CH 330

Something Forgotten by Mia the Lazy

“Hmm… I feel like I’ve done everything on my list…but I also feel like I’m forgetting something…”

There were still two days until the Holy Eve Festival. There wasn’t much time left, and the number of possible things she could do was shrinking. Mia rolled from one side of her bed to the other and back again as what could have been the last hours of her life passed before her eyes.

In other words, she spent the day just lounging around. Was it because she decided to enjoy the moment she was in?

Not really, no.

That was just how she always acted. When this great Princess had some free time, she always chose to just lounge and do nothing.

Sion’s voice came after someone knocked on the door.

“Mia, do you have a moment? I have something to talk to you about.”

“Oh, Sion is going to the girls’ dorm? You don’t see that very often.”

Mia rolled across her bed and jumped off in one smooth motion. She landed well on the floor. Then she looked down at herself and saw that her pyjamas were all wrinkly.

Hm… Ah, so what? It’s only Sion.

So much for getting marriageability. She still let him in and smiled at him when she opened the door. Sion took a moment to be surprised by how she was dressed.

“I saw that you were taking a nap. Please forgive me for coming in,” he said with his head bowed.

He must have thought that Mia’s messy appearance meant that she had just gotten out of bed. Which wasn’t wrong in and of itself, but he was wrong to think that “just got out of bed” meant “had been sleeping and woke up.”

“Oh, don’t be worried. Since you came all the way here, it must be important. But Anne isn’t here today, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to have tea.”

“Come in. So, what were you going to say?”

“It has to do with one of your subjects. Ludwig, in particular. I would like him to do something.”

“Ludwig? What would you like him to do?”

“To make a long story short, I want him to try to find that Wind Crow agent I told him about before. The one who went missing while doing business in Tearmoon.”

“In the empire, a Wind Crow went missing…”

She didn’t say it, but her face almost said it for her.

Eh? Who was it we were talking about?

“Even you don’t remember, huh. I guess it’s not too surprising, since it was just mentioned in passing. It’s the person who told us that the Serpents are in touch with one of your Four Houses.”

“…Oh, yeah. That individual. Yes, now I remember.”

She gave the impression that everything was coming back to her by nodding very hard. Of course, nothing came back. Not a thing. Mia’s brain was really good at forgetting things she didn’t have to remember, and the bar for “have to remember” was pretty high.

She asked, “But why look for this person now?”

Sion then told her why he thought that way, and she agreed with him.

“I see… If we could get someone like that on our side, it would help a lot. Good idea, Sion. You’re as brilliant as ever.”

“Ha ha, remember when I said I’d get a chance to make things right on my own terms?”

He smiled in a playful way and then shrugged off his own jokes.

“It’s a pretty big goal, but here I am again asking for your help. It’s embarrassing how little I can do on my own, and being stuck in the academy doesn’t help.”

“Well, you’re being a little hard on yourself there. I think you should have more faith in yourself. What do you want Ludwig to look into, anyway?”

“These.”

She was given a piece of paper by Sion. She looked serious as she read it.

“…Hm? Max, a businessman; Bisset, a servant; Thanasis, a local official; What are these supposed to be?”

“These are the fake names and identities our man has used in the past.”

“Huh… Interesting. So, this is it? Don’t you know what he looks like?”

“I’m sorry, but no. He is known for being very good at hiding who he is.”

“Well, I guess I should have known…” Mia mumbled as she looked at the page.

I have to say that this is pretty impressive. Back then, what Abel said was true. Sion has really been trying to figure out how to fight the Chaos Serpents.Oh!

She clapped once when she had a thought.

“Sion, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

“Hm? Sure, if you think I can help you figure something out, go ahead,” he said, raising one eyebrow.

She gave a satisfied nod.

“I’m only doing this to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity, okay? It’s just a thought experiment. But let’s say you were going to die in two days. What are you going to do with them?”

Even though this was a tough philosophical question, Sion crossed his arms and tried to come up with a good answer.

“Two days, huh… There isn’t much that can be done with that little time. I think… First, I’d probably formally thank the people who have helped me in the past,” he said in a quiet, thoughtful tone.

“After that, I think I’d go to the people I’ve made trouble for because I’m immature and stubborn and apologise to them.”

“My! You also have people like those in your life?”

Mia was shocked.

Sion made a face.

“A couple, yes. If, over the course of one’s life, one feels they owe no thanks or apologies to anyone around them, that is a sure sign of great arrogance,” he said, adding with a shrug, “That’s how I see it, at least.”

I see… Well, I guess that’s true for him.

She found that she agreed with what he said.

Unlike me. I haven’t caused anyone any trouble, so I don’t have to say I’m sorry.

She agreed with what he said about her, which was a very arrogant thing to do.

“Well, that’s an interesting point of view.”

She turned around to face him, stood up straight, and then bowed deeply with her head.

“Please let me tell you how thankful I am to you, Sion.”

“Hm? What’s this?”

“Abel told me that you were worried about me and that you were trying to help me in many different ways. I really do appreciate it, and I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Sion turned his head away and scowled at the wall.

“Damn Abel and his big mouth…”

He let out a sigh of defeat and then turned back to her.

“Okay, just so you don’t get the wrong idea, I want to make up for my past mistakes, and this is all part of that. In other words, I’m doing this for me—”

“Yes, I totally get it. You are only doing it because you want to. Still, I have to say thank you because I’d feel awful if I didn’t. And so, I have done so. I did my thing, and you did yours. Everything for our own good. This is just that.”

Then she gave a smile.

“I’m just doing what I want to do, too, so don’t mind me, okay?”

Sion stood still and looked at her for what seemed like a long time.

He finally breathed out. He took a long, soft breath from the bottom of his lungs.

“Ah, damn it… Why did I tell Abel that it was his job to cheer her up?,” he asked himself in a voice that no one else could hear.

Little did Sion know…

I worry about owing Sion a favour. In the meantime, it doesn’t cost me anything to tilt my head and say “thanks.” And it makes us even! I’d thank him, of course! I’d always thank him… This is a cheap way to get even.

Mia’s feelings about the situation were not nearly as sincere.

He also didn’t know that some of the things he said to her would stay with her forever. Was there really no one she should have thanked or apologize to?

If not now, then in the past?

The question would stay with her, like a faint lighthouse whose light would eventually lead her to the one thing she’d forgotten.