Housekeeping Mage from Another World, page 25
■ December 8th, morning
The knight corps spent the whole morning talking to Hildegarde, and it wore her out. It made her remember yesterday and so she was kind of deflated. Conny was worried about her, so he decided to let her visit Felicia.
The Cathedral people told me that everybody trusts Conny. He’s decisive and he takes action. He’s also very popular with visitors to the Cathedral, apparently. I can totally see it. Even I can tell he’s a really good person.
Hildegarde looked so happy to see Felicia. As it turns out, Hildegarde and Felicia were estranged because of the work of that woman Karina and the weirdo I swallowed. I’m super happy that they’re friends again!
Hildegarde and Felicia told Conny that they wanted to say thanks, and also apologize, by performing a special song at the concert. Everyone was shocked at first, but then they all wanted to take part too. Conny was all for it, and Shiori said she’d do her best to back them up. I can’t wait for the concert. I’m a slime that loves having fun, so it’s going to be a total treat for me!
■ December 8th, afternoon to evening
The concert was beautiful, it was fun, and it made me super happy! I’d heard people from the village near the Blue Forest singing before, and it always looked fun and interesting. But this was way more people playing all sorts of instruments, and it was astounding. I can’t sing, though, so I had to settle for dancing, but dancing with everyone was heaps of fun. Slimes love to have a good time. I used to like listening to bug calls and bird songs in the forest, but human music is really beautiful and it carries so much weight—I love it. It was so amazing that some people even cried with joy. One day, I would love to listen to this with all my slime kin. None of us can sing, but we can jump and we can dance, so I hope someday we get to participate.
During the last song of the concert, something changed in Alec. He looked shocked partway through, and then he started singing along. It even looked like he cried a bit, but it was different from the overjoyed tears of the others. I was worried so I gave his leg a pat, but he told me he was all good.
But wow, Shiori’s illusion magic sure was something else. How does she even know what the world would look like from that high up in the sky? She’s full of mystery, she really is. Maybe she really is an angel or a goddess of some kind?
Alec is always calling Shiori “my goddess” and things like that. Now it’s “my songstress.” I sometimes wonder, what is Shiori to that guy?
■ December ╳╳
Sometimes Alec stays over at Shiori’s place. Alec’s place is too small for sleepovers. I’ve been to his apartment a couple times, but the kitchen is cramped and there’s no bath, so it really doesn’t look like it’d be much fun for Shiori. Every now and again he’ll mumble to himself like, “I suppose we could start looking for a place for the two of us, but... Well, maybe it’s still not time...”
If you ask me, though, they’re pretty much already mates. Just live together already.
“Still, there’s so much I have yet to settle...but the idea of living together sure is tempting.”
So just live together then.
“Then again, if we were living together in the same place, I don’t know if I’d be able to control myself...”
I don’t think Shiori would mind. I mean, she knows how much you care!
“But living together... Living together, huh... But how can you put a feast before me, then expect me not to eat...? Ugh, I don’t know...”
Alec is, like seriously, the most annoying man alive sometimes.
■ December ╳╳
Jens from the orphanage came to visit Shiori. With all that happened on the day before the concert, he completely forgot to pass the head chef’s request to her—that they wanted me to visit once a month to help with pest extermination.
Shiori said, “If Rurii is okay with it, I’m okay with it.”
Whoo! This slime’s gonna work so hard!
■ December ╳╳
In the morning, there was this real weird guy following Shiori and Alec around. He was exactly what you’d imagine a disreputable reporter to look like. He was muttering in the shadows about getting a big scoop, so I knew I had to put a stop to it.
I tried out the clothes-melting tactic that Pel told me about, and it worked like a charm. I figured if I melted all his clothes he’d be cold, and I am a kind slime, so I just melted away everything below the waist. The weirdo reporter was so focused on his work that he didn’t even notice. But when he walked out onto the street to tail Shiori and Alec, he was met by frightened screams and angry shouts. The guy was totally shocked. Finally, he looked down at himself and let out his own scream. That was when a knight ran over and dragged him away, saying, “Indecent exposure?! For that you will be penis...er, penalized accordingly!”
It was exactly like Pel told me. Amazing.
I’m totally going to use it again the next time a weirdo tries anything.
■ December ╳╳
Recently Shiori has been asking Alec for massages. She’s all like, “Your hands are the right size,” and “The pressure is perfect.” And she says she’s way more at ease with him than a masseuse.
She totally loves the massages too. She makes it look like they’re pure bliss.
“Mm, a little more gently...” she said the last time.
“Oh, sorry. Too strong, huh? H-How about this?”
“Oh, yes,” Shiori moaned. “That’s the spot...”
Not that I care, but I always wonder why Alec is all about heavy breathing whenever he gives Shiori a massage. The guy couldn’t get into the bath fast enough as soon as it was over.
Zack came to deliver a letter and even he was all mumbling to himself like, “I won’t tell them to not do it now that they’re a couple...but how about saving it for the evening or, I dunno, keeping their voices down a little?”
What’s he even on about?
Downstairs, I could hear him talking with Lache.
“Don’t you think the walls are a bit thin here?”
“Well, the young don’t seem to care at all if you can hear them...”
■ December ╳╳
Shiori and Alec are getting even closer to each other with each passing day. They look so happy together that it makes me happy too.
That said, they each have these huge secrets they’re keeping from one another.
Shiori said to me, “Alec is of a different status, and I’m from another world—I’m a little worried about whether we can really be together forever. But Alec told me not to worry, and he promised he’d stay by my side, so...I’ve chosen to believe in him.”
Shiori is worried that Alec might be way more important, and that maybe he’s not in a position where he can just choose anyone to be his mate. But Alec made a promise to her, so I’m sure that everything will work out fine!
But what did she mean, “from another world”? Does that mean Shiori isn’t from this world?! Is she like an actual goddess?! Hm... It would seem that this slime is friends with a most wondrous individual.
Alec is curious about Shiori’s past too. He was like, “I wonder if she knows the scenery above the clouds because she came from the sky? Still, whoever she is and wherever she came from, I’m going to be there for her, forever.”
Actually, though, he’s more worried that it might be too much for her to find out that he’s the brother of the king.
Everything will be fine! She loves you and she said herself that she believes in you! Everything will work out fine!
On top of that, I don’t care who either of you are or where you came from, you’re my friends! And we’re going to become even better friends from now on!
Part 2: A Distant Prayer
1
Alec couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“You’re closing the boarding house?!” he cried.
He was standing in the lobby of the boarding house—a location not far from the Guild, known as “Ivy Place.” The landlady had called out to him somewhat hesitantly before delivering the news.
“I’m so sorry for how sudden this is,” she said, her eyebrows drooping. “I’ve tried to keep the place in good shape, but it’s fallin’ apart at the seams, it is. Apparently it fell to pieces once before, durin’ the invasion, and it’s been patchwork fixes ever since. The carpenter says there ain’t no more that can be done. That, and my daughter’s expectin’ this month, and with her husband’s parents already passed, the two of them are strugglin’ on their own. I’ve been by myself all this time, y’see, and my son-in-law offered me a place with them.”
With this in mind, the landlady had finally decided that it was time to close up the boarding house. All the other residents had already been informed, and given that it was so sudden, the landlady had already put in a word with nearby landlords and made a list of rooms that her tenants could move into immediately. Of the three current residents, one had already packed his belongings into a rucksack and was going to move into a new place later that day. The other, excited by the prospect of a fresh start, planned to move out in the next few days.
That left one resident—Alec. He took the list of potential rooms from the landlady and looked it over. There were a few other boarding houses not unlike Ivy Place, and a few rental houses with slightly higher price tags—Shiori’s apartment building among them. All of the rooms were fully furnished, and all were available immediately. The list was quite extensive, and it showed how far the landlady had gone to help them. She was nothing if not sincere.
“I see...” muttered Alec, nodding. “I’m sure you want to be with your daughter as soon as you can. I’ll make sure to find a place by end of day tomorrow, so feel free to start packing.”
The landlady smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She’d already arranged buyers for the property and furniture, so once Alec was done, she’d be able to leave almost immediately. There were only a few days left before the coming of the new year, and being that it took a day to reach her daughter’s village by carriage, the landlady could still make it before the end of the year.
That meant Alec would be house hunting as of the following day. He had loved Ivy Place, but it had admittedly been a tad too cramped for company, and he had started thinking about moving somewhere with a little more room. Alec gave the relieved landlady a pat on the shoulder, bid her good night, and walked up to his room to turn in early.
The following day, as the sun was beginning to set, Alec let out a deep sigh.
“I honestly thought that deciding on a new place would be a piece of cake...but it’s surprisingly difficult.”
Alec wasn’t especially picky when it came to housing. However, none of the places he’d been to so far had clicked with him immediately, so he hadn’t been able to commit to any of them on the spot. They were all much nicer than Ivy Place, yet all the same, Alec couldn’t make a decision. And there was one reason—one big reason, in fact—that was stopping him.
“If I hadn’t met Shiori,” said Alec with a wry chuckle, “then I probably would’ve snapped up that second place in a heartbeat...”
Alec looked back down at one of the apartments on his list: Aslund House. The rent was pricey, but it was a spacious location fully equipped with a bath, a kitchen, and all the necessary furniture. Thanks to a fastidious landlord, it was apparently in great shape. The building also happened to be located across from a variety of different shops, making it very convenient. Under any other circumstances, Alec would have jumped at such a chance.
But it also happened to be the apartment building in which Shiori lived...and it happened to have one open apartment.
“We only just became lovers... If I moved into her building now, would I be moving too fast?”
Though it was admittedly strange for a tall, well-built man to be talking to himself in the middle of a crowded street, Alec was, in his own way, earnest. Because of the presence of Aslund House on the list, Alec had found excuses to hold off on all the other places he’d visited so far.
“But I at least owe it to myself to check the place out, right? Then let’s have at it.”
Alec didn’t even know what he himself meant by the words “have at it,” but at the very least his mind was made up, and so he walked the familiar streets to Aslund House. The apartment building was just a few minutes walk from the Guild, and when Alec came in through the front door, he met the gaze of the caretaker, who by this time was very used to seeing him.
“Ah, Sir Alec,” said Lache, “welcome. If it’s Shiori you’re after, she’s been in her apartment all day.”
Alec chuckled at Lache for bringing up Shiori’s name like Alec’s visits were an everyday occurrence. While he did intend to drop in on Shiori once he was done, he didn’t say as much as he walked up to the counter.
“Oh, actually, I came about the available apartment,” replied Alec. “The landlady from Ivy Place told me about it. I’m currently looking for a new place.”
“Ivy Place, you say... Ah, I see,” said Lache as he took out a set of keys. “So that’s where you were living.”
Alec followed the man up to the top floor of the apartment building. The available apartment was one of two that occupied the top floor. While the second and third floors were designed for those living alone, the top-floor units were more aimed at families.
“That said, these two apartments tend to be a touch inconvenient for families,” admitted Lache. “Being that they’re on the top floor, the walk can be tough on women who are expecting, and oftentimes for younger children too. And you can imagine how difficult it would be for the elderly. In the past, they’ve mainly been occupied by adventuring parties or couples without children.”
Until a few months ago, a young, newly married couple had occupied the apartment, but they’d moved out when the wife became pregnant. It had sat empty ever since.
“I don’t have any issues with a single person moving in, but it’s been empty until now because of the rent—the top-floor apartments are a little more expensive than those on the second and third floors.”
Aside from the kitchen and the spacious living room, the apartment also boasted a bedroom and a splendid bath with a hot water system and a place to hang the laundry. It certainly was spacious for someone living alone, but it was also very comfortable. Gentle winter sunlight shone in from the west, and the whole place was roomy without feeling bare and gloomy. The furniture, too, was rich in color, relaxing, and recently wiped clean of dust. The bed was clean and fluffy. The place was practically begging for someone to move in right away.
“Not bad...” muttered Alec.
He could already feel the place calling to him. At the same time, he knew that if he did let himself move into a place this nice, he’d run out of excuses to stay at Shiori’s place. Her bath was his excuse for staying over. He also couldn’t help feeling that he might be moving too fast by inviting her to live with him.
Lache seemed to notice the worry and hesitation on Alec’s face.
“I hope you don’t think me rude for saying so, but you could move in with the expectation that at some point you and Miss Shiori will live together. That is to say...if that is indeed your intention?”
“Well...yeah, but still...”
It was true—Alec had made up his mind. He was going to ask her to marry him once he’d settled everything. And yet...
“If we end up living together, I’m not confident that I’ll be able to control myself,” muttered Alec.
Alec wanted all of Shiori, but the wounds upon Shiori’s heart still needed time to heal. Alec, too, had to settle his own feelings. He’d made up his mind to wait, but if he were being honest with himself, he’d gotten into risky territory several times. On more than a few occasions, he’d had to commend his own self-control for spending the night without anything happening.
Overhearing Alec’s words, Lache reacted with surprise.
“How very perplexing...” he uttered, dropping into thought. “In which case, what exactly was it that Zack heard that had him in such a tizzy...? He did say he heard voices...”
“Hm? What’s that?” asked Alec.
“Oh, um, just talking to myself,” replied Lache, deflecting the question with a bright smile.
Up to this point, Alec could indeed say he had controlled himself...but he’d kissed her body, he’d rubbed parts of her body, and he’d done some fondling. Essentially, he’d picked away mischievously at her without ever indulging in a full meal, so to speak. But if they started living together, there was every chance that Alec’s appetite would get the better of him.
Lache silently watched the thoughtful Alec for a time, then smiled gently.
“Miss Shiori really means the world to you, doesn’t she?” he said.
“Hm...?”
“It’s made obvious by just how concerned you are for her comfort. She’s very important to you.”
“Uh... Yeah, she really is.”
He couldn’t deny that in the beginning, he was simply intrigued by her. But before he even knew it, he was drawn to her strength and kindness. She shared with him a pain that was like his own, and had within her a similar emptiness, and with time his feelings for her only grew. The day he’d truly realized that he loved her was when he had collapsed with fever and she had nursed him back to health.
“I wanted to settle down, and I’d all but given up on love for myself, but then I met her. She just came into my life. My one, and my only.”
They would support each other, heal each other, and fulfill one another. Meeting Shiori had brought the color back into his world.
“I see...” said Lache, nodding a few times before taking Alec’s hand. “Please, be happy. I mean that, for the both of you.”
