kscans

Chapter 144 - Operation Potato Proliferation, and the Angry Summer Bird

Couria left the room, leaving Yanan behind. Before greeting me, Yanan greeted Famu and the others one by one. They must have had a lot to say, but they seemed unable to say anything to the politely bowing Yanan. Finally, she came to me.

"Mash-sama. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Yanan, a knight of the Earth Dragon Race. It is a pleasure to be in your care."

Yanan knelt on one knee and bowed her head. I hurriedly helped her up and had her sit in a chair.

"I'd like you to go back to how you spoke to and acted around me before."

Yanan looked at Famu and the others before nodding at my words. For the time being, it was decided that she would not travel with us but would head to Miglutt as part of a diplomatic mission, where we would rendezvous. In other words, we were just postponing the problem. I had a feeling I had a weakness for the politically-backed types like Claire, Kalpana, and now Yanan. Famu's glare was terrifying.

"How old are you, Yanan?"

I looked at her. The Earth Dragon Race were short, about a head shorter than me on average. She was even shorter, which made her look young. She had a round face and big, expressive eyes, giving her a somewhat charming appearance. Her chest was bigger than Cecily's.

"I am eighteen years old."

She showed me her character sheet. Adventurer Rank 'C', Name 'Yanan Mognart', Class 'Knight', First Profession 'Earth Dragon Warrior', First Profession Level '21', Race 'Earth Dragon Race', Age '18'. There was no party name. Did it not show up if you weren't affiliated with one?

"Are you really sure about this? Didn't you have someone you liked, or a fiancé?"

I asked a question that was pointless to ask.

"There is someone I like. But if you will love me, Mash, then that is fine."

"No, it's not fine. I'm going to get an earful later."

I shifted my gaze to check on Famu.

"Master, please stop looking at me every time."

As I thought, Famu was angry. But this was Myra's fault. If she had a complaint, she should take it up with her.

"Is the person you like a prince from some country?"

At my words, Yanan hesitated before speaking.

"Actually, I was fond of Couria. Therefore, when you grow tired of me, Mash, please bestow me upon him. I ask that you do so after confirming my pregnancy."

"I don't want Couria to resent me. Besides, once I sleep with a woman, she's mine. I could never hand her over to another man."

I wonder what Couria thought of us. The talk of 'bestowing' was something Kalpana had said as well. As expected, the value of people in this world was low.

"We were not lovers, nor were we having an affair, so it will be fine. And if you would think of me as yours, that would be an honor."

"Yanan, I'm not one to talk, but if there's a man you like, you should reconsider. I'll even put in a good word for you."

"You should consider your own value. Otherwise, not only you, but those around you will become unhappy."

"…"

It bothered me that Yanan's tone had been inconsistent from the start. Given her position, perhaps she felt she couldn't turn back now that things had come to this.

"Besides, even if I stayed here, Couria and I would never be together."

The Earth Dragon Race apparently had a federation of small nations in the west, in addition to the Earth Dragon Kingdom of the great plains. The Earth Dragon Kingdom itself was a small nation of about a hundred households. Though they called it a small nation to save face, it was likely just a collection of small settlements that couldn't even be called a country. And though they had no contact, there was apparently an Earth Dragon city far to the east. She was supposed to marry someone from the federation of small nations eventually. I wondered if they couldn't have asked the federation for help this time, but they were farther away than Richel, and they didn't have the forces to send reinforcements. When I thought about it, living underground was what protected them. Considering that even this Earth Dragon Kingdom had only about thirty soldiers in total, and the king's daughter was the knight captain, combat personnel were probably just for show for the Earth Dragon Race.

After spending the night at the palace, we were to return to Heilon. Aira had returned, and now there were six of us from Levante. On the dinner table, besides soup and salad, were the rolled omelet Famu and I made, and the croquettes Mizuki and I made. We had borrowed a part of the kitchen to cook them. As for the rolled omelet, at first Famu and I were making it together, but eventually, she started making them silently on her own. It was I who had suggested making croquettes, but Mizuki knew the recipe better. Following her instructions, we kneaded together mashed potatoes, chopped carrots and onions, and minced meat to make them. They were a hit with the kitchen staff, and enough were made for everyone as the main dish for the palace that day. The king, Couria, and Yanan's knights were probably eating them right now. I hoped it would be a small token of appreciation for their efforts in today's battle.

"What is this?"

Myra was staring at a croquette with a sharp gaze. Since it was coated in breading, she shouldn't have noticed that there were potatoes mixed in.

"Mizuki and I made it. The way to eat a croquette is to bite into it whole, without cutting it. I think it's also delicious with fish sauce."

If she cut it, she'd find out there were potatoes inside, so I taught her a made-up way to eat it. Famu started to look like she wanted to say something, so to shut her up, I handed her a glass of sparkling wine.

"Just one sip."

By the way, in front of her, who had watched the cooking, was a pile of rolled omelets, but no croquettes.

"Yes. I must eat my rolled omelets, so I will refrain."

Her tail, hanging down from the chair, was wagging excitedly. The bribe had been successful. She took a small sip, her eyes narrowing into a blissful smile. Mizuki also knew there were potatoes in the croquettes. She was my accomplice in trying to make Myra and the others eat potatoes, so I figured she wouldn't say anything unnecessary, but I sent her a look just in case. That's when I noticed a glass of sparkling wine in front of her as well.

"…"

"…"

No words were needed. My message had gotten across, and I understood what she wanted to say. I never thought the day would come when she and I could communicate so telepathically. It was a silly thing, but it made me happy. Today was a victory celebration for defeating the Earth Dragon King. One drink should be fine. Myra, who had been watching us, finally took a bite of the croquette.

"Th-This is… delicious!"

Myra exclaimed. Then, she looked inside the breading and was speechless.

"M-Mash. You tricked me! You're angry about what I did today, aren't you? But to try and poison me!"

"I do feel bad for forcing you to eat it. But 'poison' is going a bit too far."

"Ugh, I don't want to eat it, I don't want to eat it, but it's so delicious I can't stop. This is so frustrating…!"

Watching Myra gobble it down, Famu, Cecily, and Aira stared at her as if looking at something terrifying.

"Famu, you try some too."

"N-No, I have to eat all the rolled omelets here, so…"

The tail that had been wagging earlier was now curled up.

"Don't be difficult. Just take one bite."

I took a croquette from my plate and brought it to her mouth.

"Master, if I die, will you hold me tight? Please, let my bones be with you, Master…"

"You're not going to die. Eat."

"Will I be cursed or get sick?"

"You're already cursed and sick, aren't you? Eat."

She took a small bite. The moment she did, her eyes widened.

"Inside the crispy texture, there is a soft and fluffy sensation. Is this the potato? The juiciness of the meat, the crunch of the carrots, and the sweetness of the onions are all mixed together."

Were her parents food critics? She polished off the rest of it. Then she took the remaining croquette from my plate and put it on her own.

"This time, I will try it with fish sauce."

"That's fine, but what about my share…"

Cecily and Aira were still looking at me and Famu as if we were something scandalous.

"How about it? You two try some too."

""We're not falling for such a cheap trick!""

the two of them said in unison. Myra was staring intently at Aira's croquette.

"Aira, if you don't want it, your big sister will eat it for you."

Myra tried to take her croquette, but Aira slapped her hand away.

"If you're going to go that far, I'll try it,"

Aira said.

"Aira, are you serious? But, if you're eating it…"

The two of them looked at each other, then ate their croquettes at the same time.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Cecily asked me once the croquette commotion had settled down.

"Do about what?"

"About Yanan. Mash, what do you think about having children?"

"Children, huh…"

I remembered the conversation I had with Mizuki a while back. I never thought a woman who wanted my children would appear.

"Famu is first, then Mizuki. I haven't decided on the rest."

"Why are those two first! That's not fair,"

Cecily said.

"Mash, I haven't heard about this either! I'm supposed to be your number two girlfriend,"

Myra followed up.

"Sorry. I already told Famu and Mizuki. You heard it too, didn't you, Myra?"

"Come to think of it, that's when it started. When you started leaving me out."

It seemed she too remembered the incident at the Mateo Trading Company.

"No, that's not it. I never once thought of leaving you out!"

"Then when is it?"

"Huh?"

I didn't understand what she meant by 'when', and Aira cut in.

"But do you two really want to have children with Mash?"

Aira asked Cecily and Myra for me. She drained her glass of wine. She'd been drinking at quite a pace, competing with Myra, so she might have been drunk.

"That's a bit late to be asking, and it's a foolish question,"

Cecily replied.

"…Cecily, does that mean you'll still be my girlfriend even when you go to magic school?"

"I don't know. I'll find someone new!"

"…"

I was at a loss for a reply.

"I too…"

As I was thinking of what to say to Cecily, Myra suddenly murmured.

"Myra is rushing things. Because she's the older sister,"

Aira said. Was she worried about her age? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her character sheet. I didn't think she was that much older than Aira. But was that just her appearance, and was she actually older than me? If so, I wanted to be doted on by her even more.

"My own business doesn't matter. By the way, Mash, when are you thinking of having children?"

Myra said, interrupting my thoughts.

"That would be…"

"Be clear, please. I have to prepare myself mentally too!"

"In any case, we have to solve the Demon Lord problem, and my and Mizuki's time limit problem. Also, after Famu stops growing."

"Stops growing?"

"Pregnancy has a big impact on the mother's body. In my world, there was a suitable age for childbirth. Considering that, it would be about six years from now."

I shifted my gaze to Famu. I hadn't gotten her consent.

"Th-That is what I desire. I accept the challenge!"

Famu showed a strange enthusiasm. Next, I looked at Mizuki.

"I might be fine a little later. I want to try going to university, and I want to experience working a job too."

It seemed she was thinking on the premise of returning to her original world. I thought finding a job was the beginning of hell, but there was no point in saying that, so I kept quiet.

"You all. I've got your word. If you say 'just kidding' later, I'll cry."

"Just kidding,"

Aira said, mimicking Mizuki's tone. She made bunny ears with her hands, exuding cuteness, but since it resembled Mizuki, it hurt and made me angry. I had a feeling she was quite drunk. After hearing their words, I shifted my gaze to Myra.

"Is it that far in the future… Am I after them?"

Was she worried about her own suitable age?

"If that's what you want, Myra."

Hearing my words, Myra held her head in her hands.

"Myra, I've got something I'm curious about too. I want to see your character sheet."

"W-What are you planning to see?"

It was hard to say 'age'.

"Your three sizes. You looked at my whole character sheet, didn't you!"

"That's not written on it!"

Myra replied. But she seemed determined not to show me her character sheet.

"Could it be, you're… my older sister…"

Was she one of those beautiful witches who maintained her youth forever? As she remained silent, Aira continued to drink wine beside her.

"There's no way we're that far apart in age. She's only two years older than me. Myra worries too much."

At Aira's words, Myra hung her head. And then, she drained her glass of wine again. They were pouring wine for each other into their empty glasses. I couldn't tell if they were good friends or not. As I thought, people in this world married young. And Myra was in the category of being a spinster. Come to think of it, Aira had been obsessed with Reed. Was age a factor in that too?

"…I'm going to stop taking my contraceptive. I won't lose to a bunch of little girls!"

Myra slammed her glass down on the table with a thud. Then she pointed at Famu and Mizuki. She seemed quite drunk too.

"Hey, stop saying scary things. Myra, you're the only sane person in the party, the brains, the healer, and the strongest. If you have a child, we won't be able to continue our journey. Let's talk about this when you're sober."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Cecily's tone was sharper than before.

"What do you mean, 'do'? I've already said."

"If that's what you think, then we're fine with it. But what are you going to do about Claire, Yanan, and Kalpana? And Mo, too."

"Wait, Kalpana is different. …Mo is different too."

"You're going to do it with them anyway, aren't you?"

I was at a loss for words at Cecily's question.

"Think carefully. They might be fine with it, but the people around them won't wait six years. That's more than enough time for them to lose their standing in their respective societies, you know."

Until I came to this world, having a girlfriend was the stuff of dreams. Now, things had progressed beyond romance. No, the romance part had been skipped.

"Can't they just love freely?"

This world's society was built on dense human relationships. It was impossible to live isolated from society. There was no automation by machines. Everything was done by human power. It was true in village societies, and those connections were important in the upper classes as well. They built mutual relationships, stabilized their positions, and prevented unnecessary conflict. They sought me out, carrying the weight of their families, organizations, and nations. I thought I understood that intellectually, but in the end, Cecily was right. I hadn't come to terms with it, yet I had accepted them. But I didn't like being sought after in such an unavoidable situation. That's why I had freed Famu, Cecily, and Aira from slavery. I was blaming Famu for some of it, but my lack of enthusiasm for Claire and Yanan was because of that too. That's not to say I wouldn't be happy if they came on to me; in fact, I wanted to sleep with them right away. Rather, I wanted to sleep with them. Famu must have seen through those feelings of mine. That's why she was against it.

"What are you dreaming about, old man? Everyone is tied down by something. There's no such thing as freedom. It's not normal to end up with the person you love."

"…But does that mean personal feelings should take a backseat? What about you?!"

I said something I shouldn't have said to Cecily. She was, in fact, trying to correct my course.

"Power dynamics are at play in everything. No one is looking at your personal feelings. All that's attractive is the title of 'Otherworld Hero' and your connection to Laciel-sama. Because you carelessly approach girls with the goal of sex, everyone jumps on board, and things turn out like this. For you to complain about it now is not something you should be saying, Mash!"

"Cecily, so, what about you?!"

When I said that, she shook her head.

"I pretended I didn't hear you, but this is unbelievable! Why are you asking me that?"

"…My bad. But I can't just be a baby factory."

"Well, that's obvious,"

Cecily replied. "But if you don't start thinking about it now, things will get serious."

"You're right."

"The things you've obtained, you have to protect with your own hands. Act like a proper hero, okay?"