CH 293

I Told Ms. Anna About What Happened

“Please come this way then.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t worry. These are nice people, so you can go with them. They’re going to give you a bath.”

“…Yes. Okay.”

As the bath was ready, Ms. Anna came to take Liza to it. But Liza seemed a little confused.

This was a place unknown to her, and so she had been surprised.

But I smiled and assured her that it was fine, and so she nodded and followed Ms. Anna.

I was glad to see that she trusted me now.

“She’s taken to you, eh?”

“Do you think so? Well, I’ve been trying to be careful so that I don’t scare her…”

“Wuff-wuff!”

“Haha! Haha!”

I talked with Mr. Ekenhart as we watched Leo play with the children in the back garden.

Since Liza had been so frightened when we first met her, I had been extra careful when around her. But I didn’t know how well it was going.

However, she had talked about different things on the way here, and judging by her facial expression, she had lowered her guard quite a bit now.

Though, it was more because of Leo than me… And Leo’s sneeze.

“Mr. Takumi…uh, Liza, was it? I took her to the bathing area, and she is now being washed up.”

“Thank you. I really am sorry for coming here out of the blue…”

“Not at all. You have been good to us, Mr. Takumi. Besides, the children had wanted to meet Leo again. You are always welcome here.”

After leaving Liza with others, Ms. Anna came to see us.

I apologized once again and thanked her.

Ms. Anna’s eyes seemed to shine as she watched the children play with Leo. And I could tell how much Leo enjoyed it.

This was like a paradise for her… Because no one was afraid of her.

“Uhh… And who is your friend?”

“Hmm? Me?”

“…You’re hiding your face.”

“Oh, of course. …It’s been a while, Headmistress Anna.”

“…Your Grace?”

“Mmm.”

“Forgive my rudeness! I did not recognize you!”

“I do not mind. Please be calm and raise your face.”

“…Yes.”

Ms. Anna had been curious about the stranger who lurked next to me.

And so Mr. Ekenhart removed the cloth from around his face and revealed himself to her.

Now that his intimidating features were on full display, Ms. Anna looked confused for a moment before realization hit her.

She then prostrated herself on the ground.

But Mr. Ekenhart told her to raise her face and made her stand.

“So…uh…and the child?”

Ms. Anna asked me, but she kept glancing over to Mr. Ekehart.

He just chuckled and allowed me to explain it.

“Well, it really just happened a moment ago… Leo led us to the north side of Ractos.”

“The north side… Why would she do that?”

Ms. Anna seemed to know about how things were on the north side.

It was no wonder… As she ran an orphanage, she would know where orphans usually came from. 

“Yes. We didn’t mean to go there… But Leo seemed to be looking for something. And then we found a child who was being bullied.”

“Bullied… Ah, because she is a beastkin.”

“Yes, it seemed to be the case. And so we had to help her… And then we thought about bringing her here to have her cleaned up.”

“I see. So that is why. But this beastkin child…”

Ms. Anna now understood why we had come here.

However, she still looked troubled.

I suppose it had to do with her being a beastkin?

“Is there a problem? I’m sorry, I really don’t know much about such things…”

“Hmm… Indeed… We must tell Mr. Takumi about the matter of beastkin. Can you do it, headmistress?”

“Very well.”

I tilted my head and asked Ms. Anna and Mr. Ekenhart.

Mr. Ekenhart nodded and left it to Ms. Anna, who then explained to me about the beastkin.

Leo was playing with the children, and Liza wouldn’t be back for some time, so I had to learn while I could.

Still, I wonder if Sebastian took a liking to explaining because Mr. Ekenhart would always make him do it for him?

I wondered, but since it was not important right now, I pushed it out of my head.

“It was….when I was still a child, so nearly thirty years ago… There was a war between this country and the country of the beastkin.”

“…To be precise, it was thirty-two years ago.”

Ms. Anna seemed to recall the time as she talked.

Thirty-two years… Mr. Ekenhart would have also been a child back then.

“And while these lands were not turned into a battlefield, things were most terrible in the places that were.”

“But it’s a neighboring country. Were relations really that bad?”

“Well… I do not know much about diplomacy…”

“We were on rather friendly terms once. But there was an incident and things changed. By the way, the beastkin country is to the north of this one. And my lands are towards the south of this country. That’s why we were not affected much by the war.”

War, huh… Where people from different countries kill each other…

There were various reasons, such as countries wanting power and land.

As the duke, Mr. Ekenhart might know more about it, however, he seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it. Perhaps he could not.

And since I did not want to pry and cause any trouble, I decided to leave it alone.