Outbreak Company: Volume 7

by Ichiro Sakaki

  I didn’t say anything. Truthfully, I didn’t know.

  It had been more than fifteen years since I had been separated from her. By the time I was aware of the world around me, she wasn’t part of it. So it was reasonable for her to ask if I recognized her. I doubted she actually knew my face, either. It was just that we looked so similar, who else could I be?

  I was thinking the same way.

  “Mother...” I whispered, and even I could hear the catch in my voice.

  The atmosphere in the mansion’s parlor was fraught with tension. Or maybe it was as much me as the atmosphere that was tense.

  “It’s been... such a long time,” said the woman on the other side of the table, smiling faintly.

  She did look almost exactly like me, but unlike me, she was a full-blooded elf.

  Falmelle Faugron.

  My... mother, apparently.

  Elves don’t age—or rather, they spend a very long time looking and feeling approximately the way one does from the late teens to the late twenties. So in addition to familial resemblance, you could say that over sixteen years of growing, I had caught up with my mother.

  Truth be told, I had never imagined I looked so much like my mother. Ever since I had been nominally given as a foster child in my infancy, I had never had any sort of contact with my mother or her family. As the disgusting offspring of a union with a human, they pretended I didn’t exist.

  But... Why now?

  “Have you been well?” Falmelle-san asked.

  “Yes...” I responded. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the face; I kept my eyes down as I spoke. Shinichi-sama and the others were standing behind Falmelle-san, watching the conversation develop. I could feel them looking at me. But I really and truly didn’t know how to answer, and instead lapsed into silence.

  “Here you are.”

  I was surprised to hear Minori-sama’s voice. I looked up to see her placing tea on the table for me and my mother.

  “Oh...” I said.

  “Thank you,” Falmelle-san said.

  “Not at all,” Minori-sama said, returning her smile.

  It would normally be my job to look after a guest that way. The thought was only just occurring to me, but an excess of nerves kept me from speaking.

  Falmelle-san—whether or not she was aware of what I was thinking—brought the cup of tea to her lips and took a sip, a great smile spreading across her face.

  “It’s delicious.”

  I slowly, silently picked up my own cup and took a hesitant sip.

  Come to think of it, I had never tried tea Minori-sama made. Just as my mother said, it was neither too thin nor too rich, but as relaxing as letting out a breath you’ve been holding too long.

  “You two take your time,” Minori-sama said with a small bow—then she, Shinichi-sama, and everyone else left the room.

  I followed Shinichi-sama with my eyes, anxious. I couldn’t help feeling like I was being abandoned. I fidgeted, uncomfortable with the silence that now filled the reception room.

  “Come to think of it, I...” I half stood up as I spoke. “I think I have to bring in the laundry...”

  “Surely that can wait a few minutes?” Falmelle-san said, frowning.

  “W-Well, it’s my job...”

  “And does it need to be done right this minute?” There was a bit of an edge in her voice. “And you can’t be the only one capable of bringing in the laundry, anyway. Let someone else do it.”

  “But, I...”

  She was right. Cerise-san was also a maid in this household. Even Brooke-san or Elvia-san could have brought in the wash. But...

  “If it absolutely must be done, ask that girl who was just here,” said Falmelle-san. She must have meant Minori-sama.

  Feeling unable to resist the command in her tone, I resettled myself on the sofa.

  Falmelle-san watched me with a hint of a frown, but after a moment she said, “I’m glad you at least seem to be doing well.” Her face relaxed into a smile. “I know how it must seem, but I was worried about you. I gather you were in the army for a while? It was the right choice. This household seems a little... different. Are they treating you well? That boy earlier, was he the—”

  “Faugron-san,” I interrupted. “Why are you here? And why now?”

  I hadn’t seen Falmelle-san—my birth mother—for more than fifteen years. We had been separated so long ago that I didn’t even remember my parents’ faces. I didn’t know them. The only hint I had that Falmelle-san was my mother was her immense resemblance to me.

  But she had never contacted me in my entire life. So why now, so suddenly...?

  There was a moment’s silence before Falmelle-san let out a soft sigh. Then, wiping the smile off her face, she looked at me once more. She seemed to want me to understand that what she was about to say was important. I felt myself tensing involuntarily.

  At length, Falmelle-san said, “I’ve come to get you.”

  Then she smiled gently once again.

  “Huh?” Whatever I had expected her to say, it wasn’t that. I sat there, blinking. “What do you... mean?”

  “My father—your grandfather—has died of illness. That makes me free at last.”

  I didn’t speak. What could I say? Obviously, I had no memories of my grandfather. So hearing that he had died didn’t really upset me.

  “That’s the reason. That’s why I came for you, Myusel. I’m head of the Faugron family now. And I won’t let anyone speak ill of us.” She looked closely at my face. “All right?”

  I still didn’t say anything. My mother wasn’t so different from my grandfather, in that I didn’t remember either of them.

  Maybe I should have been happy that my mother had come for me. I knew that, intellectually. But my heart refused to follow my head. My only feeling was that a person I had no connection to was sitting here, saying things that had no bearing on me. And on top of that...

  Shinichi-sama...

  If I were to go “home” with Falmelle-san, who said she had come to get me, that would mean leaving my position as Shinichi-sama’s maid. Leaving this house. And that...

  “Myusel?” Falmelle-san looked at me, puzzled by my silence. But I could only stare at my knees, at a loss for anything to say.

  What am I going to do?

  I was absolutely lost.

  While I sat there in silence, Falmelle-san seemed to think things over for a moment, before she finally smiled and said, “Well, I guess it’s quite sudden.” She gave a small shrug. “You don’t need to hurry, really. Take your time getting used to the idea. I’m sure you’ll have to arrange a successor and such, too.” Apparently in her mind, there was no question. I would be going back with her.

  From an outsider’s perspective, I had to admit that it might not seem like such a bad thing. And yet, I found myself sighing as I walked through the hallways of the mansion.

  Falmelle-san seemed set on taking me back home with her—she had decided to spend a few days at the mansion, with no indication that she had any intention of returning home by herself. As it happened, there were a few vacant guest rooms in the mansion, so we would settle her in one of them.

  And I still really, really didn’t know what to do. The Faugron family was based so far away from the capital that the trip took several days by carriage. The Faugrons were originally a merchant house, so they had established themselves near the country’s border, the easier to connect with other nations.

  All of which meant that if I did go back to Falmelle-san’s house, it would take a great deal of time if I ever wanted to come back and visit this mansion.

  To go. To go home.

  I only knew the Faugron house by name; I just didn’t feel like “going home” was the right way to describe what I would be doing.

  That’s what I was thinking about when I heard someone call my name.

  “Myusel, whatcha doing?”

  I came to a stop. I looked back, and there was Minori-sama.

/>   “Don’t you need to get back? I mean, with your mother here and all.”

  “Oh, no, I...”

  I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I was running away from my “mother”—so I just trailed off.

  “There’s... work to do around the house and everything,” I finally managed. I held up the folded sheets I was carrying to underline my point. One of my jobs was to change everyone’s sheets each day.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Minori-sama said, taking the bedding from me.

  “Huh? Oh...”

  “Seriously, don’t worry about your work. What else do you need to do?”

  “Huh? Well, the laundry, and getting ready for dinner...”

  “I’ll ask Elvia and Cerise to get the laundry. The three of us will handle dinner together.”

  “B-But—”

  “Your mom came all the way here. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.” Minori-sama was smiling.

  Ahh... Minori-sama thought she was helping me. But as grateful as I was for her kindness...

  “Okay, see you later.” Before I could stop her, Minori-sama left.

  I stood there in the hallway with nothing to do. Just stood there.

  Normally, Minori-sama was too busy as Shinichi-sama’s bodyguard to help out with housework—but she was a good person at heart, so when the need arose she marshaled Elvia-san and Cerise-san, and even pitched in herself. I was sure the cooking and cleaning really would get done. I heard Minori-sama had handled chores back when I was recuperating in the imperial hospital at the castle. Now she had Cerise-san, too, so I didn’t think she would want for helping hands. All of which meant...

  “What’s up?”

  “Huh?! Oh—” I turned at the sudden voice and found Shinichi-sama looking at me curiously.

  “Uh, Shinichi-sama!” Without quite meaning to, I ran over to him. “How about some tea? Is there any work you need done?”

  “Huh? What? What’s gotten into you...?”

  “Anything! I’ll do anything!”

  “Uh...” Shinichi-sama was looking at me, very surprised.

  I could see why he might be a little startled, what with his maid suddenly asking him if there was any work to be done. But I really was desperate for even the smallest thing to occupy me. I wanted any excuse not to go back in that room with Falmelle-san—any proof at all that this household needed me.

  “Uh... Okay,” Shinichi-sama said after a moment’s thought. “Could you make me some tea?”

  “Yes! I’ll bring it to your room right away.”

  I hurried off to the kitchen, feeling like his response had saved me.

  I wheeled the cart with its tea supplies to Shinichi-sama’s room. I made it to my destination without seeing anyone on the way. I had been distinctly worried that I might run into someone who would tell me that they would take care of the tea, so I should go be with my mother.

  “Shinichi-sama,” I said, knocking on the door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  “Thank you.” I entered the room and put a saucer and cup of tea on the desk where Shinichi-sama was working.

  “Thanks.” He looked up and smiled at me.

  I thought I was just looking at him normally, but he said, “Uh, is something the matter?”

  “What?”

  “It’s... kind of hard to drink when you’re staring at me so intently.” There was a wry smile on his face.

  I panicked a little. “S—Sorry about that!”

  Oops: Shinichi-sama was working. His “lap-top” was open on his desk. The proper thing for a servant to do after having served the tea would be to withdraw so as not to interfere with his work. Maybe, without realizing it, I had been standing around in hopes Shinichi-sama might ask me to do some other chore. While I was working, I could avoid thinking.

  “Hey, Myusel...”

  When Shinichi-sama spoke to me, I realized I had been staring at the ground. “Y-Yes?! What do you need? If there’s anything at all you want done, just—”

  “No, this isn’t about a chore or whatever,” Shinichi-sama said, still smiling. “You and your mom look just like each other, huh.”

  “Wha? Oh... Yes.”

  “I thought maybe she was your twin sister. She’s... I mean, she’s the one who gave birth to you, right? But she looks almost the same age as you.”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “Probably.”

  “Probably?”

  “I was given up for adoption immediately after I was born, so...”

  “Oh...” Shinichi-sama put a hand to his mouth as if just making the connection. “Uh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, it’s all right.” I shook my head, a bit of a smile playing across my face. “Elves... They don’t age the same way as humans.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s often said that elves don’t age, but really what happens is, once the body and mind are fully formed, the rate of change just becomes much slower.”

  “Oh, huh! So the prime of their life is a lot longer. I’ve heard humans reach their physical peak from their twenties to their early thirties... It’s like that just goes on, huh? So, will that happen to you, Myusel?”

  “No. I’m only half elf.” I shook my head. “I expect that after I reach about twenty years old, I won’t change as quickly as a full-blooded human. I don’t know exactly how it will work, myself. There aren’t that many half-elves around to tell me...”

  In fact, many aborted half-elf children when they realized they were carrying such despised offspring, or “dealt” with them immediately upon birth. In that sense, perhaps one could say I was lucky.

  “There might even come a time when I look older than Falmelle-san.”

  Shinichi-sama was quiet for a moment. He blinked, looking me in the face as if for the first time. “Hmm. So...” He took a sip of tea. “Your mom is an elf.”

  “Yes.”

  “That means your dad must be...”

  “That’s right. The human.”

  “Huh. I see...”

  He brought the cup to his lips again. The small sips, one after another, made me feel like there was something he wanted to say, something he felt he had to say, but which he couldn’t bring himself to express, and he was swallowing it with the tea.

  For a while, Shinichi-sama didn’t speak. He took a sip, put the cup down—then picked it up again as if he had remembered something, and took another sip. Several times he did this.

  But no matter how slowly one drinks a cup of tea, eventually it goes empty.

  I picked up the teapot. “Would you like—”

  “No, it’s okay,” he said, shaking his head. “Listen, Myusel.”

  “Yes?”

  “I... Let me say first, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to, okay?” He was trying to be considerate of me. Then he started in on his question. “Myusel, your mom and dad...” He looked away from me, as if concerned. Maybe he was looking for just the right words. But I could more or less guess what he wanted to ask.

  “Falmelle Faugron is the daughter of a merchant house,” I said. “I was given up for adoption before I had any memory of her, so I don’t know much more than that, but that’s what I was told.”

  “So your grandpa was a merchant?”

  “Yes. It seems the family did relatively well for itself. Falmelle-san is a prophet, so ever since she herself was small, her powers have helped the family succeed in their business ventures.”

  “A prophet... You mean like, someone who tells the future?”

  “Yes. There are some people with powers like that.”

  “Wow...”

  “It’s not precisely a well-defined magic, so I gather there are some substantial limitations to it, but still.”

  Elves had a natural aptitude for magic. If a human and an elf used the same spell, the elf’s magic would be more accurate, able to be used more times, and would have a variety of other advantages. However, it was humans who systematized ma
gic and organized it into a skill that could be learned. Elf magic is more the natural expression of magical power, with each individual having different magicks based on their life experiences.

  Thus, some spells appeared naturally among the elves, even when no one had gone out of their way to learn them. They were often, I had heard, unusual abilities not available to other people. Falmelle-san’s gift of prophecy was a classic example.

  My understanding was that she was only able to offer the most enigmatic descriptions, but even so, her ability was highly valued in the work of the Faugron family.

  “Not many elves have succeeded at business, but the Faugron household became an exception. They even became frequent visitors at the houses of human nobles and important human merchants. And that’s how Falmelle-san... my mother... met my father.”

  “So that’s the story...”

  “But... I guess my father wasn’t a very good person...”

  I didn’t even know his name. The people who adopted me certainly hadn’t told me—but even Falmelle-san herself hadn’t mentioned it.

  “Apparently my father leaned heavily on my mother for money, such that it even began to affect the family business.”

  “He really took that much?” Shinichi-sama blinked in surprise. “He was a bit of a no-goodnik, huh...”

  “‘No-goodnik’?”

  “Oh, uh, it means a guy who’s not worth much.”

  “I see. Maybe that describes him.” I sighed and nodded.

  The care with which his identity had been concealed might mean he was someone of such high status that there would be a general outcry if it was discovered he had been with an elf woman. Or otherwise, it meant there was something shameful about the man himself.

  I couldn’t help but suspect that with my father, it was the latter.

  “At the time, it was my grandfather—Falmelle-san’s father—who was head of the family, and he was immensely angry. He forced the two of them to separate. Because Falmelle-san’s prophecies were so crucial to his business, he would never kick her out, but instead he imprisoned her.”

  “Imprisoned?”

  “He kept her in the house, and hardly ever let her go outside.”