142 Part 3

More importantly, Eli hadn’t woken up yet, and she still had soot all over her face. Eli, Eli… no, Eliza Deauville. That’s Eliza. That Eliza was sleeping right next to me!? I remembered the days I spent together with Eli. The same Eli who gets temperamental at times but has gentle roots, is great at cooking with potatoes, and gets up early in the morning to do the house chores. That’s the Eli I like.

Huh!? Wait a moment! That’s a lot different from what I remember! Damn, there’s a lot that I still can’t remember, but according to my memories, Eliza was a pretty arrogant woman. She was always around a lot of other women, she always looked down on others, and she was as violent as Eli!

There are parts that match between the two, but they’re otherwise very, very different. I could imagine Eli having fun doing housework. But Eliza Deauville!? No way, I can’t picture her having fun at all! I could imagine Eli stuffing her mouth with delicious potatoes. I could almost see it as if she were right in front of me. But would Eliza Deauville get her mouth stuffed with potatoes!? No, no, absolutely not!

What’s with this incredibly uncomfortable feeling? Sure, my memories still needed some sorting out, but I couldn’t see Eliza Deauville and Eli as having the same personalities. …Anyway, all I could do for the time being was to wait and see which of those personalities would be there when she woke up.

While I was panicking, Ms. Neko was getting ready for a trip. When I asked her where she was going, she told me that there was ‘someone nice’ she knew about.

“Could it be that you’ll be bringing someone here who would be appropriate as a presiding judge for my administration?”

“That’s right, meow. I just remembered where I could find someone good enough, meow.”

“Ah, that would be a great help! How could I ever thank you for that, and getting my memories back?”

“Thank me, meow? Two years’ worth of river fish, and something else for going through the trouble of getting this someone for you, meow.”

“What did you say!?”

Ms. Neko thought about her request again, and then clapped her hands as if she had realized something.

“There’s this friend of yours, the one who always reeks of medicinal plants, meow.”

“Ah, you mean Toto?”

“That’s it, meow. Toto, meow. I heard he’s set up a large business in the Helan territory, meow. I’d like some of those medicinal plants that make a cat feel really good, meow.”

“… I see.”

“If I like it, I’ll buy more next time, but for now just pick something nice for me, meow.”

“… You really like pleasant things, don’t you?”

“I love them, meow. Well then, I’m off, meow.”

Ms. Neko left the residence while carrying a huge bag full of ingredients –and perhaps a brush for her hair, too. Her stubby cat legs were so short that her steps did not cover much distance, so her progress was rather slow. Even after walking for a long time, she would still be within my field of view.

Then I saw a carriage approach the path where Ms. Neko was walking on.

Soon the fur fell from Ms. Neko’s body, and the chubby body of a cat gave way to the figure of a beautiful woman. The carriage’s driver seemed to have taken the bait, and Ms. Neko soon sped into the distance in a free carriage ride.

That’s another lesson on how to use transformation magic by our dear Ms. Neko.

After the very conspicuous Ms. Neko left, the only ones to remain in the residence were Eliza Deauville and I. My memories of her haven’t completely returned. It would be great if she were to get her memories back as well, but we wouldn’t be sure as long as she kept sleeping.

After several hours, Eliza Deauville finally woke up.

“Huh? Why does my head hurt so much? Hey, do you think you could have someone bring some tea over here? And I’d like a change of clothes, too.”

There was no doubt that the one who woke up was Eliza Deauville.

“Huh? Why did I think about making the tea myself, if it’s always served whenever I ask? Hey, old man! Get us some tea!”

“The old man isn’t here, Eliza. This is the Helan residence. Your memories might still be a bit foggy, so try to calm down for now.”

“You’re… Kururi Helan. We’ve spent some time together… You’re the son of a lord from a distant region, and also you’re of a different status as me…”

Eli and Eliza Deauville’s memories were mixed up together. It seemed she wasn’t able to remember everything just yet.

Eli’s life had certainly been a happy one. However, there were some parts of Eliza Deauville memories in which life hadn’t been that blissful. She was holding her head in confusion.

“Uuhhh…”

“Eliza, you don’t need to rush things. Take your time to remember.”

“Uuuhhh–”

“Are you okay?”

I got a little closer to her. I didn’t think Eliza Deauville was struggling at all, rather, I was worried that Eli would be suffering because of all this.

“You’re… Kururi…”

“That’s right, Kururi Helan. I used to work as a blacksmith, and now we live together happily in this residence.”

“Yeah, we would enjoy our meals together… but you’re still a smelly rural boy, a pseudo-aristocrat…”

“Ahh! Come on, Eli! Don’t lose yourself to Eliza Deauville!”

“Uuhhh!! You arrogant little–!!”

Eliza Deauville just hit me with a dropkick.

She seemed to have capitalized on the emotional conflict between her two personalities.

Damn it! Give me back my sweet Eli!