The Story of Gothic Lady Who Met a Grave Keeper in Another World - Chapter 22

So I made this and that with whatever materials I could find.

?With a big smile on her face, she lined up his creations made from scraps.

?It’s not that she was trying to get praise for them.

?But she wanted to brag a little.

?She was also curious to see how well her sewing skills would be received in this world.

?As soon as he arrived at the cemetery, she greeted Mr. Sciuto, who had gone through Mr. Thorden and knocked on her door, and with a burst of anticipation, she immediately showed him her creation.

?Mr Sciuto, holding a huge cloth bag in both hands like Santa Claus, stared at her and her products with a blank stare.

“… This and that?”

She answered him, “Yes, … uh, I made bags, clothes, stuffed animals made from straws, and so on.”

?As for the stuffed animals, of course, she really wanted to use cotton, but couldn’t seem to find anything but straw in the graveyard, so she compromised with straw from the stables.

?Well, it is taking shape. It is!

?She was so confident in showing it off, but now she is starting to feel embarrassed.

?So what? Maybe he thinks of her as a child showing childish drawings.

She is sure they’ll say, “So what?

?In times like this, she sometimes thinks it would have been better if he didn’t understand her.

?I don’t know.

?Mr. Thorden would definitely praise her, he doesn’t compliment her, but he acts like, he’s impressed with her.

?It’s like he’s a reactionary comedian.

?In contrast, Mr. Sciuto’s brow wrinkles deeply and he compares the results with her with difficulty.

?Then he finally put the Santa Claus bag in his hand on the floor and said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about this for a while.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, sweetheart. How did you get that dress?”

“…Yes?”

“I don’t suppose you sewed it?”

“Yes.”

“…… can you sew other things?”

“It depends.”

?She casts a glance at the array of products.

?She glanced at the artefacts on display, but Mr Sciuto didn’t pay any attention to them.

“And what about a dress like that?”

“Yes, if I only had a sewing kit and some fabric”, she answered without hesitation.

?Then Mr. Sciuto let out a deep, deep sigh and walked up to me.

“Who the hell are you? When I asked you if you had any special skills, why didn’t you tell me?”

“What??Because I don’t have any special skills!?I’m an amateur.”

“I don’t think you understand me very well, young lady.”

“Yes, sir.”

“These clothes will sell for a lot of money. If you really can make similar clothes, a noblewoman will gladly ask you to tailor them for her.”

“Yes?”

“My Lady.”

?Yes, it is very embarrassing to be called “Lady” so many times.

?After all, she and Mr. Sciuto are both quite old.

?She can’t see it no matter how many times she looks at him. She sure she’s in her forties, right? He is a nice middle-aged man.

?She was trying to escape from the reality that she could not catch up with the sudden flow of things, and Mr Sciuto kept piling on.

“If you have this right things, you won’t have to be a slave.”

?Process. This is a process.

?It’s a great leap forward. It’s a breakthrough.

?It’s a reversal of assumptions.

?She couldn’t get my head around it all.

All she could do was to ask stupid questions like, “Oh, is that right, ……?”

?

?”No,” he said.

?Just a little bit.

?Excuse me, Mr. Sciuto, Mr. Sciuto.

?I’m talking about the person standing behind you.

?Yes, I’m talking about the big, younger guy who is standing on my doorstep with a face like it’s the end of the world.

?

“……Is what you just said getting through to Mr. Thorden?”, I asked fearfully, pointing behind Mr. Sciuto.

?Mr. Sciuto turned to Mr. Thorden over his shoulder and turned to Mr. Thorden again with a serious face.

“You heard me, didn’t you?Thorden.”

?

?I see!?I see!

?That’s why you looked like a child who heard the topic of being abandoned by his parents!?

?That’s right!

?And to such Mr. Thorden, Mr. Scuito is merciless.

“Once again, it’s your choice, Thorden. Whether or not to sell Eri Himeno to the state.”

Oh…

“If she has this much sewing skill, she can be treated almost as well as a nobleman, given her rarity as a person. It’s a very different story from a twenty-eight-year-old woman with no skills of any kind.”

?Wait a minute.

?The word “twenty-eight-year-old woman with no skills” is quite effective to my heart, Mr. Sciuto.

?You’ve never thought of me that way before.

“You have no room to be bothered, Thorden. You came to me in the first place to ask me to protect Eri Himeno. Have you grown attached to her after spending a few days with her??It’s fine to be moved by cheap sentiment, but it will determine the rest of Eri Himeno’s life.”

?Mr. Thorden looked at me as if he was struggling.

?Mr. Thorden’s gaze made me feel like a single person living in a pet-friendly apartment, turning my back on an abandoned dog on a rainy day.

?No, wait.

?Wait, wait, wait, wait.

?In the first place, Mr. Scuito.

“I’m just saying, Mr. Scuito, that if I am a noblewoman… If I was sold to a nobleman, could I buy citizenship and become a freeman?”

?Mr. Sciuto turned around and rolled his eyes at my question.

 ” What?”, he asked

”No. So, citizenship …… you said, Mr. Scuito??Mr. Thorden is the only one who would give up a slave he picked up unconditionally.”

”….That’s …”

?Mr. Scuito looks at Mr. Thorden and me.

He said, “Yes, but …… the free folk are not much different from slaves who can choose their masters, little girl. This world revolves around the nobility. I, too, am a nobleman, albeit a lowly one.”

“Even though you’re so weary?”

?The wrinkles between Sciuto’s eyebrows deepen as he unintentionally shouts out his true feelings.

?

I’m just saying that buying citizenship and being free is a billion times better than being a slave to a grave keeper, so choose it. I don’t say anything bad, buy it from a noble’s daughter. If you serve as her friend, he may give you a house and servants as a reward for your services, and you may even be able to live out your days.

?It was a dreamy story.

?It sounds appealing.

?But only if Mr. Thorden, the big, brooding man standing at the entrance, could overcome his condition that makes him look like a 12-year-old boy.

”But that would still be slavery after all. ……?”

”If you call a servant who can use a silver spoon a slave, well, then, yes, it is. ”

“–??—“

”I’ll tell you what,” he said, “I’ll go to the store. I’m talking to Eri Himeno.”

”She doesn’t know the world. I’m telling her which is better off in this world, being a freeman or serving a nobleman’s daughter.”

?Mr. Thorden looked at me.

?Then he turns his back to me.

?Oh …… I give up. I give up now, this man.

?He looked at Me like, ‘Goodbye Eri Himeno, be happy somewhere far away.’

?But Mr Scuito looks like, ‘It’s decided.’

?

?But one of the things this Eri Himeno loves most is to say “NO” to the guy who thinks he’s strong.

?I thought of a famous saying.

?There are nerdy quotes you want to say at least once in your life, right?

?Well, I don’t care about many of them but this one. I’m more of a yes-man who wants to live with strong people, and have a prolonged live.

?However, this is a little different story.

?So, I said to myself, ‘I want to stay here.’

”I want to stay here.”

?I said it. I said it.

?Mr. Sciuto looked at me twice and thrice, doubting his hearing,

”What?”, he asked, as if it were some kind of gag.

?I’m sorry, I’m going to repeat myself.

”I’d like to stay here.”

”Are you out of your mind, little girl?

I thought you were, at one time.

You know what??This is a graveyard and he’s the gravedigger.

”No, I understand”

Yes, yes, yes, this is it.

?This is the kind of discomfort.

“What’s so wrong with guarding graves??It’s an important job, isn’t it?”

?Mr. Sciuto started to say something and then shut up.

?

He said, “He can control the …… corpses, don’t you know?”

”Ha, I’ve seen that, but ……”

”They’re tied up in the cemetery.”

”I feel sorry for him for that.”

”You want to be owned by a man like that?”

”But I can buy citizenship this way better, right?Then at least I can choose your master, right?The tailor for the nobleman’s daughter is very attractive option, but if the nobleman’s daughter is a total jerk, there’s no way for me to escape, right?”

”That’s true, but ……”

”What if the aristocrat falls, and they have to sell me for money, and the person to whom I’m sold is a greasy, old, perverted aristocrat?”

“It’s not impossible, but ……”

?Is it a not-unlikely story?

?Then, I’m afraid so. I’m absolutely against it!?I am absolutely against human trafficking!

“I would like to stay here.”

“And if you can’t understand him?”

“Even if you can’t speak a mysterious common language, we can comminicate through different means . ‘

?I laughed because it was so funny.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not the only one who can speak the language. If I am going to stay in this world anyway, I’d rather be with someone I can understand somehow.

“That …… may be true, but ……”

That’s all you’ve been saying, Mr. Sciuto.

?Mr. Scuito has been repeating “That may be so,” and “That’s right, but…” for a while now.

?When I pointed this out, Mr. Scuito deepened the wrinkles between his eyebrows and let out another sigh.

” You look like a child, but you’re a smart girl, aren’t you, sweetie?”

We’re the same age, after all.

I had my doubts.

Did you believe me?

”Hey, …… Eri.”

?Oh, my name.

?I was called by name.

?Is this a likability event??It seems to be good to raise Mr. Sciuto’s likability, so let’s raise it to the fullest.

“If you insist on staying, well, I won’t stop you. …… What’s with Thorden? How is it?”

”How’s what?”

”Did he f*ck you?”

”What?”

Do you want me to say it?

Isn’t this s*xual harassment?

?Ha-ha-ha.

?I know, I’m a twenty-eight-year-old lady.

?Don’t tell everyone.

?”Did you have s*x with Mr. Thorden?”

”There’s no …… chance.”

Why are you so subtly angry ……?

”I’m not sure if it’s possible or not, but I’m sure it’s a possibility. But when I opened the door, I found out that Mr. Thorden had been so drunk that he had stripped me n*ked in my sleep, and even bathed me, but he was not in the mood to do so.”

?Mr. Scuito lost his temper.

?He took his gaze off me for a moment,

“Excuse me?”, I asked him the usual question.

?It’s almost like a habit of his, isn’t it?

”He was so drunk that he was bed-wetting you, stripping you n*ked, bathing you, and you didn’t do anything?”

I find that hard to believe.

Why again?

”Why are you asking me that?”

It’s the most delicacy thing ever.

?No, it’s not that I wanted to be hit. I don’t, but…

?I let out a sigh.

?Throwing my arms out, I indicated my body to Mr. Scuito.

”You don’t feel like it, do you?With this.”

”Hm?”

”You want me to say it?”

I’m sorry, I don’t know.

”I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Even if you are a woman, you can’t even get the urge to get n*ked if you look like this, can you?”

?I take a precautionary step.

Don’t do that, okay??Don’t say things like, ‘You’re pretty enough. That kind of comfort is hurtful. Yes, yes, you are beautiful from my point of view. You look like foreign actress. From your point of view, I can’t imagine myself…’

“If we share the same aesthetic sense, then if you find it beautiful to look at me, then vice versa. ……?

“Ah-han?”

”It’s not a monkey and a dog. You are exotic, but you’re a lovely young lady in my eyes. Try dozing off in front of me and you’ll wake up in bed.

That’s scary.”

?When I took a half step back, Mr. Scuito gushed lightly.

?I’m sure he’s just making fun of me.

?”I don’t want you to underestimate your appeal to the people here,” he said.

?Especially since I’m a fan of Gothic fashion, I can’t help but admire the deep-cheeked facial features that are characteristic of people here.

?But I also like the simple face of me.

?I like the way he has a wide defensive range and can catch any ball.

?When I pouted and pursed my lips, Mr. Sciuto ruffled my hair and stroked it.

”I’m glad you’re safe, but you’re not safe because you’re ugly. It’s because Thorden doesn’t know women.”

‘Huh. I heard him say that before …’

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure what to do about it, really, but it’s more than I expected because he became a gravedigger before he knew anything about women’s bodies. …… No, I think I’m going too far with this. Hmm, well, if you insist, we’ll just leave it at that. Fortunately, we have another house, so we can keep a reasonable distance, do our jobs, and buy some civil rights.”

”I see.”

”If you can make a dress like that, it won’t be too far in the future. If you need anything, I can get it for you next time you come to …….”

Mr. Scuito once again picked up the Santa Claus bag he had brought with him and dumped its contents on the table.

?Instead, he rustled up my self-made stuff and stuffed it into the bag.

‘Um, that’s …….’

”What is it??Aren’t you going to sell it?”

”What?Will it sell?”

”I’m sure it will.”

”Then, please.”

”Yes, I’ll take care of it. So, this handiwork that I brought today–“

?I quickly moved to the table and examined the rustling mass of cloth.

?There were about ten huge rectangular strips of linen, cut into a rectangular shape, stacked on top of each other. There is also a piece of string beside it.

”Uh, …… making burlap sacks?”

”Can you do it??I don’t need to ask.”

”Oh no, it’s a simple job that takes time!?It’s the perfect job for me right now!”

”Well then, write down what you need to make the dress. I’ll go talk to Thorden.”

?I bowed deeply.

?Thank you, Mr. Sciuto. You are my Santa Claus. No, seriously. Without you, my life would have been a little more coloured with despair.

……

?Mr. Sciuto, who was about to walk away, suddenly stopped and turned to me.

”Yes, yes?”

”What would you do if I said I was buying you from Thorden?”

”Yes?”

?”What would you do?”

”If Mr. Thorden doesn’t say he will sell you, you can’t buy me, can you?”

 ”’No, he will sell you easily, especially to me.”’

What’s that? It’s a little hurtful.

”In the first place, he tried to sell you to me on the first day, saying it would be pathetic to leave you with the grave keeper, and I refused. ”’

”How absurd.”

”Yes, it was. I should have bought you if the state didn’t. You are a find… If you’re willing to do it now…”’

”No.”

”I’d make a good husband.”

”But if I get drunk and fall asleep, you’ll attack me, won’t you?”

?Scuito gushed.

”I’m looking forward to you buying your citizenship.”

?He just laughed and lightly raised his hand and went.

?What the hell was that conversation about ……??

?Did I just break some flag?

?Well, thinking about it again, I think Scuito’s offer was a good one, but to be honest, I’m finding myself subtly adjusting to this free-spirited graveyard life.

?Because when I go to town, I can’t speak the language of everyone around you, right?

?Everyone around you is fashionable, right?

?My dependence on Mr. Sciuto is going to skyrocket, and Mr. Sciuto is going to be busy with his work, and…… I’m going to get sick, just like always.

?The most important thing to remember is to practice your words with Mr. Thorden a little more.

”…but first, citizenship, huh?”

?I glanced at the pile of linen that Mr. Scute had brought.

?Come to think of it, I didn’t ask how much this would cost. 

?Or rather, dresses.

?Yes, I need to write down all the things I need to make dresses.

“…… sell this, huh? Hmmm.”

?I looked down at the dress I was wearing and, for no reason at all, spun around on the spot and flipped my skirt.