Published: August 10, 2026
The one who sprang up vertically from the sofa they had been sitting on and greeted me with an endlessly bright, energetic voice was a boy with large eyes.
No, perhaps he was a small young man? He seemed a little shorter than me, about the same build as an average woman in Dirts.
He had a luxuriant head of black hair with a slight wave, and bright brown eyes that were round like acorns. His rounded face was dotted with many freckles, and from the corners of his wide grin, charming fangs peeked out.
I understood why Thomas had said he was "like a younger brother." His face didn't resemble Thomas's at all, but the sunlike smile that seemed to radiate friendliness from his whole body left a strong impression.
Taken aback by such an unexpectedly lively welcome, I widened my eyes, left Thomas in the hallway for the time being, and closed the door. I set Lisa on the floor and bowed deeply.
"Welcome to Granado Castle. I am the lady of the castle, Marie. I apologize for bringing my child with me."
"Oh, it's no problem at all. Please don't be so formal. We're not that high-ranking."
We? Wondering about the plural, I looked up and realized there was another man standing behind the boy.
My first impression of him was, "a big man." His height was probably above Lord Cyrus's, and both his weight and age seemed to be about double the boy's. Most striking of all was his long hair, which fell all the way to his waist.
It was thick and voluminous, spreading out like a lion's mane. And it was the same red as mine.
In Dirts, red hair is very rare. He was the first person I had ever seen with it besides myself and my family.
Despite his distinctive appearance, the red-haired man was quiet. Even after I greeted him, he didn't get up, and he didn't say a word. With an expressionless face and lowered eyes, he simply stared at the tea set on the table.
"Um... pardon me, but the two of you are――"
"Ah, forgive me. I'm late introducing ourselves. My name is Yan. The big fellow here is called Hadwell."
"...Mr. Yan and Mr. Hadwell..."
I searched my memory, but they were definitely names I had never heard before. I consider myself good at remembering people's names, but even if I weren't, I could say with certainty that this was our first meeting. After all, both of them had such memorable appearances. A red-haired giant and a charming boy together would be impossible to forget if I had seen them before.
Their clothing, too, though formal in silhouette, had unusually playful designs. Dirts gentlemen dressed up as well, but not with this much color or ornamentation. Since both of them were dressed that way, it must not be a matter of personal taste, but rather their formal attire, their national dress. If so...
"Um, could you perhaps be from Oracle?"
When I asked, both of them widened their eyes.
Yan already had large eyes to begin with, so now he looked like a startled little animal.
"Eh... ah... um, h-how did you know that...?"
"Oh, so I was right? That color usage is something favored in the Oracle Kingdom, isn't it? And as for Mr. Hadwell's hair color, I once read in a book that there are many red-haired people in Oracle."
I smiled happily, but for some reason Yan's face stiffened.
...?
What was that about? Did he not want people to realize he was from Oracle?
Noticing my puzzled expression, Yan coughed once into a fist and then smiled.
"Yes, just as you said. We're merchants who do business in the Oracle Kingdom. This is the first time anyone has identified us before we introduced ourselves, so I was surprised."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. How rude of me to presume..."
"No, no. I'm glad you recognized us. I'm proud to be from Oracle."
Yan said that, sounding genuinely pleased, and his cheeks colored a little.
"And it helps that you spotted we were foreigners right away. I'm manageable, but this big guy Hadwell here isn't used to understanding Dirts language. I'll translate, but it would help if you could use words simple enough for Hadwell to follow as well."
I see, so that's why Hadwell had remained silent.