Chirem Act 6-5.2

Act 6-5: The Culprit Is, After All, That Witch
TL: Cnine
ED/PF:
R1[1–3], R2[4–5]

Part 4

　Or so I thought—until Arcana dropped a remark that day, one akin to a bombshell.

　〝If I am to become Silvia’s mother, then you, my dear, would be her father… Would you not?〟

　She pressed close to me and, before Sera and the others, behaved as though our marriage were already a matter of fact. Then, urging Silvia toward me, she made me treat the girl as though she were my very own daughter.

　Those words—those gestures—stirred something within my heart. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. Yet there was no doubt that they became the root of everything that followed after.

　As she went on calling me “Papa”… and as I yielded to the charade, bit by bit, Silvia began to open her heart to me with each passing day. In fact, she grew increasingly attached—her affection shifting from polite warmth to the unguarded sweetness of a daughter.

　And so it was that a most unusual creature was wrought—a statuesque beauty, full-bosomed and the gardener by trade; brusque and distant with all others, yet with me alone, tender, devoted, and endearingly sweet. By all appearances, Silvia should have been older than I, yet fate had chosen otherwise.

　「By the way, Papa――what brought you here?」

　Silvia slipped off me, yet still held fast to my hand, tugging gently as she asked her question.

　「You and the Goddess-sama, in the flesh, actually used the teleportation magic item given by Arcana-sama… Surely, it wasn’t for Silvia’s sake alone… was it?」

　Helping me to my feet, Silvia lowered her brows in sorrow. Ah—don’t look at me like that, please.

　「Ah… forgive me. The truth is, you’re right. Well… I happened to get caught up in a little trouble while I was out in the city.」

　「A little... trouble? What happened?」

　「Well, it’s not a big deal.」

　Not wishing to burden Silvia with worry, I fixed a faint smile upon my face and let my answer trail into vagueness.

　Yet it proved to be a poor move. For Silvia’s expression tightened in displeasure, and with a step forward she closed the distance between us.

　「Surely that cannot be so, right? If it were but a trivial matter, your skill and Pause Function alone would have been enough to handle any situation. No, this must have been a storm beyond even your power to weather—one that left you no choice but to flee here for refuge… Am I wrong?」

　「Urgh, that’s...」

　「Upon closer look, both your clothes and hair are dusted with sand… So please, tell me truly what happened. Silvia worries for you, Papa… she truly does.」

　And then she clasped my hand, gazing up at me. With eyes that shone with earnest concern—tell me, who could ever refuse such a heartfelt plea?

　I could no longer hide the truth. With a quiet sigh, I began, “The truth is…” Then I laid out the matter in summary, and when all was said, Silvia gave a small, understanding nod.

　「I see… So it was that fellow, Chris, who ambushed you…」

　「Well, ‘ambushed’ might not really be the best choice of word… However, there’s no denying that’s exactly what happened. Still, I don’t think she truly wanted to kill me… maybe.」

　「My thoughts exactly...」

　Unconvinced by my attempt at reassurance, Silvia wore a troubled expression. Yet if I didn’t put it that way, she would surely come to see Chris as an enemy—and worse, knowing my life was in danger, she might try to lock me up here. That would be disastrous.

　To be honest, I was running out of time.

　「I promise you, it’s nothing to worry about. Now then, I should be heading back. I’ll come for you myself next time, Silvia—so you’ll welcome me then, won’t you?」

　Chris had already cost me precious time, and with the journey back to town still ahead, I would be cutting it close to make the appointed hour. True, with the Pause Function I could avoid being late as often as I wished—but that was no excuse for being careless. This was a matter of principle.

　Then, gently stroking Silvia’s head, I took Bell with me and descended the stairs.

　「Please wait a minute.」

　——Just before I could leave, Silvia caught hold of my sleeve.

　「Papa, where do you intend to go now?」

　「Where else… home, of course. I’ve had enough of Chris pestering me again, so I thought I’d spend the rest of the day taking it easy indoors…」

　「Is that really so? Dressed so finely in those formal clothes… and even the Goddess-sama has made herself so presentable. Are you by chance, in fact, planning to go out—just the two of you, or perhaps to meet someone else?」

　「Eh?」

　I’d kept that secret precisely to avoid trouble—so how on earth did she see through me?! Was this what they call a woman’s intuition? Dear me, that was terrifying!

　And as I spun back in a fluster, Silvia—taking my reaction as confirmation of her suspicion—suddenly pressed herself tightly against my chest.

　「After finally getting to see you… after waiting so long for you to come… you’d still leave me behind, Papa, just to go and spend time with your friends?」

　「W-Well, it’s not—」

　「I want to go and have fun with you too, Papa. I don’t want to be left all alone in this empty place anymore…」

　「Wait a second—Silvia, aren’t you bound by Arcana’s command? You can’t leave this place, can you?」

　「Indeed… but if Papa were to grant me permission—if you were the one to take me with you, then surely Arcana-sama would allow it.」

　「...」

　「Papa...」

　So please, don’t look at me like that! It made me feel guilty! How was I supposed to enjoy a holiday with Ein and the others now?

　And then, brushing furiously at the hair I’d so carefully set for today, I…

　「Ha~h...」

　「...?」

　「You mustn’t call me Papa in public… understood?」

　「... Yes! Thank you, Papa!」

　「Fueee?! W-What’s now...!」

　Silvia leapt at me once more, pressing me into her embrace, and I went tumbling flat onto the floor.

　…Perhaps I should have brought some stomach medicine.