I Want to Protect Her
"Right now, not many people know this… but Joan has memories of her previous life."
““Eh!? Memories of a previous life…””
As expected, Eric and Belle’s eyes went wide with shock.
“U-um, may I ask why you’re telling us something so important?”
Eric asked Father.
“Because you two are trustworthy—not only to Joan, but to our whole family… And above all, you’re friends of Gene and Joan.”
““Th-thank you very much.””
“… Also, that young Young Lady standing there—Miss Zoey—is someone I should mention. She’s a classmate of our Sarah and Anny, and currently serves as Young Lady Belle’s personal maid. She is also the former daughter of Baron Darius.”
“““““““Eh?”””””””
“My condolences for your parents. I apologize for not greeting you sooner, though I didn’t know until now.”
Father stood and bowed to Zoey.
“Please, you needn’t! Ah—please raise your head. Besides, I am now just a commoner named Zoey.”
“Father, do you know about Zoey’s parents?”
“Yes. Her father was my senior in the Knight Department back in school. He helped me a lot. After his graduation, we didn’t keep in touch much… I heard he passed away in an accident five years ago…”
“I see…”
“… In any case, I believed the three of you could be trusted with this.”
“Joan not only has memories of her past life, but she also possesses more skills than a typical person. Joan, show them your status.”
“Yes. Status Open.”
At Father’s prompting, I revealed my status window.
————————————————————
[Joan Lampail]
Status
Healthy
Attribute
Null
Skills
Search S
Storage S
Repair
First Aid (Charm)
Aqua
Dry
Assist
Teleportation
Animal Talk
————————————————————
“““Eh!?”””
Eric, Belle, and Zoey all cried out in shock.
“Search and Storage are both S-ranked…? There are people who have that?”
“Brother Eric, more importantly—look. Teleportation…”
“Whoa… you’re right…! Ah, m-my apologies. I lost my composure.”
“Haha… No need to apologize. We were the same at first. But—there’s more to be surprised about.”
““Huh?””
“Joan, have you properly introduced Pearl and the others yet?”
“No, I’ve let Belle meet them, but not formally…”
I looked toward Belle, who seemed a bit anxious.
“Well, this is a good opportunity.”
“Okay. …Pearl~ Rosso~”
When I called for them, the two who had been walking around the courtyard since we arrived came running over.
“Eh? Don’t tell me… Fenrir and… Carbuncle?”
“Correct, Young Master Eric.”
“They really exist…”
“They sure do~ This is Pearl the Fenrir, and Rosso the Carbuncle… Please greet Eric and Belle.”
(Nice to meet you. I’m Pearl, a Fenrir. I’m Joan’s familiar.)
(Nice to meet you. I’m Rosso the Carbuncle… and also Joan’s familiar.)
““They talked…””
“Ahaha, yeah. They started speaking after forming a contract with me.”
““...…””
“Oh, and they’re not here right now, but I also have two pegasi. One is away at Phantasmo, but I’ll introduce the other later.”
““Pegasi…””
(… Joan, there’s one more—or one more *thing*—who wants to be introduced.)
Pearl told me that, so I turned around and saw the Giga Treant watching us.
“Ah… Father…”
“Hm? Ah… go ahead and introduce him.”
“Yes. Come on over~”
The Giga Treant approached, rustling the leaves on its head-like branch as it walked.
“““Eh!?”””
Eric and the others instinctively tensed up.
“Ah, sorry. This one is, well… part of our family?”
(I am a Giga Treant, indebted to the House of Lampeil. I do not have a name yet.)
You don’t have a name yet… Are you trying to pull a “I am Giga Treant” like some kind of literary monologue?
No, I really don’t need another contracted beast…
… So why are you staring at me like that?
“U-um… this is the last one, right?”
Eric looked more tired than surprised now.
“Haha… Yes, this is the last. Oh, and just so you know—only our relatives, the royal family, and the Chancellor are aware of all this. Sorry to trouble you, but I must ask for your discretion.”
“““!!”””
“Father! That’s too much to burden Eric and Miss Belle with!”
Brother Noel, unusually, raised an objection.
It’s true—the content is far too heavy for a count’s son and daughter like Eric and Belle.
Father, what are you thinking?
“I agree. I do feel sorry for placing this weight on Young master Eric and Miss Belle. But at this point, there’s no one we can trust more than them. Just being judged as ‘attribute-less’ as a noble brings Joan under curious scrutiny. On top of that, she has memories of a past life, an abnormal number of skills, and their effects are exceptional.
I… no, we—my family and even our servants—want to protect her.
At the Academy, there are many things beyond my reach. That’s why I’m asking you—not just to protect her, but to be understanding friends to her.”
After saying that, Father bowed his head to Eric and Belle.
Mother, Gray, Nancy, and even Sarah followed suit.
“Father…”
“Father…”
What do you think about this chapter?
