kscans

Chapter 170 - Mo's Request, Continued, and a New Resolve

The next morning, I awoke to find a pair of breasts right in front of my face. I took one in hand and latched onto the bud at its tip.

"Mm, nnh..."

Sameim let out a troubled moan. I continued, touching her stomach and letting my hand creep down towards her private parts, where I found a thicket. She was indeed much more developed than Famu. I realized she had also woken up and was staring at me.

"Is this your first time doing something like this, Sameim?"

"Who knows? I couldn't tell you that much."

Was she half-asleep? I leaned in to kiss her, and she closed her eyes. Just then, I felt a slap on my back.

"Wait a minute, I'm with Sameim right now..."

As I tried to press closer to her, I was grabbed by the armpits and pulled up.

"..."

I turned around to find Myra.

"Morning, Myra. You're back from the church."

"Good morning. What exactly have you been doing while I was working hard at the church? And where is everyone else?"

I looked around. Shizuka, Reeni, and Sameim were lying naked. And of course, so was I.

"It's a misunderstanding. Nothing happened. I think it was Shizuka's idea. She said we should test how long I could hold back..."

My memory was becoming clearer. I had refused Shizuka's proposal, but since it was a good opportunity, we decided to all deepen our bonds. And then, I took out the sparkling wine I had in my storage. Reeni had gone to the pub downstairs and bought some goat's milk. My memory after that is hazy. I can't remember why we all ended up naked. But the disastrous scene spoke for itself. I took out my smartphone from my storage to take pictures and preserve the evidence. I made sure to get especially good shots of Reeni's and Sameim's naked bodies. Reeni might go through a rebellious phase when she gets older and refuse to be with me. When that happens, I'll use these photos to blackmail her. Still, the pure white, fluffy pom-pom tail on her bottom was cute. As I was searching for the right camera angle, Myra snatched the phone from my hand.

"Seeing what you just did and what you're doing now, who would believe those words?"

Myra retorted. Sameim stirred and sat up.

"I have no experience. Wouldn't you be able to tell if you checked?"

she said. So she was a virgin. A smile naturally spread across my face.

"Th-that's right! And I haven't laid a hand on Reeni either!"

"Why are you grinning while you say that? And how would you even check?"

"Wouldn't you know if I put it in?"

"That makes absolutely no sense! What are you planning to do after that?!"

Myra exclaimed. What a pain. I was getting tired of this, so I pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"Hya—... nngh!"

At first, she resisted and tried to push me away, but as I held her tight and continued the kiss, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Just then, the door to the room opened and Mo walked in. She was surprised to see me kissing Myra, and even more surprised to see Sameim sitting on the bed.

"...Wh-what in the world is—!"

Mo let out a rare cry of shock. She seemed more flustered than surprised. Patricia entered from behind her as she stood frozen in the open doorway. First, Myra and I got a fist to the head. Then, she delivered the same to Shizuka and Reeni. But for some reason, Sameim was spared.

We got dressed. Reeni ran an errand and brought back breakfast and milk for everyone. Mo created boiling water with a combination of fire and water magic to use for tea. Everyone sat wherever they liked. When I sat on the edge of the bed, Myra came over and sat down, pressing herself right against me. It felt cramped, so I tried to move away a little, but she just scooted closer. As this was happening, Patricia asked me to explain the situation.

"Surprised? I found Sameim."

I said, looking at the girl sitting in a chair with perfect, straight-backed posture.

""What, Sameim?!""

Mo and Myra cried out in surprise at the same time. Patricia was also gaping.

"Th-this person is Sameim...? Her age is completely different from Famu's, isn't it? Could it be a case of mistaken identity..."

Myra said. Mo's and Patricia's gazes were fixed on Sameim.

"Isn't it possible for the dog-eared race to mature rapidly?"

"Mash... the dog-eared race certainly has the characteristics and abilities of dogs, but they are not dogs,"

Myra replied, sounding a little exasperated.

"Is that so? Anyway, I want to have her meet Famu..."

I glanced at Mo, who was still staring intently at Sameim. An untouched sandwich was clutched in her hand.

"Mo...?"

She hastily turned back to me.

"...Mhm, what?"

"I want to see Famu."

"...You can't see her. We had a huge fight last night."

I tilted my head in confusion. I was sure I had sent Famu back to make up with her yesterday.

"...Famu suspects I went to see you. So I don't think she'll come over here until I go back to the mansion."

I felt like clutching my head. I had planned to take her to the church today. I wanted to free her from her curse as soon as possible.

"Haven't you two been fighting this whole time?"

"...Mash, tell me you'll marry me. Tell me you'll take me on an adventure. Convince Famu. Convince my father and mother!"

Mo was dumping everything on me. She was treated as an adult by elven standards, but she still seemed like a child. She didn't have the power to change her own situation. On top of that, she was trapped within the system of nobility. I thought it couldn't be helped, but it was a troublesome situation. I looked at Patricia, and she also had a troubled expression. However, I couldn't tell if she was troubled by Mo or by the circumstances surrounding her. I felt that if I knew what Patricia thought about this situation, I might find a clue to solving this problem. After all, she had been serving by Mo's side for a long time. I shifted my gaze to Sameim, and for some reason, she was half-smiling. But as soon as she noticed my gaze, she quickly returned to a straight face. Come to think of it, I hadn't introduced her to everyone.

"Sameim, I forgot. The one in the priestess robes is Myra. This elf is Mo, and her attendant from the Flower Folk is Patricia. You don't need an introduction to Shizuka and Reeni, right?"

She gave a small nod to Myra and a vague nod to Mo and Patricia. Mo and Patricia returned a similar reaction. Something was definitely off, but I was left with the frustration of not being able to put my finger on what it was.

"Patricia, what do you think about Mo's current situation?"

"There's nothing I can say. But it all depends on you, Lord Mash."

"Lord Mash?"

Had she ever addressed me with 'Lord' before?

"But there's nothing I can do."

When I said that, she shook her head as if to deny it.

"That's not true. Lady Mo said she wants to marry you and go on a journey. Famu-san opposed it. Lady Mo's father and mother also opposed it. It's likely that anyone involved with the Star Union family, as well as Lady Mo's fiancé, will also oppose it."

I nodded at her words.

"The only one who hasn't given their opinion is you, Lord Mash. What do you want to do? Is it not cowardly to remain silent, waiting for the situation around you to change, and do nothing? I feel sorry for Lady Mo."

"Patricia..."

"Lord Mash, what do you want to do?"

she pressed. I closed my eyes and imagined. In my party, there's Famu. Mizuki and Myra. And then there are Cecily and Aira, but they can't join the party while they're at the magic academy. A little elven mage. A bit quiet, with a delicate body, overconfident, but with the skill and magical power to back it up.

"Mo, are you really sure you want me?"

I opened my eyes and looked at Mo.

"...Honestly, I can't say I love you like Famu does. I'm interested in romance, but I don't really know what that means for me. But you and Famu are the only ones who see me for who I am and talk to me without changing. I want to be with you two. Even if that means..."

She trailed off. She was bound by the duty of the Star Union family to support Miglutt, by the burden of her race as the last elven child, and by the characteristic of her race to live ten times longer than us. Even after I and Famu are gone, her world will continue. I couldn't speak of her life from my perspective.

"Mo, Laciel has told me to defeat the Demon Lord. I want you to come with me. Will you help me?"

Mo gave a small nod.

"Also, Mizuki and I can only live for ten years in this world. I'm looking for a way to escape that. I want you to help me think of a way."

She gave another small nod.

"...Mash. From now on, together."

She stood up and came closer. Then she hugged me. I reached my arms around her back as well, embracing her delicate body. As I did, for some reason, Myra, who was next to me, also hugged me. Seeing that, Reeni pattered over and hugged me too.

"Me too, me too!"

Shizuka joined the hug.

"Then, if you'll excuse me, I will as well."

Sameim also joined the hug. As I was embracing everyone, my eyes met Patricia's.

"What's wrong? You too, Patricia, come on!"

"N-no, I..."

As she frantically waved her hands, several tulips bloomed on her head.