kscans

Chapter 172 - The Raid on the Elf Palace and the Confrontation with Mizuki

"First, we're heading to Famu's. After that, Mo's parents. Do you know where they are?"

Mo nodded.

"Famu is where she just showed her face. My room, on the fourth floor. Mizuki and Claire are in the third-floor guest room. My mother, Cecily, and Aira are probably in the inner courtyard or the third-floor library on the north side. My father is in his study on the second floor on the north side, or in the meeting room on the west side."

Mo's mansion was a building constructed in a hollow square shape. The second floor on the south side was allocated for guest rooms, where Famu, Mizuki, and Claire were. The third floor seemed to be their living space. The east side was the living quarters for the household staff, while the work and administrative spaces were concentrated on the west and north sides. I had thought it was a residence where the Star Union clan lived, but it seemed more like a palace.

"Why are Cecily and Aira with Mo's mother..."

I trailed off. They were supposed to be learning the basics of magic from her mother. But with Mo having run away like this, would they still be taught?

"Alright, let's head to the third floor. We're going to Mizuki's place first."

We raced up the stairs.

Reeni stood in front of Mizuki's room, gauging the distance. Then, she took out a rope, made a loop, and set it on the hallway floor. Furthermore, she produced a bunch of bananas from who-knows-where and placed them in the center of the loop. She stood before the door and tilted her head, seemingly checking which angle would look most delicious when the door opened. Then she carefully repositioned the bananas. Bananas, of all things. In my original world, wasn't it a great king who had unified the Eastern world on a grand expedition who introduced them to the Western world?

"That should do it."

Reeni nodded in satisfaction.

"Hey, Mizuki isn't a gorilla. Do you really think she'll fall for a trap like this?"

"Just hide and hold this."

She handed me the end of the rope and went inside the room. Resigned, we played along with her plan and hid around the corner of the hallway. Shortly after, Reeni came out into the hallway, pulling Mizuki by the hand.

"Where's Mash?"

Mizuki was looking around restlessly.

"OH, LOOK AT THIS. A VERY-DELICIOUS-LOOKING-BANANA,"

Reeni pointed at the banana in a monotone voice.

"Huh? You're right. Why is there a banana here..."

"I-WANT-TO-EAT-IT."

"You can't eat things you find on the floor."

Mizuki, completely off her guard, stepped into the rope loop and picked up the banana.

"Now!"

At Reeni's shout, I pulled the rope, and Mizuki was splendidly ensnared and fell over.

"Wh-what's going on?"

While Mizuki was confused, we tied her up tightly. Of course, I didn't forget to tie the rope in a way that emphasized her chest and passed it through her crotch so the knot would press against her special spot.

"Mash, get the usual item from your storage!"

Shizuka and Reeni held out their hands.

"The usual item? What's that?"

"Hurry! Now's our chance!"

Urged on, I checked my storage and a club made of animal hide appeared. I took it out and touched it; it seemed to be stuffed with cotton, made of a soft material that wouldn't hurt if you hit someone with it. My companions grabbed the clubs one after another and approached Mizuki. They surrounded her and began to beat her.

"Take this! And this!"

"Ow! Stop it!"

"Divine punishment!"

"Please, forgive me!"

"You think you're the heroine just because you got teleported with Mash?!"

"Tell that to Laciel! It's not like I chose this!"

It seemed some personal grudges were mixed in. As I stared blankly at the scene, Shizuka came over to me.

"Mash, what are you doing? Now's the time to settle your old scores."

"Ah, yeah..."

Even if it was a soft club, I was reluctant to hit Mizuki. However, my companions stopped hitting Mizuki and were watching my every move. I gripped the club and approached. Mizuki squirmed, trying to get out of the ropes, and looked up at me with frightened eyes. Her gaze stirred something within me. I swung the club down. It happened to hit her on the chest.

"Mash, not my chest. It really hurts. At least hit my butt..."

she pleaded, her eyes welling with tears. At that moment, something new awakened within me. I hit her butt with the club.

"Auh!"

Mizuki let out a good cry, somewhere between a scream and a moan. This club also fit perfectly in my hand, and when it made a clean hit on her butt, it made a nice, crisp sound. It must have been carefully crafted by a renowned artisan.

"M-Mash... please, forgive me..."

What a beautiful voice. And her expression, frightened and teary, was also beautiful. I swung the club down.

"Auh!"

Still a good voice. My sadistic urges were being satisfied. This time, I hit her with more force than before.

Before I knew it, I was lost in spanking Mizuki's butt over and over. The knot of the rope pressed against her private parts was wet and discolored. She was feeling it too. My excitement grew even more. However, just as I raised the club to hit her again, the rope binding Mizuki came undone as if it had been sliced.

"Looks like Super Kill works on inanimate objects too."

With those words, she stood up. I froze, club still raised. Mizuki snatched the club from Shizuka's hand. Then, she struck her with all her might. Shizuka collapsed in a heap from the single blow.

"M-Mizuki-san..."

The circle that had surrounded Mizuki quickly expanded outward, leaving only me.

"I wonder if Super Kill works with a club like this too?"

she said with a fearless smile, emitting a powerful killing intent. I was beaten to a pulp by her.

"So, what did you come here for?"

Mizuki asked while Myra was healing me.

"I'm adding Mo to our party. And I'm taking her on our journey. I came to get permission from Famu and Mo's parents."

"And how did that lead to this?"

"Because they wouldn't listen."

"And why was I attacked?"

"I heard that in the Committee of Ten, if someone doesn't approve of Mo, you all unite to resist."

Hearing my words, Mizuki shifted her gaze to Myra. Myra unnaturally looked away. Seeing this, Mizuki sighed.

"Didn't Myra say that the organization was supposed to be a secret from Mash?"

"W-well..."

Myra never met Mizuki's gaze, looking away and scratching her cheek. It seemed the Committee of Ten was an organization rife with internal strife.

"Mash, I'll help you with Mo's situation since it's a special case, but make sure the outcome is one that everyone can accept!"

"Mizuki..."

I murmured, and she brought her lips to my ear.

"And about the tying up and hitting, that's fine, but only when we're alone. Also, when I say stop, really stop. ...Your scary face was kind of hot, though."

I nodded vigorously. Reeni, who had caught Mizuki's words with her rabbit ears, stealthily spread the news to everyone else.

"...I think I prefer normal,"

Mo muttered.

"I'd like to start with normal, too,"

Sameim muttered.

"Reeni will do her best,"

Reeni muttered last. Patricia gave Mo and Reeni a fist to the head. And for some reason, I got hit too.

"Alright, let's go to Famu's place."

With Mizuki now on our side, we headed to the fourth floor where Famu was waiting.

"By the way, who's the dog-eared girl?"

Mizuki asked.

"Oh, that's Sameim. She came to visit me at the inn last night."

If I told her about the duel, it would take too long, so I kept quiet.

"Really?"

Surprised, Mizuki looked at Sameim. Sameim nodded with an expression that was hard to tell if she was smiling or flustered. Perhaps because I was still influenced by my first impression of her, I had thought of Sameim as a reckless, strong-willed woman, but maybe her true personality was shy and introverted.

"So, where did Claire go? I thought she was with you, Mizuki."

"Claire should be meeting with Mo's father for business talks. She was with me last night."

"I see."

We had charged in at a bad time for her. By now, her business talks were probably the last thing on anyone's mind. As I was thinking such things, we arrived at Mo's room. Famu was inside.

"We don't have time. We're charging in."

After confirming everyone's nod at my words, I opened the door. It wasn't locked, and we poured into the room. It was a spacious room. It was probably a beautiful room usually adorned with fine furniture. But now, the window glass was shattered, the flower vases were overturned, and it was a wreck. Famu stood in the center of that room. Her lips were set in a firm line, and her gaze was strong as she looked at me. But her shoulders seemed small, and it looked as if she was crying.

"You all take care of Famu-san. I'll clean this room."

Patricia said this and began to tidy up.

"Famu, I love Mo."

"I know."

"I've decided to take her on our journey."

"..."

"I know she's your precious friend. But she's a precious person to me too. I can't just hand her over to some fiancé I don't even know."

"The one who's a stranger isn't Mo's fiancé. It's you and Mo. It's true I boasted to Mo. Because you're my one and only Master in the whole world. I wanted my friend to know. I wanted her to know that I had someone I loved. That I was happy. So why did it turn into this?"

"...Famu, I had given up. As my duty as someone born into the Star Union family, I would go to the husband chosen for me. The me who went there would no longer be myself, but I thought that was fine. Because the me living that life would surely be happy. But after hearing your story, I started to yearn. I wanted to stay as I am, and touch the things you've touched. And the one who can make that happen is Mash..."

Famu cut off her words with a wave of her hand.

"Please don't casually say the Master's name that I cannot say."

"...Sorry. The one who can make that happen is Ma... no, um, this old guy..."

"Actually, you can call him by his name..."

"...Understood. I'll continue to call him Mash,"

Mo said. Then she looked at me. She seemed somehow satisfied.

"Hey, this conversation isn't over, is it?"

"...But I've pretty much said what I wanted to say, so I'm done."

"Famu, I want to be with you. That's why, if that's what you wish, I'll do as you say. But are you okay with that version of me? Are you okay with me leaving Mo like this and walking away?"

"Don't try to turn this around on me."

Famu let out a heavy sigh. Then, she shifted her gaze to Sameim.

"So, who might this be?"

"You don't recognize her? It's Sameim. She came to the inn last night to see you."

The moment I said that, Mo's and Patricia's bodies twitched. Famu's eyes widened, then narrowed into a blade-like glare. She went to take off her glove, realized she wasn't wearing one, took a handkerchief out of her pocket, and threw it at Sameim.

"What is your intention, approaching my Master by falsely claiming the name of my best friend?"

"Wh-what, she's an impostor?"

I was the only one who was surprised. Everyone else looked as though they had expected it.

"No, wait. I don't understand why she would approach us by faking Sameim's name. She challenged me to a duel, demanding that I hand over Famu. And after that..."

I was about to add fuel to the fire. I almost said she had offered her body, but I stopped myself.

"I brought up Sameim's name, but I never claimed to be her,"

said the girl I had thought was Sameim.

"But you took advantage of my Master's misunderstanding, didn't you?"

Famu said.

"Master, please lend me your katana. I will cut her down."

"N-no, but... the sword, right now, is..."

"You gave her a short sword, but you won't give me a katana?"

Pushed by her intensity, I took the katana from my storage and handed it to her. She accepted it and slid it into her belt.