The Little Companion Of The Beast

Episode 12.

I don’t know… … There aren’t any portraits of Zoroaster left… … .

No, how can you know the face of someone you’ve never met before?

Staria shrugged her shoulders and replied with a gesture that she had absolutely no idea what Zoroaster looked like.

“Don’t you know personally? Have you ever heard that there was a famous prophet among your ancestors? Have you never heard a similar story?”

There isn’t any.

“Think about it again slowly. There must be no outstanding person in Staria’s family.”

No, I don’t think so? Probably?

“What if we broaden the scope? A distant relative, a cousin, a friend’s son, or someone who has no relation to Zoroaster at all?”

At that level… … isn’t it someone else?

If there was any mythological figure in the family, my mother would have told me. However, I had never even heard of the word Zoroaster. Rather, when I asked her out of curiosity, she avoided the question by saying she would tell me later when the time was right.

‘Surely, one of your ancestors didn’t cheat Zoroaster?’

It was obvious that it was you, as you were asking with your eyes wide open. Staria, who realized that it was a situation where she had to pretend not to know even though she knew, crossed her arms.

I really don’t know.

Then Taylor looked extremely disappointed. His expression almost looked like he had been given a death sentence, perhaps because his expectations had been high.

“That’s too bad.”

I thought the questioning would end for now since it seemed like he was giving up… … .

Staria had to keep pretending not to notice, because the gleaming monocle was staring at her intently, as if it was determined to uncover the link.

***

After a short tea break, Taylor volunteered to be our guide. Staria, who had been traveling around in a limited manner, only going back and forth to places she knew because she didn’t know the structure, readily followed him.

“Verakin Castle is divided into the outer castle and the main castle. The main castle is where I am currently staying, and the outer castle is visible to the east and west. That’s where my employees, including myself, reside.”

The voice of the introducing butler was full of pride.

“The Berakin Castle is an outstanding piece of architecture that can be compared to any other royal castle.”

Although Staria had never been to another castle before, she agreed with his opinion.

In front of the castle wall, there is a wide green plain, and behind it, a steep mountain peak stands like a fortress, and in the middle of it all, there is a castle that stands tall and proud. The castle, which is overwhelming to take in at a glance, is not only beautiful but also magnificent. Does a building resemble its owner? It was like an incarnation of ‘that person’.

“It may not look flashy because it doesn’t emphasize decoration, but architecturally, it’s close to perfection. Count the number of bricks later. The ratio of length to width is the golden ratio.”

He also said that there are a total of 124 rooms in the main castle, 50 in the outer castle, and 30 in the annex. In total, there are about 200 rooms, but most of them are empty now.

There was no end to the rooms that seemed impossible to see even if you looked around all day.

“There is a restaurant and a great hall on the first floor, a banquet hall and a reception room on the second floor where Lady Staria resides, and a master suite and study on the third floor. There are tea rooms on each floor. We clean them diligently, but they have only been used so rarely that you can count on one hand.”

Taylor lamented that it was a waste of labor. He often asked her to use him. He said that whether it was an object or a place, it had to be handled.

“If I had to pick out the castle’s most impressive features, I would pick three: the storage, the smokehouse, and the library. The storage is made of perpetual snow, which keeps food from spoiling, and the smokehouse is designed to withstand even the slightest impact. And the library, the library is a must-see. It has about 400,000 books.”

Taylor, who was continuing his explanation, stopped and said, pushing up his glasses.

“It also houses first editions of scholarly works that are difficult to obtain, and in particular, the book written by philosopher Miley Taylor is a must-read.”

Miley Taylor?

Taylor smiled shamelessly as Staria stared at the familiar name.

“How did you know? You have extraordinary reasoning skills. I am the author. If you would like an autograph, you are always welcome.”

It wouldn’t be easy to say something so openly, but the maids were right. Taylor was acting all bragging as if she was breathing.

Eventually, Staria was able to get away from the guidance only after she had gone to the library on the 5th floor and familiarized herself with the area where Taylor’s books were gathered.

“Starria, you are free to go wherever you want. But there is one place you cannot go down to. Do you understand? Absolutely not.”

Taylor was so strict that Staria had to nod her head vigorously.

“I think I’ve roughly looked around here.”

As the guidance was over and I was taking a breather, two maids came from the other side carrying mops.

Should I pretend to know or not? While Staria was hesitating, Maid 2 turned in a different direction and disappeared. Even though she was clearly coming in the direction she was.

‘I’m being hated.’

It had been almost ten days since she had been in the castle, but the maids had still treated her coldly. After finding out that her hearing was normal, she had been avoiding her. She tried to console herself by saying that indifference was comfortable, but she couldn’t stop herself from becoming dispirited.

‘I want to be friends with you… … .’

In the midst of all this, you want to become friends with people you hate? Some people might be surprised and say that it would be easy since you have such a positive personality.

Of course, there was an aspect of it being uncomfortable, like sitting on a bed of thorns, because it was like rolling around in a circle. It was because one’s innate personality doesn’t change easily. But that wasn’t all.

Because the environment is so bleak, it is only natural to create a place to lean on. Making friends is a pitiful struggle of a child trying to somehow create a lifeline in this vast castle.

Taylor suggested subtly, as he noticed that Staria was sagging.

“How about approaching the employers first? They all probably avoid Staria because she’s difficult.”

“…….”

Staria, who had the enviable affinity, was delighted. However, there was a problem: she couldn’t speak. Taylor was the first to notice this difficulty and asked if she could write.

‘I know how to do it.’

The letters Staria learned were those taught to her by her mother and were only used between mother and daughter. She was just beginning to learn the Continental language, so she didn’t know how to write it.

As I scratched my cheek with a troubled expression, Taylor told me to wait, saying he had a good idea.

When he returned a while later, he was holding a card in his hand.

“Didn’t you say that you had a friend who suffered from aphasia before? These are flashcards that I made because I was so frustrated. They’re old, but I think they’ll be fine for conversation.”

***

Staria, who acquired communication skills with the help of the butler, began a plan to become friendly.

Who should be your first friend?

At that moment, Maid 3, who was watering the garden, was caught. Dododo, Staria, who had been chasing after her, grabbed the hem of her skirt. Maid 3, who had discovered her, flinched and took a step back. It was obvious that she did not want to get close, but she did not care. She had decided to approach first. She greeted them by handing out cards one by one.

[ Hello. Good. Morning. ]

“…….”

I wanted to talk more and get to know each other better, but Maid 3 just left what she was doing.

‘Have a nice day!’

Staria waved at her back as she avoided her, finished giving her some water, and continued walking. She stopped and talked to everyone she met along the way.

[ Sister. Your hair. So soft. Amazing. ]

Charangi compliments the hair of maid 4,

[Forehead. Dark. Wipe it.]

While cleaning the chimney, he wiped the servant’s forehead, which was covered in soot, with a handkerchief.

[ Lost. Master. ]

Maid 2 also picked up her favorite pair of scissors and gave them to her.

Of course, there were times when the cards couldn’t keep up with the rich vocabulary, which made things difficult.