SS #36 Regina Bayer

Bailun, the greatest metropolis of the North.

Home to two of the three strongest powers among the Northern 12 Families—Bayer, Chase, and Hresvelg—the city was, in truth, one of the largest commercial hubs not just in the North, but on the entire continent.

People called Bailun by many nicknames, such as the Heart of the North, the Jewel of the North, and the Holy Land of the North, each for its own reason.

First, the Heart of the North.

The most populous city in the Sailun Kingdom was not the royal capital.

Nor was it the capital of the Spencer Duchy, which bordered the Silates Plain, the continent’s greatest breadbasket. Nor was it Argon Port, the South’s premier trading hub.

The city where the most people lived and through which the most people passed was Bailun—a city that, until a little over a decade ago, had been scorned as a mere border town.

There were three reasons why Bailun had grown to surpass even the royal capital.

First, it was the center of industry.

It was the home of ‘Bayer Industry,’ which had started with the hit products shampoo and conditioner, taking not just the kingdom but the entire continent by storm.

Second, it was the center of finance.

Where people gathered, money was sure to follow.

The Crossbell Count Family, which had dominated the North’s financial sector, established a foothold in Bailun through a union with the Chase Count Family, one of Bailun’s two ruling powers. There, they brought their family business of finance to full bloom.

Sylvia Crossbell, the current Countess Chase and also the Countess Crossbell, leveraged the full support of both the Chase and Bayer families to seize control of the financial industry not only in the North but throughout the entire kingdom. She established the central bank not in the Crossbell territory, nor in the royal capital, but in Bailun.

Third, it was literally a holy land.

Bailun was the sacred ground of the Cordelia Church, the most powerful religion on the continent.

This was only natural, as it was the birthplace of the Goddess’s Avatar, as well as the birthplace of the Incarnation’s Partner, the Pope of the church.

The Cordelia Church had spread across the entire continent, and the number of people who flocked from all corners of the land each year for a pilgrimage was beyond counting.

A heart, for it was the center that circulated people and money.

A jewel, for it was the most brilliant city in the North.

A holy land, for it was the birthplace of the Goddess’s Avatar.

In this massive city that surpassed not only the royal capital but also the imperial capital—no, a city that rivaled the two combined—the most famous place was, of course, the Chase estate.

After all, it was the holy ground where the Goddess’s Avatar was born, and also the residence of the titan among titans who held the kingdom’s finances in her grasp—Countess Crossbell.

And the second most famous place…

It was a slight step down in prestige from the birthplace of the Goddess’s Avatar, but it was still the land where the Pope was born. It fell a little short of the influence of Countess Crossbell, who dominated the financial world, but it was still the residence of Gale Bayer—Count Bayer, who was at the helm of Bayer Industry. It was also the home of Rough Avalanche, Bailun’s mascot and guardian deity.

In the grand castle of the Bayer family—a structure that looked less like it belonged in Bailun, the Heart of the North, and more like a battle fortress on the front lines against the Empire—a young girl was stretching.

“Hwaaah…”

She had navy-blue hair reminiscent of the night sky and golden eyes that brought to mind the soft glow of moonlight.

Her shimmering hair was long enough to reach her waist. Her face, whose innocent beauty was accentuated by the lingering traces of youth, was as pretty as a painting. But the girl was not wearing a beautiful dress. Instead, she wore a simple shirt and trousers—an outfit closer to the training clothes favored by knights’ squires.

Rising from a shaded spot in the garden, the girl let out another long yawn, then rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around.

“Hmm.”

Judging by the shadow of the spire adjacent to the garden, it seemed to be a little past noon.

The girl stood up, scratching her stomach, and stretched once more before skillfully tying her messy, disheveled hair into a single ponytail.

She shook her head, making the ponytail swish like a foal flicking its tail, and said with a satisfied look.

“Perfect. Now, shall I go hang out at the Chase estate?”

She was supposed to be at a tea party hosted by Lady Elena of the Duran Marquisate, sipping tea and making small talk, but the wind was always meant to be free.

Going to the Chase estate to get some allowance, eat cookies, and run around with her niece and nephew was a far more desirable path than sitting in a stuffy dress, forcing a smile, and listening to boring chatter about this dress or that trend in the capital.

“Yes, yes. A desirable desire.”

It was a dad joke, but perhaps because she was at an age where even a rolling leaf could make her laugh, she chuckled to herself. She turned to leave, but unfortunately, she couldn’t take a single step.

As soon as she turned, she came face-to-face with a small, cute, white creature standing there with a sullen expression.

“Regina. You skipped Lady Elena’s tea party again, claiming you were sick, didn’t you?”

“Ugh.”

The creature was so small and cute it didn’t even reach the girl’s waist, and its voice was just as adorable, but Regina couldn’t help but flinch and shrink back as if she had encountered a fearsome adult.

And for good reason. The cute creature that had just appeared was Rough Avalanche—Bailun’s guardian deity, one of the girl’s many teachers, and, though everyone (including himself) often forgot, a great bear Wild God who once commanded the Wild Lands.

As Regina fidgeted, Rough Avalanche placed his tiny hands on his hips, his expression firm, and tapped his foot on the ground as he continued.

“Elena was lamenting, truly lamenting. ‘Have you seen Lady Regina? Does Lady Regina perhaps dislike me? Lord Avalanche, do you think… I’m being hated?’ That’s what she said.”

As Rough Avalanche mimicked a woman’s voice—specifically, the voice of Elena, one of Regina’s etiquette tutors and the vice president of the Rough Avalanche fan club—Regina flinched again, breaking into a cold sweat.

Rough Avalanche looked like a cute baby bear, and he was indeed cute, but he had a major soft spot for young, pretty, and kind ladies. And Elena was young, pretty, and genuinely kind.

“N-No. It’s… it’s not that I dislike Sister Elena, I mean, Miss Elena…”

“But?”

“But…”

At Rough Avalanche’s sharp glare, Regina quickly added the polite suffix to her words. She pouted, then fiddled with her fingers and said, “Well… the wind is always…”

“Don’t you dare say ‘free.’ Hmm? Just you try it.”

As Rough Avalanche brandished his tiny fist threateningly, Regina finally gave up on completing her father’s famous saying and let her shoulders slump.

At that, Rough Avalanche chuckled, “Huhu,” and patted Regina’s leg.

“Come on, let’s go. You should at least show up late. I heard they’re doing embroidery today.”

“Hnggg…”

Lady Elena’s tea parties were more than simple social gatherings; they served multiple purposes. Among them was an educational one, where the young ladies of nearby families gathered to learn etiquette from Elena, the daughter of the Duran Marquisate.

This had come about as Bailun grew into a city so large it was practically a second capital, prompting many noble families of the North to acquire mansions there.

Where nobles gathered, a need for educational institutions naturally arose.

While the imperial and royal capitals each had an ‘Academy,’ Bailun had yet to establish one, so some nobles like Elena were unofficially filling that role.

In any case, Elena’s tea party.

Having to wear a stuffy dress for hours was torture enough, but now she had to do embroidery too?

Biting her lip slightly, Regina clenched her fists and attempted a small rebellion.

“But, Uncle.”

“What is it?”

“I’m a Wild God, aren’t I?”

“You’re not just ‘sort of’ a Wild God, you are a Wild God.”

“Anyway, if that’s the case, I don’t really need to do things like embroidery, do I? The same goes for etiquette lessons.”

“Nope, you’re wrong. You have to take embroidery lessons, etiquette lessons, and dance lessons. Besides, if being a Wild God means you don’t need embroidery and etiquette, then shouldn’t you not need swordsmanship lessons either?”

“Ugh…”

“You’re a hundred years too early to try and outwit me with words. It’s not like you’re that black-hearted fellow.”

As Rough Avalanche clicked his tongue with a smug look, Regina blinked and asked, “Are you talking about Yuder?”

“Yes, that black-hearted fellow. So you also think of him first when you hear ‘black-hearted.’”

“No, my brother is an amazing, handsome, and incredible person.”

“Yes, yes. An amazing, handsome, and incredible, but black-hearted fellow.”

As Rough Avalanche emphasized his point again, Regina pouted her lips in displeasure but didn’t argue further.

Rough Avalanche looked up at her, his expression softening into a comforting one.

“Anyway, Regina, before your mother left on her trip, she pleaded with me. She asked me to take good care of you. So I have a responsibility to look after you. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

“Aww, good girl. Can you crouch down for a second? I’ll pat your head.”

“No. Do you think I’m a child, Uncle? And girls don’t like having their hair patted. It messes it up.”

“If you’re not a child, are you an adult? Thirteen is a child, not just in the kingdom but in the Wild Lands too. And who are you to talk about messing up hair when you wear yours like that?”

Once again, Rough Avalanche’s logic was irrefutable.

Therefore, Regina decided to resort to a more childish method.

“Hmph.”

As she pouted, Rough Avalanche smiled again and said in a gentle voice, “You were born so pretty, it’s nice to see you dress up. And your hair is so lovely.”

“Uncle, sometimes I feel like you’re not my uncle, but my aunt.”

“Stop with the nonsense, we’ll be late. Go to Luna first. And no detours. Got it?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

At the instruction to go to her personal maid, Luna, Regina, still with a sulky face, gave a proper reply and started running toward the main building.

“Hah, my little foal.”

Watching Regina’s blue hair sway like a horse’s tail, Rough Avalanche let out a laugh.

Five hours later.

Back at the Bayer estate, Regina flopped onto her bed and said in a drained voice, “That was exhausting…”

Lady Elena’s sparkling eyes, combined with her words, ‘I knew you’d come, Lady Regina.’

Unable to refuse that gaze, she had been forced to sit still and embroider for hours.

It was hard.

It was truly, truly hard.

So hard that she felt she absolutely had to reward herself.

And Luna, her personal maid, felt a mix of dismay, pity, and regret as she looked at Regina—or rather, at the sight of her young lady sprawled on the bed in her underwear, having shed her clothes one by one from the door to the bed as if molting. With a sigh, she said, “As always, it was a short-lived dream.”

The young lady looks so, so beautiful and elegant when she’s dressed up nicely.

While Luna lamented and picked up the discarded clothes, Regina, who had already changed back into her usual boyish attire, sat perched not on the bed but on the windowsill.

“I’m going to the Chase estate for dinner.”

“You don’t have an appointment.”

“I’m going to my uncle’s house. An aunt going to see her niece and nephew. I don’t need one of those.”

At Regina’s dismissive wave, Luna’s shoulders slumped once more. She asked in a hopeless tone, “You’re going to go on ahead again, aren’t you?”

“Yep, so take your time.”

With a bright reply, Regina leaned back and fell—no, threw herself—out the window, making a swift exit. Luna heaved a sigh.

And half an hour later.

“Niece! Nephew! Your auntie’s here!”

“You’re here again?”

“It feels like she comes every day.”

Seeing Regina appear not at the main door but through the balcony window, the twin siblings, who had been sitting in the room reading, narrowed their eyes in unison and sighed in unison.

Their gazes—or more accurately, their looks of exasperation—made Regina’s spirit shrink, and she hunched her shoulders. But she quickly pouted and said, “What, are you tired of your auntie now? You used to cry and cling to me, calling ‘Auntie, Auntie,’ whenever I left.”

As Regina put on a baby voice, the male twin, Aiden, immediately scowled.

“Hey, I think you forget this often, but we’re older than you, you know?”

Amber and Aiden were fifteen, two years older than Regina.

But Regina shook her head vigorously, crossed her arms, and said, “So am I your auntie or not? Hmm? Am I your auntie or not?”

“Ugh, seriously. She only pulls the auntie card at times like this.”

“I’m your auntie, so I’m your auntie. Anyway, are you really unhappy to see me? Should I stop coming?”

When Regina asked in a slightly timid voice, fiddling with her fingers, Aiden pressed his lips together. Amber, however, giggled and opened the window for her.

“What are you talking about? Of course we’re not unhappy. Aiden even held off on dinner, saying he was waiting for you. He’s just like this because he’s going through puberty these days.”

“Really? For real?”

“Hmph, I just wasn’t that hungry today. And I’m not going through puberty.”

When Regina’s face lit up, Aiden immediately huffed. Regina giggled and hugged him tightly.

“I love my nephew so much!”

“Agh, seriously.”

Aiden huffed again, but his blushing cheeks said it all.

Amber watched them with another chuckle, then reached out to stroke Regina’s cheek.

“Welcome, Auntie.”

“Hehe.”

Aiden, who took after Adelia’s personality, and Amber, who took after Gale’s.

But in appearance, both looked just like Adelia, as beautiful as dolls.

They were supposed to be living at the Bayer estate, but due to Count Chase’s strong insistence, they lived at the Chase estate instead. To Regina, they were the most precious childhood friends in the world.

Of course, she had other childhood friends.

There was the twins’ cousin, Bella, the ‘children’ of the Hresvelg family, and Yuder’s niece, Yuria.

“But you like us the best, right?”

“Hmph, obviously.”

As Amber asked with a grin, Aiden huffed. Instead of answering, Regina hugged Aiden once more.

“Anyway, Auntie, welcome. Something pretty surprising is going to happen today.”

“Huh? Something surprising?”

“Yes, surprising and very delightful.”

Amber replied to the blinking Regina with a grin, even giving a playful wink as if to say, ‘Look forward to it.’

What on earth could be happening?

Regina turned from Amber to look at Aiden, but he just huffed with a smug look, clearly not about to give her an answer.

“What is it? Huh? What’s happening?”

Her curiosity exploding, Regina hugged the more pliable (?) Aiden, about to bombard him with questions, but Amber was a little faster.

Gently pushing her brother aside and taking a step to the side, she deftly blocked Regina’s hug-attack. Waggling her index finger as if to say, ‘Nice try,’ she said, “Wait with a fluttering heart. It’ll be more fun that way.”

“Ugh… okay. Let’s eat then. I’m hungry.”

“Hmph, how rude. By the way, the main dish for dinner tonight is beef bourguignon.”

“Wow, really? That’s my favorite!”

“Aiden asked the chef. He said his auntie was coming.”

“Hmph, I did no such thing. It’s just a coincidence.”

“Let’s just pretend that’s true, Auntie.”

“Okay, Niece.”

Regina smiled back at Amber and hugged Aiden again. Aiden grumbled for her to stop hugging him, but Regina paid him no mind.

After all, the way his face turned red every time she hugged him was just too cute and fun.

And so, one hour, two hours, three hours passed.

After a good dinner, Regina was dozing off next to the twins as they studied magic when she finally found out what Aiden’s ‘delightful event’—or more accurately, ‘delightful news’—was.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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