Chapter 96 (1/2)

「…Here I guess is…where I met Leticia.」

Anyway, after that I was able to get into a party with those idiots again, but I wasn’t able to find an entrance to the dungeon.

A pitfall was the entrance, transportation magic was the exit.

The pitfall was closed, there was no way to use the exit, so we had to put any more searching to rest.

From the beginning, the dungeon had a lot of strange points about it, so it was strange to even call it a dungeon.

After that, there was a lot of things Leticia said as well.

When I was sneaking into the mansion of a royal family, I had met Leticia dressed as a maid, and when I was busy driving magical beasts out of a dungeon, I had seen her in some town competing in an eating contest.

There were a lot of stories of her that emerged.

「Well, that’s enough. Time to go and all, nothing more to talk about as a lot of the stuff really isn’t comfortable to talk about.」

After I had made a large bowl of grateful boar soup and it was eaten dry, I cut off the stories there.

The stories had gotten longer than I thought they would, and I wasn’t able to suppress all the feelings that had welled up inside of me.

「「…」」

「Hey, hey, no reason to just shut up and stare, it makes the mood bad.」

From the beginning to end while we were talking, I was the one dominating the conversation. Minnalis and Shuria had talked quite a bit as well, but neither of them picked up the conversation after I was done speaking.

I didn’t want their thoughts about everything, but at least a response.

I mean, just being silent is embarrassing. No, you’d want to be able to talk with the memory that 『Last night was such a great time, right?』or something, everyone does.

「Well, even if you say that…」

「It’s not like we’re going to say『Thanks for your fond memories』or something.」

Minnalis and Shuria said, looking at one another.

『F, fond memories.』

I know that what they said was true, but being told about it hurts a bit.

「Well, there’s one thing I was able to confirm.」

「Shuria too. I don’t think there’s any problem, but I think I found out something.」

There was their beige and red pupils looking right at me.

「I know that you really love Leticia, Kaito, and your story filled in a lot of missing parts.」

「That’s why you should tell us more. Since this is your second world, can you live here without being with Leticia?」

Seeing those sharp, cold eyes, I saw that they wouldn’t forgive one bit of falsehood or trickery.

That’s why I responded with a light smile.

「Hey, just relax. Even if I meet her, I’m not going to make a fool out of myself again. It’s true that I really do like her. The same way that I think of you two as important, I think she is too. Even if she comes after me to kill me, I’m not going to be able to kill her.」

Yeah, it hurt me to say it.

It was almost like a throbbing, the fact that I was longing for her here was the opposite of what I was saying.

…however.

「Even so, I won’t make a mistake. I’ve quit trying to fulfill that dream I had.」

The world was not such a kind place as to let you have whatever happy life you wanted.

A world that was all good for me was now broken and in the past.

Even more, since I was now with Minnalis and Shuria, I couldn’t even make that choice now.

「The road to revenge is one that you can’t hesitate on. It would have been too much to help her and follow her on her path to revenge. Even if she hates me for it or dies from it, I have to keep living.」

If I remember the days that Leticia actually hated me, the reason she thought it fun to do so was because after she exacted revenge against whomever, she thought she could come back to kill me.

However, for me, I didn’t want her to just die from being killed by some demon lord like Leticia. Even if I couldn’t get rid of those days I was hated, even so, I…

And also, now I had accomplices I couldn’t betray. Minnalis and Shuria too, there was no reason for me to die just to make it easier for them.

「That’s why, that’s my answer. I now understand why I can’t stay beside her.」

With that said, once more, no, I still felt a strong throb in my chest.

Even if I still felt the logic, understood and comprehended it all, it still didn’t stop the emotion.

…it really sucks, just this feeling, it will never leave me.

「I…see…. If so, I can’t say anything. I’ll support you with whatever I can my whole life.」

「I’m fine with that too. As long as it’s us three, we can’t be lonely.」

I didn’t think it appeared on my face, but after seeing their reaction, they both acted as if they wanted to comfort me, so their looks changed to gentleness.

After seeing that purely benevolent reaction, I had nothing to say but I was happy deep down.

「I see, thanks, Minnalis and Shuria.」

I didn’t want to just have a fleeting relationship with them. Even if I was alone, I wanted to progress on that road to revenge.

However, it was no lie that doing it alone was hard.

That’s why deeply, deeply, so deep that it was like mixing clay and silt.No trust, no interests.

Just so there is no doubts, just so there is no back-stabbing, that type of relationship.

(However, I was happy about their feelings, and important those womanly parts that really stuck out of those two were two big melons and two small lemons, if you know what I mean. And it seems they’re indifferent to their own attractiveness in that manner, and that’s strange. No, maybe not indifferent, maybe they just don’t even sense it…)

No, I guess that’s more of a side benefit for me.

I mean, I am a man but it’s embarrassing to have these carnal lusts mixed in with me liking them.

I mean, can I even say this all? If I do anything in an attempt to comfort myself, it ends up sounding like some erotic story from me as a pervert, and if I shut up about it, even then I would seem to be a quiet yet dishonorable lecher.

Then, I noticed a blush come over the two girls’ faces.

…Maybe it’s…a part of what they think is comforting? Maybe they want it to happen, but they’re embarrassed about it. Something like that?

N…no…I’m just throbbing with the want to tease them.

If I say something about it now, I’m going to be trashier than I could ever imagine.

(Well, trash is trash regardless. You’re just raising it to a higher level of trash.)

「Ah, cough. Sorry for making you listen to such a long story. Anyway, let’s go to sleep. We’re getting close to our goal now, anyway.」

Saying that I stood up, and then got into the expensive sleeping bag I bought at Ermia.

In other words, I put my choice command aside.

「If so, perhaps I should exercise off this food with a little hunting of magical beasts?」

「Okay, then take me with you. I’m not tired either.」

「Ok, I see. But, make sure you come back in one piece.」

「I will, master.」

「Roger that!」

Minnalis lifted her skirt in a cute curtsy while Shuria bowed a bit with one hand up in a quick salute.

「We’ll be back soon!」

「See you!」

Then the two disappeared into the woods.

「…did that Minnalis really become a maid? Maybe it’s because of the equipment? 」

Since she changed her equipment, Minnalis’ behavior became more and more like a maid’s. One reason was because her clothes looked like a maid’s, but her attitude, expressions, tone and words she chose also seemed to change to be like one as well.

I kind of understood why, but why she started to talk like one was still a mystery.