After consulting with the village chief about a solution, a report came in that Karubene had been stabbed by Piyo.
Veronica, Karubene, and Elana, who were there, all turned their faces towards the door at once.
“Hiro-san, you’re in there, aren’t you?”
Y-yikes, it’s Philiana. Even the usually strong Veronica looked displeased this time. The pounding on the door grew louder and louder. I felt like I had become the protagonist of a horror movie.
“Hiro-san, please open this door! It’s me, your wife!”
This was genuinely starting to scare me. Then, with a loud crack, the entire door began to shake. Was she trying to kick it down? Please, don’t destroy it any further, I’ll have to pay for it…
The next moment, the door exploded into pieces and blew away. Philiana appeared from amidst the falling wooden fragments.
“Fufufufu, I found you. You were in a dangerous situation, weren’t you? I will protect Hiro-san’s chastity.”
“I found you—!!”
This time, Piyo jumped in through the window. Sharin followed behind.
“So you were hiding there. Grr, too late.”
Oh no, what should I do? More and more companions are gathering. Through the door Philiana destroyed, Nina and Cecilia arrived.
“Hiroaki! You scoundrels, come to me now!”
“Hah? There’s no way I’d go with a flat-chested woman like you?”
“Shut up, you heavily made-up ugly woman!”
I gently looked towards Veronica. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. Elana and Karubene didn’t either.
“Help… Veronica-san…”
“Ugh, what am I supposed to do? W-well then. Hey, you all, knock it off! He’s engaged to me, you see. Don’t lay a hand on him!”
Her fierce glare seemed meaningless to them now. If anything, it only added fuel to the fire.
“What did you say? Unforgivable, you delinquent. Please step away from Hiro-san.”
“This is why Dark Harpies can’t be trusted.”
Philiana and Cecilia reached for their swords.
“Why would you say something like that?”
“I-I can’t help it. There’s no way I can understand! I can’t possibly deal with all of them.”
That’s right, I had to remind them of something important. A precious memory with Philiana, it would be about the time they first met.
“Hey, Philiana, do you remember the first time we met?”
“Yes, of course. A horde of demons attacked the town, and Hiro-san appeared gallantly and saved me, didn’t he? From then on, I decided to dedicate my life to you.”
I felt like something was slightly off.
“N-no, it was Philiana who saved me, wasn’t it? With Nina and Piyo and Sharin. And you said you were going on a journey to become the greatest knight.”
“It was just the two of us then. That’s right, I became your sword and your warhorse. It is the honor of a knight to serve a magnificent master.”
Ah, wait, my memory has changed. This is bad. My original personality is fading away. If this continues, I’ll truly be taken over by magic. My other companions were arguing, saying it wasn’t like that.
Philiana, where has the real you gone? I liked that Philiana who was strong-willed, a little stubborn, but kind.
“Who’s your master, you slit-mouthed woman!”
“S-shut up, you two-faced snake!”
“Enough, please, I’ve had enough! The Philiana I love wouldn’t badmouth others, and Nina isn’t that kind of person either! You even said you loved her, including the scar on Philiana’s face.”
The two who were arguing suddenly looked at me. That’s right, this isn’t like them.
“What are you saying? This is their true nature…”
A voice echoed in my head. Was the magic of those vampires affecting me too? Damn it, I won’t be swayed.
“Ahahaha, what do you misunderstand? They were granted the power of beasts. They aren’t just girls who have changed form.”
“Shut up, get out! Get out of my head!”
“You wouldn’t understand, being human. Inside, they are terrifying animals. Hungry for flesh and the opposite sex…”
“I KNOW THAT!!”
My scream brought a moment of silence to the surroundings. I knew that they possessed power beyond that of humans. That’s precisely why humans feared them and requested adventurers to hunt them down. At first, I didn’t understand why Philiana was accepted while Nina couldn’t enter the town. It all came down to whether they were subservient to humans or not. Even among Centaurs, those who harbored ill will towards humans became targets for subjugation.
“Hey, Philiana. Have you truly forgotten? When you left the town, you said you were going on a journey to become an outstanding knight, to become a new you, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and that’s why I became an outstanding knight and came to serve Hiro-san.”
Philiana answered with an enraptured expression. Gradually, I couldn’t remember her original face. I couldn’t remember everyone’s faces. My thoughts began to cloud over. Like mist hanging over a dark forest…
