kscans

Chapter 107 - Mo's Conflict and the Voyage to the Sandbank

The temperature was rising, and the fog had cleared considerably. The view opened up, revealing the riverbanks lined with a dense, wooded forest. The rest of the Levante members gathered around.

"See? Mizuki gets special treatment!"

Myra declared as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Hold on, Myra, you're a holy maiden! Do you really want to wear something this embarrassing in public?"

"Embarrassing...? You're the one who told me to wear it!"

Mizuki snapped, suddenly angry.

"...Anyway, Mizuki is the only one who needs to wear something embarrassing."

"And why is that?!"

She was being noisy. I pulled her into a hug.

"Gah!"

Mizuki shrieked, flailing her arms to push me away and escape. This time, she was definitely rejecting me for real. What happened to the girl who had clung to me just moments ago, begging me not to let her go? Deeply hurt, I took the opportunity to firmly grope her chest in the confusion. Mizuki's eyes welled up with tears as she glared at me.

Watching this display, Myra pouted.

"I'm still not convinced. When we get to Heilon, let's all go buy swimsuits."

"I doubt we'll have another chance to wear them, though."

Since Avea wore bikini armor, I figured swimsuits were probably sold in this world. I wondered how they were made.

"Hmm?"

Myra was now silently pressuring me.

"...Er, never mind,"

I mumbled. I noticed Famu standing silently, looking at me as if she wanted to say something.

"Famu, what's wrong?"

"Master, it's about Mo."

Right, she hadn't shown up on deck yet. She was supposed to play a part in being the decoy by standing on deck. Even if the pirates didn't know Marmi's face, they wouldn't overlook a ship carrying an elf girl.

"What about her?"

"Master, what do you intend to do with Mo?"

"I don't intend to do anything."

My words were met with silence. Not only was her question vague and hard to understand, but my answer was clearly not the one she wanted.

"Are you worried about her saying she'd become mine? She's just a kid. I have no intention of making a move on her."

"But, Master, don't you like the childish type? Me, Hyakka... even Mizuki went completely smooth for you."

Famu had veered the conversation in an outrageous direction. Mizuki, caught in the crossfire, bent over and covered her crotch with her hands.

"Hold on, Famu. Let's talk about this somewhere private, just the two of us!"

I tried to lead Famu away, but Myra grabbed my Boomerang Briefs. I was dangerously close to being exposed.

"Eek! That's so embarrassing! What do you think you're doing?!"

I protested to Myra in a campy voice.

"Please continue your conversation here."

Myra pointed a finger at the deck, then smiled sweetly. The joke hadn't landed. There was no escape. All the while, Cecily and Aira had stayed out of the conversation, looking bored. I decided to give them a little show, pinching the fabric of my briefs to give them a peek.

"So small,"

the two of them muttered in perfect unison. The comment wounded my soul.

"...Consider Mo's social status. She acts like that, so it's easy to let your guard down, but she's still the daughter of a noble. Not just any noble, but the daughter of one of the city's rulers. Things are not going to go the way she wants."

Pulling myself together, I restarted the conversation, trying to steer it away from my personal preferences.

"But if that's the case, she'll be forced to marry her fiancé."

"You said you were going to talk to her. Did Marmi seem unhappy about it?"

"I haven't spoken to her since then,"

Famu said, shaking her head. It might have been decided by those around her, but if she herself wasn't against it, I didn't see the problem.

"She said that regardless of her own feelings, she could solve it with magic that controls her fiancé's mind."

"..."

Now that I thought about it, perhaps her reckless behavior stemmed from a sense of resignation.

I wondered what Wake and Patricia thought. Did they serve the Star Union Family and not care about her personal feelings?

"You want to do something about it, don't you?"

"...Master, I'll handle Mo myself."

Her reply felt off. I was sure she had started this conversation to rely on me.

"This isn't about her, so it'll be difficult for you to do anything, Famu. If Mo really hates it, the quickest way is to summon Laciel in front of her parents. I'll have Laciel make some random proclamation like, 'This engagement is a no-go! If you make 'em marry, it's punishment time, y'hear!' and get it called off."

She won't tell me about the world, but I'm sure Laciel would cooperate with this. It wouldn't work on other Otherworlders, but it would be extremely effective on the residents of this world. As I was thinking this, I noticed Myra giving me an indescribable look.

"To treat Lady Laciel so casually..."

I decided to ignore Myra's comment. Laciel treats me and Mizuki casually, so it's fine.

"Come to think of it, this plan has a lot of potential. Whenever I find a woman I like, I can just summon Laciel and have her give a divine message. I could have almost any woman in this world..."

The brilliance of my idea was so overwhelming that I accidentally said it out loud.

"If you do that, we're through!"

Mizuki glared at me. We had just promised to always be together, and now, not a moment later, she was talking about breaking up. I really didn't want her to hate me, so I decided to seal away this particular plan. I turned back to Famu. She seemed not to have heard my slip-up, her expression still dark as she continued to ponder.

"Is there still something wrong?"

"Mo looks down on you, Master."

"Don't worry about it. Coming from her position as a noble, that's to be expected, right?"

"I don't like it,"

Famu replied, shaking her head.

"Famu, I'm sure you understand this, but you'll regret it if you judge people based on only one side of them. She's your friend."

"I know. It's not just one thing. There are many things I like, and a few things I dislike. It's the same as my feelings for you, Master."

I stroked her ear. It was soft and smooth, the best feeling in the world.

"I don't have any friends, so I can't say this well, but I think people are precious because they think differently than you do."

"Yes."

From here on, this was something she had to resolve on her own. I hoped the two of them could remain friends who could call each other that for a long time. Just then, Marmi appeared on deck. Patricia and Wake were with her. When Marmi saw Famu, she raised both her hands.

"Moo."

"Moo."

Famu raised her hands in response. Then they shared a shy, bashful smile. Watching them exchange their peaceful greeting, I wondered what Famu's earlier悩み had been all about.

Marmi walked over and stopped a few steps in front of us. She gave a little curtsy, pinching the hem of her one-piece dress.

"...Good morning."

"Good morning."

To counter her, I pinched both sides of my Boomerang Briefs and returned the greeting.

"...Patricia."

At Marmi's call, Patricia strode up to me. She gave a quick bow.

"Excuse me."

With those words, she punched me in the head. Ow. I cradled my head. Preparations for battle had begun on deck. Fixed shields and crossbows were brought out from the hold and lined up on the deck. Ballistae were being set up at the bow and stern. I wondered how powerful and accurate they were. Marmi took my hand and stood right next to me, pressing close. I felt a vein throb at the temples of the Levante members.

"Mo, that's my spot. Please move away from Master,"

Famu said. Marmi paid her no mind and looked up at me. I was nothing more than a suspicious person in a pair of Boomerang Briefs, yet neither Patricia nor her other attendants tried to stop her.

"...You're going to protect me today, right?"

"No, Wake is the one protecting you, isn't he?"

I glanced over at him, but he just shrugged.

"...What do you think his Divine Grace is?"

Marmi asked. Last night, he had definitely tried to use his special skill. Or perhaps he had used it. That's why he stopped the fight when I noticed.

"Who knows. I'm not even sure if Wake intended to win last night's match."

"...Wake's Divine Grace is the ability to read a few moments into the future. He can act to change that future."

"Hey! That's something you should keep secret. Why are you telling me that?"

Wake must have used his special skill to see a future where he unleashed his strongest blow, only for Mizuki to block it. For him, who wanted to know our strength, learning that result was enough. But what was she thinking, so casually telling us about his secret ability?

"...It's obvious. I told you I would become yours. That's why."

"That's not happening. Mo, you're a child. And a noble's daughter, right? Sorry, but I don't want to get involved in the aristocratic society you live in."

At those words, Mo smiled, looking a little smug.

"...August first is my birthday. I'll become an adult. And then I'll become an adventurer with you."

So they had a calendar in this world. I pulled out my phone. If it was synced with my original world, her birthday was in five days.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"...None. Children are rare among the elf race."

If she's an only child, then it's even more impossible. The freedom she desires doesn't exist for her.

"Not gonna happen. Besides, my party is the six of us here. No matter what happens, we'll get through it with these six."

"...Then I'll have Wake ambush a few of them in the dark."

Marmi started saying some dangerous things. Given the members, wasn't I the most likely target?

"Hey, stop that. Besides, Famu is mad that you said you'd become mine."

"She was saying she was going to a magic academy in September. She was bragging about passing at the top of her class,"

Famu cut in.

"...I'm not going. I'm going to travel with Mash, just like Famu."

With that, Marmi dropped to her knees and sat down in a formal seiza position. "...I'll sit here until Famu forgives me."

"I'm... not angry. It's for Master to decide."

It took a long time for Famu to answer. During that time, Marmi didn't break her posture.

"...Really? So that means you'll let me join you, right?"

Marmi tried to stand, but her legs had gone numb and she couldn't get up. She grabbed my arm and staggered to her feet. "...By the way, Famu is always so clean and never dirty. The members of Levante too. How do you do it without baths?"

Marmi asked. So Marmi's house has a bath? I'd love to soak in a tub and relax for the first time in a while.

"That's because we wash ourselves with magic."

At night or in the morning, Cecily and I use our magic to wash everyone. At my words, her eyes widened.

"...With magic? I want you to teach me how."

"Then you should have Cecily teach you."

"Huh, me? Mash, you can just teach her."

"Don't be like that. At this point, you're better at it, Cecily."

I turned back to Marmi.

"Have her teach you."

"...Okay."

At my words, she bowed her head to Cecily. Cecily, looking troubled, scratched her head through her hat and began to explain. I hoped they'd get along, being mages. I watched Marmi listen intently to Cecily's explanation with her long ears. In any case, Marmi's actions didn't feel very noble. Was she really the daughter of a family from the so-called Four Regent Families? Could she be an imposter? She didn't have a noble air, but Famu seemed more like a lady from a good family than her. Or maybe the nobles of this world are different from the ones I imagine. As I was watching Marmi with these thoughts, Patricia approached me.

"Master Mash, Lady Mo has had me, a commoner, as her attendant and playmate... As I grew up, I learned a little about the family's affairs, but Lady Mo is rather free-spirited... she's basically only interested in magic."

She said it hesitantly. Right now, Cecily was demonstrating the magic for Marmi, washing Aira as she explained. Marmi was also actively asking Cecily questions.

"By the way, is that tulip really growing out of your head?"

"Eh? Yes, I'm from the Flower Folk. But my flower only blooms in the spring, so I'm wearing a formal artificial one. The only one that's really blooming right now is the one that opened yesterday."

"...I see."

I didn't know what she saw, but I nodded anyway. "By the way, formal?"

"Yes. I heard that Master Mash was an Otherworlder sent by Lady Laciel."

So she dressed up with artificial flowers for me?

"You don't need to add '-sama' to my name, or be so formal."

"Understood. Then, please just call me Patricia."

Patricia smiled. It was then that the fog cleared, and we could see far into the distance. The ship's course was splitting in two. The landmass in the middle was the sandbank, the point where the pirates were said to have their base. It was a large islet, with a mountain rising about fifty meters high. The mountain was covered in trees like a forest, a good place to hide people and ships. Near the summit, a patch of rocky terrain was visible. From there, one would have a clear view of any ships navigating the river.

"Master."

Famu was staring at the sandbank with a tense expression. Had she seen someone? Dogs are said to have weaker eyesight than humans, but what about the dog-eared race? I remembered how she had identified medicinal herbs from a distance in the mountain castle. The members of Levante drew closer, their faces all tense.

"No matter what, we all survive."

My companions nodded at my words.