Chapter 39: The Villainous Aristocrat: A Series of Misunderstandings

“Grandmother, who is this girl?”

I pointed at the Ashen Lion tribe girl.

Grandmother responded with a cheerful smile, looking pleased.

“Oh, Kunou-chan brought her here! She was really sick, so I gave her a little treatment.”

“Treatment? How? It seemed far too late even to an amateur’s eye…”

“Hehe, about that… Ta-da!!”

Grandmother pulled out a small vial from somewhere.

It seemed to contain liquid, and I understood that this had cured her illness.

“Huh? What is this…? Wait a minute. What is this!?”

I noticed that the remaining liquid inside was enchanted with magic.

This was strange.

In the first place, enchanting magic should only be applicable to objects. However, no matter how many times I looked, it wasn’t the bottle that was enchanted but the liquid itself.

“Hehehe. Do you know? Water, you see, is actually a gathering of tiny particles!!”

“Uh, yes…”

She must be talking about molecules and atoms.

“No way…”

“Keeping that in mind, I applied healing magic to each and every one of those particles. And voilà! I created an amazing medicine that can cure any injury or illness in an instant!! I’m sure it will sell for a high price!!”

Huh!? Wait, wait!! There are so many points to question all of a sudden!!

It’s impossible to bestow magic on individual molecules or atoms without an incredibly unsettling level of skill. 

If someone attempted it, they would need ultra-precise work to perceive these minuscule substances with the naked eye.

This person is a monster. Probably on a level I could never catch up to in my lifetime.

No, there’s still something I want to question.

“Uh, um, where did you acquire that knowledge?””

In this world, the existence of molecules and atoms is not yet known.

Of course, it isn’t. They are too small to be visible to the human eye.

It’s strange to know about them.

If someone does know, it would likely be reincarnated individuals like me, Maria, or Ayano.

Grandmother cutely rested her index finger against her cheek.

“I visited a village not far from the capital just a little while ago for some business. I learned it from the village chief’s daughter there. She’s about the same age as you, Kunou-chan.”

“Which village was that?”

“It’s called Arsen. A peaceful place—”

Arsen.

Ah, I see. I’ve pretty much figured it out.

“Uh, um, this person…”

“Ah, you caught that?”

“Y-yes, just that much.”

Ayano, who had been listening to my conversation with my grandmother, reacted to the word “Arsen.” 

Even if she didn’t understand our language, it seemed she could pick up on individual words.

“Arsen Village is the village where the protagonist lives. Moreover, there shouldn’t be any children our age in that village except for the protagonist.”

“S-so that means!!”

It’s almost certain that the protagonist is also a reincarnated individual.

And a female, at that.

Well, it’s true that in “Fantasista Stories,” you can choose the gender of the protagonist, so it’s not a weird concept.

The problem lies in this encounter rate.

Probability theory, are you really doing your job?

Not that I mind meeting someone from my hometown, though; I find it quite delightful.

Still, it’s quite surprising that the final boss and the protagonist are both reincarnated individuals.

Well, whether the protagonist is a reincarnated person or not, it’s completely irrelevant to me.

Let’s just go with the style of “don’t know, don’t care.”

“But, that doesn’t matter!! The real issue is this child!! Look!! Isn’t she incredibly cute!!”

“Y-yes, she certainly is. By the way, why does she keep staring at me?”

The Ashen Lion tribe girl continues to gaze at me intently.

Well, I can’t really tell if she’s staring; after all, her eyes have been closed the entire time.

She speaks apologetically, 

“I’m sorry. It seems my illness was cured, but I lost my sight.”

“Um, are you okay?”

“Yes. I can understand the position of objects and people through sounds and smells in the surroundings.”

“I see. That’s amazing. And what about your brother?”

“He was so shocked that my illness was cured that he fainted.”

Yes, she seems quite distressed.

“Mas…ter.”

“Huh? What? Whoa!?”

The girl kneels on the spot, bowing her head. Her expression is incredibly earnest.

“Please forgive this life that you saved, Master. I vow to dedicate it solely to you. Please allow me to pledge my loyalty to you.”

“…Well, I did pay a hefty sum for you. Sick or not, you and your brother are here to work, so you better be prepared for that.”

“Understood.”

Still, what should I have her do?

I had planned to make her brother work extra to cover her share too, so there might be a slight deviation from the original plan.

Well, it’s much better than having the plan delayed.

She seems to be able to sense things even without sight, so maybe there’s something unique that only she can do.

“Ah, right. What’s your name?”

“My brother calls me Kohaku. He named me after the color of my eyes.”

“Kohaku… Amber?”

Saying that, Kohaku slowly opened her eyes, eyes that shouldn’t be able to see.

Her eyes were a beautiful amber color.

“Such beautiful eyes. They truly look like gemstones.”

“…Do they? I wouldn’t know.”

“Yeah, they resemble the color of the sun in spring.”

“Hehe.”

“What’s funny? Did I say something strange?”

“I haven’t seen the sun since I was very young, so I don’t remember. I wouldn’t understand that comparison.”

“Hmm.”

Come to think of it, you’re right. It should be something more visually descriptive, shouldn’t it…?

“An eye I could look at forever,”

“…Huh?”

My casual remark left Kohaku looking utterly perplexed.

“Oh my, Kunou-chan. Is that a pickup line, perhaps?”

“I didn’t mean it that way!!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Grandma understands. But you know, engaging in such intense actions, like restraining such a young girl with chains, is not appropriate, you know? At least wait until she’s a bit older—”

“That’s a misunderstanding, I’m telling you!!”

“Oh? Then what about that pretty girl over there?”

Grandmother still points at Ayano, who is bound in a tortoise-shell pattern with the cursed chains.

That’s right, I need to retrieve those chains, the root cause of this misunderstanding!!

“Ayano, I’ll remove those chains right now—hey. Why are you resisting?”

“S-sorry, but when I have these chains on, I feel a strange kind of courage. It’s like… touching them makes me feel secure, like I can talk without vomiting…”

“I get that, but give them back immediately. Come on, stop resisting!!”

“No!! These are mine now!! Besides, if I let go of these, Mevius might come back!!”

“Ugh…”

That won’t work.

If  it appears again, I’ll be killed without a doubt.

Grrr…

It’s frustrating that I can’t clear up this misunderstanding, but there’s no other choice, huh?

“Fine. But at least let me alter their form. I’ll make them into bracelets or necklaces.”

“…If that’s the case… Hyaa!!”

“Huh?”

Ayano tries to stand up but trips over the chains entwined around her entire body.

And then, I find myself enveloped by something large, pushed down.

“Mguo!?”

“S-sorry!! I’ll move right away, uh, huh? The chains, they’re tangled!!”

“W-wait, calm down!! If you struggle, it’ll get worse—”

“Ah, w-wait, um, your breath on my chest, it’s ticklish…”

In the end, it took about an hour for Ayano’s “large thing” to release me.

I felt like I was going to suffocate, but I’ll bury the fact that there was a faintly sweet smell deep down in my heart.

“Oh my. Kunou-chan, you’re quite daring.”

“I apologize, but what is the Master doing?”

“Hehe, you’ll understand when you grow up.”

I won’t forgive my grandmother for just watching with such an amused expression.

Well, it’s my fault for getting involved in this series of misunderstandings.

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