My Pet Is a Holy Maiden

A light white brilliance slowly cures Lilinalia’s hardened legs as if it was enveloping them.

　And at the same time that white brilliance enveloped her legs, a small part of the hardened skin turned to normal.

　Calsedonia, having confirmed that, chants the spell again.

　〈Light〉and〈Holy〉group,《Detoxification》.

　Literally, it was a magic that neutralized poison, and as a result of the magic, Lilinalia’s poison was slowly being neutralized.

　After Calsedonia had cast《Detoxification》many more times, Lilinalia’s legs that had been petrified had completely healed.

　Namea and Bikkuri seeing this, as well as Lilinalia herself, make a very delighted face.

「This should be good. But don’t push yourself, okay? If you suddenly start using your legs that haven’t moved in a long time, your body might be surprised. Okay?」

　Calsedonia smiling as wide as a holy saint, her second name, Lilinalia nodded happily.

「Th… Thank you, Nee-san… 」

　Her cheeks reddening, Lilinalia looks with slightly upturned eyes at Calsedonia and calls her her sister.

　At Lilinalia calling her「Nee-san」, Calsedonia opens her eyes slightly wider. But, her surprise turning to happiness, she smiles softly. (TL: I have run out of ways to translate the phrase ‘smile’ a long time ago)

　The moment when one family accepted another.

　But the light atmosphere was suddenly disturbed.

　Without any warning, the house’s one door was pushed open.

「Yo. Sorry for the intrusion.」

　While saying that, one of Garudo’s followers who he had brought along walked into the house.

「Right now we’re in the middle of treating her illness. If you have no relationship to this, please get out.」

　Calsedonia, who had stood up and made a strict face and said that, but Garudo and his friends just smiled wildly, and made no move to listen to her words.

「Don’t say such mean things, Calse. You and I are close friends. By the way, where did that black-clothed mercenary go?」

　Not seeing Tatsumi’s figure, Garudo looks around the inside of the house restlessly.

「……I have no relation to you.」

「Oh really? Well, I do have business with you.」

　Garudo rudely barges into the house and comes close to Calsedonia, he stops in front of her and vulgarly grins.

「Oi, Calse. When night falls, come to my house. I’ll take care of you well, okay?」

「……And why exactly must I come to your house again?」

　Calsedonia looks up at Garudo and answers firmly. There not being a hint of fear in Calsedonia, Garudo clucked inwardly as her brave attitude was outside of his expectations.

「……Didn’t I say? You definitely can’t go against me.」

　Even though, Garudo continued grinning for some reason, and he shifted his gaze from Calsedonia to her family.

　When Tatsumi had arrived at Calsedonia’s house a second time, the house was wrapped up in an atmosphere, the kind where you couldn’t say anything.

「What… happened？」

「Danna-sama… actually… 」

　Calsedonia made a sorrow face. Before she could say anything to Tatsumi, standing behind her someone clapped her shoulder.

「……From here on I’ll talk to him. Even though it’s my duty, it’s embarrassing to have to say this to you, who has become my son.」

　Pulling on Calsedonia’s shoulder, Bikkuri forced her to step back. He was Calsedonia’s real father, and in relation to Tatsumi, he was a father-in-law.

「As you can see, our house is poor. There are many reasons it’s poor… but, for now it’s irrelevant so let’s put it aside. In our house, my daughter… Lilinalia got sick. Not only that, we didn’t know the reason… After that, you can guss, right?」

「…………Is it debt?」

　After Tatsumi answers, Bikkuri nods.

「This village itself isn’t that rich. We’re restricted to only one place to apply to loans… that is to say, there’s only one place.」

　In other words the village mayor’s place, Bikkuri continued to say.

　The medicine for treating Lilinalia’s illness… they had heard it was effective from Priest Vergil, and had gotten it from the city of Toga.

　That type of medicine was generally expensive, and the silver pieces that Bikkuri had received from the village mayor didn’t go past the number of 800.

「In order for him to give us that amount of money to poor people like us, we would have had to be prepared.」

　Bikkuri turned to look at Namea, his wife.

「……Since from a while the village mayor, Nephro, had been attached to Namea.」

　Bikkuri said no more than that, but Tatsumi could imagine.

　And, one of the causes of Bikkuri and co.’s poverty could have been in the vicinity.

「……Even though……Even if Namea had been forced to go through something painful……Even though, she wanted to go through it for Lina (Lilinalia).」

　Perhaps, it was the embodiment of their compensation for chasing out one of their daughters.

「But from a while ago the village chief’s son Garudo has come and approached us about the payback of the loan. Suddenly I don’t have enough money for the house. So… 」

　After a short pause, Bikkuri continued.

「……What he had wanted in exchange for the silver coins…. Was Calsedonia… 」

　In exchange for the loan of silver coins, he had wanted Calsedonia as a slave. That was what Garudo had been calling this house for from a while ago wanting.

「Apologize immediately to《Amaka》-dono and《Holy Maiden》-dono!　And don’t ask those two nobles any thing rude ever again! If you don’t, the highest priest-sama from the royal capital, they will destroy this Lagine Village itself!?」

　Priest Vergil, who had called the village mayor’s house, and Nephro, the actual village mayor appearing and talking on and on.

　While the priest, flying spit and walking towards Garudo, was seen by the cold eyes of Nephro, the village mayor.

「So you are Bikkuri’s daughter, the priest that came all the way from the royal capital to treat the illness… I’m sure you know, but I have no intention of having them pay back their loan to me, right?」

「Noble-sama… Right now we’re not talking about the money!! You don’t understand this situation from either the noble’s or your son’s point of view!!」

　With a sudden impact, a slender hand with many wrinkles hits the table.

　Dispatching priests requires a lot of compensation. The amount of money that the border town’s mayor or the priest did not have.

　This time, the reason Tatsumi and co had come to this village was because it was in the end, 「On their trip」. Their actual aim was to inspect Toga along with their guard, Jort.

　For that reason, there was no reason to provide compensation for Tatsumi and co. ─ specifically the royal family was paying ─ but Nephro had no way of knowing that.

「I will write a letter of apology to those priests. Is that okay for you?」

「……Well, that’s better than saying we have nothing to give you. And above that, what’s more important is what’s going to happen from now on. From what I have been saying, Garudo will not approach 《Amaka》-dono or 《Holy Maiden》-dono────」

「You got a problem with me?」

　Suddenly from just behind Vergil, a voice appeared from Garudo, who was slightly smiling.

「Oi, Father. I’ve been urging you to pay Bikkuri’s loan back, you know?」

「Bikkuri’s loan? 　No matter how much you press me, there’s no way they’ll pay back. If there was something he could do, it would be to make his wife Namea a slave in compensation.」

「No. What I want is to make the daughter a slave.」

　Garudo smiled even more, turning his face with lust.

「The daughter you say? But there’s nothing to do with a slave girl that has an unidentified illness?」

「Even if she didn’t have the illness, I wouldn’t want a young girl like her. The one I want to be presented is the older girl… Calse.」

「Calse you say?」

　She was once the daughter of Namea and Bikkuri who had been chased out of the village.

　Nephro had not yet remembered that she was the girl whose conduct was weird, earning her the name「Crazy girl」.

「Yeah, that Calse who came back to the village. And not only that, she’s also became a really good woman, too.」

「GARUDO!!　Even though I told you that many times, you still don’t understand!?」

　Priest Vergil shouts out with anger and tears.

「Shut up, old man. All I want is the repayment of the loan. Wanting a slave in compensation for a loan, it’s not really that rude you know?」

　Garudo’s words jammed up the words of Priest Vergil. (That is to say that he talked over Priest Vergil?)

　In a situation where you can’t pay back a loan, making someone a slave as compensation would be logical.

　When he had lent them the money, Nephro didn’t think they would be able to pay their debt back, and had thought that Bikkuri would offer his wife to become a slave as payment.

　At one point when he was young, Nephro had been in love with Namea.

　He had proposed to Namea countless times, but she had never said yes, and she became the wife of Bikkuri.

　Those feelings gone by were still even today wriggling around viciously in the depths of his heart.

　Therefore, the woman he loved – he tried to take her away from another man by making her a slave. At that prospect, he felt a gloomy happiness.

「Even if you were to make one a slave, father, wouldn’t the young daughter be better than an old middle-aged lady? Not only that, Calse looks very similar to her mother, too?」

「Ho? They really look that similar?」

　Pulling at his interest, his eyebrows twitched suddenly with interest.

「On that topic, what if we made both the mother and the daughter a slave as payment, Father?」

　Garudo smiled vulgarly. And as if to answer his smile, Nephro gave a wicked smiled that did not lose to Garudo’s smile.

「… So, how did you respond to that?」

「To give us a few days. Saying only that, Garudo gave us one day before he would return… 」

　Heartbroken, his shoulders dropped, Bikkuri gave a grave sigh.

　But his answer only put off the problem.

　Not having the financial power to just return the amount of silver coins, the conversation was heading toward making someone into a slave as repayment.

「……Even when I’m facing my son for the first time, I end up showing him such a miserable side of me…. Even so, I will not give up! This time… This time, I will protect my daughter! I will never make Calse or Lina a slave! As if I could stand for that! Even if Namea and I have to become a slave!…. 」

　Bikkuri, who was facing the ground, turned back to face Tatsumi.

　Within those eyes was an unshakable conviction. That he would absolutely protect his daughter and his pride as a father. (TL: ‘his pride as a father’ meaning not his personal pride but his ability / dignity to keep his family safe)

「Sure I had….. We had once abandoned our daughter. The miserable father that I am, I know that I should not be saying this but… Can I ask you for just one favor?」

「… What is it?」

「My daughter… please take care of my daughters. Calse is already your wife, and Lina in relation to you is your sister in law. After we become slaves…. Please, take care of those two.」

「I also ask this of you.」

　Bikkuri and Namea both together bow deeply to Tatsumi.

　The two’s heroic resolution had reached Tatsumi well.

　But, Tatsumi not saying anything in response to their resolution at all, he, in a calm mood, calls his wife’s name.

「Calse.」

「What is it, Danna-sama?」

「Will you go to Garudo’s house…. To the village mayor’s house with me?」

「Yes, I got it.」

　And Calseonia again, without any hesitation and a smiling face answered her husband’s words and accepted them