A Maiden’s Unwanted Heroic Epic

Chapter 296 Sigh II

‘Hmmm, the more I look at it, the better it looks. Shall we hold a banquet here to celebrate?’

‘Yes. fufu, I knew you would say that, Ojou-sama, so I already prepared it.’

‘…As always, your preparations are annoyingly thorough.’

The hut built beside the Holy Spirit's Hollow was quite good.

With sturdy wooden stakes driven into the ground, earthen walls, and solid pillars.

It was spacious enough for seven people to sleep, and they were in high spirits when they decided to sleep here during the banquet.

The banquet was really fun, but.

‘What's wrong, Lira?’

"Um, well... Kushenaras-sama come, and with the wings... the hut... it..."

The hut that took a year to build lasted just a week.

It was destroyed by the dragon's flapping wings, along with the handmade furniture.

Selene holed herself up for about three days.

‘Fufun, this time, it's sturdier than before. With this, even your annoyingly disruptive flapping shouldn't be a problem...’

‘Oh, shall we test it?’

‘What? Wait! It's not finished yet—'

It took a year and a half to build an even sturdier hut on the site.

Just as it was nearing completion, Kushenaras blew it away again.

Selene holed herself up for about three days.

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth huts also vanished before the dragon's flapping of wings.

At seventh hut she abandoned the commitment to wood and built it entirely of transmuted rock, which proved to be quite durable.

It might not look very interesting, but it was sturdy and survived for about two hundred years, but when seven dragons gathered at the same time, one of them trampled it without noticing.

And as expected Selene, who had been working on the expansion, holed herself in for about three days.

The eighth hut was moved closer to the cliff to avoid being trampled on, and was also built out of transmuted rock.

She made it to be more like a villa than a hut, and it was quite good, but the cliff collapsed under the impact of a landing, crushing it.

Still not giving up, Selene spent thirty years digging into the cliff's hollow――expanding it and creating a sturdy interior structure like Arna's great temple.

The entrance still looked like a hut, but the inside was expanded to a small mansion and was still being expanded.

There was a tragic incident where the entrance was destroyed by a flying debris caused by a wing flap, but it was repaired and still stood strong.

But it was not just hut.

‘Fufun, what do you think? I think it's pretty good.’

"Well. It's nice. Then... Shall we display it at the entrance?"

Selene made various items, such as pots and ornaments.

“S-Selene-sama...”

"What's wrong, Anne?"

"M-my apologies! ...I was polishing Selene-sama’s pot, but my hand slipped...and it fell off... and along with the horse figurine next to it..."

And like that Anne destroyed it.

‘...Ojou-sama, about the Miersch's villa.’

‘Miersch? Ah...that place. What's the matter?’

‘I went to check on the situation after a long time, and it seems that magic crystals had grown out of the ground... from under the floor...my apologies. For the time being, I checked under the floor of the other villas and removed the magic crystals that had grown there.’

Naturally, the other villas also collapsed.

Selene had experienced many moments in her life when the crystallization of her efforts crumbled in an instant.

And each time, she recovered and rose up.

Small failures had become something she was used to――

“Ahhhh..."

――Not.

A miscalculated strike caused a large crack in the nearly finished statue.

Selene fell to her knees, letting out a weak cry.

"Selene-sama, sure is still as clumsy as ever. Can't you even carve a stationary stone properly?"

"I was carving it! This happened because you yelled at a weird timing!"

"That's just an excuse. Neither my sister nor Onee-sama would make such a foolish mistake."

"You little...!"

As she glared, Kreschenta, unfazed, looked at the crack in the statue and then at Selene with disinterest.

"More importantly, listen to me."

"It's not more important! Why do I have to listen to your petty complaints in this situation? It's probably about Krische and Bery being mean to you while loading, isn't it?"

"It's not a petty complaint!"

"It's a petty complaint no matter how you think about it..."

Tomorrow, they would go to town.

Today, they were loading the carts for that purpose.

Anne was probably helping with that too.

There were about five large carts prepared for each region where they were selling, and they were sorting out the wine barrels, crops, Selene's swords, and silver ornaments. The fine wines were especially bottled and labeled, which was quite a lot of work.

Kreschenta’s help mostly consisted of ‘Help me, Krische. Help me, Bery. Help me, Krische Bery. Help me, Bery Bery Krische’, spending more time being a hindrance than actually helping, and when she didn't get much attention, she'd sulk and come to Selene.

It was a familiar pattern.

Knowing that her three months of effort had been effortlessly ruined by such trivial matters was indescribable.

Still, she didn't feel like complaining.

Kreschenta was on the same level as Gururun――a rather clever animal.

She wouldn't be able to survive if she got angry at everything Kreschenta did.

’Sigh’, Selene sighed and massaged her forehead.

As expected, she didn't have the energy to continue making stone statues and went to the workshop.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Kreschenta trailed behind her, calling out.

She was more of a pet than a human.

Even now, people talked about her as the greatest ruler in history, but every time she heard such stories, she was astonished at how far away from reality it was.

It was hard for Selene to believe that this child had ruled a country.

Looking back, it was a wonder how they managed to keep it hidden.

Of course, like Krische, Kreschenta intelligence far surpassed even Berry, who was exceptionally smart, but she was fatally stupid and childish.

She was completely self-centered, only interested in her own desires, and had the sensibilities of a five-year-old.

She was a little smarter than Krische and had a good outward appearance, but now that she no longer needed to put on an appearance, all that remained was the sensibilities of a silly five-year-old.

When they were over there, she still seemed a little more mature than Krische, but since coming here, the situation had reversed.

Selene entered the workshop and sat on the partially made sofa, and Kreschenta climbed onto her lap.

‘Sigh’, sighing again, she patted Crescenda's head.

Kreschenta relaxed her cheeks in satisfaction, as if saying that’s good.

Selene then slumped down on the sofa in a sloppy manner, and Kreschenta leaned over her.

Holding Selene’s cheeks in her hands, she slowly kissed her.

"...Fine, if it’s sleeping together, my grumpy princess."

"Don't mock me. But if you want to sleep with you, I'll allow it."

Kreschenta replied with a happy smile, and pressed her face against Selene's chest.

Her appearance was adorable, and her beautiful golden hair shimmered faintly red in the dim workshop.

Selene kissed that hair.

"Yes, yes, Kreschenta, would you please sleep with me?"

"Fufun, guees I have no choice."

Kreschenta answered with satisfaction, closing her eyes, and using Selene’s left hand as a pillow behind her head.

With her other hand, Selene pulled a blanket draped over the back of the sofa and covered them, sighing again.

How many sighs had she let out since coming here? She wondered, gently patting Kreschenta’s back.

In no time, Kreschenta’s breath turned into a sleeping sound――she probably just wanted to take a nap.

Kreschenta sleeps really well.

She went to bed earlier than anyone else, woke up later than anyone else, and took a nap when the sun dipped slightly below the zenith.

She probably came here after being chased away by Krische for asking to nap together.

Except for her morning nap, Kreschenta always wanted to sleep with someone.

Poking her cheek made her frown, and watching this, Selene smiled wryly.

She had changed a lot from the dangerous aura she had when they first met.

Selene rarely asked about her past before they met.

It probably wasn't a particularly enjoyable time for her either.

Apart from the story of the servant, Nora, she never spoke of those days, so perhaps it was a reaction to that childhood.

She seemed to become more childish with age, living an eternal childhood now.

Enjoying endless freedom without any restraint, Kreschenta was probably the one who enjoyed immortality the most.

Selene patted her, closing her eyes as well.

Hoping, when she wakes up, the shock from earlier would be gone from her head.

In a room――on her mother's lap.

Her mother appeared in the middle of her study and said, ‘Study time is over, Selene’, grabbing her waist and lifting her out of the chair, then sat on the sofa with Selene in her arms.

As usual, Berry was nagging, but her mother didn't pay any attention to her and banged on the table, whining that she wanted cookies and tea.

And she would always told Selene the same old line.

"Selene, don't become someone who only thinks about complicated things like Bery. You'll end up like that kid and only be able to nag."

“...Nee-sama”

Berry sighed in exasperation, but still she prepared tea and cookies for her mother.

She wondered if Bery had sighed every day back then.

But Selene always found it strange that Bery looked happy despite her mother being so selfish.

On days when her mother didn't come, she also gave them both cookies.

But on the days her mother came over, she always made three servings of cookies.

Bery was always perfect, never making a mistake.

She was the complete opposite of her irresponsible and careless mother, and everything she did was flawless, but her mother seemed to want her to learn from her negative example.

No matter how she looked at it, Bery was impressive, but their mother always exuded a mysterious confidence.

"The important thing in life is whether it's fun or not. Sometimes, it's essential to throw your studies aside and take a break to do what you love. Selene, you're smart like me. Even if you study just enough, when you grow up, you'll be able to manage just fine, like your mother."

"Just enough..."

"Nee-sama, why would you discourage her when she's finally motivated?"

"Your job might be to make Selene a proper lady of the Christand family, but mine is to spoil and cherish her. This balance is just right."

‘I think that's a bit unfair’, Bery sighed again.

She sat down next to them and slumped her shoulders.

"Selene is serious in weird ways, just like Bogan. I'm worried she'll start saying she wants to be like you. You try to do everything perfectly because you think you need to be an example for Selene. If she thinks that’s normal, it would be a tragedy.”

"I think it's equally tragic if she thinks Nee-sama sloppiness is normal..."

"How rude. How dare you speak to your elder sister like that?"

"...Nee-sama, you've never once shown me what proper manners are."

"Of course not, Bery. An elder sister is supposed to receive courtesy from her younger sister. It’s not the other way around."

Their mother was always overbearing.

In an argument, Bery would usually present a valid point, but their mother would never listen and would boldly spout her own selfish reasoning, leaving Bery defeated.

"Selene, let me ask you something. Who is more admirable, someone with a lot of knowledge or someone without it?"

"Um... the one with more knowledge..."

"Then, who is better at math, someone who calculates quickly or someone who is slow?"

"...? The one who is quick..."

"You're fundamentally wrong. Both answers are incorrect. Whether someone is good or bad with a sword, quick or slow at calculations, it has nothing to do with being admirable."

Bery sighed again, clutching her forehead in exasperation.

Her mother continued.

"If simply having great abilities was a good thing, then Bery would be a queen by now. Such things are trivial and insignificant. Of course, it's better to have abilities, but even without them, a truly admirable person is still admirable. Just like your mother."

"Y-yes..."

"If you don't have knowledge, ask someone who does. If you're slow at math, let someone good at it handle it. You don’t need to be perfect at everything yourself. You can rely on others."

While saying this, her mother would hug her tightly, nuzzling her hair.

"In return, Selene, you should help those people when they are in trouble. If you can make friends all over the world in this way, no matter what huge problem stands in your way, you'll be able to solve it. With the smartest, strongest, and wealthiest people on your side, any problem becomes simple, right?"

"That’s...maybe"

"If there's someone who is the most admirable in the world, it's someone like that. Your respected father is able to handle his significant responsibilities because he's found many dependable people. It's not about being smart or good with a sword."

‘Do you understand?’ her mother asked, and Selene nodded, half-understanding.

Her mother smiled and hugged Selene happily, like a stuffed animal.

"Well, if you understand, then first you need to get along with Okaa-sama and Bery and rely on us more. Just worry about studying or other complicated things in moderation."

"Just in moderation..."

"If you ask Berry about those troublesome things, she'll usually be able to help you out. Okaa-sama does the same. Bery is happy to listen to my requests. She's happy to listen to Selene's requests, too."

"...Look here Nee-sama"

"Don’t interrupt and ruin my talk. Just when I'm telling Selene something very important and motherly."

Bery sighed again, and her mother said, ‘You just need to say, 'Yes, you are right,' and nothing else’.

"While being diligent is a good trait of Selene's, the world is vast. No matter how hard you try, there are always people you can't match. Problems will come in the future that you can't solve just by trying hard. The important thing is to find many people you can rely on."

"...Yes."

"In that regard, Selene is lucky. You have a wonderful mother like me, Bery who can solve difficult problems easily, and your father, the best general in the kingdom. You've been blessed with reliable people from the moment you were born."

‘That concludes your mother’s valuable lesson’, her mother said, taking a bite out of a cookie.

That's what her mother had told Selene over and over again.

She thought she understood, but she probably didn't.

It wasn't until decades later that Selene truly understood her mother's words.

‘Mother is a very intelligent person’ she thought.

Unlike Berry, she didn't have a wealth of knowledge, nor the ability to do things easily, nor the ability to calculate. She was lazy, careless, and sloppy.

But she was always herself, and could see many things.

If she had properly understood her mother's teachings, she would not have been swayed by her emotions, and most of her worries would have easily melted away.

But Selene just kept running, chasing after Bery, who she couldn't caught up to, chasing after Krische, chasing after Kreschenta.

Even though she only needed to take the hand extended to her, she stubbornly pushed herself.

If her mother had seen her, she would have scolded her, saying, ‘What an idiot’.

‘That's not what those kids would want from you’.

And in fact, it was just as her mother said.

By entrusting herself to the smartest, strongest, and richest people in the world, all of Selene's problems were easily solved.

Selene became the world's greatest marshal, war disappeared from the continent for a time, and now she was living happily with the people she loves.

It was so simple that it made her worry seem foolish.

She didn't think she had surpassed her father, or her mother.

It wasn't that she had become as smart as Bery, or that she had become like her.

But those things were trivial and insignificant.

Selene was only Selene, and whether she liked or hated her, she could never be more or less than Selene.

That was only natural, and she was sure Bery felt the same way.

Bery undoubtedly respected her mother from the bottom of her heart, knowing she couldn’t be like her, which was why she loved her so.

It was the same with Krische, Kreschenta, and all other people.

There was no one who had everything, and that was why they admired each other and live their lives complementing each other.

The important thing in life was whether it was fun or not.

Their mother’s words were extreme and unreasonable, but they probably came from acknowledging her own shortcomings and finding an answer from there.

Such words wouldn’t come if one didn’t graduate from longing for what they lacked.

"Just so you know, Bery, I'm saying this to you too. Sometimes, you need to abandon your work and spend a whole day lounging around."

"...If I truly did that, neither the cookies nor the tea you're enjoying now would appear."

"You fool. Do you think your job is to serve your elder sister? That’s your duty as a younger sister."

“...Sigh”

She remember Bery sighing at her selfish and self-centered older sister.

She felt sorry for Bery, she also found it curious that Bery seemed inexplicably happy.

A sigh out of her loved one selfishness.

Despite being exasperated and frustrated, cherishing the daily life of being troubled by such things was precious.

Selene too, now knew that.