Chapter 3-25 : Maitena Onee-sama And Her Merry Band
「Maitena onee-sama?」(Kako)
「Kako!」(Maitena)
I see, so the negotiator is her.
For the Balvin Family to formally apologize to the Kushaq Family, a negotiator from the Kushaq Family is needed. Maitena onee-sama is indeed the perfect person for this role.
She rushed to me and hugged me tightly.
Her plate armor felt cold on my cheek.
「Aahh~ It’s been a long time. I missed you so much.」(Maitena)
「It hasn’t even been two weeks since I left.」(Kako)
「Two weeks is a long time! Father and Mother miss you too.」(Maitena)
「I understand that feeling very well. I would miss Kako ojou-sama too if I couldn’t see her even for a day.」(Thea)
「Right~?」(Maitena)
Even Thea said the same thing…
「Yo, Kako ojou-chan.」(Izack)
「Yahalo, Kako-chan~」(Palfi)
「Glad to see you doing well.」(Martz)
「Izack-san, Palfi-san, Martz-san!」(Kako)
Not just Maitena onee-sama, the rest of the Wings of Steel members are here as well.
Waving their hands, they approached me from the entrance.
「You look unhurt. That’s a relief.」(Izack)
「Eh?」(Kako)
「Kako, you don’t know how much we were worried about you.」(Maitena)
「That’s right. I got goosebumps when we read the letter Thea sent. Ahh~ I’m really glad you’re okay!」(Palfi)
「Ah… I’m sorry to have worried you.」(Kako)
I see. I can understand how terrified they were when they got news that I almost died at the sea.
Well, I even got to see the goddess again when I was unconscious at that time. That’s how serious the situation was.
「I’m sorry-nya. I couldn’t protect her back then-nya…」(Nyat)
「I couldn’t save her either…」(Thea)
Nyat and Thea lowered their heads to Maitena onee-sama and the others, looking apologetic.
「No, Nyat, Thea, you don’t need to apologize. You’re not at fault.」(Kako)
「Kako’s right. No one is blaming you both.」(Maitena)
「We didn’t know exactly what happened, but jumping into the sea while being attacked by mermaids is too dangerous.」(Izack)
That’s right. I’m glad that Nyat and Thea didn’t jump to save me back then.
「Yup! Besides, everyone knows that cats hate water. Right?」(Palfi)
「Ugu… I want to say I’m not a cat, but… You’re right-nya.」(Nyat)
I’ve told him not to think about it too much, but Nyat seems to still blame himself for not being able to save me.
「I don’t doubt Nyat-san’s ability, but he may need more help. I’ll talk to Father to hire more bodyguards for you when we get home.」(Maitena)
「What!? 」(Kako)
More bodyguards, she says!? No way! I wouldn’t be able to use my Synthesis Ability freely!
I jumped to Nyat and hugged his big, fluffy belly.
「No! Nyat alone is more than enough!」(Kako)
「You really like him, huh?」(Maitena)
「Haha! Don’t worry, we will be your bodyguards while we’re here. We won’t let you go through such a scary experience again! Right, guys?」(Izack)
「Un, un! You can rely on us!」(Palfi)
「We will protect you.」(Martz)
They smiled at me and raised their thumbs up.
「Th, thank you, everyone.」(Kako)
Seeing their bright smiles, I couldn’t help but nod.
I just hope they won’t follow me twenty-four hours a day…
◆◆◆
We would get in other people’s way if we kept talking while standing in the middle of the lobby, so we looked for a quiet spot to talk. We found two long sofas in a parallel layout, enough for six people in a corner of the lobby, and sat there. Thea was standing behind me.
While drinking the tea that inn staff members prepared for us, I told Maitena onee-sama and the others everything that had occurred that couldn’t be fully conveyed in the letter.
「Polluted sea… Contaminated fish… No wonder there were many people looking unwell on the way here. They probably ate contaminated fish… Poor souls…」(Palfi)
Apparently, the number of people who have been affected by the contaminated fish was higher than I thought.
As a priest, Palfi looked very concerned about the unwell-looking people she saw in the city.
「So, Duke Balvin is not aware of how serious the situation is, but if we show the highly contaminated fish Kako ojou-chan found, we may be able to convince him. I don’t know much about this person, but I think it’s foolish of him to treat the sea so carelessly when his people heavily depend on it.」(Izack)
「I only heard about him a little from Father, and he doesn’t seem like the person who would treat his people carelessly. He is indeed partly at fault, but in the first place, it all happened because of his first son, Roberto Elt Balvin, right?」(Maitena)
That’s right. If that mad scientist wasn’t so stubborn about his research, the sea wouldn’t have been polluted.
「I can’t believe it. Making enemies of other races is not the act of sanity. They might work for the sake of this kingdom, but they harmed another race in the process. How foolish.」(Martz)
Martz-san put his palm on his forehead and sighed.
He is an elf, and as a non-human race, he seems to feel empathy toward the mermaids. From his expression, he probably was imagining what if his race suffered the same fate as the mermaids.
「Roberto Elt Balvin… I’m not a researcher, but from what I understand, they’re stubborn creatures.」(Izack)
「Stubborn, huh?」(Martz)
「I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with Lost Potion, but he must take pride in his research. However, continuing his research despite the harm it causes is wrong.」(Izack)
「He’s a genius, isn’t he? Why doesn’t he come up with the method that doesn’t harm the environment?」(Martz)
「Beats me. Maybe it’s extremely difficult and would take a very long time to fulfill.」(Izack)
「Then he just has to continue his research patiently even if it would take hundreds of years.」(Martz)
「You can say that because you’re an elf. We humans have short lifespans, you know? He might have died before he could achieve his goal.」(Izack)
「He’s the first son and will inherit the ducal house, right? Even if he can’t complete it in his lifetime, he can entrust his research to his descendants.」(Martz)
「So you’re telling him to turn the navy family, House Balvin, into a researcher family starting with his generation?」(Izack)
「Yeah.」(Martz)
「Hahh… I doubt his father will let it happen.」(Izack)
Listening to Martz-san’s absurd opinion, Izack-san sighed.
「Anyway, I don’t like this Roberto guy. As his father, didn’t the duke properly teach him what should be prioritized as a high-ranking noble?」(Martz)
「He probably did, but this son of his was too thick-headed to listen to him.」(Izack)
「I agree with Martz. I don’t like this guy either. Kako was put in danger because of him. They should pay a fair price for this.」(Maitena)
「Maitena onee-sama?」(Kako)
Maitena onee-sama who had been silently listening, suddenly made a scary face.
「That’s right! Kako-chan is like a cute little sister to us all! They should pay for putting her in danger! That’s what we came here for!」(Palfi)
「Palfi-san!?」(Kako)
Even Palfi-san made a scary face.
「Don’t worry guys. They’re gonna pay for this. Khu khu khu…」(Izack)
「Yeah, that’s right. Khu khu khu…」(Martz)
「Khu khu khu… Khu khu khu…!」(Wings of Steel members)
And now the four of them were making evil grins on their faces.
To me, they are like heroes, but now they look like a group of evil villains in the movies.
I hope they don’t go overboard in the meeting with the Balvins tomorrow…
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