"Welcome, welcome."
At the front gate of the Trackia household.
Leila, one of the servants employed by the house and personal maid to Lady Katia, bowed deeply.
Before her stood a figure wearing a hood pulled low over their face.
Due to the dull gray hood covering their entire body, their features were impossible to make out. Only the glimpses of their build and mouth visible through the gaps barely revealed that they were a woman.
Yet despite the undeniably suspicious appearance of such a person, Leila escorted them inside the mansion with the utmost respect—harboring a faint sense of reverence toward the unfathomable aura drifting from "her."
In the hall of the mansion, the residents and servants had assembled to welcome the guest. It was Yurugen, the head of the house, who had instructed them to do so, and in truth, "she" was someone whose visit would naturally warrant such a reception.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the door finally opened and the hooded figure stepped inside.
Once Leila confirmed the door was closed behind her, the figure seemed to let out a long-awaited sigh and reached up with an irritated motion to grasp the hood.
In one swift motion, she threw it off.
—Everyone in the room gasped.
Large blue eyes that still faintly carried the impression of a young girl, a straight and elegant nose. A beauty so striking that even in this dazzling Royal Capital, every head would turn.
Lustrous crimson hair tumbling long and free, her perfectly proportioned figure clad in a sleek black dress. The contrast against her porcelain-white skin was breathtaking.
A woman so beautiful that everyone was captivated without a shred of argument.
With an expression brimming with confidence befitting her appearance, "she" slowly surveyed the people who had come to greet her.
And the moment her gaze locked onto one corner of the servants—a silver-haired boy—
"El—!!"
...Whatever dignity she had displayed moments ago vanished without a trace.
Her face lit up like a child's, radiant and radiant, and she called out the boy's name and sprinted straight toward him, leaping into his arms head-on.
The boy stumbled in surprise but, with a manner suggesting he was accustomed to it, caught the beautiful woman's embrace.
"El! It's really El! I'm so happy to see you again—I've been so, so lonely! Do you have any idea what kind of month I've had, spending all those nights alone—!"
As she spoke, she squeezed him tight with all her strength, ruffled his hair, and then proceeded to press her face against the side of his neck.
Even Ermes, who was no stranger to this level of physical affection, could feel his cheeks flushing with embarrassment—especially now, with the entire Trackia household watching on in stunned silence.
But more than that—
It was true that Ermes himself felt a warm wave of nostalgia at the sensation of her warmth after a full month apart.
So he gently returned her embrace, and with a wry smile filled with a multitude of emotions, he spoke softly to her—the Witch, Rose.
"...It's been a while, Master."
◆
Here is how it came about.
The conflict with the Aster faction, which had been brewing since that party, came to an end after various twists and turns.
Until Ermes could resume attending the academy—in other words, until the break was over and the second term's classes began—Ermes and the others found themselves with a fair amount of free time.
Katia, ever diligent, intended to spend that time the same way she always had: hunting monsters and delving into dungeons. She went with Ermes to ask their father, Yurugen, if he had any commissions for them.
Upon hearing this, Yurugen pondered for a moment, then said:
"I see. If you have the time... Ermes, may I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Well, honestly, Katia probably already knows, and there's no need to hide it from us anymore, so I'll just say it—"
In a voice that, for Yurugen, was unusually tinged with a faint nostalgia and anticipation:
"—Could you call Rose here?"
Apparently, he felt that "it's rather frightening to house Rose's prized disciple without any prior notice."
He had always wanted to formally introduce himself once things settled down, something along the lines of: "We've been looking after your child."
And if the children happened to have free time, all the better—why not invite her over and let Katia and the rest of the Trackia household meet the person who had served as a surrogate parent to Ermes?
The question was whether Rose, who detested the Royal Capital, would actually come willingly. But to everyone's surprise, when a letter was sent, she agreed enthusiastically: "If I can see El, I'll go anywhere!"
Considering her fearsome reputation, she was asked to come in disguise—which was how she had arrived here today, and how things stood now.
"Uwah, El, you smell so nice... so calming..."
"Um, Master. That's ticklish, and embarrassing. At the very least, I'd have liked you to maintain some dignity through the initial greeting."
"I could stay like this forever..."
"That's genuinely frightening. Could you at least let go for now?"
"No way. I can't move—Don't tell me, El, you've been using some kind of charm magic on me...?"
"That sounds like a fascinating spell, but unfortunately I have no recollection of it. In any case..."
To put it in perspective, imagine the kind of person who dotes on a cat or dog in private in ways they'd never let anyone else see.
Now imagine that person doing it right here, in front of the entire Trackia household. That was roughly the situation.
"...Because, you know. I really, really missed you, okay?"
Ermes tried once more to peel her off, but she pulled her face back just enough to look up at him with those puppy eyes.
"I raised this child for five years, doted on him every day, and then he leaves home and lives all alone! It'd be like this even without everything else. Just let me have this much..."
"...I've heard as much, yes."
The look on her face as she spoke made it perfectly clear that every word came straight from her heart, with no pretense.
...And having been cared for so much was, without question, something Ermes was deeply grateful for.
"...We have time, so later is fine. Let's do the introductions first."
"...Got it."
He prodded her along, thinking she was probably too easy on him. Rose nodded obediently, and finally the clinging ceased.
He thought that from the outside it was impossible to tell who was the guardian and who was the child, but in any case, this was their chance to redo the introductions—turning to face forward, he saw—
"...Nn..."
—Katia, staring at him with a pale face, and their eyes locked.
"Oh, uh, this is—"
This was bad. Knowing her, she'd surely be furious—wasn't this just too improper?
Bracing himself, Ermes waited—but what Katia said next was:
"—Who is that person!?"
"...Huh?"
That was not what he expected.
Who is that person? Everyone here had been informed of who was coming, hadn't they?
"What do you mean 'who'—this is Lady Rose. My master."
"No way! That can't be right! Because—there's no way—"
And then, with a voice so loud it seemed to convey that this was the most important issue of all:
"—No one told me she was this young and beautiful!?"
"...Ah."
He finally understood. And realized he had forgotten.
"But this Rose—Lady Roselia is the same age as Father, isn't she!? There are limits to how much you can look young—this is impossible—"
After spending five years together, he had grown so accustomed to it that he had forgotten to explain. ...He himself had never been told the reason, either—this discrepancy between her apparent physical age and her real one.
Looking around, the other servants seemed to share the same question, nodding along with Katia's objections.
And there was Katia, flustered far beyond what anyone had anticipated. Peering out from behind Ermes as he hesitated over how to explain, Rose's face popped into view.
"Hey, El. Is this cute girl Yurgen's kid?"
"Ah, yes. This is Lady Katia. She's my current master."
"The childhood friend I've heard you mention occasionally, right? The one who had her engagement with the prince broken off... Heh, hoh, hohh..."
Rose looked back and forth between Ermes and Katia.
Finally, she took in Katia's expression—bewilderment, agitation—and hostility.
She looked at Katia, who was glaring at her for clinging to Ermes from behind.
"...I see~"
Ermes felt a bad premonition.
And, as if to prove it right—
With a cheerful grin, Rose shaped her beautiful face into a smile and pulled Ermes even closer to her.
"—!"
True to Rose's expectations, Katia's eyes narrowed even further. She was about to shout something, but at that moment—
"...You haven't changed a bit, Rose."
A cool voice cut through the air.
Treading over with measured steps was the head of the Trackia household, directing a look of exasperation at Rose.
"Well, it's good to see you're in high spirits."
"Oh, Yurugen! It's been too long! What, I was going to open with 'You've gotten old,' but you really haven't aged that much!"
"I'd like to say I'm flattered, but coming from you, that's a complicated compliment... What in the world happened to you? Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, knowing you."
He seemed somewhat accustomed to Rose's outrageous behavior, or so he said.
That said, Yurugen himself had been just as frozen in disbelief at her unchanging appearance as everyone else. He cleared his throat to collect himself and continued:
"We can get into the details later. For now—welcome to the Trackia household. We can't quite manage the royal treatment like in the old days, but we'll welcome you as our honored guest. If there's anything you need, just say the word."
"Oh, is that so? Then let me ask for something right away."
"Hm? Ah, sure."
Caught slightly off guard by the briskness of her request, Yurugen gestured for her to continue.
"If I'm a guest, you'll at least provide me with a guest room and a servant, right?"
"Of course—Oh, so that's what you're after."
"As expected. Quick on the uptake."
Seeing that Yurugen had already figured out what she was going to say, Rose smiled mischievously and declared:
"—Make this boy, El, my personal servant! I intend to have him wait on me hand and foot, just like the old days!"
"Wh—!!"
Katia cried out. Yurugen wore an indescribable expression.
And watching Rose's delighted smile, Ermes thought:
...Yeah, this probably isn't going to be a normal life.