Vermillion

Editor: ShinonomeResearchLabs, Proofer: Hakou

The Morula River gently flowed north in a slow, meandering fashion.

The road hugging the waterway was well maintained and paved with brown earthen bricks, puncturing through the lush groves of trees that grew on either side of the banks.

　”サン＝アンジェ街道”

"Saint Anne"s Route." 

　城郭都市サティナから、”公都”こと要塞都市ウルヴァーンまで。リレイル地方の南北を結ぶ、陸上通運の大動脈だ。

Such was the name of the road that stretched from the fortress city Satyna to the outpost city Uruvan. It was a major artery of transportation and trade that connected the northern and southern halves of the Rieiru region.

"Michael"s going to drive the carriage today."

"Michael is a good kid~ he"s driving the carriage today~"

Kei"s party, having left Satyna early in the morning, were just about to arrive at the next village by the time the sun shone high overhead. There was nothing particular to note about their trip to the village thus far, and it was a peaceful and relaxing journey to the point of almost being boring.

"And that other guy, Daniel~ He looks grumpy, but is actually a good guy~"

The caravan consisted of six carriages with a dozen or so merchants, their families, apprentices, and escorts, Kei and Aileen being part of the latter group. They moved slowly, but their size guaranteed that they would not be attacked by neither bandits nor beasts. 

"Mister sun is very warm~ the wind feels good~ but! I-am-so-bored~ "

The ambient sounds of the surrounding forest and the dull, rhythmic clattering of the wheels was interrupted by a young singing voice. A dark-skinned girl emerged from within the shadow of the wagon hood and edged near Kei, who was riding Sasuke at a leisurely pace to maintain speed with the caravan.

"Hey, hey, how"s my song?"

"―― I think it"s good."

"You"re pretty talented, aren"t you?"

Seeing Kei"s stiff reply, Aileen complimented the girl and gave her a gentle smile while sitting atop Suzuka, the black horse they requisitioned from the Gra.s.sland Bandits.

"Ehehe… Of course I am!"

With a beaming face, the girl climbed up to the coachman"s bench and continued:  "Ra ra ra~ I"m really hungry… " The lyrics were haphazardly made up on the spot, with no hint of rhyme or reason whatsoever that belied a coordinated thought process behind them. Nonetheless, a loli innocently singing with a smile would soften the judgement of any (ED Joke: "cultured") audience.

"Edda is awfully fond of singing."

A rather rotund man, who was holding the reins atop the wagon bench, gently caressed the head of the girl named Edda as he noted such.

"Father"s like that too you know?"

"Hahaha, is that so?"

The man let out a hearty laugh as Edda ended her song, opting instead to lean into the man"s embrace.

The name of that man is Holland.

He was one of the head merchants from the Cornwell Corporation, and the person responsible from this caravan. That effectively made him Kei"s direct employer. His rather thick build and drooping eyes made his appearance reminiscent of that of a stereotypical villain. Apparently, everyone in the caravan referred to him as "chef." 

However, this is not the chef that one would be referring to in English. In the language of French native to the plateau region which he hails from, perhaps a more accurate term would be chief. Despite this, most of the products the Cornwell Corporation dealt with was in foodstuffs, and Holland himself was quite the connoisseur as well, so calling him "chef" would not be entirely inaccurate.

Because Holland was in his early to mid-thirties, as far as Edda was concerned, he was her father. However, Holland has white skin, even if his face bore some resemblance to the girl"s, it wasn"t particularly notable either. While Kei was curious as to the circ.u.mstances, he refrained from asking out of politeness.

"Yes, yes. Father is hungry too, but we"ll arrive at the next village soon. Edda should go back in. Don"t disturb big brother"s work." (ED Note: Can"t remember if old translator used "onii-san" etc.)

"Okay~"

Answered Edda in a monotone that failed to convey any intentions. While being gently patted by Holland, she propped herself up with her elbows and turned her attention towards Kei.

The dark-haired young man rode a horse with a brilliant brown coat. He had unusually dark pupils that were a few shades darker than her own. Also, covering his entire body was a set of elaborately decorated leather armor, with nevertheless betrayed a toned and muscular physique beneath. Armed with a vermillion bow in his left hand and a longsword on his waist, complete with a quiver of arrows strapped to the saddle, Kei cut a rather dashing figure to the impressionable young Edda.

However, Kei"s well-built body juxtaposed with a disproportionately baby face. Still, a fresh cut running across his left cheek evoked a sense of coolness that was difficult to describe in Edda. Kei"s face too, seemed to have a serene sense of tranquility to it, and although there appeared to be a dark and mysterious atmosphere surrounding him, Edda never thought of Kei as a scary person.

Next to the archer rode a blonde girl straddling a black horse. Her pure white skin and clear blue eyes contrasted sharply with Edda"s own features. Her hair, loosely gathered at the back of her head with the a.s.sistance of a ribbon, danced about in the sunlight like fluttering gold threads. She wore a high quality hemp tunic and black trousers which extended down smoothly from the hem of her shirt.

It was said that even if a prince or n.o.bleman were to dress as a commoner, they"d look so beautiful that it would be easily discernible from the common rabble. However, this was not the case for Aileen. Her saber and shield affirmed her occupation as a true warrior, along with gauntlets and pads to protect her limbs. Despite this, it was hard to imagine the girl as one from the smile she gave after noticing Edda"s line of sight.

" … Um, big sister."

It was Edda who broke the silence.

"Are you really a magician?"

Aileen was thrilled by Edda"s inquiry.

"Oh, yes. Big sister here is a bona fide magician!" 

"That"s awesome! Hey, hey, what does magic look like? Show me, show me!"

"U-um, no, that"s… "

At Edda"s innocent request, Aileen made a complicated expression as she glanced at the midday sun beating down on them.

　アイリーンが契約を結ぶ”黄昏の乙女”ケルスティンは、その名の通り、日が暮れてから本領を発揮する精霊だ。陽射しの届かない地下深くならともかく、昼間に野外で【顕現】することはできない。それでも一応、簡単な術の行使ならば昼間でも可能なのだが、普段のコスパの良さの反動のように触媒と魔力を馬鹿食いしてしまう。

As its name would suggest, the "Maiden of the Evening Twilight," Kelstein, Irene"s contracted spirit, could only manifest herself after it was dark. Regardless of where the sun was in the sky, the spirit would not appear outdoors at all during the day. While it was possible to use simple spells. during that time, they were inefficient and required a catalyst to activate. 

Thus, Aileen effectively cannot use magic in the day.

As this was a critical weakness, it was not something she would just lightly divulge either.

"Mu~… " 

"Edda, you"re troubling big sister."

Fortunately, after seeing Aileen"s reaction, Holland quickly came to her rescue.

"Edda, spells to magicians are just like suppliers to merchants. It"s impolite to pry too deeply."

"Eee, but I still want to see it." 

"Think about your dad"s feelings too! Being a merchant is just as cool as a magician."

"Well, dad know how you feel too! Whether it"s a merchant or magician, secrets are something we all just want to know, don"t we?"

Holland turned his eyes and looked at Aileen with childlike curiosity and apprehension. Now, she was no longer sure whose side he was on.

Aileen pouted and looked away as if she was stalling for time as her eyes darted about, as though focusing on any object too long would force her to give a reply.

"… We"re on the move right now, but why don"t you show it in the evening after we set up camp or whenever else you have time?"

When Kei proposed this from the side, Aileen"s eyes lit up as if to say "that"s it!"

"That"s right. Since I"m working now, can I show you later?"

"Eh, really!?"

"Yes, I"ll show you just a little bit after dinner."

While emphasizing the "a little bit" part by making a small gap between her curled fingers, Aileen winked at Edda proudly. Unlike the Kei, who was basically a warrior with all brawn, Aileen had a strong affinity to magic. If the sun went down, she could use it even without a catalyst if it was for something as simple as impressing a child.  

"Wa, I"ll get to see magic! Thank you big sis!"  

"Well, I"ll do my best to show you how cool magic is."

Edda and Holland high fived each other with a "yayyy!". Looking at the two who being excited because of their enjoyment to look forward to after dinner, "now this is, rather than towards sorcerer, she"s treated like a stage magician, huh" Kei thoughts and laughs unintentionally. 

"Now, now, Edda. That"s enough of your selfishness; go back inside the wagon. We"re almost at the next village."

"Yes~"

This time, Edda compiled and scampered back to the inside of the wagon. Seeing Edda disappear behind the tarp covering, Holland turned to Aileen with a smile. 

"Thank you so much for satisfying Edda"s request. Being a traveling merchant is really boring, and that lively child has been dying for some sort of stimulation."

"It"s nothing really. It"d be the same case for me if I were in her place."

"No, no, it"s really kind of you do this for her. From what I hear, magicians rarely show their work to others."

"It"s okay. I"ll only show what I feel comfortable for others to see anyways."

At Aileen"s humble words, Holland thought "she got me" while letting out a wry laugh.

"I see, so it"s the same logic as a merchant."

"Indeed, except I won"t be charging any special fees because Edda"s smile is so charming."

"Haha, I really can"t win against you.

Slapping his forehead, Holland chuckled to himself just as the sound of hooves could be heard crescendoing from behind.

Editor"s Note:

Hi readers, it"s the first main chapter of the series that I"m translating (editing)! A few things. I"ve been wondering how to romanize a lot of the j.a.panese names, as thus far, I"ve been pretty conservative with things like Uruvan and Rieiru and what not, but should I westernize it more? Another thought is, should I release the whole chapter at once? I realized how painful it was to stop in the middle of a chapter from reading another series, but I"m kinda concerned that my speed will slow down overall. If you care, please leave a comment down below, or answer poll below. Thanks for reading!