Chapter 45

Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 45

She and ninja 1

As I haven’t made any special arrangements with Delris-san, I walked on the side of the street without hurry. Passing through the central gate, I advanced down the main street.

Sometimes clattering wagons pass by, Sporadically, I also see carriages that seem to belong to nobles. I stop paying attention to them after checking their crests. From stands lined up in front of shops, shopkeepers are shouting to attract customers.

“… It’s peaceful”

Even though Freed is fighting at the distant northern border, people here carefree.

But thinking they’re doing their best to protect this peace filled me with deep emotion.

While lightly walking towards my destination, I’m taking peeks at the stalls. There are many people around this area, it’s filled with liveliness. But among it, I heard a shrill familiar voice.

“We are going to that shop. You truly are a dullard!! Look, hurry up!!”

“I am sorry, Milady. Let’s go at once”

A pair of woman and man who seem to be a master and servant entered my line of sight.

They’re oddly conspicuous being surrounded by citizens at a distance.

I don’t recognize the man’s face, but I remember the woman.

… It’s her.

I lightly searched my memory.

Certainly, she’s a marquis’s daughter Maria Von Shanoire.

On the day of the engagement ceremony, she was one of the followers driven out by Freed.

At that time, she was wearing a pink dress, and today again she’s put on a showy blue dress.

It certainly suits the strong-willed her nicely. It suits her, but…

… Let’s think about TPO a little longer.

She felt amazingly out of place.

Her hair is beautifully curled, and her makeup applied perfectly.

My cheeks twitched at her appearance that wouldn’t feel off even if she visited the castle. She’s obviously conspicuous, yet she hasn’t even noticed the surroundings are keeping away from her.

“Even though it is my long awaited relaxation in town, it is useless with an attendant like you. You deadhead!!”

“I am sorry, Milady”

Without resisting her getting annoyed and shouting, the earnest attendant deeply bowed.

… How should I say it, unsightly.

I couldn’t stand to watch it, I secretly averted my gaze.

The town residents, who were waiting to see what will happen at a distance, understanding it’s a noble’s selfishness soon lost interest and dispersed.

The correct answer is to not get involved. I also fully agree.

As it is, I cannot walk past her.

Thinking it’d be unpleasant, I took a detour.

The detour took me along a river.

I encountered a truly unpleasant thing.

However, what sort of trouble was that.

Such a lady shouldn’t easily be permitted to go out to town specifically.

Surely, she said it was for relaxation.

… Aah.

Once again I remembered her being harshly refused by Freed.

Perhaps she was scolded by her father afterwards. And maybe she went out to town to clear away her gloominess.

Certainly, her father, Marquis Shanoire is a man extremely weak to power.

I happened to see him as he buttered up to Father who’s the highest ranking Duke, and Brother.

It’s easy conjecture that he probably personally found fault with his daughter who had irritated and been reprimanded by the Crown Prince who’s the absolute power.

He’s a man of splendidly small caliber.

Finding it more and more unpleasant, I decided to forget about it and walk down the riverside.

And, from the direction I was heading to I saw a staggering man.

His whole body is covered with brown attire close to black, the lower half of his face concealed. Since he’s looking down, I can’t see his expression. On his feet he’s wearing something like Japanese socks. On his waist, something resembling a katana is visible.

Although he doesn’t look out of place, I wanted to shout in surprise at his appearance.

Ninja!! Japanese ninja!!

I swear. His appearance is how I imagined shinobi of Iga or Kouka dress. It can’t be helped that I thought that.

If I was normal, seeing something so suspicious I’d pretend not to see and run away, but I was different.

I stopped and fixedly stared at him.

Woah. It’s the real thing.

Of course, I’m well aware there’s no such thing as ‘ninja’ in this world.

But, I couldn’t help but feel like that.

Seeing from up close you would understand. Old-looking costume with a worn-out impression. The katana on his waist doesn’t seem to be new either. Their appearance of being used is perfect.

Yes, it’s perfect. I gazed at his exceptionally realistic appearance.

Although his appearance might cause disturbance among townsfolk, the riverside is away from the center of the town, or rather, there aren’t many people here.

Although he’s a suspicious person, since he’s just passing by everybody who catches sight of him pretends not to see anything.

I’ve been ardently watching the man in slight excitement, but the other party hasn’t noticed me at all. He staggered by me in silence.

At that moment, I’ve heard rough breathing and felt the smell of blood, so I unintentionally turned around.

“Eh?”

Without reacting to my voice, the man simply kept walking. On a closer look, he was dragging his leg a little.

There’s no reason to even think about it, he’s injured.

This is not good.

I can’t ignore a person who is injured.

Thinking so, I tried running after him, when I heard a woman’s “kya”.

… This voice is.

I looked there with an unpleasant premonition, and as I thought, it seems Miss Maria from a while ago and a man collided.

She seemed to be only lightly hit as it ended with nothing more than staggering, but it wasn’t like that for the man.

I guess standing had been his limit.

The moment he was hit, he immediately collapsed on the ground.

“Hey… This is bad…”

It was already too late when I muttered that.

Miss Maria who was bumped into, started raising a fuss looking at her dress.

“My!! You got dirt on my brand-new dress!! Were you not satisfied with bumping into a marquis’s daughter, what in the world was that!!?”

“…”

The man didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

While lying on the ground, he lifted himself with his elbow and breathed roughly. It seemed to be all he could manage.

“Why are you not saying anything!! Impolite!! Quickly get up and kneel!!”

“…”

“Hurry up!! Otherwise, I will force you to kneel!!”

Unreasonable.

Every time she raises voice, expression disappears from my face. Does she not understand this is not the time to be saying that.

If you’re going to raise him, at least check his state , I thought, but she absolute didn’t share my view.

I could only be amazed that the lady has less common sense than I thought.

It cannot be left to this woman.

Having become impatient with the man who won’t stand up at all, she ordered her attendant to pull him up.

Sensing that he’ll be punched like that, I raised my voice in panic.

There’s no way I can let that happen.

“Stop it!!”

“Wha… what”

I guess she didn’t expect somebody to call out to her.

Hearing me strongly raise voice to stop them, not only her, but also her attendant were surprised, and halted.

Taking the opportunity I approached her. I forced my way through and stood in front of the man to protect him.

“Although I don’t know the whole story, is this something a marquis’s daughter is supposed to be doing? Can’t you tell by looking he’s so injured he can’t move!!”

Angered by my words, she talked back.

“So what!! Outsiders should not interfere!! Because of this man, my dress is!!”

Dress? Is this woman stupid.

I could tell my emotions were growing cold hearing her words.

“… There is nothing more important than life. How can you not understand such a simple thing”

When I quietly said so, she lifted her eyes.

She doesn’t seem to yet recognize just who I am.

Thinking she was looked down on by a commoner, she furiously glared at me.

“Even though you are a commoner you dare being rude…!!”

Hearing those words, the corners of my mouth curved.

After all, she’s that type of a person.

In that case, I shall face her.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

Social status for social status.

I fixed my gaze on her and took a step forward.

“I wonder if you can only judge people by their appearance. I will not let you tell me you forgot my face”

“Eh…”

1) Two regions famous for their ninja traditions, ,