217 - Liel-kun and Liel-san
"I think I should strongly protest the fact that Liel-san forgot about us. Best Liel... I think this had a huge impact on Best Liel! I'm certain that missing this was a massive loss!"
The Third argued passionately within the Jewel, but the response he received was a lonely one.
There were few of them.
The Fifth let out a sigh of exasperation.
"It might not be over yet."
The Seventh shook their head, disagreeing.
"It was a small-scale battle, so I doubt that. If it's taken this long and still hasn't been settled, I can only assume something went wrong..."
Mireia was taking a muzzle-loading gun from the sleeve of her fluttering dress. It was an older model than the one the Seventh used, a gun that required reloading after every single shot.
While checking the gun...
"...Punishment is necessary. I was looking forward to this so much. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment?"
The Seventh looked at Mireia's gun with nostalgia. The Seventh loved guns, and the Third wondered if they might have been influenced by Mireia.
(Well, regardless of everything, those two get along well.)
As they were talking, the Fifth looked up at the ceiling. The blurry image gradually became clear, and it seemed Liel was explaining something to his companions.
"Oh, it looks like... it's over from here."
Sensing from the content and atmosphere of the Fifth's words that the war had ended, the Third stood up from their chair.
"It's over already?! Hey, Liel-san on the battlefield is precious, I wanted to see it!"
They had seen him fight large monsters before, but none of them had seen Liel-san fight on a battlefield. In that sense, missing this was a very painful thing for the Third and the others.
...From a Best Liel perspective, that is.
However, the Third, who was about to complain, stopped dead at Liel's words.
"Now, line up and wait for your kiss."
At Liel's words, Monica raised her hand to get his attention. She was jumping, her maid outfit and twin-tails bouncing up and down.
"Yes! Yes!! Am I getting a kiss too!! This part is important! It's very important!"
Liel looked at her with exasperation.
"Are you an idiot? But that idiocy is also cute. Of course you're getting a kiss! Whether it's useless or not, I want to kiss Monica too!"
Surrounded by women, Liel made a completely degenerate statement, but he declared it very boldly. Looking only at the atmosphere, one might almost think he was saying something cool.
However, to the Third...
"Eh, Liel-san... you're not actually bringing them here, are you? Everyone? ...That's not necessary!"
There was little merit in letting them know about their existence now. That was what the successive heads thought. Between the delay and the matter of Celes's Jewel, they believed that their existence being known carried many disadvantages.
Therefore, it would have been better to let it end without ever meeting. And they also thought that would be more interesting.
"If Aria and the others find out they were being watched, they'll be furious,"
the Fifth said, standing up to leave the room. But Mireia grabbed the Fifth's arm.
"Why not? Come now, Father, let's go meet Liel's brides."
She was smiling, but the Third understood that she was somewhat irritated. She seemed to be enjoying troubling the Fifth. Or perhaps she was just acting spoiled.
The Third also tried to return to their room. Then...
"Hm? What is..."
Right then, the door to Liel's memories was flung open, and the Third and the others were forcibly moved to their own memory rooms.
The last thing they saw was a small Liel standing in front of the room—.
I intended to kiss everyone, but Clara, who remained calm, pointed something out, so I was hesitating.
According to Clara
"Liel-san, I understand there's a reason. But it will be problematic if everyone loses consciousness. We need guards for the perimeter, and above all, this is a battlefield, so we don't know what might happen. Please don't let your guard down just because it's over."
It was a reasonable opinion. Hearing that, I decided to incorporate Clara's suggestion.
"In that case, who should I take into the Jewel..."
Scanning the group, I looked at Shannon. Seeing Shannon's golden eyes reminded me of Mireia-san. Since she had said she wanted to meet her great-granddaughter someday, I looked at Shannon and Miranda and nodded.
"Alright, Miranda and Shannon are decided. Get ready for now. That leaves... Novem, I choose you!"
As I pointed decisively, Novem bowed her head.
"If that is what Liel-sama wishes."
Then, Monica slumped down.
"...This time, Monica's chance to shine... and it was a fever time to boot..."
Approaching the sulking Monica, I kissed her on the forehead as she looked up.
"Bear with it for now. I'll be back as soon as I'm done. Monica... I'm expecting great things from your dinner tonight."
When I winked, Monica stood up with a spin, her twin-tails rotating with her, which looked beautiful.
"Leave it to me! Even if this is a battlefield, I, Monica, will do my utmost to prepare the finest meal!"
And then, I thought.
(Now, can I manage to bluff through it with three people? But in the end, it worked out for the best. I won't have to show them that wild side of Novem that the successive heads push so much... no, now it's just the Third.)
Among the successive heads who strongly recommend Novem, only the Third remains since the Fourth is gone. It is sad, but the Fourth's teachings live on within me. Since I'd be scolded for moping, I grabbed the arm of Miranda, who was wary of Novem, and pulled her close.
"...Hey, I'm still angry, you know?"
Miranda, who was still not convinced, glared at me slightly, so I used a serious expression—.
"Sorry, but I want your lips right now. So, I won't ask the reason, and I don't want to hear it. Give them to me."
Surprised by my unusually forceful attitude, Miranda was kissed just like that. As I inserted my tongue and activated the skill—Connection—Miranda's body lost its strength, so I gently held her and laid her softly inside the tent.
"...This skill of mine."
As I was about to give my impressions, Shannon, who had been watching the kiss, spoke up.
"It's inconvenient, isn't it? You have to kiss every time, and usually, Liel hesitates sometimes. When things are urgent, I find myself thinking, 'Hurry up already.'"
Since Shannon had been complaining, perhaps because she'd felt this way for a while, I shot back.
"Idiot, when a man kisses a girl he likes or a cute girl, his heart pounds. Isn't that cute?"
As I struck a pose, Shannon looked completely repulsed.
"You're cute? No. Absolutely not. You've done such egregious things, and you plan to keep doing them, right?"
Shrugging my shoulders in front of Shannon, I picked her up in a princess carry and silenced her with a kiss. Perhaps it was a surprise attack, but Shannon lost consciousness before she could struggle, so I laid her gently next to Miranda.
"This one, her face is bright red... how cute."
She had acted tough before the kiss, but her face was crimson. As I was acting cool, I noticed the cold gazes of those around me.
Looking around, I said,
"Don't worry. I'll give you all something deeper than usual tonight! Now then, next is Novem..."
The reason everyone's dissatisfaction builds up is surely because they were worried about me. Thinking that, even these cold, mocking gazes felt pleasant.
I am a lucky man!
Descending into the Jewel, I looked around.
The Round Table Room was the same as usual, but as I landed, I tilted my head at the atmosphere of the place.
"Why are you here? And why is Mireia-san the only other person?"
There were only two people in the Round Table Room.
One was Mireia-san. Sitting in the Fifth's chair, she was waving with a smile at the surprised Miranda and Shannon. And when she glanced my way, she gave me a fierce glare.
I cleared my throat.
"Now then, let me introduce her. One of the most beautiful women in the Walt family, Mireia Walt—for Miranda and the others, I should probably say, Big Sister Mireia Sarcly."
I emphasized her beauty and the 'big sister' part, but Mireia-san's atmosphere didn't change.
"I wonder if this is our first meeting? My memories since marrying into House Sarcly are vague, so we might have met, but for me, this is the first time meeting you all."
Miranda looked surprised.
"Is it the same as Shannon?"
"Yes. But your appearance is closer to mine. As expected of my great-granddaughter, Miranda."
While hiding behind Miranda, Shannon looked at the other person in the Round Table Room.
As expected, simple tricks wouldn't work easily. Then, I introduced the other person sitting in my chair.
"And this child is Liel-kun... or rather, apparently my memory. I mean, why are you here?"
As I asked with a tilted head, Liel, who had been swinging his legs, rested his elbow on the round table, put his chin in his hand, and said with a smile.
"Does 'I just really wanted to meet you' not count as a reason? It's been a while, Novem."
Saying that, Liel looked at Novem and smiled. However, Novem's behavior was strange. She kept a peculiar distance and was on guard.
She seemed to have stepped half a pace back, bracing herself against Liel. Her expression was more blank than usual, and when she looked at me, she smiled. But it was somehow awkward.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it was just sudden. Besides, it was different from what I expected."
It seemed Novem had her own predictions regarding my Jewel. Indeed, this situation was unexpected for me as well.
"I see. It's unexpected for me too. So, go back to your room. If you're lonely, I'll come visit you again. I'm busy today."
I have to manage Mireia-san's mood now. As I thought that, Liel looked dissatisfied.
"That's a problem. Because I have something to talk about with Novem. By the way, you should probably listen. As for Mireia-san, leave her to those two. That'll probably go better... anyway."
Liel looked at Miranda and Shannon with a serious expression.
Putting a hand to his chin.
"Large breasts and small breasts... divide the sum by two, and you get the average-breasted Mireia-san, huh. But."
Saying 'but', Liel slowly stood up and then, in an instant, tried to dive into Miranda's chest.
"I still prefer the big ones!!"
Having a gun muzzle pointed at him by Mireia-san, who had moved without anyone noticing, Liel raised both hands.
Shannon, trembling violently, cried out,
"Big Sister, is this thing Liel's memory? Unlike now, he's a total erotic brat!"
Liel, with the gun muzzle pressed against him, glanced at the frightened Shannon and shook his head.
"They say small breasts have value too... but your breasts don't tempt me. Polish yourself more, brat."
"...No, he really is Liel. He said something like that to me before too."
Then, Mireia-san pulled the trigger with a smile.
"That's not allowed, Liel-kun."
A bang, smoke, and the smell of gunpowder filled the Round Table Room. I see, so the Seventh took this every time. Thinking it was good that the mystery was solved, I approached Liel.
"She shot him! Big Sister, Liel was shot! Gyaaaa!! He stood back up!!"
The confused Shannon looked like she was about to cry as she watched Liel stand up while holding his bloody forehead. Miranda, though exasperated, spoke up.
"I assume we're safe here. Also, the reason you called us was because you wanted us to meet our ancestors? There are several things I want to ask."
Miranda's point was reasonable. As I was about to explain, Liel made a suggestion.
"Then you two should ask Mireia-san. I have business with Liel and Novem. Or rather, it's about time Liel knew. Don't you agree, Novem?"
As everyone's gaze gathered on Novem, I said to Liel,
"If you mean that I'm a memory-holder of goddesses and evil gods, I already know that."
Then, Shannon raised her voice.
"Hah!? What is that!"
Miranda told Shannon to be quiet.
"Shannon, let's listen to the story first. It won't be too late to ask questions after that."
Looking at Miranda, Mireia nodded happily several times. However, Liel shook his head.
"That's not it. That's not a big deal. The important thing is why Novem serves Liel. In my time, her guard was so firm it could be called an iron wall. Don't you find it a bit strange?"
Being told that, I replied,
"Is it? It's probably because I'm more attractive. Sorry, but I'm cooler than you. Right, Novem?"
Novem gave a wry smile at those words.
"That is true. Both are Liel-sama, but certainly the current one is..."
To Novem's reply, Liel directed a stern gaze. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't resentment. It wasn't those kinds of negative emotions; Liel spoke.
"Do you intend to keep it hidden forever? Sorry... but Liel isn't Novem's toy."
Liel seemed to be venting his anger at Novem as if for my sake.