Cleanup - 5
The world spun in dizzying circles. ‘Aaaaaah!’ What the hell is happening? What is this?
Isabel’s mind was a tangled mess, but time marched on regardless.
“Hungry?”
Leoric approached and gently took the luggage from her hands. Before the startled Isabel could even protest, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Tired?”
“Huh? Ah, no… not really.”
“Come on, this way.”
“L-Leoric, sir?”
The gentle push from behind forced her to take a step forward. What on earth is going on? Leoric watched her obvious confusion and smiled with his eyes.
The reason Leoric was here was simple. They were supposed to meet anyway because of the report, and he had a separate proposal regarding future matters. While he was at it, he’d grown curious about her house and had come to take a quiet look.
In his opinion, the house was a bit large for a single woman living alone, but considering her income, it was actually on the smaller side. After that thought, he gave the place a thorough once-over.
A man sneaking into a woman’s house to inspect it? Yeah, that’s pretty much a crime. But there was no one who could punish him for it. Or rather, the victim herself was the one currently being led around by him.
Leoric inspected the house without a shred of shame. What he discovered were the books in what appeared to be her study.
Literature existed in this world too. It wasn’t as ridiculously expensive as in some medieval stories, though it was still costly. And then there were genre novels. Light, easy-to-read stories—not the highbrow literary works or aristocratic prose—had gained decent popularity among wealthy commoners and even some nobles.
Of course, no one in Franz Castle actually read them.
Every single book filling her study was a romance novel. From the unbearably saccharine ones to the tooth-rottingly sweet variety. Leoric had opened the first one, gotten goosebumps, and immediately closed it. He tried another. Same thing. In the end, the entire study was packed with nothing but romance novels and books related to love.
That was when a fun idea occurred to him.
First, he sent away the people who had followed him. When he told them he’d be staying the night, they withdrew without a word. They were probably camping nearby, but he decided not to worry about that for now.
Leoric rolled up his sleeves and cleaned the house from top to bottom. Well, “cleaned” was a bit of an exaggeration—he simply used his magic power to tidy everything perfectly. He sterilized the place with solar magic, ventilated the air, and neatly organized the laundry. Then he sent the kid waiting outside to buy some food.
Unfortunately, having been reborn in this world, he had never once cooked a meal. There was nothing he could do about that.
So what greeted Isabel when she stepped inside was a small table for one person, completely covered with steaming hot dishes.
“Th-this is…!”
“Ah, are you the type who washes up the moment you get home? Sorry. I figured it’d be better to eat before the food got cold.”
“N-no, that’s not it, but…”
Before the still-dazed Isabel could regain her senses, he helped her out of her outer coat. As she unconsciously followed his guidance and removed it, her usual form-fitting outfit that made movement easy clung to her body, revealing her figure.
He guided her to a chair and sat her down.
“Sorry, I don’t know how to cook, so I bought everything from outside.”
“N-not at all…”
Their eyes met while she was still visibly flustered. When Leoric gave her a gentle smile, Isabel’s face flushed bright red.
Having seen her taste in reading material, it seemed she had given up on being domestic herself. There were a few books on that subject for practice, but most of the romance novels she owned—and the ones with the most obvious signs of frequent reading—featured working women who supported their men. Since it wasn’t an impossible story if one had magic power, he supposed it made sense.
“Here, eat this too.”
“Th-thank you…”
Seeing Isabel frozen like a rusty machine, Leoric speared a piece with a fork and brought it to her lips. After meeting his eyes and hesitating several times with her face still burning red, she finally parted her lips slightly and accepted the forkful.
When Leoric smiled softly at the sight, she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Completely conquered.
Leoric Franz smiled inwardly. She’s almost completely mine now.
“Y-yes?”
“Go wash up.”
“W-wash up?”
“Yeah. What, you don’t usually wash?”
“N-no! Of course I do! …I-I’ll go wash then.”
Her face was still dyed bright red. Isabel looked down at the clothes in her hands—underwear and comfortable sleepwear. When she had received them from Leoric’s hands, she had genuinely thought she might die of embarrassment.
Stepping into the bathroom, she noticed it felt strangely spotless. She always cleaned thoroughly, but the entire atmosphere felt different. She tilted her head in confusion before realizing what it was.
The warm light that filled the bathroom—no, the entire house.
Leoric’s solar magic…
That day still came vividly to mind. The moment she and the knight who served him, Chloe, had arrived and witnessed his radiant, brilliant figure. It wasn’t just beautiful—it was sacred. Isabel pressed a hand to her pounding chest.
Aah…!
The sensation of his magic power wrapping around her body. Just being near it filled her with ecstasy. She wanted to stay by his side forever. She wanted to serve him for eternity.
But did someone like her—a mere adventurer—have the right to wish for that?
Shaaaaaaa!
The water poured out. It was warm. Even with such devices installed, had it always performed this well? It must all be thanks to what Leoric had prepared.
As she washed her body, Isabel suddenly glanced at the bath products stored in the corner.
“Mmm…”
It wasn’t that she neglected her appearance. She had plenty of small scars across her body, but she refused to give up on that part of herself. So she kept both everyday care products and expensive ones bought for special occasions. That was the box she reached for now.
Just in case. Just maybe.
Since he had come all the way to her house today… there might be… that kind of situation…
With a serious expression, Isabel scrubbed her body thoroughly. Every inch. Vigorously.
“You’re back?”
“Y-yes.”
With white steam still rising from her skin, Isabel emerged from the bathroom. The sight of a freshly washed woman with slightly flushed, soft-looking skin was beautiful.
I smiled and reached out to her.
“Come here.”
“…Yes, understood.”
I watched as Isabel approached cautiously with her head lowered at my gesture. Her fingertips fiddled with the hem of her clothes in embarrassment. When she reached my side, she sat down carefully.
The distinctive scent of someone who had just bathed tickled my nose.
“What do you usually do after this?”
“W-well… after dinner, it usually splits into two patterns. Sometimes I move my body a bit more before washing, or I read a book after washing and then go to sleep.”
“I see.”
This world had neither TV nor the internet. No matter how advanced it was, there were many inconveniences. Especially for commoners, who had far fewer forms of entertainment than nobles like me. Unless they were drinking with comrades or friends, most commoners would probably just kill a little time after dinner and go straight to bed.
But for couples, or men and women in romantic relationships, there was one other form of entertainment.
Slide.
I placed my hand on Isabel’s shoulder. She flinched violently, hesitated for a moment, then timidly leaned her body against mine.
The scent of a woman who had just bathed filled my senses. It was a pleasant aroma no matter how many times I smelled it. My fingers resting on her shoulder brushed against her damp hair.
“Isabel.”
“…Yes?”
I lifted her chin as she answered in a small, embarrassed voice. Her face was bright red, and her eyes glistened with moisture. Even with the scar, her wild, untamed beauty could not be hidden.
“I’m leaving Franz and heading to Muller. Of course, it’s not like I’ll never come back.”
Looking into her eyes, I slowly drew closer. Close enough that our breaths mingled. Her face filled my vision—large eyes, a straight nose, crimson lips. I took in every detail, slowly.
“Won’t you come with me?”
“Ah…”
Wait, maybe that line was a bit off for this atmosphere.
“As you know, I like women. Especially beautiful ones like you.”
“Leoric… sir.”
I gazed at her trembling pupils.
“Become my woman.”
“Hic!”
Tears welled up in Isabel’s eyes as she nodded. We had made physical contact several times before, but it had always been from an overwhelmingly dominant position. She had definitely developed some affection toward me, though at first she had been truly terrified.
“If… if someone like me is acceptable…”
“If a beautiful woman like you says something like that, what are the ordinary women supposed to do? And what man could possibly dislike you?”
I pressed my lips to her red ones. It was less a kiss and more just touching mouths, but—
“Ah!”
Isabel’s face burned even redder as she grew shy. In that moment, her disheveled clothes shifted, revealing patches of her skin. Feeling my gaze, she flinched and instinctively tried to shrink back before stopping herself.
Her pale white skin and average-sized breasts began to peek out teasingly.
“Is that okay?”
“…Yes. I am now Leoric’s woman, after all.”
How admirable.
I lifted her body and stood up.
“Then shall we head to the bedroom?”
Nod nod!
Holding the embarrassed Isabel in my arms, I walked slowly toward the room.