Chapter 237 Selfish Karina
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Gièze’s POV)
After lunch, we started preparing for tomorrow’s ‘Raetia Great Labyrinth’ attack.
Karina and I went shopping in the carriage.
Well, we each have our personal equipment sorted out, so it’s mainly food we’re after.
”Hey, you got the ‘shopping list’ memo from Noo, right?”
I called out to Karina, who was sitting next to me on the driver’s seat.
”Y-yeah, of course! …E-even I can’t mess that up…uh, wait…?”
”…Karina…?”
”I-I have it right here! …phew, that’s a relief…”
Looks like she actually brought it.
”What about the members from the lower floors?”
”…W-we’ve also…g-g-gained some confidence. …Lotta and…N-Noriss are…w-we’re getting better at coordinating…”
Karina clenched her fists with a ‘hmmph!’ Aww man…
she’s crumpling the memo while holding it…
”…Ms. Eluda, who’s protecting you and Lotta, is pretty reliable, and Mr. Gorge is surprisingly dependable too. Plus, we’ve got Ms. Simona, who’s got some serious close-combat skills that are a bit overkill for the lower floors. There’s no way we’ll mess this up.”
”Y-yeah, that’s right! …Gièze, I-I’m so excited I can’t help it!”
Karina flashed a smile at me.
”Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too.”
As we kept chatting, we drove the carriage into the village’s central square.
* * *
”Is this everything? …Did we forget anything?”
”Um…y-yeah…w-we definitely have everything…”
That’s enough food for 8 people for 2 days.
It’s a decent amount.
We loaded it into the carriage and hurried on our way to the clan house.
”G-Gièze…?”
”Yeah? What’s up, Karina?”
”Ah, since we’re leaving tomorrow morning… I think it’d be better if we could stay at the clan house tonight…”
”…The house is right next door. There shouldn’t be any problem coming from there, right?”
”But, but!”
When I glanced over at Karina, she was staring at me with her face all red and those pleading eyes.
”…You’re not planning to pull another stupid stunt like last night, are you…?”
”!!!!”
”…Am I right?”
”W-well, we’re going on an adventure! We’re going to challenge the Great Labyrinth! So… I-I think…”
Karina started off strong, but her voice gradually got quieter until she was looking down.
”‘I want to replenish my little brother’s nutrients,’ huh?”
At my question, Karina shot her head up.
Her face was flushed, and she was smiling, nodding her head vigorously.
”No way.”
”Huh!?”
”Last night, I can understand how you might have taken advantage of the situation where you ‘mistakenly entered the wrong room’… well, I can see how that happened.”
”U-using it…?”
”Anyway, what were you planning to do if Ms. Kazumi and the others found out about that?”
I’m lecturing Karina while putting aside what I did that same night.
”Uh, um, is there a problem with a sister sleeping with her little brother…?”
”Absolutely.”
I cut down Karina’s rebuttal without hesitation.
Instantly, she looked dejected.
”…Alright then──no, it’s fine.”
”──Huh?”
”Let’s ask to stay at the clan house to prepare for tomorrow’s exploration.”
”I-is that really okay?♡”
Karina’s face lit up with a smile in an instant…
how easily pleased she is.
”Staying at the clan house the night before the exploration could also be seen as a way to deepen our bonds…”
”Gi, Gi, Gièze…!”
”Don’t get it twisted, okay? I didn’t give Karina permission to sneak into Lord Hiroya’s sleeping quarters. I just allowed you to stay at the clan house, that’s all.”
”Y-yeah, that’s right… w-well, I can at least… u-use my little brother as a pillow until just before bed…”
”…Take it easy, okay…”
Guess I’ll just ask Ms. Kazumi when I get back.
* * *
First, I stopped by home to grab my exploration gear before heading back to the clan house.
I handed the food to Noo and asked Ms. Kazumi for permission to stay at the clan house.
”You can stay whenever you want. The same room as yesterday, right?”
”Thank you so much. I guess Karina is just being selfish since she feels too comfortable here…”
”Sister-in-law Karina really like Hiroya, doesn’t she?”
”I-I’m so sorry…!”
Caught off guard by her directness, I straightened up and bowed my head.
”It’s all good~. I’m not really sure if it’s as a ‘little brother’ or as a ‘man,’ but it’s understandable to like Hiroya. He’s a charming guy after all.”
”Ms. Kazumi…”
Ah, is this person a goddess? She must have a heart as vast as the ocean.
”Anyway, make sure to rest up for tomorrow. After dinner, you can take turns in the bath starting with the low-floor group for tomorrow. And make sure to hit the hay early, okay? Fatigue is the enemy of exploration.”
”Got it. ──But, I think Karina will be leaning on Lord Hiroya, so… I’ll tell her to go to bed as early as possible.”
”…Well, I think Hiroya will go to bed early tonight too. He seemed a bit tired.”
”W-what happened to Lord Hiroya?!”
Seeing Ms. Kazumi’s worried expression, I couldn’t help but ask in a panic.
”Hehe, it’s fine. It seems like he and Liz were working hard together since early afternoon, including cheering up Simona, who’s going with the low-floor group tomorrow♡”
Ms. Kazumi stuck her tongue out and grinned mischievously.
”O-oh… I see.”
I could feel my face getting hot as I tried to grasp the meaning of that ‘comfort’.
”Y-yeah, I got it! I’ll make sure to tell her that Lord Hiroya’s tired!”
I bowed deeply once more and left the spot.
* * *
(Lord Hiroya is… with Ms. Simona and Ms. Liz… um… encouraging them… and probably getting some rest soon…)
He must be exhausted and heading to bed.
Maybe, just maybe, I could pull off some ‘mischief’ like last night.
With those thoughts in mind, I decided to carry my and Karina’s gear from the carriage to our room.
(But… one more time… about Lord Hiroya’s ‘thing’…)
No, that’s not right.
Tomorrow is an important ‘great labyrinth exploration’.
(I can’t let myself get distracted by such things…!)
I shook my head vigorously to clear those naughty thoughts.
I dropped off my stuff in the room, grabbed my favorite curved sword (shamshir), and strapped it to my belt.
(There’s still some time before dinner. I might as well practice to cool my head…)
I dashed down the stairs to head to the backyard.
* * *
(Asuka’s POV)
Having been assigned to the deep-floor team, I went down to the dining hall a bit early for dinner since I had nothing else to do after helping with Gorge’s preparations for tomorrow’s departure.
”Lady Asuka, dinner’s not ready yet, but if you want to drink, I can prepare some snacks!”
”Is that okay?”
”We have some ‘thinly sliced fried potatoes’ that Lady Hanna made as a trial!”
”That sounds great. Can I have some?”
”What do you want to drink?”
”Beer.”
”Got it!”
I happily accepted Uu’s kind offer and looked out at the backyard through the open door of the dining hall.
I could see Gièze swinging hier curved sword (shamshir) in the light snow.
(The hard worker is still at it, huh…)
Gièze swings her sword, one cut at a time, with great care, adjusting the feel of the blade with each swing, over and over again.
”I wish I could just get my hands on a ‘katana’…”
”Yeah, that curved sword (shamshir) is definitely a fine piece made by Toldo, but…”
Suddenly, a voice responds to my muttering.
”Hey Asuka. From Uu.”
Hiroya sets down a plate with beer and snacks right in front of me.
”Oh, it’s you, Hiroya. Thanks!”
”The curved sword (shamshir) is a slashing weapon, so it’s not really suited for thrusting.”
”…I see. Whether it’s your ‘Obu Muso Style’ or my swordsmanship, we both have thrusting techniques. To make the most of Gièze’s sword speed, incorporating thrusts would be effective too.”
I take a sip of the beer and grab a slice of fried sweet potato for a snack.
(Yep. The saltiness is just right, tasty.)
”It’s just like potato chips. So good!”
”…It’s a no-no for someone who doesn’t drink to munch on snacks, you know?”
”Kids are allowed to do it.”
”What a convenient little brat.”
I can’t help but laugh at Hiroya’s playful smile.
”I’m having Ms. Sasha look for a ‘katana’ for me, just in case.”
”I hope she finds one…”
Hiroya and I watch Gièze swing the curved sword (shamshir) with complete focus, feeling a warm sense of kindness as we do.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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