kscans

Chapter 23 - After the Festival, and the Church

Consciousness returns. I seem to be in a bed. It's comfortable. There's no pain. The fact that I collapse after every major battle feels like a bug in the system. Still, this pillow smells amazing. I pull it out from under my head, hug it, and take a deep whiff. This scent. I could smell it forever.

"Mash?"

It was Mizuki's voice. I opened my eyes and sat up. The room was simple and calming. There were shelves and a desk that felt old, but they looked well-cared-for. Red light streamed in from the window. It must be evening. Mizuki and Famu were sitting in chairs. Between them, Cecily, Aira, and Beers were forced to sit in seiza. Their wounds had healed. I touched my stomach. The kunai wound was gone. It seemed I'd been treated, too.

"Where's Reed?"

I asked Famu.

"..."

"He's in jail for attacking you after the duel,"

Mizuki answered in Famu's stead. So there was a system in place to maintain public order.

"Is that so? Though if he had a weapon in his storage, a jail cell wouldn't mean much."

"Apparently, there's a tool that can seal magic."

I wondered if the cell Famu had been kept in had a magic seal as well. Would it prevent skills from being used, too?

"Famu, why are you making them sit like that?"

"..."

"They became your slaves, so Beers's contract was also rewritten with you as the master."

Once again, Mizuki answered. When I looked, Slave Marks were indeed carved onto Cecily's and Aira's arms. But why the formal sitting position?

"Mizuki, are you okay with this?"

"I was against it. But..."

Mizuki glanced at Famu. It seemed Famu was the one who wouldn't have it.

"Beers is fine, right? He was Reed's slave, so it can't be helped. If Beers wishes, I'll free him from slavery."

Beers's face lit up with surprise and joy.

"Master!"

Famu cried out.

"What? I was about to start talking to you in dog-speak again."

"Why would you forgive him so easily? I don't understand."

My joke was ignored.

"It's fine to forgive Beers, right? Is it not?"

"Then what is my punishment for almost killing you, Master?"

"There is no punishment. What's this all of a sudden? I don't get it."

"I wanted to save you, Master. But that was not what you wanted."

"No, I was happy that you tried to save me."

"Then why did you stop me?"

It would have been fine if it were just the two of us, but with everyone listening, I wanted to brush it off lightly. But Famu didn't seem like she would let me.

"I didn't want you to become a murderer, Famu."

Was it my own selfishness to think that she should at least wait until she was an adult and could make her own decisions?

"During the duel, I heard you tell Lady Laciel, 'Don't kill them.' You were trying to save the very person who challenged you to a duel before you even fought. And that same person tried to kill you. Someone like that deserves to be killed."

For a moment, I looked at Mizuki. I thought she, having come from the same world, would understand my thinking. Mizuki remained silent. This was a problem between me and Famu, not something that could be resolved by talking one of them down.

"I was raised to believe that 'you must not kill people.' I think I understand why, but I can't explain it well. I didn't want you to become a murderer either, Famu."

"I understand not wanting to kill people. I hate it, too. If that blade had been aimed at me, and you had asked me to forgive him, I could still forgive him. But he tried to kill you. I can never forgive him. Your actions are wrong. If you didn't want this, you should have just tied me up in a mat."

In that moment, my body just moved on its own. It wasn't a deep thought. I had just assumed Famu would understand, but I had hurt her deeply.

"If that attack had been aimed at you, Famu, I wouldn't have forgiven him. And besides, you refused to be wrapped in a mat, didn't you?"

"Mmph, you're right. But if the same thing happens again, I will do the same thing."

This conversation was going in circles. I thought I understood what Famu was saying now. In this world, it was easy to get caught up in conflict, and easy to have your life threatened.

"Famu, I love you. How about you?"

"...Yes. I 'love you very much.'"

"Then I need you to understand. I don't want a relationship where one of us is the master who doles out punishment. And I do think what you're saying is right. This isn't something we can solve today or tomorrow. I want us to continue adventuring together, and I want to get to know your feelings. I want you to know my feelings, too. I want to close this distance between us, little by little. Is that not enough?"

"Master, you are a free citizen and an adventurer. Things like this will happen again. No one will protect you. I know people will laugh if I say I will protect you now. I'm just a stray you picked up. But I will grow alongside you, Master. No matter what happens, I will protect you, and I will deliver your blade to the enemy's throat. But if that's not what you want, then I... I... even though I... feel this way... about you... A world without you has no value. I still cannot forgive your enemies."

I couldn't say anything back. This was the resolve contained in those few short words when she said she would follow me. What did I want from this girl, who was just a village girl who had cried when beaten by a goblin, by forcing her to become an adult? I was the one who dragged her into combat. This was the price for acting without any resolve of my own. Famu was trying to become an adult in a short period of time. Was this right? What about me?

"I wanted to protect you, too, Famu. I thought I was protecting you. I couldn't bear the thought of you becoming a murderer for my sake. Besides, Wind Blade helped me once. I was hesitant to kill them."

"If I lose you, Master, it's over for me."

"I can't imagine losing you either, Famu."

"You gave me my freedom, Master. I want you to be free, too. I have all sorts of feelings, and some of them are contradictory. There are many feelings I can't put into words. I think it's the same for you, Master. I want us to continue adventuring together so I can get to know you little by little, and so I can get to know your true feelings little by little. Also, I want to play a game later."

Will she be disappointed that it's all just lewd stuff? I'll keep quiet for now. Famu was probably angry with me. But she also let me know that there was room for forgiveness.

"...Is the lovers' quarrel over?"

Mizuki asked. This was incredibly embarrassing. Famu's face was bright red, too.

"What do you think about Wind Blade, Mizuki?"

I asked her, trying to cover my embarrassment.

"I just hated Reed's methods. But honestly, I'm relieved that no one died. And I also agree with freeing Beers-san from slavery."

"And... Famu-san? I'd like your honest opinion,"

I asked hesitantly, using the formal '-san'.

"Yes. I agree as well."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Then I'll give you some money. Stay at the Asuka Inn tonight. I'll free you tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

It was the first time I'd heard Beers's voice. It was a higher pitch than I'd expected.

"Yeah."

I took ten silver coins from my storage and gave them to him. That should be enough for dinner. Beers accepted them happily and left.

"Now for Cecily and Aira."

"Before that, do you know what will happen to Reed?"

"He'll be judged according to the rules of this town, I imagine."

"In that case, there's no need to make him a slave. That's fine, then."

It would be a problem to have someone like him sticking around, even as a slave. And I didn't want this to escalate into a conflict with his noble backers.

"Yeah. That's for the best."

"...And, Famu-san?"

"I am not satisfied, but as long as he cannot leave his jail cell, it is fine."

"Phew."

Famu was scary. I thought it best not to say something like, "You know best how hard it is to be in jail,"

for fear of angering her.

"Master, it hurts to be called with '-san'. I am not angry anymore, so please treat me as you always do."

"Right, got it."

I wanted Famu to stop calling me 'Master,' too, but I'd keep quiet about that for today. Now, for the remaining two. Having a reasonably high-level mage and priest join would be a great help. But even if they were slaves, I was reluctant to adventure with them. They had both been kind to me when we first met. I wanted to resolve this peacefully. I looked at Cecily. Straight, shoulder-length blonde hair. She usually wore a wide-brimmed pointed hat that hid her face, but she had it off now, so I could see her clearly. She had a strong-willed look. I thought she was cute. She was about Mizuki's height. Her chest and butt were bigger than Famu's but smaller than Mizuki's. She wore a black mage's robe that came down to her knees, and since she was sitting seiza, her white kneecaps were visible. If I bent down and peeked, I could probably see all the way up, but I had no idea what Mizuki would say. I looked at Aira. Her black hair reached her chest. Like Myra, she had a gentle face. She was cute, too. She was shorter than Cecily. And then there was her voluminous chest. Bigger than Mizuki's. Her priestess's robe covered her all the way to her feet. She had the same hairstyle and even the same outfit as Myra. They weren't twins, but they looked very similar. I wonder if they were close. One way to tell them apart was their chest size. The other was the mole under the corner of Aira's right eye, while Myra's was under her left. The two of them said nothing, their heads bowed. Were they enduring the numbness in their legs? Mizuki had said they were both dating Reed. They were probably all sleeping together.

"I wonder if I can do whatever I want..."

Gulp. The words slipped out.

"Mmph, you can do whatever you want, but you shouldn't do whatever you want!"

"No, please do as you wish, Master."

Mizuki and Famu's opinions were divided.

"He's trying to make them do perverted things!"

How did she know what I was thinking?

"The Master is the one who saved their lives. He should be the one to decide."

"But Mash is seriously planning on doing perverted things! Are you okay with that, Famu?"

"The Master is a free citizen."

"Mmph, I'm not convinced at all... but if it's two against one, I guess I have no choice."

Mizuki gave in. In that case, I'll propose the most disgusting solution that would make Mizuki's skin crawl, just as she wished.

"Alright, then Aira will have to act as Myra-san. If she lets me hold her for one night, I'll free them both."

""""Eek!""""

All the women screamed. Why was Famu making that face, too? No, wait, none of them were looking at me. They were looking behind me. I had a terrible, sinking feeling. I slowly turned around. The room was larger than I'd thought. On the other side of the bed stood Myra-san. She was beaming.

"Myra-san... how long have you been there..."

"The whole time. By the way, this is my room."

The nice smell was Myra's scent. It was over. Everything was over.

"It seems it's finally my turn to speak. May I?"

"...Yes..."

I was on pins and needles.

"I think it is fine for Mash-sama to embrace Aira. However, releasing them is a bit problematic."

So it's fine for her sister to be held by some old guy?

"Why is that?"

"Because you, Mash-sama, summoned Lady Laciel and won. Wind Blade is now an enemy of the gods. What's more, even though he was saved, Reed-san attacked you. And you are trying to forgive even that with a generous heart. But what will the people who saw that spectacle think when they see a freed Cecily-san and Aira?"

"I see. So they need to be punished under my watch for a certain period of time."

Myra nodded. I hadn't considered the wider impact of [Goddess Summon].

"But that wasn't the goddess Laciel. It was just some cosplaying older sister with a few screws loose who was impersonating her."

Myra shook her head.

"No, she is absolutely the real one. I have been praying at the temple every day for this day. And if you were lying, Mash-sama, you would be judged by the world."

Though I had no other choice, summoning a goddess was a mistake. I shouldn't have used it.

"Oh, that's right. Please wait a moment. I was supposed to call the priest once Mash-sama woke up. I had forgotten."

Without waiting for my reply, Myra left the room. The priest, who hadn't shown his face until now, was coming to see me in person.