kscans

Chapter 173 - The Raid on the Elf Palace and the Enemy Commander, Famu

"My name is Famiimu Okita. And your name is?"

"My name is Maryanne One-Land."

Maryanne said this, then drew her blade slightly and lowered her stance. It was the same as last night. She gripped the scabbard and pushed the blade forward a fraction with her thumb. Seeing this, Famu also lightly touched the hilt of her sword and lowered her stance in the same way. It seemed she intended to counter the Iai stance with one of her own. But was she capable of Iaijutsu?

"If I win, you're fired. You will leave Mash's side and return to Okita village,"

Maryanne declared.

"Wait, I don't know what you're planning, but if Famu leaves, I'll just follow after her. And if you hurt Famu, I'll be your next opponent."

Famu was holding my sword. And Maryanne was an exceptionally skilled swordswoman. This meant Famu had no chance of winning. It was wrong to lecture her knowing that.

"Master, I will not lose. I accept any and all conditions."

"Famu, you can't win with that sword."

"Why not? I will show you that I can win!"

Perhaps questioning my tone, she broke her Iai stance and drew the sword.

"Ah."

Famu stared in shock at the broken blade. I had held a small hope that if I left the broken sword in its sheath overnight, it might mend itself, but it was a futile fantasy. As she stood there stunned, the tip of Maryanne's sword was pressed against her throat.

"My victory. Famu, allow me to speak as the head of the dog-eared race. Be honest with yourself."

"Head of the dog-eared race?"

I asked Maryanne.

"...That's right. She is the head of the One-Land family, one of Miglutt's Four Regent Families, Maryanne One-Land."

"That's right. The 'figurehead' head, though,"

Maryanne added to Mo's words.

"What?! If you knew, why didn't you tell me?!"

Thinking back now, their unnatural behavior made sense. I spoke in an accusatory tone, blaming the two of them.

"...Because whenever I was about to say something, she'd give me this really scary glare."

"Aren't your families of equal standing?"

"...She is the current head, and while I am a daughter of the Star Union family, I am not the promised heir."

"Mo, come to think of it, I forgot to ask something important. Do you intend to inherit the Star Union family?"

"...I do. But don't think about it in Mash's terms. My father and mother will live for several hundred more years. I will too. And there's a good chance that other children besides me will be born."

"..."

"...Even if I were to inherit the family, it would be long after Mash is dead. Famu, Patricia, and Wake won't be around either."

As I struggled for a reply, Mo muttered under her breath. Mo had a lifespan of a thousand years. She had only lived for twelve of them. Yet, it seemed unreasonable that her future had to be decided now. What were her parents thinking?

"...Mash, I don't want to say this myself, but among elves, I'm said to be a slow developer and a slow learner. That's why my parents and the other elves are getting impatient."

"No, you seem perfectly normal. And even if that were true, you're still you, right, Mo?"

"...Never mind me for now. Let's focus on Famu."

At Mo's words, I turned my gaze to Famu. She was holding the broken sword, her head hung low.

"I... even though Master told me to stop..."

"The duel with Maryanne is void. To begin with, you and I don't have a master-servant relationship."

"Then what kind of relationship do we have?"

"You're my girlfriend. It's not a hierarchical relationship. You're always standing right beside me, aren't you?"

She pondered my words for a moment.

"Then, as an equal, please duel with me. Regarding Mo, if I win, my terms will be heard."

"And if I win, my terms will be heard, right?"

Famu nodded.

Famu and I faced each other, holding the clubs. They were the same soft, leather-wrapped ones used to take down Mizuki earlier. It was much less stressful than clashing with real swords or wooden ones. However, given their length, they were one-handed weapons. If I held it like a katana, the blade would be too short. I couldn't help but smile, seeing her try to force a katana grip anyway.

"Hmph, what is it?"

"Nothing. You cheeky brat."

She was reading my intention to fight with a katana grip. She was trying to win by using the same fighting style. When I narrowed the gap between my hands on the grip, she noticed and copied me. She took a Seigan-no-kamae stance, exhaling a long, thin breath. Her spine was straight as if suspended by a thread from the ceiling, her form natural and beautiful, free of unnecessary tension. Her eyes were fixed on me, yet her senses were alert to everything around her.

"I heard she'd never held a weapon until six months ago..."

Maryanne gasped. The way she handled the katana was likely from the school left behind by Okita Soji. She must have trained relentlessly. That's why the beauty of Famu's stance was so apparent to her. It had only been about two months since she met me, yet she had reached this level. The examples of Aidan and Avea probably helped, but what had fostered her growth the most was her own effort, constantly training and improving herself. I responded by taking a Seigan-no-kamae stance as well, pointing the tip of my club at her. We moved in arcs, slowly closing the distance. The tense air dominated the room, a strained time of probing each other's moves. The moment our tips crossed, she stepped in. Her club swung down towards my head. A swift strike. I slid my club up to parry it, then countered with a strike of my own. She dodged the blow by circling to the side. Then, Famu switched her club to one hand and swung it in a horizontal sweep. It was a switch to a one-handed grip to cover the short attack range, but the distance was still not enough. I retreated slightly to dodge the blow. Then, I swung my club down, but she also retreated to dodge. My attack range was just as short as hers. Just as I thought the distance was broken and we would reset, she stepped in again. I raised my club to block the blow. However, the club was too soft. It couldn't fully block her strike and bent with a 'thwack'. It made a nice sound as it hit me squarely on the forehead.

"..."

"..."

We stared at each other in silence.

"Master, we can call that one a do-over. I thought you had completely blocked it."

"No, we were fighting with the same weapons under the same conditions. It's your win, Famu."

She lowered her weapon. My forehead was stinging. As I rubbed it, Mizuki came over, took a picture, and showed it to me. A red welt in the shape of the club had formed.

"My butt probably looks like that too, thanks to you, Mash."

"Want me to check?"

I reached out to pat her butt, but she stepped back and covered it with both hands.

"Not right now!"

As we were fooling around, Myra cut in.

"So, you lost rather easily. What do you plan to do?"

"Famu decides."

I looked at Famu, and all eyes gathered on her.

"Master, you're helping Mo because you want to do lewd things with her, aren't you?"

"Well, when you put it like that, you're not wrong, but..."

My original motive was wanting to help Famu and Mo, but I couldn't risk becoming prey to her sharp senses by protesting strangely. Anything I said now would sound like an excuse, so I kept quiet.

"You'll probably save many more women from now on, Master. At this rate, the number of women will just keep growing. But I can't stop you. If I did, you wouldn't be you anymore. But I need you to understand."

"Famu, people are always changing. I'm not always the same. I've already changed just by meeting you. You have too. It's only been two months, but I don't think our relationship is the same as when we first met."

I tried to deflect her point, just a little.

"Is that so? But aren't the fundamental parts the same? I am me, and you are you, Master. Even when you switched with Mizuki or Cecily, you were still you. Aren't there some things that don't change? I will always love you, Master. I love you so much. I honestly don't want to share you with anyone. This feeling was born just two months ago. But I think this feeling will last forever. I don't want to believe that this feeling will ever change."

"Famu, I love you too. No matter what happens in the future, I will love you. But that's because I will always keep thinking of you."

"...I don't really understand. But I don't think it's about logic. The feeling I have for you, Master, wasn't born from logic. So many emotions, so many thoughts are all telling me that I love this person. It's the same for you, isn't it, Master? Your emotions come first, and you add the logic later, right?"

Famu replied. Just then, Myra and Mizuki walked over with clubs in hand. Then, Famu was lightly smacked by Myra, and I was smacked by Mizuki.

"Can you two stop flirting in a situation like this? Famu, just give us your conclusion. What are you going to do about Mo?"

Mizuki said.

"I... I approve of Mo joining us. But I am against her doing lewd things with Master. But if we do that, Mo will be the only one left out..."

"And?"

Hearing Mizuki's words, Famu looked at Mo. She was facing Famu, but her eyes were cast down at the floor. She was clutching the hem of her dress with small fists, trembling slightly.

"I can't find Mo's happiness for her. But she believes that she can be happy by being with you, Master. I will follow your decision."

"...I knew you'd be angry, Famu. But I'm sorry. I want to see the things that you see,"

Mo said. Her hands were still clenched around the hem of her skirt. Hearing their words, Mizuki looked around the wrecked room. Patricia was doing her best, but it was a drop in the ocean. Mizuki sighed.

"Alright. So we're continuing this fight, then?"

Famu and Mo nodded.

"Alright, then let's go take down Mo's parents!"

"Don't get carried away. You know how Famu and I feel, right? Think this through properly, for real."

"Count me in, too,"

Myra added after Mizuki's retort to my cheer.