kscans

Chapter 195 - Marina and Patricia

I was at the Star Union estate, Mo's family home. Incredibly, both the facade and the gardens had been perfectly restored. It had only been four days since our attack had left it in ruins, but with everything that had happened since, it felt like a distant memory.

Right now, I was in the room of Mo's mother, Marina. The window was open, letting in the morning sunlight and a gentle breeze. She stood there, gazing at the scenery outside. Her hair, the same silver as Mo's, billowed softly in the wind.

The room contained a round table that could seat four, upon which two cups of tea sat steaming. I was the only one seated, while Patricia stood attentively behind me.

Just the three of us were in the room. The rest of my party was in Mo's room. Trusar had already departed; it was apparently improper for the captain of the One-Land family's Royal Guard to enter the Star Union estate.

"Patricia, what about tea for you?"

She had been the one to bring it, but she'd only prepared two cups.

"N-No, I don't require any."

"Sit here,"

I urged, gesturing to the seat beside me.

"I will stand."

As I took a sip of tea, Marina turned to face me.

"It's about Patricia..."

I decided to get straight to my reason for being here.

"I want to free her from her status as a slave."

"Wh-what?!"

The cry came from Patricia. Startled by her voice, I turned to see the hand clutching the silver tray trembling uncontrollably.

"Mash-sama... have I done something to offend you?"

"No, you haven't done a thing. That's why I want to free you."

I decided to keep quiet about the numerous times she'd punched me, as that would only complicate things.

"B-But... I will do my best to be of service! Please, couldn't you allow me to continue serving by Lady Mo's side?"

"Hm? I think you've misunderstood. I just want to free you from being a slave. After that, I'd like you to keep working for Mo, just as you have been."

"...If that is the case, could you please allow me to continue working as I am? You may have heard from Lady Mo, but I cannot return to the village of the Flower Folk. I am deeply grateful to the Star Union Family for taking me in. I do not wish to create any friction between the elves and the Flower Folk out of concern for me. Please, I beg you, leave my situation as it is."

Seeing her bow so deeply, I was at a loss for words. It sounded noble to say she was protecting the peace of her village and the relationship between the two races by throwing herself on the line, but really, she was just sacrificing herself.

"The Flower Folk village she came from is less than a tenth the size of Miglutt. If you were to go there, son-in-law, and summon Lady Laciel, you could have things your way,"

Marina said. She had, at some point, gracefully seated herself across from me. She brought the cup to her lips for a sip, her movements filled with a refined grace that stood in stark contrast to the way Famu gulped down her drinks.

"If you say so, Marina, I'll do it. But it's at the western edge of the continent, isn't it? What a pain."

It had taken us over a month just to get here from Richel. The Great Forest was even farther west than that. As I was thinking, Marina fixed me with a slight frown.

"I was told you disliked standing out, son-in-law, and have avoided summoning Lady Laciel for that reason."

"Hm? I certainly don't want to stand out, and being praised as some divine messenger would be a pain. But for Patricia's sake, I'll do it."

I glanced at Patricia as I spoke, and saw her cheeks flush red.

"Patricia, bring one more cup. And then, take the empty seat."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

At Marina's words, Patricia practically flew out of the room. She had stubbornly refused my request, yet she obeyed Marina without a second thought.

"You wouldn't use Goddess Summon for the sake of the Star Union Family, I presume,"

Marina remarked in a quiet voice as I watched the door Patricia had exited through.

"About Famu..."

Now it was just the two of us. The steam rising from the tea carried a rich aroma that filled the room.

"I heard from Mo about your attempt to break the curse at the Great Temple."

"So, what's the verdict?"

I waited for her next words, my heart filled with a prayer.

"Mo can see curses. I, too, could see the curse upon her. However, she said it did not react to the dispelling magic. In other words, there is nothing magic can do."

She explained that the 'miracles' performed by the church worked by flooding a curse with immense magical power, tearing it away and washing it clean. In contrast, Marina's method of dispelling involved channeling magic into a curse to read its response and understand its structure. From that information, she would craft a specific spell to undo it.

Both methods required a response from the curse to the magic.

"There is a stagnation of mana, yet it does not react to magic. If it is not magical in nature, then it might just be a blessing."

"A blessing... you mean, from a god?"

She nodded. I recalled the circumstances of my first meeting with Famu and thought it impossible. But was it possible that her illness was meant to protect her from being sold into slavery? That as long as she lived in the village, her symptoms wouldn't worsen, and one day the curse would be lifted. It only worsened because she was kidnapped. What was the caster thinking, trying to bind the villagers to that land? I couldn't possibly see that as a blessing. Was this all orchestrated so that she and I would meet? I shook my head, dispelling the thought. A blessing this cruel was unbearable.

"Besides the Fifty Gods, there are other beings with power close to that of a god. Their ways of thinking are beyond the imagination of those of us who live in this world."

"Didn't you have a rather negative view of the church?"

"I deny their claim that the church's miracles are the work of a god. I do not deny all of their activities, nor do I deny the power of gods themselves."

"Still, it seems best to go to Famu's village."

Life there was no longer what it once was. And just visiting wouldn't immediately lift her curse. But if she stayed there, the curse wouldn't kill her, and she would one day be freed. The only problem was that when the curse was lifted, it would supposedly fall upon another. And now, there was no one else.

"As for other possibilities, perhaps Zeno Leafkraut could..."

"Mo's fiancé?"

The one from the family that supposedly specialized in magic affecting the mind and was researching immortality. After stealing his fiancée, asking him to look after Famu was probably a tall order. He might even do something to Famu in retaliation.

"He has returned to his own estate for the time being."

Patricia returned to the room. Now three cups sat on the table. After refilling our tea, she sat down, positioning herself slightly closer to my side.

"Now then, let me state my business,"

Marina said with a small cough.

"Son-in-law, you shared a bed with Mo the day before yesterday, and yesterday as well, did you not?"

Her words made me spew my tea, while Patricia recoiled, covering her face with her hands and staring at me with wide eyes.

"Y-Yes, but..."

I managed to answer through a fit of coughing.

"You did not perform the act, I take it?"

I had no idea how that information had been leaked to her. Yesterday morning, I'd been dragged to the dungeon by Trusar. Mo had been by my side the entire time, so there was no way she could have tattled to Marina. The only opportunity might have been when she was talking with Trusar, but as for the information from last night to this morning, there was simply no way to pass it on. Besides, I couldn't imagine Mo telling her mother something like that. Especially since our marriage had been approved, she herself didn't seem to be pushing to deepen our relationship.

Is there a spy from Marina in the inn? The construction here was much flimsier than in my world, and the walls were thin. I couldn't let my guard down for a second.

"That's because Famu, Mizuki, and Myra were there..."

It just felt a little awkward.

"That's a lie. I heard from Aira. She said you don't care who is present—in fact, you rather enjoy it."

At those words, Patricia's eyes grew even wider. She shifted her chair slightly, moving closer to Marina. Seriously, what the hell was Aira coming to this mansion to 'study'? The next time I saw her, I was going to grope her breasts relentlessly.

"Wait, 'enjoy it' is a misunderstanding. I get incredibly nervous."

"..."

Patricia shifted her chair even further toward Marina.

"Well, I understand that you get nervous. We can set your... preferences aside for now. Why will you not sleep with my daughter?"

"Mo is still a child. At least wait until she's around Famu's age..."

By then, I felt like Famu might forgive me too.

"You do not understand women. Mo has been a woman since the day she was born. You told her you love her, did you not? If you stop seeing her in that way, even for a moment, can you not imagine how that would make Mo feel?"

"That's..."

The words caught in my throat. I didn't know enough about women's feelings, nor did I have the experience, to give an answer.

"Furthermore, it would be troublesome if you did not consider our circumstances as well."

'Our circumstances' referred to the fact that Mo might be the last child of the elven race. I had taken her from her family under the pretext of breaking their obsession with racial purity.

"Wait, you intend for Mo to have a child? That's way too soon!"

"It is not too soon. For us, not a single moment can be wasted."

"I get that, but... are you planning to make her bear that burden alone?"

"Son-in-law, did you not agree to shoulder that burden with her?"

It was a direct hit. I couldn't argue and fell silent. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was too early for her to have a child. Besides, she'd said she wanted to go on adventures with me. If she had a baby, adventuring would be out of the question. And though it was unfair to her, I also had a strong desire for my first child to be with Famu.

"You seem to be hesitating to have a child, but Lady Maryanne may already be with child, you know?"

"Wh-What did you say?!"

With that single sentence, Patricia moved her chair right next to Marina's side.

"You two spent a night together in jail, did you not? You would have had no opportunity to give her a contraceptive potion. She is past her prime. Do you think she would willingly take such a potion after being released from prison?"

Maryanne was only twenty-three. Thinking that was old was probably just a remnant of my old world's sensibilities. In this world, the age of adulthood was younger. And for nobles, political marriages were the norm, so just as it had been for Mo, marrying at a young age was likely common sense.

"You have your own thoughts, but please, also consider Mo's feelings, the position of the Star Union Family, and the future of the elven race."

As I sat in silence, Marina delivered the final blow.

"...I think I understand. It's just... Mo is still too young for a child."

At my words, Marina gave a small nod.

"I see. In that case, once conception is confirmed, I shall retrieve Mo's ovum."

"...? Retrieve it and do what?"

I had no idea what she was talking about. How did she plan to confirm conception, and how would she retrieve the ovum? Was there some kind of magic for that?

"I will receive your fertilized egg and bear the child myself. We will install that child as the heir of the Star Union Family and formally revoke Mo's right of succession. As you wish, she will be permitted to spend her life with you as she pleases."

Patricia's chair shifted again, this time ending up next to mine.

"..."

Patricia and I stared at Marina, wide-eyed. Our throats both made a gulping sound at the same time.

"I-In that case, wouldn't it be better for you and Mash-sama to just... do it?"

Patricia muttered.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, she has a husband. I don't want to be resented."

"So, you're saying if Augustus-sama weren't around, you'd be fine with it, Mash-sama? If you did it secretly, no one would ever know. Besides, if you receive the egg and give birth to it, Marina-sama, wouldn't that child be yours? In the end, the result is the same as if you two did it together, isn't it?"

Now even Patricia was spouting nonsense. A few tulips seemed to have bloomed on top of her head.

"Mo would probably resent me for it, too."

"...That is true. I had forgotten Lady Mo's feelings. But setting aside Marina-sama, would Augustus-sama be able to treat the child born that way as his own?"

Patricia, while strangely agreeing with me, continued to press the issue. I understood how she felt. My own head was starting to spin.

"Publicly, the child will be mine and Augustus's. In truth, however, it will also be our first grandchild. My husband's blood runs through it as well. There is no reason we could not love it."

She said this and took a sip of her tea. Patricia and I followed her example, trying to calm our nerves, only to find the tea had gone cold.

Somehow, I had a feeling that whatever Augustus's feelings on the matter, he would ultimately go along with Marina's plan. Just as I was being forced to.

"...Alright. I'll handle things with Mo properly."

She gave a small nod at my words.

"You can ride a horse, can you not? I will lend you one. Take Mo and ride east. Less than half a day from here, there is a lakeside surrounded by trees where the Star Union Family has a villa. Spend the night there."

"..."

It seemed I had no choice in the matter. I could only nod.

"Marina-sama, I will go as well, to serve them and ensure they have a wonderful evening!"

"Patricia, are you an idiot? Leave them alone."

At Marina's words, Patricia slumped in disappointment.

"Finally, let me give you this."

Marina stood and went to a desk adorned with intricate inlay work. She opened a locked drawer and returned with something in her hand. She placed it on the table.

"Th-This is..."

I gasped. It was made of a deep blue crystal. I'd never seen anything made of this material before, but the shape was familiar. Not that I'd ever seen one in person. Only in pictures on the internet. You could say it resembled a corkscrew. The parts that would be metal were all crystal, and the 'drill' part was a teardrop-shaped object.

"Um, may I say what I think this is?"

I asked Marina cautiously, using polite language. She nodded, so I scooted my chair a little further away from Patricia to avoid getting punched.

"It looks like an anal plug."

The moment I said it, Patricia's fist came flying.

"Stop it, Patricia."

At Marina's command, her fist halted just inches from my head. After observing this, Marina cleared her throat.

"I heard about your hobbies from Aira. This is an anal cleaner. Insert it and pour in magic, and it will flush away all impurities."

I tried not to think too hard about what on earth this woman was saying.

"In my world, there were tales of people who journeyed to space to obtain one of these... So, where do the impurities go?"

"To another dimension."

I wondered if that wouldn't be a nuisance to the inhabitants of said dimension, assuming there were any.

"That's amazing. So, have you ever... played with this with your husband?"

Patricia's fist flew again. This time, Marina didn't stop it.

"I have never used it. However, the theory should be correct."

"..."

I wondered if 'never used it' referred to her own rear end or this item specifically. I wanted to ask, but Patricia's fist was too frightening, so I held my tongue. So it was a prototype. It seemed cruel to use this on Mo right off the bat. What on earth did she think of her own daughter? Besides, even if Mo used this, it wouldn't result in a child. Maybe Marina was also a little... off. But that was an unnecessary thought, so I kept it to myself.

In any case, I decided in my heart that Mizuki would be the first to test it.

I took the item and put it in my storage.

Aira, I take back what I said earlier about groping your breasts as punishment. I will now grope them filled with a sense of gratitude, I muttered in my mind.