[Don't do that.]
[Ah…]
I thought I was already in control from a few months back, but Marl showed that it was actually her who was in charge before I knew it.
The other day she pummeled me with her twin swords. Is my freedom and dignity at risk here?
mofumofumofumofu.
[That's why, I think my dignity and freedom are at pinch.]
[I don't know what you are talking about, but can you just let Shitan go? Shitan is in trouble]
[Hnn, eh, if you are in trouble I can…]
[That's, I refuse!]
Ignoring the half-sheep girl plea, I kept petting the head of Shitan, a half-dog kid. It was quite a merciless petting. Oh, I wonder if it feels good if I scratch the back of the ear. Fuhehehe.
[Auau…]
[Now that's borderline harassment. Please stop]
Karen, the half-sheep girl, tried to pull my arm away, hindering me from doing my pure and noble act.
Kuh, this little one is getting in my way. No, it's probably the sign for me to share the fun with her as well? Nah, there is no way such a cute little being is trying to hinder me.
Thus I hugged Karen.
[Rock Impact.]
[Aoooooo—–!!!]
I involuntarily screamed and slumped to the ground in agony due to a shock coming from my ass.
Apparently something hard and thick had risen from the ground with such a great momentum. Was it some sort of earth magic? What if it broke my ass apart?
Unfortunately, Shitan was taken away from me while I was still prone on the ground in agony. Oh, mofumofu-sama is…
[What the heck are you doing?]
Taking the chance while I'm still lying prone, Karen climbed on my back and started cherry tapping my head. Sherry, the half-fox girl, and Shitan the half dog girl also joined her. Few other children who had the same thought began to climb on top of me as well. Oi, you little half rabbit boy, stop hitting my ass cheeks like you're playing a drum.
Seeing such a scene, Torn asked in horor. This guy kinda appeared out of nowhere from my perspective.
[My pride had been beaten silly, so I came here to recover by enjoying the fluffy things.]
[Oi, don't talk to me about your marriage life.]
[Well, actually I already have my revenge on bed.]
I was squeezed dry, but I'm still better in terms of physical prowess. If I use recovery magic, I'm proud to say that my stamina in bed might surpass that of an ashura or even a great Demon King.
And there is no escaping from a great Demon King, fuhahahaha
[What's on bed?]
[Ah, about that.]
Karen asked from on top of my head. I opened my mouth, feeling the need to explain in detail.
[What the heck are you trying to teach to the children!?]
[Well, "that" of course]
[Stop it, you idiot!]
Torn crouched down and slapped me in the face. What was that for?
[Sex education is something important, you know?]
[Even I know that, but this is too fast! Really now]
Torn then removed the boys and girls from on top of me. Oi you fool, don't take away the fluffy tails and the sense of girl's butt.
As for the boys, well, I could be careless about them.
Even a pretty boy is a bit pushing it… as a man, I must never cross that line. But well, it seems that such practice was commonplace among the warlords during the Sengoku era in the country where I used to live back in my old world. That half-rabbit boy is indeed cute.
[!?!?]
The moment our eyes met, the boy immediately ran away with haste. Just like a rabbit.
It's okay, cause I'm a normal man. A straight guy. How could I stray off when I already have two beautiful brides? Well, maybe.
[So, is there any change, doggy?]
[I'm not doggy, for god sake. Well, can't say that there is no change. The strange looking monsters reappeared yesterday.]
[Nn? That guy can use quite powerful magic. Were there any wounded?]
[We're fine, since we were able to fight from behind your barrier. It was a rather one-sided fight, cause their attacks cannot move past the barrier.]
[Anti-monster alright.]
The attack coming from inside the barrier can go through, and only the enemies' attacks are shut down. My barrier was just that unforgiving.
[So, how was the taste?]
[Like crap. I only stripped off the leather, fangs, nail, other useful items, then burned the rest.]
[I see…]
Well, it's also unpleasant to see. And eating the meat of a demonic creature like that might only add to their hunger instead.
I wonder if they'd recognize it should I go and ask the adventurer guild in Alfen for appraisal. Let's just try it out.
Didn't I also order some armors from Peron-san? Ah, I also asked the commerce guild to arrange some supplies, didn't I? Turns out there are lots of things I need to do on Alfen.
No wonder I've been feeling like I'm in a hurry recently. Jeez.
[If there is no problem for the time being, then I'll head back now. We're about to reach Miscronia kingdom's capital.]
[I really can't get what you're talking about, but alright. Be careful.]
[Yeah, later.]
I waved goodbye and casted long range transfer on the spot.
After my sight blurred briefly, I was already back at the town where Miscronia army was camping at.
It seemed that the preparation to leave the town had been completed, as half of the staff had already boarded the carriage.
I returned to the carriage that was prepared for our group, and found that Marl and Fram already boarded. As soon as I entered the carriage, both of them instantly stared at me.
[Flirt.]
When Marl turned her gaze upon me, it was like she was looking at a criminal.
[I don't get with the misunderstanding. The other party was just a 12 years old child. And I just stroked her head a little.]
[I wonder about that. Saying from my experience, if you can lust for someone who looks young like me, then that girl is probably still within your strike range?]
Marl's accusation caused me to look away. Certainly, Marl's body isn't exactly well-developed for her age. She's short and her breasts are modest at best.
She looked like an adult now since she's wearing light makeup and a battle dress. But if she were to put on cute clothes and forego the make up… hmm.
[Yosh, let's try it tonight. Fram, later you go buy a girl's clothes for Marl to wear.]
[Eh, eeeeeh?]
[Eeh, a pervert! We need to rise up and stand up to him! Fram-san, please join me!]
[Eh? Eee...?]
Fram was clearly unable to perceive why both of us acted so unreasonable! But I'm serious about my feelings for Marl. So I'll make it up with her for sure. Me and Marl are made for each other after all.
Unreasonableness on top of unreasonableness, I thought Fram would be pleased by it since she's a bit of a masochist.
By the way, since the rank of power in our relationship(?) is decided on bed, Fram who had no ancient magic would always end up at the very bottom. Marl always mercilessly preyed on others due to the help from Ancient Magic, and I was the only one capable of putting her back to her place.
After that, Fram proceeded to measure Marl's body to know her clothes size. Then I watched Marl measure Fram's body in return, she (Marl) commented on how there were extra deadweight while rubbing on that area.
In the end, the two felt the need to measure my body as well, so I played along for a chance to flirt.
Since I couldn't resist, then I'd just take the chance to sneak a few grabs!
[Here as well.]
That was the first thing I muttered when the cityscape of the royal capital Crown entered my sight. Normally I'd think it as a stupid sounding muttering, but seeing such a scene, I guess everyone else would also mutter the same thing.
If I had to describe the capital Crown with as few word as possible, then it would be [Water City]
Instead of boulevards, well maintained waterways filled with pure water served as the roads where ships of various sizes traveled around――except all the ships were disk shaped.
From a single seat manhole-sized disk for one person, a little bigger one with extra seats, and an oval shaped ship that could accommodate a lot of people, to the largest ones seemingly meant to transport luggages, there were indeed many various shapes and sizes.
Curiously, not even once the ships accidentally touched each other. Whenever the ships get too close to each other, each ship would release repelling force, preventing them from coming colliding. What a mysterious technology. Probably far safer than the transportation back in my previous world.
The cityscape also looked sophisticated.
The buildings had some Japanese sense to them, with tiled roofs, and clean white plastered walls. The people travelling along the road also looked varying, but they commonly dressed in yukata. Some dressed in medieval european style clothing like what I usually saw in Karendil, some dressed like they came from the Middle East, and some even dressed in sailor uniforms.
And there are clearly more beastkins freely travelling on the road here more than on Karendil. Elves can be seen all over the places, alongside the catsy folks like the one I met at the Crossroad weapon shop.
On the contrary, I rarely saw the dwarves. Is it because Miscronia is far from the dwarven kingdom on Mount Bus?
In any case, it's been confirmed that Miscronia really doesn't discriminate against the beastkins unlike its neighbour the Karendil Kingdom.
I wasn't interested in why such differences could happen though. I could investigate it some other time when I'm free.
[Taichi-san, Taichi-san, calling Taichi-san.]
[Ah, sorry. I was fascinated by the city.]
I was pulled back to reality when Marl tugged on my sleeve.
The monster hordes were annihilated with Edward's battalion, making a triumphant return to the capital Crown. The peoples' reaction toward that success were obviously very positive. In addition to that, the first princess, who had been missing for quite a while, returned home with a hero on her side. Their enthusiasm certainly had shot through the roof.
The people, regardless of those standing on the water disks, looking out from the windows, or genders, started cheering for us. Me and Marl already experienced similar things back in Karendil, so I'm quite used to it already. Fram, on the other hand, was flustered by the sight. Godspeed for her.
Even so, it's obvious to me how different the people's attitude toward the heroes here compared to Karendil. The emotion was apparent.
Karendil had not seen the appearance of a hero for a very long time, thus the concept was probably a bit foreign to its people. Not to mention that the higher ups of the country, including the military, saw the Hero's existence as something dangerous for their position. Therefore they often painted heroes in a bad light, though not blatantly.
For example, their slogans『Our Knights are equal to a Hero』 or 『Unity and Bonds will keep you save』or『Two is better than one, thirty is better than two, knights over Hero』were coined for that very purpose.
Well, they weren't entirely in the wrong. No Heroes had appeared in Karendil for a very long time, so they had to rely on their knights and money driven adventurers to fight against monsters.
As for why no Hero ever appeared there, I'll just leave it to your imagination.
[Taichi-san, we are about to arrive at the castle, you know?]
[I can see that. So, what now?]
Well, it's Marl's parents' house, so I don't really know what will happen.
There was a time when I thought so.
Well, something did happen right when I was about to step into the Royal Castle's protection circle.
[Prepare yourself, Hero! Die!]
[UOOooooooo!?]
A well-dressed oldman approached with a smile and slashed at me without much words.
Moreover, the sword swing was the strongest and sharpest I've ever seen, so far at least. On top of that, the sword itself was coated in a dazzling light of magic power.
If I choose to evade, the people around me will be caught in the wake of that attack, so I coated both of my hands with magic and daringly took on the sword bare handedly.
v3-2
[Nuuu!? Impuuudeeeeent!]
[UOoooooooooO!? Oi you little, can't you see, stooooooop!]
Probably awakened by my shout, the previously stunned knights around me started clinging to the oldman's limbs, trying to restrain him.
[Don't get in my waaaay! All of you will be punished for blasphemy oraaaaaaa!]
The oldman still rampaged, swinging his sword around despite having several fully armored knights trying to restrain him, showing how his strength had gone beyond normal human. Well, I could do the same though.
At that point, Marl took to the front to meet the oldman.
[O, oh! Marl, Papa will rescue you from the evil grasp of that little boy now.]
[I hate you, Papa. I do not want to see your face.]
There was a grave silence. Marl had actually pinched the oldman's cheeks. His face was immediately painted with despair as his body went limp. Apparently he fainted from the shock.
[Let us go, Taichi-san.]
[Ho, oh? Will it be really alright?]
[It is fine.]
Marl pulled me along, walking away from the scene. Fram, following behind us, was pale-faced. Probably because the king had suddenly attacked as soon as he saw me.
The knights had placed Marl's dad on a stretcher and brought him somewhere else. They seemed strangely accustomed to it, making me think that it's a daily occurrence here.
After getting out of the hustle and bustle, a good-looking aunt in a maid outfit appeared and bowed deeply to Marl. She's probably a chamberlain or something along that line, as she carried this similar feeling to that of Jack-san.
[I am home, Grace.]
[Welcome back, Mariel-sama. And this should be our first meeting. My name is Grace. I was given the honor to work as the chamberlain of this castle. Nice to meet you.]
The aunty maid, Grace, bowed then observed me from top to bottom. Then she looked straight into my eyes.
Somehow I felt that her gray eyes could see through the depth of my heart. Was it some kind of magic eyes? My own magic eyes didn't give any reaction, nor danger detection gave me any warning, so I guess it's something else.
[Selfish, annoyingly arrogant, easy to heat up and easy to cool down, on top of that, a stubborn and nasty man.]
Hearing someone I met for the first time define my personality, I felt like I wanted to die.
Moreover, she's listing it so detailedly, as though she had known me for a long time, which made me feel uncomfortable.
While I was distraught by her previous comment, Grace' gray eyes fixed themselves at me once more. She suddenly lost her expression.
[Is willing to take the heretic path if needed, however, will not try to resort to it from the start. In addition to that, will not abandon the weak no matter what. It is difficult to consider that as kindness or naivety, but I do not hate this kind of person.]
That said, Grace looked away from me and turned to Fram next.
She gave Fram a short look, then tapped on her shoulder without saying anything.
Ee? She went a full length on me but that's it for Fram? How can that be fair?]
[You must be tired from the journey. I shall guide you to the resting area. Please follow me.]
Grace and Marl started walking, with me and Fram following closely behind.
The interior of the royal castle was much simpler than I expected. Honestly I think Karendil Kingdom's palace looked more gaudy thanks to all the expensive-looking furniture.
Instead, it was more spacious and mysterious. For instance, the only parts that were made of stone was the center of the passageway while the rest were made of wood. I wonder why the palace was built that way.
[This site is meant to be a shelter in case of emergency! The floor was made to be hard and cold so that no one could sleep on it.]
[So that's why]
[In an emergency, we would evacuate the people here, and use the magical device inside the palace to discharge a large amount of water to wash away the invaders. Not to mention the royal palace, the buildings nearby will also be temporary shelters. All of the houses in the royal capital were built with strict standards so that they could withstand the water discharge.]
[That means, the canal and waterway are also part of this defense mechanism?]
[That is correct. By the way, that is already a widely known fact.]
So it's like discharging water in all directions to flush out the invaders? Sounds like a good defense mechanism, if only a bit messy to clean up.
[By the way, there is water discharge training once every 6 months! Resident evacuation training, checking the acceptance of the system in and around the palace, and at the same time to see if the buildings can withstand the water. So badly built and dilapidated buildings collapsing is like an annual event!]
It seems that the government will subsidize the rebuilding of the collapsed dilapidated buildings. Even so, since each building was made to last for 20 years at minimum, the rebuilding was actually rarely done. There is saying that a building designed by a gifted craftsman can last more than 100 years.
Apparently they used magic to increase the durability of the building, and the so-called magic carpenters were vying to see whose work lasts the longest. I guess no matter which world, there will always be carpenters around.
Whilst listening to the events surrounding the capital Crown, we entered what appear to be a drawing room. It seemed to be the guest room judging from the expensive looking furniture.
[I feel like I've seen this kind of room before.]
[It is because guest rooms are always made the same everywhere…eh!]
[Nn? What's wrong?]
[No no, nothing at all?]
I sat on the couch while wondering about Marl's response. My body immediately sank into the sofa, a feeling I nearly forgot. Fram also sat next to me, but I was preoccupied by the fact that the sofa was softer than I expected.
The sofa in my home isn't this soft. It can be a bit uncomfortable if it's too soft. But I really could get used to this.
But what was Marl's reaction just now all about? Looking around, the furnishing and smiling nice-looking maids certainly looked expensive.
[Mariel-sama, a new dress has been prepared. Another dress too for this lady who is with you as well.]
[Nn, me too?]
[Yes, indeed. Pardon me, but we have to push for time. Hero-sama can relax for a while here. If you need anything, please feel free to order that person.]
[Taichi-san, see you later.]
Grace pulled Fram over with unquestioning authority, with Marl pushing the latter from the back to leave the room.
Left alone, a cup of tea was served to me.
[They need to choose what they will wear for dinner tonight.]
[Ah, I see.]
The maid who served the tea to me gave me the answer. Dinner huh? Is there really a need to be this formal? Do I have to understand a certain table manner? Like perhaps I have to eat with a knife and fork?
Nah, we are in another world now. Table manners shouldn't always be the same. Rice seems to be the staple food in Miscronia kingdom in the first place.
Looking closely at the maids, they're wearing japanese style maid uniforms. Like those usually depicted in Taisho era romans.
The maid smiled back realizing that I was observing her clothes. Not that I'm interested, but she's quite a beautiful woman.
She had a similar hair color with Marl, causing the white headdress she wore to stand out. She had this soft atmosphere around her, and her body is slightly taller than Marl, albeit still small anyway. She also had a notably sizable chest. If Marl had an older sister, I'd imagine that she'll resemble this maid.
[Pleaseー, enough. If you stare at me so much I'm afraid I'll get pregnant.]
[No no. If stares can cause a girl to get pregnant, then a beautiful one like you will have it really hard.]
[Araー, you are pretty good at words. But even if you are trying to flirt with me, I can only serve tea to you though?]
[That's a shame.]
Laughing as I casually sipped on my tea, I covertly turned my appraisal eye on the maid.
=====
Name: Irene Blanc Miscronia
Age: 21
Skill: Water Magic 5, Wind Magic 2, Recovery Magic 4, Mannerism 4, Deception 3, Negotiation 4, Danger Detection 3, Dancing 3, Persuasion 4, Charisma of Royal Family (Superior)
Title: Daughter of the Water God, Princess in Captive, Demon King's Princess (Former), Providence Rebel, Transient Contractor, Hero's Companion (Current), Hyper Instrument, Hannya, Hero of Salvation, Cunning, Miscronia Kingdom's Witch, Queen of Miscronia Kingdom
Crime: none
=====
[Bfffft!?]
I spurted out the tea that I had sipped.
[Kyaah!? A, are you alright!?]
The Queen is the wife of that old man who tried to kill me earlier, which means she's Marl's mom! Or rather, my mother in law? I've been very blessed to meet your daughter.
I pretended to cough a bit while calming myself down. yosh
I took out a handkerchief from inventory and wiped the tea that spilled on my mouth, then started speaking as calm as I could.
[What in the world are you doing here, Your Majesty Queen?]
[Ara? Arara?]
v3-9
The maid put her hands on her cheeks as if she's troubled by my question. Enough with the prank, Your Majesty. That Marl, she knew this. This person here was probably why she reacted like that earlier.
I don't know why she did it, but I'll punish her later. I'll force her to dress like a little girl to add a sense of crime to it, but I'm a man who doesn't care and will still do it regardless.
[Could it be that you have the appraisal eyes? That's so unfair. Now the prank is ruined. And you just look at me with such a beast-like gaze earlier.]
[No no no, pardon me. I do think that Your Majesty is a beautiful woman, but I was just curious. Your Majesty looks similar to Marl, but I didn't think that you're her mom. I'd believe it if anyone told me that you are her sister.]
[Ufufu, I know rightー? My body has stopped growing by the age of seventeen after all]
[Eh? Really?]
[It truly is. Because various things happened to me in the past. Ufufu.]
A real eternal seventeen years old.
[…..! Pardon me, but can I ask you one thing?]
[Yes, what is it?]
[Well, can you please prepare some children's clothes? About the same size as Mariel if possible.]
[Your wish is my command. We will prepare the clothes in the size that will fit you as well]
[Eh?]
[You need it, right?]
[Eh? Eh?]
[I know your intentions, fufufu.]