Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Chapter 163

I've noticed an alarming situation.
That is, I don't know what Silvi-chan likes.
No, that isn't just limited to food items, I don't know what she likes or what she dislikes, what she's good at and what she might have trouble with.
Strictly speaking, that girl might not be the child of this current instant's『Alice』but, isn't that an excuse.
I always feel that girl offers me her fondness saying o-ksama, o-ksama.
Like, what is this cute lifeform, precious, or rather, I'll die.

「Luminchan is also cute but, Silvi-chan's normally cold side also gives her a gap and perhaps you could say I can't have enough of it……」
「Is that how it is.」

Haa!?
It's unclear just how many times Sitra interjected but, I've finally come back to my senses after (I get a feeling like) I'd endlessly droned on about my daughter.

「I, I'm sorry Sitra? Going on about an uninteresting matter and……」

What sort of penance is it to have to listen to endless bragging on family.
I lower my head while reflecting and, Sitra waved her hands about.

「Alice-sama, I very much enjoyed listening.」
「E, eeh～ but I'd fall asleep while walking if I were in the reverse position you know?」

The limit would be the first 5 minutes it was me listening.
I wonder just how many times I made Sitra listen to me talk?
Even though the basket we brought was empty when we entered the forest, it now has lots of herbs and such in it.
Rather, I wonder when I collected this……?

「Fufu, is Alice-sama normally like this?」
「Thi, this is……?」
「That is to say that you're a very adorable personage.」

I'd like to look into my mental state as a former male that has me being called adorable by a 12 year old saintess.
No but, females are proper ladies when they reach 12 years of age. Their mental framework can't be compared to that of a male's. But, given that, it could be said that just my mental age is low……
While I worried and muttered, Sitra flusteredly lowered her head.

「A, ano, I'm sorry. I, a disrespectful thing……」

Somehow it seems I made her think I couldn't find the right words due to anger.

「For causing a misunderstanding, forgive this side okay, Sitra? I'm not angry or anything you know.」
「Is that so? If so that's good but……」

Sitra's still seems somewhat apologetic.
But I'm actually impressed by Sitra's maturity, and her knowledge of the edible herbs and such that we gathered to fill this basket is incredible. On that note, there hasn't been a time where I talked leisurely with Sitra.

「Hey, how was Sitra raised? I'd like to listen if it wouldn't be unpleasant.」
「It's not something unpleasant but, whether it's all that interesting of a story either……」
「If it's not an interesting story, what of what I did a bunch of?」
「Fufu, Alice-sama you……」

Is the Sitra laughing as she covers her lips with her white hand, really like a noble?
For that girl to have gone through such a thing as showing up on a battlefield at such an age, the world is complicated.

「I, was set up as something like a saintess but, I was no more than the youngest child of a fallen noble.」
「Heei?」

When I accidentally let out a surprised voice, Sitra smiled in a mischievous manner. That smile was unusually befitting of her age.

「And I didn't live with my family anymore so, I was picked up by the church at a fortunate time when I was practically an orphan, the fact that I occasionally used healing magic there caught the country's eye. After that, I went from battlefield to battlefield seeking to revive my house using national funds. Fufu, though I was fine with my house either way…… It was because I couldn't move if I didn't have a reason to.」

I see, was that the start of the artificial saintess.

「As a member of house Asternya, I went out onto the battlefield to fulfill my role as a noble…… I learned of the beastmen-sans' reality. I taught of edible wild grasses and such to those who couldn't even obtain food. The wisdom to survive.」
「……」
「Aah, that's kind of strange. The god-sama who let the me who was practically an orphan live, shouldn't do such a thing as this, perhaps I had such a rebellious spirit? ……Before I noticed I was going along with the white witch's experiments……I killed my enemies again. Because, to save the beastmen-sans, I couldn't hesitate or such. Because I couldn't see such things as the hellscape I heard the battlefield described as, I could walk through even a river of blood with an unperturbed face. Does that disillusion you? Fairy of Silver Lightning-sama.

Looking down, Sitra makes a self deprecating laugh.

「Fufu, it's not a fun story is it? Thus, I truly truly loved Alice-san's earlier heartwarming story. Thinking something like, aah, people can be loved like this, it's blindingly bright.」

I wonder why the people of this world, have such a hard lifestyle.
All of my comrades have too many wounds.
Is that the reality of other worlds……

「I understand.」
「?」

Sitra tilted her head at me, as I nodded with great force.

「I'll teach you, love.」

On the way back from picking wild grasses, I made a shameless declaration to the love deficient Sitra.

◇■◇■◇

And so Sitra efficiently did the work of chopping and strangling a bird like creature's neck.
I applauded Shion-san and Marisan who came in from their hunt but, I was swooning.
Hai, sorry for being a modern child.
I tried asking if Sitra wasn't afraid but her「I, can't see so. Is it something to be so afraid of?」as she wiped the blood on her cheeks with a peaceful smile felt dreadful didn't it, it did.
There were such minor things but, I eventually reached my battlefield.

「Alice-san cooking～

I try reciting lines like a cat shaped robot's.
It's not like a convenient tool would come out though.
I got applause from the saintess-sama who's here to assist with the food preparations for me.
This child, is upfront and cute. Though she is occasionally scary.

「Today's cooking is chicken meat and something that uses vegetables. If we had rice I'd make porridge as well but, that's a luxurious worry isn't it.」
「Alice-sama is in the royal family? Do they make you cook?」

This child didn't know that, including my previous world, I had a solid foundation as a commoner.

「Cooking is a lady's etiquette. At the least, that's the case in my country.」

On that note, men are also more popular when they can cook.
Ah, forgive me okay, I didn't have a romantic tale you know.
I kept to myself while cursing my cohabiting neighbors in college.
Eei, I have Kran and Eclair now so it doesn't bother me.

「? Did Alice-sama not come from the elves' village.」
「That's wrong you know, I came from a place more distant than the edge of the sky.」

It's troublesome to hide it at this point so I answered with a gentle feeling.

「Is that so……Alice-sama was also, alone then?」
「Un.

In my case, I really do think it's good that my family wasn't pulled into this though.

「Therefore I learned to cook, so that I could live properly on my own.」
「That's impressive.」

It's just a hobby though okay.

「Then would you promptly use this knife and cut the chicken meat into small portions.」
「Hai, like this?」

Chop.

「Hiii!?」

Sitra swung the knife down faster than I could say「Ah」.
What is with this child, she has too little hesitation and it's scary.
I trembled at the sound of the knife striking against the cutting board at a speed that wouldn't be expected in cooking.
I fearfully fearfully check on the cutting board and, the mass of bird meat-san was cleanly split in two.

「Please stop already! Bird meat-san's HP is 0 you know!」

That's overkill you know!?
I retrieved the knife from Sitra.

「Did I do something wrong?」
「Rather than saying it was wrong……」

Scary.

「Si, Sitra hasn't had an occasion to cook then?」
「Hai, since I was an insignificant noble…… and I was taken in by the country soon after I was taken in by the church so, I have these eyes right? I was given an attendant so, I don't have lifestyle skills.」
「Herbs and wild grasses are wisdom of the battlefield arren't they.」
「I suppose so, I was also accustomed to hunting and processing animals there.」

Though normally it'd be stranger to be accustomed there.

「Well, it's fine. I predicted this development.」

Since there's almost no one who can cook among my comrades.

「U～n, is that so……」

The ingredient is chicken meat? And I don't really know but there's types of herbs that are said to be edible.
There are seasonings so, I'll somehow be able to give it flavour.
Silvi-chan is sick so……it's best if it's soft and easy to eat right?

「I'm making minced chicken soup.」
「Minced……?」
「I'm hand making minced meat by cutting it finely. Eei, this is the moment Sitra.」
「?」

Sitra tilted her head adorably there.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

The daily life episode is divided a little.
For the saintess-chan who hasn't had much of a chance in the spotlight.

Chapter end