а∨天堂入口

Grandmother-sama

“Ummm. What is this about?”

The Duke holds my shoulders and is not letting go of me.

Well it doesn’t hurt but do I need to be rescued?

“What, it’s just a greeting. A greeting. You can’t say you want to go home now. Be relieved. You won’t be judged the way I was after we dethroned Selmar’s Earl.”

The Duke sticks out his chest with pride.

Is he trying to pull a bluff as hard as possible? Could it be he is trying to convince himself?

“There’s no need to run away if it’s just a greeting.”

“I-it’s not my intention to run away.”

But he did catch me to prevent my escape.

“Is there any need to be frightened if it’s just a greeting?”

“N-nobody is frightened here.”

He seems really frightened after all.

Dropping the Earl’s daughter Rutina into slavery, was really bad after all, right?

The Earl of Selmar may have fallen, but the relatives will complain about it.

“Hey Michio-sama, thank you for coming.”

When I was troubled, Cassia came over.

Gozer is behind her.

I guess Gozer went and called her.

“Then, with this excuse me.”

“……”

“Um. This time the situation is concerning family ties to Michio.”

I looked at Gozer with eyes that want to run away, but he left without explaining.

Gozer’s eyes.

They signify the troubles of being a Wiseman existence.

By the way, the Duke is following Gozer’s back with scornful eyes.

Duke, nicely done.

Let’s make it our privilege to trouble Gozer as a reward.

“Michio-sama, the head of all females on our whole family want’s to meet Michio-sama who is taking care of Rutina. Can we go together now?”

“Meet?”

I cannot decline since Cassia is the one asking.

“You don’t have to worry about anything specific. She’s a very nice grandmother.”

I see the Duke shaking his head on Cassia’s hidden side though.

Is she the type that is kind to a relative?

Because I don’t know how much and how far the whole family covers, I don’t know whether the Duke is part of the family or not.

Is she the type that is gentle only with females?

“It will be better to bring Rutina along if we are meeting the Elder then.”

“No, it is alright. It is only Michio-sama the the head wants to meet. Letting Rutina meet her is not good as she may get strangely attached and homesick.”

“Indeed.”

“It is alright. We will go for a short time and just do a little greeting. Do you best.”

The Duke claps on my shoulders.

Somehow it looks like the sacrifice is only me.

Even though just a while ago he said he doesn’t intend on escaping.

Nope. It is merely a greeting. Greetings.

“Right now?”

“It will not take long since it is just a light greeting. If it was an unrushed greeting that would require time then she would have invited you to dinner.”

“Let’s go right now.”

“Right.”

The Duke with a broad grin start praying.

It is kind of irritating.

“The Duke is not coming?”

“No, I am bu-”

“That’s unfortunate. I’ll let her know that you’re busy with stuff in the castle….”

“Of course I are coming together with you as well.”

Before he finish muttering, he thinks about it and changes his words in hurry.

I found the Duke’s weak point.

Although, this could turn out to be a weak point for me as well.

“Didn’t you say you can’t go?”

“Because it is important to Michio-dono and Cassia. It is more important than my work.”

“Since we are simply introducing ourselves, there is no need to ask you to go that far.”

“I-it’s all right.”

The Duke retorts to Cassia.

She is the head of the whole family, including the beautiful wife, there’s no need to be harsh.

“The adventurer went ahead to the lobby, therefore I would like to ask Michio-sama to join the party, I’ll be your guide. So let’s go?”

“Okay.”

I followed Cassia toward the lobby.

I have a feeling that the Duke is glaring with resentment in his eyes at my back, but I don’t mind him.

Better you resented Gozer as he ran away.

Although I have said nothing to Roxanne and the girls, they will know that I dissolved the party, and determine I certainly need some time to come back.

If it ends really as a light greeting, then there is no problem.

It is whether we get off with a light greeting or not?

Since she called me, in another word, she wants to see what type of character the man who received Rutina has, right? Isn’t this probably about that?

If it is a guy with a useless character, then maybe there will be more to it.

But since Cassia and the Duke are with me, I don’t think she will suddenly do anything strange.

It was correct to force the Duke to come as insurance.

Being led by the adventurer who was in the lobby, we moved to some place away from bode’s castle.

We arrived as expected at a castle somewhere else? Or maybe it’s a mansion? It’s wonderful building.

Since she is the family elder, then the other party must be a noble as well.

“I wish to meet with Cassandra-sama.”

“I understand, sir. Then, please come this way.”

When the adventurer announces our business, the other sides knight order responds.

One runs ahead to announce us, the other person seems to guide us to a waiting room or somewhere else.

This seems normal.

When I arrived, since it was the Duke’s place I went inside without permission as usual, but I wonder about the etiquette when the Duke goes somewhere.

Well, this time the Duke and Duchess are together.

They shouldn’t show any rudeness to the Duke.

From the other side’s point of view, they will think of me as merely the Duke’s bodyguard.

In reality, we came with a party of six, so the remaining two are probably the guards for the Duke and Duchess.

Following the Duke and Cassia, we went through the corridor.

“She will meet with you immediately. But not in the waiting room, this way please.”

On the way, the person who probably went ahead to announce us, came back, and changed our destination.

Is this also a benefit of bringing the Duke along?

As one would expect, they will not keep the Duke waiting.

I was never kept waiting when I went to meet the Duke, but that’s probably because the Duke is strange after all.

However, that was too fast.

Usually, when a commoner wants to meet a noble he must be kept waiting in the waiting room.

And perhaps have to wait for hours.

When venturing into life with job searching interviews, sometimes they would leave the person being interviewed waiting for long time, is what my high school teacher said.

I shouldn’t get panicked at such a time.

If he is kept waiting for hours in a meeting room, then he will realize he is lower than them in rank.

I wonder if that is not good behavior for the nobles to do to commoners?

The nobles have ranks as well.

After all, this Duke easily went and severed Earl of Selmar head.

I don’t know exactly the rank inside the Empire, but wouldn’t only the Emperor be able to keep the Duke waiting for a long time?

But since we are together with the Duke, it is not good to keep us waiting as well.

“This way, please.”

When we arrived to a room somewhere, the door opens from the inside out and a person welcomes us.

Maybe it is not us? I guess probably only the Duke and Cassia.

The guards go in first.

The Duke goes second.

How should I put it, isn’t this rare for the hasty Duke? Or as expected he is dependable around here?

Or perhaps he doesn’t want to go inside the room where the head of Cassia’s family is.

“Oh my!? If it isn’t the snot-nosed kid, the Brocken boya?”

“I’ve been negligent.”

When I enter the room after Cassia, the Duke prepares his sheath immediately.

His opponent is an old lady.

Is she strong? Or maybe tottering?

It seems contradictory, but she surely gives such a feeling.

Oops. she is …… 107 years old.

My impression wasn’t wrong.

According to judgement, Cassandra seems to be 107 years old.

That’s amazingly old.

She probably can be considered energetic for 107 years old.

She is still lively.

On the other hand, being 107 years old, no matter how lively she is, her body will show her age.

She became quite small, she would be similar to a borrowed cat if she remained silent.

That’s the reason why she vigorous and yet tottering.

It is inevitable if she is 107 years old.

It is an age where being able to breath is already a mystery.

It is fine to consider it a legend staying alive.

When you live to be that old, you can become the elder of the whole family.

“Glad you are in good health too, Cassia”

“I’m glad to see Cassandra Grandmother-sama is in good health as well.”

Grandmother-sama?

Certainly she feels like a grandmother-sama.

“You can tell me anytime when you want to separate as well, Cassia.”

“What a thing to say.”

“There is always a way to separate from the erotic kid who was peeping on the family young girls bathing and pretending it’s a prank.”

“H-how old is this story from. Aren’t you still discriminating against me from when I was a kid?”

The Duke is overwhelmed.

Or rather he did something like that?

I also want to peep.

“Oh right, at that time you still weren’t cured from wetting your bed, are you cured now?”

“As I said, long ago is this story from!?”

“When you were caught awkwardly peeping, isn’t it my kindliness that let you off with just a spanking, what’s this attitude you are showing to me now.”

The Duke got his ass spanked.

Since it is the impatient Duke, I am sure he hardly made any plan.

I now get why the Duke didn’t want to come.

It is said, a Hero won’t become a hero in his hometown.

No matter how admirable he grows as an adult, in the viewpoint of the person who changed his diaper or saw him playing as a kid, he will not look great.

Tokugawa Hikari the shougun upon birth, probably wasn’t able to raise his head in front of his wet nurse Shunjitsu Kyoku.

That’s how the Duke and grandmother-sama’s relations feel like.

It’s the trap you want to avoid.

And it isn’t like she is his grandmother-sama.

With the wisdom of being 107 years old, how different is that to Gozer?

“Michio-sama, this is Cassandra. She is the youngest child of my great great great grandmother’s little sister. She is considered a mother for every woman in my clan.”

Ignoring the thing with the Duke, Cassia intrudes to introduce me.

The youngest child of my great great great grandmother’s little sister, that’s amazing.

She is totally a stranger.

If it was me, I may have a distant relative of my great great great grandmother, but I don’t even mind not meeting them.

Hmmm, is it different?

Because she’s the youngest child of her great great great grandmother’s little sister, it is a branch of her great great great great grandmother’s family.

I start going great great just thinking about it.

“From my side, that makes her the grandchild of my great great great great great grandmother.”

“My grandmother grieves over her foolish offspring.”

There was still something more amazing.

That’s exactly, what will be great.

Now, how many times did great appear so far?

In any case it is amazing to have that many.

Is it something that comes with being 107 years old?

As expected of a living legend.

“I am Michio.”

I guess there are still many large families on this world, especially for the nobles that emphasize the connection through blood.

A family tree seems to remain.

“Grandmother Cassandra, this person here is Michio-sama. When we dethroned Selmar’s Earl the other day, he is the one that became responsible for Rutina when she dropped to slavery to remove the family succession name.”

“Oh! That case? The dethrone of Selmar’s Earl that brought unhappiness for all the family females, it was a wise decision.”

“It is the decision we gave.”

“You should have given it earlier; the misfortune would not have spread as much.”

“Guh!”

I think it is useless no matter what the Duke says from now on.

However, it doesn’t look like she is angry about dethroning Selmar’s Earl or dropping Rutina to slavery.

“Hmm I see. That was you?”

Casting a sidelong glance at the beaten Duke, the grandmother-sama looks at me.

With a face covered in wrinkles and penetrating eyes, she glares at me.

Although I didn’t know whether it was a wrinkle or an eye until a little while ago.

Don’t tell me she has [Appraisal], because it feels like she can see through everything.

“……”

A tense instant.

Nope, not an instant but a long time?

A long time.

A very long time.

“Hmm. You seem kinda capable?”

Opps.

Seems I have passed safely.

I passed.

Probably passed.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Are you an adventurer?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Although you still seem young, you’ve done well.”

I can say that I’m an adventurer now without hesitation.

If you want, I can show you my intelligence card.

Rather, I’m someone who has the daughter of your family as a slave, is that fine?

“I am not an elf though.”

“Hmmm. My husband was a human being as well. Because I was the youngest child. Everything good was taken by my older sisters, and there was nothing good left when it was my turn. The third daughter got married to a noble. The fourth one, got married to a promising person from the knight order, however he turned out to be useless in the end. The fifth girl married the heir of wealthy merchant. It was once called the largest store but they freefell like a diving bird. My older sister consumed everything, and the store is now out of business. There are those who don’t understand how society works.”

Let me say it anyway.

The old people’s talks are long.

Too long.