I Don't Need a Family - Chapter 23

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Malfoid

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Don't Need a Family ◈

Episode 23

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“Even the brokers are off during the New Year Festival holiday!”

Madam Fadde announced it cheerfully.

It was the conclusion we reached after wandering Plaford’s streets for hours.

‘Well, it was foolish to think we’d find a house this quickly.’

It was unfortunate that we had arrived during the holiday, but we needed somewhere to stay while we looked for a home.

“Then let’s stay at an inn for a few days.”

But there was something I had overlooked. The New Year Festival was a major national event.

That meant nobles from territories all over the country flooded into the capital like waves to attend the banquet hosted by the emperor.

Nobles with means stayed with friends or at separate residences they kept in the capital, but those without such options booked inns even at inflated prices.

They did not want to fall out of the emperor’s favor by missing the imperial banquet.

And there was no better opportunity than the New Year Festival banquet for young noblemen and noblewomen to find matches.

It was the busiest season of all.

Not to mention those looking to enjoy a one-night fling on a festival night.

In short, regardless of whether the rooms were cheap or expensive, there were no inns suitable for nobles left.

...The date I chose to leave home was a mistake. Maybe I should not have rushed out right away and waited a little longer.

“At this rate, we might end up sleeping on the street.”

“Sleeping rough? My lady, we have a carriage.”

Just as I began wondering whether we would really have to spend the night in the carriage, Madam Fadde suddenly spoke.

“Do not worry. There is a house nearby where I lived before I married.”

If she had a house like that, why had she not mentioned it earlier...?

Before I could even wonder about it, Madam Fadde strode ahead of us and explained.

“It is small, and the location is not particularly good. I bought it after leaving my family with nothing, but it should do for a few nights.”

“Really? Why have you not sold such an old house yet?”

“Plaford property is cheap compared to Erenston. It would not bring in much even if I sold it. I was tired of being dragged back and forth for it, so I left it alone.”

Hm?

‘She left it alone because it was bothersome?’

That did not seem like Madam Fadde at all.

We had not known each other long, but she seemed like the sort of person who would inspect even a small potted plant in a room with care.

And yet she had left behind such a major asset as a house without selling it.

I was curious, but I kept quiet. There seemed to be nothing good to gain from prying.

As we walked away from the central street toward a secluded residential district, Madam Fadde described in great detail just how narrow and shabby our lodging would be.

Apparently, it was smaller than a storage room at Ashwilt Estate.

“I have left it alone for twenty years, so it will be dusty and filthy. I only hope the boards have not rotted and collapsed.”

But contrary to her harsh assessment, the house that came into view was a lovely two-story home straight out of a fairy tale.

There was even a small stable beside it, as well as a garden.

Though the weeds had grown as tall as a child.

I had a feeling we were going to love this house.

“Madam, with a few repairs, this place would be perfectly usable.”

“That’s right! It’s such a pretty house.”

“...”

For some reason, Madam Fadde only stared blankly at the spot where the front gate should have been.

As we lingered outside, unable to bring ourselves to enter, I felt someone watching us from next door. A man seemed to be keeping a close eye on us.

Three strangers loitering around in a quiet neighborhood would naturally seem suspicious.

Still, there was nothing we could do. It was not easy just getting into that house.

‘How are we supposed to deal with that?’

The door into the house was completely hidden behind thick ivy.

‘I should borrow a sickle from next door.’

We had to get inside first.

Then we needed to clean up before sunset and unpack our things...

As I was thinking that, Madam Fadde silently started walking.

She moved with the elegance of a noblewoman, making no sound even as she stepped through the grass.

Yes, there was truly no sound or light at all.

But when Madam Fadde reached the front gate, the thick mass of weeds blocking our view had vanished without a trace. Only a few tender blades of grass lay wilted on the ground.

When Madam Fadde stepped through the gate, a path opened through the grass leading to the house.

The garden, which had been practically wild, became neat and tidy in an instant.

That revealed a ladder, a low stool, baskets, and other things that had stood beneath the garden wall. Every one of them was charming. There was not a single ugly thing among them.

I will say it again. It was a truly cozy and beautiful house.

“You witch!”

A trembling cry came from behind us.

He looked to be in his thirties.

The young man across the street, who had been painting his fence while glancing our way, was shaking as he held his paintbrush in his right hand.

“You got rid of all those weeds just by passing them! Is that not exactly the sort of thing a witch would do?”

He was rude from our very first meeting. The sort of man who made one frown without meaning to.

Madam Fadde, who had become a weed murderer just for clearing the garden with magic, slowly turned her head toward him.

“You are as noisy as ever, Adam Pollix.”

“You know my name! What are you?”

“A witch, as you said.”

“Do not be ridiculous! Who are you supposed to be...?”

The young man’s mouth fell open when Madam Fadde casually undid the lock on the front door with magic.

“Wait, could you be... the witch who used to live next door?”

He stepped closer, trying to inspect Madam Fadde’s face, but I blocked his path.

“Why don’t you step back from my grandmother?”

“Grandmother? That witch?”

“And do not use such a derogatory term. Is it not ridiculous? You are decorating your house with paint sold at the Mage Tower, yet you are calling someone a witch to their face.”

Only then did the young man seem to notice me. He looked me over from head to toe and scowled.

“Who are you? Why is some little girl butting in when she has no place to? Are you a witch too?”

“Sorry, but I am a person without abilities. That girl is a mage, though. Surely you are not planning to harm me while two mages are watching?”

“Ha! What did you say?”

“I mean, are you going to bring down that hand you just raised?”

More precisely, it was not his hand, but the paintbrush dripping brown paint.

I did not know what sort of habit he had developed that made his hand fly up whenever he got a little angry.

‘I can tell exactly what kind of person he is.’

The young man stared blankly at his raised hand.

He began to lower it, but apparently his temper flared again. He sneered as he questioned me.

“So what if I do? Looks like only women live here. If you want to avoid getting knocked around in this neighborhood, you had better act politely.”

That bastard’s smug grin was utterly irritating. I could see Lola’s fists shaking from here.

“I do not think we need to act politely.”

A low, chilling voice spoke.

All sound around us was cut off, leaving that voice alone to echo in the empty air. It was so eerie that it truly sounded like a witch’s voice.

Madam Fadde, who had been standing at the door some twenty paces away just moments ago, was suddenly right beside us.

The young man looked flustered for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

“Hmph! Do you think I would fear a mere witch when I graduated from knight school?”

“You should fear her if that witch was born into a noble house.”

The air suddenly grew heavy. The young man froze, blinking rapidly.

“A-a noble? That is a lie, right? Do not try to trick me!”

Even so, his hesitation was obvious.

“Would it make things clearer if I called the local administrator?”

“W-would the local administrator really concern himself with something like this?”

“You will find out if you see him yourself.”

“B-but... are you really a noble?”

“You are still speaking informally.”

The young man’s voice grew quieter and quieter.

Madam Fadde smiled faintly.

“You know what punishment a commoner receives for insulting or assaulting a noble, do you not?”

“I-I mean... I-I am sorry.”

“You said you graduated from knight school, yet you seem to know quite well that nobles are frightening.”

“Could you not let this go? For old times’ sake, when we were neighbors!”

“You remember me?”

“Of course! You are the older sister next door who used to help me with my arithmetic homework!”

‘Older sister?’

Perhaps he truly had recognized Madam Fadde. The young man spoke confidently. Even the way he suddenly addressed her was much friendlier.

“Is that so? I’m not that girl.”

“Th-then...”

“Do you remember being hit with a broom after you scribbled on our wall when you were seven?”

“!”

“You are still rude and nasty. Would you like another lesson, just like back then?”

The young man went pale. After apologizing repeatedly to Madam Fadde and me, he ran back into his house.

Madam Fadde turned back and easily opened the door again, speaking as though it were nothing.

“To live as a young woman in Plaford, you get pushed around by all sorts of people.”

The front door opened with a soft rattle.

“Do not think it cowardly, Vivette. Whether you invoke your family’s name or threaten to cast a spell, never let people take you lightly. Things like this will happen again and again.”

“Yes. Do not worry. I am prepared for that much.”

Madam Fadde looked into my eyes for a moment, then gave a short laugh.

“Well, perhaps I would worry if you were the Vivette of old. These days, I honestly do not feel particularly concerned. When I think of the courage you showed in standing against your father...”

With that, she entered the dark house. Soon, the inside lit up.

‘I am glad Madam Fadde is here.’

A small sense of relief settled over me.

* * *

Cleaning and organizing the house did not take long.

Lola had become a master of every sort of household chore while working as a maid, and she swept away every speck of dust with mana in no time.

All I had to do was follow her around and set down the luggage Madam Fadde took out of her subspace wherever it seemed appropriate.

“Aah! M-my lady!”

When I walked around carrying a gilded oak cabinet, Lola rushed out in alarm.

“I have not cast Weight-Reduction Magic on that yet! You will get hurt!”

“It is fine. I am carrying it because I can.”

“You are so strong. How did you even lift this...?”

This body was strong enough to shock Lola.

At first, I thought all healthy people were simply this strong. It was only after seeing the maids’ reactions that I learned that I, or rather Vivette, was unusually strong.

Vivette had such good stamina and immunity that she had never even been sickly.

‘She really had everything. It is almost irritating.’

As I grumbled that life was unfair, my eyes fell on Madam Fadde taking luggage from her subspace and putting it away.

‘...No. Vivette did not have even one family member who acted like family.’

Compared to that, Choi Eunseo, who had spent more than twenty full years surrounded by family in a happy home, had been fortunate.

At least, I decided to acknowledge that much.

* * *

“My lady, a little more to the side. No, farther right! A little more to the right...”

At Lola’s signal, I pushed an Erenston-style sofa carved from ebony toward the wall.

I was doing it in Lola’s place because she had run out of mana and could no longer use Weight-Reduction Magic.

“Just a moment, my lady.”

Lola stopped giving directions, bent down beneath the sofa, and reached out to pull something free.

“I think this was caught underneath it.”

“What is that, Lola? Jewelry?”

“It looks like a woman’s hair ornament... You wear it like this.”

What Lola picked up was a golden hairpin.

It was shaped like a butterfly and set with a softly gleaming green gem.

Though old, it had not lost its shine. If anything, it looked all the more sacred for its age.

“It is peridot. How lovely. Why would this have been lying here?”

“Madam Fadde must have lost it while wearing it. Give it to me. I will bring it to her.”

“Madam Fadde wore this? I cannot imagine it.”

“Hmm.”

Lola was right.

The delicate, gentle hair ornament was completely unlike Madam Fadde’s image.

I could not imagine Madam Fadde wearing it in her hair.

‘Maybe it has another owner.’

* * *

Late that night, Fadde Ashwilt stood by the living room window of the old house she had returned to after so long, holding the peridot hairpin to the moonlight.

The two who had handed her that troubling object seemed oddly excited, and their chatter drifted down from upstairs now and then.

There had been a time when the laughter of girls naturally filled this house as well.

Long, long ago. More than twenty years ago.

Fadde sank into thought.

At the same time, a young man was running careful fingers over a dark green gemstone.

A cheap peridot.

A gem priced just right for a young boy to give someone without feeling burdened.

That is, if the boy was the eldest son of House Ashwilt and the recipient was his beloved younger sister.

It had been his first gift.

But it had been found in a drawer that no longer held Vivette’s warmth.

One night, as his anxiety grew worse by the day, Gillian searched his sister’s room.

He realized that Vivette had not taken any of the precious things she cherished.