Chapter 226 - The Pride of the Dog-Eared Race and Petra's Observation
The human mind cannot defy the five senses. I was forcibly awakened by the sunlight streaming onto the bed. It seemed I had woken up later than usual. My head was still fuzzy as I slowly sat up and looked around, but everything was hazy and I couldn't process any information. I could, however, hear people talking downstairs. I stroked the cheek of Hyakka, who was lying face down next to me, her head turned to the side. I wondered if she had a stiff neck.
"Nnngh... my body feels so heavy. And it hurts down there..."
She seemed to be awake, lifting her head slightly. Her eyelids looked heavy as she rubbed her eyes repeatedly. I looked at the hand she had placed on her groin and saw a mixture of what was either her fluids or my semen. I wasn't the one who did that to her. She did it herself. Between Mizuki and Hyakka, why did they so frantically desire themselves when they turned into me? Come to think of it, Cecily was fine. When she became Mash, Aira took her away before she could go wild. That left me with mixed feelings, but my body couldn't take much more, so it couldn't be helped.
"Mash..."
she murmured.
"What is it?"
"I'm actually super cute, you know? I never really liked myself much before, but I've started to like myself a little."
She snuggled up to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pressed my lips to hers. They were a little dry and chapped.
"Mash... take good care of me, okay...?"
As I gazed into her moist eyes, my groin began to awaken as well. I was about to push her down when a loud clattering sound came from the stairs.
"Master! If you're awake, hurry up and eat breakfast!"
When I went downstairs, I saw the members of Levante, the New World party, and Patricia, as well as Marianne and Petra Skynorth. Petra was dressed in her usual concealing attire, as dictated by the customs for unmarried dwarven women, but she was the only one who dressed like that. My throat was parched. I sat down next to Fam and chugged the Ayran Patricia offered me.
"I hear you're going to the Leafclout domain. I'm coming with you."
Marianne leaned forward. She was gripping her kebab sandwich so tightly that it was losing its shape, the meat inside about to fall out. She could eat better food at her own home, so why was she having breakfast here?
"No, you can't come."
"Hmph, why not?"
"It's a four-day round trip. What are you going to do about your duties at home during that time? Also, I want to keep things as neutral as possible right now. I don't want to apply any pressure, political or otherwise."
"Says the person with the blessing of Lady Racshell..."
She straightened her posture and stuffed the falling meat into her mouth. She was clearly displeased. But there was nothing I could do about Racshell's influence. I picked up a kebab sandwich myself and took a bite. It must have been bought a while ago; it was a little cold, and the bread was dry.
"So, Petra, did you come here for something?"
She nodded at my words.
"This."
She held out the sword that Aidan had forged. I hastily put down my half-eaten kebab, wiped my hands, and took it. When I drew the blade, a cold light ran along its length. A beautiful temper line stretched all the way to the tip. It was so perfectly repaired that it was hard to believe it had been broken. I gave it a light swing, and the feel was the same as before.
"Petra... I don't know how to thank you."
As I sheathed the sword, I noticed Marianne smiling at me. Her tail was wagging furiously.
"Mash, you can keep my sword. Give me that one instead!"
It seemed that's why she had shown up so early in the morning. But right next to me, Fam slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet.
"No! Master is my master! Why are you trying to butt in?!"
Marianne and I stared at her, stunned.
"N-No... I never intended to be your master in the first place."
Her eyes widened at my words.
"Why would you say something like that?!"
"I've been telling you all along. I don't want you to follow me. I want you to be with me."
"In that case, please give me that sword."
"Ah, alright..."
As I was about to hand the sword to Fam, Marianne's face fell, looking like she was about to cry.
"Mash, I was so happy when I heard from Lady Petra that the sword was fixed, and I came here with her. Have you forgotten that all the girls here love you, and you love them? Is there a ranking among us? Aren't we all the same?"
Her shoulders were trembling. I looked around. Everyone was looking at me. Mizuki and the others had stopped eating, waiting for my response. Even the members of the New World party were watching me, which was a little embarrassing.
"It would be a lie to say everyone's the same. This party started with just me and Fam. So if she says no, then it's no."
"In that case, please kick Mizuki out!"
Fam abruptly pointed at Mizuki.
"Why me?! I'm telling you, stop using me as a joke!"
Mizuki shouted. Ignoring her, Petra patted Marianne's shoulder.
"Marianne, it's true I repaired this sword for this man, but it wasn't out of romantic feelings. Besides, I've been a commoner for a long time now. I don't want to be called 'Lady' by one of the Four Ruling Families. This man seems to dislike that kind of address, you know?"
Petra said. The lenses of her oversized glasses were cloudy, making it impossible to see what she was looking at.
"Also, I've tuned that sword to channel even more of Mash's mana. It's better if he uses it."
Hearing that, Marianne lifted her face and wiped away her tears.
"I understand. In that case, it's best that Mash uses this sword."
She turned her gaze to Fam.
"Please give her the sword of mine that Mash is currently using. My sword will not accept half-hearted loyalty."
Fam nodded back at her words, her mouth set in a firm line. She's usually so carefree, why is she so quick to pick a fight? It made me uneasy watching her. Marianne had been working tirelessly for Fam's village. And for Sameim, too. As fellow members of the same race, I wished they could get along a little better.
"So, about going to the Leafclout domain..."
Petra said, breaking the tense atmosphere between Fam and Marianne.
"If Marianne can't go, then the Knight Captain Tursa can't either, right? I'll go with you instead. I promised I'd make you a weapon, didn't I? I want to flesh out the image for it."
She gave a thumbs-up.
To the south of Migul lay a vast expanse of grasslands. A single road cut through it, and on that road, six figures advanced. Looking up, the sky seemed so much higher now. Autumn was approaching. The journey to our destination was about two days, but I learned we could make it in one by horse. However, I felt hesitant to rent six horses at once. There was also a shared carriage, but unfortunately, there wasn't space for six people. So, we decided to walk. This atmosphere felt like something I hadn't experienced in a long time. Fam, walking beside me, stopped and looked back. I turned with her. The city had shrunk to a small speck, barely visible, but the government office built on the hill reflected the sunlight, shining white.
"Don't be so hard on her."
Petra, who had been walking behind us, caught up. She must have thought Fam and I were still dwelling on this morning's exchange with Marianne.
"I heard she was confined by her uncle and used to have a much more subservient and twisted personality. But at some point, Marianne started sneaking out of her house and exploring the city. She used to commute to her master's place for swordsmanship training, and on the way, she must have been captivated by the city scenery. She disguised herself as a town girl and hid her identity, but in reality, everyone knew she was Marianne. And through her interactions with the townspeople, her originally curious, pure, and friendly nature awakened."
At Petra's urging, we started walking again. Maira, Mizuki, and Marmie were already walking ahead, and we followed them. Marianne's image overlapped with Fam's. Would Fam, like her, one day find what she was looking for?
"So the townspeople raised her?"
"That's right. No one says it out loud, but she's beloved. You might think it's just her power as a member of House Wanland, but she had the ability to attract people with her own personality. With the recent change in government, she's officially taking over as the head of the family, right? The townspeople are overjoyed. And they're grateful to the otherworld hero who lent her a hand. Myself included, of course."
The political change was something I had merely sparked. She had no track record as a ruler, and her uncle had been trying to navigate the political landscape to avoid conflict with the Demon Kingdom, which wasn't in itself bad governance. The reason there wasn't a major backlash against the change was because she had the backing of the common people. Of course, that wasn't something she had intentionally sought. In the end, she had claimed the position of head of the family through her own strength.
"Are you and Marianne close?"
At my words, her shoulders shook as she chuckled.
"We've only met directly once, at my grandfather's birthday party. But she used to frequent my workshop. At first, she just came with her master. But before I knew it, she started coming alone sometimes and would just watch my work all day. If word got out that she and I were meeting, it could influence my grandfather, so I couldn't go to the workshop when she was there. What's more, she was constantly asking the workshop staff what they were doing and scurrying around, so she was a real nuisance. Since she was from House Wanland, we couldn't be rude or kick her out."
She suddenly looked up at the sky. I couldn't see her expression beneath the glasses, but her distant gaze seemed to be seeing Marianne from those days long past.
"I thought that if I ever had a child, I'd want one like her."
As if to hide her embarrassment, she cleared her throat and turned back to me to continue.
"You might think it's strange for the head of one of the Four Ruling Families, but she, too, has found a master to serve. That's why she was so happy and got carried away. She couldn't have imagined she would clash with Fam. I'm not just saying this to you, Mash. I'm telling both of you. Don't treat Marianne so poorly."
Had she too fallen under Marianne's spell?
"Master is my master."
Fam said, her expression stubborn, her voice strained. In response, Petra let out a laugh.
"That's right. So it's your job to raise your master. The attitude you take will be seen as your master's attitude."
"So, Petra, aren't you hot in that getup?"
She was wearing the same thing as when we first met: baggy overalls and gloves. A casquette pulled down low to hide her face. And to top it off, large glasses and a triangular cloth covering her mouth. The only thing I could see was a single braid hanging down from her neck.
"Don't worry about it. I always dress like this."
"No, I mean, during our conversation just now, I couldn't see your expression at all, so I wasn't really sure what emotions you were saying it with."
She let out a laugh.
"I get that a lot."
I'll bet you do, I thought, but I couldn't tell if her answer was genuine or an attempt at a joke.
"...Is your eyesight bad?"
"No, this is just magic to make it look that way."
Come to think of it, Maira had mentioned that the technology for storing mana and using magic circles was more of a dwarven specialty than an elven one. It was different from the image of the brutish warrior-type dwarves I had in my original world. Still, to think she created such an item just to hide her face.
"Or do you want to see my face?"
That was a difficult question to answer. If I saw her face, I would have to take responsibility and marry her according to her race's customs. This was a trap set by her grandfather. But so far, only her grandfather was trying to get us married; she didn't seem to want it. She wanted to focus on her smithing. I was also hesitant, to be honest. She was older than me, over fifty. However, the lifespan of dwarves was said to be twice that of humans. I couldn't deny the possibility that her true face under those glasses was that of a stunning beauty. In fact, my intuition told me that possibility was high.
"Well, I'd like to see it, but... I have a proposal first?"
"A proposal? What is it?"
"The custom is that you can't show your skin, but there's no rule about not touching it, right? In that case, could I grope your breasts once? Let me think about it after that."
As I said that to Petra, Mizuki, who had been walking ahead, turned around and stomped over to me.
"Are you an idiot?! If you do that, it's really over!"
"Tch, I was just making a joke to try and fit in with Levante..."
Petra laughed as she watched Mizuki and me interact.
"Alright. I'll think about it."
I couldn't read her expression, and I couldn't know the true meaning behind her words.