Chapter 28: Eliza
“Rock, paper, scissors! Look that way!”
“Shaora!”
“Kusso…!”
The lively voices of children echoed. This was the grand hall of the Baumgarten Mansion, now a classroom for their education.
“Rock, paper, scissors! Look that way!”
The children were completely hooked on rock-paper-scissors and “acchi muite hoi.” After I taught Cornelia how to play a little while ago, it instantly became a massive trend among them.
Apparently, the boys, in particular, were playing “acchi muite hoi” betting their dinner side dishes. I’d prefer they stop, as it could lead to an unbalanced diet, but well, entertainment is probably necessary. For now, I’m overlooking it.
“Everyone’s so energetic…”
My mutter was answered from behind.
“It’s thanks to Dietfried-sama that we can eat our fill. Everyone praises Dietfried-sama.”
“Is that so…”
A pleasant young man with black hair. It was Klaus, Old Man’s grandson. He was fifteen, having just graduated this year, and was my personal butler. I wondered if Old Man and the others had frantically educated him so he wouldn’t lose to the other children; he graduated top of his class, a true prodigy.
Recently, I’d been spending more time with Klaus than with Old Man.
It felt like Old Man was entrusted with managing the domain, while Klaus took care of me. I’ll be going to the academy next year, so this was probably preparation for that.
“Where could Cornelia be…”
Looking around the classroom for Cornelia, I saw her chatting happily with a girl. A girl with clear, light brown hair.
That must be Eliza, Cornelia’s friend. If I recalled, she was three years older than Cornelia and had a very womanly figure. Her grades were excellent. Cornelia was also very fond of her. She was the next candidate to be Cornelia’s personal maid.
Come to think of it, Delia, Cornelia’s personal maid, would be twenty-one this year. Unlike men, women quit their jobs when they marry. I didn’t know when Delia would get married, but it wouldn’t be strange if talk of her quitting soon came up.
Delia worked at the Baumgarten Mansion, had learned proper etiquette, and had a gentle demeanor. Plus, she earned a decent salary, so she was apparently popular with the domain’s people.
Surprisingly, if I gave her permission to marry, she might do so right away. Commoners, though not to the extent of nobles, often had many who married young.
I owed Delia a debt of gratitude for her devoted help when Cornelia was suffering from the Curse of the Evil God. I wanted her to be as happy as possible, but… well, that was her own choice to make.
“Ria, I’m here to pick you up. It’s almost dinnertime.”
“Onii-sama!”
Cornelia energetically leaped into my arms. I gently caught her and spun clockwise to absorb the momentum.
“Onii-sama, you know? Ria studied hard today too, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Good girl, Ria.”
I patted the head of Cornelia, who was reporting to me with a beaming, happy smile.
“Ehehe…”
Cornelia narrowed her eyes and smiled a little shyly.
“Alright then, Ria. Shall we go to the dining hall? Come on, say goodbye to your friend.”
“Okay! Eliza, see you tomorrow!”
“Yes. Ria-sama, let’s meet again tomorrow. Dietfried-sama, please excuse my presence.”
Eliza said so and gave a beautiful bow. As expected of a candidate for Cornelia’s personal maid. She was well-educated.
What concerned me more than that was…
“Ria, did you allow Eliza to use a nickname for you?”
A noble’s name is special. It’s not something a commoner should ever shorten.
One might think it’s an exaggeration over just how a name is called, but in this country, it’s an act so rude that you couldn’t complain even if you were struck down for disrespect.
Eliza wouldn’t be ignorant of such a thing. Which meant, Cornelia had allowed Eliza to use a nickname.
“Yeah! Eliza is my friend!”
“Is that so…”
Cornelia recognized Eliza as a friend. However, there was a clear difference in status between them. I just hoped it wouldn’t cast a shadow on Cornelia’s friendships… I couldn’t help but think that.
“Young Master, I’ve been wondering for a while now, but what is that absurd strength you sometimes use?”
One day, while I was training with my sword against Achim as usual, Achim, with a puzzled look on his face, asked me.
“Young Master’s Gift is Healing. There’s no mistake about that. But sometimes, Young Master’s strength increases as if you were blessed with a Gift of Superhuman Strength. I just don’t understand it.”
Well, it was probably no wonder that Achim, who always trained with me, found it strange.
I might have dodged the question with others, but I told Achim the truth.
“Humans, you see, Achim, normally only use 20-30% of their muscular strength. If they didn’t, their muscles and bones would break. That’s why there’s usually a limiter on the body. I’m just breaking that limiter and using 100%.”
“Huh…? But if you do that, won’t your body break, Young Master?”
“It is breaking.”
“Eh…?”
“It’s breaking, but I’m healing it instantly.”
Achim’s face twisted into a grimace, as if he’d bitten down on a bitter bug.
“…Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Of course, it hurts, you know? But to stand by Cornelia’s side, this much is nothing.”
“That is… But still…”
“Keep this a secret from Cornelia, okay? She’d worry herself sick if she knew.”
“Wh-why go to such lengths…?”
“I want to protect Cornelia. She might seem like the strongest, but there are countless powerhouses in the world who surpass her. At times like that, I want to stand and face them together with Cornelia. Well, I haven’t even reached the starting line yet, though.”
When I realized it, Achim was looking at me as if he’d seen a ghost.