“Master… please don’t be so sad. In the end, it was my fault for foolishly consuming my magic power and causing trouble. It’s my own doing. I still had enough remaining strength to return, but I used it all up in an unexpected battle… Ehhe.”
Al said powerlessly.
“Al! Snap out of it. Hey!”
Kent could now see Al becoming transparent. Of course, Rachel and Catherine seemed to see Al as transparent too.
“Al-chan is becoming transparent. Snap out of it.”
“Al-chan. Let’s cook and take care of the vegetables together again… Hey, hey!”
Rachel and Catherine, with tears welling up, moved closer to Al.
“It seems it’s almost time… It was short, but I had fun. If I can be reborn, I want to be under Master again…”
Al said, managing a smile despite his suffering. Everyone’s faces grew somber as they watched Al.
“Al!”
“Al-chan!”
Emily, who had been silent until now, went to Al’s side and peered at him.
“If you disappear like this, I’ll feel bad too. Consider this a favor from me.”
Saying that, Emily made Al’s clothes disappear, and then erased her own clothes. Both Al and Emily were now naked.
“Emiliy, what are you planning to do to Al?”
“I’m in a hurry, so please let’s talk later.”
When Kent asked Emily, she abruptly cut off the conversation.
“Munch, mhph… Hmm…”
Emily embraced Al, pressing her body against him, and began a deep kiss. Everyone was stunned by the sudden action.
“Nggh, hmm…”
“Gulp, gulp, gulp, hmm…, nggh.”
After a while, Al’s lips also started to move, and they were locked in an intense kiss.
“Older brother, Al-chan is…”
“Kent-san, Al-chan’s body…”
Rachel and Catherine were the first to notice the change in Al’s body. His transparent body gradually began to return to normal. This change became apparent not only to them but also to Caro, Marie, and Elnet.
“Phew. This much should be enough.”
Saying that, Emily released Al and regenerated her own clothes. Al sat on the spot in a daze.
“Al-chan, are you okay?”
Rachel asked Al.
“Yes, my head is still foggy, but I think I’ll be alright. Um, Emily, thank you.”
“I didn’t really care about it, but I couldn’t let Master be sad. This is a favor you owe me, remember.”
Emily said to Al with a bashful expression.
“So, what exactly did Emily do?”
Kent asked Emily.
“I directly flowed my magic power into Al. There are several ways to do this, but transferring it mouth-to-mouth, as I did just now, is the quickest method. However, since the other party was on the verge of death, I made skin-to-skin contact to increase efficiency… meaning, we did it naked.”
Emily explained to Kent.
“Heh heh. Sorry to have caused such a commotion.”
Al apologized to everyone with a deep bow.
“Hey, Al-chan, it’s good that you apologized in front of everyone, but please put on some clothes. But thanks to you, Al-chan, we were saved. Thank you.”
Marie thanked Al again.
“Well then, it’s gotten quite late. After we finish eating, let’s call it a day.”
Following Marie’s command, they dispersed after finishing their meal.
“Master, is this alright? This would be a violation of our agreement.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You worked so hard today, this is the least I can do to show my gratitude.”
“Then I’ll gladly accept your kindness. Master, it’s warm…”
Upon returning home, after bathing, they prepared for bed. Today, Al, who had worked so hard to rescue Marie, would be sleeping with Marie. Although there was an agreement for everyone to let Kent rest, Marie and Catherine said nothing about it. Both Kent and Al, exhausted, fell asleep as soon as they got into bed.
The next morning, Kent was still drowsy as he fondled something flat. The natural scent of grass was pleasant, and he felt very good.
“Hya, hmm. Ah, not there…”
A suggestive moan was heard, and Kent jolted awake.
“Mast-Master, you pervert!”
“Ah, Al!”
“Last night was intense. But you still want more, don’t you?”
Al said, snuggling into Kent with a mischievous smile. Kent’s hand was on Al’s small chest. Startled, Kent quickly pulled his hand away from Al’s chest. He recalled last night, they had gone to bed fully clothed, but they had woken up naked.
“Kent-san, this is unusual for you. Are you still sleeping? I’m coming in.”
Marie’s voice was heard. Normally, she would be snoring until woken up, but for some reason, she was already awake today.
“Wait, j-just a moment.”
“Good morning… Kent-sa… n?”
Marie entered the room and froze upon seeing Kent and Al huddled naked in bed.
“N-no way, Kent-san, you didn’t lay a hand on such a young child, did you?”
This morning began with Marie’s loud voice.
In the end, the reason both of them were naked was Al’s mischief. Al had woken up shortly before Kent and apparently thought of this prank. After explaining the situation to Marie, they managed to gain her understanding. Catherine seemed to know it was Al’s prank from the start and didn’t blame Kent. Though it was a later start than usual, they had to discuss heading to the Knight Commander’s mansion. Kent, Marie, Catherine, and Al headed to the store, where those involved in this incident were scheduled to gather for a strategy meeting about the future.
“Oh? Is that carriage…”
“It appears to be the Duke’s family carriage.”
“I wonder if the Duke is here?”
Outside the store, a carriage bearing the Duke’s family crest was parked. Although they were currently walking, it was a luxurious carriage used for official visits, unlike the one Josette used at other times when visiting their store. It bore the Duke’s family crest.
“Good morning.”
Upon entering the store, they found a displeased-looking Josette. The Duke was nowhere to be seen, so it seemed Josette herself had been in the carriage.
“I only heard about Marie-san’s kidnapping from my Older Sister today. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Uh, well…”
At that moment, Kent’s mind was filled with thoughts of Marie, and he had completely forgotten about Josette’s existence. He couldn’t say that, of course, and pondered how to respond.
“It was an emergency. Haven’t I explained it to you multiple times already?”
“I understand that in my head, but it feels like I was left out, and I’m a little sad.”
Elnet interjected to help. Seeing this, Kent surmised that a similar exchange had occurred when Elnet first heard about it.
“For now, it seems everyone has arrived. Let’s begin the discussion.”
At Josette’s inexplicable instruction to lead the session, they rearranged the tables in the dining space to facilitate the discussion, and each took their seats.
