224 - A Journey of Only Men
――Inside the Orb.
Miranda and Shannon were facing off against Mireia.
Out of breath and covered in wounds, Miranda was struggling, while Shannon had collapsed on the ground. Neither of them could lay a single finger on Mireia.
Watching them, Mireia was swapping out the bullets in the gun she held.
『My, you're giving up too early. You two haven't even died thirty times yet. This is an experience you can't get normally, so you should enjoy it more.』
Facing Mireia Walt, who possessed Miranda's personality and appearance as well as Shannon's Magic Eye power, the two had been unable to land a single attack.
However, Mireia wasn't just tormenting them.
With a sigh, she put away her gun and spoke to the two of them.
『Now then, shall we take a short break? There isn't much time before Lariel leaves for Cartaphus, but I must convey the bare minimum.』
As Miranda wiped away her sweat, her injuries vanished and her perspiration receded.
"The bare minimum? This is it?"
Mireia nodded with a smile.
『That's right. After all, carrying the blood of the Walt family, this level of performance is unacceptable. And you know, Shannon... if you were serious, you could do even more amazing things.』
Shannon stood up while grabbing hold of Miranda.
"A-amazing things?"
『Yes. After all, there's no reason why I can do it and Shannon cannot. Being able to see the flow of magic means you can interfere with the flow of magic. Oh, that's right. I wonder if you've been studying your reading and writing properly?』
At Mireia's question, Shannon averted her gaze. That alone seemed enough for Mireia to understand that Shannon had broken her orders.
In an instant, Mireia closed the distance to Miranda and Shannon and grabbed Shannon's head.
『Shannon-chan... I told you, didn't I? Study your reading and writing too. If it's ink infused with magic, you can see the lines even outside, right?』
Shannon was lifted up by one arm, flailing about.
"It hurts! It hurts, Great-Grandmother! That's not it! While I was trying to memorize characters, I tried to draw pictures and that was more fun!"
Watching Shannon make such a poor excuse, Miranda thought to herself.
(...If one masters the flow of magic and the manipulation of magic within the body, is this kind of thing possible? If it's just this, Great-Grandmother is comparable to Celes. Just this.)
Mireia was strong. However, from the perspective of Miranda, who had faced Celes, it was also true that she was still lacking.
Since she herself couldn't even beat Mireia, she didn't even reach Celes's heels.
"Sigh... Great-Grandmother, could you fight me once more?"
At Miranda's words, Mireia smiled and released her grip on Shannon's head.
Shannon, who fell to the floor, rubbed her backside with her hand, perhaps having hit it.
『Very well. That ambition... I don't dislike it.』
Mireia drew her gun from her fluttering sleeve and took aim――.
At the port where the Tres family's ship was docked, I, Maxim-san, and Damian... a total of "four" of us were gathered.
Amidst the humid heat and flowing sweat, I watched Monica, who was looking at Damian's automatons with a look of frustration.
"Why am I the one staying behind while mass-produced goods accompany you? I... I'm the one who understands that chicken coward the best!"
I let out a sigh.
"Then understand my feelings. You don't need to put on such an act, just move according to the plan. Is the mansion alright?"
Monica had been biting her handkerchief, but she suddenly became serious, straightened her posture, and answered my question politely.
"Yes. Everything is perfect, down to the cleaning during the evacuation phase. However, regarding the sale, we were quite lowballed. Since we were leaving in a hurry to escape."
"That's good. Since I lived there for a while, I've grown attached to it. I don't want that place to become a battlefield."
Preparations were underway, and the sale of the mansion had been carried out. Most of the luggage had already been moved to the new base, where preparations were also progressing.
Maxim-san, sitting on a wooden crate, rested his spear on his shoulder and sighed.
"Sigh... I wonder if the young lady will be alright."
Watching this, Damian pushed up his glasses with his fingertip.
"You saw her this morning, and you're already worrying? Considering the journey ahead, we won't be able to see her for a while. You should trust her a little. Or rather, it's becoming doubtful whether she'll even be useful suddenly? Lariel, is she really going to be okay?"
I hadn't expected Maxim-san to get this depressed, but I nodded, hoping that things would improve once the actual combat began.
"Will she be okay? Well, we'll see about that――"
As I said that, Vera approached. She was in her usual red clothing, but since she had declined to accompany us on the ship this time, she was wearing a long skirt.
I felt like her hair had more luster than usual. She probably spent some time styling it.
If the Fourth Generation were here, he would have made a fuss, telling me to praise her.
"Lariel!"
As Vera waved happily, Monica looked down slightly.
"Tch, make up your mind if it's two-side-ups or twin-tails. What's with trying to take the best of both? Black hair twin-tails... damn, she's precisely gouging out a man's heart."
She was saying things like that, but I ignored her and headed toward Vera. As I approached, Vera reached her arms toward me, so we were almost clinging to each other.
It looked like we were flirting at the port, and in reality, we were, so we were drawing the attention of those around us.
I noticed that behind her, Vera's younger sister, Gina, was watching us. Roland was also beside her.
However, my skill――Search――displayed Vera and Roland in blue, but displayed Gina in red.
"Vera, thanks for seeing me off. By the way, your hair has a great luster today. Also, somehow your atmosphere is different from usual."
"H-hey! Don't just say things like that normally. Or rather, haven't you become quite smooth with your words lately?"
While looking at the happy Vera, I laughed it off, and Gina spoke to me with a smile.
"Sister, that's enough. Also, Lariel-san."
"Something wrong?"
The smiling Gina was displayed in bright red by my skill. Since she clearly held hostility, it would probably be difficult to perceive it from her expression alone.
"I hear it's a guild request, but please make sure to come back. Otherwise, my sister will be sad."
――Truly, I wonder if I could have known her true intentions without my skill. As expected of the second daughter of the Tres family.
"I know."
Then, Roland also spoke to me.
"Originally, the Head of the House planned to come see you off, but recently he has been busy with the port rights of Galleria and Lusworth."
Hearing those words, the Third Head muttered sadly inside the Orb.
『...Fidel-kun. He must be having fun right now.』
This guy, the fact that he can say such things while knowing everything confirms that he's considerably black-hearted.
As I hugged Vera for a greeting, I whispered in her ear.
"Vera, be careful of Gina."
Then, perhaps sensing what I wanted to say, Vera nodded to me with a smile. Since she didn't seem to press me for details, she might have sensed something as an older sister.
A short distance away, Monica watched us.
"It's not even fever time, yet that chicken coward is dealing with a woman like that... Give me back the pure chicken coward! Give him back!"
While thinking that she's as noisy as ever, there was a group looking at me and Vera.
It was Erhart and his companions.
A group of five, they were fully equipped and had the necessary tools. Seeing me and Vera hugging, Erhart said with a smile.
"I really do hate you."
That's what he said.
――Fidel was listening to reports from his subordinates at the mansion.
The reason he seemed somewhat happy was that the construction of the ports was proceeding smoothly. However, while Galleria was smooth, Lusworth was slightly delayed.
Even so, it was within the scope of the plan.
"Lord Fidel, in Galleria, Lord Reold, the next Duke, is taking the lead, and development is progressing smoothly. The maintenance of the port town and the surrounding highways is also smooth, so it seems we will be able to use the port earlier than planned."
Another subordinate explained the situation in Lusworth with a slightly anxious look.
"In Lusworth, there is a shortage of people to take command on site. It seems they have a sense of rivalry with Galleria, and I'm worried they might overdo it... well."
Fidel turned his face toward the anxious subordinate.
"Is something the matter?"
Then, the anxious subordinate began to oppose this matter.
"Lord Fidel, no matter how wealthy our house is, providing aid to develop two ports, plus preparing another new ship, could cause us to tilt if something happens. We should abandon the rights to either Lusworth or Galleria and jointly with other merchant houses――"
At the suggestion to develop jointly and distribute profits, Fidel became enraged.
"How much do you think the Tres family has invested in that brat! Did the others invest? They didn't! I will let those who invested use it for a reasonable amount and prepare rewards for them. There is no need to save those who lack foresight! Besides... recently, those people have profited too much from war. If they don't change a bit, Beim will be rejected by the surroundings as the City of Death Merchants. Because they don't understand that, they are useless. If the Four-Nation Alliance is established, wars will decrease. Without understanding that――"
Even though his own family sold weapons and profited from war, Fidel let out a sigh.
However, he seemed to understand that it would be bad for Beim to continue like this. For that reason, he also dealt in products other than weapons.
"――Anyway. This is not a time to only look inward. The tendency to only look inward because it's called the greatest city on the continent should be improved. If we don't, Beim will――"
As he spoke that far, another subordinate interrupted.
"Lord Fidel, it is almost the scheduled time."
"Hm? Is that so. Come to think of it, Vera was seeing that brat off. To think he'd ask to borrow an important ship... and Vera, for lending it, is also Vera. It's true that it's Vera's personal possession, but..."
Muttering complaints as he stood up, Fidel left the room with the two subordinates.
In the midst of that, a light that seemed to have solidified a certain determination dwelt in the eyes of the anxious subordinate looking at Fidel――.
On board the Vera Trace.
We were out on the deck discussing the current request. On the surface, our main goals are to subjugate Larc and rescue the Queen.
We hired Erhart and his group for support, but if we have no work, it will be suspicious. And protecting the lives of Erhart and his group is also part of the request I accepted.
Since I've properly received the information as a reward from Marianne-san, I must fulfill the request.
Besides, one way or another, I couldn't bear to abandon Erhart and the others.
Erhart pointed at us.
"This is weird! Normally it would be more... hey!"
Feeling that it was incomprehensible, Erhart turned his gaze to his four companions, and the four of them nodded.
The start of the matter was when the conversation turned to Larc's skills. A skill that is effective on women――hearing that, Erhart joked, "If I had that, maybe I'd become a bit more popular with women?"
However, our reactions to that joke seemed completely unforgivable to him.
In my case.
"No, I don't need a skill or anything."
Damian said.
"I will create a one-and-only woman, so to be honest, I'm not interested."
Maxim-san, with a cool expression――.
"Lady Adele is the ultimate. I have no interest in others!"
――he stated firmly.
Then, although everyone was sitting in a circle, Erhart stood up and raised his voice while using gestures.
"Do you guys not have any sexual desire! What do you usually do! Ah, never mind Lariel. He's probably not a virgin anyway."
Hearing that statement, I couldn't stay silent and stood up. There were crew members around, and they were listening to our conversation. If this conversation were known to Vera, it would be a disaster.
"Correct that! I am a virgin! Moreover, in my case, it's a very delicate issue! I have to be a virgin! Correct it, youuuu!!"
As I grabbed onto Erhart, perhaps my seriousness came through, as he corrected it immediately.
"Eh, ah... I-I'm sorry."
And Damian and the others looked at me with exasperated expressions. Then, they declared proudly. There wasn't a single cloud in their expressions.
"Really, I can't understand. I'm keeping it precious for a one-and-only existence. What's wrong with being a virgin? Yes, I am a virgin. What about it?"
Maxim-san also nodded.
"That's right. I completely agree. Rather, aren't you guys virgins? If you have lovers, that's fine, but..."
At Maxim-san's doubting gaze, Erhart and the others averted their eyes.
"I-is that not allowed? It's money I earned myself. I specifically prepared it as money for playing. I haven't taken any loans. Is it so bad to frequent brothels!"
As it turned out, Erhart and the others had frequented brothels and thrown away their virginity. What a thing... there was that option.
I collapsed to my knees and put both arms on the floor.
"T-there was that option. If I do that, it won't become a weird story about who gets my virginity. When I get back, I'm going to a brothel to throw away my virginity!"
When I said that in a joking tone, Erhart and the others looked at me with subtle expressions. It seems they didn't find it funny.
Or rather, I thought it would be stifling hearing it was a journey of only men, but it was surprisingly fun. No, it was more liberating than I imagined.
Damian said.
"Come to think of it, I wanted to observe a woman's naked body. I see, a brothel... maybe I'll have a woman with small breasts be my model?"
Then, Automaton Unit One, Unit Two, and Unit Three, who were on standby near Damian, bit their handkerchiefs in frustration.
"Even though the ultimate existences, we, are by your side."
"Breasts, huh. To think I would envy a washboard for these breasts..."
"It reminds me of being laughed at by the washboard automaton of Valkyrie Unit One."
Amidst that, only Maxim-san remained unwavering.
"Sigh, Lariel-dono, this is not a problem so naive that it can be solved with such things. Or rather, it's not allowed to just be anyone. New problems will only emerge after that. Please stop... being stabbed in the back and dying due to a love triangle is the worst possible ending."
Of course, I understand that too. Inside the Orb, I could hear Mireia-san's giggling voice.
『Fufufu, I heard it. I'll tell Miranda! That Lariel is going to throw away his "first time" with another girl.』
...That's right. This person is inside the Orb. I remembered that my fun journey of only men had suddenly become a monitored one.