Chapter 7 – Vacation

 

 

 

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On the next morning after returning to Dragon City from the Great Holy Land, this ordinary Japanese flat-face headed for his office.

Most recently, I went to various places, resulting in me often being out of town. Naturally, I outsourced all the work concerning the city to others, and didn’t even take a proper look at the progress of things. And that led to me thinking that it’d be bad at this rate.

“G-Good morning, Tanaka-san.”

“Good morning to you as well, Sophia-san.”

Maid-san was already in the office, sitting at the desk where she was grappling with documents while pulling a troubled expression.

However, as soon as she spotted this ordinary Japanese flat-face, she stood up from her chair and bowed deeply in my direction. All of her motions being so fast that it looked as though she came in contact with something hot.

“I beg your pardon for sitting down on my own accord! I shall prepare your tea at once!”

“Ah, no, you don’t really need to…”

Before I could even say anything, she dashed off towards the kitchenette.

As always, she’s totally acting like some small animal.

But then this ordinary Japanese flat-face suddenly had an inspiration, and carried the documents, which had been placed on the desk, to the sofa table. While maintaining the relative positions of the documents, I also picked up the pen laying between the papers, and moved the entire work space.

As I was doing all that, Sophia-chan came back, carrying a tray with piping hot tea.

“H-Here you go.”

“Thank you very much.”

Settling down on the sofa, I gratefully slurped the fresh tea. The tea I’d been served at the Great Holy Land was delicious as well, but as the busamen I am, I especially doted on the cups kindly prepared by Maid-san over here. I experienced an illusion of something invisible continuously soothing me from within my body.

“Umm, over here…” Maid-san tilted her head in confusion while gazing at the documents I had moved on top of the sofa table.

While offering her to sit down on the opposite sofa, this busamen started to explain, “I am terribly sorry as I feel like I only caused you trouble. Both of us had been absent from the city, and thus I was thinking that it might be smart for us to grasp the current situation together over here. Would you humor me on that idea?”

“Oh, y-yes, of course!”

If it’s on the sofa set, both of us would be able to work in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s no urgent work either, so let’s go at it restfully.

Of course it’s not like I want to enjoy the view of Maid-san’s upper breasts or anything like that. It’s not that my attention is drawn to the question whether her nipples can be seen or not. And naturally I’m not thinking of lowering my gaze a tiny bit to take a peek at the skirt of her skimpy maid attire and her most important location that can be guessed to be hidden deep within, or some such.

Yet, my eyeballs moved little-by-little, like independent entities.

“Then, umm, please take a look at this…”

Sophia-chan picked up one of the documents and offered it to this busamen. With her body leaning slightly forward, it resulted in her intentionally emphasizing her cleavage.

I had been looking forward to that, but the view allowed for such a depth that I felt pangs of guilty consciousness whether it was truly alright for me to see so much. Even while thinking that I must not look, I felt like it’d be a loss to not ogle. No matter how often I deliberated over the reason why it’d be a loss if I didn’t look, I couldn’t find a satisfying answer. Yet, I sensed something akin to an indistinct love dwelling in the darkness of her cleavage.

Having been able to take a glimpse at the Great Holy Land and the resort, I could tell that the maid attires of other places were nice as well. No, they were wonderful. But in the end, Sophia-chan’s maid uniform, which she kept wearing ever since the Penny Empire’s academy dormitory, was the ideal fit for this busamen. It felt like I had come home.

But, that time of happiness lasted but mere minutes.

“Oooooooooooohohohohohohohoho!”

Drill-chan showed up, accompanied by her sidekick Deviant-Longhair. Without even bothering to knock on the door, she stormed into the office no sooner than the door was flung open with a bam. I wonder what she planned to do if Sophia-chan and this ordinary Japanese flat-face were having sex at this very moment.

“Today is yet another fine day of me having free time all day long!” She declared with her arms folded, adopting a daunting pose.

She was acting awfully high and mighty.

Even without you telling us all that, it’s pretty clear to anyone.

“Even if you are telling us that you have time to spare all of a sudden, we have various things that need to be done.”

“Bastard, haven’t you heard what my kind mistress told you just now!?”

This underling…even though he gets all panicky if this ordinary Japanese flat-face and his mistress get along well, he gets pissed if this ordinary Japanese flat-face treats her too coldly. No matter what I do, it results in him being a major pain in the ass, doesn’t it?

Although we repeated similar conversations on many occasions, I still didn’t grasp his mindset.

“In that case, how about you do the paperwork together with us?”

“I loathe dabbling in such dull and boring work.”

“……”

Moreover, his mistress immediately shot down my offer in her usual, domineering way. So, what is she telling me to do?

“Is there nothing interesting going on?”

“Let’s see…”

Given that we’d been jostled around by the events most recently, I want to take it slow, if possible. Even the vacation I was given by His Majesty, didn’t allow for any decent time to have some fun since I was soon invited over to the Great Holy Land by Saint-sama. Moreover, as soon as we accepted the invitation and reached Saint-sama’s place, we were broiled up in a huge, chaotic uproar, spanning over the entire stay.

“The events at the Great Holy Land were marvelous as they were quite stimulating. All this stuff about heroes and demon kings made my heart throb in excitement for the first time in a long time. Are you not possibly hiding more kinds of such great adventures from me? It won’t be of any benefit if you keep them secret, you know?”

“……”

As always, the values of lolitas who still had their hymen are slightly disconnected from the rest of the world. Any normal girl would very likely file complaints about how disastrous and terrible this whole affair had been.

“Umm, I-I shall pour you s-some tea!” Sophia-chan stood up from her seat, apparently trying to flee from this topic. At least, she obviously rushed towards the kitchenette with brisk and small pitter-pattering.

When I had seen her off, this ordinary Japanese flat-face allowed himself to ask Drill-chan, “Then, would you happen to have a suggestion from your side, Doris-san?”

“A suggestion from my side, you say?”

“As you should be well aware, it has not been long since I came to the Penny Empire. Due to this, I cannot claim to be very well-versed on the empire’s geography either. If you happen to know of a place that might rouse everyone’s curiosity while being near Dragon City, I would be delighted if you could enlighten me.”

Demon Queen-sama is mighty. And at present we lack the combat forces and strategies to depart in order to attack her from our side. Even if we challenge her and manage to obtain victory, I’m certain it’ll come at the price of heavy losses. And that could also include the lives of those close to me.

Considering it like that, I think it’s reasonable to focus on reinforcing our combat power and searching for Demon Queen-sama’s weak points for the time being. Fortunately, our side also has connections to the demons. Moreover, Edita-sensei, who’s said to have had a bout with the previous Demon King-sama, stands on our side as well. Hence, I’d say that we have the prospect of a better result, the more we follow the doctrine of slow and steady wins the race.

With all these things contributing, it seems like the strife with Demon Queen-sama is going to become a marathon rather than a short sprint. Furthermore, the current Dragon City shares a perilous relationship with the Great Holy Land. I think that might also lead to push hardships on the mid- to long-term on everyone participating in the city’s administration.

Looking at things like this, I think it’s not wrong as an idea to refresh our hearts and minds by going on a vacation around here. Increasing interpersonal exchange is also linked to a boost of our unity. Couldn’t you even call it one of the better means to tackle Demon Queen-sama’s defeat?

“Hmm, not bad. Something like that isn’t bad every once in a while.”

“Do you have an idea?”

“……”

After nodding, Drill-chan sank into thought. But before long, she cried out, “If that’s the case, should I invite you to the health resort of the Ahan Dukedom? It’s not as extravagant as the facilities of the Penny Empire, but it’s reasonably decent, I’d say. My parents took me there during my childhood, allowing me to spend some time over there on many occasions.”

“I see.”

So it’s a place where Drill-chan spent her childhood, huh? That sure sounds intriguing. I wonder when her boobs entered their growth spurt.

“In exchange, I shall have you cover the expenses for staying there, got it?”

“That is a matter of course.”

I’m sure she’s scheming to spur on the domestic economy in this way. But, unexpectedly I don’t really dislike those strong-willed, bold parts of her. I feel like she’d be a great wife, if I married her, but that would just result in her bombarding me with temptations to irresponsibly give her a creampie. Which reminds me, how’s menstruation being handled in this world? I must admit I’m very curious about other world tampons.

“However, it would be bad for us to stay away from here for too long, so even if you allow us to stay at the resort, I think it will be limited to a few days at most. We also have to consider how to efficiently proceed so that we will not lose any time and effort on things like traveling to the resort.”

“Then, how about using flight magic again?”

“As long as no one opposes it in particular, why not.”

What about the participants? My friends who went to the Great Holy Land together with me for sure, and I’d say Gon-chan, Neumann, and the Hero of the West.

Ester-chan has been ill in bed with Allen constantly nursing her. Her health has been improving as of late, but I think it’ll be difficult for her to move around for a while longer. According to Shotachinpo’s explanation she would apparently regain her consciousness in a few days, so we haven’t been overly worried.

Oh, right. I must invite Shotachinpo as well. Well, us traveling together feels ominous, but that’s no reason to leave him out. In reality I’d love to also invite everyone from the Twilight Company, but it’ll be likely impossible to make such a big journey with everyone. The management of Dragon City would come to a grinding halt, too. I’ll compensate those, who cannot accompany us, with special bonus payments to their wages.

“Hmm? It’s decided then?”

“Indeed.”

The schedule for the few days over there was settled between this ordinary Japanese flat-face and Drill-chan. Thereupon, as if having timed it, the door to my office was opened. Moreover, it was violently flung open with a loud bam yet again. Of course, a knocking didn’t precede this.

Only two people, who would open doors like this, are currently present in the mayor’s mansion. And one of them is already inside the office.

『Hearing about that guy be..in…』

“Christina-san, you showed up at the perfect moment.”

『W-What is it!?』

I used my greeting to forestall her in order to interrupt her statement. In response, the Loligon’s body trembled with a start the instant her name was mentioned, even though she had just taken a step inside the office. Immediately following, she became hesitant about following up with a second step, staring my way with surprise written on her face.

She excels at being straightforward and aggressive, but she’s weak when it comes to being defensive. Probably because not much time has passed since she got up, her bouncing bed hair looks rather cute.

“As a matter of fact, I have a request for you, Christina-san.”

『…What is it?』

“Most recently everyone has become exhausted from constantly working, right? Because various stuff also took place at the Great Holy Land, it must have been very draining. Accordingly, as a form of apology, I was thinking of leaving on a pleasure trip to a health resort in the Ahan Dukedom with everyone of Dragon City.”

『Don’t wanna』

“Oh my, you dislike going on a trip?”

『W-Wrong! You plan to tell me to carry them on my back again, aren’t you!?』

“It is a big help that you are so quick on the uptake.”

『I’m no vehicle for you people! Don’t use me as it pleases you!』

“…I see.”

Well, I suppose it won’t go that easily. That’s the kind of relationship we share to begin with. Still, if it becomes impossible to use her back, we’ll have problems with the travel. Even if it might be a neighboring country with my territory sharing a border with them, laboriously walking across the land will definitely take quite a bit of time. Besides, it’ll also let the expenses skyrocket.

Considering the matter with the Great Holy Land, we cannot afford to be away from Dragon City for too long. There’s also the notion of wanting to keep resting once you’ve started, but as might be expected, spending several weeks on vacation with everyone being absent from our fief would be too worrisome. It’d also affect the dignity of those staying behind.

“By the way, Doris-san, how long does it take from here to reach the health resort?”

“Let’s see…,” Drill-chan placed a hand on her chin, pondering.

If a virgin like her adopts such a posture, she looks adorable in a very natural way, allowing me to accept her without any reluctance whatsoever.

“I think it’s somewhat closer than heading to Penny Empire’s capital from here.”

“I understand.”

So it’d probably take around three to four hours with flight magic. Kind of like taking the train from Tokyo city to Kusatsu’s hot spring. It’s the perfect distance for a stay of three to four days. If our trip is going to be similar, I wouldn’t feel bad about being away from Dragon City either.

I guess this ordinary Japanese flat-face will transport everyone with flight magic. As long as it’s the planned scale of participants, I don’t think that it’ll be that troublesome. Moreover, I’ve already made quite big things such as the remains of an airship or destroyed buildings float in the air while being fairly accurate about it. I’m sorry about any stress it might cause to those being transported, but it means I’ll need to have them somehow endure it.

“Okay, then I will use my magic to transport everyone through the sky…”

『H-Hey!』

“Is something the matter?”

The Loligon suddenly howled just after I concluded my thoughts. I wonder what’s going on.

『…Does that mean, that elf and the goggoru are going as well?』

“That is the plan, but is something wrong with that?”

『Then, I-I…』

“Of course I have been planning to invite you as well, but does it inconvenience you in some way?”

『……』

“…Christina-san?”

The Loligon suddenly fell silent when I asked her. She lowered her eyes to look at her own feet, and began to fidget around. Behind her, I could perceive how her somewhat droopy tail slowly and rather confusedly moved left and right. It gave me the impression of her being anxious or maybe bewildered.

This busamen and Drill-chan waited for her answer while gazing at her. Eventually, she turned her face away in a huff, and responded in a quite lovable manner, 『I-If you insist o-on it at any cost, I won’t say that it’s impossible to let them ride on my back either』

Maybe she imagined what might happen on the way if she denied people to use her back. And certainly, for her it might become a rather awkward sky trip. But, I don’t think the others would mind it overly much. Rather, it was strange for her to have accommodated us until now.

In the end, the only change for the others would be to have an air chair underneath their bums instead of dragon scales.

“No, not at all. Forcibly asking you to do this would go against the spirit of this trip, so..”

『I’ll let them ride on my back! There you have it, okay!?』

“…Thank you very much.”

『Ah, b-but, the goggoru is out of the question, got it!? No goggorus on my back!』

“That is no problem. I am well aware of that.”

Yahoo, I safely secured the Loligon’s consent. And as we were talking about this and that, Maid-san came back from the kitchenette. Her having required more time than usual probably stemmed from her having heard the Loligon’s voice midway and thus increased the number of cups on the tray. It looks like boiling the water got delayed.

“T-Thank you for waiting!”

She expressly placed a cup in front of everyone. As always, a nice aroma wafted over from her tea.

 

＊

 

With that out of the way, it was set that we’d visit the health resort located in the Ahan Dukedom. As a result of our talks advancing smoothly, we would arrive there in the evening of the same day.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Loligon who had transformed into her dragon mode, we were able to reach the resort just as assumed. On the way, we had to take several toilet breaks, making it perfectly like a long-distance bus trip.

By the way, Drill-chan, who was in charge of being the guide, was carried like a princess by Deviant-Longhair. Goggoru-chan and this ordinary Japanese flat-face used their own powers to fly. Moreover, when limited to this occasion alone, the Loligon’s flight was very stable. Maybe the event of her having dropped Edita-sensei left deeper lasting effects on her than I’d imagined. However, despite that, Maid-san continued to tremble for the whole journey.

What came in sight ahead of us after we overcame all this was the prized health resort of Drill-chan. Several maids had lined up in front of the entrance door in what appeared to be a welcoming committee. Although all of them were pretty women, every single of them, without any exception, wore long skirts. It made me long for the hospitality of the Great Holy Land. And a single, elderly butler stood in the center as if leading those maids.

“It is an honor to welcome you, Lady Doris,” he called out to Drill-chan as representative of the establishment.

“We’ll intrude on you for a while, gramps.”

“This old man feels very happy to see milady bring over so many acquaintances. Please take your time to rest up at our humble abode. If you are so kind, then please follow me this way. We have already prepared your rooms.”

The man called gramps headed into the residence as our guide. While walking after him, this ordinary Japanese flat-face asked Drill-chan, “We are being allowed to lodge in this mansion?”

“I sent a magic message through Trichuris before our departure.”

“Oh, I understand. Thank you.”

She’s been unexpectedly well-prepared, that hymen-bearing big-boobed loli. I’m sure she headed to Trichuris with Deviant-Longhair’s space magic while this ordinary Japanese flat-face was running about to rally the other members. At this point, I can’t even detect the slightest hint of her being a prisoner of war in her daily life.

But, thanks to this, it’s become a huge help this time. I thought that we’d simply look for an inn at the resort town. Moreover, if the host is a relative of Drill-chan, I can place high expectations in this becoming a great trip to discover the roots of her big boobs.

By the way, I could see several buildings, including this residence, around the lake. But I couldn’t see anything like a town or some such. It looks like the health resort close to the lake is being exclusively used by Drill-chan’s family. I have a hunch that it’s going to become a vacation going beyond my imaginations.

“H-Hey! Why are y-you always staying o-over in such expensive-looking p-places…!?” My blond, thicc-legged loli sensei immediately began to tremble while walking next to me.

I could fully grasp what was worrying her.

“Please enjoy your break without paying it any heed. You were a great help in rescuing Sophia-san at the Great Holy Land, so albeit it might be meager in compensation, I would be very happy if you could accept this as part of my gratitude. The payment of the expenses will be properly covered by me, too.”

“B-But, even if you s-say something like that, t-this is…”

Sensei had been reinstated as the strongest when it came to mages, but her personality remained unchanged to before. Going by what I know from the story about her past we heard from Deviant-Longhair, she must have experienced a life full of hardships, I believe. It probably resulted in her eventually developing a character like this.

Moreover, one more person besides sensei, who has seen and experienced a lot, is accompanying us.

“Tanaka, I’d like to confirm it from my side as well. Is it truly alright for me to be here?” Neumann asked.

At first, he turned down my offer together with Gon-chan, but I somehow managed to get both to agree on coming with us. Though I feel sorry about it as it felt like forcing them on a company’s drinking party. Since I didn’t quite know whether they were refusing because they disliked it or out of reservation, I took them with me in a slightly pushy manner.

“It is absolutely no problem. So, please have a peace of mind and enjoy the food and drinks over here.”

“But, no matter how well on track we might be, for that city to have so much financial leeway…”

In the end, he was completely worried about the budget. His face was slightly pale, too.

“Please consider this trip to be separate from the city’s budget situation since the circumstances are different.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“…In that case, I’ll do as you say.”

This trip is planned to be fully paid out of this ordinary Japanese flat-face’s pocket. I’ll use the funds left over from when I failed to purchase the blond, loli bitch sisters some time ago. Given that the majority of those gold coins were obtained in the underground labyrinth of Drill-chan’s castle, returning it to the Ahan Dukedom feels right to me.

On the other hand, the Loligon and Goggoru-chan were acting as always.

『Whenever I let that maid ride my back, my back becomes wet…』

“Back?”

『gh…Hey, s-stay away from me! You’re way too close!!』

“Still okay.”

『Some margin is important with things like this! Margin, I tell you!』

“Lots of margin left.”

『Don’t lie! There’s no margin left at all!』

Christina got all flustered about Goggoru-chan having approached too much despite her being a good distance behind us all by herself. Butler-san tilted his head in question as he didn’t know the circumstances, but even so, he didn’t probe into it. Given that Drill-chan didn’t pay any attention to it, he opted to simply imitate her, I guess.

As for the matters pertaining to the Loligon’s back, I should keep playing the fool. For some reason, the Loligon was frantically stroking her back, but I feigned ignorance. I mean, for a virgin that’s like soy-sauce-pickled salmon roe – an expensive, high class dish.

On the other hand, Gon-chan and the Hero of the West were having a peaceful conversation.

“I see. So you’ve been serving as Knight Leader in his fief…”

“Yeah, but it ain’t any such big deal, Hero-sama.”

“I’m not trying to be humble. From my point of view, the title of leader for the knight order serving him is of a much higher value than that of hero. Please forgive me for asking you something like this, but would you allow me to train together with you at some point?”

“I ain’t such a skilled fighter that my training would be of much use to a hero. But well, if you say you’re itching for a duel, I’ll humor you. The opportunities to squarely duke it out with a hero are scarce at most. If you like, I won’t mind bringing it up with the other folks of our knight order too, you know?”

“Sure, I’m looking forward to it.”

I think it’ll become an unexpectedly good match if Gon-chan and the Hero of the West have a duel. Though I’d be most happy if they could enjoy themselves within boundaries so as to avoid heavy injuries. I think Hero-sama might become a great stimulation for everyone of the Twilight Company to strive for higher reaches.

In such a way, everyone was having their own little chats. We were walking through the hallways while happily talking with our chosen conversation partners. As a result of that, Sophia-chan and Shotachinpo were the only ones left out of the loop.

“……”

“……”

Until now, they didn’t share any common ground. Both walked almost side-by-side while occasionally throwing fleeting glances at each other. But, it didn’t go as far as them having a chat. I think I’d have felt very awkward in such a situation, if I was one of them.

Because of that, this ordinary Japanese flat-face could spend the present in relief without any fear that Maid-san would be NTRed. If the one walking next to her was Allen, I doubt I could have been so calm. Looks like Shotachinpo has his use every once in a while as well, huh?

At some point, the butler walking in front of us stopped.

“Please use the annex over here during your stay with us.”

“Oh my? Is something the matter with the main residence?”

“Duke Ahan and the madam are visiting right now.”

His eyes were pointing at a magnificent mansion at the end of an outer hallway beyond the inner hallway we just traversed. It looks like we’ve just walked through the main residence and would now be heading to what seems to be a detached building.

The difference in scale between main residence and annex was negligible. It was big enough to easily accommodate a party of our size.

“Is that so? Then it’d have been fine to tell us in advance, though.”

“Please forgive me. I also harbored the wish to meet with you after a long time, milady…”

“That part of you being pointlessly tactful hasn’t changed in the slightest, gramps.”

“That is because the opportunities for me to have the honor of meeting with you have drastically decreased these days.”

“Then we shall gratefully rely on that nostalgia of yours.”

“Allow me the privilege of guiding you and your companions to your rooms,” the butler said respectfully with a bow in response to Drill-chan’s consent.

Each and every casual action of his was filled with a refinement that made you feel his many years of experience. Coupled with an age close to retirement, I could physically feel a strong classiness from him, as if he had reached a pinnacle as a man. This busamen also wants to grow old like him. But, I think it might be impossible for me.

“The pleasure is ours. We are honored to work with you henceforth,” I responded with a bow so as to at least answer his polite treatment in kind.

Edita-sensei, the Loligon, Goggoru-chan, Drill-chan, Deviant-Longhair, Sophia-chan, Gon-chan, Neumann, and the Hero of the West. With this ordinary Japanese flat-face added to the mix, we numbered eleven in total. Let us all take a deserved breather while unwinding from work as much as possible.

 

＊

 

Around the time when we finished taking a break after being led to our rooms, the sun had already started to sink. Accordingly, we had dinner served right away. The dining hall of the annex was huge, and the dishes were exquisite, too. Moreover, the staff even prepared an onsen for us after the meal, making it the perfect evening.

And, most likely enhanced by the exhaustion from the trip, everyone immediately dispersed into their respective rooms after having refreshed their bodies with a nice, hot bath.

Of course, I was no exception either. No sooner than flopping down on the bed in the room I was led to, I fell asleep.

As such, the real first day of my vacation began at dawn.

“…Now then.”

Because I quickly went to sleep last night, I naturally woke up early in the morning. I felt pretty great. As such, I pondered in a slightly serious mood what I should do today.

As I was doing that, my room’s door began to clatter. Apparently someone was trying to turn the door knob from the other side. But, because it was locked from the inside, the door didn’t open, no matter how much the arrival caused it to rattle.

“Geros, the door isn’t opening!”

“As you wish, milady!”

“P-Please wait a moment!”

At the current stage, I was in the middle of having my morning wood. So there was no way I could allow them to simply break into my room. Wouldn’t it be visually the absolute worst for a middle-aged chad, who was right after waking up, to meet them on his bed with his lower half tucked beneath the bed cover? As I imagined that, I quickly called out to them.

“Oh my? It sounds like you’re awake.”

“I’m changing my clothes right now, so please wait for a short moment.”

“Okay.”

I hadn’t expected even in my wildest dreams that I’d be assaulted so early in the morning. In a big hurry, I took off my pajamas and changed into my casual wear. I didn’t forget to cast a heal on my head either.

The remains of the soldiers, who had scattered on my pillow, dropped to the ground, and I erased any evidence by swiping them away with my foot. I swiftly straightened up the bed sheet and cover, removing all creases.

As soon as my room was mostly put back in order, my dick also regained his calm.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“You sure took your time, considering you’re a guy, didn’t you?”

“Such things do happen.”

I opened the door and ushered Drill-chan into the living room. Her feet naturally steered towards the sofa installed in the center of the room. Her flopping down on the cushion with a thud while Deviant-Longhair remained standing upright next to her was no different from usual.

Drill-chan not showing the slightest care about visiting a guy’s room must stem from her not recognizing me as member of the opposite sex, I’m sure.

Suddenly I was driven by an impulse of wanting to flash my dick in front of her.

“I came here because there’s something I need to talk about with you.”

“Oh?”

“My parents have mentioned that they’d like to meet you.”

“…I see.”

It wasn’t as though I hadn’t already considered the possibility yesterday when hearing about their visit here. And, this wasn’t such a bad opportunity for this ordinary Japanese flat-face either. After all, Dragon City adjoined the Pussy Republic’s Ahan Dukedom beyond the border. The distance between Dragon City and the town ruled by Drill-chan wasn’t all that different from the distance between Dragon City and Trichuris.

“Since you’re no noble of the Pussy Republic, they won’t mind even if you turn it down, though.”

“I understand. In that case, I would be honored to meet with them.”

“How diligent you are, despite having come here for a break.”

“I do not consider it that much work, if it is limited to a simple meeting.”

“Hmm?” Drill-chan intensely stared at me, apparently evaluating me.

As always, her gaze was irresistible. I could sense how my dick, which had calmed down just moments ago, booted up again. But, because the fabric of my pants was inflexible unlike my pajamas, him being a little rascal was well within tolerable range. Then again, once you got used to jeans and chino pants in a business casual style, it sure became tough when you had to wear a suit.

“When do you think will I have the chance to take them up on the offer?”

“How about we try to head over after breakfast?”

“Very well. Then let us handle it as you said.”

I became a tad anxious as I couldn’t imagine Drill-chan’s parents whatsoever.

 

＊

 

After breakfast, we moved to the main building with Drill-chan taking the lead. Our destination was a gorgeous, luxurious parlor.

It seems as though her father, Duke Ahan, holds a substantial amount of power in the Pussy Republic. The parlor I saw at Richard-san’s home in Charis couldn’t even begin to compare to the money and effort poured into this room here.

However, Richard-san also had a side of simplicity, sincerity and fortitude to him that was unusual for a noble of the Penny Empire, so everything stayed within the boundary of speculation. It’d be wonderful if I managed to extract some information, including this part as well, during our upcoming talk.

“So you’re the noble said to share a territorial border with my daughter, huh?”

“Yes, my name is Tanaka.”

Opposite of me, with a sofa table between us, sat two people. One of them was the man who had addressed me just now – Drill-chan’s Papa.

I think he’s in his mid-thirties. He gives this ordinary Japanese flat-face the impression to be around one head smaller in height. I can tell even though he’s sitting on a sofa.

Given that this world had many tall people, it particularly stood out as a trait of his. But, his face looked appropriate for his age with the beard above his mouth. It wasn’t as though he was a noteworthy handsome chap, but neither did he look so unattractive that you’d point fingers at his ugliness. If I were to enter a bar in the business district of Charis, I’d most likely not run into just one, but even two or three middle-aged men of his kind. The attire he was wearing wasn’t overly different from what nobles in the Penny Empire wore.

I suppose the other person must be Drill-chan’s Mama.

Contradicting her husband, she has a large build. Since she’s also seated, I cannot estimate it too accurately, but I think she’s taller than this ordinary Japanese flat-face. Moreover, she also possesses an outstanding, impressive body trait. Namely, her huge tits. They’re way too big. But, this part alone allows me to deduce that she has to be Drill-chan’s Mama. That cup size of hers, which surpasses that of her daughter by leaps and bounds, is so enormous that the face of her small husband must easily disappear within her cleavage.

By the way, she seems to be in her twenties which makes her slightly younger than her husband – a point that piques my curiosity. She’s definitely a pretty woman when looking at her face and the shape of her boobs.

“I am truly grateful for you to kindly invite someone like me.”

“…Uh huh.”

I’m certain the other party must be surprised after checking out the appearance of the guy their daughter brought home. I have no doubt that they didn’t expect for him to even have a different skin color. Furthermore, his face is oddly flat. If I had been in their shoes, I’d have definitely thought, Eh? For real?

“So his skin was really yellow…”

“Nowadays I am kindly allowed to hold the rank of baron in the Penny Empire, but originally I came from another country. I feel terribly sorry for insulting your eyes when in front of Your Excellency Duke Ahan, but I would feel honored if you could show your leniency and overlook it for today.”

“……”

Papa cast a fleeting glance at Drill-chan. For some reason or another, she sat next to this ordinary Japanese flat-face, so I was slightly troubled. Somehow it engenders a mood of me having come here to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. The instant I realized that, my heart began to throb. I mean, the other party is a cute maiden, after all.

Moreover, only at occasions like these, that pesky Deviant-Longhair was absent. I suspect that he might not be on the best terms with Drill-chan’s Mama and Papa. If you consider his position as her manservant, I cannot believe that it’s easy to explain it away as a normal mistress-servant-relationship.

“So, what do you think after having seen Baron Tanaka with your own eyes, Papa?”

“W-Well, he’s certainly just as you’ve described, Doris.”

“Right? That’s why I told you that I’m not lying, didn’t I?”

“But, telling me to simply believe everything you say is a tall order, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t it your job as a duke to judge various matters such as this one from the words of others without confirming everything yourself? If you went around to check everything with your own eyes, you’d never be able to catch up, no matter how much you raced about.”

“Ugh, if you put it like that, it’s hard to refute…”

“That means I have won our bet, correct?”

“……”

Drill-chan didn’t hold back anything with her comments towards her Papa. It looks like she stays true to her personality even when it comes to domestic matters. Even her Papa appears to like that part of her, so it’s kind of pleasant to watch. In the eyes of this ordinary Japanese flat-face, this might be the ideal shape of a family relationship.

“There’s something I’d like to ask. Is it true that Richard is acting as your patron?”

“That is indeed the case, Your Excellency.”

That damn Drill-chan. For her to have unexpectedly blathered about my matters to her parents… Moreover, with her papa being what he is, he’s calling Richard-san on a first name basis without any honorific titles to boot. Maybe they have a past of having met on many occasions.

“…So the Penny Empire has gone through quite the change, huh?”

“No, I assume that it is just my existence that has been disconnected a bit from those around me.”

“In other words, you’re saying that Richard acted unreasonably?”

“Duke FitzClarence was as kind as to invest in me based on his positive consideration of me.”

“……”

Duke Ahan scrutinized this busamen with a look of newfound admiration.

Now then, I wonder what he’s really thinking.

The conversation came to a halt as soon as I honestly nodded. Since he very likely planned to initially invite me for the sake of it, he might not have any particular business with me.

I keenly felt that he might have simply tried inviting me over for the thrill of rubbernecking. In the end, he might be thinking something like, A weird middle-aged dude showed up, just like my daughter said.

Or maybe he was in the mood to give the noble, whose fief was adjoining the Ahan Viscounty, a little warning.

Either way, the difference in standing between Baron Tanaka and Duke Ahan is too big. Usually, it’d be normal for one or two nobles to stand between us, I think. But, the reason why he couldn’t afford to say so were the recent developments at Dragon City.

Although it was right after we met for the first time, this flat-faced yellow chad allowed himself to broach another topic, “By the way, Duke Ahan, there exists a matter where I was hoping to request your assistance.”

“What is it?”

I wonder whether it’s smart to spread this information on a larger scale to the nobles of other countries. So it’s not like I’m not worried about it, but we don’t have the luxury to pay undue attention to appearances.

“Baron Tanaka has plans to take an aggressive stance towards the Penny Empire in the near future. So would it be alright with you if he had the people of his fief take refuge in the Ahan Viscounty, or alternatively, the Ahan Dukedom?”

“……” Papa’s expression became tense upon hearing this ordinary Japanese flat-face’s words.

But that only makes sense.

Even someone like me, who has a short history with the Penny Empire, can tell what happens to a noble if they betray their country. I’m pretty sure that things will take the same turn as they did with Gon-chan’s home.

Given that I told something like this to someone I met today for the first time, despite being a noble from another country myself, it wouldn’t be strange for him to label me as a madman. But, it’s not like I said all that out of vanity and on a whim either.

“Please, I beg you to give me your permission, if possible at all,” I stood up from the sofa and bowed my head very deeply.

It looks like that clearly transmitted to him that this busamen was serious.

“…Truly, just as my daughter mentioned, you’re a completely incomprehensible man.”

“I hope you can forgive me for that.”

“I have never heard about the likes of a foreign baron directly requesting another country’s duke to take in his fief’s population.”

“I am doing this because all of my people are outstanding.”

“……”

I should at least prepare a refuge for my residents to escape, if Richard-san runs into an opposition in regards to his acquisition of Dragon City, or in case he fails to purchase Dragon City. It’s out of the question for me to ask Gon-chan or Shotachinpo, for example, to work under a noble of the Penny Empire. If papa turns me down here, I plan to try running the request with Professor Journal and his group.

“Are you sane, Baron Tanaka?”

“The present demon queen is going to make her return soon.”

“I heard about that from my daughter. I cannot believe it at all, though.”

I wonder how much she told him. Well, whatever. Let’s proceed with the conversation under the assumption that he’s heard everything pertaining to the events in the Great Holy Land. I don’t want our talk to digress at this point. Even if it’s just a clue of what’s to come, I’d like to somehow plant an awareness of it in his mind, using the current momentum.

There exists no refuge for my people as ideal as Drill-chan’s home.

“It’s something that is indispensable for the human side in order to fend her off.”

“……” Papa-san kept his mouth shut.

Naturally, the parlor fell silent.

It looks like he’s at a loss what to think of this. Just recently, the Penny Empire and Pussy Republic had escalated their disputes to such a degree that they were one step short of entering a full-blown war. So it’s only reasonable for him to hesitate, if it comes to a deal that would very likely become a trigger for another such escalation, even if he might be a duke.

Well, let’s not touch on the fact that his own daughter actually went ahead and pulled the trigger on that escalation. Back then, she was almost invincible as she had the strongest weapon called Deviant-Longhair at hand. Nowadays she’s behaving as she’s aware that the Loligon, Goggoru-chan, and most recently, Edita-sensei are around.

“……”

“……”

This ordinary Japanese flat-face felt the sweat gush out under his armpits as he checked Papa-san who was deliberating his words. He didn’t say anything new there, but it’s true that I’m merely one of many barons, and moreover, one hailing from a foreign country. Him being as kind to deal with me at all is likely based on the considerable information he obtained from Drill-chan. I can sense a high, political awareness from him, when compared to the nobles of the Penny Empire.

However, he’s making me wait for his reply. He must be troubled to make a decision here.

Suddenly, though I don’t quite understand why, Mama-san spoke up instead of Duke Ahan, “Wouldn’t it be fine to at least consider it? He’s not just anybody, but the man who was found by our beloved daughter. Besides, I recall having heard in the past that it’s surprisingly normal for great opportunities to make a profit to be born out of such crazy stories.”

She addressed Papa-san after having remained quiet until now. When I heard her first words for today, I immediately thought, Yeah, this person is definitely Drill-chan’s Mama. I mean, her voice is just like her daughter’s. And I could sense a sadistic nature, which this virgin would find hard to resist, from her smiling, narrowed eyes. Despite her being a married woman, my dick immediately reacted to her.

On the other hand, Papa-san was hard to figure out. While putting on a grim expression, his eyes wandered back and and forth between mama and this ordinary Japanese flat-face. I felt like he somewhat lacked authority as a noble. Or if you rephrased it, you could call him an ordinary person. He wasn’t overly chatty either, so it was hard to grasp the core of his character. His small stature and commonplace looks also added to give others such an impression of him.

However, when it came to people like him, they were often unexpectedly good at their job. His words and taking advantage of his inferior outward appearance might also be his strategy of survival as a noble. Just because he kinda looks like an ordinary person, I cannot afford to underestimate him.

“B-But…”

“Not only is his skin yellow, but he has also shown up in a commoner outfit. I’m curious what an unprecedented man like him is trying to accomplish. Besides, the other party is a baron of the Penny Empire. So even if we accept his defection, it won’t put us in an overly disadvantageous situation, will it?”

“…It’s certainly as you say, my dear.”

Oh damn, now that she mentions it, this busamen is really wearing his commoner outfit today. No need to guess as the reason for these clothes is to be found in Drill-chan having closely scrutinized this busamen. In the first place, I didn’t even bring a set of noble attires with me as we left Dragon City with the intention of going on a vacation. So my entire wardrobe consisted of commoner clothes.

I ended up doing something rude.

“I understand. Then let us add some conditions.”

“Would you prefer me to visit on another occasion then?”

And yet, the situation kept advancing.

Aww, come on, Mama-san, listen to me!

“I have repeatedly heard from my daughter that you are excelling in military prowess and bravery, Baron Tanaka. Accordingly, I shall give you a test to try your abilities. If you show us that you will fulfill the conditions I’m going to tell you from now on, I won’t mind considering the matter you brought up in a positive light.”

“Please feel free to request anything of me.”

“We will accept the refuge of your residents in correspondence to following figures: a thousand people for the vaginal fluids of an ancient dragon, a hundred people for the semen of a high demon, ten people for the fingernail of a high elf, and one person for a high orc liver.”

“……”

I’m truly happy that she’s willing to consider it positively. The part of her giving detailed conditions is a plus as well.

But, the line-up she mentioned is startling, to say the least.

“Oh! Other than what we told you just now, if you manage to surprise my wife and me from the bottom of our hearts, we’ll accept all residents of the Tanaka Barony in the Ahan Dukedom. But, if you choose this option, we won’t accept any of the items.”

“……I understand.”

“Great! Then I’ll be looking forward to your performance, Baron Tanaka.”

And with this the meeting with Drill-chan’s parents came to an end.

 

＊

 

After leaving the duke and duchess, I went back to the detached building. Drill-chan was accompanying me.

“Once again you have done something quite drastic, haven’t you?”

“I am well aware of that myself.”

The two of us were walking through the hallways with no particular destination in mind. In any case, I felt that I needed some time to think things over.

If I consider the relationship between Duke Ahan and Drill-chan, the presence of an ancient dragon and a high elf in the Tanaka Barony must have been leaked to him, I’m sure. The part about the high demon goes without saying, and I’m sure the high orc one originates from them having heard something about orgies.

It looks like Drill-chan has frequently visited Trichuris and contacted her family magically. It looks like she briefed them on these things during one of such times. Otherwise, I doubt that her parents would accept a foreign noble taking their daughter as a war prisoner with such a calm attitude.

“……”

“Are you going to seduce that dragon and extract the fluids from her vagina?”

A wonderful term made its way out of Drill-chan’s mouth. It felt like I was experiencing a reverse-sexual harassment, but hearing those indecent words from her sounded like music to my ears.

“You cannot describe that as very humane, can you?”

“In that case, are you going to wank Geros’s thingy?”

“Could I ask you to do it, Doris-san?”

“N-No way! Why must I help you out with this!?”

If it was something as simple as collecting saliva or pee, even this ordinary Japanese flat-face would consider doing it. But, if I’m being told that it’s got to be pussy water, semen, and moreover, fingernails, I feel quite reluctant.

Doing something as miserable as tearing the nails out of Edita-sensei’s fingers with a plier while she was acting tough by smiling and crying at the same time wasn’t anything this ordinary Japanese flat-face was capable of. In addition, if I consider the scale of Dragon City, even tearing all the nails out of sensei’s fingers and toes wouldn’t be enough to cover everyone living there. That’d be far too cruel a treatment towards sensei.

“It is just that I heard rumors about you two being quite energetic.”

“Oh my? A-Are you that interested in my affairs?”

“Who knows.”

Watching the hymen girl bluffing was adorable. Our casual chat just now allowed me to learn that the hymen was still intact in her pussy, or in other words, this ordinary Japanese flat-face would be able to enjoy the pleasure of greeting tomorrow. It looks like Deviant-Longhair, as usual, hasn’t conquered his mistress’s pussy. That’s wonderful news.

“But, now that it has come to this, the suggestion offered at the very end seems to be the most charming.”

“……”

I felt like I had no other options anyway.

“Would it be alright for me to inquire with you about the personalities, hobbies and preferences of your parents?”

“I don’t particularly mind, but contrary to their appearance, they are both people who don’t get perturbed easily, you know?”

“Thank you very much. Very well, since we have the rare opportunity of being on vacation, please join me for a walk outside while we talk. I am sure that method will prove to be a lot more fruitful when it comes to hitting upon a good idea than brooding over it while secluded indoors.”

“Okay.”

She said this and that, but in the end Drill-chan lent me her assistance. Though that might be yet another ploy for her to stave off the boredom.

 

＊

 

Our first destination after leaving the annex was the lake visible directly in front of the mansion. Last night I had already been able to take a peek at it through my window. The dim scenery as it could only be seen at night was mysterious and awe-inspiring. But, personally it seemed to me as though watching the lake during the day allowed for the appreciation of a much clearer and more prominent beauty. The water across the whole lake was so transparent that you could actually look all the way to the bottom, even at the deeper parts.

Without doing anything from my side, the sight triggered an urge in me to keep absentmindedly staring at it. Thanks to that, my feet naturally steered towards the lake.

A few minutes later, after following a paved path, the two of us reached the lake’s edge, just to find others having come here before us. Two people were sitting closely together at the end of a pier that had been built to stab far into the lake.

Because the pier was long and narrow, we could only see their backs from our position. Contrastive golden and black hair colors were peacefully nestling close together. The people themselves were grabbing wooden sticks of sorts. Strings were hanging down from the ends of those sticks, extending towards the lake’s surface as if being sucked into it.

This was certainly yet another, unusual sight – Edita-sensei and the Loligon fishing together.

“Ah, h-hey, your line is b-being pulled.”

『Hmm?』

“I’m t-telling you, look, y-your line. The L-I-N-E. The t-thing hanging from the tip of the rod, you know?” Edita-sensei exclaimed, pointing at the Loligon’s fishing rod.

For some kind of reason, the two have decided to go fishing. I’m relatively curious about the events that led to this. The sight of them peacefully sitting next to each other on a pier while quietly casting their fishing lines makes my heart feel warm and fluffy. That view is the very picture of tranquility.

『Okay, so what about it?』

“I-It means a fist has b-bitten, right? You’re not going to p-pull it up?”

『gh…! I-I know that even without you telling me!』

It sounds like this is the first fishing experience for one member of their team. Her holding the rod by deliberately pushing it out to the front is kinda impressive, though.

『I’ve long done something at the level of fishing! Yep!』

“Wait a m-moment, if you pull it that hard…”

After hearing sensei’s words, the Loligon had widely pulled up the rod. What broke out through the lake’s surface in no time was a fish. It was around twenty or thirty centimeters long.

『Ah…』

“Uuhgaah!?”

The fist smacked against sensei’s face.

 

 

Elf-san fell backwards out of surprise, hitting the pier with her back. Meanwhile, the fish wound itself and leaped around on top of her belly. However, as sensei’s flabby belly didn’t seem to be all that great for bouncing, it immediately slipped off, glided across the pier’s surface thanks to its momentum, and dropped into the lake with a plop.

“……”

『……』

Remaining behind were two lolitas, staring at each other with awkwardness written all over their faces.

Yeah, what a calming scenery, right?

This busamen finally felt like being on vacation as he watched this from several dozen meters back. Come to think of it, before coming to this place, I had spent a life completely unrelated to going on vacation. I wonder just how many years it has been since my last trip to get some time off. I feel like it wasn’t anywhere in the single digits.

Somehow it feels very pleasant.

But then, Drill-chan said something terrible in the direction of this poor busamen, “Is it okay for you to not head over to get the genital secretions and nails?”

“Doris-san, you do have quite a nasty streak, don’t you?”

“And you noticed that only now?”

We didn’t get in the girls’ way by intentionally calling out to them. Instead, we decided to head another way.

 

＊

 

【Sophia-chan’s Point of View】

 

This maid was allowed to get her fill of vacation on this fine day.

At first, when I was approached about it, I was told it would be a small holiday trip, making me apprehensive of the possibility of getting dragged into yet another crazy conflict. But, now that I had spent some time at the destination, I felt overjoyed about being allowed to experience a luxurious vacation going beyond my wildest imaginations.

“Even if I take a slow walk like this, it does not feel bad at all.”

This maid had decided to take a stroll in the morning after being served breakfast at the mansion.

I was walking along the promenade adorning the lake’s shore.

Most recently I have been cooped up indoors, only doing paperwork. Thanks to that, I ended up gaining weight around the waist, albeit only a bit. Right now, I still possess a pure, unmarried body, so I intend to refresh my body and mind by spending a relaxed time here.

If I were to become fat at this age, all chances for marriage would evaporate.

“……”

As I walked laboriously, I passed through a forest, coming out on an open plot of land. It seemed to be something like a small hill. Verdant, short grass sprawled at my feet while I could see the lake further ahead, down at ground level.

It was a spot with a pretty nice outlook. The wind was gently caressing my cheeks while causing the grass to sway with a faint rustle. A very refreshing, scenic place.

“…Ah,” this maid spotted familiar people midway up the hill which did not offer much cover anyway.

Gonzales-san, Ashley-sama, and Hero of the West-sama. For some reason, all three had readied their wands and swords.

“Alright, then let’s get this started!”

“If possible, I’d be happy if you could go easy on me.”

“Stop joking around. There’s no way I’d cut corners when taking on a hero, is there?”

“In that case, I’ll have to fight you seriously as well, I suppose.”

Gonzales-san rushed at the Hero of the West-sama with an ax in one hand. The hero countered this with his sword.

“Gonzales, you’re not going to lose just because your opponent is some hero, are you?”

“Sure not!”

Ashley-sama was observing the match between the two others from a distance.

It looks like they are practicing their swordsmanship. What diligent people they are to spend their morning with training even after coming all the way to a place like this. They are certainly overflowing with energy and spirit. It is nothing I could ever hope to imitate, to be honest.

“……”

Now then, it would be a disaster if I got pulled into this because I was staring at a bad time.

This maid decided to trudge ahead after casting a final glance at the hill with its nice outview. The promenade passed at the hill’s side, continuing towards the lake once more.

Very likely, the path was built to go around in a way allowing you to tour the whole area in order. Just as you would expect from a noble’s health resort. Everything here seems to have cost a lot of money.

Because of that, this maid felt like a celebrity.

It is an experience I would definitely be unable to experience under normal circumstances as the town girl I am. Even if I had married into nobility, for argument’s sake, it still would be out of reach for any lower-ranking noble family. You could say it is an extravagance only allowed to me because Drill-sama’s father is a duke.

I must extend my deepest gratitude to Drill-sama and Tanaka-san who invited me to this beautiful resort.

After following the promenade for a bit while pondering about this and other things, I arrived at a location close to the lake once again. Because I had scaled quite a distance to reach all the way here, my body had heated up quite a bit. In addition, my feet hurt slightly. It looks like my body has become fairly weak after I stopped helping out at home.

I feel like taking a little break somewhere. The bag hanging from my shoulder contains a wooden tube filled with tea that I was kindly given at the mansion’s kitchen, and its splashing has been accompanying me all the time. Would it not be lovely to slowly enjoy that tea at some place where you can sit down nicely?

While walking along the lake, I scanned the vicinity for any such occasion. But, suddenly I heard a flaky voice.

“…It’s nice weather out here.”

It was Neumann-san’s voice, a voice I had frequently heard most recently when being with Gonzales-san.

“Yeah, indeed…”

When I let my eyes wander, I spotted him at the lake’s shore. He was sitting not far away from the water, holding his knees with both arms. His eyes were staring beyond the lake’s surface that sprawled out in front of him, absentmindedly fixated on a point in the distant sky. His look seemed somewhat vacant and lost.

“……How nice. This place…is great……”

“……”

He kind of looked tired. Not a trace of his usual sharpness was to be found anywhere. Coupled with his compact sitting posture, his whole appearance made me feel something transient from him. Maybe he was pressured by hardships going far beyond our imagination.

Somehow just looking at him being like that woke a feeling of guilt in me. Because of that, this maid felt her chest tighten all of a sudden.

Is this what you describe as having your motherly side tickled? I think I would have definitely made a pass at him, if he was not married.

“…I’ll leave.”

Neumann-san must have been embarrassed once he realized that he was being watched by someone like me. I think it would be smart of me to contact Tanaka-san later to tell him that I had seen Neumann-san spacing out with a face, looking as if he was contemplating to kill himself any time soon.

When this maid walked on for a short time after this encounter, she discovered a summer house. It had been built close to the lake along the promenade and was not all that big. But, its construction appeared to be fairly proper. The table and chairs installed inside were decently maintained, too. Very likely it had been erected for nobles who enjoyed a walk just like I did now.

Let me gratefully accept the offer of taking a rest now that I found this place.

I placed the bag I had shouldered for a while now on the table, and settled down on a chair. What naturally entered my visual field was the brilliantly glittering surface of the lake as it reflected the sunlight. It was very dreamy.

“This does feel wonderful.”

Let me take it easy for some time while enjoying the tea.

 

＊

 

This ordinary Japanese flat-face, who had left the detached building while taking Drill-chan along, had been walking along the promenade.

As there had recently been many occasions to rely on flight magic, I had started to worry about the flab on my belly that slowly kept stacking new layers of fat. Even the jogging, which I had started atop the airship for the time when I’d head over to the Academy City, didn’t become a regular habit, resulting in me stopping it soon after. At this rate, things would go from bad to worse.

Accordingly, I had planned to use this vacation as a chance to work out a bit and try refreshing my body and mind. I think motivation is important with such things. Besides, brooding over things while walking along a woodland path made me happy like a good corporate slave as it engendered a somewhat rich, fulfilling feel.

By the way, the promenade had been built to make a full lap around the lake, and they even perfected the course by providing bowers to rest your feet, toilets and other such facilities, I hear. Also, seeing how all these structures are said to be property of Duke Ahan, it speaks of how big a deal nobility is.

“It sure is a path that has been maintained neatly.”

“You think so? Well, it’s the prized health resort of the Ahan family after all.”

“I see.”

Furthermore, next to me walked a beautiful girl with an intact hymen. Even though it wasn’t as though I had paid her money to escort me, she was giving me advice. Nothing could have made me happier.

“So, did you hit upon a good plan?”

“Let me see…”

As we walked along the promenade, Drill-chan had provided me with information about her parents.

First off, Duke Ahan: Just as I could confirm myself during yesterday’s meeting, he was an ordinary, humble man, staying true to his outward appearance. But, albeit having been the fifth son of the former Duke, he beat his elder siblings with his own abilities, succeeding the family’s patriarchy. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. He’s someone requiring special attention.

On the other hand, the duchess was exactly as her appearance and behavior gave away, according to Drill-chan. However, she seemed to have been a quiet woman before her marriage. She used her marriage to the duke as a chance to shift to a bullish behavior after she left her own family. I’m sure she’s just matching her husband. She’s a woman perfectly fitting the term wise mother.

That said, I think I’ve broadly grasped the circumstances with this. However, it still didn’t mean that I’ve immediately hit upon a good plan.

“I have not come up with a surefire plan yet.”

“So you do have a shaky version of a plan?”

“In the worst case, I could cross over to the Dark Continent and hunt the necessary number of high orcs to cover all residents of my fief.”

“…That sounds super boring.”

“Besides, it would be a plan requiring a huge amount of time. Therefore, it will be a last-ditch measure.”

The figure would change depending on whom I regarded as resident, but going with a somewhat larger estimate, I think the number will stay beneath a thousand people. Most of them are members of the Twilight Company, their families, and people related to them. Previously Gon-chan had mentioned that just their actual members amounted to roughly four hundred.

Even if I were to get the Loligon and sensei to help me with this, and granted I were to constantly hunt ten high orcs a day, I’d need several months to meet the quota. Moreover, I would be forced to be absent from Dragon City during the time of my hunt. Taking into account the possible moves of the Great Holy Land, I doubt that I’ll have that much of a leeway.

“You could immediately solve it within a few days, if you milk Geros for his semen.”

“I would like you to not bring this option up, even as a joke.”

That kind of topic has already been fully exhausted with Shotachinpo’s trumpeting. In the first place, I suspect that even Drill-chan’s Papa would be troubled if he received something like that from me.

“Is there any use for such a thing anyway?”

“It’d be body fluid of a high-ranking demon, you know? It has various kinds of applications.”

“Okay, I see.”

Holy shit, it sounds like there’s actually demand for that stuff. High demons are really incredible. If this busamen became a high demon, it could actually happen that women would show up to give him free hand jobs to get his junk.

Considering it like that, I started to somehow get very jealous of Deviant-Longhair. I can’t really imagine any better possibility for a virgin chap to get some action. Wouldn’t that be like obtaining a spell to produce gold from your dick?

“My parents must not be able to trust Geros, I’m sure. It looks like Papa is still worried about it. He stopped forcing his way into accompanying us, but now he’s become so desperate that he’ll try to put a collar around my neck, if only he finds a chance to do so.”

“So that is the intent behind this?”

Unexpectedly, the conditions suggested by Papa might follow a reason. But, in that case, I’m rather bothered by the matter of the options of a high ancient dragon’s love juice and a high elf’s nails. Though, these might also have some kind of use since they’re body fluids and parts of rare existences, just like Deviant-Longhair’s semen.

“Oh, there they are! Over there!”

As we were walking while having such a chat, we could suddenly hear a voice from behind. It carried a somewhat familiar tone. Moreover, the voice was followed by the noisy footsteps of someone running. No one else could be seen ahead of this ordinary Japanese flat-face and Drill-chan, so there was no doubt that the voice had been raised after spotting one of us or both.

Naturally, we came to a halt and turned around in the direction of the voice. We found the great thief from some time ago standing there. The same thief who had escaped prison together with Mercedes-chan and me back when I arrived at Charis. Ever since then, I got involved with them on many occasions. They had even accompanied me in my escape from the Penny Empire, and the matter of being burned at the stake in front of the general public was still fresh in my memory.

Hence, I felt like honestly rejoicing over him having been able to get away safely.

“Oh, what a pleasure to see you again after such a long time, Hard-san.”

“So you still remember me, Tanaka!” He answered with a smile, apparently also remembering this busamen.

Moreover, next to him stood the lewd, slutty witch. Just like before, she was wearing a robe with its hood pulled so deep over her face that her eyes were fully hidden. Her characteristic, smooth nose shape and bright red, charming lipstick were still the same. And while she was wearing a loose outfit, her chest and waist still surfacing on the cloth hinted at her being fairly stacked and voluptuous.

Even now this busamen recalled how she had tempted him with her sex appeal. I’m damn sure that I won’t forget it until the day I die.

“Nice to see you again as well, Mediating Witch-san.”

“I was surprised when I heard your name. Certainly I hadn’t expected for you to become a noble in the Penny Empire.”

“Well yes, various circumstances led to this…”

It sounds like they already know about the current social status of this ordinary Japanese flat-face. Back when we met for the first time, I was just another guy who’d been thrown into the same jail as them. Hence it’s only understandable for her to be surprised if a former cellmate has become a noble. But, why are they at the health resort in the Ahan Dukedom?

Considering the relationship between both countries, that alone doesn’t allow this ordinary Japanese flat-face to remain calm from the bottom of his heart.

“By the way, what kind of business do you have with us?”

In the worst case, I might not be able to avoid battle. At the very least, I must guarantee Drill-chan’s safety. If I allowed her to get injured, I don’t know what kind of abuse and insults her faithful dog, Deviant-Longhair, would be hurling at me.

Just as I resolved myself, there was a response from the other party.

“Uh-oh, could you not misunderstand things? We’re currently serving a noble, too.”

“Don’t tell me…you’re working under Duke Ahan?”

“We’re in the Pussy Republic, so the circumstances are different in comparison to the Penny Empire.”

“That is yet another, fairly drastic turn, is it not?”

I guess it means the enemy of my enemy is my ally. The two countries haven’t been facing off against each other until the other day for show.

“Duke Ahan has bought our skills, and now we’re doing something similar to spywork with everyone. This job also pays a nice salary, so the majority of our folks agreed that we should intrude upon this place for the time being. So we’re something akin to an unbeatable underground knight order.”

“Oh, that sounds like music to my ears.”

Nothing less of Drill-chan’s parents. This kind of adaptive mindset and daredevil attitude made me think that parents and child were really alike. Her Papa’s background of having succeeded the ducal family despite having been born as fifth son was definitely no exaggeration as it was so commonly done by relatives. At least, that’s the feeling I got.

“That’s why we were surprised to hear your name mentioned by the duke.”

“Okay, now I understand the circumstances. Thank you very much for clearing it up.”

If I add to this the fact of having met them in a place like this, I think I can safely assume that it’s not just a lie by the great thief. He had introduced himself as such, but in reality, he’s got a straight-forward, decent character. The support for him among the populace of Charis was strong, too.

“But, things won’t stay so peaceful with a defection from the Penny Empire,” Witch-san whispered.

It made this ordinary Japanese flat-face twitch.

“So you even heard about that part?”

“This is just proof that we’re being trusted quite a bit.”

“Or to be precise, we were ordered to investigate your background, you see?”

“Alright, then it makes sense.”

Under these circumstances, it might have been good that I talked honestly with them. Also, I hope for cooperation. I still lack too much information about Duke and Duchess Ahan. I was able to extract some information through my conversation with Drill-chan. But, she’s their daughter. Their view as Duke Ahan’s subordinates will have a different kind of value, I think.

“If that is how it is, I wonder whether I could ask for your assistance with a certain matter.”

“What’s up? As long as it’s something we can do, we’ll help you out.”

“We’re greatly indebted to you, so we will assist you as far as it’s within our capabilities.”

As always, they’re very reliable folks. Someday, this busamen wants to be reverse-raped by Witch-san, just like Allen.

 

＊

 

After rejoicing over the unexpected reunion, Baron Tanaka explained the issues surrounding Dragon City to the serious criminals. He also touched upon the revival of the demon queen, the incidents in the Great Holy Land, his position within the Penny Empire, and the conditions for his defection which came up as a topic during his meeting with the duke.

Once he gave them a rough briefing, the expressions of the two stiffened up as if overloaded with problems.

“Hey, wait a sec, is all of that really true?”

“I cannot imagine that you would lie to us, but this comes as a surprise.”

“I won’t say that I would like you to believe everything at face value. But, if we limit it to the agreement with Duke Ahan, it is a very recent event. I won’t mind even if you wish to check back first. Could I please request your help in this matter? I would like you to tell me your personal impressions of the duke’s character and temperament as you perceive it.”

“That much is no problem whatsoever. But, I’m bothered by the various other issues unrelated to that.”

“I share Hard’s opinion on this.”

They were much more insistent about learning more about the demon queen and so on than I had imagined. Maybe their awareness of that side was more pronounced in comparison to other people because they regarded themselves as outlaws.

“Please allow me to schedule a talk about those matters for another day. I will gladly explain everything I know during that time, if you are fine with me. After all, it would be a big help for me as well, if you could spread those news wide and far. Fortunately, related parties are accompanying me on this vacation, too.”

“Are you okay on time?”

“Given that we plan to stay here for several days, I will have sufficient time to spare.”

“That’s great.”

“Thank you. I will gladly use that opportunity to show you my gratitude.”

“No, no, you do not need to mind it so much.”

I do admit that I’m interested in Witch-san’s gratitude. It’d make me a very happy man if I could have a member of the other gender tell me that they’d be fine to have sex with me. But, Viscountess Drill-chan was currently right next to this ordinary Japanese flat-face. Because of that, I had to watch my responses to Witch-san. Even at this very moment, her eyes were pinned on my every movement.

It’s okay. The other party is an extraordinary slut. It’s unthinkable for me to lose my virginity on such a hole. Then again it’s not like I don’t have a pang of interest in being able to brag about being hole brothers with a handsome guy like Allen. But, I’m sure that’s kind of like a teen boy, who got arrested for dabbling in drugs on the spur of the moment, sitting at a reform school and looking at the final station of a somewhat bad life together with his senpai who talked him into those drugs. I’m 100% certain that I won’t find naught but regret there.

Therefore, this virgin desires a maiden. This Private 1st Class, who got defeated on the extremely harsh battlefield called marketplace of love, will continue to wander the front line while still in pursuit of obtaining the general’s head. At this point, it’s already beyond any logic. All that awaits me now, if I were to compromise on that, is the life of a fallen man, this virgin believes.

“Still, even if you ask us about the character of Duke Ahan, that in itself puts us in a bind, you see?”

“Doesn’t the young lady over there possess a lot more information in that regard?” Witch-san shifted her eyes towards Drill-chan.

They had apparently realized the hymen-possessing big-boobed loli, who was standing next to this ordinary Japanese flat-face, to be the daughter of Duke Ahan. Even if you might not think so from her behavior, Drill-chan was a noble hailing from a good family, so it was quite possible that the duke had bragged about her while showing them a portrait of her.

“This man is looking for a point of view that differs from mine as his daughter.”

“You heard her.”

The minute she came up in the conversation, Drill-chan explained the crux of the matter in this busamen’s stead. As usual, she was quick on the uptake. Handling two adults she was meeting today for the first time while not being perturbed in the least was also something you’d expect of her.

“Ah, now I understand.”

“If it’s about that, we might be able to assist you to a certain extent.”

Thanks to her, the talk proceeded smoothly for me. For just a short while we stood around while talking with the promenade and its path through the forest as backdrop.

Still, I must admit, it’s a health resort with an abundance of nature, and the wind gently caressing my skin as it occasionally whizzes past feels nice, too. While the location itself is somewhat elevated, the air around here isn’t cold, or to be more precise, it’s fine weather making it easy to spend a very relaxing time.

As far as I could find out through a light questioning, they seemed to be on frank speaking terms with Duke Ahan, and their interactions were casual too. Because of that, there wasn’t much of a difference between their information and the one provided by Drill-chan when it came to the apparent personality of the duke.

“I see. So, just as I expected, he shares an extremely good relationship with his wife.”

“Officially the decisions are made by Duke Ahan, but he takes the opinion of his wife into proper account when making his call. It’s not like we have been working for him overly long yet, but if the duke told you to surprise his wife and himself, I think that point plays an important role.”

“So you are saying the point here is to not only surprise the duke but also his wife, right?”

“Although it is not my place to say something like this in front of their daughter, it appears they cherish their child very dearly. The Penny Empire’s Duke FitzClarence is famous for being a doting parent, but as far as I can tell, Duke Ahan isn’t any inferior in this regard.”

“Is that so?”

“He’s very concerned about his daughter. Just, he doesn’t show it publicly. When he received the report about the explosion of the castle in his daughter’s fief, it apparently turned into a major uproar at the ducal house. Tanaka, you also saw it, didn’t you? That huge hole.”

“Y-Yes, I did. I was also startled by that.”

Which reminds me, I wonder how the reconstruction of Drill-chan’s castle is advancing? I feel like it progressed into Ester-chan taking care of the materials supply. But, she lost her memories after things had developed up to that point. On the other hand, the ruler of the fief herself had been spending all her time playing around in Dragon City. I could vividly picture the hardships shouldered by her fief’s population.

“We were appointed to our current position as an effect of us having headed over to offer information on this matter.

“I see. So that is why.”

In that case, as I thought, it might be safer to use Drill-chan as front. However, I can’t come up with any good way to use her, and I’d like to avoid upsetting her by messing it up.

“It’s an idea I suddenly came up with, but could I have you spare me a minute?” Witch-san asked as I was pondering.

She was grinning broadly while looking at Drill-chan. Her face was lewdness on full display. Maybe she has an idea resembling that of this ordinary Japanese flat-face. I don’t think she’ll bring up anything too weird since she’s a female pervert who considers her friends properly, contrary to expectations, but I’m still somewhat scared.

“Do you need anything from me?”

“Please allow me to ask you a question first. Is it alright for me to assume that you are cooperating with Baron Tanaka on the current matter, Doris-sama? Or are you standing on the side of the duke and his wife?”

“I’m not really taking any sides here. I’m fine with anything as long as it’s fun.”

“In that case, how about you surprise your parents together with us?”

“…Very well, I’m all ears,” Drill-chan stared at Witch-san with eyes as if she was challenging her.

Due to this, Witch-san started to talk in a way so that only those present could hear, “As I thought, it was a good idea to ask Doris-sama, who is the daughter of the duke and duchess, for help. Let me see. How about we inform them about a romantic relationship between the two of you during tonight’s dinner for example? We can use that opportunity to report that the ceremony will be held in the near future.”

“Do you want me to help with that as well?” Drill-chan asked.

“Are Duke and Duchess Ahan people who would be perturbed by something like that?”

If we were talking about Richard-san, I’ve got no doubt that it’d put him on tenterhooks. Or rather, I have a feeling that things would escalate when he actually got perturbed. Moreover, his own daughter was quite capable of burning a house black with a domestic fireball.

But, how about Duke and Duchess Ahan?

“Please allow me to act out that part with my illusion magic. Disguising myself as Doris-sama, I will act very intimate with you in front of the ducal couple. If we do it like that, even those two will be compelled to buy into it, I think. Of course, only if Doris-sama allows for it, however.”

“H-Hey, that’s going a bit too far…”

“Hard, please stay out of this. I’m confident in this plan.

Is that really going to be alright for their position as spies or whichever they are?

However, personally I was now totally looking forward to being able to make out with a slutty witch in public. I wonder how far she’ll let me go. Will I be able to have her sit on my lap? As expected, going as far as kissing might be asking too much. No, wait, you never know.

“Baron Tanaka, will you please entrust everything to us?”

“Let me think…”

“I promise I will produce the desired results.”

The other party was someone who was closer to Duke Ahan than me. Also, I sufficiently grasped the scope of their abilities from my past experiences with them. Furthermore, she was claiming to be confident in it. Besides, this sounded a lot more promising than the current state of this ordinary Japanese flat-face who didn’t even have anything that could be called a proper plan.

“Very well. Please, I would appreciate your help.”

“Okay, I will show you that I can accomplish the task without fail,” Witch-san nodded powerfully.

Even though I felt a tinge of anxiety when looking at her, the plan was set for the present with this.

“Well then, Doris-sama, excuse me for being so abrupt, but I would like to have a preparatory meeting with you to iron out the details, so could you please come with us? These kinds of plans are more effective the faster you put them into action. Please, be so kind as to cooperate with us on this.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, Baron Tanaka, we shall be off then.”

“S-Sorry, Tanaka…”

“Of course. I am counting on you.”

Just like that, the two big criminals returned the way we came from earlier together with Drill-chan. It’d be great if things worked out smoothly, but somehow…

 

＊

 

【Sophia-chan’s Point of View】

 

After taking a short rest at the summer house, this maid resumed her walk along the promenade.

I heard that this path has been built to take a full lap around the lake, and if I keep following it, I will be able to get back to the mansion. The head chef, who brought me the tea to the dining hall, was kind enough to teach me all of this right before I headed out.

Given that I have already enjoyed the scenery and my tea, I think I will finish the rest of the way, which should be around a third of the whole, in one go. Probably because I moved my body so much, I have become hungrier than usual, so I cannot help but look forward to the upcoming lunch.

Naturally, my pace quickened up. And then, after some time of walking, I could suddenly hear someone’s voice.

“…are saying the point…the duke…his wife…”

It looks like others besides this maid are currently taking a stroll along the lake. Moreover, does this voice not sound kind of familiar?

In reflex, I stopped and focused my attention on the direction from where I heard the voice. Thereupon, I spotted people moving beyond the tree, slightly ahead of my current position at a place where the promenade bent. A tiny patch of lake, as if the water had invaded the land, lay between me and the spot in question.

Maybe they are nobles? In such a case, I would like to avoid running into them.

Something like enjoying the promenade, which had been built for nobles, already went beyond my station as the likes of a commoner I am. Even if I might have secured Tanaka-san and Drill-sama’s consent, you never know when this could turn into a seed of trouble.

This maid learned such a lesson the hard way at the Great Holy Land.

“……”

While hiding in the shadows of the trees, I observed the owners of the voices. But, when I got a clear view of them, this maid found them to be acquaintances, once again.

“…That is Tanaka-san, is he not?”

It appears as if Tanaka-san was also taking a walk along the promenade. However, unlike me, he is not alone. I can see that a few other people are accompanying him. One of them is Drill-sama. The other two are people I have not had the pleasure to meet yet. I wonder what kind of relationship those four share.

“……”

I think it would be quite rude for me to intrude upon their conversation by continuing to follow this path.

Naturally, this maid strained her ears in order to get a read on the situation ahead of her. Yet, what she heard was a truly shocking conversation.

“How about we inform them about a romantic relationship between the two of you during tonight’s dinner for example? We can use that opportunity to report that the ceremony will be held in the near future.”

For an instant, I doubted my own ears. After all, that line was directed at Tanaka-san and Drill-sama by a third party unknown to me. I could not quite catch the full exchange, but I am certain I heard of a romantic relationship. A ceremony was mentioned as well.

This maid ended up hearing an unbelievable piece of news. I immediately crouched down, hiding myself behind a tree.

But now that I think about it, I thought that it is weird for us to suddenly go on vacation in the territory of Drill-sama’s parents. However, it does make a lot of sense if you include the information from just now. If I had to say, I sure felt like those two had been quite close most recently.

And hearing and talking about the love stories of other people is the favorite pastime of this maid. Moreover, if it concerns the person related to my own employment, it makes me extremely curious. It would be impossible for me to simply leave now that I have heard all this.

I shall allow myself to listen in for just a tiny bit longer.

“……”

I was sneaking around in the trees’ shadows in a way you could describe as timid.

Suddenly, this maid witnessed Drill-sama starting to walk away from my current center of attention, leaving Tanaka-san behind. Next to her were a man and woman this maid doesn’t know. It looks like they finished their little conference.

A little moment later, Tanaka-san resumed walking along the promenade, heading in the opposite direction where the other three had gone. In other words, he was heading straight for the location of this maid.

“……”

What should I do? Just what should I do…?

For starters, I am going to stay here and wait for Tanaka-san to pass. I am not confident enough that I would be able to talk normally with him, If I were to meet him at this moment. Fortunately, he was heading in the opposite direction of where I was planning to go. It is a big help that the promenade has been built on the premise of making a full round around the lake.

This maid did not hear anything. Nothing whatsoever!

But, it is inevitable that I feel like wanting to consult with someone.

 

＊

 

When I returned from going around the lake, the time for lunch was already over. As such I was having a slightly late lunch all by myself in the dining hall of the detached building. In the afternoon, I flopped down on my bed and lazed around, just to fall asleep at some point without having planned to do so. When I woke up, the sky outside the window had already turned dark since it was past sunset.

“…This kind of life rocks.”

The whole day can be summed up with the term holiday. Come to think of it, just when was the last time I enjoyed a siesta? I feel like I’ve had a more fulfilling vacation than I expected.

“Tanaka, are you in?”

As I was idling around, someone knocked on my door. Accompanying the knocking, I heard the big thief’s voice.

“Yes, it is open, so please enter.”

“Pardon the intrusion then.”

With the door opening, the person I had expected to find on the other side came into sight. As usual, he’s looking so much like a hunk that it actually pisses me off. It’s easy to imagine that town girls such as Sophia-chan would squeal and giggle if they encountered his somewhat wild-looking appearance. Moreover, he’s so overwhelmingly young that this ordinary Japanese flat-face doesn’t even know where to start with his jealousy.

But, this guy is a virgin just like this ordinary Japanese flat-face. Thanks to that, he puts me into a somewhat gentle mood whenever we talk to each other.

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s about the matter we talked about during the day. I’m told they want you to come over since the preparations are done.”

“Okay, I am on my way.”

I left my room, following the big thief. We exited the detached building, following the passage to the main building where the Duke and Duchess Ahan were currently staying. According to him, we would use dinner time for our little play. Since the ducal couple was already present in the dining hall, he was told that they wanted me to hurry over.

After walking through the hallways and going upstairs, we arrived at our destination. A luxurious dining hall lay beyond a big double door. A long, narrow table covered by a pure-while tablecloth was installed in the middle of the spacious room. A gorgeous chandelier provided the room with brilliant illumination. Paintings adorned the walls, and I also noticed armors and quite valuable-looking vases.

This whole room looked just like an outlook lobby for rich guests in a high-class hotel. It was particularly extravagant when compared to the dining hall we used yesterday at the detached building. It also came with a view that would cause someone like Sophia-chan to joyfully look around with sparkling eyes.

The ducal couple sat in the middle of the room. At the head of the long table, occupying the seat of honor. Opposite of them, at the foot of the table, sat Drill-chan, also occupying the seat of honor. ¹

Doesn’t it feel somehow distant for a happy get-together of family?

Moreover, there was only one vacant seat with a full set of cutlery next to Drill-chan, with no other seats having been prepared. I suppose they’re telling this ordinary Japanese flat-face to sit down over there. And to add icing to the cake, it’s the seat of the bastard who came to take their daughter as a wife.

“Baron Tanaka, you may take a seat.”

“Thank you kindly.”

Obeying Duke Ahan’s instruction, I sat down next to Drill-chan. I sensed the big thief leaving the room behind me. Right after, the door shut with a small click.

Sitting on his chair, this ordinary Japanese flat-face naturally felt his spine straightening. I still wasn’t accustomed to this kind of noble-like atmosphere. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I let my eyes wander across the room.

Thereupon, this ordinary Japanese flat-face noticed Goggoru-chan being in a corner of the room for some reason.

“……”

As always, she was sitting on the floor while holding her knees. On top of that, a white tablecloth had been set up on the floor right in front of her, and even cutlery had been lined up on it. Why is brown lolita-san in a place like this? And moreover, why have they even prepared everything for her to dine here?

A small dinner candle had been arranged next to the neatly arrayed cutlery, its gently swaying light brightly illuminating her swarthy skin. Furthermore, our eyes totally met since she was closely staring my way.

Her way of shirking table seats, no matter the circumstances and environment, is kinda cool.

“I’ve heard from my daughter that you have something to tell us. Is that the case?”

“Yes, it is as you say…” I shifted my eyes from Goggoru-chan to the duke.

In spite of her being seated on the floor, everything from the tablecloth to the cutlery is exactly the same as we have in front of us. I think it’ll be okay since she seems to be treated in a proper, hospitable manner. Goggoru-chan herself doesn’t look unhappy either.

I’ll confirm the small stuff with her later on. Though it’s not small at all.

“Today we came to meet with you to have a chat, Mama, Papa.”

As this ordinary Japanese flat-face was preoccupied with Goggoru-chan’s matters, Drill-chan spoke up next to him.

I haven’t been told a thing about how this show was supposed to run down, so I wonder whether this is really going to work. Then again, if you blamed this on me for having outsourced all of it, I’d have no way to talk back. However, as might be expected, I’m worried. Is Drill-chan, formerly Witch-san, calm about this?

The one who’s spoken up just moments ago is supposed to be Witch-san who changed her appearance through magic. From the tone of her voice to her way of talking, she’s just like the real deal, as if I’m facing Drill-chan herself. It’s a level of skill that makes me entirely accept her request to rely on her abilities.

“Is that related to the current seating arrangement?”

“Yes, indeed.”

It sounds like she has even planned out our current seating positions. Having said that, for this virgin, this is yet another big matter of concern. The relationship between the ducal couple and Witch-san’s group is something very important. If things escalated to them being laid off or downsized in the worst case, I’d feel terribly guilty as the one who brought up the consultation with them. A safe employment, which they managed to acquire at long last, must be very rare from their point of view.

“I see? Then let us hear it.”

“I decided to marry Baron Tanaka.”

“……”

Isn’t that way too straightforward, no matter how you look at it?

Even Duke Ahan was looking at her as if asking just what she was blathering about. It’s a line the real Drill-chan would probably never drop. For this reason, you can certainly claim that it carries a shocking impact, but it seems like there’s a huge difference in atmosphere between both ends of the table.

“…I understand,” Duke Ahan’s gaze shifted back and forth between this ordinary Japanese flat-face and the fake-Drill-chan.

It looks like he already connected this with the matter from this morning. But well, that only makes sense.

“I shall acknowledge you highly for having won over my daughter as an ally. Contrary to expectations, she’s a fairly selfish woman, and it’s not easy to sway her. But, with Baron Tanaka’s ability to handle such thing, it’ll be difficult to surprise us with something of this level, even if we might be your parents.”

“……”

It got quickly exposed. Witch-san, what’s the deal from here on out?

“Oh myyy? Papa, just what are you talking about?”

“Give it a rest. I already know what you’re doing.”

“I’d really like you to properly listen to your daughter to the end. I mean, I especially created this occasion to inform you of my pregnancy. It’s going to be your first grandchild, you see? I’ll be devastated, if you don’t even rejoice over this auspicious event.”

No sooner than saying that, Drill-chan stood up from her chair and lifted the hem of her dress.

“Wha-…”

Her belly was bulging. You couldn’t tell earlier because of her clothes, but now that she was showing her naked skin, there was no denying it, even if the swelling itself was rather small. By the look of it, I’d estimate her to be in her fourth month. Since her body was otherwise slender, even the small bulge appeared to be strikingly obvious.

By the way, she was wearing something akin to knickers underneath her dress, making it unfortunately impossible to take a peek at her panties. Of course, if you argue that knickers are underwear as well, that’s that, but this busamen will never approve of knickers as underwear. Something like this already counts as pants.

“D-Doris, stop acting so s-shamefully,” Papa-san raised his voice.

On the other hand, Mama-san stayed calm.

“Dear, is that truly our daughter over there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our daughter has been really bad with men ever since the guy she liked ran on her in the past. Even though we approached her about marriage meetings on several occasions, she always fled while persistently rejecting those. As such, something like a sudden pregnancy is completely unbelievable.”

“……”

“Isn’t it said that many spells to misguide people exist?” Mama-san further added with a broad grin, “You’re the witch, aren’t you?”

You’re spot on. Rather, your calm smile is actually terrifying, Mama-san.

“We’ve also heard that you’re acquainted with Baron Tanaka.”

I cast a fleeting glance at the corner of the room. Over there the brown-skinned Lolita-san had started on her dinner one step ahead of us. While sitting on the floor as always, she was happily chewing her food. No doubt about it. I suspect that she was bought over by Duke Ahan.

But, that’s ridiculous as this ordinary Japanese flat-face was supposed to be Goggoru-chan’s only companion. Is the food in this mansion so delicious?

“Saying something like that to the daughter you gave birth to at great pains is awful.”

“I don’t know what kind of magic you’re using to trick our eyes, but going on with this any further will be unsightly, you know? We hold you people in high esteem, so we do not wish our relationship to break off because of something like this.”

What should I do? Really…what would be the best here? Since we had no meeting in advance, I’m in a bit of a bind.

“Umm, I am sorry, but…,” I hurriedly stepped in to warn Witch-san.

It’s dangerous to proceed on the current path. It’s not just the duchess’s word, but things will drastically affect the employment of Witch-san’s group. As a corporate slave, who lived in a society where full-time employment was regarded as everything, it’s a development I’d like to avoid at all costs. Especially when it comes to people with a shady past like them.

But, I didn’t manage to finish my words as someone else spoke up from elsewhere at the same time.

“Did you call for me, Milady?”

No sooner than me wondering why the dinner hall’s door was suddenly opened, the person, who was supposedly in the center of the current storm, unexpectedly showed up. First off, boobs, then boobs, and even more boobs. Anyway, it was Witch-san, who always made me think of boobs, in life and color. I feel like wanting to poke the tips’ protrusions with my knife and fork.

“……”

“Is something the matter, Milady?”

Even the duchess was surprised by this. She alternated her eyes between the fake-Drill-chan and Witch-san. This ordinary Japanese flat-face was startled, too.

But, who’s the Drill-chan with the bulging belly over here then? Is this possibly included in Witch-san’s magic? No, but, I’ve never heard about magic that allows you to make your belly inflate. This is definitely a feat that’s impossible to achieve unless you pew-pew inside.

If I asked Edita-sensei, she might know something about this.

“Dear, it’s genuinely our child, you know? Hehehe,” Drill-chan said in my direction with a daring, beaming grin.

A shock traveled through the brain of this virgin. Such a charming smile was foul play. It made me feel like acknowledging it right away.

“Mama, is the child in my belly unwanted by you?” Drill-chan went for the finishing blow here.

Such a question that knew no restraint while taking on her mother was cool. Because of that, it felt oddly persuasive.

“No, that’s not the case. At least, I don’t think so…? But…”

“Baron Tanaka, what is the meaning of this?”

Duke Ahan’s expression became stabbing. He had the look of a father who cherished his daughter. It vividly reminded me of Richard-san. Because he was a small, old man with ordinary looks, it didn’t carry a noteworthy impact. But I could fully sense the emotions he was putting into his eyes.

This ordinary Japanese flat-face wonders how he should respond to this. In the first place, just when did a virgin like me shoot his junk into her pussy? Does that mean I’m no virgin anymore? I don’t know. I don’t get it at all. Please enlighten me, my dick!

To begin with, how many months have passed since I met Drill-chan? Wouldn’t Deviant-Longhair be the prime suspect here? Brood parasitism? Is it brood parasitism?

But, confronting her with such a question in this situation would make me perfect scum as a man. Something like asking her whether it’s really my child in front of her parents is totally out. It’s very likely that it’d immediately lead to a full-blown attack by the Ahan Dukedom.

Therefore, there exists only one path this virgin can take.

Bah, whatever, let’s fly with this.

“Please give me your daughter’s hand in marriage. I will show you that I can make her happy,” I pleaded after standing up from my chair and bowing my head at the ducal couple.

I had lowered my head so lowly that it was almost touching the table’s surface. But I mean, it can’t be helped, right? Instead, I’ll have her properly give birth to a second and third child from my seed. Oh nice, that’s a good idea. Yep, there’s no other choice than that.

“gh…..”

In no time, I heard a stifled outcry from somewhere. The dinner hall fell silent, and the uncomfortable atmosphere grew worse by one level.

But, that lasted but a short moment. In the next instant, the glass of a window in the dining hall loudly shattered. The smashed glass fragments fell into the room with loud, high-pitched clattering. And at the same time, something rolled inside the room through the broken window with two thuds.

“Nuuoooo!”

『Hngh…』

It was Edita-sensei and the Loligon.

I’m sure they’ve observed the situation through the window from outside. This here is a fantasy world of swords and magic without reinforced glasses. With both bodies weighing down on one point, the glass must have broken. I mean, they tumbled onto the floor head-first.

The window, which faced the courtyard, was located around the middle of the long table. Seeing how this dining hall was situated on the third floor, the two girls must have peeped while making their bodies float with flight magic or something like that. And thanks to that, they had such an energetic, flashy entrance.

After breaking through the glass, the two had tumbled all the way to the table before coming to a halt. As they were toppled over, their panties were visible in plain sight. It was a rare blessing for me to appreciate the panties of the Loligon and sensei at the same time. This busamen’s eyes lost their calmness, and moved back and forth between the slits sticking out on the respective fabric.

“A-Ah, no, t-t-t-this is, y-you see…I heard o-o-of you m-marrying…!”

Edita-sensei got up in a hurry and started to frantically justify herself. She was totally panicking. Both her arms were flapping in weird ways.

“Marriage?”

“Y-Y-Yes! T-That’s why, u-u-u-umm, look, u-u-umm, how to…”

“Who told you about this?”

“Eh? A-A-Ah, right, t-t-that’s, u-u-u-umm…it sounds l-l-like your maid…”

『Child? You made a child!? With that human!?』

On the other hand, the Loligon yelled without giving a care about her embarrassing entry. As soon as she got back up, she walked up to this ordinary Japanese flat-face with long strides.

“…It does seem so.”

『W-Why are you phrasing it as if it’s someone else’s affair!?』

“………”

Well, even if she asks me, it’s inevitable since I don’t have a memory of having made a child. I cast a fleeting glance at Drill-chan, just to notice that she wasn’t looking well either. She looked pointlessly lively up until moments ago, and now this? What’s it all of a sudden?

“Ah, p-please give me a moment. I-I’ll go to the t-toilet.”

“Eh? Oh, sure. Please take your time…”

Drill-chan stood up while making sure to hold her belly. Thereupon, in response to this, something dropped on the floor beneath her with a clanging. If this ordinary Japanese flat-face didn’t mishear, it should have fallen down from the hem of her knickers. That something rolled across the floor, arriving at my feet.

Unconsciously I stretched my hand out for it, wondering what it might be. Thereupon, I noticed that it’s a wood-crafted item similar to a board game’s piece, like a chess pawn. Moreover, it was wet with some unidentified, slimy mucus for some reason.

“Ah, n-noo. Noooooo….”

In the next instant, a dam burst in front of this ordinary Japanese flat-face

 

 

A transparent liquid squirted out of Drill-chan’s crotch just after she’d taken a step. Penetrating the thin fabric of her knickers, it ran down her thighs and passed her calves, forming a pool on the floor. That puddle immediately spread in size, flooding the floor beneath her and this ordinary Japanese flat-face.

“……”

“gh……”

And as if it wasn’t already enough, Drill-chan’s body repeatedly twitching looked oddly erotic. With her expression looking somehow ecstatic, it must be a very nice feeling.

Moreover, once I lifted my eyes from her buttocks a bit, the bulging of her belly, which I was able to see until moments ago, had disappeared, restoring her belly’s flatness at some point.

“Doris-san, don’t tell me, your belly…”

“O-Oooooooooooohohohohohohohoho!”

All of a sudden, the dining hall was filled with Drill-chan’s ohoho. Just as I grasped what was going on, she dashed towards the hallway. Running at full speed.

“I’m going to the toilet! The tooooooilet!”

And then she noisily left the dining hall. The liquid the blond big-chested loli had apparently excreted from her belly was all that remained behind. As quite a volume had amassed, this ordinary Japanese flat-face’s shoes quickly started to become damp, penetrating the shoes’ interior from the toes. That, which would usually have irritated me to no end, was only today an extremely lovely sensation.

It looked like she hadn’t released all of it. As she had left the room, more liquid had dripped down here and there, indicating the path she took. I was unintentionally driven by an urge to chase after her, but since she’d genuinely start to hate me if I did that, this ordinary Japanese flat-face restrained himself.

On the other hand, the other people present in the room could only stare at the chain of events with dumbfounded looks.

Apparently Drill-chan was the sole winner.

 

＊

 

Starting with the conclusion, Drill-chan was still a virgin. The swelling of her belly that was supposed to verify her pregnancy stemmed from her having injected big amounts of water into her butt, I was told. I hear she apparently plugged a finger into her butt hole and made her belly expand by releasing water through magic.

No one other than the person herself explained this after coming back from the toilet. According to her, she wanted to at least once experience having it put into her.

In the end, a burst occurred.

By the way, the one coming up with the setup was Witch-san. She explained that this was a measure to trick the ducal couple in light of this time’s matters. She also didn’t expect that they’d be somehow able to handle Drill-chan’s parents with just the verbal promise of their daughter.

Anyway, because of that, Drill-chan’s virginity was preserved. That’s truly great. This virgin feels relieved from the bottom of his heart.

And the same also applied to Duke Ahan.

“…Witch.”

“As you can tell for yourself, Baron Tanaka is a very sincere man.”

“I’m fully aware of that. But, umm, how to put it…”

“What might it be?”

“Wasn’t there…some slightly better way to go about this?” Papa-san asked while looking somewhat drained.

Witch-san beamed a smile at him and replied, “Baron Tanaka is someone you could rightfully call a lifesaver for us. And such a man sought our consultation about defecting to the Ahan Dukedom. Accordingly, we proceeded in a way that would follow your instructions, Your Grace, while simultaneously giving advice to Baron Tanaka.”

“Pardon me, but instructions means…?”

Having reached this point, Witch-san mentioned something weird. By the way, the occasion remained unchanged – dinner at the dining hall. But this time everyone was seated properly as we chatted while eating together. At first, only the ducal couple, Drill-chan, and I were sitting at the table, but with Witch-san, Edita-sensei, and the Loligon joining us, the meal became a bit livelier.

By the way, we also changed our seating arrangement. On one side of the long table sat the ducal couple and their daughter; the other four of us sat opposite of them. The distance between all parties involved had lessened quite a bit.

“Just as you consulted with us, Baron Tanaka, His Grace ordered us to brief him on your personality. We were so straightforward to point out to His Grace that we do not have much we could brief him on, but it seemed like you two weren’t acquainted.”

“I see…”

In short, she and her group acted as double agents. No, in such a case I think it’d be more precise to call them collaborators.

This caused me to suddenly recall the big thief’s apology at our parting near the lake. This must have been the reason. It made me realize once more that he’s a good man at heart. But, as might be expected, that small hint of his wasn’t enough for me to notice.

“Having said that, even I hadn’t imagined that Doris-sama would make such a careless mistakewet her pants…”

“T-That was no careless mistake, okay? It really wasn’t, I mean it. My body simply tensed up when I got startled by those girls suddenly bursting into the room. When I did, you see, it was inevitable for the plug to plop out!” Drill-chan gazed at Edita-sensei and the Loligon in a manner you could even call spiteful.

Since she hadn’t allowed me to watch any of her clumsiness most recently, that pitifulness for the first time in a while is adorable. It made me abruptly recall the case with the dispute. Her appearance of pulling through even while losing one of her drills and having her hair trimmed.

This is a clear display of her being a daughter that’s capable of taking brave actions. She won’t shun any method to achieve her goal. If I consider back then and this whole situation, I cannot help but regard Drill-chan as very lovely.

“Doris-sama, next time I shall prepare a somewhat thicker plug.”

“I won’t ever do anything like this again! Never!”

That’s regrettable. I wanted to watch it live and not through knickers. The place where the plug enters.

『Hey! That doesn’t matter at all! More importantly, w-why is she here!?』 The Loligon cried out, interrupting our conversation.

Although her conversation partners were nobles, I couldn’t see a sign of her giving a damn. Her eyes were instead pinned on Goggoru-chan who had finished her dinner. I could see a steaming cup stand on the tablecloth after her plates had been taken away. She was clearly having her after-meal teatime.

Not only mine, but everyone else’s eyes focused on the floor in that particular corner of the room. On the other hand, she didn’t seem perturbed at all, and indifferently answered, “I was told I’d receive a delicious meal if I came here.”

“That’s all?”

“I heard you’d be here too.”

“……”

No continuation followed after she said that last line. Rather, thinking about it with my little virgin brain, it made my heart throb.

“That’s all.”

“…I see.”

 

＊

 

It appears that Goggoru-chan’s presence was intended as a bluff by Duke and Duchess Ahan. During our conversation, Drill-chan’s Mama had sent meaningful glances at Goggoru-chan, but I have no doubt that all of them followed the idea of trying to shake us up.

When I directed my look at her after hearing this, I could see how she was averting her eyes.

Then again, I can somehow imagine why they zeroed in on her. I mean, she’s a Goggoru. Maybe the ducal couple had received reports about our local, brown-skinned, Lolita-san, including her race being a High Goggoru, from Drill-chan. About her reading Baron Tanaka’s mind and so on. Rather, if I had been in Drill-chan’s shoes, I’d have seen no reason to not report it.

Considering it like that, I could also come up with other reasons. For example, to confirm the relationship of mutual trust between Goggoru-chan and this ordinary Japanese flat-face. For better or worse, she’s read all of this busamen’s thoughts. Such a being is a weak spot that’s quite capable of delivering a crippling blow against Baron Tanaka’s social existence.

A check whether I’m firmly holding onto her reins might be essential if looking at it as an outsider.

“Bad?”

“No, not at all.”

If I had to choose, it was good. Thanks to that, this ordinary Japanese flat-face can let Goggoru-chan read his mind without a care in the future. I’ll be allowed to immerse myself in the ecstatic feeling of having my heart stripped bare in front of her. I’m gradually starting to feel that this codependence, which you could describe as fatal, has corroded me too deeply at this point.

“Did you like the food?”

“Not bad at all.”

“That is what matters above all.”

Goggoru-chan burped lightly. And I dearly wished that she could read my mind as I felt like wanting to suck in all of that burp without letting a whiff escape. The current distance between us stung my heart.

“By the way, a-about the window w-w-we ended up d-destroying…”

The reason for her extreme shivering probably stems from her fear of having to reimburse the window. She addressed Duke Ahan with a face that looked as if she was going to cry any moment. To be frank, I think a superb alchemist of sensei’s level should be able to earn as much money as she wants to, but she appears to be short on money as always.

“Don’t worry about it. The fault lies with our retainer.”

“I-I-I did something inexcusable…”

As I thought, I really love Elf-san who’s right now curling up her body to deeply lower her head. She’s a stark contrast to the Loligon who seems to not care about it whatsoever.

After a sidelong glance at those two, Witch-san called out to the duke once more, “With that said, how about it, Your Grace? As far as we are concerned, we believe that you ought to accept the people seeking asylum from the Tanaka Barony. His personality is just as he kindly showed you himself.”

“Hmm…”

“Moreover, he himself is an outstanding magician. To such an extent that he only needed one heal to cure us who were on the verge of death after getting seriously burned at the stake. In addition, we have also been in contact several times in the past.”

“…I understand.”

After listening to her words, Papa-san shifted his eyes to this ordinary Japanese flat-face.

“Baron Tanaka.”

“Yes.”

“We shall accept the emigration of your population in case it becomes necessary,” the duke declared after having visibly resigned himself.

“Thank you kindly, Duke Ahan.”

It was a fairly indescribable atmosphere as it was right after we had witnessed Drill-chan’s release, but an agreement still counts as such. I was able to safely secure his promise to take in my people. At first it was a talk about him taking it into consideration, but now things have suddenly proceeded much further. Moreover, he consented to accept all immigrants without even confirming the total number. I’m sure he already has a general grasp on the scale of the Tanaka Barony, including our Dragon City. Maybe he’s sent in his people and such without us realizing.

“But, it won’t be unconditional.”

“I am well aware of that.”

“In the case of a mass immigration, I’ll demand one gold coin per resident. You don’t mind, do you?”

“…I see.”

That might be slightly tough. Assuming we were to defect with everyone, it’d lead to a move of numbers in the four digits. That alone would make it necessary to prepare close to 1,000 gold. Even if I were to ask the Loligon to handle the transport, we also need to prepare money to cover the living expenses and all kinds of other costs in the dukedom for everyone, so it’ll become a stunning sum of money.

“Are you possibly able to lower the price a bit?”

“Isn’t that too selfish from your side, Baron Tanaka?”

“Yes, I know that.”

What should I do? Just what would be the best here?

Now that it’s come to this, I might as well go to the Dark Continent to pick up phoenix tails. If I can find two or three of those, I should be able to earn around 1,000 gold, shouldn’t I? It sounds like all kinds of other rare monsters live there, so I feel like it’s about time for me to do a quest as an adventurer for the first time in a long time.

For the time being, let’s earn myself some more time to consider things.

“Duke Ahan, there is something I wish to confirm before we go ahead with that talk.”

“…Go ahead.”

“Did the conditions you gave me at first bear some sort of meaning?”

“Ah, those, huh?”

I mean, I’m curious.

If Duke Ahan has the kind of fetish where he gets aroused by Deviant-Longhair’s semen and Edita-sensei’s nails, I’ll need to reassess all kinds of things, including the defection. As for the Loligon’s love juice; that’s something this ordinary Japanese flat-face desires by all means as well, so I feel him.

“I heard from my daughter that a female, ancient dragon worked as mayor of Dragon City. If that’s really true and if she has a close relationship with you, Baron, on top of that, it might be worthwhile to welcome all of you. Therefore I set that condition so that it’d make it possible for you to move all your residents here.”

“Okay, I see.”

“As for the high demon’s semen: It was for the sake of dealing with the demon who’s been following my daughter around. I heard that magic to seal high-ranking demons exists. The magic practitioner in question told me that he’d require the target’s semen in order to use that spell.”

“……”

This part follows Drill-chan’s read of the situation.

“Moreover, I was told that a rather unfortunate high elf might be bravely serving at your side. Very likely she thinks so as well, but if you were the kind of man who tears the nails out of an attendant who follows you, we planned to chase you out of this mansion right away.”

That’s probably based on Drill-chan’s information, too. If we’re talking about an elf with ‘rather unlucky’ as an attribute, only Edita-sensei comes to mind. But it also exposed how Drill-chan was viewing sensei. Because of that, sensei turned a forlorn look at Drill-chan.

“Please allow me to make one correction. It is not like she is serving me. I got her to help out with the management of the city after asking for her assistance. If we were to speak about ranks, she stands above me. I would like you to not misunderstand in order to not hurt her honor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Hearing this ordinary Japanese flat-face’s remark, Edita-sensei’s face brightened up a bit. Having regained her smile, sensei looked super adorable. I love her.

“That only leaves the high orc one, right? This is based on my daughter’s story that you killed a high orc with one blow in the past, Baron. If you had said that you would come back after hunting enough high orcs to cover all your residents, I planned to compromise to some extent from my side.”

“…I understand.”

In that case, the high orcs might have been the golden path when it came to Duke Ahan. However, the situation is more urgent than he thinks. The Great Holy Land might have made its move while this ordinary Japanese flat-face was laboriously hunting high orcs.

“And as for the last condition; it was nothing special worth mentioning. I just gave you some room to come up with something yourself. As a result of that, my daughter’s dignity was smeared with mud, making me think that she might have become even more of a man-hater than she was to begin with.”

“……”

I feel terribly sorry about that part. Though, Drill-chan’s face becoming red upon hearing her Papa sure is nice.

“Are you satisfied with this?”

“Yes, thank you very much for your explanation.”

But, although I tried to buy myself some time, no good ideas cropped up in the meantime. Rather, the situation has become even more inevitable by inserting that topic. At this point, I might have no other choice but to go along with his terms.

The incident happened just when I decided to accept my fate. The dining hall’s door was humbly opened. The one appearing beyond was a man who appears to be a butler. It’s the same guy who greeted us when we arrived here. Drill-chan called him Gramps.

He made a beeline for Duke Ahan, almost running. Moreover, for some reason he presented something similar to an envelope to his lord.

“Master, a messenger from the Central Parliament has come.”

“Sorry, but we’re in the middle of a discussion. Ask him to wait while guiding him to a guest room.”

“That will not be possible as he immediately departed after telling me that he would like you to check this letter.”

“What was that!?”

“Here you go.”

“…Okay.”

Duke Ahan accepted the envelope while furrowing his eyebrows.

“You may step back.”

“Of course. Please excuse me then.”

Butler-san left the room. While everyone watched him go, Drill-chan said, “Papa, could you read that letter here?”

“Why?”

“I’m sure it’ll be for your sake, Papa.”

“……”

After being told so by Drill-chan, Papa unsealed the envelope reluctantly. The sealing stamp lost its orderly shape and crumbled apart, its pieces falling to the floor. Without paying any attention to that, the duke took out the letter, and carefully unfolded the paper that had been neatly folded. The letter consisted of only one page. Its content immediately became apparent.

Immediately after reading through it, Duke Ahan became pale.

“D-Doris, this is…!”

“That’s why I told you, didn’t I? I think it’d be better for you to be on good terms with him.”

“…..”

“After all, Baron Tanaka is one of the few friends we have,” Drill-chan supplemented with a grin.

On the other hand, Duke Ahan looked panicked.

“Duke Ahan, is something wrong?”

“Baron Tanaka, i-is this also related to you?”

The duke offered the page to me. I obediently accepted it from him and scanned its content.

The recipient was Duke Ahan, and the sender was an organization that appeared to be the representative body of this country. And as for the content: it stated that they had received a protest note from the Great Holy Land about Drill-chan having acted mischievously in the Great Holy Land. The words they used sounded gentle and I don’t think they’re going to take action right away. But, it clearly mentioned his daughter’s name. It was a trivial criticism, but even so, it’d be impossible to act like it never happened either.

I’m sure His Majesty of the Penny Empire has received a similar letter.

“I do think that it is a disadvantageous bet, but could you somehow find it in yourself to trust me?”

“If you join in now while you still can, you will be able to brag to your surroundings later on, you know?”

“……”

Is Drill-chan, who’s raising the stakes like this, really his daughter? Looking at the situation as an outsider, Baron Tanaka of the Penny Empire would be in a situation equal to a boat made out of mud that is slowly but steadily sinking. So I really wonder where she finds the confidence to talk so bullishly.

Thanks to that, Papa-san drowns in worry. For a while, he was staring at the table, completely frozen. I wonder how long he was doing that. Even after everyone’s focus gathered on him, he remained in a pose of deep brooding. But then, after the clock’s hand had made a full round, he lifted his face. The target of his gaze was this ordinary Japanese flat-face who was still holding the letter.

“…Okay, I understand,” Duke Ahan nodded lightly and solemnly continued, “as for the defection: I’ll accept it unconditionally. The money is unnecessary too.”

“Are you fine with that?”

In addition to having received this kind of a letter, Duke Ahan not once scolded his daughter. His body is certainly small, but I could feel the big size of his generosity as a parent. One of the roots that founded the personality of Drill-chan must be the result of his education, no doubt.

Thanks to that, this ordinary Japanese flat-face once again felt like his back was pushed to make his resolve.

“In exchange, you’re not allowed to lose, no matter what happens, okay? That’s a contract between you and me.”

“I am well aware of that.”

“…Then it’s fine.”

Somehow I got the feeling that I got a bit closer to Duke Ahan.

 

＊

 

Thanks to Witch-san’s strategy and Drill-chan’s tenacity, this ordinary Japanese flat-face was able to obtain a promise for asylum from Duke Ahan as initially planned. Moreover, I wondered whether I wasn’t able to get his promise in what you could very likely call an ideal form.

Because of that, the rest proceeded smoothly and we wrapped up our discussion quickly.

The FitzClarence and Ahan families. With the support of those two ducal houses, I believe we’ll be able to pull through for the time being. In the meantime, Baron Tanaka would strive diligently to expand the city and reinforce his combat forces before heading out to take down Demon Queen-sama as he had publicly vowed himself.

The rest of the evening passed with this and that.

On the next day, this ordinary Japanese flat-face was having his breakfast in the dining hall of the detached villa. With everyone who was participating in this vacation, being in the same hall, I could finally see all of them again. It wasn’t as though we arranged to meet up like this in advance, but even so, no one was missing. Even Edita-sensei, who was bad with mornings, was present.

I’m sure everyone must have gone to sleep early because they moved their bodies so much yesterday.

“Doris-san, you are blessed with a great family,” I addressed Drill-chan who sat opposite me.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Oh, it is rare for you to obediently agree with my words.”

“Well, it’s the truth, so it’d be pointless to deny it.”

Immediately afterwards Drill-chan’s eyes shifted away from this ordinary Japanese flat-face.

“But, aren’t you plentifully blessed yourself as well?”

“You think so?”

“I do.”

Her eyes were focused on the others around us. For example, the Loligon and Edita-sensei.

『Fishing! We’re going to fish!』

“Hey, d-d-don’t pull so much! M-My clothes w-will stretch out!”

Having finished breakfast, the Loligon energetically put down her tableware. And no sooner than that, she grabbed the robe of my blond, thicc-legged loli-sensei, who was still sitting on her chair, and addressed her with a loud voice. On the other hand, the person on the receiving end of the Loligon’s activism was still in the middle of breakfast. Sensei was a slow eater after all.

『You can finish eating over there!』

“Why would I…?”

It looks like the Loligon has become completely addicted to fishing.

Thereupon, as if enticed by the Loligon’s insistent clamoring, the brown-skinned Lolita-san in the corner of the room moved. Without so much as saying anything, she stood up upright. As usual, she had been taking her meal in a corner of the room.

She scampered a few steps, closing the distance to the two other lolitas.

“Me too.”

『Wait a sec, stay away! D-Don’t come any closer, okay!?』

“I’ll fish too.”

『I’m telling you! Stay away! Getting any closer than this…』

“Hey, i-idiot, don’t pull…!”

Having her robe pulled by the Loligon, Edita-sensei fell off her chair. Because of her small body, sensei’s feet didn’t reach the ground while sitting on her chair, so her balance fell apart in no time, resulting in the mess of her slamming on the floor face-first.

『Let’s go!!』

“Wai-! I was still in the middle of eatiiiiiiin'”

I’m sorry for sensei who must be hurting, but this is yet another heartwarming view. While dragging Edita-sensei behind her, the Loligon dashed out on the hallway. And after confirming that there was enough distance between her and the other two, Goggoru-chan scurried after them. Before long, all three of them disappeared at the other end of the hallway.

While gazing at this taking place, the others, who still remained in the dining hall, lively chatted.

“Hero-sama, how about we fish for today as well?”

“Oh, that’s no bad idea, I’d say.”

Gon-chan invited the Hero of the West.

“Ah, Gonzales! I’ll join ya guys!”

“Fishing, huh…? You’re right. That sounds nice. It should be very restful.”

“Umm, i-in that case, I will also…”

For not only Shotachinpo and Neumann to react, but even Sophia-chan was unexpected. Everyone must have interacted with each other while I was absent. For some reason, this busamen felt very happy over all these trivial reactions.

And now that this ordinary Japanese flat-face had noticed it thanks to her, I agreed with Drill-chan, “Certainly, you might have a point there.”

“Indeed.”

It’d be silly to say that I’m not blessed.

And just as all of this was going on, Deviant-Longhair appeared in the door. He peeked inside the room from the hallway as if checking the situation, and entered after confirming things. As always, he was a careful demon.

Taking a closer look at him, his hair and clothes were stained with blood and dust.

“Mistress, I’ve obtained the promised item!”

“Oh my, that was awfully fast, wasn’t it?”

He headed straight for Drill-chan even while being concerned about the three who left just moments ago. And then he retrieved several of what seemed to be bird feathers from his pocket. They had a color I remember having seen somewhere.

“Doris-san, those are…”

“I cannot afford to always trouble Papa.”

“Those are phoenix feathers. I obtained them on my Mistress’ order.”

It sounds like he went all the way to the Dark Continent. Which reminds me, I haven’t seen him ever since yesterday morning.

Isn’t that quite the pace, even if he used the ruin in the FitzClarence Viscounty? Assuming he departed yesterday morning, it’d add up to a whole day. He must have traveled without rest and sleep. That Deviant-Longhair seems to be quite hard-working for the sake of getting praised by Drill-chan.

“No matter how many funds you might have, it’s not said that you’ll never get hard-pressed, right?”

“…Nothing less of you.”

I’d have never expected that she’d be ahead of me in this. She didn’t know that her parents would visit the same place until right before our arrival at the resort. And then this. Merely two days later.

Just as she’s quick to decide on doing something, she’s also quick to start acting. Seeing how she’s like this in her teens, she’s one terrifying girl.

Even if impregnating her won’t come true, I want to always stay on her good side as a work partner.

“Geros, that was wonderful work.”

“So, about what we discussed before, Mistress…”

“Sure, why not? I’ll shower you with plenty of affection tonight.”

“Y-You have my deepest gratitude!” Deviant-Longhair bowed his head, looking very happy.

At least I thought so while watching her give him words of appreciation.

 

 

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Translation Notes:

1. This is a bit difficult to localize since it stems from a Japanese tradition when it comes to sitting order. Basically, the 上座 (kamiza) is the place where the most important person sits (in this case the ducal couple). Usually located deepest in the room. While the 下座 (shimoza) is the seat closest to the door and thus the place reserved for the lowest ranking person (Drill-chan in this case). This follows the idea that if someone were to attack the room, the one sitting furthest inside would get killed last, and thus that place is reserved for the most important person in a group. This custom is still common in modern Japan. But, with a long rectangle table, the head/foot of the table usually counts as a seat of honor, a custom also known in the West. So it’s kind of a contradictory statement.