Chapter 81 - The Rose Garden and a Lap Pillow
I found myself in the garden of a nobleman. As I stood gazing at the roses visible beyond an old gate, the master of the house invited me in. He was an elderly man.
The space was small, but countless pale yellow roses bloomed within, sparkling as they were bathed in sunlight. The garden was impeccably maintained; the master had clearly tended to these roses with great affection. The season was leaning toward the height of summer, and it seemed past the time for roses to bloom. I wondered how he had managed to cultivate them.
In the center of the garden stood a white table and chairs, where Aira and I were now seated. The master who had invited us in didn't say much. He simply brought us tea and sweets, then gave me a look that said, 'You'd better treat her right,' before departing.
Aira seemed unfazed, but I was relieved. Walking through town holding hands had caused such a stir that it was impossible to relax. To be honest, this was a lifesaver.
And the tea was wonderfully aromatic and rich. It wasn't straight tea; some kind of flavor must have been blended in. The pastries, at first glance, looked like simple slices of bread cut to a reasonable thickness. But one bite revealed a moist texture, with the fragrant aroma of kneaded nuts and the sweetness of dried fruit in perfect harmony. Was that cinnamon, the flavor spreading through my mouth?
"This is incredible. Do you know what this is called?"
"Stollen."
Aira answered. So this is stollen, one of the four legendary sweets I'd only ever heard of. I wanted more to take as a souvenir, but I couldn't bring myself to be so brazen.
As I was thinking that, Aira wrapped a slice of stollen in paper and tucked it away.
"A souvenir for Cecily?"
Aira nodded.
"That's not fair. If I did the same thing and said it was for Fam and the others, you'd get mad, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would. You're on a date with me."
We had decided to leave the city of Nielen the next morning.
When I'd proposed adding Fang and Doris to the caravan, it turned out the Mateo Trading Company had an opening, so it was settled that they would join to fill the vacancy. Due to losses in the recent battle, the company needed to leave several guards behind at the city's branch. During the journey, the two would become members of Altair. While Altair was an adventurer party led by Avea, it was effectively a group of adventurers employed by the Mateo Trading Company.
With a full day to spare, as per the ladies' agreement, I was to spend it with Aira. And so here we were, enjoying an elegant moment surrounded by roses.
"Aira, what do you plan to do once you're freed from slavery in Flucht?"
Please don't say you're going back to Reed. I wanted her to continue adventuring with us. The thought made me anxious.
"Mash, you've never once mistaken me for Maira. Why is that?"
Aira didn't answer my question, blatantly changing the subject.
"Come to think of it, you two tried to trick me once. But I'm not going to be fooled by the position of a mole. I can tell you two apart just by looking. You're completely different."
There was no way I'd mistake the shape and size of their breasts. I had been so worked up that I'd blurted it out back then, but I'd keep my mouth shut this time.
"Maira and I were often mistaken for each other. It still happens. The reason you don't get us confused… is it because you like my big sis?"
Aira sometimes called Maira 'big sis.' Usually, she made a conscious effort to just call her Maira.
"It's not just your big sis. It's you, too," I added, making sure to be clear.
"For someone who says that, you seem to have a hard time talking to me."
She pouted.
"I really don't know what you're thinking. Are you even having fun with me? I thought you were into women."
"That's not it. I just love Cecily. Gender has nothing to do with it," she replied.
"So Cecily is still number one. Am I number two?"
"You're about twenty-seventh. One below yesterday's priest."
"That actually hurts. And stop using such realistic-sounding numbers. Could you at least put me in the top five?!"
I couldn't say it out loud, but I desperately hoped my current rank was higher than Reed's. Please.
"I'm grateful to you, Mash. That day, Cecily and I were able to connect for the first time. ...But since then, I feel like we've grown distant again."
Was she looking for relationship advice? But I didn't know the first thing about romance between two women. Besides, for Cecily, women weren't even an option romantically.
She sighed and looked up at the sky. A brilliant blue midsummer sky stretched out above us. We were sitting in a perfectly shaded spot, and the dry air and westerly wind carried away the heat, so it didn't feel particularly hot.
"...I wish things had stayed as they were. I wish I'd stayed a slave," she muttered.
"You're the one who told me to free you."
"Because you're going to die soon."
"..."
She had a knack for saying the hardest things so casually. I wanted her to know how much that stung. But at the very least, I still had nearly ten years left.
"Mash, use the slave crest to order Cecily to stay by your side. If you do that, I'll stay by your side too."
"No way. Besides, isn't it her side you want to be on?"
"Yes. But as long as I'm by your side, I still have a chance."
"...And what exactly does that mean?"
"Mash, try using the slave crest to give me an order."
Aira's suggestion came out of nowhere.
"Why? No."
"You don't know how to use the slave crest. Even if you don't intend to use it, you should at least test it once to see how it works."
It was true that using slaves in combat was commonplace. It would be better to understand their characteristics and functions.
"I guess you're right... but are you sure? The only commands I can think of are pretty lewd, you know?"
"Make it the lewdest one you can think of. Something irreversible would be best."
Aira nodded at my words.
"Alright, then. Just for a little bit. Get over your fear of bugs."
For a moment, she looked at me with a completely straight face.
"Pfft. What was that?"
Aira burst out laughing. Unable to hold it back any longer, she clutched her stomach and howled.
"...Is it really that funny?"
"Hee hee, ahahaha! It's just, you had such a serious look on your face when you said it! Ahh, it hurts, ahaha!"
Had there ever been a woman who laughed so hard at something I said? I felt a complex mix of emotions. Seeing the look on my face, Aira stopped laughing.
"Why are you making a face like that?"
"It's just… you're the first person who's ever laughed that hard talking to me. It feels like I've made a friend."
I also never imagined Aira could laugh like that.
"...You idiot. So, what's the real command?"
I didn't really have anything I wanted to command her to do, but then an idea struck me.
"It was when we first met. I was injured from a goblin attack. You treated my wounds, but there was something else I wanted even more."
"Something you wanted more than treatment? What?"
"A lap pillow."
Even when I was training with Avea, how many times had I wished I could rest my head on her lap while gazing at Mizuki's panty shots?
Hearing my words, she stood up, walked over to a patch of grass, and sat down with her legs tucked to one side.
"Here you go."
She patted her thighs invitingly.
As if drawn by a magnet, I approached her and laid my head on her thighs as if they were a pillow. They were soft, and her body heat was warm. And her large breasts served as a perfect sunshade.
My head was gently stroked.
"Mash, it's fine if you stay a slave. I'll be with you. Fight until the very end."
A single butterfly, drawn by the scent of the roses, fluttered by. Seeking a place to rest, it alighted on Aira's shoulder.
We ended up staying for quite a while.
When I thanked the old man, he told us we were welcome to enjoy ourselves inside. That felt like an overstep, so we declined. He then plucked a single rose for Aira's hair and gave us some stollen as a souvenir. It was his way of thanking us for saving the town, he said.
I tucked the rose into her hair. It stood out beautifully against her black locks.
"The stollen is for you and me, Mash. You're only allowed to give Cecily some, as a special exception, when you're with me."
Maira had given me a stern warning. Was this Aira's way of telling me not to get ahead of myself?
Once again, we started walking through the town, hand in hand.
We drifted eastward for some reason. This was clearly an old town. Though we saw people making repairs from the monster attack, we also saw many places that looked like they had been broken long before the assault. The roads, for example. They were paved with stone, but the tracks from wagon wheels were etched deep into the surface.
It felt less populated than Richelle. The market had only a scattering of shops and customers. But that might have just been the aftermath of the attack. I hoped it would one day regain its liveliness.
Lost in thought, I ran into Hyakka and Chihiro.
"Well now, ain't this a rare sight?" Hyakka remarked.
"You think? We're always together."
I glanced at Aira. She wore a prim expression.
"We just went to see Fang and Doris. Asked 'em about Isaac."
"You did?"
Hyakka nodded in response to my question. So they had gone to get information on the mage who fled with the mirror.
"Seems Isaac was registered at the guild in a town to the east. We're headin' there now."
"You mean Flucht?"
Hyakka shook her head.
"Flucht's south of here. You guys are followin' the river to Migul, right? We're takin' the overland route."
"I heard there's a city in a state of war. Is that the one?"
"Nope. The town Isaac lived in is closer than that."
I nodded at Hyakka, but without knowing the geography, I couldn't get a sense of the location or distance.
Our route was south to Flucht, then down the river eastward, and finally north to Migul. Hyakka and the Wandering People were heading straight east to Migul. Along that path were both the town Isaac had lived in and the city at war. Unlike a merchant caravan, the Wandering People she traveled with had no valuable goods to steal and were a capable fighting force. They probably figured the risk of being attacked on the overland route was low.
"Changin' the subject, but that Mizuki girl… is her last name Yamase, by any chance?"
"You know her?"
Hyakka nodded.
"Probably. Back in elementary school, I lived out east for a year 'cause of my parents' work. My accent was different, and I got into a bit of trouble over it."
People from Kansai tend to be themselves no matter where they go.
"Don't tell me Mizuki bullied you."
The image of Mizuki bullying Hyakka was so absurd I almost laughed.
"You know that's not what happened. Yamase-san stood up for me. She was in a different class, but she talked to me a whole bunch. I thought she looked familiar, and now I remember. Mizuki is Yamase-san."
Hyakka used a strange turn of phrase, seemingly convincing herself.
"Well, she's the type who'd jump in to help if she saw a schoolmate getting harassed by a pervert."
She was a bundle of righteousness, or maybe just reckless. Still, to think the two of them had a connection like that—it's a small world. Mizuki hadn't said anything about Hyakka, so she probably didn't remember. I'd have to check with her later.
"After that, I asked around at school, and she was super famous. She was popular with the boys in other grades, too."
After saying that, Hyakka's expression clouded over.
"Yamase-san was kinda intense back in elementary school, but she was more…"
She trailed off.
"What is it?"
"Ah, never mind. It's probably just my imagination. She's your partner, so you'd better keep a close eye on her."
Just as I was about to reply, Aira squeezed my hand. It seemed like she was getting jealous. That was unexpected.
"Ah, right. Didn't mean to interrupt your date."
Noticing Aira's reaction, Hyakka cut the conversation short.
"Just one last thing. Doris used to be Isaac's slave. You might want to be careful."
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, or rated this story, thank you. It encourages me to keep going. Thank you for pointing out typos. It's a huge help.