(TLC: Original furigana Neruvia)
Right now, I leaned my back against the wall while sucking on my thumb, showing off an appeal indeed fitting of a baby.
To the villagers, me walking or talking is a daily occurrence.
To my family, me deciphering a Grimoire or using magic is a daily occurrence.
But to people who had just come from the Empire, seeing a baby walking, talking, or using magic: they would be horrified.
Yes, the knight who was visiting our village all the way from the empire, was eating lunch in our house right now.
「Because of the lack of men, it’s very lacking around here… thus we can’t serve any more than this, sorry.」
「N, no! This is really delicious! For you to use such precious ingredients for someone as worthless as me, I apologise!!」
In response to mother’s humbleness, she apologised at the speed of light, her forehead sc.r.a.ping the top of the table, this self-labeling-as-trash knight… or rather, Nervia-san.
What on earth happened to you ……
It seems that Nervia-san will turn 16 this year; more or less she is already considered an adult. Though there’s still some childish features remaining, like those gentle dropping eyes which were considerably cute.
Her unbelievably shiny and blinding golden hair, so l.u.s.trous that it could be mistaken for real gold. …Do they sell shampoo in the empire?
Nervia-san never even once took off her dark grey armour since her arrival in our village, not even her sword which was still left hanging on her waist.
When mother had suggested to her to take it off, she stubbornly refused to with much alarm.
From the fact that her gloves and her elbow guards always b.u.mped against the table producing ‘gan gan’ sounds, it can be deduced that she didn’t wear this kind of outfit on a daily basis.
Ever since she came to this village, always wore a timid face that gave you the impression that she will burst crying any moment; looks like this girl has some『special circ.u.mstances.』
Because she is a timid kid with an easily influenced personality, I was right not letting her meet with Chief Bashbal. I have no idea what kind of doctrine he would have imparted.
Actually, I heard that she was supposed to have stayed at Chief’s place.
But unfortunately at that time the Chief was still bedridden, so our place become the one to look for her.
Chief, is he alright? I really, really worry for him.[1]
At first I was cautious because this person was from the order[2], but I can’t see how she could commit any crimes or underhanded tricks with that disposition.
With that being said, mother had already whispered to me about our place being the main lodging candidate beforehand.
… Well, even if Nervia-san didn’t have “a secret” I had to be wary about, I still intend to observe her movements.
After all, they will lower their guard if the opponent is a baby.
Besides, even if she did planned to do something, the one who can deal with a Knight-sama who has piled up combat experience was only me after all.
After I had learned about magic, I never missed a day researching and studying it.
I, who normally had a lot of time, within this last month, had been sharpening my hidden claws.
… Anyway, I have already made a promise not to kill anyone because a few days ago Onii-chan told me 『Please, don’t use magic to kill a person』.[3] After all, I don’t have the nerve to actually hurt anybody thus I didn’t practice any of the attack magics.
However, if one of my precious ones were in crisis, then it would be another story.
So, before I am sure that Nervia-san is a trustworthy person, I must not let down my guard.
While I pretended to have this innocent baby expression while carefully watching for Nervia-san from behind, suddenly a voice could be heard coming from outside.
「Hey, Ma-shia~, Can’t you help a little with the fields~?」
Sounds like Marianne-san’s voice. From her previous voice, it is clearly that she was asking mother to help her on the field.
Mother answered with「Alright, I understand」while sighing and walked towards the entrance.
For a moment, she glanced at me, and then shifted her gaze to Nervia-san.
「I am sorry, I will leave for a moment, okay? If any problem occurs, please call out to somebody from the field over there or around the neighborhood. 」
「Eh!? B-but, that is…!」
Nervia-san, was alternating her sight towards mother who was going out as if it was natural, and my daydreaming face which was sucking my thumb.
Ahh, so that is it. Both me and mother are used to it, but when I think about it carefully, it would be weird to leave a baby alone when going outside.
But, because we already have our hands full with our village, we won’t survive if everyone doesn’t cooperate together.
And also, it seems that everyone in the village already recognizes me as abnormal so mother can’t use me as a reason to slack off.
I don’t think that leaving the knight-sama that has been dispatched from imperial alone and going out is a good idea, but actually I have said something like this to mother, 「When there’s an opportunity, I want to be alone with her」.
Thus, when Marriane-san called, perhaps she thought that it was the perfect opportunity.
「Umm… I am sorry, Nervia-sama. Can I leave Sefi in your care?」
「Wha, what!? Tha, that will trouble me! I, don’t really understand anything about children after all…! If something happens, I, I cannot take responsibility for it…!」 [4]
「Sefi is kind of not normal so I think that it would be okay.」
This mother, saying something like I’m not normal.
No, well, it is the truth after all.
And also because mother’s doting parent nature had already leveled up to the point it was approved by the entire village, I understood that this「not normal」remark was something meant with good intentions.
Mother got dragged away by Marriane-san, leaving Nervia-san in confusion behind.
By the way, for this past one month Onii-chan has been playing somewhere with the other boys in afternoon, so he is not inside the house right now.
…After all, it would be awkward for him to be around when the girls gather around me.[5]
Because of that, until someone else shows up here to play, it is only me and Nervia-san, just the two of us left inside the house.
Well then, Nervia-san …… let me see your true colors then. [6]
[1] (TL: Police-san the culprit is right here~ …. Police: but he’s so cute, he can’t be guilty.) (ED : I don’t know if he is pretending here or really cares about him, such a professional act.)
[2] (TLC: Order as in order of the church. Here refers to order of the Hero Religion.)
[3] (ED: So it’s okay if it’s not magic? Hmmm, what logic.)
[4] (ED: Responsibility!?)
[5] (ED : Riajuu must die!!)
[6] (ED : This baby, already became a pervert before reaching 1 year old? He wants to see the color of … xD) (TLC: ED-san, you sure have a ton of comments here…)