Chapter 755 – Resident Registration

000

The two entered Fromme’s room, and as he guided her out with his hand, he placed a small desk in the middle and sat down on the sofa facing Fromme.

The inside of the room was decorated here and there with trophy wall decorations made from the heads of demonic beasts, which did not suit the old man, and battle-axes that appear to be no longer in use.

Also, contrary to those barbaric items – looking at the grimoires containing the basics of magic written in the closet, it seemed like a space where my past as an adventurer and my present as an old wizard intersect.

“Is the old man’s room so fascinating?”

“… Sorry. Without even knowing.”

When Promme, who noticed Cleon’s eyes scanning all over the room, says that, Cleon bows her head and apologizes to him.

＂Kkkeul… It doesn’t matter. Since you said you’re an adventurer, you’re probably worried about a lot of things.”

“It is said that when Uncle Fromme was young, she and her grandfather explored ruins and the Forest of Demonic Beasts and saved each other’s lives several times.”

Indeed, if you had that experience, it wouldn’t be strange to become sworn brothers.

After hearing Leila’s story, Fromme nods her head, brushes her beard, and speaks.

“It’s a story from the distant past. Even before your grandfather gathered her comrades to cooperate in establishing the academy.”

At Promme’s words, Laila flinches and shakes her shoulders, but knowing that it is because of her own dealings with the Twelve Elders – who were once her own grandfather’s comrades – who betrayed everything to her -, it was only Cleon.

“What. It would be useless to talk about this old man’s past. Let’s get straight to the point, Lila. Because an old man’s time must be used wisely.”

Otherwise, she might die while she’s talking. Looking at Frome, who was making a joke that couldn’t be laughed at, Lila sighed a little and nodded.

“… Good. Well then, let me be blunt. The six children I brought with me… And a woman named Da Capo. I would like to allow a total of seven people to live in this Helix. Of course, I will pay the necessary expenses. The Flame Watch Mansion is a good place to live.”

When Leila said that, Frome did the opposite of what she said and nodded her head while exhaling deeply.

“Yeah, I thought it would be that kind of story. Otherwise, I didn’t think they would have brought so many children for a field trip.”

Fromme responded as if she had expected Leila to tell her story, and then looked at her again and spoke.

＂As you may know, this village has only elderly people and there is no school. To put it simply, it is not a suitable environment for children to grow up in. What makes the village run are the familiars who work in each house. Logistics, farming, and industry are all accomplished by using familiars at your fingertips within your home.”

“I know about that. But it’s also safe. There is a protective barrier spread throughout the village, so not only can monsters not come in, but all the old people are magicians.”

Laila responds to Fromme’s words by saying that she already knows, but Fromme shakes her head.

“No. Children have a place where they can hang out. In other words, wouldn’t it be possible for children like that to learn a lot more if they stayed in the royal capital? Lila, if you inherited the property from your grandfather, we could at least pay for the settlement costs.”

＂That’s…＂

Lila had no choice but to keep her mouth shut for a moment at Fromme’s words.

The reason they couldn’t stay in the royal capital was because they didn’t want to reveal it to anyone if possible.

It was better if it was a secret that only they kept forever.

“How about being honest, Laila? Those kids have reasons that they can’t say anything about.”

And Fromme spoke as if she was seeing through all of Lila’s thoughts.

“… If you talk about that, it will be difficult for the children to stay here.”

“That’s natural. No one would want to bring trouble into this town.”

At Promme’s answer, Laila frowned.

＂… Mr. Fromme, but-＂

When the atmosphere seemed to be going bad, Cleon was about to open his mouth to persuade Fromme.

As if to interrupt Cleon’s words, Frome opened her mouth once again.

“But. “I don’t live so harshly that I drive out young people who have nowhere else to be.”

He made deep wrinkles between his eyebrows, but spoke to Lila in a voice that seemed like he really had no choice.

However, in his words, there was a kindness that could not be hidden, a kindness that was felt because people could not throw away all good things.

“Let me tell you one thing. We will not give anything for free. If you want something, you will have to pay a fair price for it, and if you need money for it, you will have to get it with your own strength.”

“The kids probably know that much.”

When Laila responds to Fromme’s words like that, Fromme gets up from her seat, snorting.

Then, she took one of her old ledgers from her bookshelf and handed it to Lila.

＂It’s a list of village residents. Write their names here. And tell them that if they cause an accident, they will be punished accordingly.”

“Well, they’re not that immature. Since the environment I lived in was very difficult, it may take some time to adapt…”

Saying that, Lila took out her pen and wrote down the names of her children and Da Capo in the ledger.

As the sound of her fan echoes through her room in silence as Lila carefully writes down each word, Lila suddenly raises her head and speaks to him.

“That’s right, now that I think about it, there’s a golem in my house.”

＂Golem?＂

“Okay! I appreciate you taking care of the mansion while I’m away, but aren’t there too many…? Since there are no people around, you can take it easy.”

At Lila’s words, Fromme closes her mouth for a moment and strokes her own beard.

Then, she asked Lila a question.

“What golem are you talking about?”

＂Haa?＂

When Fromme answered as if she didn’t know what Laila was talking about, she frowned.

“What kind of golem is this? It’s a domestic helper golem made of marble. There were a lot of people at my house, cleaning, cooking and serving tea as I pleased.”

“… Did you say Cleon? Is what this guy is saying true?”

Fromme asks Cleon a question as if he really has no clue.

Then, Cleon also nodded her head and answered him.

“Yes. I saw it too. About 20 units…”

＂20th class!? A golem made of marble!? “If it was treated to prevent corrosion, I don’t know how much money it would cost, but you wouldn’t have a golem like that in your mansion!”

Fromme shook her head as if she was being ridiculous, and Lila just kept her mouth shut for a moment as she looked at Fromme like that.

“… But, the technique used had my uncle’s characteristics in it.”

＂What…?＂

Fromme seems once again shocked by Lila’s words, and then Cleon speaks to him.

“… If you say it wasn’t the golem that Mr. Fromme made, wasn’t it made by Petrus outside? In that case, I don’t think it would be strange even if he used the same magic as Mr. Fromme.”

＂Ah~… Ah?＂

Lila seemed to understand Cleon’s words for a moment, but then she tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“That guy? Why? Didn’t you see us talking earlier? Just by looking at it, it looks like he hates me a lot. I was so unrelated to him that I even forgot he existed.”

“That’s… You don’t know. Because it seemed like they remembered you correctly.”

Moreover, Promme’s attitude of doing everything for you despite being ticklish.

Cleon seemed to be thinking that perhaps something similar to that might exist with Petrus.

However, upon hearing Cleon’s guess, even Promme, not Lila, shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but that guy doesn’t know how to make golems. He’s a third-rate wizard or worse. The magic he can use is extremely limited, and his skills aren’t that great. Making a marble golem… Would be difficult with his skills.”

“… Wait a minute, so if it’s not my uncle or that Petrus or something, then who on earth brought the golem into my house without permission…?”

Lila suddenly felt anxious and spoke with a pale expression, probably because she had goosebumps.

“Well… There are many people in this village who have been indebted to your grandfather. Among them, there are some like me who learned some magic from your grandfather. They say you saw traces of my techniques, but if the teacher is the same, the techniques are similar.”

“… You mean it could have been done by another earth wizard, not Uncle Fromme?”

From Me, she nodded her head in agreement with Laila’s words.

“Well, now that people are living there, we might not need the golems’ help. All you have to do is stop everything.”

“Ha. Well, if that’s the case.”

In the end, the identity of who created the golem remained a mystery.

001

When the two people left Fromme’s mansion behind and went outside, the sun was high in the sky.

Afterward, I was able to hear various stories from Fromme, but to sum up the whole story, the main explanation was that Helix was a village that belonged to the kingdom but was recognized for its own autonomy.

The reason is the broken remains of a huge tower that the party saw when they arrived after opening the portal.

It is said that the reason this tower is broken is evidence that Laila’s grandfather sealed it, and before he sealed it, it was said to be a dungeon-like place where familiars that constantly attack humans poured out of the magic tower.

Laila’s grandfather created Helix to seal those ruins, neutralize the familiars’ production techniques, and monitor the ruins, so they could never be activated again.

In recognition of his achievements, Laila’s grandfather was given the opportunity to become a nobleman, but he refused.

Instead, he asked for and obtained, if possible, autonomy without interference from the royal capital so that he could freely study magic here.

Thanks to this, since Helix is ​​a village in the mountains, there are few guests from the royal capital, and there are no lords collecting taxes.

The village was receiving various benefits simply by submitting a report reporting the sealed status of the ruins every few years.

For reference, it is said that the hot spring was originally developed from a water vein that passed nearby.

Originally, Helix had a strong spiritual vein flowing with the elemental magic of fire, so if you dig a little and find a water vein, it could easily become a hot spring.

Although the number of tourists visiting Helix was small, there were a lot of regulars, and the explanation was that they were people who fell in love with the benefits of Helix’s hot springs after experiencing them once.

“Let’s go in together later. Other children also─＂

As Lila said that, she was about to walk away.

“Ah, you’re really back.”

At the sound of the girl’s voice coming from the front, Cleon and Lila turned their gaze in that direction at the same time.

Then, there was a girl with a gorgeous appearance, a little shorter than Lila, looking in this direction.

Her light blue hair is tied down in pigtails similar to Lila’s, but her impression looks very different because she is using a strikingly bright mint-colored ribbon attached to her light blue hair.

There were silver accessories scattered around the ears and neck, and a gothic dress with black lace.

And, she wore a black cloth mask that completely covered her from her nose to her chin, and her eye makeup was quite dark.

What stands out more than anything is the purple bridge coming down from the light blue bangs as a single strand. No matter where you look, it was a hair extension.

＂I came back after a few years and brought a man back with me. So, can I say that? Lila.”

At the sound of her voice coming out as her mouth moves, which is covered by her mask, Lila narrows her eyes and looks at her, then turns to her Cleon and speaks.

＂Who is it?＂

＂No, even if you ask me…＂

It was the tone of a girl who seemed to know something about Layla, but Layla, like Petrus before her, seemed to have no memory of it at all.

At Lila’s reaction, the girl snorted ‘ha’ as if she was dumbfounded, then shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“It’s absurd. Just like Petrus said, she doesn’t remember anything at all.”

＂… If he’s wearing such a striking fashion, she’s likely to remember him.’

Cleon says so, but the girl glares at Cleon with her eyes and answers by placing her hand on her flat chest.

“I am Aqua. Aqua Riverfinder. Helix’s greatest water magician! It’s going to be.”

＂Is it going to happen?＂

When Lila heard Aqua’s self-introduction, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head as if she was dumbfounded.

“I know the Riverfinder family, but I don’t remember your name when I hear it. Aren’t you like Petrus, a guy I only met once or twice when I was young?”

＂Ugh…＂

When the veins on her forehead appear as if she is getting angry at Lila’s reaction to her completely treating her as an extra, Lila continues her story.

“So? If you intentionally say hello and talk to me, doesn’t that mean you have something to say? If there isn’t one, we’ll just go back to the mansion like this.”

＂There it is! So wait a moment!”

Although Lila was embarrassed by her attitude, she cleared her throat and asked Lila in an annoyed voice.

＂… Laila. Have you completely returned to Helix? Do you plan on continuing to stay in that mansion from now on?”

“Ha? Why would you do something like that to me…”

In her eyes, it seemed like Laila, who returned with a man, had returned to her hometown to start her own family.

Lila looked down at her annoyance as if it were strange, then sighed and shook her head.

“No. I only came back for a short time. “I will leave this village tomorrow at the latest, or today at the earliest.”

＂… Is that so? Then, the Flamewatch Mansion will be empty again.”

In response to her response, Lila shook her head.

“No. Other children will live in the mansion.”

＂Other kids?＂

When Aqua asks what that means, Lila frowns and answers, as if her patience is reaching its limit.

＂It has nothing to do with you, right?＂

“… Well, that’s right. But I just thought it was a bit of a waste to have the children live in the mansion of the previous Flame Watch, who was the greatest wizard in this town.”

＂… How I use my mansion…＂

Lila was about to become harsh in her words, as if she was bringing out her past temper, but Cleon stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

Then, she sighed and shook her head.

“Anyway. Is that all you’re curious about? I don’t know if you have any grudges against me, but I really don’t remember anything about you. If you try to do something foolish with the children who will be staying at our house, you better be prepared.”

In that way, as if warning, a wedge was driven in.

Aqua flinched and seemed slightly intimidated by Lila’s still hostile attitude.

Seeing the two people’s reactions, Cleon just shook his head.

“Sorry. Lila is just a little nervous because the golems in her mansion are something she doesn’t know who created.”

＂Golem? … Hmm.”

At Cleon’s words, Aqua’s eyes sparkle with interest, and she quickly turns around.

“What. If that’s the case. And don’t worry about the kids. Because I have no time dealing with children who don’t have any abilities.”

＂…＂

Lila, who was watching her trot away while saying that, looks back at Cleon while sighing.

“Guys I don’t remember at all, showing up one after another, something feels off.”

“… Isn’t that because you weren’t too interested in people in the past, Laila?”

“… Was I that bad?”

Even so, was it to the point where I couldn’t remember people’s faces or names…? And Lila looks back on her past self.

Looking at Lila like that, Cleon thought, ‘That’s okay…’, But she didn’t dare say it out loud.