Ep.6 - Secretly.. (1)
Ep.6 - Secretly.. (1)
***
Thankfully,
Riko didn't stubbornly push through the five chakjeong sessions she'd been aiming for.
We'd already spent so much time on deep kissing that there wasn't much she could do about it.
"Act like nothing happened. Naturally."
Riko whispered in my ear.
Walking in her arms, I nodded a few times silently, then rejoined the group.
"Die! Diee! Diiiie! Don't mess with the professorrr!"
"Chichi, you piece of...!"
"I said I didn't do it...!"
"Sir Neva! Deal with the little wench first! Why are you just taking hits!"
They were still fighting.
The only ones casting glances my way were Riko, who'd just had that secret encounter with me moments ago, and...
"..."
the Archbishop, enjoying another cigar.
Her piercing eyes bothered me strangely.
But I wasn't the only one bothered, it seemed,
because Riko stepped in front of me and blocked Helen's gaze.
"Those bastards are still kicking up a fuss."
The Archbishop swept her gaze over Riko, brushing aside both her stare and her dagger. Helen's eyes, which had been on me, now locked onto Riko, and Riko's eyes met hers...
Their gazes collided.
"What're you looking at?"
Under the Archbishop's sticky stare, Riko glared, but utterly unconcerned by the threat, Helen simply beamed a smile.
"Even considering it was an urgent call of nature, you took rather long, that's all."
Thick cigarette smoke leaked out to match her smiling mouth.
Helen was a woman whose inner thoughts were utterly unreadable.
"W-whatever, so can you go stop those people now? You've just been sitting there watching the whole time?"
"Because going at each other heatedly like that would be more satisfying for them than if I intervened."
Well, sure, a knock-down drag-out fight is better than a petty squabble,
but Neva noona and Eva-ssi are practically going for the kill, and we're just leaving them to it...?
"Do not worry."
Helen spoke kindly, as if she'd read my inner thoughts.
"Even if their heads get cut off, I can bring them back to life."
Ah, yes...
Impressive.
------------------------------
The long, drawn-out dispute ended with Chichi and Eva's victory.
Neva couldn't even properly throw a punch at Chichi, whom her little sister cherished.
Because the moment she raised her fist to swing, Eva would rush in like she was going to kill her and chomp down on Neva's arm, obstructing her.
Neva couldn't bring herself to throw a punch and just meekly let Eva beat on her.
"Now, everyone please calm down..."
And so now, with the Neva-Eva sisters tightly bound and Chichi left untouched,
we were diligently walking toward our next destination, trying to shake off the infighting among us.
"I'll mediate. Got it?"
Bad feelings had to be shaken off quickly.
I approached the sisters perched on Chichi's broom and spoke up.
"First... Eva-ssi, my name is Delin. We've come together to travel to God's Garden, on the Demon Continent."
Eva's eyes, youthful in appearance, turned toward me.
Though she was holding back tears as if deeply wronged and resentful, she thankfully engaged in conversation.
"God's Garden, you say?"
"Uh, yes..."
"There's no such thing. There isn't."
"No! They say there is. Helen-ssi over there told us so."
Helen waved her hand with a benevolent smile. We looked at her for a moment, then resumed our conversation.
"Helen-ssi is the Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom. She can see the future through precognitive dreams, so you can trust her."
"Why are you going there?"
Hm.
At that sharp question, I was momentarily at a loss for words and looked at the others,
but Riko, Kaede, and Chichi just nodded slightly.
Well, I guess.
If we're going to be traveling together anyway, I should tell her...
"Well, you see... we're kind of being chased? Our situation has really gone to shit. So we're going to God's Garden to resolve it..."
"..."
Eva sniffled—*sniff*—and jerked her head away sharply.
Looks like she doesn't find us agreeable. Mm. But I had to say more.
"Ah, the entire Albator Kingdom is chasing us... because we had a bit of a... falling out with the queen over there..."
"What did you say...?"
The head that had turned sharply away now faced me again.
As if she'd heard something she wasn't supposed to, Eva stared at me with wide, round eyes,
and it was almost as if those eyes were saying:
"Are you insane!?"
Ah.
She didn't just say it with her eyes—she actually spat it out.
"L-let me go right now! Why do I have to be dragged into this!"
She's too young to handle the fierce saga of being chased by an entire nation, I suppose.
I don't want to bring trouble to a girl who looks barely middle-school age, but there's no choice...
"S-sorry. I can't send you away. Just travel with us!"
"Are you insane! Nooo! Noo! Professorrr!!"
Seeing her stomp her feet on Chichi's broom, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
But there truly was no choice. We had to continue this kidnapping-like companionship.
Because...
"Hey. You're being taken along because your sister threw a goddamn fit to take you, so just shut up and follow."
...Riko stated the reason on my behalf.
It wasn't a lie. Neva had tirelessly tried to bring Eva along.
But all of us, except Helen and Eva, knew the real reason.
The Save&Load ability given to me,
the strange connection with the queen that arose from it,
and the pitiable circumstances of a girl exposed within that connection to dangers she didn't even know about.
"And stop your whimpering. Nothing's more annoying than a woman who whines. Cause a scene one more time and..."
Riko strode over and glared at Eva.
How could she possibly withstand that fierce gaze?
"H-hiik!"
Eva turned pale and was reduced to a docile little lamb, trembling pitifully.
Looking at that sight, I felt utterly sorry. No, this is too much!
She's a kid; she can whine a little.
"Noona, don't be so harsh. She's still young."
"Being young makes everything okay? When I was her age, I'd already made a name for myself. Just walking down the street, everyone knew to lower their eyes first."
"Hm? That's not particularly something to brag about, is it...?"
Riko shot a glare at Kaede, who was running her mouth without a clue.
Clearly Riko would be at a disadvantage in a fight, but looking at her actions, she was a far cry from backing down a step or reading the room.
Aside from fixing her ankle, she'd never submitted to Kaede or bowed her head.
"Philmark, you need to work on tempering that personality of yours! I'll personally help you, so join in when we occasionally do waterfall training. Is fostering a pure heart not the very duty of one born into this world?"
"You're spouting complete bullshit—"
As if disgusted, Riko picked at her ear and widened her distance from Kaede. To her, Neva or Kaede preaching about nobility and such were nothing but nauseating hypocrites.
Smug bastards who didn't give a shit about a world that wasn't even enough for them to claim their own share. Slick-talking bastards who were all surface and no substance.
'At this rate they're gonna fight again...'
Of course, from my perspective, it was just fussy behavior that made me anxious. I wish they'd just get along...
There might be people out there who enjoy watching women catfight, but seeing this up close, I was genuinely so scared I was trembling.
Watching this, anyone who'd say
[Eeh—? Why are you fighting—?]
like male protagonists in comics are definitely psychopaths or morons. For real.
"Delin, worry not! I, Kaede, will take care of everything."
Kaede, flaunting an innocent charm surpassing even those male protagonists, whispered into my ear.
"Women are all naturally like that. She looks terribly upset after losing to me, but if we tip back a few glasses and speak frankly from the heart, it will soon be resolved."
Good lord.
Is this person seriously this clueless...?
I guess plot developments in comics and novels aren't improbably stupid after all. Well, even back when I lived on Earth, all sorts of bizarre things happened, so whatever...
"P-please don't cause trouble and don't provoke her further. Okay...?"
"Cause trouble, what do you mean? Anyway, just trust this Kaede! I consider fostering camaraderie among team members to also be the duty of a leader. Put your worries aside!"
Haah...
Kaede is genuinely kind and simple-hearted, but she's a tiring type in many ways. Watching her retreating figure, her tail gently swaying, as if she was planning to prepare future strategies, I was utterly speechless.
Of course, it's better than the other noonas taking the lead, but...
'It's only this manageable because Kaede took the lead. If someone else had...'
The ones requiring extra caution, in particular, were Riko and Neva.
If those two, who had pushed against me as if they'd devour me, were to take the lead, I couldn't even predict how things would unfold.
I had to maintain the balance.
If the power balance collapsed, the noonas would all undoubtedly fight to the death.
I had to prevent such a tragedy.
So, I'd delay enhancing Riko as much as possible!
And, I'd delay the other noonas reaching a soul bond state as much as possibl—
"...Hiik!?"
"Shh."
W-what the hell, all of a sudden...!
A hand inside my pants...!