It's Taishi.
I'm on my way home after completing a transaction at the Penguin Village—or rather, the Birdman Village. I'm in the middle of my way home... something is wrong with Elmina-san and Rifana.
"What are you looking at?"
"I didn't see it. Why are you so crisp?"
"It's annoying! It's nothing!"
I'm planning to stop by the Cait Sith Village and camp in the forbidden land today, and tomorrow I'm planning to go to the Harpie Village for the night, but Rifana's mood is getting worse and worse. She seemed to bite me just by making eye contact. what the hell did i do
"Rifana-chan, you can't bite like that.
Elmina-san enters between me and Rifana and mediates gently. Or rather, what is this subtle body touch? Elmina-san's hand intervened and wriggled as if stroking my stomach from my chest. what do you want? And when I turn my gaze, it's nothing, you know? I will return a gaze like that.
Rifana, who saw it, further wrinkled her eyebrows and grinded her teeth. Stop, girls don't make that face. Breeder, Breeder help me. Wow, you're making that bastard look dazzling.
what the hell is going on What's causing this?
"Bokujanaiyo"
No, it's you It's definitely you what did you do this time As expected, even I can't overlook putting out my hands to the people around me, can I? What's more, one is my mother-in-law, and the other is the child who hated me, right? It's a bit overkill, isn't it?
"No, really, I didn't do anything to them, did I? I can swear
You're lying. It's clear that the two of you are in a bad mood.
"I'm not lying. I didn't do anything to the two of them.』
Then what is this situation like a petit carnage? It's obvious that those two are strange when it comes to returning from the penguin village.
"Why? Did something like your pheromones get you fucked? 』
How can such a strange thing happen?
"The human mind is complicated and mysterious. Maybe I saw your late husband in you, maybe I was fascinated by the way you faced dangerous monsters without caring about yourself, maybe I was touched by your innocent appearance, what is it? It may be that I was fascinated by the way you devoted yourself to crabs."
No, it's specific.
You, but is it possible for such a simple thing to happen? Isn't there? No. I don't think so... but looking at the precedent. It was a level that I was scared at first sight with Marl. Flamm is... well, even if it's that, Tina is... well.
"I can't do something that can't be! (Kiri'
Do you say sharp with your own mouth? Or rather, you told the two of you that you didn't do anything, but you didn't tell me that you didn't do anything, right? what did you do?
"... Pyu, Huh"
Are you going to whistle? that. What are you doing, puke.
"I didn't do much. It's just that I've manipulated the conditions for obtaining access to your library.』
Library? Conditions for obtaining access rights? I don't understand what you mean, please explain.
"Isn't the library the base of the skill system? It's a place that accumulates, integrates, and manages human experience and knowledge. It's not a real place, it's a phase or a dimension or something like that, so humans can't directly see or perceive it.』
Like the Akashic Records?
"Yeah, that's how it feels. A source of knowledge and experience. The skill system allows constant access to information and experience stored in the library, depending on the user's experience and proficiency. Depending on your actions and experiences, you will be able to access a program called "skill", and you will be able to perform a certain level of action without being conscious of it. That's what it means to learn a skill.』
I see? It's like cloud computing of knowledge and experience. The skill point system was forcibly intervening in the system to force the use of services, right?
"That's it. So, what I did this time was to make the conditions for acquiring access privileges to the library looser, in short, to make it possible to acquire skills with less actions and experience. To put it very simply, it's like I've been working on my 'talent'.』
Hmm. Don't they find out by doing that?
"It's okay, it's okay, there are quite a few people with this level of talent. Or rather, someone with exceptionally high talent, right next to you, right? A person with an abnormal skill acquisition speed』
Ah... it's marl. His skill acquisition speed was abnormal. When I first met him, he was so humbled that he could barely swing a sword, but with just a little practice he had mastered dual wielding. Both wind magic and alchemy improved at an amazing speed.
"That kid is a little bit like that. You're a real hero. If I train seriously, maybe I'll become stronger than you? 』
What is that scary? What are you afraid of? scary.
By the way, Mr. Real?
"Yes, I'm your eternal lover Real-chan☆"
What kind of causal relationship is there between the story so far and the current situation?
"Gugigigigi"
"Ufufufufu"
Even while I was interrogating the bad god in my brain, Rifana desperately tried to tear me off from Elmina-san and pulled my arm, and Elmina-san continued to hold my body without moving. My arm hurts a lot as a result.
stop it! Some children are crying because their arms are about to come off!
"Elves have a high degree of perfection as creatures. They have a long lifespan, so basically they don't need to have many children.』
Hmm, so?
『Well, if the breeding is left to nature, it will be difficult for the population to recover if the population decreases due to an unexpected accident. That's why the estrous period is set.』
I see.
"But the estrus period is quite long. When you meet an excellent individual, you can't make a child because it's not in estrus, so that's a problem.』
Oh is that so.
"That's why when you meet someone better than you, you're forced to go into heat. Maybe that kind of thing was stimulated by me playing around with Taishi's 'talent'? 』
bring it back get it back now Harry! Harry! ! Harry! ! !
"Eh, you had a lot of trouble trying to trick them so they wouldn't notice you, right? It's very convenient in terms of skill acquisition, isn't it? 』
Still! You really should stop doing this! It's going to be awkward with various things!
『Or rather, even if I go back now, the estrous period won't end. I'm looking forward to it.』
This fucking evil god... remember that.
"I already forgot☆"
The bad god fell silent after that. I'm sure you're enjoying the current situation while grinning. He's a guy with bad taste.
"Ah... For now, can we proceed with the work?"
Grin, and the faces of the two turned to me.
"... well, it's not the time to play around."
"...Hmm"
The two separated from me and started preparing for camp. I let out a sigh. The wives who got along well with that number of people were really good wives.
☆★☆
Today's lookout will be with Breeda. It is a conversation between two women. Men had no say.
After dinner, when the two women are asleep, I talk to Breeda.
"Elf-like, how about a widow starting another family with another man or polygamy?"
"It's not a story that doesn't exist. Since our lives are long enough, there are cases where we dissolve our partnerships and find another partner even if we don't get divorced. You can have multiple partners at the same time."
"I see"
"Even so, I've never heard of a daughter and mother-in-law at the same time."
"Is it bad?"
"We don't have a direct blood relationship, so in that sense it's not a problem. Back then, there were many elves who became partners with humans."
While saying that, Breeda threw the twig into the bonfire. I hear the crackling sound of a bonfire. The light of the bonfire and the phosphorescence that drifts create a fantastic sight.
"Well, it's no surprise that the two of you are attracted to you.
"Huh? Is it cute?"
I don't know how to react even if Breeda says that with a straight face... What the hell is this, Breeda!? Explain!
"Hmm. I don't know what to say... We elves can see the heart through our eyes. The eyes of those with evil hearts look dirty, and on the contrary, the eyes of those with honest hearts look beautiful. You. Her eyes... well, it looks like she's deliberately trying to hide her beauty by pretending to be dirty.
"It's like you don't know what it means"
"This is hard to describe in words. It's something you feel in your heart."
Shrugging his shoulders, Breeder closed his mouth.
Well, it was good that I didn't end up in a situation where I would be elven-like if I built a relationship with Elmina-san or Rifana. The rest is up to me. Reject or accept? If you accept it, what are you going to do in the future? How do you explain it to your wives?
Whatever choice I made, just thinking about it makes me sick. Should I choose nothing and quietly disappear? No, that sucks. Whatever choice you make, you should face it head-on. But, hmmm.
"You! Don't think too deeply and do it YO! Let's pursue momentary pleasure.』
You haven't been able to hide your wickedness lately, have you? What's your aim?
"Aren't you and I literally one in the same? Let's expose everything and build a relationship of trust.』
I'm lying. Are you hiding something from me?
"Kakushitenaiyo"
Damn, it's too artificial and I can't tell the truth.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh comes out. I can't help but worry about it. Let's find the right time and have a long talk with the two of them.
But... what do you think? What should I do? Should I accept it or should I reject it? No, it's not good to think about it. Let's go with the spirit of becoming. There is also a saying that it is a man's shame not to eat at the table. I should get used to this world soon, yeah.
However, I do not lose sight of the place I should return to. Just swear in your heart and push forward. I will definitely leave the Great Forest. Definitely. I only have one place.
After changing the night watch, when I wake up, I will return to the elf treetop village through the beastman village via the harpie village. In the Harpie village, I was able to meet Piruru's family. Pirul's mother and her sister were very grateful and kept the letter and their feathers. This is one more reason to come back.
By the way, I didn't sleep with Harpie this time. Yeah, it's a pity, isn't it? It's True?
In the beastman village, there was nothing special to mention except that supplies were dropped. Just like last time, I just slept with Breeder at Tiga's house. I feel that Elmina-san and Rifana have calmed down since they camped in the forbidden land. I wonder if there was some discussion while I was sleeping.
"Ah... you've arrived."
"Yes"
"This shopping trip was easy."
"I didn't have to carry heavy luggage."
Looking up at Treetop Village from directly below. They seemed to have noticed that we had already returned, and several elves were looking down at us. Led by Elmina-san, they all jumped up to Treetop Village. I also jumped up like the three elves.
After spending the night with Harpie-san, I got used to using wind magic, and was able to perform a floaty climb on par with the other three. The elves who saw me looked like they were impressed. Fufufu, I'm making progress too.
"Welcome back"
"Welcome back"
"I'm safe and above all."
I spit out the salt and supplies that I exchanged while listening to the words of gratitude. According to Elmina-san, they were able to secure a suitable amount of salt and supplies this time. It seems that 80% of the other requested items were obtained, and the portion that was not obtained was salted.
It's not always possible to get what you want, well, it can't be helped in a large forest where there aren't many things. It seems that the client also agreed that it can't be helped. Or rather, she thought she was lucky if she got it, so it doesn't seem to be a problem.
"No"
Breeda said so and walked with the elf woman who had come to meet her. Was she a widower? Rifana stared at me for a while and then silently walked away. Oh no, I'm back.
Rifana, who has returned, walks in a straight line to me. she has a scary face He grabbed her by the lapels.
"Lend me a little bit"
"yes"
I feel like I'll get beaten if I refuse, so I nod obediently. Why is Elmina-san smiling and seeing me off? I remember something like this.
It was one residence that was brought to Rifana. From what I've seen, the floor plan seems to be one size smaller than Elmina-san's house. She was invited inside, so she goes inside first.
This house is also made by hollowing out a huge tree, and the inside of the house has a strong scent of wood. Is it the scent of flowers mixed with it? A refreshing direction tickles my nostrils. Something is rattling behind my back, what happened?
When I turned around, there was only Rifana staring at me with a sullen expression. At her feet is salt, a tool bag containing travel tools, and a bow and arrow, so I guess it's the sound of putting them down.
"sit down"
"yes"
It's a powerful force that doesn't say yes or no as it glares at me. I have no choice but to behave like a borrowed cat. Sitting quietly in a strange chair with its back resting on a log, I watched Rifana and headed for the kitchen. It looks like he'll make you some tea or something. They seem to treat me like a customer.
I have free time while waiting, so I look around the room while being aware of my impoliteness. Somehow, it's a relatively modest room. Most of the furniture is simple, with an emphasis on practicality.
However, it is impressive that various dried flowers are displayed here and there, probably because it is a hobby to make dried flowers. The refreshing scent that you can feel faintly in the scent of wood is surely derived from dried flowers.
After a while, Rifana approached the table with something that looked like tea on a tray. A deep red liquid is poured into a glass glass. Looking at the place where steam is not rising, it seems to be cold tea.
"please"
"How about this?"
I stare at the red liquid placed in front of me. The sunlight shining through the window makes the tea sparkle and is very beautiful.
"What? It's not poisonous."
"No, I just thought it was beautiful and looked at it. I'll take it."
He has a red liquid in his mouth. A soft and refreshing scent of flowers passed through my nose. The taste is not particularly sweet, not astringent, and refreshing. But this scent is wonderful. It's a tea that enjoys the aroma more than the taste.
"It smells good."
"Yeah, yeah"
For some reason, Rifana was staring at me drinking tea. When she notices my gaze, she puts her mouth on the tea as if she was in a hurry.
"So what is this?"
"Nothing else... I just wanted to talk to you. Hey, how did you and Melkina usually spend their time?
"Hmm, I've been quite busy with work, but when we're together, we walk in the forest together, hang out in our room together, or go out to eat and see if there's something delicious to eat. I wonder if it's a hit"
There were many times when I would do loose-fitting exercises on the bed or in the bath, but I would get scolded if I said that, so I kept quiet.
"Well, there were others, right? What was it like?"
Will you ask me there? I don't mind.
"I think our relationship was generally good. There were some girls who didn't get along well, but it was more like flirting rather than seriously fighting each other."
I didn't get along with Marle a little, but it wasn't like we really hated each other. Because Kusuha intervened and controlled it well.
"Y-yeah..."
After that, Rifana hung her head and was silent. She puts her tea in her mouth again, wondering if she should bring up the topic. Hmmm, this scent is addictive.
But what happened to this situation? There are things I can guess from the state of Rifana who can't say anything, but I can't decide whether I should go greedily. No, rather, should I take the initiative here?
"I'm planning on leaving this village soon."
"...eh?"
"I've learned a lot by walking around the Great Forest this time. When I'm ready to leave, I plan to walk around the Great Forest and look for things. It's also a way to train."
Rifana puts her hand on her mouth, opens her eyes and trembles. While watching the situation, I take another sip of the red tea that Rifana brewed. The refreshing scent that tickled her nose felt soothing.
"Well, I think they'll come back to this village from time to time. For things like replenishment of food and supplies, gathering information, or just to rest. They'll probably visit other villages as well."
If you use the shelter of earth magic, there should be no problem to rest, and as for food, if you catch prey in the forest, you will be able to make up for it to some extent. However, I can't tell the difference between wild grasses and fruits that I can eat, and above all, I can't completely relax and rest in an earth magic shelter. It will be necessary to maintain the equipment in a place where safety is ensured to some extent, and after all it will be difficult to survive completely alone in the Great Forest.
"I don't know how long it will take to find what I'm looking for, but once I've accomplished my goal, I'll leave the Great Forest. I have to go back to my wives."
Firmly stare into Rifana's eyes and declare so. This is absolute. I will return to Marl and the others. Because that's where I should be.
"...I should stay here forever."
Rifana muttered.
"I don't know why you came here, but I hope you stay here forever. Hunt your prey here, run through the forest, carry salt, and live slowly and leisurely."
"Well, that kind of life might be good. If you have a cute wife there, it might be a happy enough life."
"Then do it."
"No.
My and Rifana's gazes intersect, and the tense air flows.
"You, if you carry everything on your back like that, you'll die soon."
"If I carry it on my back and self-destruct, then I was the human being I was until then. But well, maybe so."
I want to do something about those who are within reach, sight, and hearing. If the current situation is the result of such a single-minded effort, it may be exactly what Rifana says.
"Isn't it nice to run away? No one will blame you for pursuing only your own happiness."
"Maybe so."
When the time comes, I take my wives and run away. She should have held such a determination in her heart, but before she knew it, she was carrying more than she could carry on her own. If there are only three wives, it is not possible to have ten wives. Besides my wife, I have more people to protect, and I also have a place to protect. There was already no way out, and there was no choice but to fight.
"I wanted to live freely.
When I came to this world, I intended to enjoy it freely. Where did you go wrong? Come to think of it, it all started when I met Marle. I have no regrets at all. Was this also fate?
In general, to live freely without being bound by anything, that's the only way to live alone without connecting with anyone. Such a way of life is appalling.
"But I'm going back to everyone after all."
Marle's smiling face with a happy smile, Fram's quietly smiling face, Tina's elegantly smiling face, Kusuha's relaxed smile, Deborah's cheerfully smiling face, Karen's sleepy face, Sherry's face with a shy smile, Shitan's face wagging her tail and expressing her joy with her whole body, and Nella's face laughing loudly with her hands on her mouth are not only clover. The smiles of everyone who lives there pass through my mind.
"That's where I live"
Remembering everyone's smiles, a feeling of loneliness wells up in my heart. I want to go home early, to everyone.
"yes"
Rifana whispered so and lowered her gaze to the glass containing the red liquid.
There is no right or wrong answer, but this is all I can say.
"But that's your convenience. I have mine."
With her eyes still on the glass, Rifana said so and took a sip of its contents. Then she slams her glass down on the table and leaves her seat with a noise.
"Kuh! Why is this human being more than anything...!"
Rifana's hand reaches out at a tremendous speed and grabs my collar. It's a great sword. I wondered if this could be beaten, and it was more powerful than I thought, but Rifana's face was already in front of me.
"Nbu!?"
"ow!"
With a bang, my lips bumped against each other, or rather my teeth! It hurts! Well, if you hit me head-on with that kind of momentum, it will hurt!
"It hurts."
"It's noisy! Shut up—Hmm!?"
Hold Rifana's head as she tries to scream with her face red and close her mouth with her lips. My experience points for kissing naturally increased, because I had a lot of chats with my wife.
Rifana stopped rampaging and stopped kissing when her eyes became tron. My lips and Rifana's lips are separated, and a bridge of saliva is formed. Rifana's saliva smelled fresh and floral.
"This is how you kiss"
Seeing what I said, Rifana stepped back with a surprised face, got caught in the chair she was sitting on, and flipped over. What is this guy doing? I wonder if it's surprisingly clankers.
While scratching his head, he bypasses the table and moves to Rifana, who is lying down with a bright red face, and lifts him up. She doesn't look like she's hurt.
"Ah, ah, ah..."
"You look like you don't know what's going on anymore."
I hold Rifana in my chest and pat her on the back. As she calmed down, Rifana's breathing became quieter. She timidly wraps her arms around my back and hugs me tightly.
"Like I said before, I'm leaving the forest soon."
"no matter what?"
"No way."
Rifana's strength to embrace me increases. It's a little painful.
After hugging me tightly for a while, Rifana's arms suddenly lost their strength. Then she strokes my back several times and hugs me once again.
"Okay then. I'll follow you."
"no matter what?"
"No matter what."
"If you're okay with that"
"Yeah"