My name is Hal Harem Von Raymond.
As the leader of the adventurer party ‘Princess Harem,’ I set out on the Second Expedition Trip with the party members, Alicia, and Ilisha.
Our first destination was the Former Yver Duchy Territory, where Sophie’s homeland once was. There, we assisted Saria Kiryute Von Macrame, the daughter of the Governor, and reunited with Nemea Charlotte Von Sissilin, Sophie’s milk sister, whom we believed to be dead.
Afterward, we resumed our journey to meet the highly skilled alchemist, our original objective.
The journey began smoothly, a mundane travel through peaceful rural landscapes. However, on a certain hill, we encountered a group of what appeared to be bandits, about to hang a victim.
I instructed Dietlinde, who was sitting next to the coachman, to use Fire Spirit Magic to instantly eliminate the bandits and rush to the scene. Unfortunately, there were no survivors.
I intended to save the victim who was being hanged by burning the rope, but they unfortunately broke their neck and died upon falling.
Furthermore, the bodies of three men and two women were scattered around the area, confirming it was a gruesome murder scene.
From the personal belongings and circumstantial evidence, we deduced they were associates of the Yver Duchy who had fallen into disfavor.
I can use Resurrection Magic, but I can only revive one person at a time.
Therefore, Sophie, who was involved with the victims, was made to ‘choose a life,’ and we ended up saving the hanging girl.
At this point, the girl’s identity was unknown due to the abuse she suffered from the bandits. However, after her body was healed by Resurrection Magic, it was revealed that she was Lisanna Roses Von Patus, the daughter of Chancellor Patus of the Yver Duchy.
We decided to wait for Lisanna’s awakening at our first lodging, Hoohout, taking her with us after she fell into a coma, a side effect of our Resurrection Magic.
However, as I was tucking Lisanna into bed and about to leave the room, Sophie suddenly fell ill.
Upon examining Sophie, we discovered that her body was gradually necrotizing at the border with the Mimic slime that had disguised itself within her. The Mimic slime had been compensating for the missing parts of her body.
Sophie’s limbs had already been completely replaced by the Mimic slime, and it had begun to encroach into her torso.
I healed Sophie’s inflamed areas and provided first aid, but the situation was dire.
In this condition, simply replacing the missing parts with a Homunculus’s body might not be enough.
Sophie was about to be inaugurated as the Queen of the newly established Yver Duchy, and it was imperative to find a solution.
As I was contemplating this, Ilisha, perhaps due to the fatigue of our journey, fell into a critical condition.
Using my meager willpower and the power of a Magic Potion, I managed to heal Ilisha’s body.
And so, a day that felt like a nightmare passed.
“Oh, you’re awake! Hal, Lisanna has woken up!”
The next morning, Liliana, who had gone to check on Sophie’s condition, informed me that Lisanna had woken up, and I headed to the bedroom.
“You seem to be awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
I gently spoke to Lisanna, who was looking around the bed.
“K-Kyaaaa, you barbaric and filthy man!”
However, the moment she saw me, Lisanna screamed and lost consciousness again.
I surmised that this reaction was likely due to her memories of being tormented by the bandits resurfacing.
“Poor thing… this girl has androphobia. Could you heal her with your power, Hal?” Liliana, who had witnessed the entire scene next to me, offered her suggestion.
“With my power?”
I kind of understood what she meant, but I confirmed it just in case.
“As always, Hal, please hold her gently and cure her androphobia. It’s a task only you can accomplish, as your magic is connected to her through Resurrection Magic. As they say, ‘strike while the iron is hot,’ so why not hold her at our next lodging in Rakuhou? By the way, will Lisanna also join ‘Princess Harem’?” Liliana tilted her head charmingly as she answered and posed a new question.
“I was initially thinking of sending her to Nemea… but according to Sophie’s explanation, they were like cats and dogs. I’m honestly troubled. Also, I have no intention of adding her to ‘Princess Harem’ at the moment.”
“I see… Then, how about sending her with a letter from Viscountess Alicia of the Espana Imperial Kingdom to her father, Viscount Macrame, the Governor of the Former Yver Duchy Territory? That mansion is also where Lisanna grew up, so it would be killing two birds with one stone. Although Lisanna might have painful memories there, Viscount Macrame and Saria are important figures who will support the new Yver Duchy. And with Imperial Princess Elizabeth’s decree, they cannot refuse her.”
“That’s a good idea.”
As expected, Liliana, being a former royal, knew how to handle such situations.
“—Faaah! G-Good morning, Hal. And Liliana too.”
“Good morning, Sophie. How are you feeling?”
“Good morning, Elder Sister Liliana.”
“I’m a little tired, but it’s within a manageable range.”
“I see… That’s good.”
Perhaps it was due to Lisanna’s scream or the commotion by her bedside, but Sophie woke up.
Although she was far from being in perfect health, I was relieved that the journey could somehow continue.
“—G-Good morning. Hal, Liliana, and Sophie. I apologize for feeling unwell yesterday. Thank you for yesterday, Hal.”
This time, Ilisha woke up as well. She seemed to have regained some of her strength, having been healed yesterday with the last of my willpower and the Magic Potion.
“Good morning, Ilisha. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Good morning, Ilisha. Today is also lesson time for etiquette!”
“Yes! Hal, Teacher Liliana.”
And so, Ilisha, who had narrowly escaped death, managed to wake up.
*Tap, tap, tap*
“Wake up, Lisanna, it’s morning. Shouldn’t you greet the people who saved you? If you are also a noble daughter of the glorious Yver Duchy, you have that much sense, don’t you?”
Liliana gently tapped Lisanna’s cheek to rouse her.
“…Hie!? W-Who are you?”
“My name is Liliana Emilia Yangas.”
“Could it be! You must be the First Princess of the fallen Yangas Kingdom!”
“…That would be correct.”
“My apologies, Princess Liliana. Your beauty is as rumored, there’s no possibility of you being a fake! Still, your epithet ‘Princess of Melancholy Blue Moon’ is well-earned!”
Lisanna seemed to recognize the beautiful girl who had woken her as Princess Liliana of the Yangas Kingdom, which had been allied with the Yver Duchy, judging by her beauty that could topple nations.
And despite the fact that she was of the same sex, her cheeks flushed a deep red.
“It’s been a while, Lisanna.”
This time, Sophie, standing next to Liliana, greeted her with a meaningful smile.
Perhaps if Lisanna didn’t recognize her identity, she was considering using her usual tactics to extract information by touching her body.
“Who are you?! You’re being strangely familiar!”
On the other hand, Lisanna asked with a wary expression.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this situation was falling right into Sophie’s trap.
In other words, Lisanna was in peril!
“She is Sophie Anne=Marie Yuma Yver, my distant relative and the genuine Second Princess of the Yver family. Although her breasts have grown larger for various reasons—”
However, Liliana, with a forced smile, kindly and thoroughly explained what had happened to Sophie when Nemea didn’t recognize her, and what Sophie had done in front of everyone.
Lisanna listened to Liliana’s explanation, breaking into a cold sweat.
“It is indeed fortunate that Second Princess Sophie is alive.”
Lisanna, though slightly unsteady, stood up and bowed as a subject.
“Tch! Nothing enjoyable this time!”
Upon Lisanna recognizing Sophie, Sophie slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
“A m-man!!”
Here, Lisanna’s gaze fell upon me again, and she began to tremble, pointing at me.
“It’s alright, Lisanna. Hal is a gentleman, and he is also the one who revived you with Resurrection Magic when you had already passed away.”
Liliana gently hugged Lisanna from behind, who couldn’t stop trembling, and explained about me.
“R-Resurrection Magic?”
“Yes, I also passed away once from a flogging, but Hal revived me. Also, Hal at night is very gentle. You too can entrust your body and soul to him with peace of mind—”
Liliana also explained about me to Lisanna in great detail.
“I am sorry for my rude behavior towards Hal, who is my savior.”
Lisanna, understanding with her head, bowed respectfully and repeated her thanks and apologies, but her body still recoiled.
She understood me as a benefactor in her mind, but her androphobia remained.
Afterward, we all gathered, had a simple self-introduction, and ate the breakfast we had prepared. We thanked the village chief of Hoohout, who had provided us lodging, and departed.
Our next lodging was a small village called Rakuhou.
On this day’s journey, we ventured further into the countryside, making the road incredibly bumpy, resulting in a terrible carriage ride. However, we arrived at our destination, the village of Rakuhou, without encountering any new troubles.
During the journey, Lisanna stayed close to Ly, Liliana, and Tirna, who were introduced to her, rather than Sophie, her original mistress.
As expected, Lisanna was well aware of Sophie’s troublesome habits and remained wary.
She was happily chatting with Ly and Liliana, whom she admired.
Lisanna seemed to be on cloud nine after meeting Ly and Liliana, whom she had longed to meet.
Sophie observed this with a displeased expression, but Lisanna’s condition seemed to be recovering.
Rakuhou, where we arrived, was a village of similar scale to Hoohout, where we stayed the previous night. There were no signs of Espana soldiers here either.
Well, there was no point in stationing troops in such an empty place.
Liliana and Ly took the lead in arranging our lodging, and we were to be hosted by the village chief again that night.
However, my sleeping quarters were assigned to a small detached building built a little distance away from the main residence.
Thank you for reading.
episode31-8 Healing Intimacies ② △ was scheduled for release at 0:00 on April 8th.
