One day, while I was training on how to suppress my presence.
"Oh, so that's the technique Onii-san is learning to suppress his presence, right?"
"Yeah, but it weakens as soon as I let my guard down. Lefi seems to be doing this 24/7, but I'm still far from that level."
I replied to Nell, who had just returned from a day of work in her country.
Recently she worked less than before, or rather, she was able to come home quite often like once a week as long as there was nothing serious going on.
She mentioned that she's been having her work reduced a little bit as a hero… and, I was glad to hear that.
"Well, you're learning some hard stuff, that's for sure. …But then again, regarding Lefi, I can't really understand how she can manipulate magic in such a detailed way, even though her usage of magic is so rough." (Nell)
"Oh, I feel exactly the same way." (Yuki)
We both looked at each other and laughed, and Nell grinned, as if she had just remembered something.
"Oh, right, Onii-san, I've been meaning to talk to you about this…and it looks like you finally got Layla, too, huh? You've done it, Onii-san! It's quite a feat to get a girl with such a tight guard to fall for you."
"It's not like I am collecting people, you know?"
Wasn't there a better way to put it?
"…I didn't make that decision, Layla did. I didn't do anything, I just accepted it. That's why it was Layla who made the big move."
Yes, it was Layla's decision to confess her love, not mine, and she was determined to succeed.
What I had done was nothing compared to what she had to go through.
When I conveyed these thoughts to her, Nell chuckled.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. But…I'm still happy, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure Lefi and Lyuu feel the same way because we already consider Layla… our family, you know? It's nice to see that becoming true."
Nell smiled.
She looked genuinely happy and sincere.
I averted my face from embarrassment.
"…But more importantly, by the looks of it, you came here for something else, didn't you?"
"Oh, yes, yes, Onii-san, you have time today, don't you?"
"Hmm, yeah, I'm free."
Then she said, "Well, then, poison! Let's test some poison!"
"…eh?"
"Well, I couldn't do it in the Dwarven Village and the Beastmen Village because we didn't have the time after all. Here are all the poisons I have collected in the Demon Forest with the help of Rir-kun. Now then, prepare some advanced potions."
Nell started to take out what looked like medicinal herbs one after another from a pouch enchanted with space magic that I had given her before.
…I was wondering what she was doing with Rir in the Demon Forest these days.
While I was unable to say anything, she was making preparations with a mortar and other items that she had apparently prepared.
"…Well, uh, Nell-san, I did ask for your help regarding poisons and how to resist them, but…well, this is too sudden, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for it…"
"Naive, that's too naive, a person who would use poison on you doesn't care what's convenient for you! Come on, get ready, and have a drink!"
That sounded like an invitation for a drink.
And just then, Illuna and Shii came over to us, seemingly interested in what we were doing.
"What are you doing? Are you playing apothecary?"
"That's so cute!"
"Oh, no! This is a poisonous plant. It's dangerous, so don't touch it."
At Nell's words, the two, who had been reaching out their hands with interest, hurriedly retracted them.
"What, poison!?"
"Poison~?"
"Yes, if you eat it, you will vomit, fall down in pain, or your body will turn purple. Also, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to eat dinner tonight."
Nell told them with a scary tone of voice.
"Yah, scary!"
"Shii's blue body will turn purple!?"
"You don't like that, do you? So, I'm sorry, but please go play outside until this evening, and tell Enne-chan, Rei-chan, Rui, and Ro-chan to do the same, okay?"
""Yes!"
And with that, they left – and Nell looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
"? What is it? Onii-san."
"Well, I am thinking you are becoming more and more like a mother."
"…Jeez, you say things like that so easily."
Nell looked a little embarrassed, then smacked me out of her embarrassment, which I thought was cute.
I smiled and continued speaking, "Well, I guess I'll just have to make up my mind since the little girls will be curious if we keep things hanging. But I don't think I'll be able to acquire poison resistance that quickly."
"Don't worry, I know Onii-san has good instincts, so once you experience the smell and taste, your body will learn it on its own. Those sensations tend to stay in your consciousness."
That certainly seemed about right.
I think the senses of smell and taste were closely linked, right?
"So, first, a basic premise about poisons. The poisons used by the humans are often divided into two types: those that act on the body and those that act on magic. In this case, the one on this side is the type that affects the body, and the one on the other side is the type that affects magic."
Nell explained, dividing the bundle of medicinal herbs into two parts.
I recognized the different shapes of the flowers and roots, but to me, they just looked like weeds.
I did sense that they smelled somewhat unpleasant, though.
"I understand that poisons interact with the body, but to magic as well?"
"Yes, this is especially applicable to people with high internal magic power, but even if you are poisoned with a physically damaging poison, your magic power will often work to counteract the effect. That's why poisons that disrupt the magic power itself are often used along with other types of poisons."
"…Poisons that affect the body are repelled by magic?"
"Yes, it is common knowledge for those who are involved in combat, but physical injuries heal much faster for those who have more magic power than for those who have less. I think Onii-san also knew that people with more magic power live longer, but I think the same thing applies to being poisoned."
…I see.
Magic Power, was it.
I already knew very well that because of magic power, the strength of the organisms in this world was much stronger than in my previous world.
So that logic also applied to poisons, I suppose.
"But if it's an enemy with high magic power, I'm afraid that a poison that affects magic power will also not have much of an effect." (Yuki)
"That's true. Especially with an opponent like Onii-san, normal poison concoctions will have no effect at all. However, if a formula like ___ is used to trick you using an abnormal flow of magical power, it can be effective, even if only temporarily. Alright, this. Smell it first, then just take a sip. Just one sip."
With that, Nell placed in front of me a glass of water mixed with the powder she had just made from a poisonous herb.
…Maybe I should focus on the fact that I was doing it with the help of an expert. Good kids, don't do this.
Although I was a little freaked out, I raised my hand holding the glass of water mixed with the poison and smelled it.
It smelled a little, sweet, just a little.
Then I took a sip.
"Well?"
"…It had a sweet smell, but it tasted like a herb with a hint of bitterness."
Nell then looked impressed.
"That's amazing. It's known among humans as a tasteless, odorless poison, but I guess one can recognize it with Onii-san's level of keen senses."
Even if I sensed it, I would have still consumed it as I wouldn't have even known that it was a poison.
"Oh, but there's no reaction? Is this the type that shows its effects over time?"
"Well, then, let's test it out."
Nell, looking somewhat amused, put her hands on my shoulders.
There's something strange about that.
My sense of touch itself seemed to be working normally, but there was definitely a sense of discomfort.
"How does this feel?"
"It feels strange. It feels different from when you touch me normally. It's gone now, though."
Nell still had her hand on my shoulder, but the weird feeling was already gone.
"Drink some advanced potion, just in case. Just drink about half of it. I'm sure you've noticed that there's been an anomaly in the flow of Onii-san's magic. Incidentally, when I was made to lick this poison during training, I was unable to exercise my magic for about 30 minutes, and it became difficult for me to move my body. I guess magic power and the human body are deeply connected."
"…Poison training didn't leave any aftereffects on you, right? You may be a hero, but your race is still human."
"I'm fine. This poison is not the type that leaves aftereffects. Besides, when I do that kind of training, I make sure that the medical system is in place so that there are absolutely no aftereffects. It would be stupid if the training left me with serious aftereffects."
"Well…hey, Nell, I don't want to get in the way of your heroic activities, but I'd appreciate it if you don't train that way in the future. I understand that Nell is a military personnel and as such, training is a necessary part of your life… but as your husband, I'm worried about you."
Nell looked like she was thinking about it for a moment before answering.
"…Yeah, okay. I'll do that. I'll try not to do anything dangerous, just like Onii-san said."
"I'm sorry for restricting your actions, but please, do me a favor. …Oh yeah, maybe you can take one of our pets with you? I'm sure Byaku is good at what she does and would fit well in human society."
One of our pets, Byaku, was a giant monster cat.
She was the only female among our pets, and I didn't know if that was the reason, but she was good at mediating between the pets.
She may be more carefree than Rir, who was a hard worker, but she was also very attentive and caring, which helped her to keep the other three pets together.
She excelled at moving around. She also had a good sense of humor.
She was not intimidating to look at, and I was sure that she would do well among the humans.
Of course, as a fighting force, she was powerful enough to hunt in the Demon Forest, so she would be a great help to Nell if she brought her outside.
"Byaku, is it, thank you, but I would feel bad if I brought her with me. I'd probably give her a hard time."
"I see… but it should be alright. You can always count on me if things go out of hand. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me."
"Yeah, thanks. Fufufu, you really are sweet to us, Onii-san."
"You guys indulge me. Then I, too, have to answer for it."
"…Then let me indulge you!"
Saying that, Nell sat on my lap.
"…I thought you were going to give me a lecture on poisons."
"I will? Like this."
"…I won't be able to concentrate…"
Nell's poison lecture, with her delightful, bewitching smile, continued for a while…