Ultimate Vampire Princess - Episode 2: The Self-Proclaimed Normal Girl Descends Upon Civilization

 Episode 2: The Self-Proclaimed Normal Girl Descends Upon Civilization

The pair exited the labyrinth to the surface. There, a dense forest expanded before Ristia’s eyes, making them light up in awe.

“Wowie... A long time really has passed, hasn’t it~?”

“Did this area look different a thousand years ago, Ma’am?”

“Yes, most definitely. Back in my times, this whole place was one big plot of scorched earth.”

“Scorched earth...? Was there some sort of war that transpired?”

“Mm-mm, nope. It was just that this area was inhabited by dragons.”

“Oh... dragons. Right.” The dragons that came to Nanami’s mind were several meters tall, just like the one in the labyrinth. The dragons that Ristia spoke of, however, were ten times bigger than that, which was something that Nanami couldn’t even fathom, so she had a look of disbelief draped across her face. Seemingly unaware of Nanami’s expression, Ristia stretched her arms and started to bask in the light shining through the tree branches.

“Mmm~ The soft sunlight feels so good~”

“Yes, quite... Oh, Lady Ristia?! Are you okay with just bathing in the sun?!”

“I’m not okay. I’m actually so happy that I feel like breaking out into song and dance.” Ristia smiled, putting her index finger over her lips and saying, “Keep it a secret.” The pair were the only ones around, so it was a mystery as to whom she was keeping that a secret from, but Ristia’s gesture was cute, nevertheless. Nanami found herself captivated by Ristia’s display. That was, until...

“No, wait, wait, wait. That wasn’t my point. Isn’t the sunlight a vampire’s weakness...?”

“Mm-mm. Our physical abilities drop to about half of they are at night when exposed to sunlight, but it’s not particularly a weakness.”

“...Are you saying your abilities being cut by half isn’t plenty reason enough to call it a weakness?” she said, making a logical point to the best of her knowledge, but Ristia returned with a perplexed look. “Why?” she asked.

“’Why’...? That basically means that being exposed to the sunlight puts your strength at half-capacity compared to nighttime, correct?”

“Mm-mm, not at all.”

“...Then what does it mean?”

“I mean that I only use a fraction of my strength normally anyway.”

“You whaaaaat?!”

Nanami was flabbergasted that the “hee-yah” with just a fraction of Ristia’s power behind it was enough to obliterate that dragon.

“That’s why it’s not necessarily a weakness.”

“W-Well, when you put it that way... Yes, I suppose so.”

If she only used a fraction of her power normally, then she would be perfectly fine even if her max physical abilities were halved. And to top it off, thinking about how she turned that dragon into ash back there with her fraction of a “hee-yah” made it hard to imagine that a day would come where Ristia would ever need to fight at her full power. Perhaps it was reasonable that Ristia herself never considered it a weakness.

“But I have heard about there being vampires who can’t deal with the sunlight. Like, when it hits them, they become visibly weaker, or they even turn to ash in some cases. Rare cases, that is.”

“Rare cases... I feel like I’m losing track of what’s the norm as I converse with you, Lady Ristia.”

“Why? I’m a normal girl.” She cocked her head to the side in confusion. Her jet-black hair swayed as her pair of crimson eyes below her bangs pushed up from the smile set on her lips.

“Yes, silly me...” I mean, what even is normal, anyway? Nanami thought to herself, unbeknownst to Ristia. “Ehehe...” Nanami adorably chuckled, coming to an agreement.

“Alrighty, then. Let’s head to town~”

“Yes, Ma’am. I will lead the way. It’s to the west of here. By foot, it would be about... a three day trek.”

“Okie dokie~” Ristia gave a sprightly nod as she started to walk in the direction of the town. After proceeding for a while, Ristia started to lead the charge. The dense forest was supposed to be a relative challenge to traverse on foot, but there Ristia was, walking in a sundress with the greatest of ease. Nanami was accustomed to going out on journeys, with the extra added bonus of feeling lighter than usual after being enchanted by Ristia’s healing magic. Despite that, it was Nanami who started to panic, as she felt as though she was about to get left behind.

“L-Lady Ristia! Please...” Before she could finish saying “please wait a moment,“ Nanami cut herself off. Mostly because she knew she couldn’t be the one dragging the party down after she had been the one to volunteer her services as a guide. However, in the next moment, Nanami found her panic stemming from something else—that something being that the thicket surrounding her legs was avoiding her. That wasn’t a figure of speech, either. The grass and ivy were quite literally pushing themselves away from Nanami’s path—an otherworldly phenomenon that would be normally impossible.

Could Lady Ristia, by any chance, be doing this for me? That was what the girl thought as she looked back up to see Ristia walking a short ways ahead, checking up on her from over her shoulder.

“Are you alright, my dear Nanami? If you’re having a hard time, don’t hesitate to ask for my help,” she said with the kind smile of an angel.

“Thank you very much!”

So kind and cute... Lady Ristia truly is an angel! thought Nanami, I would be oh-so happy if a girl like this were my big sister.

However, the sentence engraved on the pedestal of the labyrinth room and Ristia’s own words came to Nanami’s mind. She never was able to really ask for the exact reason Ristia lay sleeping in that cage, but apparently she was searching for her little sister. In other words, Ristia had a little sister that she parted with in life—or possibly even in death. There was no way she could just waltz up to her and ask if she minded being called “Big Sis.” Of course, she was totally misunderstanding the situation. If she were to propose that idea to Ristia, the princess would nod her head, jumping for joy all the while, but seeing as how there was no possible way for Nanami to know that, her thought process was led down a different avenue. It was the start of a series of unfortunate miscommunications.

At any rate, Nanami and Ristia proceeded through the forest at an abnormally fast pace, but clearing an ordinarily three-day hike in the span of one afternoon would an impossible task for anyone. The sun started to set amidst the trees. That was also exactly when Nanami remembered something of great significance.

“Lady Ristia, I’m sorry, but I’ve forgotten that I don’t have any food left.” In addition to wasting several days that weren’t scheduled in the labyrinth, she cleared out her inventory to escape all the monsters, which left her without rations. She flew into a panic, thinking, I can personally bear the hunger, but I cannot allow Lady Ristia to suffer in suit.

“Hm? Dinner? Oh, right. I guess it is about time for dinner. But first...” Ristia said, waving her right hand. As soon as she did, the plot of land before their eyes was cleared out.

“...Excuse me?” Nanami was dumbfounded at the supernatural phenomenon. She had wiped out all the plants and vegetation that were in front of them and instantly created an empty plot of land. Nanami had never heard of a spell capable of this. Not only that, but Ristia hadn’t even drawn out a magic circle beforehand to do so. Normally, one would need to draw a magic circle and recite an incantation in order to use magic, but... it was said that you could omit the incantation and circle part from the highest-level of magic that one could use to about two levels down. Ristia was using a Level Four Item Box while omitting a magic circle, so she predicted that she was capable of at least using Level Six magic. However, her magic just now was without an incantation and was clearly above Level Four. Perhaps Lady Ristia is able to use Level Seven magic, the level the True Bloods were said to have reached before they went missing, thought Nanami.

“Item Box, ooooooopen on up~!”

While Nanami was standing around in surprise, Ristia used her Item Box with a drawn out voice. Then, in the empty plot that she just made, a small house popped into existence.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What is this house?!”

“Huh? If it were any bigger, it would destroy a lot of the trees here, so I decided on a smaller one, but... Would a bigger house have been better?”

“No, that wasn’t what I meant! I was... Haah, forget it.”

It was said that an Item Box’s storage capacity was proportionate to the user’s mana and magic skill levels. Nanami was told that the max storage capacity was about the volume of a wooden box carriable by human hands. With logical consideration, the idea of a house coming out of one of these was absurd. Yet, Ristia asked Nanami whether a bigger house would have been better, which meant that there was the possibility of there being other houses stowed away inside, but... Nanami just looked off into the distance, telling herself, Thinking about it sure won’t help me here.

“Okay, let’s head on inside~” Ristia adorably suggested as she went inside without a second’s hesitation. Nanami followed behind her timidly soon after.

“W-Well, here goes nothing... Oh, wow...”

Upon viewing the interior, Nanami had her breath taken away. The room was decorated with cute yet simple designs and also had a big bed and table.

“There is no kitchen, but there’s a shower and toilet in the back.”

“A... shower?”

“Yup. You can wash yourself with nice hot water~”

“Wait, I can what?” Usually, commoners would clean themselves with water from a bucket, so showers were a luxury. Aristocrats were able to take hot baths, but she had never heard of washing one’s body with hot water while camping in the forest. She really is beyond the norm, Nanami admired and let out a slightly amazed sigh.

“Oh, but a house doesn’t necessarily have food. I will go out and search for something around the area, so would you mind waiting here? Actually... what do you eat, Lady Ristia?”

“’What do I eat? Normal dishes.”

“Do you not need blood? If you do, then, um... would you care to drink my blood?”

To clarify, if Nanami were becoming a vampire’s kinswoman, she would not have to have her own blood sucked, but would instead need to drink the blood of the vampire in question. So in this case, she meant it purely as a way of offering sustenance. In the beginning, Nanami would have never offered up her own blood, but in the short time they’d spent together, she realized that Ristia was a kindhearted angel sent from the heavens above. Now, she adored her so much that she was willing to let Ristia drink her own blood if she needed it.

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

“...Oh, you will?”

“Yup, I have heard that if I drink live human blood, then my physical abilities double for a few days, though.”

“...You’ve ‘heard,’ Ma’am?” Nanami asked, puzzled.

“Yup. I said so earlier, but I only use a fraction of my power anyway.”

“Ooh... So you don’t need the power, is what you’re saying. In that case, do you not have any vampiric impulses or anything of the sort?” she asked, thinking to herself, Since she calls herself a vampire, drinking blood would be a common trait. In fact, you can’t really call someone a vampire unless they do suck blood.

“I’d heard from Mother that I would have the impulses once I hit puberty or whatever, but... at the time being, I haven’t had anything like that.”

“Oh wow, is that so? In that case, if you do want to drink blood, please let me know. So long as my blood will do, I would not mind you drinking it whenever you need it.”

“Thank you, but even if that urge were to come over me, I don’t quite think I’d want to drink your blood, Nanami.”

“Huh? Does my blood seem gross, Ma’am?!” If so, that’s a little bit of a shock, Nanami thought to herself. Ristia, however, gave her a wry smile, ensuring her that wasn’t the case.

“Well, Nanami, sucking blood is for food, right? So, yes. I simply don’t wish to think of you as food.”

“...Lady Ristia.” Ristia didn’t exactly tell her that the full reason was Nanami being her special someone, but regardless, Nanami did get the impression that she thought of her in a special manner, which pleased her to hear.

“At any rate, I can eat normal food just fine.”

“I see. Okay, then. I’ll go hunt up an animal of some kind,” said Nanami as she was about to exit the house before Ristia stopped her, telling her to wait.

“There is food hot and ready right here, so you needn’t worry about that.” Ristia gently spread a tablecloth and started to skillfully put dishes on the table, including bowls of soup, a dish of meat, a bowl of salad, and a plate filled with bread. Steam was rising from the spread on the table, and it definitely looked freshly-made, but... an Item Box being a storage shed and the laws of time not applying to whatever was inside were things Nanami had never heard of. Although, that went without saying at this point.

Guess that’s Lady Ristia for you... Nanami thought, getting more and more acclimated to being around Ristia.

“All right, shall we eat before it gets cold?”

“Oh, it is all right if I eat?”

“But of course~ Come now, sit next to me.”

Nanami did as Ristia suggested, taking a seat right beside her. They were extremely close to one another, giving Nanami a good view of Ristia’s beautiful side profile, causing her to go flush in the face.

“Right then, let’s dig in~”

“Y-Yes, let’s,” Nanami said, but there appeared to be several spoons and forks laid upon the table. Being the commoner that she was, there was no way that she would know proper cutlery manners, which was getting her extremely flustered.

“It’s okay. It makes me happy just to have you you share a meal with me, Nanami. So don’t worry about manners, and just enjoy your meal.”

“O-Oh, thank you very much. Well, then... Mm! Oh, wow. This is delicious!” Nanami took a bite of the meat and found it so delicious that her eyes went wide like saucers. “Th-This is simply delectable. I’ve never eaten a roast so delicious in my entire life!”

“Eheh. Why, thank you,” Ristia said with a very, very pleased smile. Little did Nanami know that Ristia was having a field day in her mind, thinking, Omigod, Nanami just complimented me. I’m so happy! However, she did know that her comment pleased Ristia, which was as good as it got.

“Did you happen to make this, Lady Ristia?”

“Uh-huh, I sure did. I had hoped to have my little sister share this meal with me one day.”

“Little sister... So you do have a younger sister, then?” she asked, thinking this a prime opportunity since Ristia herself had brought up the subject that was weighing on Nanami’s mind the whole time. However, as for Ristia’s response...

“...Mm-mm, not right now,” she said with a sad smile.

What she meant by that was Ristia’s extreme and intense desire for a little sister drove her to prepare dishes before her little sister would be born and preserve them with magic, but there was no way Nanami would have possibly perceived the same interpretation. Instead, Nanami intensely regretted ever asking. She made this dish for her little sister, but that little sister isn’t here anymore. And she said that in such a sad tone. That could only mean that she was separated from her sister in death, Nanami thought. She was a kind person, as well as her literal lifesaver. And despite the fact that Ristia was so much older, Nanami felt like she shouldn’t leave her side. She wanted to support Ristia any way she could.

‘Lady Ristia? If you wouldn’t mind, could I possibly fill in for your little sister?’ Dream on. A mere human like me couldn’t dare ask for something so shameless. But if the time ever came where Lady Ristia did ask me to become her little sister, then in that case... Nanami thought, keeping those ideas a secret as she partook in the lovely meal Ristia had prepared.

◇◇◇

On the other hand, sharing a meal with Nanami had overwhelmed Ristia with emotion, since this was the first time she had ever shared a meal with a girl younger than her. Ristia had only ever eaten with her parents or her elder sisters. She was always on the receiving end of their love and comments of how cute she was, but she was never the one giving the love. Hence why... she had interests. Interests that said, I want to be a big sister! I want to dote over a little sister! She had been prioritizing that so much that she didn’t have a real concrete idea about how she wanted to go about actually getting a little sister. However...

“Lady Ristia, your cooking is stupendous! Amazing!”

Nanami was so innocently complimenting the meal Ristia had prepared, which was so cute that she couldn’t even stand it. I want to protect this girl. I want to turn her into my kinswoman and spend the equivalent of forever with her. Those emotions were practically bursting from her chest. The feelings overwhelming her made her realize all at once, Ah, shoot... This is probably how my big sisters felt about me. Ristia also figured that if she could feel such bliss with Nanami now even though she wasn’t her little sister, she would probably be in even more bliss if she were.

I want a little sister. I want to make Nanami my little sister. Sweet Nanami, become my little sister! Ristia thought, putting the emotions trapped in her heart into words and almost letting them fly out of her mouth, but Nanami was offering to show her to town to repay Ristia for saving her life. She even offered up her own blood if Ristia needed it. Nanami was returning a favor to Ristia. At this point, if Ristia had actually asked Nanami to become her kinswoman, the girl would probably obediently and instantly reply, “If that is your wish, Lady Ristia, I will gladly do so,” and become her little sister. But... that wasn’t right.

What Ristia wanted was a girl who would fawn over her older sister earnestly, not a girl who was playing the part of a little sister out of obligation. That’s why I can’t find it in me to ask her to become my little sister, Ristia thought, swallowing down her sister-seeking request. But that didn’t mean that she was giving up on making Nanami her little sister; she was going to expend as much effort as she could to make certain that Nanami would offer to take that role on her very own. Ristia kept her decision to herself as she watched Nanami gleefully eat her meal.

──2──

The following afternoon, Ristia and Nanami made it to a spot where a city enclosed by stone walls was visible in the distance.

“Lady Ristia, the city you see over there is the one I live in, Sistania!” Nanami was ecstatic. She gave off the impression that she was a docile and introverted girl at first, but over the past two days, she had become a lot more exuberant. She just wasn’t adoring her as an older sister, but worshiping her like an angel, which was a source of discontent for Ristia... but Nanami wasn’t quite picking up on that.

I’m glad that she’s adoring me, but it’s not supposed to be this way! Ristia thought, unable to help herself from lamenting her situation.

In any case, the two girls managed to reach the entrance of the city. That was when an older man dressed like a knight performing visitor checks came up to them.

“Welcome to Sistania, Young Miss. What brings you to this city?”

“Saving people!”

“...Pardon?” The soldier looked dumbfounded at Ristia’s unhesitant response.

“Like I said, I’m here to save children in need.”

“You’re... seriously saying that?”

“Lady Ristia is an angel!”

“Angel? What in the... Wait, Nanami? My word, you’re actually safe!” the man exclaimed, running over to Nanami.

“Ooh, it really is you, Nanami. Thank goodness. So you were safe after all. Everyone was worried since the reconnaissance team didn’t come back on the day they were supposed to!” Nanami bit her lip and hung her head in regret. The soldier made a doubtful expression in response to Nanami’s shift in attitude. “Speaking of which, where are the other members?”

“...Everyone was killed.” Nanami’s words took the man’s breath away, but his expression soon tensed up to brace himself.

“...What happened?”

“Monsters were living in that labyrinth. One by one, everyone was picked off. The only reason I’m alive is thanks to Lady Ristia here.”

“’Lady Ristia’? Well, I’m not sure what you mean, but I’m glad that you’re safe, regardless. I’ll go ahead and contact the guild, so you just hold tight, okay?” The soldier said, running off somewhere. Ristia watched him do so, pointing her eyes over to the streets visible from the other side of the gate. Lining the main street were buildings of stacked stone. Even in comparison to the humans of Ristia’s generation, they hadn’t made much progress. In fact, it seemed as if they’d regressed. However, the scale of the city was overwhelmingly larger than any city that Ristia knew of.

“This city sure is huge~”

“Believe it or not, it isn’t very large as far as cities go.”

“Wowie, humans truly have grown in number, I see. So how many people live in this city?”

“I’ve heard about twenty to thirty thousand.”

“That sure is a lot to me~” Even if the human lifespan was a century long, they would produce two to three hundred people per generation. Half of them might be girls, but by my calculations, that means there are easily a thousand candidates to be my little sister in this city! Ristia thought to herself. At the same time, she formulated a plan to find herself a little sister in this city.

“Nanami, I have a request.”

“Please, leave it to me.”

“Right, but I haven’t told you anything yet. It’s not good to accept a request when you don’t even know what you’re going to be asked, you know?”

“It’s no problem, Ma’am.”

“It is a problem...” Ristia let out a slight sigh.

Not asking Nanami to become her little sister was the right option. At this rate, if she were to pretend to be her little sister out of obligation, the situation would have been unsalvageable. Instead, she planned on not rushing her relationship with Nanami, taking her time and building up their bond little by little.

“So, what would you like me to do for this request of yours?”

“The request is in regards to my identity. I’d like you to keep it a secret from others as much as possible.”

“But why?! You’re asking me to hide the fact that you’re an angel to everyone, Lady Ristia?!” she blurted out in a scream. Ristia was bewildered by Nanami’s reaction.

“I’m sure you already know, but I’m not an angel, okay? But that’s not the point. What I want you to keep secret is the fact that I’m a True Blood. I want to live as a normal girl.” As a result of letting Nanami know that she was a True Blood, it scared the girl and made Ristia promise not to make her a kinswoman. Ristia considered that a failure, which was why she wanted to behave like a normal girl—a normal, human girl—making sure that her true identity was kept a secret until she built up a relationship of trust.

“Live as a normal girl, Ma’am...?” she said, almost as if she wanted to ask if that was even possible.

“I may be a True Blood, but I am basically just a regular girl, so I’ll be fine if you just keep quiet about that fact, Nanami.”

“I think you should come to realize a bit just how powerful you are, Lady Ristia,” Nanami said with a disappointed face, causing Ristia to sink her shoulders.

“You think it... won’t work?” she dejectedly asked, the resulting cuteness being enough to utterly captivate Nanami, despite being of the same sex.

“No, it will work! I will keep your secret with every fiber of my being!”

“...Really?”

“Please, just leave it to me!”

“Oh, yay! Thank you!” Ristia innocently smiled with an eagle grip on Nanami’s heart. Unfortunately, there was no one around to interject and tell her that she wasn’t going to make for much of a big sister with the kind of attitude she had on display. The older man who had just run off not that long ago came back to Ristia, who was now in a chipper mood.

“Sorry for the wait. The guild sent out an envoy, so he should be here to escort you soon,” the soldier informed Nanami before turning his attention back to Ristia. “So, you’re the one who saved Nanami’s life, Little Lady?”

“Um, well...”

“This is my savior, Lady Ristia!” Nanami emphatically affirmed.

“...Well, you heard her,” Ristia confirmed with a wry smile.

“I see. Then, you have my thanks, as well. I appreciate you saving Nanami’s life.”

“Mm-mm, think nothing of it. I wanted to help save her, so I did; that’s all,” Ristia said, this time with a more untainted and pure smile. The man looked at that innocent smile and exclaimed in adoration.

“...Seems that you being here for saving children isn’t a lie. Are you some kind of holy woman on a pilgrimage, or something, by chance?”

“Not at all. I’m just a normal girl. But I’m telling the truth when I say I want to help the kids!”

“Hmm... I don’t quite get what’s going on, but you don’t seem to be ill-willed. In that case, I’ll issue your identification papers.”

“’Identification papers’?”

“Yeah, we check for any suspicious people here every day. Identification papers serve as proof that you’ve taken your check here.”

“Oh? Is that a fact?” The True Blood family was so few in numbers that it was no exaggeration to say she was familiar with every last member. That was why, since it was natural that they did not have such a system put in place, Ristia found the concept novel in a sense.

“I’ll print your name and occupation on the tags, so would you mind telling me what those are?”

“My name is Ristia Granshes. My occupation is... Normal Girl?”

“...Hmm. Well, I guess that’ll work.” The soldier embossed her name and occupation onto the tag using a magic tool. “And that should... do it. Registration fee is one silver piece.”

“By ‘silver piece’... you mean money, correct?”

“That’s right, but... I’m assuming you don’t have any?”

“Um, well... Yeah.”

The soldier man looked surprised. A silver piece was by no means a high price. It would have been a different story if it were a random child, but it was hard to even imagine that a traveler, much less a well-kempt young girl like this, would be penniless.

“Lady Ristia, I will pay for you!” Nanami said, offering to bail Ristia out. However, Ristia herself seemed troubled. It was because, as someone trying to be a respectable big sister, she couldn’t allow herself to get spoiled by one of her little sister candidates.

“Say, Mister? In place of money, can I... give you something else?”

“Something else? Well, you did apparently save Nanami’s life. If you have something equivalent to a single silver piece, then I’d be willing to take it. But... what are you offering?”

“Um, well... How about this?” Ristia pulled out a leather satchel from her Item Box.

“Hm? Where did you just pull that... Wait, forget that, you did have a purse this whole time.”

“Mm-mm, this isn’t a purse; this has a catalyst used for magic items in it~” From inside, she pulled out a small, jet-black stone. It was cut into seventeen sides, known as a “simple cut.“ It was, as the name implied, simple—yet very delicate by the standards of this world at the same time.

“W-Wait a second, Lady Ristia?” Nanami sheepishly asked, tugging on the hem of Ristia’s dress. However, not wishing to be spoiled by her would-be little sister, Ristia cut Nanami off before she could say anything. “Sorry, it’ll have to wait.” She then handed the soldier man the black stone.

“What the? It’s mighty pretty, but is it some kind of gemstone?”

“It’s an artificial one that I made.”

“Oh-ho... So you did, Little Miss?”

If there were any aristocrats there, they would have been captivated by the stone’s beauty. And if there were any sorcerers there, they would be dumbstruck by the mana levels the stone contained. In fact... Nanami, a budding sorcerer herself, already found herself dumbstruck. For better or worse, the soldier man only recognized it as a pretty stone.

“So you’re going to pay the toll with this stone, then?”

“Yup. Oh, is that... okay?”

“Hmm... I don’t see the harm. I don’t really know how valuable it is, but I’m pretty darn sure it can’t be less than a silver bit. I’ll make it into a pendant and gift it to my wife,” the soldier whispered with a kind look in his eyes.

“...Mister, you have a wife?”

“Sure do. A wife and a daughter.”

“A... daughter? Just one? You’re not going to make a second?”

“...Well, it would be nice if we could. My wife isn’t in the best condition, y’see.”

”Is she sick or something?”

“Something like that, yeah...“

“Oh, I see. Okay, then. Wait just a second.”

She pulled out some material from her Item Box and cast a spell of Sixth-Level magic—the highest level of magic one could use without a magic circle or incantation. Nanami and the soldier’s eyes drew toward Ristia’s hand, where the materials changed shape before their eyes and turned into a pendant with a piece of black magic stone.

“Eheh, all right. Your pendant is all done~”

“Wait just a second. Just now, what in the world did you...”

“Oh, it’s just my treat~ This is enchanted to improve your wife’s condition, so once she gets better, make sure to get to work on that second child, okay~?”

“Young Miss, I... Thank you! Here, take these as tokens of my gratitude.” The soldier held her wrist, making her open her palm. Inside of it, he deposited two silver pieces.

“But...”

“My treat to you, Miss. That will at least get you through a night’s stay.”

“Thank you, Mister~!” Ristia him thanked with an unadulterated smile.

“Hahah, boy, it seems that Nanami wasn’t fibbing when she said you were an angel.”

“I’m just a normal girl, though~!”

“Okay, okay. I get it. So then, Little Miss ’Normal Girl’, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hm? Yes~?”

“While you’re taking stay in this city, I’d appreciate it if you’d make friends with my daughter if you ever get a chance to meet her. She’s been wanting a sister for a while now.”

“...!! Oh, yes, yes! The feeling’s mutual!” Yippie! A candidate for my cute little sister~ thought Ristia with a smile from ear to ear.

“Alright, you two better get along. You’ll be up the creek if you don’t snag a place to stay before it gets dark.”

“Okay, thank you, Mister~” The soldier man saw the pair off as the two walked through the city’s front gate.

◇◇◇

Boy, she was quite the odd young lady. Innocent and naive... and Nanami called her an angel, but what in the world is she actually? The older soldier that saw Ristia and Nanami off, named Kurz, thought to himself as he performed traveler checks.

“Kurz, you around?”

“Yes, right here. Anything the matter, Sir?” The gatekeeper captain called him, prompting him to immediately jog over.

“No, nothing in particular. I just came to tell you that you’re free to head out soon.“

“...Are you sure, Sir?” There was still some time left until the scheduled bell rang.

“Well, it’s not like we’ve got a ton of travelers today. You hurry on back home to your wife.”

“...Yes, thank you very much, Captain,” Kurz said in gratitude to his captain before hurrying on his way back home.

He made it to a small single house tucked in the corner of the city. Kurz took a breath, straightened his face out into a smile, and entered his home.

“Oh, welcome back, Dad. You’re back home early.”

“Yeah, the captain let me off my shift early out of consideration. Where’s Anna?”

“Mom? She’s sleeping in her room.”

“Ah, alright. I’m going to go check up on her.”

“Yup, feel free.”

His daughter, Remi, watched him walk off as he headed into his bedroom, where his wife was sleeping. There on the bed was Kurz’s wife, Anna, resting.

“...Welcome back, Dear.”

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

Anna shook her head in response in a rather feeble manner. Her being in that state it wasn’t unreasonable, given the circumstances. Anna had fallen victim to a monster attack in the woods about a month ago and sustained massive injuries. The injuries were so massive, in fact, that not even magic could help to cure them; it was a miracle that she had made it out with her life. But as a result, she grew gradually weaker, and she was told that she might not live for very much longer.

“Dear, what is that you have in your hand?”

“Hm? Oh, this? It’s a present for you.” Kurz walked over to her bedside and showed his wife the pendant that he bought off of Ristia.

“Oh my... it’s gorgeous. And you’re giving it to me...?”

“Sure am. Looking back, I realized I’ve never actually given you a present before.”

“Thank you so much, Dear. Could I bother you to put it on for me... please?” Anna asked him with a slightly troubled expression. Upon seeing that, Kurz felt like kicking himself for being so tactless. Anna had lost her arm as a result of her massive injuries, and she wasn’t able to operate her other arm all that well. Kurz bit his lip for a second, but quickly put on a face as if nothing was wrong and proceeded, saying, “Of course I’ll put it on for you. Let’s see... Hmm, like this, I guess?” as he closed the clasp of the pendant around Anna’s neck.

“Hmm, yup. It looks perfect on you.”

“Hee hee, flattery will get you nowhere, Dear.”

“Flattery, my foot. It’s the truth.” Even Anna’s face had severe scarring. In spite of that and the other injuries, her good-natured personality remained the same. Kurz thought, from the bottom of his heart, that Anna was the world’s best wife.

“This is such a delight, Dear. I’m truly blessed to have been your wife.”

“...You big dummy. Don’t go saying stuff like things are already over.”

“I’m sorry... But I just wanted to make sure you knew. I’m pretty sure I don’t have long. So... hey, Dear? Once I die, please take care of our daughter.”

“Stop it. Please, just stop.” Anna was a kindhearted woman who everyone adored. She used to go looking for medicinal plants for the sake of others—a truly compassionate woman. Why in the hell did this have to happen to Anna of all people? he thought, cursing fate. Kurz stood shaking with his fist balled up tight as Anna did nothing but smile in a slightly forlorn manner—at least, she was until surprise suddenly came over Anna’s expression.

“Wh-What is this? My face feels hot for some reason... No, not just my face. My whole body is burning up... Aah, my wounds. My wounds are burning!”

“What? Anna, are you alright?! Urk, Remi, come here! Quick!” Kurz started to panic once he saw Anna suddenly writhe in pain. Remi dashed into the room after she heard Kurz’s scream.

“What’s wrong, Dad?!”

“I don’t know. Anna just started suddenly started saying something about her wounds burning.”

“Burning? Mom! Are you alright?!” Remi ran over to Anna’s side... and had her breath taken away. “Dad, look... look at this.”

“What? What’s wro—” Kurz looked over to the spot that Remi was pointing to only to have his breath taken away, as well.

The terrible scars that were on Anna’s face were wrapped in a rainbow-colored light and started to disappear right before his eyes. Witnessing this sight caused him to go dumbfounded.

“Y-You’re... What is that? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know what... Oh my, the burning sensation has finally subsided.” Anna sat up in bed in a lively manner before stretching out wide with a refreshed expression and tiny grunt, “Mm~!” It was an unbelievable sight that left Kurz and his daughter Remi’s jaws on the floor. “Oh my, why are you two making that face?”

“W-Why are we? What about you?! A-Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh... Now that you mention it, I do feel pretty good.”

“N-No, you’ve got the wrong...” Before he could finish his sentence with “idea,“ his daughter’s hysteric shout cut him off.

“M-M-M-M-Mom! Your arm! Look at your arm!”

“What’s with my arm now? ...Huh?” Anna held out both of her hands in front of herself... and her eyes opened wide. There before her were both of her arms—both completely unscathed. It was something fundamentally impossible. Mostly because Anna had lost her right arm when that monster assaulted her.

“Why is my arm back to normal?!”

“I-I don’t know. But I think that light a second ago helped you grow a new arm!”

“G-Grow? What are you talking about? Arms don’t just grow on bodies.”

“But it did grow. The proof is right there!”

As he watched his wife and child fly into a frenzy, Kurz was the only one who realized the source of this miracle. He had caught a glimpse of the pendant around her neck shining once Anna’s wounds did the same. It prompted Kurz to think to himself, I can’t believe it... That young lady really was an angel this entire time.

──3──

Stone buildings lined the sides of the main street as Ristia and Nanami arrived. It was bustling with people transporting goods via horse-drawn carriage and people who seemed to be going home from the day’s work.

“Wowie... so many people~” The most Ristia had seen of humans was a small settlement. This was the first time she was able to see so many people living their daily lives like this. Ristia spread her arms and started turning around, stating how amazing it all was. However, just then...

“Lady Ristia, we need to talk.”

“Huh?“

“Just come over here.”

Nanami grabbed her by the arm and brought her over to the edge of the road.

“What’s wrong?”

“‘What’s wrong?’ Don’t give me that. That pendant earlier was enchanted, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, and?”

“‘Yes, and’? Don’t do this to me~...” Nanami clutched her head, stumped, as she had to repeat herself, leading from one headache to another. “Lady Ristia, you want to behave like a normal girl, right?”

“I’ve been a normal girl from the start.”

“A normal girl doesn’t just effortlessly enchant things like that!”

“Huh? Then, should I... put more effort to enchanting them?”

“More effort isn’t going to help!”

“Then, should I... put a lot more effort into it?”

“Okay, let me be frank, Lady Ristia. Just like how a person will never be able to fly on their own regardless of how hard they try, there are just some things in this world where effort alone amounts to nothing.”

“...Huh? But I can fly.”

“And I’m telling you that is not normal...” Nanami was getting discouraged.

Ristia had no clue herself, but even a millennium ago, humans were said to only be able to use up to Fourth-Level magic, and it was said that humans of this era were considered top class if they were able to use Third-Level magic. Of course, Level Three had enchantments as well, but the level at which they could handle them was altogether different. Essentially, it was common for a skilled sorcerer to take a long time in crafting an enchanted item. They weren’t the type of things that could be quickly popped out in a few seconds under any circumstances.

“By the way, what kind of abilities did you enchant it with?”

“I believe it was regenerative magic. Holding it in your possession will heal all wounds.” Before Ristia reached the end of her sentence, Nanami’s eyes, glued to her cute face, squinted dubiously at her. Seeing that, of course, made Ristia begin to think that she may have overdone it again. “Did I do something... bad, by any chance?”

“It is most certainly odd, to say the least. If that was some sort of healing enchantment, then it would normally help seal a wound on a finger for entire day, at the very most.”

“...Huh? But can’t that just instantaneously happen without even using an enchantment?”

“For a normal person, that alone would take several days.”

“O-Oh, you don’t say...”

Even if her body were reduced to cinders, Ristia would recover in few seconds, so to her, the fact that a simple wound on the finger took a few days to heal was outside of her realm of understanding.

“Then was having it heal any wound in a matter of seconds going overboard?”

“‘Overboard’ is one way of putting it, but I’d say it reaches into Artifact territory. If you were to sell it, you could afford more than just a stay at an inn. You could have several full mansions erected on its value alone.”

“Wha? It’s that remarkable?” Shoot, I could easily mass produce those if I wanted to... Ristia humored the ridiculous thought, but she had the good judgment not to utter that aloud.

“Should we go back and have him exchange it for something else?”

“...Hmm, would it be bad otherwise?”

“I’m not certain. The enchantment was just for regeneration... right?”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. That was all.”

“In that case... I think it should be alright. If all it does is heal some slight bruises and illnesses, then it will probably be able to pass as an especially effective good luck charm.”

“Mm, I see... What if he gets it appraised, by the way?”

“I can’t say that would be impossible for him to do, but he didn’t seem to suspect anything, so I doubt he would go through the trouble of going to get it appraised. Now, if his wife were severely injured, it would be a different story, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say things will be just fine,” said Nanami decisively. Of course, she was clueless to the fact that Kurz’s wife was indeed severely injured, just as she described. Agreeing with the conclusion Nanami had come to, Ristia casually nodded her head.

As a result of Ristia’s actions, a huge uproar did occur—but it was one that Ristia and Nanami only caught wind of much later down the road.

“Then we’ll let it be.”

“The value of it doesn’t concern you, Ma’am...? I’m certain its value is through the roof, after all.”

“Nope. He was a kindly older man, so I want his wife to get nice and healthy.” In reality, Ristia had helped out so that the couple could raise a potential little sister, intending to help along her search with their only daughter... Well, not that Nanami knew about any of that. In her eyes, this only fortified her reverence for Ristia, making her think, She truly is an angel!

“Nanami!” A voice suddenly echoed as a young man came running toward the young girl. Upon seeing that, Ristia scooped Nanami up into her arms like a fairy-tale princess.

“Nanami—Whoa?!” Having lost his target, the young man hugged nothing but air, taking a headfirst dive into the ground below. Or so it seemed, but he managed to brace his legs and stop himself just before it could happen.

“L-Lady Ristia?!”

“...Is this an acquaintance of yours, perchance? If so, I’m sorry. I saw you running toward her out of nowhere, and I was reminded of what happened with Mr. Gawain.”

“N-No, that is understandable... b-but I cannot believe y-you’re carrying me in your arms p-p-p-princess style. I, um... Hngh~” Her entire face went red as can be while she went into a panic in Ristia’s arms. Ristia felt her heart go aflutter as she laid eyes on the nape of Nanami’s neck, facing away from her, from up close.

“Hey, you! Who are you?!” Suddenly, she was asked for her identity by a blunt voice.

...Huh? What was I doing just now...? Ristia regained her senses, turning her attention over to the direction of the voice. There stood the young man who had tried to charge at Nanami just a few moments ago, glaring a hole through Ristia. He seemed to be a few years older than Ristia—perhaps in his twenties—with powerful facial features.

“I’m Ristia.”

“Okay, Ristia. And who are you to Nanami?”

“What am I to her?”

Ristia looked down at Nanami, then back to the young man.

“...What am I to her?”

“I’m the one who asked you, dammit!”

“Stop it...! Don’t charge at Lady Ristia!” Nanami interrupted their bickering, having come back to her senses.

“Lady Ristia, you can let me down; everything is okay.”

“Oh, um... ‘Kay.” Ristia slowly placed Nanami down on solid ground.

“Lady Ristia is the person who saved my life, so don’t be rude to her, Big Brother,” Nanami spoke clearly.

“She saved your life...? Saved your life how?”

“‘B-Big Brother’...? Nanami, you had a big brother this whole time?!” Next to the perplexed young man, Ristia was unbelievably shocked. Th-This is unreal. Nanami already had an older brother! Does that mean that, no matter how hard I try, I can never become her older sister?! J-J-J-Just, just gotta calm down. Just because she has an older brother, it doesn’t mean I can’t be her older sister. Yeah, it’s alright. I got this!

“...Um, Lady Ristia?”

“O-Oh. Don’t mind me. Just a little surprised because I didn’t know you had an older brother.”

“Aah... Um, Rick is my stepbrother. He took me in when I lost my relatives, and he saved me from being sold to slave traders.”

“He took you in...?! Stepbrother?! B-But that’s...” Ristia’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the young man named Rick. Rick, on the other hand, had a discontent look on his face for some reason.

“Okay, let me clarify. Me taking Nanami in was just how things played out; I didn’t have any nefarious reasons for...”

“You have my respect!”

“...You what now?”

“I mean, you took in a lost girl off the streets and made her your stepsister, didn’t you?! I think that is a very, very big deal. It’s an amazing accomplishment, in my opinion!”

“O-Oh, then you understand my struggle?”

“Of course!” Ristia emphatically agreed with her eyes lit bright. Well, she agreed through the context of her own standards. Searching for a lost girl on the street is a big deal, gaining their trust even if you do find one is a big deal, and getting her to agree to be your little sister is, needless to say, a very big deal. But being able to do that in spite of all the factors weighed against you is incredible. I am so jealous!

“So, err, Lady... Ristia, was it?”

“Just Ristia is fine~”

“Be that as it may, Ma’am, I, uh...” Rick turned his eyes toward the clothes Ristia was wearing. Nanami was adding the title to Ristia’s name, so he seemed to think she had an appropriate reason to do so.

“I’ve been telling Dear Nanami here to speak to me in a more casual tone.”

“I could never do something so ostentatious.”

“...As you can plainly see, I’m just a normal girl, though~” Ristia had been trickling out appeals every so often to the girl with a sentiment that suggested, I’m trying to tell you that I don’t mind if you call me ‘Big Sis’ and fawn all over me. However, Nanami describing the idea as ‘ostentatious’ was the harsh blow that struck that idea down.

“...Mnghh~” Ristia grumbled, pouting her lips.

“Okay... Can’t say I get the whole picture, but anyway... So, Ristia...”

“Grr...” Nanami launched a death glare at Rick so intense that it was hard to imagine it coming from someone as sweet and innocent as her. The pressure coming from her stare caused a drop of sweat to drip from his cheek and prompted him to clear his throat.

“I-I mean, Ms. Ristia. Nanami said that you ‘saved her life,’ but would you mind explaining that? Does that have something to do with the recon team not coming back on the day they were scheduled to return?”

“Well...”

“...I’ll elaborate on that, Big Brother.” Nanami prefaced her story, revealing that the labyrinth they were meant to investigate was a den of monsters and how there was a dragon in the deepest regions of the labyrinth that wiped out nearly the entire reconnaissance team.

“Wait, a dragon?! You mean that you’re safe and sound after a run-in with that?!”

“I am safe and sound, seeing as I’m back home now. Although, if Lady Ristia hadn’t saved me back there, I probably would have been a goner.”

“Hold on, then what you’re telling me is... Ms. Ristia here beat that dragon?” Rick pointed his eyes toward Ristia in utter disbelief as the mysterious girl gave off a rather wry smile in response. The angelic smile she flashed caused Rick to blush.

“...Hey, Big Brother?”

“R-Right. Uh, what were we talking about again?”

Rick hastily turned his attention back after being addressed by a slightly displeased-sounding Nanami. Ristia was privy to the fact that Rick couldn’t take his eyes off of her back there. It doesn’t help that Rick seems to view me as younger than him, and a potential little sister, to boot. I can’t say I blame Nanami for being jealous and worrying since she’s already his little sister. But you needn’t worry your pretty little head. I’m not going to be a little sister. I’m going to be an older one! Ristia thought, completely missing the mark on just about everything.

“So, as I was saying about Lady Ristia... Oh, before I get into that, actually—Lady Ristia has yet to decide on her lodgings for today. So... would it be okay?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. I don’t mind, but you think it’ll be okay having her stay at our place?”

“I think it’ll be okay.”

“Alright, no problems with me, then.”

“Thanks, Big Brother!” It appeared that Ristia’s accommodations had been settled right under her nose.

“What was that about?” she asked, looking at Nanami.

“Would you like to stay at my house today, Lady Ristia?”

“At your house, Nanami?”

“Yes. To be more accurate, I simply stay there, but... there’s still no shortage of rooms.”

“While I appreciate the sentiment, wouldn’t I be intruding? I do have money for an inn.”

“You’ll be penniless if you spend that money... Plus, I want to talk things over with you about how much I should tell my brother and whatnot.” Nanami drew her face closer, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered into Ristia’s ear. It was a sight so cute that Ristia found her arms wrapped around Nanami in an embrace.

“Eek! L-Lady Ristia?!”

“Oh, sorry about that. You were so cute I got the sudden urge.”

“C-Cute...? Hnff... U-Um, so, will you be staying with us?”

“I certainly appreciate it, but...” Ristia pointed her eyes over to Rick for confirmation to make sure their plans were really fine.

“If you’re Nanami’s savior, then you’re a savior to me. Don’t feel like you’d be putting us out. Also, there’s a bunch I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Right, thank you. If that’s the case, then I appreciate the hospitality!”

──4──

They eventually came to the house in which Nanami’s family lived. It was a small magic item shop that was located a short ways away from the main street.

“This is our house. It’s tight on space, but please come on in.” Rick entered the shop with Nanami and Ristia following right behind him.

“Welcome to th’ sho—oh, shoot, it’s just you, Rick. Brought yerself back, eh?”

“Yeesh, don’t sound so excited, Mom. Anyway, forget that. Look, Nanami is back home,” Rick said, moving a step to the side. Once he did, Ristia and Nanami were able to see the woman tending to the shop.

While Rick called her ‘Mom,’ she looked more like a younger woman in her late-twenties. And since Rick also looked to be in his twenties, seeing them in a mother-son dynamic didn’t quite click. Then again, once True Bloods reached a point where they became self-reliant—in other words, when they started looking like young boys and girls—they would start aging at an extremely slow rate. Given that, Ristia did not find anything particularly peculiar about the two.

“...Nanami? Nanami!” The woman looked at Nanami, stood up with some clatter, and rushed over to her at breakneck speed.

“Nanami! Oh, thank God! Yer safe ‘n’ sound!”

“Wah-phh! Urgh~ Can’t breathe~” Nanami squirmed around, having her air supply cut off by the ample bosom hugging her extremely tight.

“Hah... Really, thank the lucky stars yer safe ‘n’ sound. Y’didn’t come back home when your team was s’possed ta, so I got worried t’death.”

“...Aww. I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Y’really put my heart through the wringer. So... what in th’ world even happened?”

“Well, the reconnaissance team got wiped out...”

“The recon team got wiped out?!” Nanami went on to explain that the reconnaissance team was attacked by monsters, demolished, and that she was rescued from danger. Her mother was shocked to hear the news, but she hugged her, glad that she at least had made it out in one piece. It was a heartwarming scene of family love, a scene that reminded Ristia of her own family as she looked on.

Ristia’s family wouldn’t fall to decay over the course of a mere thousand years, and it was impossible to think that another tribe could have wiped them out. However, it was equally impossible to think that they would just abandon her for over the course of a thousand years, as well. They should be alive somewhere, but what they’re doing and where is the question. I should probably go looking for them soon, Ristia thought.

“So who is that lil’ lady who’s been standin’ there this whole time?”

“That is Lady Ristia.”

“Uh... Lady Ristia?”

“My savior from the explanation I just gave. I wanted to thank her, and I asked that she follow me back home. So would it be okay if she stays over at our... Um, Mom?” Nanami tilted her head in confusion partway through her introduction, realizing that her mother wasn’t giving her any sort of reaction. Rather, the young lady remained frozen once she looked at Ristia, for some reason.

What happened to her? pondered Ristia, tilting her head as well.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Who is this girl?! Oh my God, she’s as cute as can be! Is she some sort of doll? Is she some sort of livin’ doll?!”

“Um, I am not a doll; I’m a normal girl.”

“Haaaah, and with a voice as cute as a button, t’boot! Can I hug you? Oh, hell, I’m gonna hug you whether y’like it or not! Bring it in! Huuuuugs!” She kept true to her words, giving Ristia an intense hug.

Now that I’m getting smooshed by this lady’s breasts, she really is the spitting image of my sisters, Ristia mentally noted.

“Hey, look, Nanami. Ms. Ristia isn’t flinching at all.”

“That’s Lady Ristia for you!” Also, for some reason, she received a boost to her reputation. That encouragement made Ristia think, If it will get Nanami to call me ‘Big Sis,’ then I’ll gladly raise my reputation myself in their eyes. As she thought that, she waited for the young lady to get her fill from the hug.

A short time passed, and she finally let go.

“Haah~ Best hug I ever did have. Okay, so, you’re... Lady Ristia, I reckon?”

“Ristia will suffice~ I’m just a normal girl, after all,” Ristia uttered innocently.

“Oh? Is that a fact...?” the young lady whispered with an exhale. “Not only did I get th’ jump on ya by not mindin’ my manners, I hugged your lil’ guts out. But you don’t look angry in th’ slightest. Huh... Here I was, thinkin’ you were some pompous aristocrat girl, but I guess I got proved wrong.”

“Yup, I’m certainly no aristocrat.” She wasn’t going to go out of her way to say, ‘Why, yes, I am a True Blood princess.’

“Hey, hold up, Mom. Were you testing her, thinking she was an aristocrat? What were you gonna do if she actually did get angry?”

“Hah! Obviously, I’d grovel for forgiveness, Son,” she said with a sweet smile. Rick sighed in response.

“Well, even so, I’m glad to see you like her. Me and Nanami are gonna go report to the guild, so could you keep Ms. Ristia here company in the meantime?”

“Huh? Big Brother? Wait a second, I need to talk to Lady Ristia.”

“Save it for later.”

“Whaa? L-Lady Ristiaaa...” Nanami looked over to Ristia, hoping she would bail her out. She’d mentioned earlier that she wanted to discuss with her how openly she should speak about the whole dragon-slaying business, so it probably meant trouble if she got dragged off to the guild before they could get their stories straight. Hence why Ristia smiled and told her that she’d leave things up to her.

“No, that isn’t my point here. Well, it is, to some degree, but... Lady Ristia, please have some self-control, okay?”

“Mm-hmm, it’s alright. I’ll sit here patiently and wait for you to come back.”

“That really doesn’t sound ‘alright’ in the slightest, though.”

“C’mon, let’s hurry up and go.”

“Waaah, okay, okay! I’m coming! I’m coming, so stop dragging me~!” Rick proceeded to haul Nanami off.

This kind of... How should I put it? It kind of makes me realize that forceful older siblings run across the board, regardless of tribe, Ristia thought in a carefree manner.

“Now then, Ristia, m’dear... Oh, is the ‘dear’ part too much?”

“Why, of course not, oh... um...”

“Name’s Eindebelle. Belle’s just fine.”

“Got it, Sis. Belle it is.”

“S-Sis?!” Eindebelle seemed shaken.

“Is that off-limits...?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant by that. It’s just that Rick and Nanami are always treatin’ me the way they do, y’know? So I kinda braced up ta get treated like an old lady.”

“The way they do? What way?” Ristia cocked her head in confusion, not all that privy to what she meant.

“Ah, right. They didn’t fill y’in on that. All I did was take in those two and raise ‘em. So, y’see, I’m not their real mom.”

“So you’re not their mom, but they call you... Mom? Not ‘Big Sis,’ or something like that?” Ristia was shaken, since if she were the one with a younger girl under her care that loved and adored her, she would have naturally had her call her ‘Big Sis’ instead.

“I know that the age gap would warrant them treatin’ me like an older sister, yeah. But, well... those kids probably ended up wantin’ a mom more than a sister.”

“That... must be tough, I’m assuming.”

“So ya understand my struggle?!”

“Why, yes! Of course I do!” she replied, in a rare case of comprehending the situation—so far.

“Ristia, m’dear, you’re a darling. Wanna be my lil’ sister?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have two older sisters of my own. Sorry.”

“Oh wow, y’got two of ‘em, huh?”

“Yup, I’m not really sure where they are right now, though.”

“...! Ah, hey, sorry ‘bout that...”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me,” Ristia said with an adorable smile, simply thinking that they were off wandering around somewhere just like she was. However, since Eindebelle had no idea about her situation, she mistook that as there being some deeper reason at play. She wiped the forming tears from her eyes, thinking, She’s got it so rough, but she’s still able to keep an open heart for others? This kid is too kind, I tell ya. Ristia was completely oblivious to this misunderstanding, however.

“Gettin’ back on topic, Nanami said ya were the one who saved her life. Thank ya. And I mean that from the heart.”

“Oh no, I just so happened to be around; that’s all.”

“Even so, you saved her all the same, and that’s what counts here. Thank ya so much. I really mean it.” Eindebelle hadn’t yet been told about the part of the story where Ristia defeated a dragon singlehandedly, but she was told that Nanami would have been in grave danger if Ristia wasn’t around, so she gave her heartfelt gratitude as a result. “Is there anythin’ that’s got’cha down? I’ll try my very best to help ya out.”

“Got me down...? Oh, now that you mention it, I don’t have any money.”

“Well, dang... You’re straight ta the point, ain’cha?” Eindebelle said with a wry smile on her face. She probably would have taken that as a shake down for a reward if Ristia wasn’t the one who’d said it.

“To be accurate, money is the only thing I don’t have. Do you know of any shops that will buy and sell?”

“Hmm? What are ya fixin’ ta sell?”

“An enchanted catalyst, or maybe a completed enchanted item.”

“Oh, shoot, Girlie, if that’s what yer lookin’ for, y’can just sell your stuff here instead.”

“Huh? Are you sure?” She had been a tad bit hopeful ever since she arrived at this shop, considering that this place dealt with magical items and had all sorts of different potions and enchanted items lining the display shelves. If I can ask for her services, then... Ristia thought, pulling out the leather satchel she’d shown the soldier earlier.

“Huh...? I feel that leather bag just popped outta thin air. Am I just imaginin’ things?”

While Eindebelle was perplexed, Ristia didn’t pick up on it, instead proceeding to line up the catalysts in her bag one by one on the counter.

“A leaf...? Never seen this type of leaf before, but it sure is oddly chock full o’ mana.”

“Ah, that’s a leaf from the World Tree.”

“A-Ahh, the World Tree, right. ...Beg pardon? World Tree?” Eindebelle started throwing up question marks all around her. It was so utterly absurd that she wasn’t able to wrap her head around it, but... Ristia herself hadn’t realized that, and she continued lining up other catalysts next to her.

“...Hey, that’s a magic stone! And it’s holdin’ a crazy amount of mana! You could make a fortune offa this alone!”

“Oh, really? I have a bunch of those, so that’s a relief.” Ristia pulled out a new leather satchel and poured a heap of similar-looking magic stones out onto the counter. The sight made Eindebelle’s jaw hit the floor.

“W-Wait just a second! What? What the hell?! One o’ these magic stones can build a new house, so how are you comin’ up with so damn many of ‘em?! This ain’t right!”

“I make magic stones myself, so I have a lot of them.”

“Y-You made them?! The hell?! What d’ya even mean?!”

“I put in a lot of practice~” Ristia said in a cutesy manner, but it went without saying that a normal human would never be able to produce magic stones. If one wanted magic stones, they either had to go hunting around for them or fish around for them in ancient ruins. That being said, Ristia declared that she had created the magic stones she was producing. She pulled out yet another leather satchel from her Item Box as if it were completely normal to do so.

“Hold on, I thought I was just imaginin’ things, but you are using an Item Box, aren’cha?!”

“Yes, I am. Out of convenience.”

“Uh, I’m not debatin’ the convenience here. Y’realize that’s an Item Box, right? Y’know, legendary magic?!”

“By the way, my greatest masterpiece is this one. Pretty, don’t you think?” Ristia had pulled out a black, several hundred-karat magic stone, which sparkled a ridiculous amount from taking in the surrounding light.

“Are you listening to me when I sai—Wh-What in the hell?!”

“Huh? Like I said, it’s a magic stone I made.”

“You’ve gotta be kiddin’. I’ve never seen or heard of such an extraordinary magic stone in all my years,” Eindebelle exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Eindebelle was actually an enchantress capable of handling Third-Level magic, putting her in an elite class among humans of this era. However, that was all the more reason why Eindebelle’s blood curdled upon coming into contact with the mind-blowing stone. This tremendous magic stone was akin to those described in legends—incomparable to any other conventional item. The stone was obviously national treasure-grade material, and it was definitely not something you would find a mere girl carrying around.

“...Okay, spill. Who are you?”

“I’m just a normal girl.”

“A-A normal girl does not go around with stones like these!”

“Whaa?! R-Really?!” I didn’t knooow! she thought, displaying her shock plainly. She appeared to be normal; abnormally cute, as well. In fact, she seemed to be nothing more than that. Nevertheless, her conduct was clearly abnormal all around. This young girl had such an imbalance that it struck Eindebelle with an indescribable sense of unsettlement.

“I’m gonna ask you one more time. ...Who are you?”

“U-Um, well... you see, I’m just a normal girl who is, uh, a tad good at making magic stones?”

“Nope, nope, nope, back up. We’re past the point of ‘a little’ here, Missy! First off, a normal girl ain’t gonna be able to use an Item Box, and even if yer not normal, you’re still not gonna be able to make magic stones!”

“...What a mess,” Ristia said, literally flopping her shoulders in disappointment after being told that she was nowhere near the realm of normal. She looked frail and adorable, like a small animal abandoned on the streets.

“Oh...” Eindebelle looked at Ristia, now obviously in a rut, and let out a sympathetic groan. “Wh-Why are you so down on yourself? Yer makin’ it seem like I did something bad here.”

“Huh? O-Oh, no, that’s not true at all! Belle, you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just getting down on myself for no real reason! Please, don’t worry about me!” Ristia gallantly proclaimed as tiny droplets of tears formed in her eyes. This was a huge blow to Eindebelle, as she felt like completely scum for what she’d apparently done.

“H-Hey now, I’m sorry. You’re a regular girl, Ristia. Honest, ya are.”

“Huh? Really? Do you really mean that?”

“Y-Yup, cross my heart. I ain’t just sayin’ that out of guilt or anythin’.”

“Yay, that’s great~ I’m doing normal girl things!” Watching Ristia prancing around and chuckling while choking back her tears was so cute that Eindebelle came to her own silent realization.

“Well, nothin’ wrong with sayin’ Ristia’s a normal girl. We’ll just go with that.”

In her mind, however, she also came to the conclusion, And besides, I can always press Nanami for details.

Nearby, Ristia was none the wiser to any of this deliberation, as she was too busy jumping for joy. And that was how Nanami gained yet another thing to worry about.

──5──

“So, will you be able to sell these catalysts at your shop?”

“A-Are you asking me to sell these here?” A long drip of sweat trailed down Eindebelle’s brow as she answered Ristia, the adorable girl from parts unknown. Every single catalyst from the stack in front of Eindebelle was worth more than the entire stock of her shop. She’d casually offered to sell them in the girl’s stead, but this was drawing some serious red flags.

“That’s right, and if you need it, I can always craft these into enchanted items.”

“What the—? You can even make enchantments?! At your age?!” Eindebelle asked in shock for the umpteenth time.

Creating magic stones was a skill straight out of fairytales, so it was hard to swallow, but enchantments were Eindebelle’s area of expertise. She had dedicated herself to her craft since she was a child, so she knew better than anyone. She knew that a girl in her mid-teens like Ristia being able to create enchanted gear with the stack of catalysts in front of her was absolutely impossible.

Nevertheless...

“...Oh, right. I’m a normal girl, so I can’t make enchantments,” Ristia commented in an aloof yet adorable manner, sending shivers down Eindebelle’s spine. She shouldn’t be able to make them, logically speaking. She shouldn’t, but her comment made it certainly seem as though she very well could if she wanted to. Eindebelle then decided to play a little trick.

“Y’know, Ristia. Normal girls nowadays can do stuff like make enchantments.”

“Wait, they can?”

“Sure can. I’m a girl m’self... and I even run this here enchantment shop, right?” And the only reason I’m capable of that is because of the almost twenty years of training I’ve put in since I was a tyke. I know I called myself a normal girl to cover that up, but it’s got me feelin’ pretty bad... thought Eindebelle.

Ristia then responded, “You have a point... All of the enchanted items here are your work, after all.”

How the heck does she know that? suspected Eindebelle, but she let that slide in order to accomplish what she set out to do. Ristia continued.

“I see. Got it. That just means that Nanami had the wrong idea this whole time, huh?” she said with an angelic smile. Eindebelle simply looked on and thought to herself, This girl is... kind of a pushover, ain’t she? The way she put that caught my interest, though. I’m figurin’ that Nanami put that idea into her head. And that means Nanami knows who this girl really is and told ’er to keep it a secret, I reckon? Pretty sure I’m not far off the mark. That was Eindebelle’s conclusion on the matter.

It was also at that point that she could have let well enough alone, as tricking an innocent little girl was racking her with guilt. Unfortunately, her curiosity got the better of her.

“So Ristia, ya actually can make enchantments, can’cha?”

“Uh-huh, that I can.”

I knew it! Eindebelle internally exclaimed in excitement. If she was just capable of making enchantments and really just that, then this would simply end with her being a gifted child and nothing more. Then again, what if? What if Ristia were at a level where she could use the catalysts stacked up in front of them both?

“Would’ja mind showin’ me an item you’ve enchanted, Ristia, Dear?” Eindebelle asked, trying to play it cool while her heart was beating out of her chest.

Ristia, on the other hand, suspected nothing and smiled, replying, “Sure thing~”

What kind of fantastic enchanted item does she have in store for me? Eindebelle wondered, her pulse instantly shooting up. Much to her dismay, what Ristia pulled out was a white mass of metal.

“An’ that is...?”

“This is platinum. I was planning on making a brooch.”

“...Planning? Are you sayin’ you’re gonna make a brooch right now?” That was a process that could take several weeks. She had wanted Ristia to show her an already-completed enchantment, if possible, but she found herself unable to finish that thought aloud.

That was because her eyes caught a glimpse of the unbelievably elaborate magic circle which popped up around Ristia’s body.

“What in the...? Is that a...”

Regarding the magic in this world, one would need to draw a magic circle out of mana to act as a circuit, which would allow you to insert your own magical force and pull out whatever effect you so desired. Level One magic acted as the foundation, composed of just one magic circle. Level Two magic added another circle with a different effect to the first. Level Three magic added two circles with different effects to the first, and so on and so forth. The more you climbed in levels, the more intricate the layout of the circle became.

The complex magic circle that Ristia had drawn with little effort contained seven magic circles within it. Which meant...

“This is... Level Eight Magic.”

Impossible. Inconceivable.

Mankind had only managed to reach up to Level Four. There were tales of there being sorcerers who had reached Level Five, but those were basically fairytales. There was no possible way that a human being could use Level-Eight magic. No, that impossibility didn’t just stop at humans. Even the rulers of the fabled eras of the past, the True Bloods, were said to have reached their limit at Level Seven. There shouldn’t have been a lifeform on this planet that was capable of a Level Eight spell. Even though there shouldn’t have been, there stood Ristia, casting her spell right before Eindebelle’s eyes. The metal she called “platinum” took the form of an asymmetrical open heart. Its center held a magic stone shining all the colors of the rainbow.

“I can tone it down with the enchantment; just nullifying any bodily ailments will do. Give this the protection to wipe away any and all dangerous elements... Enchant.”

Nullifying bodily ailments is already Artifact territory, Girl! That comment barely raised above a raspy whisper before...

“Ehehe, all done~” Ristia proclaimed with an innocent grin, unaware that Eindebelle was gripped with shock and awe. In her palm sat the open-heart jeweled brooch. The stone that it contained could fetch an outrageous price just as a piece of jewelry alone. Eindebelle gazed at it, completely awestruck.

“You said this’ll nullify bodily ailments?”

“Uh-huh, it will nullify any and all physical ailments.”

“...Any and all? Y’mind if I give it a little test run?”

“Sure, be my guest~” Casually, Ristia presented her with the work of art, which Eindebelle took with hesitant and shaky hands.

“Erm, so... all I gotta do is put my own mana in this?”

“Nope, since you’re using a magic stone, all you have to do is hold it, and it will activate.”

“Ah, y-ya don’t say.”

Typical enchantments were disposable, or they would require the user to provide their own magical essence to help power them. However, that rule didn’t apply for high-power magic stones. It was possible to make them activate automatically by using up the stone’s own mana supply as opposed to periodically charging them. Eindebelle had experience handling magic stones before, albeit none with this ridiculous level of power. It was common knowledge that enchanted items that carried magic stones did not require the user to provide mana to activate it. Apparently, she was so shaken up about this that she blanked on that very basic fact.

“R-Right, here goes nothin’.” Eindebelle pulled a potion with a numbing agent from the shelves and took a tiny sip of it while holding the brooch. Normally, she would have felt a tingling sensation in her mouth, but... she felt nothing of the sort, and instead, the brooch emitted a small rainbow-colored flash.

After Eindebelle swallowed the bit of potion, she proceeded to boldly chug the rest of it down. Despite that, the feelings of numbness or paralysis never set in, and the brooch in her hand glowed once more. Eindebelle was now convinced that the brooch had eliminated the effects of the numbing agent.

The truth was, she was also fully capable of creating an enchantment to negate the effects of a numbing agent, but not only would she have needed to put in a lot of work to create it, its effects wouldn’t have been as fast-acting as this. It also helped nullify all bodily ailments, not just some. Creating such a broad-spectrum enchantment was out of her reach. While she didn’t test for other ailments, if the item canceled out the effects of the numbing potion she had randomly picked, then it was a safe bet that it would get rid of pretty much anything. That meant that the brooch was basically an Artifact, and its creator, Ristia, was a walking legend.

—Who in the world are you?

The same suspicion from earlier resurfaced in Eindebelle’s mind, but she didn’t speak those words out of consideration for Ristia and her insistence on being a normal girl. Instead, she asked a different question.

“Lemme ask: What is it you’re here for?” With powers like these, Ristia was capable of ruling this city—no, the entire continent as she saw fit.

But instead, Ristia replied, “I want to help children in need, which is why I need money to sustain myself. So it would sure help me out if you were to buy that brooch off of me...”

The answer that Ristia produced with that untainted smile completely subverted Eindebelle’s expectations. Her answer was so unexpected that Eindebelle just stood there, blinking in surprise.

“Do ya really mean what yer sayin’?”

“Mm-hmm! I super mean it!” Ristia’s big crimson eyes were clear and pure. It didn’t seem to Eindebelle that the girl was lying to her, at the very least. And even if Ristia were plotting something, Eindebelle—no, humanity had no means of stopping her and her Level Eight magic. Putting that into consideration, there was no reason for Ristia to lie. And more importantly, Ristia had no intention of hurting Nanami, so Eindebelle was willing to let the matter slide.

That was when Rick, who was supposed to be en route to the guild, rushed into the shop.

“Mom, are you okay?!”

“What’re ya bargin’ in like that for?”

“First, get away from that girl. On the way to the guild, I started asking Nanami for some info about her, and she is clearly not normal. That’s why I rushed back home.”

“...Huh?” Ristia was shocked at the assertion that she wasn’t normal.

There’s gotta be a reason why she’s so fixated on bein’ normal, right? Eindebelle pondered.

“Are you listening, Mom?!”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m a-listenin’. Mind explainin’ what ya mean by this girl not bein’ normal?”

“She apparently slayed a dragon when she saved Nanami. It was five meters tall and wiped out the recon team, but she beat it in one shot.”

“Huh... Boy, that’s something else.”

It was rare to see a dragon in real life in these times. Sure, hearing that there was a dragon living there to begin with was a shock, but it wasn’t unreasonable for a dragon to wipe out that reconnaissance team. And it definitely wasn’t a shock that Ristia defeated said dragon. Seeing as how Ristia could use Level Eight magic, she would make quick work of a simple dragon.

“Mom! This is no time to be singing praises. She one-shotted a freaking dragon!”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh, I get the picture. So, what did Nanami say? Did she say that Lil’ Ristia here is a dangerous monster?”

“Uh, no... Nanami said she’s not dangerous. In fact, she said she was an... angel.” Rick looked like he was at a loss. He was a doting stepbrother, so he wanted to believe what Nanami told him, but he was most likely conflicted over the whole ‘angel’ assertion. Even so, Eindebelle thought the phrase fit the girl perfectly.

“If Nanami says Ristia’s an angel, then she’s an angel.”

“Now you’re saying it too, Mom?!”

“Rick, if ya just talked to Ristia, you’d get it yerself. Girl’s practically an angel.” It was hard to imagine Ristia’s sheer innocence as being just an act. If Ristia were just putting on a mask, then Eindebelle wouldn’t know what to wake up and believe anymore. That was why she then presented the brooch back to Ristia. “This brooch is too expensive to be sellin’ here at the shop. Here ya go, Hun. Take it back.”

“Oh, okay...” Ristia took back the brooch with a face that screamed reluctant acceptance. Seeing Ristia slump her shoulders in disappointment brought a cheeky smile to Eindebelle’s face.

“In exchange, I’ll ask one of my connections t’buy it off ya. And as for your costs of livin’ at the moment, I’ll take care of ya.”

“I do appreciate it, but are you sure...?”

“’Course I am. Y’can repay me by gettin’ along with Nanami, okay?”

Ristia stood dumbfounded, blinking her eyes, before she replied with a big smile.

“Okay!”

Seeing that pleased smile was enough to reaffirm to Eindebelle that Ristia was indeed a good and honest girl. Her overwhelming cuteness was giving her the urge to give the girl another big hug, but Rick interjected before she had a chance.

“Wait just a second, Mom. Are you being serious?”

“Darn straight, I’m bein’ serious.”

“Okay, but...” Before Rick could begin his dissatisfied sentence, Eindebelle cut in.

“Now, see ’ere, Rick. If Ristia was trying t’do somethin’ to Nanami, what point would bringin’ her back here to us serve?” If she did have something nefarious in store for Nanami, then there was no need to prove to Eindebelle or Rick that she was still alive. After all, if the reconnaissance team was wiped out, then there would have been no way to know if Nanami got taken away, anyway.

“You do have a point there...”

“Now, it’s all well ‘n’ good that y’dote over Nanami, but losin’ sight of what’s around ya as a result is somethin’ ya gotta work on, Rick.”

“Urk... S-Sorry.”

“Shouldn’t be apologizin’ t’me, Son.”

“R-Right. Um... I’m sorry if I said anything to offend you, Ristia. Uh, Ms. Ristia.”

“Mm-mm, don’t worry; it didn’t bother me,” said Ristia with a grin. She listened to their entire conversation with an extremely bored expression, making it clear that she was saying that out of consideration. Upon realizing that, Rick let out a slow groan out of guilt. That was when...

“Hah, hah, hah... Big Brother! Rick! Wait! Don’t leave me behind like that!”

“N-Nanami?!” Nanami came back home at the worst possible time from Rick’s perspective.

“Big Brother, you aren’t being rude to Lady Ristia, are you? If you are, I don’t care if you are my brother, you’ll pay the price,” Nanami declared, her words after her late arrival back home forcing Rick further and further into a corner. It was a sight that made her suspicious, so she instead turned her attention toward Ristia.

“Lady Ristia, he wasn’t being rude to you, was he?” Posed with an extremely sticky situation, Rick started to sweat bullets until...

“Nope, everything’s fine. These two really do love you, Nanami.” Ristia didn’t tattle; on the contrary, she gave both Rick and Eindebelle high praise.

“Ms. Ristia...” Rick looked at Ristia, as if feeling sentimental that the person he treated so poorly was returning his rudeness with kindness. Eindebelle’s glimpse of his face going slightly red was most likely not just a figment of her imagination.

Looks like spring is here and love is in the air for you, Rick. Well, I’d like t’say that, but I reckon that this is one girl that’s too much for you t’handle, Son. Eindebelle thought to herself, ruminating over Rick’s future hardships with an awkward smile.

──6──

The following morning after Ristia was taken in at Nanami’s house, Ristia was partaking in breakfast with the rest of the family.

“By the way, Ristia?”

“Hm?”

Just as breakfast was winding down, Eindebelle addressed Ristia, who responded curiously.

“It’s ‘bout introducin’ you to my magic item seller connection. I’m gonna get in contact with him, so d’ya mind waitin’ a few days while I do? Yer more than welcome t’stay as long as y’like in the meantime, of course.”

“I don’t mind waiting, but I do plan on straightening out my living situation.”

“Wha? Lady Ristia, you don’t want to live here?!” Nanami seemed surprised at the sudden news, but Ristia thought otherwise. She couldn’t overstay her welcome at Nanami’s house, since it would set a bad example of her goal to be a good older sister.

“Maybe you would have a better idea. Are there any kinds of jobs where you can help children in need?” Ristia asked, thinking that she could kill two birds with one stone by finding a child to love her as an older sibling and earn living wages.

“Work to help children in need, eh? Hmm, thing that springs t’mind first is the orphanage, but...” Eindebelle said, curiously muddling her words.

“When you say ‘orphanage,’ I assume you mean a facility where they raise children with no living relatives?” In other words, it was a gathering place for children in need. If I could work there, then that really would be killing two birds with one stone! Ristia thought, overjoyed. However, there was bad news.

“Ms. Ristia, if you’re thinking about working at that orphanage, I would just give up on that idea,” Rick disapproved, speaking up from the seat diagonally across from Ristia after a long stint of silence during the majority of breakfast.

“How come?”

“There are some unsavory rumors about that orphanage.”

“Unsavory rumors in what way, exactly?”

“The director of the orphanage embezzling the local lord’s grants, cases of missing children—those kind of rumors.”

“Oh wow... So then, is this orphanage taking applications?”

“It’s got a bad rep, so the townspeople stay away from it. I’m guessing they’re pretty short on hands there, but... Hello? Were you listening to what I said?”

“Of course. Basically, the kids there might be in need of help, right?” If the director of the orphanage is a bad person, then all the kids living there must really need someone’s help. That just gives me all the more reason to head out there, Ristia thought to herself, only to be met by shocked faces from Eindebelle and Rick.

Nanami, on the other hand, complimented her. “Benevolent as always, Lady Ristia. Mom, what do you think?”

“Well... since this is Ristia we’re talkin’ ‘bout here, I’m pretty sure she’ll be fine.”

“Good point. If it’s true that she one-shotted that dragon, then even if there is trouble, I doubt it’ll get the best of her.”

“Pretty much. That bein’ said, I’ll tell ya where it is if you’re set on the idea, but make sure t’be careful there, y’hear, Ristia?”

“Loud and clear! Thank you so much!” Ristia said with a satisfied grin as Eindebelle proceeded to tell her where the orphanage was located.

“Okay, then! If Lady Ristia is going to this orphanage, so will I!”

“No way, Nanami,” Rick interjected faster than Ristia could even squeeze out a reply.

“Aww, how come?”

“You need to report to the guild with me; that’s why. Since we didn’t end up going yesterday, we need to go today, or else getting chewed out is going to be the least of your problems.”

“Urk, r-right. I almost forgot. Ughh... Lady Ristiaaa~” Nanami said with a pleading look toward Ristia, to no avail; the situation was out of her hands.

“If you need to report, then it is necessary to report.”

“But... Lady Ristia, there is a chance you might not come back to our house, isn’t there?”

“I’m not sure about that, but I’ll make it a point to tell you even if I do end up staying elsewhere, okay?”

“...Really?”

“Yup. After all, I want us to form a good relationship and keep it that way.”

“Lady Ristia, I... I appreciate that so much!” Seeing Nanami in so much joy brought happiness to Ristia, as well. She had someone who really adored her, which brought a smile to her face.

Ristia set out afterwards, climbing to the top of a hill on the outskirts of town. She eventually arrived in front of the orphanage, a stone-constructed building that looked far from sturdy. There were several spots that were damaged all over, giving the impression that it might collapse at any moment. Normally, one would have cold feet about coming near a place like this, but Ristia was just the opposite. She was excited, thinking, My future sister might be here, in need of my help!

“Hello~? Anyone home~?” She humbly knocked on the door a few times. After a few moments of waiting, the wood-crafted doors slowly creaked open, and out stepped a brown-skinned young girl. Judging from her height, she was probably younger than Nanami, possibly around her mid-teens. Regardless of that, she projected a somewhat bewitching aura—a young girl of captivating beauty, to say the least.

“...Who are you, Sister?”

“Sister!”

Ohmigod, the first time I’ve ever been called ‘Sister’ by someone younger than me! Sure, it’s missing the ‘Big’ part, and there’s zero love behind it, but it’s a fantastic start! Ristia was excited, feeling she made the right choice in coming to the orphanage. Eventually, it occurred to her that the girl was giving her a weird look, so she quickly and cutely cleared her throat to compose herself.

“I’m sorry for startling you. I’m Ristia. I’m here because I want to work at this orphanage.”

“You want to work here...? Listen, I don’t know what the big idea is, but you better go back to wherever you came from right now.” Despite the girl telling her to buzz off, Ristia retained her smile.

“Why do you say that?” she asked with a perplexed tilt of her head. The brown-skinned girl’s face took a sour turn to that question, and she proceeded to scan the nearby area around her before bringing her face a little closer to Ristia’s.

“...You haven’t heard the rumors about this place, Sister?”

“By ‘rumors,’ do you mean...”

“Maria! What are you doing over there?” A rebuking male voice echoed. When they turned toward the source, they found a plump, middle-aged man glaring them down.

“...! Nothing. This girl was just asking for directions.”

“Not quite. I’ve come here because I want to work at the orphanage.”

“Darn it, you...!”

“Oh-ho, well, well. Aren’t you an adorable young lady? You’re saying that you want to work here?”

“Yes, Sir!” Ristia energetically nodded, and the portly man smiled.

“Oh, have you now?”

Next to her, the brown-skinned girl covered her face, saying, “...Oh, God. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” It was yet another comment that Ristia paid no heed to.

“Now, why don’t we talk in the back?” said the pudgy older man, inviting her in. She obliged and stepped foot inside the orphanage.

Traversing the hallways while being led by the man, they both entered the room at the very rear of the building. The rather old-fashioned nature of the building was apparent as soon as one stepped through the front door, but the room Ristia found herself in was in stark contrast to that. It was extremely tidy and in order. It made the gears in Ristia’s head turn. Was it kept this way out of consideration for any guests that would drop by? Or perhaps the director had spent the money so he would have a comfortable living environment for himself? It wasn’t clear which of the two it was.

“Please, take a seat over there.”

“Yes, thank you, Sir.” Ristia pulled out the chair for herself and rested down in an elegant fashion. Following in suit, the chubby middle-aged man took a seat in the chair across from her.

“Let’s start with some introductions, shall we? My name is Georg, and I’m the director of this orphanage.”

“Thank you for the courteous welcome. My name is Ristia, Director Georg.”

“Hmm. You seem to be quite a well-mannered young lady. Mind if I ask about your background?”

“I’m just a normal girl.” Ristia calmly proclaimed that she was a normal girl while basically being appraised by the older man. Despite what she insisted, even her mental fortitude alone was obviously abnormal. Director Georg naturally came to the same conclusion and started to look her over with a suspicious gaze.

“...And if I may ask about your past experience?”

“I just ran away from home a little while ago.”

“Oh-ho... You ran away from home. So, would that mean you’d like to work here since you have nowhere to go and nowhere to stay?”

“No, I am not after necessities. Of course, if I were able to work here as a live-in employee, that would be ideal. I wish to help children in need,” answered Ristia with a smile from ear to ear. It was one answer that Director Georg probably wasn’t expecting. His eyes widened in surprise.... followed by a throaty yet silent chortle.

“...Um, Sir?”

“Sorry, where are my manners? You’re so young, yet you have such a splendid mindset. I would love to have you work here.”

“...Do you mean that?” Ristia was taken aback at how easy it was to convince him.

“Absolutely. Someone such as yourself is more than welcome to grace our halls by working here. However, we cannot offer much in the way of pay if you will be a live-in worker... I hope that’s fine with you?” Director Georg prefaced the offer before giving the suggested rate... which Ristia was honestly clueless about, concerning whether it was a meager or significant amount. The pay, however, was not what was important to Ristia here, so she nodded and replied, “I have no problems with that, Sir.”

“Great, I’m glad to have you onboard, then.”

“I’m glad to be onboard, Sir!”

“Good to hear. I will be counting on you to serve this orphanage well, Ms. Ristia,” Director Georg said with a smile on his face as he clapped his hands. Immediately after he did, the brown-skinned girl Ristia met in the entryway walked into the room.

“...You rang?”

“Yes, this girl—Ms. Ristia here will be working here starting today. Introduce her to the children and show her the ropes, if you would.”

“She’s wha...? Sister, you don’t...” Maria looked at Ristia with a condemning look, until...

“Maria.” Director Georg grabbed her shoulder, which made Maria’s body tremble in surprise.

“...O-Okay, I get it,” the brown-skinned girl blurted out in a hurry before glancing at Ristia.

“Follow me; I’ll show you around,” she said as she practically ran out of the office.

“Hey, wait for me. Director Georg, if you’ll excuse me,” Ristia said before showing herself the door, chasing after the brown-skinned girl.

She thought that the girl may have just left her behind, but fortunately, the little brown-skinned was waiting just outside the room. However...

“This way.” Upon confirming that Ristia was there, the brown-skinned girl quickly started walking.

“...Hey, would you mind telling me your name?” Ristia asked as she walked beside the girl, only to be met with no response. “Hey, hello? I’m asking...” she tried asking once more, but before she had a chance to finish her thought, the brown-skinned girl stopped at the corner of the hall and looked up at Ristia sternly.

“I thought I told you to turn back, Sister. Why didn’t you do that?”

“Because I won’t. I want to help children in need.”

“...I see. Then I won’t say another word. I want to help the children myself,” the brown-skinned girl said in an evocative tone.

Her expression was tinged with gloom in a way rather unlike an ordinary fifteen-year-old girl. She gave off the impression that she had lived several times longer than that. Maybe she’s not a human being? Ristia thought to herself as she scanned Maria’s body with magic. The data she received back told her that she was one-hundred percent human, but it did reveal some other concerning information. There were several small abrasions on her lower body and, to make matters worse, they were all infected. Infections like these mainly afflicted grown adults, with rare cases occurring amongst children, but few symptoms would ever show up in girls. She probably didn’t even realize that she had an infection. Ristia reached out to cast a healing spell over the young girl, but as soon as she did, the girl screamed, “Don’t touch me!” and brushed Ristia’s hand away. The unexpected reaction made Ristia’s eyes widen.

“Umm... I’m sorry. I must’ve startled you by just sticking my hand out like that.”

“N-No, I should be the one who’s sorry. I just got a little startled.” The young girl said that she was just a “little startled,” but she still seemed wary of being touched. Ristia decided to give up on using any healing magic for the time being. She then tried searching for another topic, figuring she should lighten up the mood.

“Oh, right, I never did catch your name. Would you mind a little self-introduction?”

“...I’m Maria. I’ll be fifteen this year.”

“Maria? Such a sweet name.”

“Yes, Maria. And sugar is sweet; not my name.”

“...Uh, right. Duly noted, Maria.” The brown-skinned girl answered with just her name and age, nothing else. It was a very blunt, no-nonsense self-introduction, but once Ristia saw Maria’s expression, she realized that wasn’t the case. It was likely that this girl never had a chance to say anything else in the past.

So Ristia replied in a similar manner. “I’m Ristia, and I’ll be seventeen this year.”

“...Is that all?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d get to know the rest over time.”

“...Sister, you’re an oddball.”

“I’m not odd. I’m a normal girl.”

“Heh heh... and you’re funny.” For whatever reason, she laughed at her. Ristia was disappointed, since she never intended to make the girl laugh, but Maria seemed to be enjoying herself, so it satisfied her regardless.

“Okay, Maria, you’ll be showing me around, I hope?”

“Are you really sure about this?”

“Yup, sure as sure can be.”

“...It’s strange. A little part of me is telling me that you’ll definitely be alright,” Maria said, tacking on under her breath, “Yeah... Even though there’s no way it could be.” It was an incredibly small murmur, but Ristia heard it crystal clear, being the True Blood that she was.

“I’ll be alright, you know? I swear.”

“Hah... Fine, I get it. I’ll start off by introducing you to everyone who lives at the orphanage, then.”

──7──

“So on that note, this will be the new girl taking care of everyone.”

Ristia was led to a large common room in the orphanage where she met face-to-face with all twelve orphans—Maria included—who lived in the institution. There were four boys and eight girls. While she marveled at how young Maria was when she first saw her, the other children were all even younger than her. From what Maria told her, anyone past twelve usually “graduated” from the orphanage. In any case, there were twelve children, every one of them likely a diamond in the rough. With their little heads peeking up, they looked at Ristia with a combination of hope and worry painted across their faces. Ristia kneeled down in front of them and spoke at eye-level.

“Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ristia. I want to help children in need, so I’ll be working here at the orphanage from now on. Would everyone mind telling me their names?” She flashed that angelic smile of hers, which fascinated the boys and fired up their protective instincts. It was a smile that was so effective at reassuring the younger children that the majority of them, who had been on their guard, started to give way to its charms.

“My name’s Mew!”

“I’m Ayane!”

“Name’s Glen!”

A chorus of self-introductions all fired out at the same time.

“Come on, you guys. If you all speak over one another, you’re going to confuse the lady,” Maria spoke up, reprimanding everyone for their manners. Once she did, they all apologized in unison before going silent. “Sorry, Big Sis Maria!”

“Whoa...” Ristia looked at Maria, her gaze filled with respect. In her mind, she thought, ‘B-Big Sis Maria’! You’re incredible, Maria! Every one of these kids adores you like a big sister! I’m older than you when it comes to years, but you’re more rich in experience! I have so much to learn from you! I’ll do my best, but I’m not going to fall behind, either! Ristia found herself motivated.

“Thank you, Maria, but it’s okay.”

“Huh? What do you mean it’s ‘okay’...?”

“It’s okay, because I’ve memorized everyone’s names.”

“What are you talking about? Remembering a bunch of names yelled at you at the same time is crazy ta—” Before Maria could finish the world “talk,” Ristia pointed her eyes over to the girl standing the furthest in front.

“This adorable, tomboyish dog-eared child is Mew.” Ristia smiled, petting Mew’s furry, blue canine ears, prompting Mew to let out a tiny “woof” and smile in delight. “And the slender girl here is named Ayane. Her violet eyes are simply beautiful.” In regards to Mew, the children didn’t seem too convinced by Ristia’s claim, but as she continued and started to accurately call off more of their names, they gradually began to look astonished.

“Th-Then what about me?”

“Black hair just like mine? Your name must be Glen,” Ristia said, petting Glen’s head in a very natural manner. He was just a ten-year old, but being on the receiving end of Ristia’s beautiful smile was turning his cheeks beet red. And so, as a result of her display—

“You’re amazing, Sis!!”

Ristia was met with the applause and unanimous praise of the children. She began to celebrate inside her head. Ohmigod, I just got called “Sis”! By a room full of kids! And soon enough, I’ll have all of them adoring me. I won’t just be “Sis,” I’ll level up to “Big Sis Extraordinaire”! Ristia thought, getting herself pumped up. In any case, Ristia had accurately named ten out of the eleven kids.

“And last but not least is you. You never did introduce yourself, though,” she addressed the boy that was looking off into space a small distance away. Despite her trying to speak to the boy, the brown-haired child simply twitched in response, refusing to face forward.

“Come on, now, Allen. You know better.” Not willing to let this go by, Maria grabbed ahold of the boy’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

“Big Sis Maria... How could you say that? This girl is friends with the director, isn’t she?” What was he implying by that? If he meant that Ristia was a “colleague” working at the orphanage, then that would make perfect sense... but Maria ended up shaking her head.

“I don’t think she is, at the very least.”

“How can you be so sure?!”

“How?” Maria started, peeking over at Ristia.

“Well, because... she’s kind of an airhead, and she seems pretty unreliable, I guess.”

Unreliable?! Maria thinks that I’m unreliable?! Ristia flung herself to the floor. Ungh, my poor heart. What a dreadful shock~ It’s not uncommon for someone you’ve just met to not fully rely on you, but I can’t believe she feels that way about me from just our first meeting alone. W-Well, if that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll turn up the heat! No more holding back! I’m going to follow through to the hilt and make sure Maria absolutely adores me! She’ll be saying, “Big Sis, you’re incredible!” in no time! Ristia thought, solemnly vowing in secret. In hindsight, this was probably the moment that decided the fate of the orphanage—no, the entire town. However, there was not a soul present that realized that fact.

There was only one child who thought, It was weird enough when she suddenly hung her head, but now she’s balling her hands into fists. What’s wrong with her?

“...Hey, Sis, are you alright?”

“Th-Thank you for asking, but I’m alright, Ayane.” Ristia pretended to be unaffected in hopes of not being considered any more unreliable... That didn’t stop her from getting a tad misty-eyed, though. “Anyway, do you happen to know what he meant by ‘friends with the director’?” Ristia asked Ayane as she let Maria and Allen argue, but the girl just shook her head in reply.

She did, however, whisper, “It might have something to do with Allen hating the director.”

“...Why does he hate him?”

“Well, see, Allen likes Big Sis Maria, but Big Sis Maria is close with the director.”

“They’re close...?” Ristia pondered, thinking back to the two interacting earlier. It didn’t give her the impression that there was any contempt, but they certainly didn’t seem close, by any means.

“You know, I see the director coming out of Big Sis Maria’s room sometimes when I’m going to the bathroom late at night.”

“...Oh, is that so?” Ristia seemed to have an idea of what was going on and thought to ask for some more details, but...

“Hey, Ayane, no. We got told never to talk about that, remember?”

“Oh, right. So yeah. Sorry, Sis.”

“Mm-mm, no. I’m sorry.” Ristia backed down from the subject and turned her attention back to Allen and Maria as they continued their spat.

“Point is, I don’t buy that flimsy nonsense reason at all!”

“I told you, she’s not the kind of person you think she is, All—” Ristia touched Maria’s shoulder and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“...Huh?”

“Thank you for standing up for me, but it’s okay.” She meant that less in the sense that she didn’t mind being suspected, but more in the sense that she was reliable enough to handle the situation herself. Regardless of the interpretation, Ristia faced Allen.

“Wh-What? You’re not gonna trick me like you did the others, understand?”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you for not being able to trust me. This is our first time meeting, after all.” Ristia finished her sentence, then simply gazed into Allen’s pair of blue eyes. Those eyes were glaring at her pensively, but she knew it was because he was worried for Maria. “It’s alright. I’m cruel to those who do bad things to people I care for, but I’m never cruel to those who don’t,” Ristia said, pulling Allen into her chest for a hug. With Ristia’s serviceably ample breasts, Allen’s whole head flushed red.

“Wah?! Wait a, wh-what are you doing?!”

“‘What’? Well, I just thought this would help you relax.”

“R-Relax? That’s not what I’m talking ab—” Allen snapped back to his senses and pushed Ristia away from him. “I-I’m saying that I’m not just gonna up and trust you!” Allen spat out his parting remark before rushing from the room. Ristia watched him do so, lamenting, Oh no, he hates me... Despite her hurt feelings, she decided it was a bad idea to just leave him be, so she tried to chase after him, but Maria stopped her before she could.

“I’ll talk to Allen. You entertain the rest of the kids, Sister.”

“But...”

“Don’t worry. He was just a little embarrassed.”

“...Embarrassed? Why?”

“Never you mind that. Just handle things here.”

“Well... I’m not sure what’s going on, but okay. Make sure Allen is alright.” After thinking things over, Ristia decided to do as Maria suggested. After all, Maria was so mature beyond her years, and she seemed to know how the kids operated rather well. And so, she made the call to let Maria handle Allen while she would entertain and play with the others.

Ristia asked the children about various things here and there after that. And after dinner had concluded...

“Would it be okay if we rebuilt this orphanage?” Ristia asked, having come to Director Georg’s office to speak to him directly.

“Ristia... What are you even asking me?”

“I’m asking if I can rebuild the orphanage. I spoke to the children, and they told me that it can get terribly drafty here. Besides, it seems a lot of things are falling apart here, so... erm, may I?” Seeing the shocked expression on Director Georg’s face, Ristia toned herself down. Her initial plan was to gain permission to rebuild the place first, and then she and the director would discuss how she could go about fixing up certain things. Since her plan was so set, she felt it quite unexpected that she would run into a hurdle right out of the gate.

“Listen, Ristia, just from today, I can understand your love for the children in spades. However, there are certain things in the world that you can and cannot do. You should first focus on what you can do.”

“...Yes, Sir. My apologies.” But rebuilding a house is something that I can do! Ristia thought to herself, but she wasn’t childish enough to object aloud. Granted, she wasn’t enough of an adult to just meekly give up on her idea, either.

“At any rate, you did fine work today, my child. How did it feel to work here for a whole day?”

“It was so much fun spending time with the children!” Ristia said, beaming with joy. Director Georg, on the other hand, was seemingly befuddled.

“Is that... so? It seems that you are suited for this job, then,” Director Georg said with a jolly smile as he took a bottle and two glasses off of a shelf. “Ristia, can you handle liquor?” She had never drank before, but she didn’t know what it was like to be drunk off of alcohol in the first place—which is why she replied affirmatively.

As a note, Ristia was seventeen years old, but since this world wasn’t bound by any laws stating that minors couldn’t consume alcohol, this was all perfectly fine by those standards. Speaking of standards, she was a True Blood princess, so human laws were pointless to her anyway.

“Well then, it isn’t much, but let us celebrate your arrival with a drink.” Director Georg turned away and started to pour the contents of the bottle into the pair of glasses. When he turned back around to Ristia, he presented the glass meant for her, which she accepted. The beverage appeared to be a wine of some kind, and it filled a good portion of the glass.

“Let us toast to your new future.”

“My new future, Sir?”

“Why, yes. I hope that you give yourself up for the children.”

“Yes, Sir. I will try my best to meet your expectations!” She raised her glass and mimicked Director Georg’s gestures before taking a swig of the wine. The wine’s mellow aroma and subtle astringency spread throughout Ristia’s palate. This was Ristia’s first time drinking alcohol, but she found herself partial to this wine.

“Ehehe, this is quite good.” Ristia proceeded to down the rest in delight. This really is good! I’ve never made liquor before, but maybe I will next time I get the chance... Ristia thought to herself as she began to analyze the ingredients of the wine with her tongue. Let’s see, this “wine” drink seems to be grapes fermented with alcohol. Hmm... Yes, grapes and ethanol seem to be the key ingredients. What else? Let’s see... That astringency is coming from tannin. There’s also amino acid, and... Hm? Isn’t this... extract from medicinal plants with a sleeping agent? So that was the cause of the slight bitterness. It doesn’t seem to be necessary for the flavor, but... maybe it’s in here so you can have a good night’s sleep? Either way, it doesn’t affect me, so maybe that ingredient isn’t necessary for experiencing the sheer joy of wine.

That single ingredient was enough to knock a normal girl completely unconscious, but for the self-proclaimed normal girl, Ristia, it barely had the same effect as a soothing herb, and she remained largely unaffected. And so, she proceeded to down her wine as Director Georg suggested as she engaged in chit-chat with him.

“You’re so young, but you can really guzzle it down.”

“Thank you, Sir. This is my first time drinking wine, but it is more delicious than I ever imagined.”

“Well, isn’t that a treat? Still, I believe it is about time we stop for tonight. It would be terrible if it were to impede on your work, after all.”

“You’re right, Sir. Well then, I’ll just go... Oh, umm...” Ristia was informed that this would be a live-in position, but she suddenly remembered she was never shown her quarters. Georg seemed to remember and assured her not to worry.

“Your quarters are right next door. From today onwards, that will be where you stay, so please make yourself at home. Now, retire to your quarters and rest well, my child. ...Yes, extremely well.” He handed her the key to her quarters. Maybe I should go back to Nanami’s house and give her an update on what’s going on? Ristia initially thought, but it was already late, so she reconsidered. I can do that another time.

“Hmm... So this is my room,” Ristia whispered to herself in an impressed tone, stepping into the room as she was told. Thinking about it, Ristia had always lived in a castle—and a castle that was constructed with technology far beyond the scope of humans of this era, to boot. While it was probably a sentiment that would hurt a person’s feelings if said aloud, Ristia was slightly enjoying all of this, as it felt like a quaint excursion to the countryside to her.

Oh, but I might not be able to sleep on a bed this hard. This room also smells kind of moldy... Maybe I should do a little interior decorating. Ristia used her magic to disinfect and dust off the room. Then, she put the old bed into her Item Box and rolled a soft and fluffy carpet out on the floor. After putting up a set of lace curtains over the window, she placed her trusty princess-style bed right in the center of the room. Finally, she installed a magical chandelier illuminated with magic stones and placed a magic item capable of temperature, humidity, and air purification on the wall.

That should do it. Now, all I have to do... Oh, that reminds me, is there a bath here? Ristia adorably pondered with, naturally, no answer—or rather, even if she did get an answer, it certainly wouldn’t be an affirmation. If there’s none here, maybe I should whip one up? Ristia considered, but she reconsidered, since any construction now would most likely wake the children. I’ll just hurry off to sleep and start really renovating the room come tomorrow. She then decided to cleanse her body with magic for tonight. After she did, she changed into a cute camisole for her pajamas, turned off the lights, and threw herself into bed. However, it wasn’t soon after that...

“Is there someone outside the room...?” As she laid in bed, Ristia noticed that she had an uninvited visitor just outside her door.