God of Harmony, Grant Me Strength
"Hands off, you pointy-eared bitch, before I kill you."
Airi's words froze the air solid. Camellia was clearly a little past seventy, yet here was Airi spitting venom at someone more than four times her age. And "pointy-eared"? That was blatant racial—no, species—discrimination. Since Camellia was a half-elf, "half pointy-ear" would have been the more accurate slur. In other words, even from an elf-hating perspective, the insult was technically inaccurate.
Inside my head, Master Confucius, Martin Luther King, and General Garitos were all screaming at the top of their lungs. This is against etiquette. Discrimination is wrong. This is not how you discriminate against elves.
At Airi's threat, Camellia finally released my collar.
"What an excellently-mannered disciple you have, Werner."
That was one hundred percent sarcasm. The verbal equivalent of a slow clap and a condescending well done, sweetie.
Camellia handed me the pouch containing the reward we'd agreed upon.
"The compensation we promised. As for that other matter, I'll give you a little more time. Think carefully before you answer."
With those words, Camellia walked toward the café's front door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, then suddenly hurled a slash of sword energy straight at me. For a split second I wondered why she was taking her anger out on innocent little me instead of Airi. But the slash vanished right before it reached the tip of my nose.
"Hmph... So you noticed, yet you still put on that innocent act."
Noticed what? I just know how terrifying you are, lady.
Camellia left one final warning as she stepped out of the café.
"I overlooked it this once because you are our leader's child. There will not be a next time. Remember that."
Werner's house. It was late at night, long after a tardy dinner, with the moon hanging high in the sky.
Airi slammed her palm on the dining table and exploded.
"Master! Just who the hell was that elf woman?!"
"Who else? She's your father's friend and the big sister who looked after me."
"Grabbing my master by the collar... I really, really hate her!"
"Pretty sure Camellia feels the exact same way about you."
In Dragnity Fantasy 2, Camellia had acknowledged Airi's talent but never warmed up to her. That made sense—she'd watched the girl get Werner killed, after all.
"Oh my, so my dear disciple actually likes her master this much? This is news to me."
"Of course I like you."
Excuse me? If your father heard that line, I'm pretty sure my head would be rolling across the floor right about now.
"Airi, wait, what do you—"
"I don't have any friends. My father and mother have all left me now... So Master is my friend, my parent, and also..."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Just stop crying."
Tears were already welling up in Airi's eyes. Right. Of course she meant it in the teacher-and-student way. That was normal. The age gap between us was twelve years, after all.
"So Master... you must never, ever leave my side."
"Yeah, I wasn't planning to."
I have zero intention of dying, and I fully intend to camp right next to you until your parents come back.
"No matter what happens. Pinky promise."
"Fine, I got it."
With no other choice, I hooked my pinky with Airi's to seal the promise.
"If you break it, I'll cut this finger off immediately."
What are you, a yakuza?
"Our disciple is so scary that I won't be able to date any girls in peace."
"Don't date them."
"Huh?"
This isn't even yandere territory anymore. Who are you to micromanage my entire social life? This is straight-up Misery syndrome.
"Master is a pushover... If you meet the wrong woman, you'll definitely get taken advantage of. So stay right next to me at all times."
"Hey, this master of yours is not a pushover, okay?"
The real pushover was you in the original story, Airi.
"You are a pushover, Master. The kind who would throw away his life for others... and still smile while doing it."
Wow, her character analysis is scarily accurate. How did someone that perceptive get fooled so many times?
"Sigh... Fine, fine. I'll try to restrain myself."
"Good boy."
Then Airi reached out and stroked my head. The hard band of the ring on her finger pressed against my scalp. Come to think of it, where had I seen that ring before?
"By the way, Airi, what exactly is that ring?"
Did I see it in the official four-panel manga...? Or was it in one of the DLC chapters...?
"It's just a ring, silly."
Airi lightly tapped my forehead with the red gem set into the ring. My forehead felt strangely warm, but I told myself it was just my imagination.
"Guess I was overthinking it. Go to bed early."
"But today my cute disciple got so scared after meeting that woman this morning... Can we sleep together?"
"Don't act spoiled. Since when does a grown young lady demand to share a bed?"
I gave her a firm flick on the forehead. This was Werner's revenge for all the cracked skulls he'd suffered.
"Hng... Then Master should go to sleep soon too."
"Yeah, I'll head up when I'm ready. Good night, Airi."
Airi climbed the stairs to the second floor. Come to think of it, why is the protagonist's room always on the second floor? Some kind of cliché?
While I was lost in those random thoughts, a single bird suddenly flew in through the window. What kind of bird flies around at this hour? Then I noticed a small note tied to its leg.
I untied the note and read the message inside.
Scorpion Tail Tavern. Come immediately. —Camellia—
She said she'd give me time, but this was ridiculously short notice. People with long lifespans sure know how to give short deadlines. The ones who already have everything are always the most demanding.
Outside the Scorpion Tail Tavern. A man stumbled out, supporting his fallen friends.
"I told you not to mess with sword-swinging elves. Why'd you have to go and leer at her, you idiots..."
I could guess what happened. These guys had probably tried to hit on Camellia and gotten absolutely wrecked. Still, she hadn't killed them, so they should spend the rest of their lives thanking their lucky stars.
With a creak, I opened the door and immediately spotted the person I was looking for. Long black hair, pointed ears, and a stunning figure—Camellia wasn't exactly hard to pick out of a crowd.
I sat down across from her. Camellia, who had been staring at the table, slowly lifted her gaze to me.
"Werner..."
"Hey, sis. I'm here. What's this about?"
"Do you hate this big sister that much? This sister only has our Werner... hic..."
Ah. She was drunk. Come to think of it, the drama CD bundled with the game's first edition had portrayed her like this when she was wasted.
"Sis, are you drunk?"
"Obviously! I drank, so of course I'm drunk! If I wasn't drunk after drinking, that'd mean the alcohol was watered down and I'd have to kill everyone!"
The usual cool, collected Camellia had apparently been thrown to the dogs. Her face was flushed bright red as she scooted closer to me.
"I only did it because I was worried you'd get hurt, but you don't even understand your sister's feelings..."
"Yeah, yeah, I was wrong. Happy?"
"Then you'll come with this sister, right? Yes?"
"Uh, that's a bit..."
Camellia grabbed the bottle of rum on the table and started chugging it straight. The overflowing liquor traced the curve of her neck and disappeared between the valley of her breasts.
Holy shit. If I posted a screenshot of this on the gallery, it'd be an instant legendary thread.
"Does Werner hate being protected by us?"
"No, it's not that. It's just a little overwhelming."
I knew the party members from Dragnity Fantasy 1 still treated Werner like the baby of the group, but at twenty-nine years old, I didn't think I qualified as the "little brother" anymore.
"Werner, you once said I was like a sister to you..."
"I did."
Werner's hair color and eye color were strikingly similar to Camellia's actual younger sister. That was probably why she cherished him so much. Though now that I thought about it, the difference between having "it" and not having "it" was pretty significant.
"At first I thought of you as a little brother... so this time I wanted to protect you... It was just self-satisfaction. I wanted to protect you for my own sake."
"And now?"
She'll probably say something like "Now it's because we're comrades" or "because we're friends." Game characters are usually like that.
"Now... I don't really know myself."
"What?"
Camellia grabbed my cheek and forcibly turned my face toward hers. Her eyes were a slightly lighter blue than Werner's—like sky-blue crystals. My own face was reflected in them.
Man, she reeks of alcohol. How much did she drink?
"I thought of you as a little brother... but after seeing you again after so long, you've become a complete adult... Where did that cute little kid from before go...?"
Pretty sure that's not my fault. You should blame the twelve years of childcare stress Werner went through.
"Hey, Werner..."
"What is it, sis?"
"Have you ever slept with a woman?"
I was caught completely off guard. The original me was a virgin, and Werner had been too busy raising Airi to have time for women. So both of us were virgins. Ah, so that's why I ended up in Werner's body.
"Sis, why are you suddenly asking—"
I tried to change the subject since it was a sensitive topic.
"This sister is asking you a question. Didn't I tell you before not to answer a question with another question...?"
"Sigh... When would I have had the time? I've been busy taking care of our leader's daughter for twelve years."
"Really?"
Camellia looked strangely pleased. Is it that funny that your little brother has never even held a girl's hand? This is why you pointy-eared people...
"Then, Werner..."
"Sis... what now?"
"Then... do you want to sleep with this sister?"
Oh dear God, what the hell is happening? Didn't Camellia treat Werner like her precious little brother? So why is she suddenly trying to jump straight to the main event?