Lady Selina’s physical wounds would heal with time. Would her emotional scars heal as well…
Upon reaching the city of Schreiaschwald, the magic hour of dusk illuminated the grasslands. To me, it was beautiful, but I wonder how Lady Selina saw it.
Within the city, the remnants of Yuma Bashar’s defeated soldiers moaned everywhere. It looked like they were starting to distribute food, something that in Tohoku would turn into an “Imoni-kai” (taro and meat soup gathering). I’ll partake later.
The higher-ups from the original White Lily Corps and the Annihilation Brigade had set up camp at the Lord’s mansion in the city, likely enjoying elegant meals right about now. An Imoni-kai isn’t bad, but since I’m also a dignitary, perhaps a meal with a knife and fork would be more appropriate today.
Before entering the city, I draped curtains to hide Lady Selina’s face and headed for the Lord’s mansion. Yuma Bashar would surely be there. A reunion with my sister, whom I thought was dead. The narration should be by Snake. Should I prepare a handkerchief too?
As I approached the mansion, a lower-ranking member of the Annihilation Brigade pointed his spear at me, shouting, “Who are you!” You’re sentenced to death. At least remember your superior’s face.
Without a word, I kicked him, and another brigade member shouted, “Enemy attack!” attracting the Annihilation Brigade. The number of them that gathered was small, but why were half of them drawing their swords? Is my notoriety really that low?
“…Welcome back.”
People fell one after another, and Christine walked towards me, parting the way as if parting the sea. The members of the Annihilation Brigade, including those who had fallen, weren’t looking at me anymore. It wasn’t that my notoriety was low; they weren’t even looking at me…
“I’m back, Christine. Please call Sophia and Orietta. And where is Yuma Bashar?”
“…He’s here.”
…Then call him. Why aren’t you moving? Why aren’t you giving orders? He’s bringing a woman who will surprise Yuma. Let’s all gather in front of the TV for the tearful reunion that’s about to begin.
“…The woman on your back…”
I hadn’t even said she was a woman yet, and she might have been luggage, but her female intuition, which recognized her as a “woman,” was terrifying. It was scary, but it was proof that I had done the right thing.
“She is Lady Selina Hasse, Yuma Bashar’s sister. I want to introduce her to Yuma Bashar, whom he thought was dead.”
“…Hoh…”
“Hoh… what!” Looking down haughtily with crossed arms! I, too, reached for the Tentacle Prost on my chest and thought. …There is nothing wrong. The word regret does not suit me.
“…You did, didn’t you?”
“…I did. I’m sorry…”
After that word of “thank you,” I thought it would end with just cleaning her up. I thought I would be freed from serious conversations. The one being confined to a small space, my companion, I never thought so.
Because… because of that! After that, the story continued, and they asked, “How will you make her happy!?”
I talked about healing magic and prosthetics for her limbs, and she seemed to understand, but then came the question, “What about a woman’s happiness!?”
Matchmaking, group dates, dating sites, etc… No matter how many introductions I could think of, in the end, it always came down to, “You said you would make her happy!” Did I say that? Shin doesn’t remember.
Thus, I am a man of my word, Mikael Sin. And so, my mistake… Here, I apologize…
“…Everyone is waiting. …Let’s go. …And, everyone, please don’t talk about this to anyone else. ……If you do, I’ll hate you.”
“We won’t do that!”
“I don’t want Christine to hate me!”
“If anyone talks, I’ll cut them down!”
“We won’t say anything, so marry me!”
The challengers are getting beaten up, but let’s pretend we didn’t see that. Also, you guys are idiots! Remember my face too… in a good way.
Carrying Lady Selina on my back, I followed Christine into the mansion. No one is helping me, are they…
Perhaps they heard the commotion, as the White Lily Corps and Yuma Bashar came out of their rooms into the hall. I moved Lady Selina from my back to my front and, in a princess carry, handed her to Yuma Bashar…
“Don’t touch her with your dirty hands!”
…I want to see his parents! What kind of education is that! This is where you express your gratitude, apologize for past rudeness, and it’s a happy ending!
Yuma Bashar took Lady Selina in his arms and immediately left the scene. The gathered members of the White Lily Corps, excluding Christine, had question marks plastered over their faces, wondering what had happened.
“…Hoh…”
Looking down at me, emitting a “Hoh.” Christine, and Priscilla too, are they some kind of owls muttering, “Hoh, hoh”?
“Lady Selina, was it… You seemed unable to move your limbs…”
Hoh, Sophia understood. As expected of a healing Mage. I want Sophia to fix the tendons I severed. When I told her that, Sophia’s expression darkened slightly.
“If it’s healed all at once with magic, the same spot can’t be healed again. To heal it, we have to cut the wound and return it to the state of injury…”
“Will it heal if you do that?”
“It will heal, but… the severed tendons will shorten, and the intense pain will continue until you can move again. Most people give up because of that…”
“In that case, can we use a prosthetic, Orietta?”
“That’s not allowed~ Cutting a healed arm is forbidden~”
Hoh, you cut off my right arm, didn’t you? You cut off a healthy, sound right arm!
“Why? If it doesn’t move, isn’t it fine to use a prosthetic?”
“It’s ethically prohibited~ If you were to replace healthy people’s limbs with prosthetics, you’d have done it for mercenaries from the start~”
Indeed, something like a cyborg might conflict with ethics. And I understood very well that you have no ethics.
So, the choice is either to endure the pain and use healing magic, or to replace them with prosthetics from the start. At this point, I should just throw ethics out the window.
“Hoh…”
A slightly persistent “Hoh” interjection. Orietta is supposed to be the main speaker now, but she looks at me. She was looking at me when Sophia was speaking too…
“Edibade say hooo!”
“…”
A microphone is held out, but no response. What a uncooperative audience! A live performance can’t get hyped alone! This “Hoh” isn’t it either.
“Priscilla, don’t you have something you want to say?”
The magnanimous Captain listens to her subordinate’s words. This is true leadership. As expected, I, a capable superior, am different. Besides, it’s about time for the “Hoh, hoh” to stop.
“You… you did it with Selina, didn’t you…”
My heart freezes. Even without Christine’s support, I’m certain it’s going to stop. I’ve already told Christine, but if anything were to happen because of her, it would be momentary; she would forgive me instantly.
But the others are different! They’ll definitely hold a grudge, and I’m terrified of what happens afterward, so I’ll try to brush it off.
“N-no, that’s not true.”
My eyes dart around and look towards Christine. We’ve been together for so long, there shouldn’t have been time to talk. She probably wouldn’t have said anything.
“Christine!”
“……”
A silent reply. As expected, Christine is on my side. That graceful, resolute single lily, which even appears fragile, does not yield to even the most monstrous pressure.
“You did it…”
“You did, didn’t you…”
You haven’t said anything! Did you do it with eye contact!? That’s a hypothesis based on conjecture! Your Honor, I object!
“Priscilla, Sophia, I think that’s disrespectful to Lady Selina…”
“Forcibly with a woman who can’t move her limbs…”
“You’re a devil, Captain…”
“N-no! It was consensual! I didn’t hurt her!”
“…”
“…”
“…………”
Now I understand the meaning of “Hoh.” It’s not an owl, nor a live performance; it’s not just “Hoh,” there was more to it.
“Hoh, hokekyo.” This is the call of a bush warbler.
If it doesn’t sing, let’s wait until it sings, Hototogisu.
If it doesn’t sing, let’s try to make it sing, Hototogisu.
If it doesn’t sing, let’s kill it, Hototogisu.
What happened to the Hototogisu that sang? Did it live in the safety of a small cage? Or did it fly in the free and dangerous vast sky?
What about the bush warbler that sang?
