Volume 6, Chapter 6 – Let’s Learn Arithmetic~

After parting ways with Shalu, Yisi had Camilla stay behind to guard the bandits while she returned to have Mary drive the carriage forward. Now, the group had reunited and was on their way to the city of Mitters Bayer.

“Onee-sama, are these bandits going to be okay?”

While voicing her concerns to Yisi, Camilla poked her head out the window to look at the bandits following behind the carriage. The bandits were tied to the back of the carriage with a thick rope, forming a long, snake-like line, following slowly with mournful expressions.

“Hmm?”

Yisi couldn’t help but be surprised. In her eyes, Camilla was the type who wouldn’t care about the life or death of bandits.

After Yisi told Camilla her thoughts, Camilla looked embarrassed.

“I didn’t mean that I care about these bandits. I was trying to say, would it be better to put shackles on their feet? Just tying their hands together, they might bite the ropes open on the way and sneak off. If their feet were also tied, it wouldn’t be so easy for them to run.”

So that’s what she meant.

Leaning the back of her head against the carriage wall, Yisi looked up at the ceiling.

“Don’t worry. Even if they run away, I’ll find out quickly. Besides, before we left, I told them that if any of them sees someone trying to escape and tells me loudly, I’ll let him and a friend of his go. It’s more of a deterrent to have them supervise each other than to restrain them with ropes.”

“Couldn’t three of them collude? Sacrifice one to let the other two escape.”

“We’d just have to catch the one who ran and have the other bandits identify him.”

“I see… Onee-sama, you have such good ideas, but you don’t like to show them off. The arithmetic method you taught me before is the same. Although it uses a lot of strange symbols, the answers it produces are the same as the correct results. I’d believe it even if you told me it was the language of the gods.”

Rеaԁ οո КatRеαⅾіոɡСαfе

As she spoke, Camilla took out a finely printed booklet from her pocket. Attracted by it, Edith stood up and sat down next to Camilla.

“What’s this?” Just as Camilla described, the booklet was filled with symbols Edith didn’t recognize. Edith tried to take the booklet from Camilla’s hand. “Let me see.”

“You wouldn’t understand it even if I gave it to you. This is a language that belongs only to Onee-sama and me.”

Unconcerned, Camilla let Edith take the book with an amused expression.

As expected, Edith frowned.

“It’s not the language of the Hels Kingdom, nor is it the language of Hyurent, and it’s certainly not the Ymir language. What country’s language is this?”

“They’re just some numbers and calculation symbols. If I had to give it a name, I could only call it ‘Arabic numerals’. Also, Pepe, you’re holding the book upside down.”

Her lips twitching slightly, Edith said with a calm expression.

“Is that so? You should have added some notes in the Hyurent language.”

“This is specifically for Camilla to memorize. When I usually teach her, I mostly use a writing board, which is why I didn’t add notes to the booklet.”

Because Camilla was in charge of bookkeeping at Margaret, and the backward calculation methods of this world made it very difficult for her, I thought of teaching Camilla, Fran, and the others a simpler method of calculation.

“What can these symbols do?”

Edith threw out a perfectly natural question.

Rеаd oո ΚаtRеαⅾingСаfе

“They allow me to get results faster than you. Although the things I’ve recently learned, called ‘letters’, are a headache, I dare say that apart from Onee-sama, you won’t find a second person on the entire continent who is faster at arithmetic than me, and with guaranteed accuracy.”

“Letters?”

“It’s about adding some ‘unknowns’ to an equation. Onee-sama clearly named this field of study ‘Mathematics’—the study of numbers—yet she insists on adding letters to it.”

Camilla’s complaint made Yisi smile. In a few more years, when Camilla learned more advanced topics, she would probably complain about why a subject called Mathematics had no numbers in it at all.

Suddenly, Yisi felt a gaze on her that was so intense it felt like it could burn a person.

“Pepe? What’s wrong?”

“I want to learn this language.”

“Then learn with Camilla and Mary. Lessons are held every evening after dinner. What about Refina?”

“Eh? Can I learn too?”

Refina, her purple hair tied into a side ponytail, looked completely surprised, as if she never expected Yisi to call on her.

Yisi returned a smile.

“Of course, you can, as long as you want to, Refina.”

Reαⅾ οո KаtRеαdіոgCafе

Refina’s mouth opened slightly, but just as she was about to say something, her body suddenly stiffened. As if remembering something, she smiled and shook her head, politely refusing Yisi with an impeccable curtsy.

“…Lady Yisi, it would be better to spend your time on Master and Miss Camilla.”

“Is that so…”

At that moment, Edith, who was beside them, reached out and grabbed Refina’s wrist, her azure eyes looking directly into Refina’s.

“Although I haven’t studied this subject in depth yet, I can tell from Camilla’s description that learning it will do you no harm. Refina, your duties of serving me can be put after your studies. As my servant, I will not allow you to fall too far behind me.”

Although there was joy and emotion in her eyes, Refina did not let it seep into her words. Suppressing her feelings, she replied in a very natural tone.

“If you say so, Master, I will do my best.”

Yisi, watching the interaction between Edith and Refina from the side, blinked. In her opinion, Edith’s real reason wasn’t what she said about not wanting Refina to fall too far behind, but rather not wanting to see Refina give up something she was interested in for her sake.

Has Refina’s status changed? Or has Pepe become more willing to care about the feelings of those around her?

Either one is a good thing.

Thinking this, Yisi took out the item she had promised Edith from her storage—a small vial of blood.

“This is the blood I promised. There happened to be a priestess girl among the people those bandits were robbing. It took a little effort, but I got this vial of blood from her.”

“Were you charmed by her?”

Reaԁ оո KatRеαdiոɡСаfe

As she took the blood, Edith looked at Yisi with a raised eyebrow, clearly joking.

“How could that be? Do I look like the type of person who can be charmed by any beautiful girl? I think Tiffany might have seen that girl. She looks a lot like Tiffany.”

“Me?”

Tiffany tilted her head.

“Well, you and she probably have no connection and won’t in the future, so don’t worry about it.”

“Pffft—”

With a complete lack of noble etiquette, as if the liquid she drank was ink, Edith spat out the blood she had just ingested.

“What’s wrong?”

“Cough, cough,” After gulping down the hot tea Refina handed her, Edith replied as if she had just recovered. “…Does this blood really come from that priestess girl?”

“Absolutely. Is there a problem with the blood?”

“You’ll know once you taste it yourself.”

Although different vampires experience the same blood differently, the specific taste—whether it’s bad or good—usually doesn’t vary too much.

Edith handed the small vial of blood to Yisi. Yisi dipped a finger in it, then stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked a little.