Chapter 25

"So, Taylor, when will you introduce me to the people you brought back from the other world?"

Taylor turned her head to look at the old man Yang while her hands kept grinding medical herbs with mortar and pestle before politely replying; "They are still in quarantine, Uncle Yang."

"And I have been a certified doctor for longer than you lived." The old man countered light-heartedly before he took a more serious side in the next sentence; "Is there something else about them that's troubling you, Taylor?"

"…"

The raven-haired girl didn't answer immediately. But the frown on her face was telling that she was contemplating what to say.

"Taylor, the visitors are still not adjusted to living here and so they are not sociable to many people including you, are they not?"

Taylor wondered if there would be a time when she wouldn't be read like a book by this old man as he accurately predicted what was on her mind without any information whatsoever. And yet again, she couldn't help but ask; "How did you know when I haven't said anything about them yet?"

Yang smiled back enigmatically before he asked back; "Remember where I came from?"

Realization dawned on Taylor at the question; Of course, Yang could guess what their newest guests were feeling because he was also a refugee from a fallen empire back in his youth. A fact that has rarely been reminded between them after many years of interactions.

However, there was no more conversation between them after that as both had work to finish. It was many minutes later when Taylor judged that the ugly green, slimy paste in the mortar was evenly mixed and put into a jar that she resumed their conversation again while dusting off her apron; "They are… not sociable, Uncle. Apart from Shinki, I only get minimal interaction when bringing them meals or showing them to the library or when Shinki was asking for them."

Yang hummed in thought as they returned to the dining room inside his clinic as it was clear that no one was going to visit his clinic today. The old man moved to and plopped down on a chair while Taylor went to the kitchen to make an afternoon tea for them.

Yang relaxed for a moment before calling out to Taylor who had only started boiling water; "Sorry for having you do the work for my daughter and I. Taylor. She's kind of in a 'rebellious phase' or so the people often said it, recently."

Taylor chuckled at the mention of Mao's activity in the past few weeks; Apparently, the man who regularly visited Mao for the past few years was finally able to get through Mao's cluelessness while she, Shinki, and Yumeko were away to their short-lived otherworld expedition and now they were going out, trying to get to know one another better, so to speak.

But even so, she still secretly worried that Mao would be able to give Yang a grandchild or two before the latter's passage into the afterlife or not. She tried hard not to think about it as that way lies depression, and she already had enough of that just from thinking about their guests in the Pandemonium castle over the past few weeks.

'That, and some other issues…'

Her mulling over her friend's love life was thankfully cut short as she refocused on brewing the tea; Yumeko would've been incensed, to put it lightly, should she still screw this simple thing up after years of practice and working.

Her effort was close to perfect if she was to be a bit biased. But again, if someone who cares more about whether the food and drink are not poisonous and nutritious, with taste being the last thing on his mind complains, then she would have to seriously think about taking remedial lessons on tea brewing and cooking.

A content sigh escaped Yang's lips as he savored the tea while Taylor sipped hers in silence. The silence didn't last long as Yang resumed their discussion with a sagely advice; "Why don't you ask Shinki about assigning you to accompany them full-time instead of rotating staff at the castle?"

Taylor looked at Yang and asked with obvious skepticism in her voice; "Will that even work? I mean, they were once aristocrats, why would they listen to anything I say or even talk to me more than just ordering me around?"

Yang smiled at the question, his eyes closed in reminiscence as he recounted the tale of his youth; "From the old land where I came from, there was once a system where people in positions of power must prove themselves up to the task by merits, not by birthright." He paused and then added; "By the time of my birth, it had been abolished for some time. Which I believe to this day as the cause of the downfall of my birthplace by the foreigners and the ensuing civil wars."

Taylor, who wasn't that well-versed in foreign history, partly due to lack of interest and partly due to her schooling rarely touching upon foreign history, could only nod and listen to the old man's tales as he continued "It was not perfect and I have some reservation about it, mind you. But it would still ensure that the person put in positions can perform the bare-minimum demand by his position, not being a complete imbecile who only brings misery upon those under their purview."

It was at this point that Taylor interjected, wanting Yang to get to the point "I don't understand how this is relevant."

That sentence brought a chuckle from the old man; "Ah, forgive this old man for the rambling of his past, Taylor." And then his expression turned serious for the next sentence; "But there is no reason not to try this approach. At least we will know what kind of aristocrat they are; the one who earned their positions, or you just rescued a spoiled rich nobility."

Taylor frowned at the statement as she set her cup down on the table she couldn't imagine the blonde girl Shinki rescued be anything but the latter, and she expressed her opinion as such; "I don't think that a kid that young would be anything other than… well… a rich kid that knows nothing about responsibility."

"Assumption can be a dangerous thing, dear Taylor." Yang sagely rebuffed her opinion. "We came from different eras, different worlds with different cultures. Can you say for certain that their doomed world to not have a culture where an heir of a noble would be like you say?"

"…"

Taylor could offer no rebuttal, to which Yang smiled and advised; "You've shown great courage speaking up to my sister to resolve the dispute between you two some years back. Perhaps it is time for you to put that courage to use once more."

The two slipped into silence as the younger one thought the advice over. Then she noticed that their cups were empty and offered to take them back to wash while giving her time to think.

Unfortunately, in a repeat of the previous incident with Haku, Taylor had no chance to interact with their guests in the coming weeks due to not being on the rotation of servants serving them. It was a fault that could be laid at Taylor's own feet as she decided to take up some slacks at Yang's clinic to help them out as Mao began dating and exploring 'loving someone as an opposite sex' for the first time in her life.

She definitely did not do that to get a front-row seat observing their love life, not at all!

Regardless, with her schedule of working in the castle being what it is, the only way for her to interact with those guests from the other world would be to ask Shinki to give her that role.

But as she was approaching Shinki's office to do just that, she suddenly had a second thought, born from Yang's rambling about merits and responsibility a few days earlier.

'Is this a nepotism? Am I abusing the privilege of being adopted daughter of the ruler of this city to get my way by doing this?'

"Doing what? My dear child?"

The voice of the one she was thinking about caused Taylor to jump in surprise. She turned around and found that Shinki had snuck up on her and stuttered in response; "M… Ma'am… since when…?"

A soft laugh responded to her question before Shinki pointed out with amusement; "Haven't you remember? You have been walking around in a circle in front of my office for a while now."

Taylor blinked and looked around to find out that she was right in front of Shinki's office while she was thinking. So it was predictable that her face would redden at her own display; "I'm not going to live this down, am I?"

Shinki's enigmatic smile was the only response to that question. But before awkward silence could settle in between them, Shinki took the initiative by inviting Taylor into her office, to which she complied without a fuss.

As Taylor closed the door of the cozy office, with familiar bookshelves lining the walls and the window behind the woman's busy-looking work desk, she couldn't help but think that it was a far cry from what people would've imagined about a goddess. She looks like just a normal governor, at least according to the medieval shows she vaguely remembers back in her childhood.

"My, aren't you daydreaming again? Taylor?"

That voice brought Taylor back to the present to see Shinki sitting behind her work desk with her head rested upon her hands, watching her with an amused glint in her eyes. She had the dignity to feel embarrassed at the attention and quickly apologized; "I'm sorry. Things are… on my mind lately."

Shinki nodded before asking; "Would you mind sharing it with me?" She then added; "If not me, then with someone you know."

The last suggestion left a pang of guilt in Taylor's heart despite Shinki seems to not intend it as such. And it made for a starker contrast to her title of a goddess that, in Taylor's mind, was not a hyperbole or fancy title with no substance at all.

'Even Endbringers never demonstrate ability that affects the entire planet in an instant like that.'

Taylor mentally shook her head at that thought. The world she departed from was no longer relevant to her.

She took a few moments to collect herself before she inquired; "I just want to talk to those people… I am worried."

Shinki regarded Taylor with a gaze which Taylor tried not to look away. After a brief staring match, Taylor continued; "Is it a nepotism if I am to ask you to put me back on the rotation?"

The reply from Shinki was surprising and unsurprising at the same time; "Then why not go and talk to them, not as another servant, but as a friend?"

Taylor blinked owlishly at the reply before her face heated up in embarrassment for letting such a simple solution elude her. The reaction got Shinki giggling for a bit before she gave another piece of advice; "You're not a stranger to them… well to White at least."

Taylor looked hesitant at the mention of the sentient rabbit they rescued before mumbling; "It's just once. Ma'am. And I only helped them settle in the castle for a couple of days."

Shinki shook her head slightly and pointed out the obvious; "That's still a lot of head start more than other servants within the castle. First impression, dear. First impression. While I may ultimately deal with the Queen, it was you who initiated the first contact with them. So, in a way, you're the one guiding salvation toward them."

Another mumble sounding suspicious like "I didn't do much." escaped Taylor's lips in response, which made Shinki smile and suggest another idea; "How about you, me, and Yumeko visit them together? Like right now."

Without waiting for the answer, her hand extended toward her adopted daughter/maid with a vibrant smile on her face as a silent request. Taylor could only awkwardly smile back and nod before Shinki started leading them to the guests' room.

Surprisingly, they ran into Yumeko on the way, and after some 'persuading' from Shinki, the blonde-haired head maid sighed and followed the whim of her mother. The head maid shot her a sympathized look briefly at that moment too.

The residents of the refugees from another world were housed in one of the many guest rooms lining the unassuming corridors in the castle that Yumeko and her maids quickly furbished into semi-permanent housing for them. It was nothing extravagant, just like the rest of the castle. With basic yet elegantly decorated furniture necessary for a living quarter; a wardrobe, a comfortable bed, a work desk, and a chair for each guest in each room adjacent to one another. Maids made a trip to clean the place twice a day considering that currently there were no other guests in the Pandemonium, and will not be until the new year's gathering rolls around.

And even if that event came, there were still rooms ready to be furbished inside this castle, and some inns inside the town ready to house those delegates for some cash.

As the trios reached the door flanked by two town guards, they quickly saluted Shinki before she asked them for a private meeting with their guests. When the two left, Shinki knocked on the door.

A question came from a familiar voice of the sentient rabbit "Who's there?"

"This's Shinki, I and my daughters coming to visit you. Are we interrupting something?"

"No, not at all. I'll open the door in a moment."

Again, her conduct was unfit for a being as powerful as her in Taylor's eyes. But her muse didn't get far as the door swung open to reveal White the rabbit in a black suit and tie looking at them with deference as he invited them inside.

The sight of a sparsely decorated living room greeted them. Understandable considering that the guests didn't have any belongings, and the guests themselves were still trying to come to grips with the fact that the civilization they were once part of was no more, and thus, weren't in the state of mind to complain about luxury.

The blonde girl in a simple blue dress was sitting on a chair near the window, looking out either toward the horizon or the vibrant town below, Taylor couldn't tell, but even she could feel the melancholic mood that permeated the entire room the moment she stepped in.

Despite it had been weeks since they relocated here, the atmosphere was still the same.

When Shinki was done exchanging formal pleasantries with White and Cheshire who returned the greeting with decorum befitting of former retainers of nobility, their attention was quickly shifted to the final person who didn't look their way, let alone move from her spot. The sapient Rabbit and Cat expressed nervousness on their faces at this moment, their mouths parted slightly as if trying to find excuses for their mistress's tactlessness despite her noble upbringing but falling short.

But the reprimand from their host never came. Shinki simply asked the two to converse with the girl without any animosity with Taylor and Yumeko showing deference to their mother. Naturally, Sir Longarm's former retainer complied and led them to the girl.

The girl seemed to not notice their approach until Shinki decided to speak up a few steps from her; "The outside is quite interesting, isn't it?"

The girl's blue eyes tore away from the window and turned toward Shinki, staring at the grey-haired goddess with eyes that showed conflicting emotions, and then roamed over the two other new arrivals in maid uniform briefly before returning to Shinki again.

"I am sorry for my earlier uncouth conduct, Lady Shinki." The girl said with a voice not louder than a whisper, but the people in the quiet room heard her nonetheless. "And to answer your question. I… don't know…"

Taylor and Yumeko looked at one another and then back at the girl in confusion as they tried and failed to understand her. Shinki, however, pushed forward with an offer; "If that's the case, then I think it's time for a change of scenery."

A hand was offered to the girl with Shinki's silver eyes looking at her expectantly. But as she saw the girl hesitate, Shinki decided to nudge her a little; "After all, you have been in this castle for almost a month now. If nothing is interesting in here that you want to do, a bit of exploration might ignite your inspiration, don't you think?"

The girl glanced toward her retainers with blue eyes asking for opinion, but the responses she got were the sapient cat and rabbit retainers looked at one another and then addressed their charge simultaneously; "It would be an enlightening experience, Milady. You should go with them."

"You two are not coming with me?"

The girl's nervous question was met with a shake of heads from her two retainers, with White stepping up and apologizing "We're sorry. But it is for your own good. Milady. Please go without us."

Taylor wanted to know why it was important that the girl go with them and not her trusted retainers. But her question was put on hold as the girl looked at her, Yumeko, and Shinki before she replied nervously; "If you will have me."

The departure from the Pandemonium Castle was an uneventful affair saved for the girl's nervousness that needed assuring squeeze on the hand from Shinki occasionally whenever they ran into people. The girl didn't even let go of her hand despite looking almost pre-teen made for a strange sight too.

For some reason, Taylor felt that this was what she was like when she first appeared in this world; Shy, nervous, and wary of strangers. Yet despite experiencing it all before and with encouragement from Yang before coming here, she was still unsure of how to strike up a conversation with the girl this quiet. And that led to Shinki being the only one who did all the talking, pointing at various interesting places as they walked through this peaceful and lively town.

Friendly greetings between common people and Shinki's little group occasionally happened, and the girl effortlessly drew the attention of most they came across with her cute, child-like look. There were times when the girl shrunk behind Shinki when scary-looking people greeted them, but ultimately, everyone was friendly and no incident happened.

"So, what do you think, dear?"

Shinki asked as they were sitting at one of the public benches at the side of the market square, with everyone having a skewered grilled meat bought from the vendor in the market. While Taylor didn't mind trying something from the marketplace once in a while, Yumeko's expression made it clear that she still had an issue with Shinki eating the meal not prepared by her or those she trusted despite knowing that it was harmless.

The girl munched on her lunch in silence for another minute before she replied quietly; "It feels like my hometown… before the Queen destroyed it."

A drop of tear formed under the girl's eyes as she watched the street full of people minding their everyday lives and oblivious to the girl's turmoil. "Even when the war was going on between us and the Queen, people were still smiling. They remained hopeful that my father and I would safeguard them… and when the wall was breached, they fought beside us to the very end."

Shinki placed a hand on the girl's shoulder as she comforted the girl; "Your father, Sir Longarm, must be an impressive man to inspire such loyalty in the people he ruled. And so did you for your bravery to fight beside them."

"We still failed them. And they are no more."

"…" Despite having nothing to do with her, Taylor couldn't help but feel a little jealous inside about how good authority figures were everywhere except for her hometown in her previous life, and that it took her dying and reincarnating to actually meet these people who wouldn't turn a blind eye to the injustice suffered by their people.

And even then, when she looked at the blonde girl sitting and silently crying beside her, she couldn't help but feel how even competent and beloved authority figures can suffer as well, with worse consequences than just one schoolgirl dying.

While Taylor was thinking, Shinki was calmly squeezing the girl's shoulder before saying; "And did you, or your father, regret the decision to fight the Queen? Did your citizen resented your father's decision?"

The girl was silent for a moment before muttering with a shaking of her head; "No."

"I hope you'd think so. Because of their and your struggle you and two of your friends are still alive and be here." Shinki calmly replied, before continuing; "To deny that would mean you're disrespecting their sacrifices, something that I will find insulting."

The girl mulled over Shinki's reason for a while as she stared at the empty skewer in her hand.

Seeing the girl's hesitation, Taylor blurted the first thing that came to her mind in the hope of helping Shinki comfort the girl; "Those people will still live on in the memory of those who cherish them. Without you, White, or Cheshire, we will only find a barren wasteland bereft of everything with no one to tell the tale of the struggle of your people, or about their lives before the end."

It was not quite what she intended and Taylor quickly covered her mouth with a tinge of redden cheek when the girl stared back at her with her large blue eyes, seemingly surprised at the sudden attempt at conversation from her. And Shinki didn't help either, choosing to silently smile encouragingly at the two of them.

Staring contest didn't last a minute before the girl's lips quirked into a smile as she commented; "You look silly…"

Taylor wasn't sure how to respond to that comment, and the girl offered no time for her to formulate that as she got up, walked over to the junior maid, and bowed.

"…but you brought up a good point. Thank you."

She then looked at Shinki and bowed again; "I am sorry that I let my grief cloud me for this long." Her tears started dropping, interrupting her speech briefly; "This is very late, but I must thank you, all of you, from the bottom of my heart. Not only for bringing justice to those who have fallen but for saving me too."

Shinki nodded sagely at the girl; "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to mourn the life you cannot live and move on." She then adds; "Also, try to think positively. Dear. Without you to regale the tale of your land, then the people who once lived on your world will be truly gone."

The girl smiled ruefully as she mused with her free hand pulled the handkerchief to wipe her tears; "Maybe I should try to get into writing a stage play so that their tales will carry on in this world." She then paused as her expression became troubled; "But my father and his tutors, White and Cheshire, never taught me that."

Shinki hummed as she handed the empty skewer to Yumeko who dutifully collected them from everyone for disposal in the public trash bin nearby, while Taylor couldn't stay her curiosity and asked despite having a good guess of what it would be; "What did they teach you?"

"Statecraft, literature, martial arts, and magic, since I turned five."

Despite the correct guess and tried telling herself that it was a different value and culture than her own, Taylor was still balked at the thought that the girl had such a burden slapped on her since five-year-old, as her own upbringing was nothing like that at all.

Shinki, oblivious to what Taylor was thinking, hummed; "Well, you're free to choose your career now. So just inform me what you want to try and I can recommend you a tutor to help. If it's a maid and servant, then either Yumeko or Taylor here can be a fine teacher too."

Taylor wasn't prepared for the sudden attention on her as she mumbled out of instinct; "There's nothing special about housekeeping, Ma'am."

Yumeko who came back from disposing of the trash just in time to hear her scowled at Taylor; "You shouldn't disrespect your occupation, Taylor. Remember that you get this far only because of your diligence in studying and practicing for years. Have you forgotten that time when you tried to cook and the food turned into a literal cursed inedible mess?"

Taylor pouted at the mention of that incident years ago and lightly countered; "I was experimenting with trying magic at the time."

"Isn't that the same as admitting that even the most basic things require time and effort to master?"

"Well… I supposed so…"

Shinki and the girl silently watched the exchange with bemused expression, with the former seeming disappointed that it concluded so quickly. But as she looked up at the red-tinted sky of Makai, she then asked; "Well, does anyone have any suggestion as to where to go next? If not, then we will go back to the castle."

The silence after that question was short before Taylor took the initiative and suggested another place she'd like them to visit.

It seems like the old man Yang will get his wish sooner than expected after all.

Author's Note: This should bring the story to the same point as on SB. Sorry for lagging behind. I don't really have much to say but please enjoy the story.