Chapter 96 - Passing Ships and the Ladder to a Tryst
The next day, I woke up in the nobleman's mansion. Maira seemed to wake up at the same time. We playfully hugged and shared a light kiss before getting up. I used water magic to wash her body and my own. It felt refreshing.
"…I can still feel you moving inside me. It hurts."
Maira murmured, pressing a hand to her lower abdomen.
"Why don't you try using healing magic?"
I replied as I got dressed. She was holding her black underwear.
"What would happen?"
She didn't seem to know, fidgeting shyly.
"What would happen… you mean with your hymen? If it regenerates, that would be pretty hot!"
It would probably heal if it was an injury. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if her hymen could be restored. That would mean I could have sex with a virgin Maira as many times as I wanted. But could you really call that being a virgin?
"…Do you prefer virgins, Mash?"
Maira stopped getting dressed. This was definitely one of those no-win questions where I'd get yelled at no matter what I answered.
"You were incredibly cute last night, Maira. Just remembering you enduring the pain for me gets me excited even now. But I suppose it's special because it only happens once in a lifetime."
"Was I only cute last night?"
"N-No, Maira, you've been cute ever since we met. You were just especially cute last night!"
I stammered out a hurried reply. Maira pressed her hand to her stomach again.
"…I will endure this pain. Is that alright?"
Her modest gesture and smile were so adorable that I pulled her into a hug and kissed her. She responded eagerly, her tongue tangling with mine, and it quickly deepened. Just then, the door to the room opened and Ensha walked in.
"Breakfast is ready… oh."
Maira scrambled to hide under the bedsheets.
For our return trip across the river, the nobleman provided a boat, turning the journey into a leisurely affair over a meal. There, too, Maira drank the wine she was offered without protest. Thanks to that, our reward for the rescue turned out to be a barrel of the nobleman's private stock wine. It wasn't a problem since I could put it in my storage, but I'd have to make sure Fam and Mizuki didn't find out about it.
After we returned to the original shore, Maira headed for the church while I went to the Mateo Trading Company, so we parted ways. The Mateo Trading Company's branch in Flucht had separate buildings for its warehouse and office. It was a larger establishment than the main branch in Richelle. The office's first floor served as a tavern, an open space where business could be conducted, much like an inn. It was bustling, despite being the morning.
As soon as I walked in, Mercedes spotted me and led me to a small room upstairs. Inside, Claire was sitting on a sofa, drinking tea.
"Good morning. I have been waiting for you."
"Morning."
After we exchanged greetings, Claire gestured for me to sit in the chair opposite her. As Mercedes was about to leave, I stopped him and handed him a letter of introduction to Ensha's father, which was another part of our reward.
"Th-This is!"
Mercedes devoured the contents of the letter. Curious, Claire stood up and peeked over his shoulder.
"I happened to rescue that noble's daughter yesterday."
I briefly explained the circumstances.
"I see. I will take some of the branch staff and pay him a visit at once."
Mercedes bowed deeply.
"Lord Mash. Might I have a word?"
At Mercedes's urging, I was led to another small room. We were alone.
"Lord Mash, it seems you are an even greater man than our master anticipated. In Nielen, our company's reputation grew simply because you were traveling with us. Even upon entering Flucht's territory, we have been granted opportunities for business with royalty and nobility."
"…Don't worry about it. I'm just grateful to the Mateo Trading Company for making this journey possible."
I meant it sincerely. At first, I'd thought that Levante could travel faster on our own and reach Migul sooner. But traveling without any knowledge of the local customs or geography would have been reckless. Traveling with the caravan allowed us to gather information about the land and even had our lodging arranged for us. Mercedes looked at me and nodded.
"By the way, how do you find Lady Claire?"
It was a strange question. Unsure of his intent, I studied his expression.
"I would like to know what you think of her as a potential partner."
"…What do you mean?"
"For instance, perhaps you would prefer a human partner. It seems you have not yet laid a hand on her, so I will consult with our master."
Mateo wanted to maintain his connection with me, but he also didn't want me to have influence over his company. That's why he'd offered his daughter, but a daughter of the Lesser Winged Person race. However, it seemed Mercedes had revised my value upward over the course of our journey. Wanting to swap her for a human girl was a sign that they wanted me to be involved in the Mateo Trading Company's operations. It was also likely an attempt to remove the unsettling factor of me not having touched Claire yet.
I did have a part of me that wanted to take what was offered. That's how I'd felt when Mateo first brought up Claire. But now, I found I couldn't stomach that way of thinking. I remembered the anxious look on Mizuki's face back then. More than anything, I had spent a considerable amount of time with Claire. I wanted to know her feelings. But I didn't want to use her as a shield, either.
"I'm just an adventurer. Can't we just continue as we have been?"
I returned to the room where Claire was waiting. There were two teacups on the table; it seemed she had prepared one for me as well.
"Is your talk with Mercedes finished?"
I took a sip of the tea. She looked pale. She must have known what they were discussing.
"Yeah."
"Then my journey ends here, does it not…"
"No, you're coming with us to Migul."
She looked at me, startled by my words.
"Mercedes's proposal should have been an attractive one for you."
"More than Claire?"
"Yes, more than me."
She answered immediately. I took a sip of my tea. It had already gone cold, but it had a fine taste.
"…It's a beautiful day. Shall we go for a walk?"
The Mateo Trading Company's branch was located in a commercial district, surrounded by the buildings of other companies. Along the riverbank, numerous ships were moored, their cargo being loaded and unloaded. The clamor of the port echoed through the air. Claire and I walked along the river, watching the scene unfold.
"My half-sister is a very lovely person, you know?"
"Oh, is she? I'd like to meet her, then."
A faint smile touched Claire's lips at my reply, but it seemed tinged with bitterness. I had answered flippantly, but the first thing that came to mind was Mateo's face. Claire, too, had a slight resemblance to him. It had taken me some time to look past that.
"My mother was bought by my father as a slave."
"Is she still a slave?"
Claire nodded. So that was normal here.
"I was my father's slave as well. I wore a slave crest for a long time."
She said, gazing at her own white arm.
"The child of a slave belongs to the slave's owner, right?"
"Yes. I was set free because I am to accompany you to Migul, but my mother is still with Mateo. It was imperative that I win your affection, Mash. And I had to bear your child."
I thought of Karpana. She had also been willing to offer her body to me for the sake of the Wandering People. In this world, the higher one's status, the more intricate the web of human relationships became. Romantic feelings were not a part of the equation.
"So your mother is a hostage? I can't imagine Mateo would do anything to you or your mother even if you failed to win my favor…"
I saw several sailboats leaving the port. They looked like passenger ships, and many travelers stood on deck, waving. From the port, people waved back. Claire and I stopped to watch the scene from a distance. I thought about her words. Even if she was a slave, surely there was some affection between Mateo, Claire, and her mother.
"You are right. But I wanted to leave my father's side. And I did not want to miss this opportunity."
"To become the lover of a man you don't know and bear his child?"
I wouldn't want that. But she nodded.
"In Migul, even non-humans can thrive. Besides, I thought winning your affection would be simple."
"Wasn't it?"
With me, just talking is usually enough. But this time, she shook her head.
"You already have so many lovers, Mash. While I was trying to figure out how to get your attention, I found myself thinking only of you."
"You know, if you'd just gotten naked and jumped me while going, 'Ooh, I wuv you, Mash!' it would've worked in a heartbeat."
"If you are going to say that, you should have taken my hand and led me to an inn the day we met. You may think you were being considerate to me, but for the company, that would have been better. After that, a meeting was held to discuss why I was not good enough. The company members told me I lacked charm, that I was flat-chested… it was agony."
I had been trying to be considerate of Fam and the others back then, but the conversation was getting complicated, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Now that it has come to this, I too have my own ideals about romance and how a relationship should begin. I want you to find me attractive without me having to launch a naked assault."
She murmured, as if she'd regained her composure.
"Hey, I already find you plenty attractive."
Perhaps my words sounded like I was just trying to smooth things over, because she fell silent for a while.
"…But if it comes down to it, I will."
Claire joked, sticking out her tongue.
"Let me say it again, I'm not sending you back to Richelle."
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. If you don't like it, tell Mercedes yourself."
"I would never do that!"
Claire shot back in a fluster.
"And don't rush things. We can take our time."
Among the people seeing off the departing ships, I saw Fam. It was an unexpected encounter. When she spotted me, she ran over. It had only been a day, but I felt a sense of nostalgia, and she looked even cuter than usual. I was overcome with the urge to hug her.
"Is someone you know on that ship?"
"Yes. A friend of mine is. Are you here to see someone off too, Master?"
"No… I'm not. But you have friends, Fam?"
"Hmph, I have friends too, you know!"
Perhaps I'd phrased it poorly, because Fam puffed out her cheeks.
"A friend from your village?"
"No. We went on an adventure together yesterday."
Fam was about to tell me about what had happened yesterday, but then she noticed Claire standing next to me.
"Oh, a date. I must be interrupting."
She shot me a cold look and started to walk away. Claire grabbed her arm.
"Why don't the three of us go have lunch? There is a restaurant that the company supplies with spices. They have delicious meat dishes. Please, you must tell me about your adventure yesterday."
"…Is that alright?"
Fam looked at me. I wanted to believe Claire's words weren't just lip service.
"Alright, let's all go eat together."
We left the port behind us.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me. I'll do my best. I am truly grateful for any corrections on typos.