Chapter 85

When I returned to the apartment, Fiene was practicing her handwriting with Yoshioka.

Lately, she’s improved to the point where she can smoothly read the children’s folk tales I’ve translated. They aren’t fancy, bound books—just text I typed on my laptop and printed out on copier paper—but Fiene loves them, pestering me for new ones every chance she gets. She told me she keeps every story I’ve given her neatly organized in a file.

In this world, books are incredibly expensive. Naturally so, since each one has to be handwritten. We’re currently in the middle of trying to introduce letterpress printing technology from Japan to Saxens. First, we need to find craftsmen capable of building the printing press. I made a promise to Mr. Handsome to print the scriptures for Nordism, so I really have to give it my all.

The time was approaching 5:00 PM. The sun had dipped significantly, and orange light was streaming into the room through the west-facing windows.

“Fiene, you’re really dedicated to your studies.”

“Isn’t it better to be able to read and write? Besides, I never knew reading books could be this much fun.”

The literacy rate in Saxens is low. Since not only Akito and I but even Hans are fully capable of reading, writing, and arithmetic, it seems Fiene had developed a bit of a complex about it. Now that she’s discovered the pure joy of reading, she’s absorbing knowledge greedily, like a dry sponge soaking up water. I always want to support people who work hard. I think I’ll translate a story from Aesop or the Brothers Grimm for her tonight.

Thanks to the alcohol I drank with Holger, my head felt a bit fuzzy. Before heading out on patrol, I brewed some strong coffee and called for reinforcements from caffeine.

A large laundry tub was filled to the brim with water. This was the laundry area of the House of Count Cebarai in the Grossel District. Usually, it was a place only servants entered, but today, since the young lady of the house was using it, everyone except for the maid Karina had been cleared out.

“Now, shall we begin? Karina, the bag.”

Juliana, who had rolled up her dress sleeves and secured them with a cord, looked full of motivation. However, Juliana wasn’t actually going to do the scrubbing. The one doing the real work was the maid, Karina. Juliana was merely supervising to get a taste of the feeling of “doing laundry together.” In the first place, Juliana didn’t even know how laundry was done.

Reaching into the linen bag she received from Karina, the first thing she pulled out was a shirt.

“Such a large shirt…”

Juliana’s face flushed with a trance-like heat. Holding the shirt in both hands, she buried her small face in it and took a deep breath through her nose.

“My Lady, that’s un… unladylike.”

Juliana was not the type to listen to Karina’s protests.

“Ah… I feel as though I’m being held in Hinoharu’s chest.”

For a while, Juliana remained with her face buried in the shirt, as if trying to sense something.

“My Lady?”

“It smells wonderful. There’s a mysterious fragrance mixed in with Hinoharu’s scent.”

It was simply the scent of laundry detergent, but to the Saxens-born Juliana, its identity was a mystery. Karina took advantage of the confusion to sniff Kota’s shirt as well.

“It makes my head spin…”

“Oh, it feels like such a waste to wash it…”

Juliana dropped the shirt into the tub with a look of lingering regret.

“What’s next, I wonder… Oh, is this underwear?”

In Juliana’s hand was Kota’s pair of boxer briefs. They were gray with a very common, simple design, but for Juliana and Karina, it was a shape they had never seen before.

“For someone as large as Hinoharu, these look rather small.”

“But this fabric stretches and shrinks quite a bit. Look, see? It stretches this much.”

Juliana pulled on the underwear playfully. In Saxens, fabric with such elasticity was rare.

“With this, even Hinoharu would be able to wear them.”

“But it’s such a form-fitting garment.”

“……”

Both of them fell silent at the same time, sharing the exact same mental image. A moment later, they burst into laughter simultaneously to hide their embarrassment.

“Ahaha! Oh, Karina, really. You were imagining something naughty, weren’t you?”

“So were you, my Lady.”

The two of them couldn’t stop laughing for a while.

However, Juliana suddenly stared at Karina with eyes full of a burning heat. Karina’s heart gave a heavy thud. Whenever she had those eyes, Juliana was about to give some outrageous command. In most cases, it was something embarrassing or something that would leave Karina flustered. Yet, it was also true that these commands, though smeared with shame, often aligned with the desires buried deep in the bottom of Karina’s heart.

“Listen, Karina. I have a favor to ask.”

Here it comes, Karina thought, bracing herself. While maintaining a troubled expression on the surface, her heart swelled with anticipation.

“What is it?” Karina asked, her voice sounding as if she were on the verge of tears.

“Put this underwear on and show me.”

“T-That’s…!”

The Saint’s expression took on a voluptuous hue.

“I want to see what a gentleman looks like when he wears this. Please, Karina. If you won’t do it, I’ll have to ask Heuberger.”

Karina secretly thanked Juliana. Putting on Kota’s underwear was exactly what Karina had been wishing for.

“I… I understand.”

Wrapped in a strange excitement, the bodies of the two burned hot.

“Now, take off your own underwear.”

“Nnh… the front is caught, I can’t get it off properly.”

“Honestly, Karina.”

The laundry session of the girls—who were just slightly removed from the world’s definition of “normal”—continued.

It was after breakfast, just as I was about to head out for my morning duties. Today, I had to supervise workers breaking the ice at the reservoir intake by myself. My colleagues had already left for their respective tasks, but I returned to my room alone. It looked like it was going to be freezing, so I decided to add a middle layer.

As I was pulling on a fleece and putting on my coat, my “Dog’s Nose” caught the scent of a floral perfume that had no business being in the barracks.

The Saint is here!

I hurriedly hid under the neighboring bed.

“Oh, he’s not here.”

“Perhaps he’s already gone out?”

I heard the voices of Juliana and Karina. Peeking out from under the bed, I saw two figures wearing hooded coats. It seemed they had come in disguise to avoid causing a scene. Judging by the scent, Heuberger and the other escort knights weren’t nearby. But seriously, what is the barracks’ security doing, allowing the Saint and her maid to slip in so easily?

“It can’t be helped. Let’s put away the clothes we washed for him.”

I heard a rustling sound. It seemed they were putting clothes away in my locker built into the side of the bed. After that, the two of them rolled around on my bed and hugged my pillow together—playing some incomprehensible game—before finally showing signs of leaving.

“Since he isn’t here, I suppose we should try coming back around lunchtime.”

Yep, I’m definitely eating lunch out today.

After their footsteps had sufficiently receded, I crawled out from under the bed. Keeping a cautious eye on the hallway, I made my way to Lady Clara’s office. I had to collect the wages to pay the laborers.

“Lady Clara, about lunch today—”

I explained the situation and received permission to eat out.

“This is a bit of a troubling situation,” Lady Clara said, her expression one of utter weariness.

“If I tell her she’s a nuisance, she’ll just kneel in front of the barracks and beg for forgiveness. She’s the type who would actually do it.”

And I’d likely be the one cast as the villain.

“I see. If that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”

“I want to keep some distance, so for the time being, I’d like permission to commute to my post from the apartment.”

Lady Clara’s face looked a little lonely. “I see…”

“Of course, I’ll come immediately if you have need of me. And you’re more than welcome to come over to my room to hang out, Lady Clara.”

Lady Clara stared at me with a face that suggested she didn’t quite understand the meaning of my words.

“Me… in Kota’s room?”

“Eating a meal together would be nice too. I’m not great at cooking, but I’m confident in my pasta.”

“Dinner for two… in Kota’s room.”

“Yeah. If you’re coming over, Lady Clara, I’ll really give it my best! I’ll light plenty of candles all over the room, open a special bottle of wine, and make spaghettini in a tomato sauce with eggplant and shrimp.”

“…Just the two of us?”

Lady Clara smiled happily.

“When would be a good time?”

“Tonight.”

My knight was a person whose creed was “swift decision and instant action.”