Chapter 162: Stop Fighting, You Two!
Of course, that was just a joke. The old couple chose to fully respect Elise’s opinion and didn’t interfere. They trusted their daughter’s judgment.
“Yes. The church doesn’t know about this either. I hope you can use your influence, Father, to keep this matter under control.”
Hearing that Elise needed him, Wilson immediately became serious. Elizabeth even pinched his arm.
“Did you hear that? Our daughter needs you now. Don’t mess this up.”
“When did I ever mess things up? Peiya, don’t worry. Uncle will protect you in this matter. I’ll help you create a fake identity. Even if those church dogs come to investigate, they’ll have to get past me first. Elizabeth, don’t you know some Saints? Making a ‘Child of Light’ identity shouldn’t be hard, right?”
“It’s not hard. The problem is, I’m afraid those people might try to take her away too. Miss Peiya, you’re just too outstanding. We’re already very happy to see you and Elise become such good friends. But if anything happens, you must tell us. This place will always be your safe home.”
“Thank you, Uncle, Aunt.”
Wilson cleared his throat.
“No need to be so formal. When you’re outside, you can call us Dad and Mom if you want. From now on, you’re an important person to the Anthony family. No need to hold back.”
Anthony…
Peiya thought about that name. Why did it sound so familiar? It felt like Anna often said she was the eldest daughter of the Anthony family.
Could there be another Anthony family? After all, there are many noble families with the same last name. She didn’t think too deeply about it.
Peiya still nodded in agreement.
Even if there really was some connection, she wouldn’t leave Elise because of something like this. If needed, she would just ask her later.
Like whether she has a sister named Anna.
She had a feeling there might be something big hidden here. But she was willing to face it, whether for Elise or for herself, she didn’t want to back down.
“Thank you, Un—… Dad, Mom.”
Peiya corrected herself, which made the old couple smile widely.
Elise poked Peiya.
“My parents are also your parents now?”
“Is… that not okay?”
“If you say that, then you have to take responsibility.”
The two of them bickered playfully, and the old couple didn’t interfere. The welcome gathering was coming to an end. The reason was that they had mostly finished their matters at home, and the old couple needed to return to the royal city. The estate would be handed over to others to manage. Also, Peiya and Elise were about to leave for Blackwater City, so they didn’t have time to stay here any longer.
But just before leaving, Wilson called Peiya over and gave her a strange weapon.
“Is this… a pair of scissors?”
Peiya looked at the weapon Wilson gave her. It was a very large pair of scissors.
This…
“That’s right. Remember the instructions. There’s a switch on it. Press here to open it, and press near the blades to close it.”
“Oh…”
Peiya took the giant scissors. It felt almost as tall as she was.
“And don’t underestimate it. It’s not just a weapon, it’s also a knowledge-type weapon.”
Wilson demonstrated with the scissors while explaining,
“I added a crystal from our former council inside it. It matches well with your identity as a scholar. And Elise told me you mainly play a support role. In critical moments, it can switch to a second form and be used like a staff for close combat. If fighting up close isn’t your strength, you can just keep it as a collection piece.”
After saying that, Wilson handed the big scissors back.
To be honest, when Peiya first took it, it felt quite heavy. She could also feel a kind of power inside it. But when she tried to channel her magic into the scissors, everything changed.
It suddenly felt very easy to use. When not in use, she could press the handle inward, and it would turn into a fully extended alloy staff with a mechanical structure.
“Such a strong mechanism… are you a mechanic?” Peiya asked.
“That’s right. When I was young, I was quite good at repairs. But now that I’m older, I can only make some simple mechanical devices. I hope you don’t mind.”
“How could I mind? Thank you.”
Peiya put away the scissors. When it changed into a staff, it became surprisingly light. It was hard to imagine that such a large pair of scissors could open and close so quickly.
She wasn’t a mechanic, so she didn’t understand much about this kind of thing.
Up until now, Peiya’s weapons mostly came from whatever she could find around her, along with the wooden staff she carried in her bag.
But now, it seemed like everything could be upgraded.
In the afternoon, the old couple stood at the gate of the mountain fortress, watching the two of them leave with some reluctance. Elise’s mother was the most worried. Only after seeing them walk far away did she finally return inside.
“Let’s go back. The children have grown up,” Wilson said.
“…It’s all your fault. I barely got to talk to our daughter.”
“Now you’re blaming me again?”
……………………………
Inside the carriage, Peiya also watched until the old couple went back inside before turning around and sitting down. She couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.
“We’re heading back,” she said.
“Mm. Did you notice? Our parents already seem to know about us,” Elise replied.
Peiya thought for a moment. “Probably. I didn’t plan to hide it from them anyway. What about you? Do you regret it? There’s no turning back now.”
In Peiya’s view, once they had taken this step, there was no going back.
“No. Do you regret it?”
Peiya clenched her hands. “I… probably don’t.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“Come here for a second.”
Peiya grabbed Elise’s hand, leaned closer to her ear, and after hesitating a bit, whispered,
“Today, I’ll like you a little… just for today. Tomorrow doesn’t count.”
As she said this, Peiya felt nervous. Maybe because Elise had taken the initiative earlier, she felt like she couldn’t just stay passive anymore. Otherwise, it would end up like the past few days, she’d be the only one being looked at, while getting nothing in return.
“So you’re already getting impatient, huh? I’ve already figured out how to deal with you in the future. Next time you want something, I won’t help you.”
“You— you pervert!”
The two of them started arguing in the back.
Meanwhile, Yuni, sitting in the front, felt extremely awkward.
It felt like she was completely unnecessary here. She almost wanted to cry. But then she remembered Madam’s request before leaving, to take good care of the two young ladies, and she calmed down.
Well, it is what it is.
At least now she had a stable job. She wouldn’t need to go through maid evaluations anymore. That alone made everything worth it. Thinking about it, all the past hardship didn’t seem important anymore.
Still, there was one thing she wasn’t sure about.
How was she supposed to take care of these two young ladies in the future?
After all, she had noticed that these two really liked doing things that drained their energy and wore out their bodies. But the Madam’s order was to take good care of them.
The problem was… neither of them seemed to care about their own health.
Yuni really wanted to shout.
‘Misses, please stop fighting! If you keep going like this, you won’t hurt each other, you might even end up making a baby instead!’