
It’s overwhelming.
What I see beyond the gate fence looks like a different world.
There is a large garden with vivid red roses that you wouldn’t think would be in the best district in town. And beyond that, there is an imposing red mansion.
As expected from the mansion of one of the four big families of this kingdom.
“Seriously, Labrys really does come from a rich family…”
I’m reminded of this again, but we can’t just hang around in front of a noble’s house, so we approach a maid holding a halberd that seems to be the gatekeeper.
“Greetings. This lady is Elluna Moonhart, the daughter of Almana’s knight Sirius Moonhart, and I am Chrom Chronogate, a servant of the Moonhart family. Thank you very much for your invitation.”
I bow, and present the invitation.
The warrior maid takes it, and quickly checks its contents.
“We have been expecting you, Lady Moonhart, daughter of Almana’s knight, and Mister Chrom. Please come inside.”
We exchange words that sound like they were pre-written, and the giant metal gate opens by itself.
“This way.”
The maid quickly grabs our belongings and leads the way to the mansion.
We follow her inside.
“C-Chrom… You sounded like a noble!”
“No, you’re the noble here…”
“Who was that daughter of Almana’s knight anyway…?”
“…You.”
The Moonhart family are small-time nobles of a small town, and El hasn’t made her proper debut as a noble, but she’s still a noble lady.
That means she has to act as such, but…
“A-auuu~… In my mind, I was just coming to a friend’s house to have fun… I don’t even know if I did something rude.”
“Well, even if you don’t know proper etiquette, I think you’ll get by if you just act dignified. It feels like noble etiquette changes every year anyway, so no one even knows what’s right.”
“…? It sounds like you actually know a lot about it.”
“Ah, no, I just tried to study it as a servant.”
I used to talk to nobles quite a bit in my previous life. I would even get invited to nobles’ houses when I had just been made a first-class mage and one of the twelve sages. When the world in the future wasn’t completely ruined.
(Still, that’s a lot of barriers…)
I turn my attention to the flow of magic energy around me, and see that it’s not just that first gate. There are several magic barriers in the garden too.
(Do these barriers repel anyone who wasn’t invited?)
Even I would have trouble if I decided to attack this mansion.
I would have to stop and remove every barrier as I encountered them.
(It’s like a fortress. I think I can feel at ease if I leave El here.)
As I think about this, we cross the garden and reach the mansion.
The maid opens the door, and…
“““Welcome to the Scarlet mansion.”””
Inside the entrance atrium are maids lined-up, who welcome us.
“Fuwah, maids.”
“Y-yes, they’re maids but…”
They move exactly like soldiers, and have really violent looking halberds.
The choices ‘fight’, ‘magic’, and ‘run’ pop into my head unintentionally.
This really is the ‘Scarlet military mansion’.
“I-it really feels like the world of nobles.”
“Yes…”
I’ve never been invited to this residence, but…
The crimson rug on the floor is embroidered with shiny golden thread, and the white ceiling seems to radiantly bloom due to the chandelier with crimson crystals that look like rose gems. The beautifully polished walls are decorated with ruby studded swords and armor.
It feels like my eyes are spinning in this dazzling world.
“I really feel like we’re out of place.”
“M-me too.”
But still, for a mansion of high-ranking nobles, it feels less extravagant and more like it’s unaffected and sincere.
I look around while feeling awkward, and someone who looks like a noble young lady walks forward from behind the line of maids.
“Lady Elluna Moonhart and Mister Chrom Chronogate. Thank you for answering our invitation and making your way to our home despite being invited on such short notice. We warmly welcome you to the Scarlet home.”
The girl says while bowing and gracefully lifting the hem of her dress with her fingertips.
She fits perfectly with the dazzling atmosphere of this mansion.
“Fuwa, a noble lady…! Wow, a really noble lady…!”
“Don’t forget you’re still a real noble lady too, El. And that’s Labrys, you know?”
“Fue?”
She’s not wearing the same outfit that’s easy to move around in, and instead she’s wearing a very lady-like dress. Her pink hair also looks even more beautiful than usual, and even her expression has the smile of a proper young lady frozen on it… There’s no doubt about it.
Labrys Scarlet.
The daughter of the duke of Scarlet, and our childhood friend.
“Ah, it really is Laby! I couldn’t tell because she has a completely different air around her. Is this how she’s like at home?”
“…”
The smile frozen on Labrys’ face twitches.
She’s not only the daughter of a duke, but she’s also standing in front of her father’s guests. She can’t act in her usual tsuntsun way in front of the maids.
“W-well then. Let me start by showing you around the house…”
Says Labrys while her face twitches.
El hasn’t caught on to what’s going on in Labrys’ mind, and just runs towards her.
“Laby, it’s been a week~! I missed you~!”
“W-wait, El… Miss Elluna! Don’t just… Please do not hug me so suddenly!”
“Pfff.”
I turn away as I almost start laughing at Labrys’ awkward attempt to sound like a noble lady.
“…Mister Chrom.”
A chill runs down my spine.
I fearfully raise my head, and see that Labrys is right in front of me all of a sudden… And I feel an incredible intensity in her smile.
“Can we… Talk afterwards?”
“Y-yes.”
I nod repeatedly without thinking, because of this indescribable pressure.
And around us…
“…A-a private meeting!?”
“Those two sure are close, senpai!”
“Close enough to be in love?”
“Kyaa! Has spring come for Lady Labrys!?”
The maids excitedly whisper to each other, and Labrys’ mouth twitches even more.
“…A-anyway, we can’t have a nice and calm conversation here… May we go somewhere else?”
“Y-yes…”
In the end, she just wants to get out of here.
Before I even answer, Labrys walks away quickly, while still taking care to walk like a lady, and we hurriedly follow her.
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