Chapter 26
The meeting between the girl from another world and the old man Yang went much better than Taylor expected.
"Now, here's where I grow some of my herbs for the medicines."
"It's fascinating, sir. To think that such a small space behind a home can be used like this."
"Don't call me sir, young one. Uncle Yang is fine."
It was so much better that she wondered if the girl would end up getting adopted by the old man by the end of the day or not. But on second thought, Taylor doubted that she or Mao would mind the girl that much.
Her smile was probably too obvious, as Shinki placed her hand over Taylor's shoulder while asking in a whisper; "Are you not going to join in spoiling her? You're not on duty and this should be your family time."
Taylor glanced at her senior standing behind and tried her hardest not to draw attention from Shinki before cursing in her mind 'Traitor.'
Her senior's unwillingness to help her aside, Taylor couldn't deny Shinki's point that she wanted to do just that too. But the problem was she had no idea where to start.
Thankfully, a bell at the entrance of Yang's clinic chimed, signifying the arrival of a guest which Taylor used as an excuse to get out of this awkward situation while Shinki couldn't complain about it.
Soon, Taylor smiled and opened the door to the front of the clinic to greet the coming guest in the old man's stead; "Good afternoon, sir, how may I help… you?"
Her voice trailed off as her eyes registered the sight of a certain green-haired flower seed vendor giving her a smile that still felt off thanks to the monstrous powers roiling within. Both of the guest's hands were on the pommel of her parasol as if it were a cane, and her red eyes lit up the moment she recognized Taylor behind the desk.
"Oh my, little one, I didn't expect to see you here." Yuuka was the first to break the silence between the two. That was enough for Taylor to get over her surprise and respond;
"Wha-what are you doing here?"
Yuuka tilted her head with a fake innocent look. Her red eyes shone with amusement at Taylor's reaction as she replied; "I just want to greet Shinki and exchange stories like the old people we are."
Her laugh at the end of that sentence made Taylor wonder how much of what she said was true. But she composed herself before asking to return to the main topic; "I will go and fetch Milady for you."
Before she could act on that, Yuuka shook her head as she tapped lightly on the countertop to stop Taylor before verbally denying that notion in a mirthful voice; "No. No. It's fine, little one. I can wait until she finishes. A few minutes, or even hours, is nothing to the millennia I've lived."
For someone who got her life cut short at a scant fourteen years in her previous life, Taylor felt Yuuka's disregarding the value of time grating on her, yet a part of her understood that a being that existed long before the dawn of human civilization like Yuuka would have a different perspective of time than her or any human who would be lucky to live past a hundred years.
'It's one of the reasons why I am scared of Yuuka.'
But then, another thought occurs to her and causes Taylor to unconsciously glance at the door she came out of, and completely forget that she was in the presence of a guest. And said guest took notice too.
"Am I that scary that you would rather be back behind the clinic and let others greet me in your stead? Little one?"
Taylor stiffened at the remark as she slowly turned around to face Yuuka's bemused smile aimed at her. Her excuse died in her mouth as the green-haired monster in human guise took the initiative by holding out her free hand; "I smelled something 'interesting' from you that wasn't there before. May I have a look at the gift I gave you?"
The request came as a surprise, but as Taylor couldn't, and didn't have any excuse, the space near her shimmered and the parasol appeared into her waiting hand which she promptly handed over hilt-first toward Yuuka.
Yuuka hummed as she took the 'hilt' of the parasol. Her eyes closed for a few seconds before she shot Taylor a softened, almost sympathetic look; "You've bloodied your hands at last."
Taylor frowned at what she perceived as an accusation and naturally, she tried to defend herself; "It was… It was a dire situation back then!"
Yuuka laughed at her reaction which prompted Taylor to stop her excuse. That laughter died down a moment later when Yuuka's attention was on the maid again; "I am not accusing you of crime. I am not even a resident of this world, much less enforcing its rules and moral standing."
Taylor felt anxious as she stood behind the countertop staring at Yuuka's red eyes which seemed to bore into her soul. After a minute of staring, Yuuka broke the silence; "I envy you, you know?"
"Huh?"
The statement was completely out of the left field in Taylor's mind she couldn't find any rebuttal other than the first thought that came to her mind; "What do you mean?"
Yuuka's expression turned rueful as she responded while her hand slowly traced a line along the parasol almost absent-mindedly; "I envy you to be born in the age where sentient comprehended conscience and taught their offsprings morals since they're young to cherish bonds, friendships, and cooperations with fellow sentients, or even companion animals, and achieve great things that a single individual cannot together."
Despite the explanation, Taylor was getting more confused than before and it showed on her face, again, which elicited a chuckle from Yuuka; "Strange, isn't it? A being that lives long before humanity ever achieved sentient envying their offsprings because they know the value of bonds and loves as soon as they can comprehend words."
Taylor couldn't help herself but replied despite the feeling that Yuuka wasn't expecting any; "Yes."
The green-haired monster-in-woman-guise acknowledged her answer with a nod; "In the age where men are nothing but hairless apes, I slaughtered those that crossed my way as regularly as you breathe."
Her subsequent laughter was humorless which sent a shiver down Taylor's spine that she almost didn't listen to Yuuka's next words; "If you think that the past of that fox you are wary of is the depth of savagery ones can get to when they let their animal instinct took over, then you haven't seen me back then yet. Despite gaining sentient long before humans ever learned to wield fire, I saw genocide as just a game to entertain myself with when I was bored."
It would be a lie to say that a casual admission to such horrific acts didn't disturb Taylor at all. But, after many years of interactions with Yuuka, Taylor felt that she should hear her out first before making any judgment.
As for doubting Yuuka's story, Taylor had little doubt considering what she witnessed in her dreams many times when trying to master that parasol.
Yuuka continued her talk with Taylor's silence; "People often say that having a long lifespan means that you will feel the pain of losing those you come to love again and again. But can you guess what I, who never formed any bonds back in the old days, felt when those old days made way for a new era of conscience and cooperation to rise in its place?"
The maid glanced at the door leading to Yang's living room briefly, before she turned back to Yuuka and shook her head, prompting Yuuka to answer; "I have a question to myself of what could have been had those I snuffed out of boredom were left to bloom. Will their offspring many generations down that their ancestor was naught but myths be able to craft a better society? Will they develop a wealth of material and soul beyond what the sentients achieved today?"
Just as Taylor was feeling a little sympathetic with Yuuka, the latter chuckled; "In the end, it doesn't matter anyway. The past cannot change. So regret is a waste on me."
With that, Taylor's opinion reverted that she was and still is a monster, albeit one no longer goes on a murder spree at the drop of a hat.
But still, that admission puzzled her and she decided to voice it out loud; "What's the point of telling me this? Lady Yuuka? Is it supposed to be a lesson of some kind?"
'Especially when you're neither repentant about what you did nor did you kill out of survival.' Was what she didn't say out loud.
Yuuka grinned as she handed the parasol back to Taylor, before answering her question when said parasol was already in the maid's hand; "My past self is your lesson, little one. Sometimes, violence is the only way forward. For there are many out there that will not hesitate to end you for no other reason than their enjoyment in the suffering of others."
That answer brought Taylor back to the conversation she had with the Judge of the Dead on the eve of the rescue operation to bring the denizen of the other world back to Makai. And the unpleasantness of that talk came back once again today.
And then, she asked with as much calmness as she could muster in the face of a retired monster who did not regret her atrocities; "Do you include yourself among those nasty people?"
Yuuka laughed in response; "If you mean now, then I'm afraid not. I have my fill of wanton killings a long time ago." But then her face became serious; "Of course, there are exceptions to everything. There might be a time when I must drown my flower field in blood again, but I can assure you that it wouldn't be for any trivial reasons such as the boredom of my longevity."
Yuuka paused, then she leaned onto the countertop and looked up at Taylor's face with a smirk that would've sent those who weren't familiar with her running in fright before she whispered in a voice that still made Taylor feel like she should start running anyway; "Also, I will make sure that such act will be focused on the one that wronged me and no further."
Taylor almost let out a sigh when Yuuka straightened herself up and away from her personal space. And then, Yang chose that moment to check on her and spotted Yuuka in the process.
"Ah, Yuuka. It's been years since we last met, isn't it?"
Taylor briefly wondered if Yang lost his survival instinct as an assassin due to his old age from just hearing that friendly greeting from a monster like Yuuka. But she corrected herself afterward when she remembered that he and Mao were the ones trading for Yuuka's seeds before she came into the picture and thus already familiar with her.
However, the same couldn't be said with the girl who was hiding in fear behind the old man; It was not surprising that the girl could sense Yuuka's true nature as well considering her latent potential for mystic arts. And no amount of friendly conversations that Yang was having with Yuuka could've convinced the girl otherwise.
It felt like hours had passed despite Yang and Yuuka finished inquiring about each other's well-being a minute later. And then, Shinki appeared out of the back of the clinic when they were talking like old friends who had been apart for a very long time. Taylor noticed that the girl seemed to become less tense at the sight of Shinki, signifying how much trust she had with the ruler of Makai.
Shinki probably noticed her attention, as she quickly called Taylor and the girl; "This will probably take some time, can you take her on a stroll outside? You can join them too, Yumeko." She added at the end to the blonde maid who only showed up just now.
The blonde-haired maid blinked at her mistress's question, and glanced at Taylor and the girl before she declined with a shake of her head and a well-known excuse; "Someone has to keep you, and Yuuka's company, Milady."
Shinki pouted at her daughter-maid while the friendly conversation between Yang and Yuuka continued in the background and the girl looking between them in confusion; "Come on, Yumeko. Get yourself more friends. Or a boyfriend, I am not the kind of heartless mother who would deny her children their chance to be with their destined partners… So, is it because you want to find a boyfriend that you didn't have time to go out with them?"
"Milady!" Yumeko squeaked out with her cheek glowed pink "Please stop fantasizing. I will go with Taylor!"
Miraculously Yuuka and Yang didn't seem to notice the exchange, but Taylor was certain that they just pretended they didn't hear anything. Whether it was done to preserve what dignity was left for Yumeko or other reasons doesn't matter, as it provides an opening for Taylor to approach the girl and try her plan to get them out of this gathering of overpowered (albeit civilized) monsters and lessen the girl's stress.
"Say, do you know how to fly?"
The question came out as soon as the girl and Taylor made eye contact and caught the girl by surprise. The mop of blonde hair shakes around as the girl silently replies to Taylor's inquiry, once again proving that having talent in magic doesn't mean one would know everything about magic.
"Then, would you like me to teach you how to fly?"
The girl looked at Taylor with hesitation in her eyes, which prompted Shinki to join in with a suggestion; "Yumeko, would you be a dear and help Taylor out here?"
Yumeko seemed to ponder on the request for a moment before she ultimately resigned herself to her mistress's whim and walked up to join Taylor and the girl. The three of them then excused themselves and left the premises together.
Once they were outside, Taylor realized that she didn't have a plan in mind for where to go and it showed on her face. A glance to the side at her senior and Taylor found no help from that angle either.
Yumeko noticed the look she got too, and her reply verbally confirmed what Taylor was thinking; "It's your call. I am here to help."
The unspoken words 'You proposed this, so it's your responsibility.' were clear in the look Yumeko gave her. As much as Taylor wanted to snap at her senior for unhelpfulness, a stern glare from said senior told her that this was her responsibility, and so she must be up to it.
Ironically, the story time with Yuuka ended up inspiring her to go to the clearing just outside of the city wall. She deemed it far enough that any mishaps wouldn't cause danger to uninvolved people, but still close enough that they could seek immediate medical treatment had an accident occur.
The girl was silent the entire time that Taylor tried her best to explain the principle of flight magic. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not and was hesitant to ask.
This state of awkwardness continued until she covered all the basic principles and it was time for a practical application. Taylor lifted off the ground as a demonstration and beckoned the girl to follow her example, only to be interrupted by Yumeko who walked over to stand next to the girl.
"I will stay close just in case," Yumeko explained, causing Taylor to mentally slap herself for overlooking such a simple safety procedure.
"Thank… you… Yumeko." Taylor stuttered out with her cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment before apologizing to the girl; "I am sorry for forgetting about your safety. I will understand if you do not want to continue the lesson with me…"
"No…" The girl replied, cutting off Taylor's speech and making the latter look at her in surprise. The girl didn't meekly break eye contact like Taylor expected but stared back with a small smile on her lips. "Please continue. I would like to try flying too."
"W-well… if you say so. Let us begin." Taylor responded after the girl shot her an expectant look coupled with Yumeko's nod in support…
Taylor's lack of foresight became apparent the moment they lifted off the ground, or tried to lift off in case of the young girl; as she shot off the ground before flipping over and almost crashing her head on the ground after she stopped her flight spell had Yumeko not flying close by and caught her.
After the girl reoriented herself, Taylor tried to advise the girl on what went wrong from what she could observe with her sight, while also apologizing for not being able to help her, to which Yumeko shook her head and came to her defense;
"Even if you're next to her in my place, it is doubtful that you would react quickly enough to prevent the accident. I've seen people more experienced than you getting caught off-guarded in their field of expertise for less. So please, do not take this as an insult. There's much to learn."
Taylor tried to be positive and took Yumeko's word as encouragement and thankful for her help. The girl tried again as soon as Yumeko and Taylor gave the go-ahead. This time, Taylor was ready to assist when the girl once again lost control at three stories altitude due to the excitement that came with her accomplishment.
Yet when Taylor tried to stop the girl from shooting up into the sky, she found that she again had to rely on Yumeko to do the rest of the heavy lifting because the power behind her flight spell was many times more than the first attempt.
'She has too much power! Is she even a human at all?'
Taylor pushed that thought aside as she approached the girl and Yumeko in mid-air before asking the girl who had a sheepish and confused look on her face, which would make it harder for anyone to scold her for her mishaps.
"I am sorry. Taylor. Yumeko. I got excited… and I don't think I have this much power."
The girl sincerely apologized and Taylor was about to say that she wasn't mad before the girl's subsequent comment hit her.
"You are saying that you never had this much power before?"
Although the obvious question came out of Taylor's lips in a calm, even tone, her mind was beginning to worry about the girl's condition especially when the girl nodded back in an equally calm manner despite being in mid-air.
"It grows much more than during our last stand against… the Queen…" The girl faltered at the mention of the evil monarch who destroyed her world, but she recovered a moment after and assured the two maids; "I am fine now. Can I go higher please?"
The two maids looked at each other with a silent debate between themselves on continuing the lesson. But after a minute of staring at each other while discreetly observing the girl with their supernatural senses as they were floating idly, they concluded that the girl was telling the truth and that it wouldn't change any time soon so they decided to continue.
The ascend to the sky was much smoother than the earlier practice, with small hiccups when they encountered strong winds or two where Taylor or Yumeko had to shield, or to telekinetically stop the girl from getting blown off course here and there. But ten minutes later, they were floating so high that they could see the distant mountain ranges and the vast forests surrounding the town of Pandemonium, and the people at the market square of the town could barely be seen.
The girl was slowly spinning around, her eyes taking in the view from the sky with childish wonder under the watchful eyes of her mentors. They relaxed their guards slightly as there was no sign of the girl letting her control slip after over five minutes of admiring the views, and so the younger of the two flew closer to her senior who was floating next to the girl.
Her approach was noticed by the girl and she turned to face Taylor with a brighter smile on her face which prompted the junior maid to comment; "I hope that the lesson is enjoyable so far despite my initial mistakes?"
A firm nod was the girl's answer before she looked at the land below and it seemed like silence would once again descend upon their little group as everyone struggled on what to say.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Taylor's question caused the girl to look up at the maid before answering; "Yes."
The girl's eyes looked upward at the red sky and mumbled; "The sky being red instead of blue kind of creep me out for the first few days… but now, I think it has its charms. Especially when the people here are nice, reminds me of the old days."
They went silent at this point, taking in the scenery before the girl spoke up again to Taylor and Yumeko "Thank you for the lesson. Without it, I wouldn't see this amazing view, and know that my father and our people's sacrifices were not in vain."
"It was never in vain when you're still well and alive after everything that happened, regardless of the state of this world." Taylor quickly rebuked, but a second later she corrected herself; "I wouldn't want my home to become a battlefield either, and thanks to your father and the people of your world it isn't. But I don't think they were thinking of saving other worlds when they were fighting, they thought about you, and the people they wanted to protect. Never forget that."
The girl seems to take Taylor's attempt at imparting wisdom well enough judging by her smile afterward. "I know."
The three of them floated in a circle around the town and enjoyed the peaceful scenery for at least an hour before Yumeko told them that they should get back to Shinki as the sun was beginning to set. They flew down outside of the town walls and walked back to Yang's clinic and saw Shinki waiting outside for them.
After apologies from Taylor and Yumeko for their late return which Shinki simply waved off and more focused on asking the girl if she was having fun, they headed back to the castle without incident.
All was well… until the next morning when the girl showed up with her retainers when Taylor and Yumeko were serving breakfast for Shinki. The sad look on the girl's face made it obvious to them that something was wrong before anyone could say anything.
The maids decided to invite them to join the table first out of courtesy and practice. Once everyone finished their meals, it was White the Rabbit who spoke up first;
"As a retainer of the late Sir Longarm, I must thank you for your hospitality since our first contact, Lady Shinki." He said, "It is a debt that we can never repay for saving his daughter and our lives, but even so, we would like to ask you for another favor."
The girl said nothing as Cheshire the Cat continued with a side glance at the girl in worry; "The two of us want you to look after his daughter after we're gone."
Taylor was surprised at the request and tried and failed to rein her reaction in. Yumeko's expression told everyone that she agreed with her junior. While Shinki calmly put down her teacup and asked in an even, measured voice; "May I ask why do you bring this up right now? You two are healthy and have a long life ahead thanks to our healers."
A sign escaped the sentient rabbit as he looked ashamed for some reason, while Cheshire the Cat replied in his stead; "We would like to resign from our lady's retinue and go on a journey, Lady Shinki."
Everyone except for the guests from another world raised their eyebrows at the reason. It was understandable, as loyal retainers like them shouldn't be talking about something like this, not when they were asked by their liege to fulfill his dying wishes of raising his daughter in his stead.
"After contemplation, we don't think we're qualified to serve her. Not when our incompetence was the reason why her father and the citizens died."
"Do not say that you're incompetent!" The girl suddenly shouted in distraught, startled everyone with her voice; "Everyone tried their best. You are not a god! We are not a god!"
"Everyone fails at some point in their lives. Those who never fail are those who never done anything at all." Shinki added, looking at the two retainers with a questioning gaze; "I guess that this 'journey' you wished to undertake is to study and learn things in the hope of being of service to her, correct?"
The two retainers replied; "Yes."
Shinki then raised an obvious question; "Then why not take her and go on a journey together? I believe that she values you as much regardless of your failure to protect her father and the citizens."
The girl nodded rapidly in support of Shinki's statement. However, the two retainers still didn't budge on their decision as White replied soon after; "We would only stifle her potential, Lady Shinki."
The Rabbit looked around the table, and as his eyes landed on Taylor he continued; "We saw you flying into the air with our lady from the castle yesterday. That made us realize how... lacking we are. We are no longer capable of protecting her at this point. Taking her with us is a dangerous proposition that we cannot entertain regardless of our lady's wishes."
"And it's clear to us how quickly our lady grows stronger if she remains with you." Cheshire added; "Flight is the pinnacle of magical study in our culture, only a few could even dream of achieving it, and yet under your maids' tuition, our lady achieved that in a single afternoon without prior knowledge of it."
The feeling of inadequacy was evident in his voice and Taylor felt bad for unintentionally destroying his self-confidence. But the rest of his statement was somewhat sound considering that some civilian housewives in Pandemonium could fly compared to how it was back in his world.
Or maybe it was just the quirk of this place as a center of this world's academic study.
"Maybe we can teach you how to do it?" Offered Yumeko sympathetically, as she understood their feelings better than others with Taylor nodding in support of her senior; "You shouldn't undersell yourself as unable to learn before trying, sir."
Her offer was rebuked almost immediately by White; "I appreciate your offer, but we had discussed between ourselves before coming to this conclusion."
"I need you two…"
The girl tried to convince her retainers, but was cut off by Cheshire's shaking his head; "We are the loyal servant of your father, my lady, and we must carry out his wishes" He then looked right at the girl in the eyes; "And no parent will ever want to confine their children in a cage. No parent will ever be angry when their children surpass them. They will encourage their children to go further, to achieve what they couldn't, to be successful..."
Taylor was about to argue on the girl's behalf, but a mental nudge in her mind caused her to pause and glance at Shinki who lightly shook her head.
"Shouldn't you take her feelings into consideration as well?"
But then, Shinki decided to say what Taylor also had in mind out loud with confidence that made Taylor remember that Shinki has experience being a parent, and thus her words would naturally be more convincing than those from her who didn't have a boyfriend, let alone children, in both her lives.
The eyes that stared back after Shinki's question were all it took for the four people to realize that the two retainers would not budge on this decision before they even said a single word.
The girl was the first one to break the silence with the quivering voice of someone who was trying their best not to lash out in anger and sorrow; "Please… take care of yourself, Sir Cheshire, Sir White…"
"My lady…"
"Just… go… I have released you two from my service starting now…"
That order left no room for debate, and the two former retainers respectfully bowed their heads at the girl before leaving the room.
Once the door shut and the footstep silent, a trail of tears appeared on the girl's cheek as she silently weeps in the presence of the monarch of the land that shelters her.
"I know that this day will come…" The girl admitted after a minute of crying when she realized that Shinki was still watching her with a concerned look; "I am sorry for such unsightly conduct in your presence…"
"It's fine to let it out sometime…" Shinki replied calmly, before asking; "Leadership lessons from back then?"
The girl silently nodded which made Shinki mutter something that sounded like complaining about her parents and their expectations of their children which prompted the girl to quickly defend her late father; "I chose this path of my free will, Lady Shinki… I will be fine…"
The girl's strained smile made it clear that what she said was not true, but Shinki made a look that told both Taylor and Yumeko to be careful threading this topic, and so they stood down because they feared they would make the situation worse.
"If you say so…" Shinki said after a minute; "But I believe that we are all being high-strung here, and going back to sleep when the day is young like this is not a good practice. How about you two take her out for another magical lesson? I have work to do and cannot go with you today, but we will find time for you another day perhaps."
Taylor and Yumeko blinked owlishly at the request, but they readily agreed with Shinki nonetheless, and so did the girl. As the three of them were about to close the door, Shinki gave them a parting word; "Let's discuss things after everyone calmed down a bit, okay?"
A mumble of affirmative from all three was heard before the door shut, leaving Shinki alone in the dining room, who then blinked at the tableware and chuckled to herself how they were so caught up with the girl's retainers' issue that everyone forgot to clean up the dining table before she snapped her finger and magically summon other servants to take care of them.