kscans

Chapter 96 - Passing Ships and a Ladder for a Tryst

The next day, I awoke in the noble's mansion. Myra seemed to wake up at the same time. We playfully hugged and shared a light kiss before getting up. I used Water Magic to wash both her body and my own. It felt refreshing.

"...I can still feel you moving inside me. It hurts,"

Myra murmured, pressing a hand to her lower abdomen.

"Why don't you try using healing magic?"

I replied while getting dressed. She was holding her black underwear.

"What would happen?"

I wasn't sure, but she was fidgeting shyly.

"What do you mean... are you talking about your hymen? If it regenerated, that would be pretty hot!"

A wound would heal, sure. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if her hymen grew back. I could have sex with a virgin Myra over and over again. But could you still call that a virgin?

"...Do you prefer virgins, Mash?"

Myra stopped getting dressed. This was surely one of those no-win questions where I'd get yelled at no matter what I answered.

"You were incredibly cute last night, Myra. Just remembering you enduring the pain for my sake gets me worked up even now. But I guess it's special because it only happens once."

"Was I only cute last night?"

"N-No, Myra, you've been cute ever since we met. You were just especially cute last night!"

I stammered out a hasty reply. Myra pressed her hand to her stomach again.

"...I'll endure this pain. Is that alright?"

Her modest gesture and smile were so cute that I pulled her in for a kiss. She responded eagerly, her tongue tangling with mine, and it became a deep one. Just then, the door to the room opened and Ensha walked in.

"Breakfast is ready... oh."

Myra quickly dove under the bed covers to hide.

For the return trip across the river, the noble provided a boat, so we had an elegant time eating a meal on board. There too, Myra accepted the offered wine without refusal and drank it down. Thanks to that, our reward ended up being a barrel of the noble's private stock of wine. It was no problem since I could put it in my storage, but I'd have to make sure Famu and Mizuki didn't find out about it. After returning to the original bank, I headed for the Mateo Trading Company, and Myra went to the church, so we parted ways. In Fuhlt, the Mateo Trading Company had separate buildings for its warehouse and office. It was a larger setup than the main branch in Richel. The office building's first floor also served as a tavern, an open space for business negotiations, much like an inn. It was bustling, even for the morning.

As I entered, Mercedes spotted me immediately and led me to a small room upstairs. Inside, Claire was sitting on a sofa, drinking tea.

"Good morning. I've been waiting for you."

"Morning."

After exchanging greetings, Claire gestured for me to sit in the seat opposite her. Mercedes was about to leave, but I stopped him and handed him a letter of introduction to do business with Ensha's father. It was another part of our reward.

"T-This is!"

Mercedes read the letter intently. Curious, Claire stood up and peeked over his shoulder.

"I happened to rescue that noble's daughter yesterday."

I briefly explained the circumstances.

"I see. I'll take some of our branch members and pay them a visit right away."

Mercedes bowed deeply.

"Master Mash. Could I have a word?"

At Mercedes's urging, I was taken to another small room. We were alone.

"Master Mash, you are far more than our master anticipated. In Nieren, our company's reputation grew simply because we were traveling with you. Even upon entering Fuhlt's territory, we've been given opportunities to negotiate with royalty and nobility."

"...Don't worry about it. I'm grateful to the Mateo Trading Company for making this journey possible."

I said it from the heart. At first, I thought our party, Levante, could have reached Miglutt much faster on our own. But traveling without any knowledge of the local customs or geography would have been reckless. Traveling with the caravan allowed us to gather local information, and they even arranged our lodging.

Mercedes nodded at me.

"By the way, what are your thoughts on Lady Claire?"

It was a strange question. Unsure of his intent, I studied Mercedes's expression.

"I would like to know what you think of her as a potential partner."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"For example, perhaps you would prefer a human partner. It seems you haven't laid a hand on her yet, so I will consult with our master."

Mateo wanted to maintain his relationship with me. But he also didn't want me to have too much influence over the company. That's why he had offered his own daughter, a daughter of the small winged race. However, Mercedes seemed to have revised my value upwards during our journey. Wanting to switch her out for a human girl was a sign that he wanted me to be involved in the Mateo Trading Company's management. It was also likely an attempt to remove the uncertainty of me not having made a move on Claire yet. I did have a desire to take what was offered. That's how I felt when Mateo first brought up Claire. But now, I found that way of thinking distasteful. I remembered the anxious look on Mizuki's face back then. More than anything, I had spent a decent amount of time with Claire. I wanted to know how she felt. But I didn't want to use her as a shield either.

"I'm just an adventurer. Can't we just continue as we have been?"

I returned to the room where Claire was. There were two teacups on the table. It seemed she had prepared one for me as well.

"Are you finished talking with Mercedes?"

She took a sip of tea. Her face was pale. She probably knew what the conversation was about.

"Yeah."

"Then my journey ends here, doesn't it..."

"No, you're coming with us to Miglutt."

She looked at me, surprised by my words.

"Mercedes's proposal must have been very appealing to you."

"More than Claire?"

"Yes, more than me,"

she replied instantly. I took a sip of my tea. It was already cold, but it had a nice flavor.

"...It's a nice day today. Want to go for a walk?"

The area around the Mateo Trading Company's branch was a commercial district, with other companies' buildings lined up as well. Several ships were docked at the riverbank, and workers were loading and unloading cargo. The hustle and bustle of the port filled the air. Claire and I walked along the river, watching the scene.

"My half-sister is a lovely person, you know?"

"Oh, is she cute? I'd like to meet her then."

Claire gave a small smile at my reply, but it seemed to be mixed with bitterness. I had just replied on a whim, but the first thing that came to mind was Mateo's face. Claire had a slight resemblance to Mateo, too. It had taken me some time to get over that.

"My mother was bought by my father as a slave."

"Is she still a slave now?"

Claire nodded. So that was normal here.

"I was my father's slave too. I wore a Slave Mark for a long time."

She said, looking down at her white arm.

"The child of a slave is owned by the slave's owner, right?"

"Yes. I was freed when it was decided I would go to Miglutt with you, but my mother is still with Mateo. I had to win your favor, no matter what. And I have to bear your child."

I thought of Kalpana. She had also been willing to offer her body to me for the sake of her nomadic people. In this world, the higher one's status, the more intricate human relationships became. Romantic feelings weren't part of the equation.

"Is your mother being held hostage? I can't imagine him doing anything to you or your mother even if you failed to win my affection..."

I saw several sailboats leaving the port. They seemed to be passenger ships; many travelers stood on the decks, waving. People on the shore were waving back. Claire and I stopped to watch the scene from a distance. And I thought about her words. No matter how slaves were treated, I thought there must be some affection between Mateo, Claire, and her mother.

"You're right. But I wanted to leave my father's side. And I didn't want to miss this opportunity."

"To become the lover of a man you don't know and bear his child?"

I wouldn't want that. But she nodded.

"In Miglutt, even non-humans can thrive. Besides, I thought winning your affection would be easy."

"And it was, wasn't it?"

All you had to do was talk to me. But this time, she shook her head.

"You already have so many lovers, Mash. While I was wondering how I could get your attention, I found myself thinking only of you."

"If you'd just jumped me naked going 'Ooh, I love you so much, Mash,' it would've been a done deal, you know?"

"If you were going to say that, you should have just taken my hand and led me back to the inn on the day we met. You probably thought you were being considerate to me, Mash, but for the company, that would have been better. After that, a meeting was held to discuss whether I wasn't good enough. I was put on the spot by the company members, who said I wasn't attractive or that my chest was too small."

The ones I'd been considerate to at the time were Famu and the others, but the conversation was getting complicated, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Now that things have come to this, I have my own ideals about romance and how it should unfold. I want you to find me attractive without me having to launch a naked assault on you,"

she murmured, seeming to have regained her composure.

"Hey, I already find you plenty attractive."

It must have sounded like I was just trying to smooth things over, because she fell silent for a while.

"...But if it comes down to it, I'll do it."

Claire said playfully, sticking her tongue out.

"I'll say it again, I'm not sending you back to Richel, Claire."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. If you don't want to go, tell Mercedes yourself."

"I'll never say it myself!"

Claire retorted in a panic.

"And you don't have to rush. We can take our time."

Among the people seeing off the departing ship was Famu. It was an unexpected meeting. When she saw me, she ran over. It had only been a day since I'd last seen her, but I felt a sense of nostalgia, and she looked even cuter than usual. I was hit with the urge to hug her.

"Do you know someone on board?"

"Yes. A friend is on board. Are you here to see someone off too, Master?"

"No... I'm not, but you have friends, Famu?"

"Hmph, I have friends too!"

My phrasing must have been poor, because Famu puffed out her cheeks.

"A friend from your village?"

"No. We went on an adventure together yesterday."

Famu was about to tell me about yesterday's events, but then she noticed Claire standing next to me.

"So it was a date. I'm intruding."

She shot me a cold look and started to walk away. Claire grabbed her arm.

"Would the three of us like to go for lunch? I know a place the company supplies spices to. They have delicious meat dishes. Please, tell me about yesterday's events too."

"...Is that alright?"

Famu looked at me. I wanted to believe Claire's words weren't just lip service.

"Alright, let's all three go eat."

We left the port behind us.