After we went up the to the surface from the underground facility,
The corpses carried out from the underground facility of the Abyss Hole were lined up one after another near the graveyard of the people who died in the Great Invasion near the campground.
The corpses were in various states; some only had bones left, some were half-decayed, and some had just decayed.
The total number was probably about 200.
I said probably because the skeletonized bones were scattered all over the place, so their exact number were unknown.
Meila, Maribel, and I are in such graveyard where corpses are lined up.
I thought that the story of the corpses would soon become a rumor among the adventurers, thus I felt it was useless to hide it from the quick-witted Maribel, so I brought her here.
āMaribelā¦ I know itās painful, but is your father among them?ā
Maribel, who have a ghastly pale face and is clinging to Meilaās waist, turns her serious gaze toward each of the lined-up bodies.
Iām aware that it is a miserable thing to do for a little girlā¦
Given the situation, even if I tell her only her father was missing, Maribel would probably figure it out herself after all.
I concentrate my gaze at her and hold Maribelās hand who is searching for her father.
āAl Onii-chanā¦ thank you.ā
Maribel who has tears on her eyes thank me in a small voice.
āIf itās painful, you donāt have to do it. Iāll report it to Frontier Count.ā
āUun, this is Maribelās job. Whether they are father and the others or not, Maribel think it is an information that the Frontier Count really, really want to know. Thatās why Maribel will work properly.ā
Having wiped the tears on the corner of her eyes with her own sleeves, Maribel look at my face just for a moment, then turn her gaze back towards the corpses.
She is a very strong childā¦
And, she is also a very smart child.
Sheās very different from meā¦
Afterward, I keep holding Maribelās hand for a while, but her body begin to tremble when her eyes go to the corpse of a beastman.
āThat body with a big wound on its back. I think heās uncle Dontoā¦ā
āUncle Donto? Not your father?ā
āUn, but heās the uncle who came to this place together with father. Because heās from the same villageā¦ā
The corpse with a large sword wound on its back is still not decayed by much yet.
Given that Maribel was hiding alone in the underground facility since more than three weeks ago, and from the state of the decomposition, it is highly possible that he died around that time period.
āThat meansā¦ā
After hearing what Maribel said, Meila looks at the relatively undecomposed corpses.
There are roughly about 20 bodies, huh.
Although there might be some that have turned into pieces.
That body is of someone who came from Inbahanes together with Maribel, huh.
āMaribelā¦ā
āAl Onii-chan, thank you. Maribel thinks she did a good work. Please tell the Frontier Count that father and the others wereā¦ killedā¦ā
That said, Maribel turns her face down, muffles her voice and begin to cry.
I gently hug such Maribel without saying anything.
The surrounding knights and Meila also begin to sob when they see such figure of Maribel.
āāā After a week āāā
The excavation of the newly discovered underground facility was still ongoing, but most of the work were transferred to the knight order for confidentiality, and the Adventurerās Guild branch office was also closed, so we returned to Youg Hannotes.
The found corpses were buried as is in the graveyard near the campground.
Maribel who lost her father continued to help in the Adventurerās Guild with a smile even after that, but it was clear to everyone that her smile was mere bravado.
We took charge of such Maribel and lived together at an inn of Youg Hannotes prepared by the Frontier Count.
āAl Onii-chan, Meila Onee-chan, there is a summon from the Frontier Count-sama, you know! Come urgently ā it said! Cāmon, quickly get up.ā
Maribel who is already awake, strips the blanket from me who is still asleep.
Similarly, the blanket of Meila has already been stripped off.
When we decided to live with Maribel, we had a talk with her about my identity and gender, and we had her promised to keep it a secret.
The smart her quickly understood why I hid my identity and made sure to call me āAl Onii-chanā both outdoor and indoor.
Moreover, in this one week of living together, Meila and I were on the side of being taken care of by Maribel.
āMaribel-chan, I-Iām still young, so let me sleep a little moreee~! Waa, please.ā
I open my eyes thinly and see Meila next to me clinging to Maribel, trying to get her blanket back.
Which one of them is the adult I wonderā¦
Yawn, even so, so sleepyā¦
Though I do understand Meilaās feelingsā
I gently reach out my hand to get my blanket back, but the blanket is not there anymore.
āBoth of you get up!ā
Mumu, this might be unexpectedly difficult.
Should I give up and wake up?
Since my hand that tried to get the blanket only grabbed an empty space, I decide to surrender to Maribel.
āGood morning, Maribel.ā
āGood morning! Al Onii-chan, this is your change of clothes! Here, please take it!ā
Maribel gives me the change of clothes in her hand, and jumps onto Meilaās body who is still struggling on the bed and seems to has no intention to get up.
āMeila Onee-san too, wake up! If you keep lying down, Maribel will change your clothes.ā
āUuh, thatās good! I donāt want to get uuupā¦ā
Meila who is refusing to wake up shows no resistance when her both hands are raised so that her clothes can be easily changed.
āMuuu. Agaaain.ā
Puffing her cheeks, Maribel begins to change the clothes of Meila who doesnāt even try to get up.
This exchange is a daily morning occurrence that has been going on since we started staying in this inn.
I think the wound of losing her father and her acquaintances of the village are huge, butā¦
We would like to help her heal her wounds even by a little as best as we can.
I have no confidence on whether we can heal her wound thoughā¦
In fact, I knew Maribel had been crying in bed in the middle of the night for this whole week, so Iād like to cheer her up even by a little.
āMeila, if you keep having Maribel changes your clothes, maybe you wouldnāt be able to change clothes yourself anymore, you know.ā
āThatās fine mon. I just have to make Maribel be my bride after all~.ā
Saying that, Meila hugs Maribel who is changing her clothes.
āSomeone who want to become Maribelās husband must earn money, so, impossible~.ā
āHiguuu! Dhooonāt, Iāll do my best to work today as weeeell!ā
āYes, then, since weāll be going to the Frontier Count-samaās place soon, please get prepared, okay?ā
āIāll change my clothes right awaaaay!ā
Having been handed her change of clothes by Maribel, Meila reluctantly stands up and begins to change immediately.