“Iprus used to get something to eat every time she pleased the child of a well-to-do family.”
Thanks to the cow species trait and her quick wit, she must have done well wherever she went.
Her pretty face must have played a part too.
“But at the time I hated it so much.”
“…Why?”
“I was ashamed that Iprus got it by groveling. I guess my pride wouldn’t allow me to eat it.”
His young mind must have been tormented by those thoughts.
“So it was a daily routine to insist on not eating the food Iprus brought, but after a big fight, I barely swallowed it.”
“Iprus went through a lot.”
“She did.”
Hanu laughed faintly.
“As soon as I reached the age accepted by the mercenary guild, I immediately jumped into mercenary work. I thought it was far better this way than Iprus throwing away her pride and servilely receiving the food.”
‘Ah, yes, I think I’ve heard that he used to be a mercenary…’
“The funny thing is, when I said I was going to work as a mercenary, Iprus strongly opposed it. She was very furious.”
She had no choice but to be.
It was safe to say that a mercenary was a job where people risked their lives to earn money.
Besides, with an upright and soft personality like Hanu, the harsh life of a mercenary must have been even more difficult.
“Well, I defeated the opposition and eventually became a mercenary. Ever since I’ve been making money, Iprus hasn’t been forced to please others.”
“It must have been hard on the body, but you must have felt at ease.”
“Yes. but…”
As if remembering that time, Hanu frowned.
“Seeing her play around like a fool for a few years, I think I nagged at her to find a job.”
Apparently, this was the reason why Hanu insisted that he was the older one.
As expected of siblings, they had to fight each other.
“Even before I got out of the mercenary and was hired by the Weil family, she was always talking about love.”
“Iprus’ love experience is amazing.”
“Of course, I was quite relieved because she always seemed to be in the superior position when dating… How can one know when those wolves will change?”
I smiled when I read the kindness hidden in the blunt words.
“Even though you two fight every time your eyes meet, Sir Hanu really loves his family, Iprus, right?”
Hanu answered without hesitation, mirroring my smile.
“Not at all.”
I smirked at Hanu’s firm answer.
“You’re just shy.”
If you think about the relationship between the two, it was only natural to say that.
However, judging by the anecdotes from when they were young, it was clear that the two as siblings were closer than anyone else.
As I tried to smile like a mother looking at my well-raised child, Hanu stared at me.
“Lady Lia-sama…”
“Huh.”
“I think you’re very kind.”
I blinked, not knowing that I would hear that from Hanu. Especially Hanu.
I thought I was quite a nuisance to him, who was a pushover.
Furthermore…
“But you always call me a thug penguin?”
“That’s why Lady Lia’s kindness, which comes from time to time, stands out even more.”
He smiled like he meant it.
‘If a good man does 99 good things and does bad things once, he becomes trash to the world…’
‘But if a bad guy does one good thing after doing 99 bad things, maybe he’s better than you think?’
…It felt like that.
I looked at Hanu with an ambiguous expression, not knowing whether to take it as a compliment or an insult.
Then I realized that a lot of time had passed and ended the conversation.
“Anyway, then I’ll assume that Sir Hanu agreed for us to go with Jerome, the shark demibeast.”
“I understand Lady Lia’s feelings.”
Kak.
Hanu grabbed my sleeve and shook his head in a hurry, seemingly fearing I would run away.
“But just because it wasn’t his fault that he was born as a shark, there’s no guarantee that he won’t be dangerous to Lady Lia. There is absolutely no correlation between the two.”
“…I thought I covered the essence well, but you hit the point, Sir Hanu.”
—Aren’t I good?
With such meaning in his eyes, Hanu’s lips confidently curled up, and accompanying them was a proud expression.
“Then I know you understand…”
“But there is one thing Sir Hanu overlooked.”
“No way…?”
His pupils trembled. He seemed to have a premonition of what would come out of my mouth.
To repay his expectations, I smiled; the corners of my mouth raised to the fullest.
“That’s right. I’m a thug who doesn’t listen to anyone else.”
I patted him on the back to cheer him up.
“If you understand, move your feet. I’m going to find that little shark and scold him.”
My feet moved vigorously, then it came to a sudden stop.
“Wait, where should I look for Jerome?”
“…Look! He is a demibeast who has penetrated the Weil family territory. If he makes up his mind and hides, he will be harder to find than a raccoon demibeast.”
“Hmm. Shall we go to the island where shark demibeasts live together?”
“Lady Lia!”
At last, Hanu let out a loud cry with an expression of stress. I grinned and waved my hand.
“It’s a joke, a joke.”
Indeed, it’s fun to tease Hanu.
I hardened my amused face and spoke with much seriousness.
“But, isn’t there something strange? If Jerome is a shark demibeast, there’s no way he miss being associated with me, who is related to Weil, but he’s not here.”
“…You’ve thought of that?”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Of course, there was a tendency to act selfishly, but I was not one to live without thinking at all.
“Then why do you want to meet the shark demibeast again when you know that he will use you?”
Suddenly, a piece from the past came to mind. I tried to ignore the memory and answered.
“Just… He seemed lonely, so I wanted to be with him.”
“That…”
Hanu stared at me like he had something to say.
I pretended not to notice his gaze, shrugged my shoulders once, and walked away.
“If we don’t find him after looking around for a bit, let’s just search for the racoon by ourselves, Sir Hanu.”
“…Yes.”
Not long after I started walking with Hanu…
People who weren’t exactly unfamiliar entered my sight. They were the demibeasts who were trying to beat Jerome yesterday but ran away when they saw me.
Happily, I raised my hand and tried to say hello. I meant to scare them like yesterday.
If it wasn’t for the words that followed.
“Yes. How the hell did you catch that nimble guy?”
“How I caught him… I gathered people and caught it like yesterday. There are quite a few people who were hurt by that bastard and had been grinding their teeth.”
“Didn’t he fight back?”
“Hah, about that. That bastard, because he’s weak, he carried a dagger? Really, I was… I looked in his pocket to see if there was anything I could take, and I was surprised.”
He smirked, took out a dagger (probably the stolen one), and proudly tossed it into the air and caught it.
Whiik, tak.
“Anyway, since I got my share, it’s my treat today!”
“To think that a miser like you is giving a treat. How much did you get?”
“Hehe, even though his hair is suspicious, he is really a shark demibeast. I was paid quite well.”
“Come to think of it, sharks are fish, so their special ability is to breathe underwater, right?”
“Since his face is decent, they must have thought that he would be perfect in a large fish tank. After making friends with the people on the stowaway ship, this opportunity comes!”
“What bad taste. It’s not even a real fish, but to keep him in a fish tank and raise him for ornamental purposes.”
“The hobbies of high-ranking people turn into money for us. It’s none of my business if I get money.”
Haha-!
Sounds of laughter filled the alley, perhaps because they were all a good mood.
I stood in front of the happy-looking people. Then I grinned.
“Hello. You’re talking about something interesting.”
Credits goes to ZZZZ for raw providing and Ame for translating.
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