Chapter 45
The Translator: Yukkuri OniisanThe Editor: Overworked Meido, Yol, CannibaloidChapter 45: Zirconia-sama is Watching[1] It was the next morning after the bandits attacked Grisea Village.The current time was five in the morning. A bright light slowly began to appear at the starry sky above Isteria, the sun might show its face in just another 30 minutes. At the Nelson’s Mansion in Isteria it was still in the early morning where the sun hadn’t appeared yet and except for the soldiers who patrolling the premise, no other people could be seen.However, in a certain room at Nelson’s Residence, even this early in the morning, the owner of the room began to stir and crawl out from the magnificent canopy bed.
The owner of that room was Lieze, who carefully fixed her disorderly long glossy dark brown bed-head hair. She tried to get out of her bed and sat on the edge while her eyes were still half-asleep.She continued to sit dazedly for about a minute before she stretched her body and let out a big yawn.Then she picked up the prepared water jug placed atop of a small table beside the bed, poured the water into a bronze cup, and drank it.She gurgled the water inside her mouth, before spit it out into the copper bowl that was placed on the same small table.After repeating this several times, she moved to the front of a large bronze mirror attached to a dresser. Then she put on a wooden headband to tidy her hair up. Then she washed her face using a silver wash basin. After washing her face, she wiped her wet face down using a towel made of soft cloth while unfastening her headband.Thereafter, she collected her hair into one hand and tied it using a cloth string that was colored dark brown like her own hair. It was a ponytail hairstyle. She turned her head aside to check the condition of her hair and moved to the middle of the room. Suddenly she did a complete 180 degree leg split and started doing stretching exercise. 「One, two, three, four」(Lieze) With both of her hand grasping the tip of her right leg, while counting, she pressed her forehead against the shin of her right leg.After this finished she performed the same routine with her left leg’s shin, and repeated this exercise for several times.When the stretching on both legs finished, while still in leg split position, she brought her body forward to touch the floor. After ten seconds, she slowly raised her body.After that, she performed multiple body stretching exercises for about twenty minutes. When the stretching exercises over, she dressed up with the knee length tunic that had been prepared beside her dresser, and tightly fastened it with the leather belt.Then, she took a small cloth bag from the dresser’s top. After confirming the content of the bag, she fastened the leather strap on the bag’s mouth and put it into her pocket. 「The spear, the spear…」(Lieze) Putting the leather boots, she took the short spear that was stood beside the bed. Finally, Lieze unlocked the door, opened it and headed outside. 「Good morning, Lieze-sama.」(Guard) 「Morning, Sellete. I will go to the courtyard today.」(Lieze) 「I understand. Please take care.」(Guard) As soon as Lieze exited the room, she exchanged greetings with the young female soldier that stood guard in front of her room, and headed to the courtyard.Every time she met with a soldier en route, she would called out their name without fail, then exchanged a few words with some of them. The soldiers who were guarding the mansion from midnight to early morning almost had the same members composition.So, no one questioned her, since they know that Lieze always heads to the courtyard in the early morning. At the time Lieze reached the courtyard, the surroundings had already been brightened up. The morning dew that wet the plants in the courtyard was glistening under the morning sun.While the morning dew on the gra.s.s drenched Lieze’s boots, she moved to an open place in the courtyard.There, she took a small breath and brandished her short spear before beginning to swing her short spear with smooth movements. ✦✧✦ While Lieze was practicing her short spear in the courtyard, Kazura was deeply asleep with his left cheek touching the desk in Nelson’s office room. Last night, after Kazura had his dinner for the second time with Nelson’s family, including Lieze, he left early and returned back to Nelson’s office, and ate several canned food he brought from j.a.pan.After Nelson and Havel returned to the room, with Isaac and Zirconia who came later, he continued summarizing the construction doc.u.ments without interruption nor any break time.During the explanation, others entered and exited the room numerous times to perform their a.s.signed duties. When, by some chance, Kazura was left alone in the room, his concentration suddenly stopped and he collapsed. Thus, he fell asleep with his cheek flat on the desk bringing about the current situation. Someone had put a blanket on Kazura’s shoulder and a small amount of drool had dripped onto the desk.Fortunately, since the doc.u.ments had been tidied up at the desk side, the drool didn’t harm anything except Kazura’s face and the desk. Kazura who was sleeping blissfully was suddenly jolted, in response, he quickly raised his face and look at the room restlessly. 「Ah, I fell asleep……? Ouch……」(Kazura) Since he slept in such an unusual position, his body was in pain as if it was creaking.It was because he was conducting river inspection with Havel for the whole day yesterday, while during the night he was filing doc.u.ments that he ended up burdened by such fatigue. 「Ah, it might be bad if everyone kept covering for me…… If it like this, perhaps it would be better if I asked for a room for me to take a rest……Ah!」(Kazura) Kazura stopped his words when his eyes saw the thing placed atop the table. He then grabbed that thing – an alarm clock – from the side of the table.The a.n.a.log clock’s arms were indicating the time as 6:30. 「L-luckily, there’s still time…… perhaps……」(Kazura) Kazura placed the clock back on the table, stood up, and hurriedly dashed out from the room. ✦✧✦ 「Fuh…… it haven’t been one day, but he won’t come, right……?」(Lieze) After practicing with her short spear for about one hour, Lieze rested her short spear’s end on the ground and muttered.Then she took out the small bag from her pocket and unfastened the leather strap to peek at its content. 「……How beautiful.」(Lieze) Inside the cloth bag was a heart shaped pendant. In the middle of the heart shaped silver frame was a transparent milky white gem – a synthetic opal[2] – embedded in it.The synthetic opal let out a rainbow colored shine under the morning sun and Lieze enjoyed the ever changing sparkle that her eyes received as she moved the angle of reflection in the light. 「Good morning, Lieze-sama.」(Eira) After Lieze viewed the pendant for some time, Eira came with a cloth towel in her hand. 「Ano, is Kazura-sama……」(Eira) 「Yes, perhaps he won’t come today.」(Lieze) Lieze answered Eira’s question while putting the small bag back into her pocket. She received the towel and wiped the sweat that flowed down her forehead and neck. 「Hey, is he really the person, the one who dropped this pendant?」(Lieze) 「There is no mistake for it. Kazura-sama also seems to remember me.」(Eira)
During the night two days ago, when Kazura first joined a dinner with Lieze, Eira fl.u.s.teredly came into Lieze room.Then she informed Lieze that the man Eira crashed into before and the man named Kazura, that Nelson introduced as his friend, was the same person.If he was the same person with the man who crashed with Eira then there is no doubt that he was the person who dropped the pendant that Lieze possesses right now. Lieze was intending to confirm with Kazura if he was the person who dropped the pendant she hold right now and at the same time use the pendant as an excuse to start a conversation with him.For this reason, last night after Kazura left his seat in the dinner, she sent Eira to inform that there is something Lieze want to talk to him and to meet her in the courtyard in the morningKazura seemed to be really pleased by this invitation just like a dog who will quickly come if its name was called while swinging its tail. However,…… 「Lieze-sama, if that pendant is really Kazura-sama’s, then what you intend to do?」(Eira) While Lieze was gazing at the stone gate that connected the mansion with the courtyard and wondering if perhaps Kazura really won’t come, Eira timidly gave her a question.Her expression and her answer were about the same as what Eira predicted. 「Hmm, if he really is the owner, then he is a rich person. Then, just like the other guys I will charm him and induce him to give me many presents. However, I’m troubled by what Mother said the other day.」(Lieze) 「Zirconia-sama?」(Eira) 「Yes. It looks like Kazura’s background is that of a great n.o.ble from a certain country. Then, just like the background suggest said, it seems that he is tremendously wealthy. He also possesses a lot of curious and unusual things alongside inexhaustible wealth.」(Lieze) 「……I never heard any rumors about the existence of such person before. What country did he come from?」(Eira) 「That is, Mother didn’t inform me what country he came from…… But I have seen the royalty and the n.o.bles surrounding them in the capital lived with unbelievable splendor lifestyle even though it was just after the cease-fire. So even if he really a very rich n.o.ble, he doesn’t strike as particularly unusual and…… Ah, he came.」(Lieze) While Lieze and Eira were discussing, the door that lead to the courtyard from the mansion opened, and Kazura came out running.Kazura found Lieze’s position at the courtyard, and after showing a relieved expression walked towards her. 「Kazura-sama!」(Lieze) Lieze called Kazura’s name and while still holding the short spear, made a short run towards him.Eira didn’t followed Lieze and only stood in place while bowing her head down to Kazura. 「Good morning. I’m sorry for being late.」(Kazura) 「Good morning. I’m sorry to call you in the early morning…… Ano, is this troublesome for you?」(Lieze) Lieze, who was about one head shorter than Kazura, looked at Kazura with uneasy eyes.Seeing Lieze like this Kazura showed a kind smile. 「No, certainly not. This is not troublesome at all. I also have something I want to talk with Lieze-san, so I am glad that you called me.」(Kazura) 「Then, thank you very much!」(Lieze) Even though Kazura’s reply might be only lip service, but Lieze was really delighted. 「I-it seems that you are in the middle of practicing with the spear?」(Kazura) 「Yes, this is my daily routine in the morning. Since a person in Istelle House must know how to use a weapon.」(Lieze) Lieze said this as she looked at the short spear in her left hand.Even though the short spear was only 140cm long, but for a person with small stature like Lieze, it looked relatively big. 「(Uum, her appearance with hair down and dressed up is nice, but this rough appearance with a ponytail is also wonderful. If like this, the in the future she will be more…… No, she already quite a beauty right now.)」(Kazura)
Kazura had such thoughts as he watched Lieze looking at her spear. Noticing Kazura’s watching her, Lieze tilted her head in curiosity. 「Ah, umm, I heard from Eira-san that Lieze-san has something to talk with me.」(Kazura) 「Yes, actually, there something I want to show to Kazura-sama……」(Lieze) Kazura tried to make an excuse for his sight at Lieze, and so she took out the cloth bag from her pocket without any particular fuss about it.Then, she took out the pendant from that bag and presented it in her hand to show it to Kazura. 「Might this be something belonged to Kazura-sama?」(Lieze)![]()
「Hm?」(Kazura) Seeing the pendant that was being showed to him, Kazura first have a blank expression.Then, he looked fixedly at the pendant on Lieze’s hand. 「(……Huh?)」(Lieze) Lieze thought that Kazura would be more surprised, so she was rather disappointed by Kazura’s lack of reaction.Perhaps, Eira’s memory was faulty, and Kazura in front of her was a completely different person from the man who crashed into Eira. This was what appeared in her mind. 「This is…… Ah, I see. So this is what Lieze-san want to talk about.」(Kazura) After looking at the pendant for several seconds, Kazura nodded as if he remembered something. 「The pendant at Lieze’s hand might be something I dropped when crashed into Eira that time. I didn’t realize-…… Not that! I mean, I realized that it’s gone and had been searching for it!」(Kazura) 「Eh! Y-yes, that time, it seems that the pendant accidentally dropped into Eira’s ap.r.o.n pocket……」(Lieze) 「(Just now, he was going to say that he didn’t realize that it had gone, right!? To not realizing that he had dropped this valuable item until now, what kind of sensitivity he had?)」(Lieze) Upon, hearing Kazura’s reply, Lieze’s mind was amazed.It was an unusual fine gem that Lieze never saw before, but he was going to say that he didn’t realize that it was gone.Normally, if someone lost something this precious they would make a bigger clamor. 「As expected, Kazura-sama is the person who crashed into Eira that time, right? Is Kazura-sama travelling incognito that time?」(Lieze) 「Umm…… That’s right I suppose, something like that. I was really rescued by Lieze-san’s help that time. Thank you very much.」(Kazura) Kazura replied in such a manner that Lieze judged that she couldn’t probe it much further.She didn’t understand the reason, but there might be something that makes it necessary for him to travel in the city as an ordinary citizen.It would be strange to probe further, as she mustn’t hurt her own image. 「No need for it! That time, my bodyguard had unauthorizedly done terrible things to Kazura-sama. I apologize for it…… Ano, then I will return this to Kazura-sama.」(Lieze) Lieze expressed an apology with a natural apologetic expression on her face while putting the pendant back into the cloth and presenting it to Kazura.Kazura received the bag from Lieze, then after he was thinking for several seconds, he gave it back to Lieze. 「Thank you very much. But, I will give this to Lieze-san. As a thanks for that day and as a sign of acquaintanceship[3].」(Kazura) 「Eh!?」(Lieze)
Lieze who was given the bag was wide-eyed in surprise. She alternated her sight between Kazura and the bag. 「B-but, to receive this precious thing is……」(Lieze) Lieze showed a nervous and troubled expression. 「It’s fine. Take it.」(Kazura) But, Kazura showed a smile. 「Although it was a coincidence, but if not for Lieze-san and Eira-san’s safe custody then I wouldn’t be able to see it for the second time. Since I already halfway gave up on finding it anyway, please take it without worry.」(Kazura) Kazura said this without hesitation so Lieze was giving a retort in her mind. 「(No, you really, completely did not realize that it was gone!)」 But she just gulped it down and not said this out. She received the bag and held it tightly in front of her chest. 「……Thank you very much. I will treasure this!」(Lieze) Then she showed an unsurpa.s.sed delightful smile to Kazura. 「(d.a.m.n it, she’s really too cute. It’s foul play)」(Kazura) Facing that first-rate smile, Kazura was agonizing in his mind. 「(This man is really rich beyond belief! Furthermore he is also generous)」(Lieze) While Lieze had such thoughts in her mind. ✦✧✦ From the shadowy window at the second floor, Zirconia was observing Lieze and Kazura’s conversation.When Lieze received something from Kazura, she showed a happy expression. 「Ara-ara[4]」(Zirconia) She made a smile and then left that place. ☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽ Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter Well… synthetic gem is cheap… [1] A Parody of Maria-sama ga Miteru (MariMite)[2] Fun fact, two notable producers of synthetic opal in the world Kyocera and Inamori are located in j.a.pan. Also, most of the so-called synthetics opal are more correctly called "imitation opal", as they contain things not found in natural opal (plastic stabilizers, etc).[3] In a sense, of a First Meeting Gift.[4] Ara-ara: my oh my.