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Chapter 5: Leo name changes to Leonora.
「Yo, morning.」
「Good morning, my cute dear. Did you sleep well last night? 」
Seated in a huge dining room that could fill tens of people, were the broadly smiling marquis and his wife.
「Good, morning.」
While worry about whether or not the two will break out into a song, Leo timidly answered.
Leo was relieved that it doesn’t seem to be the case, seeing that they started eating calmly.
The menu lined up for today was, a hot and steamy soup, bread packed full of dried fruit, well-cooked delicious looking back bacon, slightly elegant looking and perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs, and to top it off, mulled wine with yogurt and honey.
Compared to other nobles, it was a fairly simple breakfast. But for Leo, it was an extravagant feast equal to that of something accompanying the spirits festival or thanksgiving.
Fortunately, they only provided a single spoon and fork for Leo. However, he wanted to fully concentrate on enjoying the meal without having to worry about any manners at all.
(Like I’d use a spoon and spill a drop of this extravagant soup…!)
Since he usually never gets to eat a meat dish, he thought about eating it heartily with his hands but, thinking about it again, getting all the grease all over your hands is a waste so he reconsidered. If he used tableware, he could keep enjoying the meal till his heart’s content.
The spoon will obviously be finished off with the bread. To avoid accidentally letting even a single grain of his bread going to waste, he firmly closed his mouth and chewed carefully.
(So good!)
The high class butter, the greasy covered bacon.
Wafting from the abundantly filled high calorie dishes, was the pleasant smell of money. Leo loosened his cheeks as he enjoyed himself.
The marquis couple lovingly gazed at their granddaughter as she floated an entranced smile.
Bringing together the modest meal today for their granddaughter who lived among the commoners until yesterday was a concern for the two. They choose only things that didn’t require any table manners at all.
But still, she’s still a young and growing girl. They had resolved that she would have messily eaten with her hands but, rather than that, she precisely used her cutlery and ate like a refined model lady, thoroughly chewing her food. Moreover, it looks like she even shot us a happy smile as well.
Having their expectations be betrayed for the better, the two thanked from the bottom of their hearts.
「Thank you, for meal」
Leo did not leave even a single crumb on his lips – it was accomplished through arduous effort – once the meal was over, he started to talk to the two smiling people.
「Uhm. Something, talk about.」
「A request?」
「Yes」
Leo decisively expressed his request towards the attentive marquis.
「I, school, want to go early」
「Ah. School is going to be starting tomorrow. You’re looking forward to going aren’t you.」
「That’s not it. Today, right now, want to go.」
Once he passionately expressed his feelings to go ‘right now!’, the madam had a troubled look on her face.
「Hm, what’s wrong?」
「Kar-sama, not here. There is no longer, reason for me to be here.」
Leo wanted to straight forwardly declare that since his gold coin isn’t here, there’s no longer a reason for him to be here but,
「My…! Don’t say such sad things. We don’t think of you as dear’s replacement at all! You are, without a doubt, our precious granddaughter! 」
Since Emilia suddenly became very high strung, Leo became nervous.
(For some reason the talk about Claudia came up again but I really can’t see the reasoning here.)
To reaffirm that this is talk about his gold coin, he decided to rephrase his words.
「Umm…Money, don’t have. That’s why, want to go school, early.」
「Money!? What are you saying? Certainly, with your degree of magical power, all of your needs would be paid through scholarship at the school but, you needn’t worry about such things! 」
Heart-struck with emotion by her brave grandchild who doesn’t want to be a burden on their family and quickly leave the residence, Emilia started to shed tears.
In place of his wife who couldn’t continue, the marquis stepped in.
「Leena. First off, please let us apologize. For all of the things you had to suffer through until now, I apologize. …Everything, it was all due to our lax and cowardice attitudes.」
Leo somehow or another understood that they felt bad that their granddaughter had to grow up in the lower city.
Leo held himself back from telling them that, No no, even now their daughter, as well as their granddaughter are happily living out their lives in the middle of the lower city at a bakery.
「But please, listen to us. You are our precious grandchild. I, we want you to know that we wish to provide anything that you would need. That’s why, you don’t have to worry about having to leave early at all」
Leo inclined his head to the side.
「Then…stay here forever, okay?」
Of course he wanted to immediately go retrieve his gold coin but, after which he’ll return here and wait for Leena’s magic to recover. Even though he won’t be able to make any money living here but, being about to eat delicious meals for free every day is very tempting for Leo.
However, while stroking his beard, the marquis shook his head in disappointment.
「No… Even though we also wish for you to stay here, attending the academy is not just a privilege of nobles, it is also their duty. We can’t afford to allow the dragon’s blood that flow through our veins to sit idle. If we don’t learn to understand it, control it, manipulate it, over time the magic power in our bodies will become poison.
「Poison…」
If it was snake poison, depending on the method treatment you could make some money out of it, but it didn’t seem that way. Thinking that magic power is truly a nuisance, Leo’s face darkened.
「But, Leena. Before you go to the academy, there’s something we want to give to you.」
「Present!?」
If it’s free then anything is good. Leo swiftly raised his eyes.
「Mmh. – Attending the academy is an honor for nobles but, until you get used to it, you must have many worries right. To protect you from those with ill intentions, please allow us to give you a new name.」
「Name?」
While repeating with a bewildered tone, Leo thought that ‘that’s not something I can resell…’
As his granddaughter stared blankly with an innocent expression, the marquis tenderly announced,
「Leonora. From now, will you change your name to Leonora von Harkenberg? This name will protect you from all evil and ill intentions.」
While Leo’s eyes were twinkling,
「…Yes」
He made a small nod.
「Leonora. More than Leena, it fits.」
At any rate, it was closer to his original name.
(Ah… Even though she has gone through much misfortune, she must have some emotional attachment to the name Leena. But for our sake, she decisively threw it away, and agreed to receive the new name.)
Even though her granddaughter was still so young, she displayed so much wisdom and consideration. Once again, Emilia was moved by her.
***
In the end, rather than answering Leo’s wish to go to the academy today, they pushed it aside and the couple spent the whole day being together till the last moments instead.
At first Leo was dissatisfied but, he was lured by the marquis’s obviously expensive sword collection and then again, spent time admiring and evaluating all the ornaments in the room as well. Before he knew it, it became noon, then night time arrived. Seeing the marquis couple spend their time accompanying the spirit like girl walking around with a serious expression, everyone in the mansion floated a smile.
「Aah.」
Even though until just now his master had been in a good mood, after entering the room she covered her face with both her hands, seeing this, Kai became surprised and rushed forward.
「Leonora-sama, is there something the matter?」
After seeing that outside the window, it had become completely dark, he despaired.
「In the end, couldn’t replace, Kar-sama… ! 」
Instead of returning to the academy today, Leo had wanted to trick the marquis couple into compensating him with something that would make up for the gold coin. In spite of which, Kai had heard it as 「Was I a good replacement for Kaa-sama? 」and then absorbedly answered 「We’ve said countlessly, you are not a replacement!」 While shedding tears. In the end, Leo did not receive even a single copper coin.
(For today’s income to be zero…!)
(Not being aware was my greatest error. As I thought, I should immediately go to the academy.)
While the girl stared in to the darkness of the night with a strained face saying 「Kaa-sama…」, Kai began to worry.
「Leonora-sama」
He took both her small white hands. Even though it had only been a day since he met his young master, Kai wanted to console her, he was filled with conviction to see her smile.
「You must wish to see your Kaa-sama’s visage, no matter where right?」
He wasn’t able to follow all the small murmurs the girl had made but, Kai understood the utterance of his master just now.
「Am I enough?」
「Eh」
「I… Kai Greisler, please think of me as Leonora-sama’s very own Kaa-sama. No matter what kind of suffering or cold storm you have to endure, I will protect you from it.」
After the suddenly declaration of become a human wallet ( Kar-sama), Leo faltered. Protecting him from poverty and his money from the cold is very appreciative but, even for Leo, it would be awkward for him to get money from the pocket of a young boy.  – At the Hannah orphanage, there was a saying 「Children have to obey adults, and adults have to protect children no matter what.」 Even if the age differed only one or two, it still applied.
And then looking at this boy named Kai, he seemed like he was younger than Leo, at best he would be the same again.
「Uhm, no. I appreciate the sentiment but…」
「Is it no good?」
「No good.」
Being shot down, Kai floated a tragic and grim expression, Leo felt the need to remonstrate him.
「Don’t say, such things. I worry for your future. Kai is Kai. You can’t become Kar-sama. Kar-sama also, can’t become Kai. Please find, another way.」
Most likely, Kai had fallen for Leena’s so called 「Carefully crafted by the spirits’ beauty.」
But, gold is gold, and humans are humans, there’s obviously a difference between them. Kai too, you shouldn’t come up to a girl you just met and declare 「Hi I’m finance-kun」. Instead, you should get a steady income, and instead, impress the girl that you have your eyes on with your hard earned labor.
Leo found himself worrying about the boy who he had no connection with.
(This guy, even though he had such good skills, he probably had a lot of disappointments huh. He doesn’t seem like such a bad guy, while we’re together, I guess I should treat him as a younger brother and help him out huh.)
Fundamentally speaking, Leo was nice to those who were weaker or younger than him, he decided that even if he gets hungry, he won’t extort Kai.
「Leonora-sama…」
Instead of being someone else, devote yourself to me as the person named Kai.
Was the message that Kai received. From then on he would continue to devote himself to his profession and in the future, the butler holding the name of Greisler would be known throughout the lands. However, the two of them right now did not know the significance of this moment.