“Well then, we will accept your generosity.”
“Yes, please come in.”
Tagak… tagak…
Perhaps she had difficulties with her vision. The woman with the blind on her eyes used the staff to feel the ground and went back into her home. Riley exchanged a look with Nainiae and followed in.
“Earlier, you said ‘the children are not here.’ So, I presume you do not live here by yourself?”
Having heard Riley’s question, the woman walked toward the fireplace and sat on the chair nearby. She said,
“Yes, because my eyes are like this… It can’t be helped. My pupil is helping me in daily living.”
The woman looked bitter and sad as she muttered. She was fiddling with her blind. Riley entered the home as he looked around inside and sat at an empty chair. He asked,
“A pupil?”
“Yes… She has a tendency to rush things, but compared to other children of her age, she is a good child.”
The woman was feeling the warmth from the fireplace. It seemed she was thinking about her pupil. There was a faint smile on her face. Nainiae, the one who entered the house after Riley, made a suggestion as she looked around inside,
“Excuse me. If it is all right with you, can I please use the kitchen? If you are uncomfortable with me doing so, then I won’t, but… Since you allowed us to come in, I was wondering if I could make tea for you.”
Having heard Nainiae, the woman with blind on her eyes turned her head toward Nainiae and nodded. It seemed she was pleased with the idea. The woman said,
“Yes, thank you.”
With the woman’s permission, Nainiae promptly moved toward the kitchen. She noticed that the kitchen was a mess. She looked around the kitchen in disarray and sighed.
‘Should I tidy it up a bit?’
Because she was trained as a maid, she was unable to leave such a mess be. Thinking it could not be helped, Nainiae started to show off her stuff.
‘I am sorry, Ms. Willa. I don’t have time, so I’ll use it for a moment.’
Nainiae apologized inside to Willa, the head maid of the Iphalleta House who must be at the mansion at the moment. She used two telekinesis magic spells at the same time and cleaned up the mess at the kitchen and the living room as she boiled water.
‘You didn’t have to bother with those.’
Riley watched Nainiae quickly starting the cleanup. He then redirected his gaze at the woman.
“The house looks pretty old. It looks like you had been living here for a long time?”
“…”
The woman was keeping her mouth firmly closed. Having heard Riley’s question, she lifted her head which was directed at her laps. She directed her face toward where Riley was and asked back,
“Excuse me, but…”
“…?”
“Where did you come from?”
“…”
Inside, Riley thought, ‘you are finally asking me that?’ and complained.
“I am thankful for being treated with tea even though I’m just a stranger. Still… I need to ask why you have come to meet an old woman like myself.”
Listening to the woman, Riley wondered where she was getting at. He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Old?”
“I should know if… you are here to steal gold jewelries or just here to be a conversing partner to an old woman, don’t you think?”
“…”
“Well, I don’t think there is anything here that’s worth stealing, but still…”
For some reason, the woman was not concerned. She seemed to be assured with lots of margins to spare. Riley stared at the woman and responded as if he was making an excuse.
“If we are thieves, then we wouldn’t be sitting with you and talking to you or making tea for you. We would have bounced after packing what we came for.”
“Huhu. That makes sense.”
In response to Riley’s answer, she laughed quietly. Facing Riley, the woman asked again,
“Then can you please tell me?”
The woman was asking where they came from and why they wanted to see her. Nainiae was bringing the tea. Riley glanced at her and sent a message through telepathic communication.
<Nainiae.>
<Yes?>
.bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} She tilted her head to the side and responded in telepathic communication,
<After serving the tea, go get Nara.>
<Commander Nara?>
<She might be the one. Let’s check.>
Riley asked Nainiae to give a brief summary to Nara and have him comeback with her. Riley gently slid the tea cup toward the woman and said,
“Please have some tea.”
“The aroma smells wonderful. It must be the winter herb. It probably was not easy to extract the flavor from it. She must be very skilled.”