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[Lewes: ……And here I was wondering why you were suddenly looking at me like that. Su-bo, you don't happen to be attracted to little girls, do you? That'd be even more hopeless than Ros-bo]
[Subaru: Please don't mistake me for a Loli-con! When I buy GALGAMES I'd use all my OPTION-POINTS to conquer Senpai or Older-Sister type characters! And even right now, I'm desperately working my ass off for an older sister type, you know…… although I just recently found out she's quite a lot older than me BUT MY HEART HAS NOT CHANGED! That's the kinda guy I am, you know?]
[Lewes: What kind of guy is that…… I almost wanted to ask, but nevermind. No, I don't need a piggyback. If I don't walk around a bit my old legs and hips will go weak]
[Subaru: Another incredible statement demonstrating the appearance-gap!]
Once again, it seriously hit him that underneath the appearance of a little girl was really an elderly lady. There was also the possibility that while her skin was young, all her organs inside were creaking. Being a Loli-Granny must be surprisingly tough.
[Lewes: What is that, you look like you're thinking of something stupid again]
[Subaru: Ehhh? No way, really? I was totally making a poker face just now and being careful not to reveal my inner thoughts, you know]
[Lewes: Your face looks just like Gar-bo's when he's chompin' on stolen pastries. No matter which child it is, children are always up to the same things]
[Subaru: This granny just keeps dishing out her old granny antics one after another, huh]
Setting the endless reminders of Lewes' age aside, Subaru, walking alongside her, suddenly began looking around him, [Huh?]
[Subaru: It's good that…… we got a chance to talk, but, where are we going? Actually, it's pretty late for me to ask this now, but after you lent your bed to Emilia-tan, where has Lewes-san been sleeping? In the wild?]
[Lewes: So I just lent out my home and you're immediately treating me like I'm homeless…… The fact that you'd say that tells me you might've forgotten that I am still the head of this place. I still know a few people who'd let me stay over for a few days]
[Subaru: Yeah, that's right. It's only been a few days, but the people here are all unexpectedly nice people]
Recalling the scene at the cooking grounds, and the various occasions when he got to interact with the Sanctuary's residents, Subaru furrowed his brows, and couldn't help but wonder if the brewing conflict Garfiel had warned about hadn't just been an exaggeration.
Stealing a glance at Subaru, who had grown silent, Lewes nodded, [Hm],
[Lewes: Something doesn't sit well with you?]
[Subaru: No, not if you say it like that…… How should I say this, it's a bit different from what I imagined. Judging from the way Emilia was treated at the Capital, half-bloods couldn't have been treated much better. So I thought maybe the half-bloods would be harboring some complicated feelings toward the pure-bloods]
At least, despite being trapped in a Sanctuary referred to as the Experimental Grounds, the faces of the residents didn't seem to be showing particularly dark emotions. Of course, there must be those who didn't find this amusing, but Subaru hadn't caught any glimpse of such negative feelings here so far.
Despite their unpleasant surroundings, the morale of the residents was exceedingly high. More than incredible, it was almost to the point of being inconceivable.
In front of Subaru's doubts, Lewes' eyes widened in surprise,
[Lewes: What, Su-bo, you may not look like it, but you have more ideas than you let on]
[Subaru: I don't look like it… that part's pretty unnecessary, isn't it…… I mean, I'm confident that I look more intellectual than Garfiel, at least. But, well, I guess I'm pretty thoughtless when it comes to all sort of things]
[Lewes: It's quite a virtue to be aware of your own shortcomings. You can only begin to improve once you've realized where you are deficient…… Ah, we're here]
Coming to a split in the path, Lewes led the way for the lost-looking Subaru. Instead of heading in the direction of the Cathedral and Roswaal's residence, they turned towards the other end of the village outskirts opposite from the Tomb―― and there, they arrived at Lewes' isolated temporary lodging.
Unlike the sparsely placed houses scattered over the outskirts, for some reason, this house stood alone, far apart from all the others. A word naturally came to Subaru's mind,
[Subaru: It's too lonely, isn't it. Why are you staying in a place like this?]
[Lewes: It can't be helped. Right now, this is the only building inside the Sanctuary with no one living in it. It may be far away from the center of the village, but it's spacious, and I quite like it here]
[Subaru: Didn't you say you know people who'd let you stay over? Why did you choose to live alone? Even though I know quite a few Loli-Grannies in my life it's still way too sad for me to see a Loli-Granny die alone]
[Lewes: I honestly can't tell if you're concerned for me or if I'm being made fun of. Here, come in. I'll brew you some tea. Though Ram certainly brews it better]
[Subaru: No matter what kind of leaves you put in it there, it'll still just taste like leaves, so no worries]
[Lewes: You should be more careful about the kinds of things you say]
With a sigh, Lewes invited Subaru into the house through the opened door. It was a large building, about half the size of Roswaal's temporary residence. In fact, divided into three rooms, it seemed perhaps too large for just one person to live in.
Finding a chair to sit down in and looking all around the room, he saw that the interior of the small room was simple and well maintained. Lewes had said that no one else lived here, but,
[Subaru: For a house that's not been lived in, it sure feels like someone often comes here. Even for me, being a top-notch bed-maker myself, I'd have to grant the fluffiness of that bed a passing grade…… there's no way Lewes-san did that]
[Lewes: What's with that face you're making as if I enjoy being alone so I come here whenever something happens and just kill time here and wait for things to cool off?]
[Subaru: That must be an awfully specific facial expression I got!]
Still, there was something sad about the possibility that the reason she came up with this rapid-fire explanation was that it was something she had thought about before. He was joking just now when he mentioned dying alone, but it can't be denied that something about her matched his impression of a solitary old lady.
Silently turning away and occupying herself with brewing tea, her back seemed almost lonely. Seeing this, Subaru looked around trying to find some way to change the topic.
The room was clean and neatly organized. There was a slightly dulled mirror above a dresser. A flower vase without flowers, and two metal shields hanging on the wall. ――Shields?
[Subaru: Why are there shields here? And two of them?]
[Lewes: They're Gar-bo's. That kid's using this place like it's a storage house]
[Subaru: So he hangs around here too, huh. It does kinda look like a good hangout spot for delinquents now that I think about it…… But, he couldn't be the one carefully tidying up this place, could he?]
That'd be way too out-of-character, Subaru murmured under his breath as he looked at Garfiel's shields.
He often saw crossed swords adorning the walls of noblemen's houses in Mangas, and these shields were slightly tilted in a fashion similar to that as well. But, unlike something that ought to be used as ornaments, these shields were riddled with scratches and dents, and were certainly not mere antiques that have not seen a day of battle.
[Subaru: Then again, what kind of battle can you fight with just shields?]
[Lewes: Back in the day, they would always fight bouts with these shields in the fields outside this house. Each one would hold a shield, and round and round they'd go, bumping into each other]
[Subaru: That sounds a bit dangerous for just playing around…… Mind if I ask who it was that Garfiel played with?]
Over the time he spent in the Sanctuary, he hadn't met anyone who could have been so intimate with Garfiel. Of course, being an important person in these lands, it was apparent that Garfiel had good relations with the residents at the cooking grounds. But, other than that, did he have anyone he was truly close with? Subaru couldn't think of any particular names.
If he had to name someone, it would have been Lewes. But just picturing Lewes holding a shield and charging against Garfiel felt incredibly dangerous.
For a while, Lewes stayed silent in front of Subaru's question. She brought over two cups of steaming tea set on a tray, and handed Subaru one of them as she sat down on the bed. Receiving it, Subaru took a sip while it was still hot, and moistened his throat.
[Subaru: Right, tastes just like leaves]
[Lewes: Tea's just wasted on you, huh. Well, I already anticipated that so I used the cheaper leaves. ……Even tea leaves are considered precious here, you know]
About once a month, Roswaal would send over precious items and luxury goods here. Subaru, adapting to the situation, did his best to pretend to appreciate the tea, as they sat wordlessly tilting their cups for a while.
Then, after some time had passed in silence,
[Subaru: ――Frederica]
Hearing Subaru's abrupt whisper, Lewes' shoulder jumped a little.
Lifting her gaze from her teacup, she looked at Subaru. And, seeing something wavering in her expression, Subaru asked again,
[Subaru: The name of the person bumping shields with Garfiel, is Frederica, isn't it?]
[Lewes: ……did you hear that from Gar-bo?]
[Subaru: Nah. I pieced it together from some fragmented conversations and got a feeling about it somehow. At least, I just knew that there must've been something complicated between Garfiel and Frederica]
At Roswaal's Mansion, Frederica had warned him to beware of a man named Garfiel.
And, most of all,
[Subaru: Their fangs are way too similar. If they're still unrelated, even Buddha wouldn't allow that]
[Lewes: ……Ahh, quite so. Even I can't think of a way to deny that]
Faced with this decisive fact, Lewes let out a sigh as if giving up.
If he had to guess, then their relationship must be――
[Subaru: Brother and sister…… Actually, more like older sister and younger brother. If I were to guess who's older, Frederica seems more like the older sister type]
[Lewes: Goodness…… I'm impressed that you'd be able to tell all that just from intuition]
Hearing Subaru point this out, Lewes could only show her amazement.
Then, nodding her head thoughtfully, and placing the remainder of her tea back on the tray, she corrected her posture, and,
[Lewes: Just as Su-bo imagined, the owner of these two shields are the siblings Frederica and Garfiel. Frederica Baumann, who had left the Sanctuary, and Garfiel Tinsel, are family bound by blood]
Confirming Subaru's speculation, Lewes nonetheless spilled a melancholy sigh.
[Lewes: ――And now, owing to their mutual misunderstandings, they have each wound up on diverging paths]
-=Chapter 28 End=-
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This week I’ll still need to finish my final week at my job, and starting next week, I will aim to maintain consistent releases every 1 – 2 days!
I’ve been a bit tired the last couple of days, so I really wish the quality doesn’t suffer this time. If you find any typos please let me know! ❤
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I’ll post Chapter 29’s Live Draft and possibly Part 1 this Sunday!