Chapter 182 - The Dog-Eared Knights and a New Encounter
In the end, it was decided that Lini would be left in the care of House Starunion. And Shizuka, too, would live at the Starunion estate for the time being.
"Starting today, I'm Augustus-san's mistress. You can call me 'Mother,' too, Marmie."
She was immediately met with a fist from Patricia. Marmie seemed to plan on splitting her time between her mansion and our inn. Today, she decided to stay at the mansion with Shizuka and the others. Fam was sleeping on my back.
As we were about to leave Marmie's estate, I saw a company of fully armed knights waiting outside the gate. The man at the front, who had a full beard, was of the dog-eared race. When he spotted Marianne among us, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The other knights followed his lead, kneeling in a display of refined discipline.
"Lady Marianne. We have come to escort you."
She nodded at his words, then turned to me.
"I will be returning home today as well."
"Got it. I don't think we'll see each other again, but take care."
If I'd known we'd be parting this soon, I should have touched her breasts more. I wanted to touch her sharp, upright ears, too.
"No, no, no, no, what are you saying?! The promise from our duel still stands."
"It does? But I'm getting a pretty intense glare…"
The bearded man was still on one knee, but he had raised his head and was now staring daggers at me. It was extremely uncomfortable.
"Next time, please come to my home. I will make preparations to ensure there are no discourtesies."
"Even if you're fine with it…"
Why was the bearded man glaring at me? It had to be born from a sense of service to her, an unwavering will to never forgive anyone who would bring her harm. That's what I thought as I looked at the light blue stone on the ring on his finger.
"That's different from Fam's. The knights who serve House Wanland are required to wear those rings for ceremonial purposes."
She must have noticed my gaze. But I couldn't believe the look in the bearded man's eyes was a lie. She had said she was isolated in her own home, but perhaps there were people like him, who were determined to serve her with loyalty. Otherwise, she never would have been able to dispatch troops to hunt down the Crimson Brigade.
"So if you run away from home, they come to pick you up like this?"
"Yes. If I return home the same day, no one comes, but they will if I stay out overnight."
From the way she said it, these little escapes seemed to be a regular occurrence. I think I finally understood the strange looks the guests at the inn were giving her.
There were two things I had to ask her before she left. One was the exact location of the Crimson Brigade, but I hesitated to ask that in front of Fam, so I decided to hold off.
"Before you go back, could you tell me what you know about Samueim?"
She fell silent for a moment at my words.
"Mash, could you please leave this matter to me?"
"No, he's Fam's friend. I can't leave it to someone else."
"Do you not trust me?"
"It's not that. I just think it's something Fam and I have to do. Fam is…"
I stopped myself. Fam feels a sense of guilt toward her fellow villagers because she has found happiness. But she's a victim. Even if someone tells her she doesn't need to feel that way, she probably can't shake it. That's how strong her feelings for her village are. She wants to handle Samueim's case herself, at the very least. At that moment, Marianne bowed her head.
"I understand that, like the heroes from other worlds and Okita Soji before you, you hold an extraordinary affection for Fam, Samueim, and our people, and that you are concerned. However, I am also the head of the dog-eared race. Won't you please entrust this to me?"
Was she insisting on this because of her own circumstances, or because of Samueim's situation?
"Alright. I'll let Fam know. And Marianne, you're one of us, too. If you're ever in trouble, you can count on us."
Marianne raised her head and smiled brightly. She then unfastened the katana and wakizashi from her waist and held them in her hands.
"I was thinking of returning this wakizashi, as I heard it was important to you, but I've changed my mind. Therefore, I will be keeping it. In its place, please use my tachi. It is a true masterpiece bestowed upon me by my master. I can say with confidence that it is worthy of being worn by you."
I took the tachi from Marianne, careful not to drop Fam from my back. It had a solid weight to it.
"Marianne, show me your palms."
When I said that, she held out both her palms. The skin at the base of her ring and pinky fingers on each hand was hard and calloused. Just like mine when I was a kid learning kendo. Touching those spots, a wave of nostalgia washed over me.
"My master told me I had no talent. So I just kept practicing the same forms over and over again."
An upward diagonal slash from an iai stance, and a downward strike from an overhead guard. I could picture her, honing her skills through relentless training. She looked embarrassed and pulled her hands back.
"Those hands are far more magnificent than this tachi."
She gave me a bashful smile at my words.
"Please tell Fam that if she wants this wakizashi, I will face her anytime. No matter what Fam says, I have no intention of backing down anymore."
Marianne turned and walked quietly toward her knights. As she approached, they all rose to their feet and bowed deeply. Then, as if escorting a queen, they formed an orderly procession and departed. It was a scene far different from the descriptions she had given me.
As I watched them go, Fam's arms, which were wrapped around my neck, tightened with a squeeze.
"Fam, I know you were playing possum."
She just hugged me even tighter. It seemed she had no intention of getting down.
The sun was beginning to set. The power of the light waned as the sky shifted to a deep blue, making the city buildings appear white in the twilight. The streets were reasonably busy with people heading home from work or out to get dinner. We were walking toward the district controlled by House Wanland. Stone-paved roads, rows of stone houses. I had heard there were distinct areas controlled by the four ruling families, but there were no clear boundaries.
A carriage passed through the middle of the road. We moved to the side to avoid it.
"If we had nothing to do, we should've just stayed at Marmie's house again today, don't you think?" Mizuki said.
"Your real goal was the bath, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, so?" she answered without a hint of shame.
"I don't know, for some reason I can't relax in other people's houses. It feels like my actions are restricted and I'm being watched. Besides, you might not get it since you seem to have had a good upbringing, but I just don't feel comfortable in places like that."
"I get that. But with Shizuka and Lini gone, on top of Cecily and Aira, it feels really lonely."
I felt the same way she did. I still hadn't been able to remove Cecily and Aira from our party roster.
"You wanted Shizuka to stay? If I asked her, she'd come back, you know."
Mizuki scowled. Still, compared to yesterday, today we had Fam, Mizuki, and Maira.
"But I wonder what Shizuka would actually do if you made a move on her. I have a feeling she'd run away."
"Are you saying her passion for sex is all an act? It'd be easy to test that, you know," I shot back, trying to sound tough. If she ran, I'd probably be seriously hurt.
"Don't you dare. But if she really liked that stuff, wouldn't she have just stayed in Heilong?" Mizuki replied.
"I wonder. I think my threat about her only having ten years to live had an effect. Speaking of which, she said she was still involved with the teacher who assaulted her while she was dating Ko-kun. Do you understand the emotions behind that?"
Mizuki tilted her head at my question.
"Hmm. Love and lust are very similar, but I think they're actually different desires. Love is something created in the heart, or maybe the mind, while lust is more instinctual, part of the body's system. They're both housed in a single body and are intricately linked. But for her, I think they might be clearly separated."
"As expected of Mizuki the onanist."
"H-Hey, don't say things like that out here."
"But aren't they separate for you, too? Like when you do it by yourself?"
"You asked, so I just tried to think about it! I haven't sorted it out in my own head either. I always thought it was weird, so I've been full of self-loathing! Besides, why do I have to talk about this stuff with you?!"
Mizuki puffed out her cheeks and turned her gaze toward the city streets. Her eyes widened. She stopped walking.
"Senpai…"
"Huh?"
I followed her gaze and saw a man who looked to be around twenty. He had blue hair, cool eyes, and a sharp jawline. Clad in silver mail with a greatsword on his back, he was a size larger than me and had a somewhat muscular build. At a glance, he looked like a battle-hardened adventurer. The man also looked surprised to see Mizuki.
"Senpai! Yuuki-senpai!"
Mizuki took off running. My hand, reaching out to grab her wrist and stop her, grasped only empty air. The man, Yuuki, seemed bewildered as Mizuki ran toward him, but soon a smile spread across his face, and they clasped hands.
They were talking animatedly, but I couldn't hear what they were saying from here. I didn't feel like getting any closer. Still, first Yuuki, and then Hyakka… why were so many people she knew being transferred here? Could people close to me be in this world, too?
"You said his name was Yuuki, correct?"
It was Maira, her gaze sharp.
"Is that man the transfer who killed Hyakka's and Ito's companions?"
"N-No. Actually, the name Yuuki is pretty common in my original world. So, I don't know yet if it's him," I answered, my voice faint.
"I see. So there are many people named Yuuki in the world you came from. So many that there could be more than one among the hundred transfers."
"…I don't know about that either. There might be."
My stammering, incoherent words made Maira blink. Then, she peered into my face as if trying to discern the truth. I felt awkward and looked away.
"Mash, you knew Mizuki had an acquaintance named Yuuki, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry… I found out by chance when I saw her phone while playing with Fam. But I didn't want to blame Mizuki for something like that."
"So Mizuki didn't say anything herself, and Fam knew as well…"
Maira reached over my shoulder and lightly flicked the forehead of Fam, who was pretending to be asleep.
"This isn't like you, Mash. Shouldn't you have given a warning so we could be cautious?"
"Wait, there are six billion people in my old world. The country Mizuki and I lived in has over a hundred million people. I never thought an acquaintance of hers would be transferred."
In truth, I had thought the same thing as Maira. But I didn't want Mizuki to think I was just being jealous. I didn't want her to look down on me. Even now, seeing the smile she gave Yuuki was driving me insane.
"Until now, I could believe it was a coincidence. But she said Hyakka was an acquaintance of hers, too."
"You're right. If it happens a third time, there must be some kind of pattern."
I had to calm down. As Maira said, I should consider the possibility that the transfers were being chosen from a much closer circle of people. But figuring out the intention or the pattern behind it seemed difficult. I didn't even know why I was chosen in the first place. As I was talking with Maira, Mizuki came running back, her steps light and bouncy.
"Mash, I'm having dinner with my senpai today."
Her voice was giddy.
"The two of you?"
"Yeah, is that okay?"
At her question, I glanced at Yuuki. The man was still standing in the same spot, watching us, showing no sign of approaching. He seemed to be alone. Were his other party members somewhere else?
"Hey."
Mizuki grabbed my arm and shook it.
"Yeah… Be careful."
"What's there to be careful about?!"
Mizuki's smile burst forth. Seeing it, my mind went completely blank. She ran off toward Yuuki.
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