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Chapter 16
「Iris, nee, I say Iris. Wake up」
Half-asleep Iris is cute, isn’t she? She reminds me of my grandchild.
Absentminded Iris is yet to wake up.
It looks like she was really tired.
「Saa, eat. We are departing」
「Koyu-sama!! Ah…… 」
「You were tired, weren’t you? It can’t be helped. Rather than that, please finish your breakfast」
「I’m sorry……」
Iris becomes bright red then she immediately becomes pale blue. How busy she is.
Maa, even I would be ashamed of oversleeping. Much less Iris who I bothered the whole day yesterday. Fufu. But, teasing her is not good, right? Let’s let it pass. Un.
Iris immediately gulped down her breakfast. But, when eating tomato soup, she was staring at me with wonder. Ara, did it perhaps not suit her tastes? Even though she ate miso so deliciously yesterday. I wonder if Iris prefers Japanese? When I presented her the sweet brown sugar water, she drank it with delight. Did it ease her fatigue a little?
We clear the camp and prepare for the departure. Of course, we wash the empty pot clean.
Iris made it clean with magic. She said it’s the life magic. Isn’t it convenient?
Today, she will teach me magic in the carriage. I might be able to become a magician, you know? Fufu.
After we finish tidying up, we start the second day.
「Koyu-sama. I apologize for this morning」
「Ara, you don’t have to mind it. You must have been tired, right?」
「You have even prepared me a breakfast」
「Mou. I told you that you don’t have to worry about it? You must have had it hard after your head was hit. You have tried to keep it in all this time, right? I can make something like a meal as well」
「No, Koyu-sama is our employer. In truth, you should be enjoying the travel in the carriage……」
「Mou!! Iris is too stubborn. I had fun making the breakfast, isn’t that alright? Well, I somehow understand that I lack common sense from around here, but. Please endure it because I’m enjoying myself」
「Leave it at that~ You two」
「A, ara」
「I’m sorry」
「What Baasan said is true, but please try to understand Iris’s standpoint. You make her quite concerned about you」
「Concerned?」
「Well, yeah. You are unreasonably dangerous? Eccentric? You posses quite a lot of money. You got me really exhausted on the shopping day」
「Ara…… I have no excuse……」
「Therefore, you see. Wouldn’t it be alright to speak to each other a little bit more?」
「Indeed. Iris, I’m sorry. You were worried about me, weren’t you?」
「It is I who should be saying that. I’m terribly sorry」
「Therefore! Be a little bit less formal. Talk normally. I also want to do what I can do, you know? But, there are many more things that I am not able to do, you know? Please, help me there」
「What Koyu-sama can’t do……」
「First, the so-called common sense about this country. What I can and can’t do. Also, magic. I don’t understand at all how magic is supposed to be used, after all」
「Common sense…… risk control…… magic……」
「Risk control? tte. Am I that much?」
「Umm…… Yes. Awfully…… How should I say it……」
「Just say it. I think that Baasan will listen carefully now?」
「Maa, I’m properly listening」
「I think that Baasan might just pretend to be listening, though」
Muu.
「Umm…… Is it really all right to speak…… taking offense……」
「It’s all right. We will be together for some quite time. If I don’t listen to what I have to fix, Iris may collapse next time. If that happens, I will be the one who is troubled, right? Un, I prepared for it」
I would hate to keep causing Iris trouble. But, I wonder how much am I dangerous? I mean, I did not do much besides shopping and making meals. Ah, I apparently blew away some bad people, but that’s about all?
Iris corrects her posture and with some kind of determination looks straight into my eyes. I properly return her gaze. I have to properly listen to her opinion, don’t I?
「The first time I begin thinking that Koyu-sama is dangerous was when we went shopping. It was when you bought a great deal of food and when you bought the robe. You have casually taken out gold coins, didn’t you? You have stored the change into the bag without counting. It’s natural not to hand over your wallet to me who you just met, but you won’t generally use gold coins at the market. It’s up to large silver coins. Besides, you have not confirmed the cost, right? Moreover, you took out a white gold coin when buying the robe, didn’t you? No matter what noble shop it is, robes go for one large gold coin at most. You put the change casually back into the bag again, right? Do you understand that there were strangers on the sides? Shien who was your guard was holding too much baggage. Do you understand that you were targeted from all around? When buying a meal at the street stall, you have selfishly disappeared and bought grilled meat, didn’t you? You had disappeared in the little moment when Shien went to buy fruit water, while I was looking for a place to sit. Even though I told you to sit down with me, you went together with Shien because you wanted to shop at the stall. Then, when I told you not to separate from Shien, you told me that you understand. How many times have you got lost? I even heard that you had to hold hands so you wouldn’t get lost」
Umm, Iris’s words are like surging waves. Yes, yes, while nodding…… I can tell my face became hot.
Iris’s words of surging waves continued.
「Do you know how many people Shien kept away? It was really dangerous, you know? I caught countless pickpockets and accused many unjustly. We also exercised Coercion, and several people were knocked out. How many times have I cautioned you? Moreover, yesterday, even though you weren’t used to the shaking of the carriage yet, you have taken out scissors. It was so close that time that you had almost stabbed your hand, right? Was it knitting tools after the scissors? You understand that long sticks are also dangerous, right? When the carriage shook, and you almost stabbed yourself, I shuddered」
Umm, is it still continuing? Yes, it’s the things I have done. Just from hearing her, I can tell how dangerous that person is. Even though she’s talking about me……
「Koyu-sama, that bag…… It’s not a magic bag, is it? The amount it can take is ridiculous. Where did you put the large amount of items you have bought? Right now, it’s not anywhere, right? I was watching you prepare the meal, but there was a lof of things you haven’t bought, weren’t there? I know a little bit about cooking as well. On top of that, what is with that magical power? I’m told that mine is large, but isn’t yours far exceeding that? Even though you are saying that you have never used magic before」
After taking a breath, Iris’s voice became gradually louder…… I’m really sorry……
「In addition, I must teach such person how to use magic, you know? Even though people with too much magical power have trouble with control. I have been desperately learning how to control my magical power since I was a child. So I accidentally don’t discharge…… I have been thinking all this time about what should I do. And yet when I woke up, you have nonchalantly let me eat something I have not eaten before…… Just what am I supposed to do!!」
She ended up bursting into tears…… What should I do……
If this place were my room, I would offer her tea to calm down. Do I have something in my bag? Ara, a water pouch. Which reminds me, the fruit water from the stall was delicious, so I brought some home.
「I’m sorry, Iris. Drink this and calm down, okay?」
I give Iris the water pouch and suggest her to drink. After she calmed down, we have talked about various things. Haa, I have caused trouble, didn’t I? To Iris and Shien as well. I reflect a little.