kscans

Chapter 226 - The Dog-Eared Race's Pride and Petra's Observation

The human heart cannot defy the five senses. The sunlight pouring onto the bed forced me awake. It seemed I'd slept in later than usual. My head was still fuzzy as I slowly sat up and looked around, but everything was hazy, and my brain wasn't processing any information. I could, however, hear people talking downstairs. I stroked the cheek of Hyakka, who was lying face down next to me, her head turned to the side. I hoped she hadn't strained her neck.

"Nnngh... my body feels so heavy. And it hurts down there..."

She seemed to be awake, lifting her head slightly. Her eyelids looked heavy as she rubbed them repeatedly. I glanced at the hand she had placed on her crotch; it was covered in something that could have been either her juices or my semen. It wasn't me who had done that to her. It was she herself. First Mizuki, now Hyakka... why did they all go so wild for me the moment they got in my body? Come to think of it, Cecily had been fine. When she became Mash, Aira took her away before she could go crazy. That left me with mixed feelings, but my body couldn't have taken much more, so I suppose it couldn't be helped.

"Mash..."

she murmured.

"What is it?"

"I'm actually super cute, huh? I never really liked myself much, but now I think I like myself a little bit."

She pressed her body against me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and our lips met. Hers were a little dry and chapped.

"Mash... please take good care of me..."

As I gazed into her teary eyes, my groin woke up too. I was about to push her down when I heard the loud sound of someone stomping up the stairs.

"Master! If you're awake, please hurry down for breakfast!"

When I got downstairs, besides the members of Levante, the New World party, and Patricia, I also saw Maryanne and Petra Sky-Lot. Petra was, as always, dressed in a way that completely obscured her features, following the strictures placed on unmarried dwarven women. No one else dressed like that, so it had to be her. My throat was parched. I sat down next to Famu, and Patricia handed me an Aylan, which I chugged in one go.

"I hear you're going to the Leafkraut family's fief. I'm coming with you."

Maryanne leaned forward eagerly. She was clutching a kebab sandwich so tightly it was losing its shape, the meat inside threatening to fall out. She could get better food at her own home, so why was she having breakfast here?

"No, you can't come."

"Mmph, why not?"

"It's a four-day round trip. What about your family duties during that time? Besides, I want to keep things as neutral as possible for now. I don't want to apply any pressure, political or otherwise."

"Says the person with the blessing of Lady Laciel..."

She leaned back and stuffed the falling meat into her mouth. She was clearly unhappy. But there was nothing I could do about Laciel's influence. I took a kebab sandwich myself and bit into it. It had probably been sitting for a while. It was a bit cold, and the bread was dry.

"So, Petra, did you come here for something?"

She nodded at my words.

"This."

What she held out was the katana forged by Aidan. I hastily put down my half-eaten sandwich, wiped my hands, and took it. As I drew the blade, a cold light ran along its length. The beautiful tempering pattern extended all the way to the tip. It had been repaired so perfectly it was hard to believe it had been broken. I gave it a light swing downwards, and the feel was unchanged.

"Petra... I don't know how to thank you."

As I sheathed the blade, I noticed Maryanne watching me with a wide smile. Her tail was wagging furiously.

"You can keep my katana, Mash. In exchange, please give that one to me!"

It seemed this was why she had shown up so early in the morning. However, right next to me, Famu slammed her hands on the table and shot to her feet.

"No! Master is my master! Why are you trying to butt in?!"

Maryanne and I stared at her, stunned.

"W-Wait... I never intended to be your master in the first place."

Her eyes widened at my words.

"Why would you say that?!"

"I've been telling you all along. I don't want you to follow me. I want you to be with me."

"In that case, please give me that sword."

"Ah, alright..."

As I moved to hand the katana to Famu, Maryanne's face crumpled as if she was about to cry, and she bowed her head.

"Mash, when I heard from Petra-sama that the sword was fixed and she was bringing it to you, I was overjoyed, and I came here with her. Have you forgotten that all the girls here love you and are loved by you? Is there a ranking among them? Aren't we all the same?"

Her shoulders were shaking. I glanced around and saw that everyone was looking at me. Mizuki and the others had stopped eating, waiting for my response. Even the New World members were staring at me, which was a little embarrassing.

"It would be a lie to say everyone's the same. This party started with just me and Famu. So if she says no, then it's no."

"Then kick Mizuki out!"

Famu suddenly pointed at Mizuki.

"Why me?! I told you, stop using me as a punchline!"

Mizuki yelled. Ignoring her, Petra patted Maryanne's shoulder.

"Maryanne, it's true I repaired this sword for this man, but I didn't do it out of romantic feelings. Besides, I've been a commoner for a long time now. I don't want to be called 'sama' by one of the Four Regent Families. This man seems to dislike that sort of address, you know?"

Petra said. The lenses of her oversized glasses were cloudy, making it impossible to see what she was looking at.

"Also, I adjusted that sword to be able to channel even more mana, to match Mash's current level. It would be best if he used it."

Hearing that, Maryanne lifted her face and wiped away her tears.

"I understand. In that case, it is best that Mash uses this sword."

She turned her gaze to Famu.

"Please give the sword of mine that Mash is currently using to her. My katana would not forgive half-hearted loyalty."

Famu nodded back at her, her mouth set in a firm line. She was usually so laid-back, why was she so quick to pick a fight? It was unsettling to watch. Maryanne had been working tirelessly for Famu's village. The same went for Sameim. They were of the same race; I wished they could get along a little better.

"So, about going to the Leafkraut family's fief,"

Petra said, breaking the tense atmosphere between Famu and Maryanne.

"If Maryanne can't go, then the Royal Guard captain, Trusar, is out too, right? I'll go with you instead. I promised I'd make you a weapon before, remember? I want to flesh out the image for it."

She gave me a thumbs-up.

To the south of Miglutt lay a vast grassland. A single road cut through it, and on that road, six shadows were advancing. I looked up to see the sky seemed much higher. Autumn was approaching. The destination was about a two-day journey, but I'd heard we could make it in one day by horse. However, I was hesitant to rent six horses at once. There was also a stagecoach, but unfortunately, there wasn't space for six people. So, we decided to walk. It felt like it had been a while since I'd experienced this kind of atmosphere. Famu, walking beside me, stopped and looked back. I turned around with her. The city had become a small speck, almost invisible, but the government office built on the hill reflected the sunlight, shining white.

"Don't be too hard on her."

Petra, who had been walking behind us, came up to join us. She must have thought Famu and I were still thinking about the morning's exchange with Maryanne.

"I heard that when she was confined by her uncle, she had a much more servile and warped personality. But at some point, Maryanne started sneaking out of the house and exploring the city. She was commuting to her master's place for swordsmanship training, and on the way, she must have been captivated by the city scenery she saw. She disguised herself as a town girl to hide her identity, but in truth, everyone knew she was Maryanne. And through her interactions with the townspeople, her true curious, pure, and friendly nature awakened."

At Petra's prompting, we started walking again. Myra, Mizuki, and Marmi had somehow gotten ahead of us, and we followed them. Maryanne's image overlapped with Famu's. Would Famu, like her, one day find what she was looking for?

"So the people of the city raised her?"

"That's right. No one says it out loud, but she is loved. It might not sound like her own strength if you just think 'she's a One-Land,' but she has the power to attract people with her own character. She formally took the position of family head in the recent political change, right? The townspeople are delighted. And they are grateful to the otherworld hero who lent her a hand. Myself included, of course."

I had only provided the spark for the political change. She had no track record as a ruler, and her uncle had been trying to move the political situation to avoid conflict with the Demon Kingdom, which wasn't in itself bad governance. The reason there wasn't much opposition to the change was because she had the backing of the populace. Of course, she probably hadn't gained that intentionally. In the end, she had claimed the headship through her own power.

"Are you and Maryanne close?"

At my words, her shoulders shook as she let out a small chuckle.

"We've only met directly at my grandfather's birthday party. However, she used to frequent my workshop. At first, she was just brought there by her master. Before I knew it, she started coming to the workshop alone sometimes and would spend the whole day watching me work. Once word got out that she and I were meeting, I could no longer go to the workshop when she was there, in case it influenced my grandfather. Furthermore, she was constantly asking my workshop staff what they were doing and scurrying about, so she was a real nuisance. But because she's a One-Land, we couldn't treat her harshly or kick her out."

She suddenly looked up at the sky. I couldn't see her expression under the glasses, but her gaze seemed distant, as if she were seeing Maryanne from days gone by.

"If I had a child, I thought I'd want one like her."

She cleared her throat, as if to hide her embarrassment, then turned to face me and continued.

"You might think this is odd for the head of one of the Four Regent Families, but she, too, must have found a master to serve. That's why she was so happy and got carried away. She surely didn't expect to clash with Famu. This isn't just for you, Mash. I'm telling both of you. Don't treat Maryanne poorly."

Was she also taken in by Maryanne's charm?

"Master is my master,"

Famu said, her voice strained, her expression stubborn. Petra laughed in response.

"That's right. So it's your job to raise your master. The way you behave will be the same as the way your master behaves."

"So, Petra, isn't that outfit hot?"

She was wearing the same baggy overalls and gloves as when we first met. A newsboy cap pulled down low to hide her face. To top it off, large glasses and a triangular cloth covering her mouth. The only thing I could see was the braid hanging down from her neck.

"Don't worry about it. I always dress like this."

"No, I mean, during our last conversation, I couldn't see your expression at all, so I wasn't quite sure what emotion you were trying to convey."

She let out a laugh.

"I get that a lot."

I figured as much, but I couldn't tell if she was being serious or trying to be funny.

"...Is your eyesight bad?"

"No, this is just magic to make it look that way."

Come to think of it, I remember Myra saying that the technology for storing mana and using magic circles was more in the dwarves' domain than the elves'. It was different from the image of burly warrior-type dwarves I had in my original world. Still, to think she made an item like that just to hide her face.

"Or do you want to see my face?"

That was a difficult question to answer. If I saw her face, I'd have to take responsibility and marry her according to her race's customs. This was a trap set by her grandfather. However, so far, only her grandfather was trying to get us married; she didn't want it. She wanted to focus on her smithing. I was hesitating, too. She was older than me, over fifty. However, the lifespan of dwarves was said to be twice that of humans. I couldn't deny the possibility that her true face under the glasses was that of a stunning beauty. In fact, my intuition told me that possibility was high.

"Well, I'd like to see it... but before that, I have a proposal."

"A proposal? What is it?"

"There's a custom that says you can't show your skin, but there's no rule about not touching it, right? So, could I feel your breasts just once? Let me think about it after that."

As I said this to Petra, Mizuki, who had been walking ahead, turned around and stomped over to me.

"Are you an idiot? If you do that, that's really the end of it!"

"Tch, I was just joking to try and fit in with Levante..."

Petra laughed at the exchange between me and Mizuki.

"Alright. I'll think about it."

I couldn't read her expression, and I couldn't know the true meaning of her words.