Chapter Eighty-five: Return
“Alchemist Karen, there’s something I want to ask you.”
The day to return to the royal capital from Ehlertt territory had arrived. While watching the large amount of luggage being loaded into the carriage, Karen stood by with a single bag in hand, waiting to depart. By the way, the person with the most luggage was Waltride. She had been living here almost entirely, with all the foundations of her life apparently based here.
The one who called out to Karen in this situation was Horst Brahm. Having clearly declared himself an enemy before, Karen was somewhat hesitant.
Everyone around was busy working, and no one noticed Karen and Horst. Perhaps it was because both Karen and Horst had such a weak presence.
“You’re an alchemist with little magical power. So you must have struggled. And yet, why do you side with the strong?”
“That’s…”
“Is it because your heart has been stolen by Sir Julius?”
Horst spoke with an exasperated look. For better or worse, that’s how it appeared to everyone. It apparently didn’t look like Helfried’s machinations at all, so Karen was glad that she wasn’t causing trouble for Helfried in that regard.
“I’m not siding with the strong. I just believe that people who work hard and produce results should be rewarded.”
“But what you’ve done has pushed the weak into the shadows. Don’t you understand that? Adventurers who have lost their jobs are suffering, unable to speak out about it openly. Are you saying their laments don’t matter?”
“That’s not what I mean at all.”
Karen said this from the bottom of her heart.
“I want those who worked hard but couldn’t achieve results to be properly supported, too. That’s why I was impressed by your ideas, Earl Brahm. That they, too, are heroes. I thought it was a wonderful way of thinking.”
“Then why do you cause them to suffer?”
“Are there really people suffering in the first place? If they are, wouldn’t it be better for them to say so openly?”
Karen tilted her head as she spoke. Since then, adventurers had been friendly toward Karen, and she hadn’t seen anyone claiming to suffer because of her. Even those who had lost work seemed happy, being treated to drinks by adventurers who were moved by Karen’s declaration, happily drinking from early in the day.
“If there are such people, adventurers are generally good-natured, so they should just ask for help. I think everyone would rush to help them.”
There were plenty of adventurers who wanted to be seen as the next big-hearted hero, eager to help someone and treat them to something.
“Telling them to ask for help—that’s quite a cruel thing to say.”
“Excuse me…?
“You, as a woman, couldn’t possibly understand how deeply that wounds one’s pride. Asking for help makes a person feel like a pitiful worm. Are you saying it’s acceptable to make adventurers feel that way?”
At Horst’s accusatory words, Karen was dumbfounded. She felt no guilt whatsoever. Nothing resonated with her at all, and wondering if she might have misheard, Karen said:
“Um… are you saying that even though they need help, they can’t ask for it? Not because of physical injuries or emotional wounds, but because their pride, their dignity would be hurt? Grown adults? Are you saying they want help but can’t bring themselves to ask? Are you saying it’s wrong not to help people who can’t even say ‘please’ when they need to rely on someone else’s strength?”
Receiving Horst’s dark, clammy gaze, Karen’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
“…Isn’t helping someone like that basically impossible?”
“We are born into inequality. I thought you, as a D-rank alchemist in terms of magical power, would understand the cruelty of that gap.”
“I know there’s disparity, but the Goddess does give us chances to overcome it.”
“I was born with little magical power and was raised in isolation in a separate building. They originally intended to declare me stillborn and kill me… but I survived thanks to my mother’s mercy. Do you think it was the Goddess’s will that I lived?”
Horst gave a dark smile. Feeling a chill run down her spine, Karen stepped back.
“The fortunate should serve those less fortunate. Forcing people to beg for help—that’s just inflicting humiliation. If that’s not possible, wouldn’t it be better if disparity didn’t exist at all?”
“…I don’t quite understand.”
“One day, you will.”
Saying that, Horst turned his back to Karen and walked away, leaning on his cane. His retreating figure looked terribly small, and the busy people passing by never even noticed his existence.
“A parting gift for you—take it, Alchemist.”
“This is… silk spider thread?!”
Seeing the adventurers gathered from the Adventurers’ Guild, Karen had assumed they were here to bid farewell to the Ehlertt family—but it turned out they were there to see her off. Karen’s eyes widened at the abundance of silk thread handed to her by an adventurer she had seen at the New Year’s Festival.
This was the silk thread that had cost her a considerable sum to obtain just a small amount for making Waltride’s cosmetics. Silk spider thread was expensive because nobles eagerly wanted to use it for their dresses. That’s why she thought it would make good cosmetics, which turned out to be true.
“Thanks to you, there’s now a possibility that portraits of us mighty adventurers will adorn Ehlertt’s New Year’s Festival. This is our thanks.”
“Isn’t that thanks to Lord Helfried?!”
“It’s partly thanks to the Earl, but also thanks to your bold actions. The adventurer circles in Ehlertt territory have been rather stifling lately… You’re the one who shattered that atmosphere, aren’t you?”
The fierce-looking adventurers grinned as they said this. There must have been people who felt stifled by the public opinion that Horst had created. Especially for the strong, the worldview that Horst wanted would be difficult to live in. That was somewhat close to the world Karen wanted, so with mixed feelings, Karen smiled.
“Well then, I gratefully accept it!”
The face powder she’d gifted to Waltride had been hastily made in the alchemy lab the Ehlertt family had provided, and the research behind it was still lacking. She wanted to research it further.
“May I go next?”
“You’re the painter…”
“My name is Irene. Thanks to the opportunity you gave me, I will now officially be painting Master Julius’s portrait. I don’t know if this will serve as adequate thanks, but please accept this, Lady Karen.”
Karen turned over the wooden board she received and gasped.
“Master Julius’s portrait…!”
It was a picture with dynamic brushstrokes showing Julius in silver armor with the morning sun as a backdrop, cutting through thorns with his sword. At his feet lay a dragon’s carcass, burned by the morning sun and gleaming gold. The depiction of light was beautiful, and the colors were rich, making Julius appear to shine brilliantly.
“How handsome… so incredibly handsome… Uugh.”
“I’m glad you like it. That one can be opened, you know.”
“Opened?”
Karen noticed that the wooden case holding the portrait was folded in two. When she opened it, she gasped again for a different reason. There was a painting of Karen and Julius standing side by side. They looked like lovers.
“That’s a nice portrait. I want one too.”
“The Countess of Ehlertt mentioned that you might say that, Master Julius, so I’ve prepared another set.”
Responding to Julius, who was peering at what Karen held, the painter Irene handed Julius a wooden board. On its surface, instead of Julius’s portrait, the frame surprisingly contained a picture of Karen.
“Why is there a picture of me?!”
“It’s a very beautiful painting… Now that we’re officially in a relationship, I was just thinking I wanted to carry a picture of you.”
Karen fell silent at Julius’s smiling face. This seemed like a trial she had brought upon herself.
“Sister Karen, even if you marry Uncle Julius, I’ll still call you Sister.”
“I will not be getting married.”
“Sure, sure.”
While being dismissed by Sieg, Karen once again looked down at the portrait. Art is a strange thing—despite the supposed gap in looks between her and Julius, the image made them seem well-matched. Hoping that this was how they appeared to others as well, Karen tucked the portrait deep into her pocket.
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