So, what's the job?

　The dining room is located on the ground floor of the Sesshomaru Pavilion.
　Occupying one of the tables, Aldis and Kirill were having a late lunch.

　At the foot of the table, Rona, pretending to be a dog, was busy finishing off a meal for five people.
　Kirill rolled his eyes at Rona's presence at first, but then said with mysterious understanding, "Well, it's Aldis-san and .......
　It was unwilling to be dismissed as "because it's Aldis," but Aldis himself knows that there is absolutely no benefit in delving into that.
　If Kirill isn't afraid of Rona, then he doesn't need any more trouble, so he decided not to think about it and cut to the chase.

'I need you to tutor me,'

　While biting into a pie crust of black rabbit meat, Aldis replies.
　The food prepared by Meryl's father, who is also the innkeeper, is satisfying enough and, most importantly, reassuring, unlike the decisive weapons his daughter produces.

'Are you a tutor ......?'

I've got a little boy who needs help. I've been looking for a tutor for a while now, but I've been having trouble finding one.

But I'm only an apprentice merchant.　I'm entering the academy to learn magic, but I haven't even taken enough classes yet, so I can't teach.

I'm not asking you to teach me anything about magic. I'm not asking you to teach me anything. I'm just asking for common sense and language skills.

Oh, then ......, if that's the case, then there are plenty of people in King's Landing even if it's not me, right?　It won't be hard to find.

I told you it was a fluke. He's twelve. And we have two girls.

It doesn't sound like a problem, does it?

Can I tell you it's a twin?

　Casually, Aldis speaks up, but Kirill's reacts by jumping up and down.

'So--!

　Almost shouting out, Kirill quickly covered his mouth with one hand and looked around.
　Fortunately, it seemed to be a time when there were few customers, and Kirill showed a relieved expression when he didn't seem to attract any attention.

''That's why. I can't have a bad person as a tutor. On that note, Kirill wouldn't mind, would he?

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're talking about.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

...... That's certainly a wacky one. But if that's the case, why don't you tell her, Aldis-san?

　Kirill's questions are valid. But--

'I'm away from home a lot for one reason or another, so it's difficult.

　As expected, I can't leave the twins alone.

　In fact, at home, a servant named Nere is taking care of the twins instead of Aldis.
　If you think it's normal, it would be natural to ask her to be the educator of the twins.

''In the meantime, we do have a stay-at-home mom, but ....... Uh, I'm having a bit of a problem.

　Making an indescribable expression, Aldis says in a crisp tone.
　That must have been funny. I could hear Rona's stealthy laughter faintly escaping from under the table.





　Two hours later.
　After leaving the Seseragi Pavilion, Aldis and the others were walking through the forest towards home.

'We didn't expect to be in this forest again.

Don't worry. I'm not going that deep today.

　He must be remembering the time when they met four years ago.
　Kirill was anxiously peeking around, and followed Ardis closely behind her.

　Come to think of it, Ardis also reminds me of Kirill when I first met him.

　Four years ago, the twins were eight years old, but now they are twelve years old.
　They are exactly the same age as Kirill back then.

　Comparing the twins back then with the twins now, one can keenly feel how young they are.
　I suppose it can't be helped when you can't take them out into the city and they don't have any friends of the same age, but maybe I cherished them too much.

　The twelve-year-old Kirill crossed the border alone, hired mercenaries, and ventured into the forest where demons and beasts roamed.
　Would the current Filia and Liana be able to do that?
　Even if it is not the case that they are twins.

　It's not a good idea to go on like this, either way. That's what Aldis had come to think.
　It was also worrisome that they seemed to be somewhat young in spirit compared to the other children she saw in town.

　When did Aldis begin to think about the twins' education?

　It was their language.
　Perhaps there was an inkling of a change in their language.

Aldishoo," he said. What do you have for me today, Ardis?

　It's only in the last year or so that I noticed a strange ending to that word, which had been conspicuous only for its innocence.

　I had been concerned about this for some time, but the decisive moment came a few months ago when the members of the Byakuya no Myojo came to visit me.
　As a guardian, I wanted to cover my eyes as I watched a twelve-year-old girl say to the bespectacled Ted, "You are...".

　The cause was obvious.

'Here, Phylicia. It's bad manners to eat like that. It's not good for you if you don't make it right.

　No matter how much the twins' protector is Aldis, he is not always with them.
　Instead, it is Nere who spends the most time with the twins.

　It is in the forest, isolated from the rest of the world, where there is no one but us.
　And the twins are still learning and absorbing a lot from their surroundings.
　It was only natural that they would be greatly influenced by Nere.

　It could be said that their honest personalities backfired in this respect.
　Before I knew it, I noticed that the twins' tone of voice had become much the same as Nere's.

Who are you?

Hmm. You're a friend of Aldis'?

　When they arrived at the house, waiting for them were Filia with a smile and a watermelon on her face and Liana with curiosity in her eyes.

　Both of them have grown a lot taller over the past four years, and their faces are becoming more mature as their childishness disappears day by day.
　They no longer show the same frightened look they had when they first met, and they have come to treat the occasional guest that Aldis brings to them without any hesitation.
　Their loveliness is growing day by day, but recently there are glimpses of loveliness in them.

"Filia and her friends are Filia and Liana...

　It is this tone that causes Nere to spoil it.

　If she doesn't say anything, she looks like an ideal daughter, but if she opens her mouth, all that comes out is blunt words without reserve.
　She has no prejudice against the twins, she dispels demons wandering around the forest with ease, and does the housework without a hitch. She's also a good cook.
　It's the right person to leave the twins in your care, but Aldis didn't even think about the fact that his words would be transferred to them.

''You have an unusual way of speaking: ......

...... The one on the left is Filia. The one on the right is Liana.

　To Kirill, who looks puzzled and expresses his thoughts, Aldis throws a finger between her eyebrows and introduces her to him.

''You're Filia-chan and Liana-chan. My name is Kirill. It's nice to meet you.

Mm. Nice to meet you, Kirillou!

　It's a good thing I'm no longer intimidated by people I've never met before.

　I should be able to say hello ...... at least.

　But this language is not acceptable.

　It's a good idea to have a few years to go before they leave the nest and set up on their own with Ardis, but this is not good.
　Even if it is not the fact that they are twins, they will clearly float away from the surroundings.

　It might not be too late to do that now.
　Hoping for such a possibility, Aldis was looking for an educational role.

'Well, that's why. I want Kirill to educate you both.

'Surely the language is ......, it looks bad if we don't do something about it.

　After meeting the twins in person, Kirill felt the need to do so as well.

It's not only that, but neither of them know much about the common sense of the world. That was fine until now, but when I think about the future, it's time to teach them about the outside world as well.

But then...

　Kirill's gaze turns to a woman in the kitchen who is preparing tea.
　The graceful movement of the woman pouring tea into a cup reminds me of a noble family's daughter.

'Why can't I have a woman from there?

'Yeah, ......, I knew you'd think so.'

　But what comes out of Aldis's mouth is a crisp answer.
　In the meantime, Nere brought a tray with tea for five people.
　You'll find yourself looking at Kirill, who is mesmerized by the sight of him, for a moment, before immediately opening her mouth to Ardis.

My Lord. You are thirsty and thirsty. I'm sure you're thirsty, so why not have a smoke first?

　Kirill's eyes rolled up.

'Come on. Call your guest.

　The unexpected tone of Nere's voice caused Kirill to turn his eyes to Ardis as if he wanted to argue.
　It seems that the perceptive man seems to have understood the situation without saying anything.

It's a good idea.

...... Got it.





　Then it was about an hour or so.
　Ardis and Kirill made adjustments to the length of the job and the remuneration, and without much difficulty they came to an agreement.

　In fact, the remuneration offered by Aldis is an unbeatable amount of money compared to the market rate, and it was the best conditions for Kirill, who was looking for a job that he could do while attending school.
　In the royal capital, there are more tutoring jobs compared to other towns, but even so, if you are offered five times the salary that you would normally get for general education level content, there would be no reason to refuse.
　As for Ardis, the amount of money includes the hush money that doesn't mention the existence of the twins, and it wasn't a big expense considering the amount of money he earns from working with Rona on a request to defeat them.

''Then, classes in the afternoon on a day when the school is closed, is that correct?''

'Yeah. That's basically fine with me.

Basically?

　Kirill nodded his head.

'I'm going to spend an hour teaching the twins for a while and the rest of the time training Kirill.

Huh?　Training?　Me?　...... Why?

　Kirill's expression insisted, 'I don't understand,' as he heard the unexpected words.

'What are you talking about? It's fine that I'm here for a while, but when I eventually start going away, Kirill, you're going to come here by yourself?

Huh?　Huh?　............ eek!

　Kirill, who finally understood what Aldis meant, couldn't resist standing up.

''Of course. I can't send you back to the capital forever. I need you to be able to fight off one or two lactors by yourself within two months.

Oh ......, no, that's absurd!

He'll be fine. If you train hard enough, you'll get used to the beast.

Eh, hi, uh, ......

...... Well, it might kill you a few times in the beginning.

　While Kirill was lost for words, Aldis spoke up in a plain whisper of things.