Rebuilding a Kingdom - Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Sister Emilia and Orlan
Leaving the venue of the human trafficking black market, we walked down a long corridor, climbed the stairs, and exited the building.
When I looked back, Orlan was gone.

Maybe she's still infiltrating the black market.

We parted ways with Mr. Kernel in the city, and my sister and I returned to the castle.
As I sat on the bed in my room, Sister Emilia sat next to me and muttered softly.

"That was a human trafficking site, wasn't it? What were you doing in such a place?"

"I was trying to gather information on the Spider organization..."

"I see... And you had those two help you. If that was the case, you could have told me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to involve you in anything dangerous, Sister Emilia."

"In that case, even more so, you shouldn't be doing it alone. Involve me."

She said this and pulled my cheek with her fingers.

Once my sister makes up her mind, she hardly ever backs down, especially if it involves me.
Knowing this, I resigned myself and replied quietly, "Okay."

Satisfied with this, Sister Emilia stood up from the bed, said "Good night," and left the room.

Three days after going to the black market, I snuck out of the castle at night and went to the city, but I didn't meet Mr. Kernel.

Feeling puzzled, I searched the ruins, but neither Mr. Kernel nor Orlan were there.

I was a bit worried but gave up meeting them that day.
Three days later, I went to the city again, but they weren't in the ruins or anywhere else.

The next day, when I told Sister Emilia about this in my room, she pinched my cheek hard.

"That's why I told you not to go alone."

"But I was worried about them, and it's easier to avoid danger when I'm alone."

"That excuse won't fly."

Sister Emilia stood with her arms akimbo and pointed at me.
She's really angry, isn't she?
In this state, nothing I say will get through to her.

I sat on the floor in seiza position, listening to Sister Emilia's scolding, when a voice came from the direction of the window.

"Milkwoman."

Reacting to those words, Sister Emilia glared sharply at the window.
When I hurriedly turned around, Orlan was sitting on the window frame, waving her hand slightly.

"Why are you here! How did you get into the castle!"

"It's none of your business, Milkwoman."

Sister Emilia approached the window, but Orlan nimbly dodged her and quietly stood before me.
She then took out a rolled parchment from her pocket and handed it to me.

Grabbing the parchment, I read its contents and realized it was something Mr. Kernel had written.

On the night the black market was held, Orlan had sneaked backstage and followed a man who seemed to be the organizer of the black market.
He ended up at a large mansion, which turned out to belong to a noble.

Mr. Kernel, after receiving this report, monitored the mansion and discovered that it was the secondary residence of a regional noble, Count Mercelc.
The two of them had since been gathering information about Count Mercelc.

At the end of the letter, Mr. Kernel had written that I should come to the ruins.

I see, so they had split up and followed the information after that.

I understood the content, but I wondered why it had to be in a letter.
Puzzled, I asked Orlan.

"Why the letter? This could have been easily explained by you, Orlan."

"Too bothersome."

With Orlan's one-word response, I understood everything.
Considering Orlan's reticent and lazy nature, Mr. Kernel had written the letter.

"What did it say?"

"Mr. Kernel wants me to come to the ruins."

"It’s none of your business."

As I was about to hand the parchment to Sister Emilia, who had come next to me, Orlan forcibly snatched it away.
Then Sister Emilia and Orlan brought their faces close and glared at each other.

Why does Orlan always pick fights with my sister?
I wish they could get along since they’ve become acquaintances.

At that moment, I remembered something I had forgotten, walked to the shelf, and took a glass jar from the top.
I then handed the jar to Orlan, who looked like he was about to start arguing.

"Thank you for gathering all the information. This is the promised reward."

"......"

Orlan stared intently at the jar, opened the lid, and dipped her finger in.

Then she put the finger covered in the pale red-yellow liquid into her mouth.
Instantly, her face lit up with an expression of bliss.

"Honey."

The honey in this glass jar was the reward I had promised Orlan, the finest quality I had ordered from a maid.

When I heard it cost two gold coins (about twenty thousand yen) per jar, I was surprised, but seeing how happy it made her, it was worth it.

For a while, Orlan was engrossed in licking the honey from the jar.

Noticing us staring, she blushed deeply and ran towards the window.
Then, putting her foot on the window frame, she looked back, waved slightly at me, and disappeared out the window.

"I’ll come again."

After Orlan left the room, Sister Emilia inexplicably approached me.

"What’s your relationship with that girl?"

I thought I had already explained about Orlan... It looks like it will take some time to calm Sister Emilia’s mood.

I really want the two of them to get along...

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