It took about five minutes for everyone to regain their composure.
The maid, with her usual thoughtfulness, had brewed tea, so everyone was sitting in chairs.
Neil, who seemed the least shaken in the Raza household, was the first to speak.
“Wow, that was a surprise! I thought Katia-san looked like Ren-nee, but I never imagined she’d also look like Mother!”
Apparently, the older sister’s name was Ren.
And their deceased mother was named Rena, it seemed.
“It can’t be helped. Mother passed away soon after giving birth to Neil, after all,”
That was Fina’s remark.
Gale, who had been quite surprised by the portrait of his wife, finally joined the conversation.
“That’s right. Regarding Katia’s lineage, it’s certainly possible that she’s related to the Raza family. However, I doubt we’ll ever find out who Katia’s parents are. Rena’s father was a terrible womanizer… He was constantly out philandering, and the number of his dalliances is impossible to keep track of. What’s worse is that most of them were consensual.”
What an envia… Never mind.
Anyway, it seems that determining the identity of her parents is difficult.
As for my parents, the old man built a nice grave for them, so there’s no use dwelling on it. Though, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.
“It’s okay. Regardless of my lineage, what I need to do won’t change.”
Gale nodded with a smile.
“I’m sorry about that. However, you’ve done us a great favor. Fina has always been bothered by the fact that she can’t remember her mother’s face, and I am very happy to see Lena’s face again like this. Thank you, Katia-dono.”
After gazing at the picture Fina had drawn, Gale bowed his head.
Come to think of it, Gale was the only one who didn’t say that I looked like his wife or anything of the sort.
That must mean his feelings for his wife were very special and his love for her runs deep.
Well, I didn’t do anything to deserve thanks.
“No, I didn’t really do anything.”
I just showed my face to Fina.
But, seeing them so happy makes me happy too.
“Katia-chan is such a good kid, isn’t she? Hey, hey, Father, Neil, I have something to ask you all.”
Fina called out to the two of them.
They huddled together, going into family conference mode.
And then there was me, all alone.
“…so, the portrait of…-chan…If possible,…maybe…”
“Then,…together…while…how about that? …It’s… that way it’s…”
“Hmm… no matter what I… no one listens… If… for safety… If we agree not to …”
I could only catch fragments of their conversation.
Eventually, they all turned towards me at once.
Fina was the one to speak first.
“Katia-chan!”
“Y-yes!”
I was startled by her rather loud voice.
“I’m going to accompany you on your journey!”
“Eh!?”
Such a sudden declaration.
This woman keeps surprising me.
“Accompany me on my journey? Why?”
What is she suddenly talking about?
“I want to draw lots and lots of pictures of Katia-chan! I’ve become so very interested in you!”
“Became interested” she says…
The portrait she drew was of her mother, Rena, not of me though.
No, that’s not the point.
My journey to the royal capital is inherently dangerous.
Moreover, I’ll be actively seeking out danger.
“I can’t guarantee your safety, you know.”
“It’s okay! Besides, these two are on board too!”
I looked towards Neil and Gale.
They both immediately averted their gazes.
Hey now!
“Well, my daughter is stubborn when she sets her mind to something… She’d go somewhere without even telling us where she’s going, so I figured it might be safer for her to be by Katia-san’s side,”
“If we make good use of Fina-nee’s pictures, Katia-san will become famous right away, I think. There are definitely merits to this, right? Besides, Fina-nee’s soldier rank is higher than mine.”
Is that so?!
“That’s right. Fina’s soldier rank is B! She can protect herself and is used to going around on her own to paint so she’ll be fine!”
A non-professional soldier with a B rank.
She doesn’t look like she’s physically strong, so maybe she’s a mage, a backline specialist?
It seems I’ve run out of reasons to refuse her.
She’s coming, even if I refuse her, she’ll likely force her way anyway.
“… I understand. Please take care of me, Fina-san.”
I offered my hand for a handshake.
“Thank you, Katia-chan!”
She completely ignored my outstretched hand and hugged me tightly instead.
Soft and smells nice.
If I were a man, I’d be much happier.
But then, she wouldn’t hug me in the first place.
Hahaha… Ahhh.
And Fina, could you please stop rubbing your face against my chest…?
“Whoa! Soft! What is this?! An unknown sensation!”
This person is too free-spirited.
“Um, Fina-san?”
“Ahem, ahem. Is it okay, you two?”
Gale raised his voice slightly, as if to redirect the mood.
Finally, I was released from Fina’s embrace.
“Katia-dono, I apologize for this daughter of mine, but please take care of her. Feel free to use her as a combatant, and I’ll leave her safety to her judgement. Oh, and my son too, I guess.”
“I’m a ‘by the way’ thing?! That’s harsh, Father…”
Neil-san, you have my sympathy.
“I can’t make any absolute promises, but I’ll do my best to protect both of you as much as I can.”
As a parent, he must be worried, so I stated my determination within the limits of my abilities.
Gale nodded at my words, but the siblings looked dissatisfied.
“No, no, I’ll protect the two of you too. Although, I have a bad feeling that I might be the weakest of us all!”
“That’s right. And Katia-chan, how old are you?”
“S-seventeen.”
“Then, I’m the older sister! An older sister protects her little sister!”
“I’m your little sister?”
“Yeah. We might be related, right? So, it’s fine if I call you little sister!”
Is it fine?
I feel a little happy.
To be honest, I was feeling a little uneasy about leaving the village.
… Okay. Because it sounded like they were unhappy with my earlier reply, let me say it again.
“Then, let’s combine our strength and return to Raza territory. Is that okay with the two of you?”
“Yes!”
“Yeah. Let’s do our best!”
“With that decided, Gale-san,”
I’ll let Gale, the head of the family, close this discussion.
“I will protect the place where you will all return, so don’t worry. However, please be careful not to be reckless. The Empire’s movements are suspicious, and there are signs of war,”
So it looks like the situation is serious, even from a lord’s perspective.
Raza territory is far from the Empire.
If even they can sense the Empire’s movement, then things might be critical.
“Alright, now that’s decided, let’s call it a day. You need to rest so your fatigue doesn’t accumulate. Katia-dono, sorry for interrupting your rest. Neil, all the things that needed to be confirmed are done, go rest. Fina, it’s almost dinner.”
Gale, like a lord, gave a series of quick instructions.
Then, shall I finally go and rest?
I returned to the room I’d been given and took a bath.
It was a bath where you actually filled the tub with water.
This continent has abundant water resources, and there’s no fighting over water.
As someone who used to be Japanese, I’m very grateful for this.
I washed my body and hair and then soaked in the tub.
It was a spacious tub, big enough for two or three people to use together.
My body gradually warmed up.
Ah, my stiff shoulders are loosening up.
“Hyahaha! Katia-chan, let’s take a bath together!”
!?
Had I let my guard down? I didn’t sense her presence at all.
Fina burst in with a war cry that sounded like a mohawked madman from a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Completely naked.
“Eh, wait…”
I quickly averted my eyes.
“Whoa, Katia-chan’s boobs are floating in the water! I’m so surprised!”
“…”
I’m the one who’s surprised!
I was so confused that I couldn’t move.
But, I snapped out of it and fled the bath.
“I’m getting out now!”
However, Fina had already circled around me.
“Don’t be so cold, let’s take a bath together.”
The consciousness of being a man still remains in me, and I haven’t fully transitioned to being a woman enough to feel at ease.
I’m such a half-baked individual.
Because of that, I don’t know how to respond.
What should I do?!
I don’t have the mental fortitude to activate my “inner-man” and go “Lucky me! What eye candy!”. My mental strength is only depleting.
After some consideration, I chose a chicken-like play: trying to avoid looking directly at Fina as much as possible.
Fina is talking animatedly about something, but I’m only half listening.
In the end, I ended up getting out of the bath in an exhausted state, like I was suffering from heatstroke.
I never thought that taking a bath to relieve fatigue would actually make me more tired…
