秘密入口

However, maybe because I accepted her invitation to come here together, my sister was lost in her own world, displaying a humorous expression instead. 

Personally, I wasn\'t in the mood to go out but... the only other option was to shut myself in the dorm with a depressed mood. 

After arriving, I happened to see the kind, cleft-chinned Dante-san, and so I raised my voice in greeting. My question brought a bitter expression to his face.

"Hey, Allen-kun. Out on a date with your girlfriend? Speaking of which, good job on the transportation mission. I heard that the process was quite mind-boggling and revolutionary, but it’s great to see you cheerful as usual… Well, I don\'t know much either, we just arrived after we received the report. Dew-san is currently listening to the details."

I followed Dante-san\'s gaze and spotted Master, his face contorted in a troubled expression. He was facing Godorfun-sensei, and Randy-san who was having a stare-off with a feline-eyed elderly noble lady. I don\'t remember where, but I think I’ve seen her before. 

Meanwhile, my elder sister just made an embarrassed giggle, going \'Ehehe\' while clinging to my arm.

"......I’m here with my sister to welcome our parents who’re coming to the Royal Capital. Personally, I would like to stay away from that scene. Please don’t tell Master of our presence."

I had whispered so to Dante-san when my sharp-eared Master suddenly turned his gaze at our direction, a blue vein bulging on his head, and beckoned us with a *gentle expression*.

Tsk, was he a bloodhound or what? How did he hear me despite the noisy background and distance was beyond me...

My range of detection has surpassed even Master’s lately. Nevertheless, I had to say his ability to pick up even minute details and perfectly adapt to the situation was incredible, especially now that I was trying to master it myself.

I heaved a sigh, and dragged my feet in his direction.

◆◆◆

"You brat, you really have the gall to ignore me despite seeing me distraught, huh? As if my plate wasn\'t already stacked to the limit, now you\'re bringing in even more headaches to solve!"

The very first words Master greeted me with started with a sermon.

"......I understand the situation pretty well, but can you not say it like it\'s my fault, Master? Also, today’s my day off, so I didn\'t bring a mask with me. Wouldn\'t it be a disaster if someone recognized my (Ren) persona? With that, I’ll take my leave."

The station was a place that constantly had an ongoing crowd, and as vast as the Royal Capital might be, someone could recognize me as Ren.  

I could maybe brush off an allegation, stating I just happened to know them and I was just acting as a volunteer, but there was no way I could greet my parents if others kicked such a huge fuss like this.

So I was about to get away from the situation after stating my request, but Master stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.

"Not so fast, brat… Haa, I’m rather surprised you\'re so mindful of our current predicament. But that said, we’ve already pinned down their backing a bit. If your identity gets out, so be it. I was just thinking it\'s about time we took action. Being on the defensive all the time doesn’t suit me well."

......I didn\'t hear anything about this at all. So the Knight Order has already grasped the details of Rose\'s backer.

"Well, our breakthrough in this game of hide-and-seek was when you caught that ruffian Zetsu."

He supplemented, seemingly seeing through my inner doubt. 

Zetsu... Who the hell was this person?... Ah, wait, maybe it was the leader of the spies I caught during the outdoor classes, I guess? 

But the heck, it\'s just too wild that the spy I happened to capture actually had a connection with the idiots of Rose. As much as I had my questions, I refrained from saying them out loud and just nodded along in supposed understanding. 

Setting aside Randy-san, the matter wasn\'t something we should speak about in front of my sister or this feline-eyed noble lady. 

And speaking of problem, the noble lady who had been stuck in a staring contest with Randy-san until a while ago, her eyes shining with a cat-like predatory glint deeply evoking a sense of déjà vu all over my body, was now giggling, which again evoked another series of déjà vu. 

Putting two and two together, I was sure she was Marquis Dragoon, a blood relative of Fey.

This reminded me of how many I turned down her dinner invitation thoroughly, without a shred of care. I think I was in trouble here. 

Just as I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to escape from this grim situation, my sister actively went to greet her.

"Well, you must be Marquis Meria Dragoon, I presume? Nice to meet you, I’m Roselia Rovenne, a friend of Fey-chan."

Her greeting was fairly ordinary, though Marquis Dragoon accepted it with a broad smile.

"Well yes, I am indeed Meria Dragoon. I’ve heard about you from that girl as well. She truly looks up to you as the fellow magic tool engineer… I must say, you\'re more adorable than I thought. Be good friends with Fey."

"Fufu, you\'re no less adorable than Fey-chan, Miss Meria. Especially the contour of your eyes that\'s like cut from the same cloth. It\'s my dream to be as elegant of a lady as you."

I felt my scalp tingle at the impolite exchange, but Marquis Dragoon instead broke into laughter.

"Pfft! Kahaha! No, ahahaha! Me, Meria Dragoon, adorable? Ahaha! You truly are something. I like your personality, Roselia. I would love to know more about you too."

......Fey really did inherit her grandmother’s bloodline, huh? Even their characteristic laughter was the same. But it didn’t seem like she was as much of a hard-headed noble as I imagined her to be. 

Following etiquette from my previous life with a business-like smile on my face, I bit the bullet.

"I\'m Allen Rovenne! Thank you very much for supporting my parents!"

I turned to say my greeting with a brisk voice, however, that only elicited a fed-up sigh from Marquis Dragoon.

"...Cease your superficial attitude and smile. Sheesh, that annoyed expression you had earlier really looked like Bellwood\'s. How about you learn to be more affable from your sister?"

She saw!? 

Well, I certainly thought this was a bothersome situation. 

For a while, we exchanged greetings and words, and soon saw a new crowd emerging from the station, seemingly the passengers arriving from Dragreid. 

However, feeling the stiff atmosphere in the Station Square, the crowd immediately made haste for the exit, trying to avoid getting caught in whatever storm was brewing there. 

After a moment of wait, we finally saw three familiar faces: Mother, father...and Schord for some incomprehensible reason.

I was about to raise my voice and greet them, however, someone dashed before me sharply akin to an arrow. 

"Celia!!"

Seeing Randy-san sprinting toward my mother with a moved expression, I stopped, bracing myself for the impact of a tear-filled reunion. However—

◆◆◆

My mother nimbly dodged Randy-san’s extended arms, probably to catch her in a hug, as she side-stepped. 

The thought that his sister, separated from him for nearly 30 years, would dodge his hug must not have occurred to him. 

Randy Von Dosperior, the chief captain of the Royal Guards and the head of the Dosperior family, which carried on its longstanding tradition as one of the Original Five, tripped on the station, carried away by the momentum. 

A deathly silence fell upon us as well as the crowd filling the peanut gallery. 

My wind magic immediately caught the nervous gulps hundreds of people took at once. Fearful expressions covered their face as they realized that they had just seen something they shouldn\'t have. 

Even Dante-san by our side made a heavy gulp.

"Dew-san... that footwork..."

"On point... That was a skillful maneuver... You brat, why in the world do you only know that stinking swordsmanship from the hinterlands when you were raised by that person?"

And you\'re actually impressed?! 

No, that wasn\'t the question I should ask... If anything, maybe I should change my evaluation of them. These people were nuts compared to the normal humans I presumed them to be.

"She was never fussy about my martial arts training. Well, she was never good at teaching others as well. Though you probably won\'t understand the feelings of an ordinary person… Let\'s stop talking about me, what should we do about the current situation...?"

Frankly, If I was in Randy-san\'s shoes, I wouldn\'t get up on my feet ever again, unless someone pulled me up. I mean, that was so embarrassing. 

But I guess that was just me. Randy-san leapt up to his feet with a content expression, and jumped toward my mother with a smile.

"Celia!! I’m soooo glad you\'re still alive, I! I—!!"

However, my mother halted the advance of his loving embrace by catching Randy-san\'s face in her iron claw, and said her words in a rather chilly tone.

"It\'s great to see you after so long, dearest brother. But would you mind explaining this disgraceful behavior you\'ve been displaying despite being the head of the Dosperior family? Please be serious."

But, despite being caught in the iron grip of my mother\'s left hand, the light in Randy-san\'s eyes remained constant, and without heeding the public\'s gaze, he just uttered an \'Uhh~\' groan while tears continued to trickle down his cheeks.

"............So it\'s hereditary?"

I unwittingly murmured so when my elder sister puffed her faintly red cheeks, and pinched my arm she had been holding on to. 

◆◆◆

"*A-Ahem*. Nice to meet you, Aunt Cecilia. I\'m Eddie Dosperior. Ever since my father heard of your survival, he has mentioned it every day with great joy. So I hope for your understanding.

And Father, please calm down! Aunt is right, you\'re being disgraceful in public! This was why I urged you to hold back from coming here!"

Finally, when Eddie-san dragged Randy-san back with force, the coldness in my mother\'s eyes adopted a familiar affectionate gaze.

"I’m Cecilia. So, that should make you a cousin of our children. There’s quite an age gap, but I hope you can get along with them."

"That much is obvious."

Eddie-san promptly nodded with a smile.

After giving a single nod, my mother walked toward us with a composed gait.

"Rose. Allen. You\'re here to greet us? It\'s great to see you two again after so long."

Then she placed a hand on my head, gently embraced me, before murmuring—

"...You currently have quite a terrible expression. But I’m proud of you… You’ve grown strong."

My movements stopped. 

She just arrived, so she should have no way of knowing anything about the mission.

"......Why do you say that?"

I asked, barely squeezing the words out of my dry lips.

"I\'m your mother, after all. A glance is enough for me to know everything… You seem to have held yourself very well."

It was a strange feeling. Her praise unwittingly brought tears to my eyes, so I hurriedly wiped them with my sleeve.

\'Oh dear,\' my mother chuckled softly, offering me a handkerchief.

She really was invincible. 

T/N - True enough, the whole family—leaving the supposedly normal elder brothers, I guess—seems one of a kind.