The pair had been out since the morning, preparing presents for Charlotte. Now, each carried a bundle wrapped in cloth on their backs, and they were covered in leaves from hurrying back home.
Charlotte went over to them and brushed the detritus from their coats. “Welcome back. You’re both so dusty—let’s take a bath together later.”
“That would be a blessing, Lady Charlotte. But first, I shall be grateful if you could receive our gifts.”
“Mommy! I brought you a present! Look! Look!”
Charlotte was deeply touched. The two of them took off their bundles and started eagerly unwrapping them in front of her. “Thank you so much...both of you.”
“First, if I may be allowed to present my humble offering... In the beginning, I considered seizing a far-off castle in your name, but...”
“I-I would respectfully decline that...”
“I thought that’s what you would say, so for now, I brought you this.” With her round, pudgy paws, Gosetsu proffered a pendant. A glimmering stone like a diamond hung from a thin chain.
Charlotte took it uncertainly and asked with round eyes, “Is this a jewel? I can’t accept such a valuable thing...”
“Oh no, it’s not a jewel. We Infernal Capybaras have teeth that can turn into transparent stones if one polishes them thoroughly enough. I did a little work on a tooth and crafted a pendant from it.” Gosetsu opened her mouth wide to show the space where one of her straight front teeth was missing. “Fear not, for our teeth grow back in three days. This pendant can be used as a charm to protect you as well.”
“I-I see... I’ll take it gratefully, then. It has such a lovely sparkle to it—it’s beautiful!”
“I am honored to hear that.” Gosetsu smiled and purred in her throat as Charlotte stroked her head.
Roo jumped in, impatient for her turn. “Look at my present too, Mommy! I talked to Mother and my siblings, and here’s what we came up with... Ta-da!”
“Ooh, a scarf?” What Roo brought was a soft, fluffy scarf woven from threads of gold and silver. Charlotte rubbed her cheek against it, snug and warm.
“Yup,” Roo replied happily. “We gathered the fiber from all of our fur, and Mother wove it together for us. Mother can transform into a human like Gosetsu, so she’s good with her hands.”
“It’s so fluffy like a cloud! I’ll have to visit your family to thank them.”
“Do come! They were all saying they wanna see you again.”
“I’d like to pay them a visit too. I am much obliged to Young Roo for her company,” Gosetsu said.
The trio chattered cheerily together. At a glance, it was just an ordinary, heartwarming scene—but the others were staring dumbfounded. Eluka and Natalia whispered to each other, their faces twitching in shock.
“Charlotte’s getting crazy presents, isn’t she...?” Eluka murmured.
“Yes...I wonder how many hundreds of gold coins those gifts alone would be worth...” Natalia replied.
The pendant was an exceptionally rare ornament that an Infernal Capybara would give only to the most trusted of allies—in short, it was the stuff of legends. And as for the scarf, it was woven from the fur of a rare, endangered species. If either item went on the market, collectors of refined taste would pile on an extravagant amount of money with a fervent gleam in their eyes.
Wait a second... Am I in last place? Both beasts had managed to prepare unique, heartfelt presents and had made Charlotte happy. The same went for Dorothea, who gave Charlotte her book. Comparing himself to the others, Allen felt utterly, uncharacteristically dejected.
“I heard a bit o’ the tale from Master Allen,” Dorothea piped up, sounding a little surprised, “but how in the world did a Fenrir and an Infernal Capybara get so attached to Charlotte? I’ve lived a thousand years, but I’ve never seen such a colossal feat.”
“Hmm. If a dark elf like you says so, it really must be something special...” Natalia nodded her head solemnly, stroking her chin. “It could be that the traits of our blood have manifested especially powerfully in my sister.”
“Aha, so you come from a special lineage? If you don’t mind, could you tell me more?”
“Well, we’re from the Evans clan of Neils Kingdom.”
“The Evans...” Dorothea snapped her fingers in recognition. “Ah! You mean, the Evans of Saint Lydilia!”
“Saint...?” Allen cocked his head in puzzlement.
“Lydilia Evans. She’s the hero who saved Neils Kingdom about three centuries ago,” Natalia explained.
Although she lived so long ago, she was still a household name in the kingdom. At only ten years old, she was adept at magic, and even groups of full-grown adults were powerless before her. Her words had the power to move the hearts of even the roughest of people, and she tamed all kinds of magical beasts. When a horde of magical beasts attacked the kingdom, she took them on all by herself, and drove them away without shedding a single drop of blood. That was just one of the achievements that made her famous throughout the kingdom as a savior saint.
Allen had heard of the legend, at least. “I’d never have guessed that she’s your ancestor...”
“Not directly. Lydilia died young from a plague, so the current Evans family descends from her younger brother.”
The Evans clan had begun as a rather low-ranked family among the nobility. But since the whole kingdom highly praised Lydilia’s deeds, they had been able to rise all the way up to dukedom. They continued to uphold their intimate relationship with the royal family and eventually came to secure their high standing that they have now.
“Though we’re not directly descended from the saint, we do share the same blood. Rumor has it that every few generations, someone with superhuman powers is born in our family. My sister must be one of them,” Natalia said.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it? All I can do is talk to Gosetsu and Roo,” Charlotte said.
“You might say that, but...I always wondered.” Natalia shook her head and asked with a serious expression, “About half a year ago, that stupid, scum-of-the-earth, asshole prince framed you, and you were thrown into the castle prison, weren’t you?”
“Y-You shouldn’t use bad words, but yes... What about it?”
“Then...how did you actually escape from that prison?”
“Huh?” Charlotte’s eyes went round in a quizzical look.