Vol 6 Chapter 4 (2/2)
“I still have a higher utility value now No, more exactly, Julis’ value is low As you know, Julis is rebellious to the Integrated Enterprise Foundation But when the tirated Enterprise Foundation to force Julis to do what they tell her By doing soe for exaher than mine…”
Saying up to there, Jolbert smiled sadly
In short, it was the sao The more Julis did her best, the more Julis’ position here ── for Julis at least──would turn for the worst
“Now then, Aain”
Jolbert stared straight at Ayato
“Could you somehow persuade Julis?”
“…I can’t”
Even so, Ayato’s reply did not change
Of course
After all, Julis chose that path despite understanding all that
“Haa… I see I understand”
When Jolbert leaned his back on the sofa, he looked up at the sky with a wry smile
“Well, it can’t be helped In that case, I guess I’ll exerta dimwit”
He said so and slowly closed his eyes
“Jolbert-san…”
“It’s fine Imy current position It’s alsoto hand it to Julis”
Jolbert looked at Ayato as he opened only one eye
“──Julis should be at the orphanage on the opposite bank of the lake Since she was child, she would always go there whenever she was troubled Sorry, but I’ll leave it to you”
After Ayato deeply bowed towards Jolbert, he left the room at a quick pace to run after Julis
- ψ -
Unlike until yesterday, the sky was covered by thick clouds
Snohich danced down here and there grew hazy to the white of one’s breath and disappeared
“It’s here, huh…”
It was about 30 minutes by car from the royal palace On the hill in the outskirts of the slums, there was the church
The church had an old structure built with brick and wooden fra there and connected to it It was e he had when he heard the description from Julis, but as expected he could not deny that it was quite shabby overall Although surrounded by a high fence, it fell apart here and there and there were also places hardly usable
When he set foot on the site, high and frolic voices peculiar to children could be heard fro there while fir on the snow thinly piled up, children of still tender ages and Julis were playing as they bandied snow around
“Ah! It’s Airi Ayato”
One a them noticed Ayato and raised his voice
“It’s true!”
“A!”
While the children raised their voices one after another, Julis wearing a black coat slowly turned her face
“This was early than expected Did you hear fro Brother?”
“Yes, I did”
Julis’ tone and expression were calm
Rather, she clearly looked depressed
“You too, Julis When did you arrive here? Just to note, I came by car”
After Julis left Jolbert’s room, not that much time should have actually passed until Ayato ran after her He immediately asked Flora and had her send a car (since Flora herself was still in thewith hiht that he could possibly catch up to her on the way, but…
“I’ve a secret route which I use since I was child So you couldn’t catch up by car”
“…I see”
In fact, if a <starpulse generation=””> was serious, it was not impossible to arrive earlier than a car which could only take the roadway If it was a path which they travelled on frequently, then all the more so
“Ara, I ondering why it was so bustling, so it was a visitor, Julis”
An elderly Sister who slowly opened theof the church peeked through there
“Sister Therese ── Ah, I’ll introduce him This is…”
“It’s fine; even I’ve watched the
──Welcoiri Ayato-san”
The Sister called Therese said so with a gentle smile
“Though I cannot provide you a very decent accommodation, if you are fine with it, how about tea?”
“Ah, yes Please”
“Great Then, please come in”
When he entered the church with Julis as he was suggested to, a passage connected i could be seen
Several other Sisters were busily working inside, and children so them
“Since the National Day is close, they are currently preparing for it”
“Heeh…”
Julis stopped and nostalgically looked at that scene, but when she caain
“Sorry, it’s just nostalgic, you see”
“Did you also help with it in the past?”
“Well… once I don’t think I was that h”
When Julis said so with a complicated expression
“──Fufufu, that’s right Certainly, the tiun to show up here, she was a child who could really do nothing Noback the others”
Therese alking as she approached Ayato and Julis laughed teasingly
“Sister Therese… Please don’t tease me so much”
“I am sorry But, to think that such a child won the
”
The atently smiled was like that of a true parent and child
There, he finally noticed, but it seeeneration=””>
Therese guided Ayato and Julis to a roo
An indentured wooden long table and chairs stood in a line, and they sat as suggested by Therese
“Once again, welcoe of this church and the orphanage”
When Therese sitting opposite to theht tireeted Ayato, she chuckled towards Julis sitting next to him
“Welcome back, Julis I watched the
You did it”
“Fufufu, well it’s only natural”
“Oh, look here whose talking big now Even though you cried all the time before”
That Sister was probably the saeneration=””> like Therese While nudging Julis with her elbow, she was happily frolicking in a low voice Julis also responded to it with a carefree smile; from that atmosphere one could understand that they had an affable relationshi+p Beside her, several other Sisters of the saathered around Julis
(Being here like this, she looks like an ordinary girl one could find anywhere…)
Because Julis usually felt strained, he found such an aspect of her fresh and was strangely happy for some reason
“…What a relief”
“Eh?”
Ayato returned his gaze to Therese who suddenly muttered so
“I’lad that the one that Julis chose is a person like you”
“No, I’m not…”
“It’s all right I understand with how you were looking at Julis just now”
As Therese pleasantly smiled, she turned towards Julis and the Sisters and clapped her hands
“Yes, yes, leave it at that and return to your work Otherwise, on’t make it for the Epiphany[2]”
“Yeees”
The Sisters reluctantly left
After having seen them off, Therese turned to Ayato with a serious face
“Now then ── regarding the incident with Flora, I am sorry to have caused you trouble”
“Ah, no, it wasn’t actually me who saved Flora-chan…”
As Ayato was gratefully waving his hands, Julis lightly glared at him with an amazed face
“You say that But in that situation, ouldn’t have been able to save Flora without everyone’s cooperation Let’s leave it at I’”
“Yeah…”
Being spoken up to there, he could only concede
“Besides, the o alone after all Even though I should have had a Sister ith her whether she liked it or not”
Therese said so and feebly shook her head
“Speaking of which, soeneration=””>”
“Yes, including me, there are four There is a little h”
If they were not being gathered expressly, having four <starpulse generation=””> of the sae then in an institution of this scale was quite o, he could understand that they piled up training to so from the way they walked
“By the way, Sister Therese is a <strega> master for me”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“I taught her with the thought that she should become able to defend herself, but she was unexpectedly a quick learner She can handle her power better than me now”
Certainly for someone who learned by herself, Julis’ tactics were quite refined
Especially the ti type abilities and the ways to lure her opponent to it were probably based on some sort of theory
“Excuse me if it may appear impolite, but was Sister Therese also in Asterisk before?”
“Fufufu, no way I only learned a little froo, too”
Therese said so and sweetly laughed
“I’eneration=””>, but also to the children Of course, not to all of theood at or hate such a thing…”
Then, Ayato noticed that the eyes of Therese who nostalgically talked were looking behind him
When he turned his head, there wasn’t anything in particular in the roo on the other side of thecould be seen
“Is that… a greenhouse?”
“Yes It was the favorite place of a child as here before She didn’t like fighting… She really was a gentle child”
“……”
──Suddenly, Julis loudly stood up from the chair
“Julis?”
“…Sorry I’ll go get some fresh air outside”
Julis said so and left the room
“Phew…”
Therese looking at her with a sad face heaved a heavy sigh and muttered
“As expected, it’s still no good, huh…”
- ψ -
When Ayato went outside, Julis was surrounded by the children
“Everyone,out for a little Please tell that to the Sisters, too”
Julis said so in a gentle voice as she squatted and looked at the children
“Eeh! Princess, are you going already?”
“You just cao”
The children unanimously raised complaints, but Julis stroked their heads one by one while s wryly
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back Until then, please go help the Sisters again They see some trouble with the preparations of the festival”
The children still revealed really dissatisfied faces, but even so they went back running towards the building as they accepted
“Was that alright?”
“Yes Let’s walk a little”
Julis put on her hood and began to walk looking down
As they went out of the site of the church, a desolate townscape spread out It had an atmosphere close to that of the Redevelopment Area in Asterisk, but the scene was quite different
The houses standing in a roere either so old that it seemed that they would collapse at any time, or were only shabby like shacks There were aparts, but their walls were full of countless cracks and graffiti Trash was left on the road and several silhouettes of people who seeathered around a bonfire in a soures, they were only staring ai flame with listless, dull eyes
It was such a suffocating scene, as if the whole toas squashed by an invisible power
“…Sorry The atmosphere is somewhat unstable today”
Julis opened her
“There are also such times”
He didn’t knohich part of the conversation with Thereseimportant for Julis
“If I’s, I can’t make irresponsible remarks to my brother”
“…Jolbert-san worried about you”
“…I know”
Julis bit her lips as she said that
“I know thatand how blessed I am thanks to that”
It was a tone as if telling it to herselfit to Ayato
“Even so… No precisely for this reason, I can’t agree with this country’s state”
“I think you’re doing your best Even that orphanage, you no longer need to worry about theht?”
As her wish froe in Lieseltania and secured future funds Even if it was self-satisfaction of only extending a helping hand to a relative, it did not change the fact that she could be proud of it
“But, that’s just pouring water on a hot stone In the end, the very syste forth these slues and children who had no way but to rely on thees)”
A world controlled by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation would continuously give birth to people with econoes It essence was disparity Of course, that in itself was hurated Enterprise Foundation accelerated it to a frightening degree
“──I want to release at least even only this country from that curse If it’s impossible, then I want to deal a serious blow at least”
“And that’ll be… the wish of the next <gryps>?”
When Ayato asked, Julis gave a small nod
Certainly fro for the Grand Sla won the <festa> once was not enough at all
“That orphanage’s situation was quite critical economically Therefore, I prioritized it first above all and saved it That was oal and it was achieved”
Julis suddenly stopped as she spoke up to there
“But… Certainly all of this ison my brother’s kindness I…”
Strong affliction blurred in Julis’ voice This is the first time he’d seen Julis like this
“Julis…”
As Ayato hesitated about what he should say to her
“──!”
Julis suddenly raised her face
Her expression filled with affliction was instantly repainted by surprise
Her eyes ide-open and her body was tre
“Just now, don’t tell me…”
“Julis?”
Julis’ eyes see at the car which passed theo That car seeer be seen
“…No, there is no doubt It’s certainly…!”
One could see that eritted her teeth
“Julis? What is it…?”
“──Ayato I’e and wait for me there A little business came up”
I
And alth at that
“Hey, Julis! What is it suddenly?!”
Even if he was asked to return, he couldn’t leave Julis in this state alone
Ayato also started running chasing Julis
Since this neighborhood was the town’s outskirts, the scenery around ied to that of snow and forest Julis seeo
The narrow road which bentto the mountains As he saw that there were no other cars around, he guessed that it was probably not the main road
“Julis!”
As expected, Ayato was superior to Julis in leg strength
When Ayato overtook Julis, he stood before her as to block her way
“Move aside, Ayato! I’m in a hurry!”
“I understand that just by looking But, I can’t let you go in your current state Though I don’t knohat kind of reason it is, you should first calm down”
“That’s…!”
Julis bent herself forward as she snarled at him, but then lowered her eyes
“I know it o!”
She ht have cal feeling of anxiety Itquite serious
It was not possible for Ayato to reject such a strong entreaty
“Haa… I got it But, I’ll tag along with you”
“Yes, I don’t mind”
Julis nodded and started running immediately
As if knohere the car was headed, she chose a hich ramified inside the forest on the ithout hesitation
As they advanced in the forest covered with snow, they saw the car in question stopped a little ahead before long Julis slowed down her speed, and Ayato followed that, too
Then, Ayato noticed The state of this neighborhood was strange The state of the trees was different until a while ago
When looking carefully, all the trees around this area seemed to have withered
Even those withered trees were dying as they advanced and a huge gaping wide space opened ahead from the place where the car stopped Perhaps if seen from above, it would seem like a circular plain had suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest
Julis did not show a slight interest in the car and slowly advanced while only staring at one point in front of them Ahead of it was a pure white snowy plain and footprints left there
As they advanced so as to follow those footprints, Ayato noticed that the sensation of the ground was strange
When he squatted down and looked at the snow, a pungent smell assailed his nose
(Has the soil rotted…?)
The snohich fluttered down seeth
At this rate, it ht turn into a snowstorm
When he strained his eyes before long, a building which seemed to be an abandoned one could be seen in the center of the plain
Although al was cruinal fore-scale facility
In front of it was standing one silhouette
Julis stopped just before it and called out towards the silhouette
“──It’s been a while, Orphelia”
References
Ju proverb, which reveal the laziness of the carrier( in japanese olden days noe thinks that being lighter is smarter), here to more precise detailchiebukuroyahoocojpil/q1387035023
Ju/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)
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