The Tale of the Teapot Hero’s Revenge

Chapter 11 - A New Beginning

Well, I fell fast asleep being held by Beato. Thanks to that, I woke up feeling refreshed. First thing I did after waking up, nevertheless, I sent her back to her room and I then picked out some clothes from the closet to wear. I didn't really care about my appearance, but I made sure to tidy up the hairpin Claire gave me in front of the mirror before leaving the room.

I wanted to hear more detailed stories from Balge-san, and I also wanted to have breakfast. Following the smell of food, I head towards the stairs.

"......!!"

"...Is Beato hungry too?"

"...Hmm, hmm."

No need to nod so many times, I could tell without that.

Also, when did you end up behind me, and when did you grab my hem?

The two of us went up the stairs and lift the secret door to enter the shop. It seemed like they're still preparing, as the curtain at the entrance was still closed.

"We should go towards the back of the shop."

"...!"

We headed towards the direction where the smell was coming from after making sure to hide the staircase properly. Towards the back of the counter, to the living space. The smell was coming from the back of the first floor. By the way, this house had two stories but counting the basement, it's three stories.

Passing through a room that looked like a living room, I reached the kitchen, where it turned out that neither Joanna nor Balge-san were cooking. It was a girl with pink hair in a ponytail, humming as she stirred a pot. She seemed to be a little younger than me.

"Hehe, oh, did Nii-san wake up?" said the girl when she noticed our presence.

"...You're not Nii-san, who are you guys?"

She glared at us with a knife in her hand. Well, that's scary.

"Wait a minute! Haven't you heard? I'm Kyrie! The Hero!"

"The Hero...? Ah, you're the one Nii-san was talking about yesterday. He said, 'Starting from today, we'll have a couple of people causing trouble below.'"

Was she imitating him? Anyway, it seemed like she's satisfied and went back to cooking. If she’s calling him Nii-san, then she must be Balge-san's sister.

And there's Beato behind me, growling. Was she a dog or something, this girl?

"A little more and it'll be done, so just sit wherever."

"Uh, okay, understood..."

She seemed quite strong-willed. If she’s a fierce dog, then Beato following me around was like a loyal dog. As I sat obediently in the chair at the table as instructed, Beato naturally sat next to me.

"Here, it's ready!"

Bacon and eggs were placed on the table with a thud. There's enough for me, Beato, the presumed sister, and Balge-san. Speaking of Balge-san, he finally came down from the second floor in his pajamas with a big yawn.

I gratefully enjoyed my meal, and Beato and I quickly finished eating. Meanwhile, Balge-san and his sister ate very elegantly. These siblings seemed to have been raised well.

"...Well, then. You have a face that looks like you're dying to hear some stories."

"Do I have that kind of expression? I'm curious, though. About Balge-san and yesterday's knight."

I tried to keep my expression unchanged, but I guess I've been doing it the whole time.

"Oh, you mean that. He's my Nii-san."

"Nii-san, that's what you called him before too. Is he your real brother?"

"Yeah, his name is Gilius Littner. He's currently serving the king as the captain of the Third Royal Guard."

"Brutogyu...? But, he knew about the Resistance, right?"

He'd be in a pretty bad position if he's discovered, wouldn't he? He seemed like a nice person, but I became quite anxious upon hearing this.

"He's an insider who supports us. My brother originally joined the knights with the intention of taking the king's head. Working together as siblings, we'll cooperate from inside and outside to overthrow the king. Regardless of who dies in the process, there will be no regrets. That's the oath we made."

"I see. You and your brother, why do you fight?"

"...Why do you fight, Hero-san?"

After a brief silence, I was asked that in return. But the answer to that question was already decided from the beginning.

"For revenge. To avenge my family and everyone in the village."

"I see, it seems like it's the same situation I heard about. Well, having a motive for a grand goal is not that different for everyone."

"Similar... So, Balge-san and the others too?"

"It's something like that... Hey, do you know Stige?"

"I don't know. Is it a place?"

"Yeah, it's my homeland. A small country that was crushed to death by a giant elephant. Our grudge against this kingdom is still alive."

That's all the explanation he gave. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it that much, which I understand. I also didn't want to remember that night.

"Nii-san, if you keep talking about difficult things, I'll get bored and go wash the dishes."

"Oh, sorry about that, Stra."

She gathered up the dishes on the table and got up from her seat.

She doesn't seem to be very interested in the Resistance, does she?

"Ah, your name is Stra."

"Yes, I'm Stra Littner. I'll be counting on you, free-loader Hero-san."

She really seemed feisty. She looked at me with eyes like she's looking at a freeloading pig. While carrying the dishes, Stra headed towards the kitchen, and Balge-san saw her off with a wry smile.

"Well, she's that kind of person, don't mind her."

"It's fine, really. To be honest, I don't have much intention of getting along with her."

"Oh, is that so? Well, it can't be helped, considering what happened."

It seemed like he knew my situation. If so, Joanna had already told him.

Speaking of her...

"Where's Joanna? I can't find her anywhere."

"That woman, during daylight, is running around collecting information. She’s a professional informant, and a very reliable one at that. She had already brought us several crucial pieces of information."

"I see..."

If I remembered correctly, Gilius-san said that person was a newcomer. But if she had already made such significant contributions in a short period of time, it's understandable that she was trusted.

"Among that information, your existence, the Hero, is fatal to the king. They tried to cover up your assassination by even destroying a village. If we publicly expose this, we can do a lot of damage to the other side. That said, the source of the rumors is crucial. If we spread them thoughtlessly, they will be dismissed as baseless rumors. Furthermore--"

"Furthermore, my existence serves as a just cause to overthrow the king. Right?"

"Oh, you got it. You're quite good."

"It's all information I heard from Joanna, though."

"...So, once they find out that you're alive, they will come after you with full force."

"...Ah."

That's right. In other words, I...

"So, I can't go out freely, right? Should I stay in the basement all the time?"

"That would be too depressing, isn’t it? Besides, it's not good to leave two freeloaders here. That's why Joanna got this for us."

We were handed clothes, each for me and Beato.

"For now, change your clothes. We'll talk after that."

I returned to the basement room and changed into the clothes I received. For some reason, Beato was with me as well.

"...Huh?"

When I spread out the folded clothes, I immediately noticed something abnormal. These were men's clothes. Loose-fitting, casual shirts, work pants and a jacket, and a hat to hide my hair that reached my shoulders. I see, so I'm supposed to disguise myself as a man.

"Well, I do have a decent chest, can I really hide it with this?"

I didn't know, but I tried them on for now. I put on the jacket, gathered my hair and wore the hat deeply. I then looked in the mirror, and saw that the person on the other side looked damn good. With the loosely fitting clothes, I could also camouflage my chest.

"...! ...!"

And Beato seemed happy too.

"Come on, Beato, let's change. You've been in your pajamas all this time."

"..."

Why was she staring at me like that? Don't tell me she wants me to change her clothes too?

"Well, you can change by yourself, right?"

"............"

She reluctantly started changing. Why did she seem disappointed?

After changing, we headed to the first floor where the shop was located. Of course, we made sure to hide the staircase to the basement properly.

Beato's attire was a simple dress that looked like that of a regular town girl. However, to avoid drawing attention to her thin body, she wore long sleeves and a long skirt, minimizing the exposure of her skin. It's winter now, so it's a natural and good choice. She also let her long hair hang down to her waist and tied it up at the back of her head. Every time she moved, it swayed and looked like a dog's tail.

And also, the old worn-out collar she used to wear has been removed, and for some reason, it was replace by a new collar with a similar design. Was it an accessory? What's Joanna thinking?

"Oh, you're here. You both look good in those clothes."

"I'm not happy about it."

"I think it's a classic compliment for a lady."

I think you should choose the right time and place for such compliments. Balge-san, who had no sense of delicacy, was currently in the middle of preparing to open the shop.

"Now, both of you. All members of the Resistance have adopted civilian occupations and blended in with the general public."

"Yes, I've heard that from Joanna."

"In that case, it's simple. Your official occupation will be as employees of my shop. From today, you work here."

Well, I had no complaints as long as they let us stay. Though I think it's a bit strange to dress as men while hiding our identities.

Beato and I nod in agreement, and this was how my new life began.

The news of General Carion's assassination reached King Brutogyu's ears that same evening. The next morning, he summoned the oracle Judas and had her divine the existence of the Hero to at least confirm whether she was alive or not even if she couldn't determined her whereabouts. And the result of the oracle's divination was--

"Your Majesty, the Hero, Kirie, is alive."

For him, it was the worst possible outcome.