Chapter 111 — Borrowing a Cat's Paw (3)
Chapter 111 — Borrowing a Cat's Paw (3)
"Hehe. Beastmen are more faithful to their instincts than we are, after all. Even so, to do such a thing before His Majesty... In a sense, she's remarkable."
Grünent laughed for a long time after hearing about the "observation" that had taken place in the office that day.
"And His Majesty, who indulged it, is far too generous a person as well."
As she said this, Grünent's eyes were practically dripping honey as she looked at Roan.
Rauka, who in the past would have scolded Grünent for such behavior or shot her a disapproving glare,
now simply nodded silently.
Her Affection had climbed on its own and was now at +50.
Since their intimacy in the cave, she seemed to have developed feelings akin to romantic affection for me.
Now she would basically view everything I did through an Affection filter.
Starting from -100... it had been a long journey.
I felt gratified, but I could not simply feel good since there was something I needed to tell them.
Once I said it, Rauka would be upset.
"Rauka. How is your condition?"
Rauka's face flushed red.
Grünent pretended not to see and naturally averted her gaze elsewhere,
but Roan realized.
That Grünent already knew Rauka had been intimate with him.
"I'm fine now. My mana is normal too."
"Did anyone convey a warning to you? That you must not use magic in that place."
"What...?"
Rauka's face filled with shock.
She was not the only one surprised.
"A place where magic must not be used? Then what about you, Master?"
Helen looked ready to jump to her feet in alarm, trying to check my condition instead.
"I used almost no magic. It was Rauka who used magic first, fighting the Cave Worm."
"What does it mean, that you mustn't use magic? Your Majesty."
"It is said that using magic there accelerates mana depletion. The risk of Mana Dissipation also increases. It seems to be something we must keep in mind should we need to visit that cave again."
Rauka's expression, which had been tense as she listened to the explanation, crumpled badly.
"I..."
"Rauka. I'm glad you returned alive."
Grünent offered words of comfort to soothe her, but Rauka shook her head, seemingly feeling a sense of shame.
"I suppose I'm not a proper forest elf after all."
"Even humans each possess different knowledge. On the other hand, is there a forest elf who knows us humans or His Majesty as well as Rauka?"
Grünent spoke gently.
Rauka, who had glanced my way without thinking, relaxed her expression a little.
I had already prepared a gift, anticipating that Rauka would blame herself once I gave the warning about the cave.
"Grünent."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"If you have no objections, I would like to undo all the seals on Rauka's power once we return to Basel."
Rauka's eyes widened at the unexpected remark.
Grünent nodded with a bright smile.
"If Rauka, my escort, becomes stronger, I would welcome it even more. Your Majesty."
"That settles it, then. Rauka."
"Is it... really alright now?"
Half joy and half bewilderment, Rauka looked back and forth between me and Grünent.
"I think it is fine."
"I agree as well."
Grünent looked at Roan with warm eyes.
"You have finally accepted Rauka entirely, Your Majesty."
Then she spoke to Rauka.
"See, Rauka? I told you His Majesty was a good person. You can't deny it now, can you?"
Her eyes curved gently with a smile, but a strangely fervent light swirled within her blue irises.
Rauka nodded, looking away as if embarrassed.
Grünent's voice lifted with joy.
"Gentle by day, and by night, he grants pleasure and grace. You too have finally become able to accept all of His Majesty's favor, Rauka."
"Huh? Grünent, what..."
Rauka's eyes went perfectly round.
But beside them, Helen nodded enthusiastically at Grünent's words.
Truthfully, I was a little taken aback by Grünent's words too.
When I stared at her, Grünent smiled softly.
"It's not that I lack the desire to monopolize someone so precious as His Majesty, but I know that it's impossible. Being able to guard even a part of His Majesty's side is already an undeserved joy for me."
"How did... you find out."
Rauka asked bluntly, her face flushed red. Grünent shrugged playfully.
"Ever since you came back from the cave, you couldn't hide how happy you were whenever His Majesty came up. One would have to be a fool not to notice."
"Are you... really okay with it?"
Rauka studied Grünent's expression.
"Rauka. You know His Majesty's charm, don't you? I think it would be unfair for one person to monopolize it."
Helen, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, nodded repeatedly and added a word.
"Master's beautiful figure is a valuable public treasure."
At that, Grünent and Rauka looked straight at my face with expressions of deep agreement.
Wh-when they look at me like that....
It's embarrassing....
"Anyway, Rauka. I'm so glad you've finally come to understand me. I'm relieved that you've regained your full strength, and that you seem freed from the need to hide."
Grünent smiled as if she were happy.
Her feelings, conveyed through the skill, were sincere.
Affection +85.
She might even feel a desire to become obsessed with me.
But practically speaking, it was impossible for one woman to monopolize me.
The human king already had multiple wives.
Grünent had grown up in an environment where that was taken for granted.
She probably regarded showing her possessiveness as a wifely vice and had converted that impulse into reverence, trying to assist me passionately.
The religious undertones that occasionally peeked through her words likely stemmed from that mindset.
As a political partner, as the operator of the trading company,
as a person who helped and managed the other women excluding the queen.
As a woman for the occasional "emergencies" she mentioned.
Because by doing so,
she could stay by my side longer.
That must be the technique for possessing me that her "Politics" skill had concluded for her.
She truly was brilliant.
And Rauka, having received this unexpected encouragement, wore an expression of emotion.
"Grünent... ...thank you."
A forest elf's life partner was only one, for a lifetime.
She probably had never expected this sort of reaction from Grünent at all.
It seemed she had rather been inwardly anxious about her relationship with me being discovered.
She knew that it was not a problem in the demon world for the emperor to take concubines, but acting against the common sense of her race, which she had considered natural her whole life, was a difficult thing.
Grünent took Rauka's hand.
"Don't mention it. I like you, Rauka."
At that, Rauka quietly stared down at that hand with a face full of emotion, then opened her mouth as if she had resolved something.
"My name isn't Rauka."
"...Pardon?"
Grünent's eyes widened at the sudden statement. Rauka turned to Grünent and Helen and spoke.
"Rauka is a nickname."
And she told them the story she had once told me while sitting on a wall.
The meaning her nickname carried.
That Rauka had despised herself, and so had accepted that name without a word.
Her real name.
"...I told His Majesty my real name, and got the chance to have my name called. And that's when I learned."
Rauka fixed her gaze on me with a face even more heated than before.
"That it makes me very happy when someone precious calls me by name."
At Rauka's confession, Roan's heart began to pound for no reason as well.
"...Oh my."
Seeing that, Grünent let out a small exclamation of admiration.
"Those are true words, Rauka. I too am overjoyed when my name is called."
Helen affirmed Rauka's words, nodding her head.
"So, Grünent, and Helen too.... I wanted you to use my name properly. Is that... alright?"
For some reason, Rauka seemed to be asking my permission.
Since I was the only one who had called Rauka by her real name, she felt sorry, as if she were taking away my privilege....
...that sort of emotion was conveyed to me through "Attentive Hearing."
"Of course there's no problem. Your feelings are what matter."
Roan readily gave his permission.
Helen, having learned Rauka's name, held a gentle smile on her sharp-featured face.
"Lady Aina... So it originally meant, 'angel.'"
"...You know the forest elf language?"
"Just a little."
"Aina. It's a pretty name."
At Grünent's compliment, Rauka smiled bashfully.
"My older sister gave it to me. When she saw how I looked at birth, she stubbornly insisted to our parents that this name had to be used."
I had the impression that forest elf families were like cold strangers, but it seemed there were exceptions when dealing with a child.
Hearing what could have been an embarrassing family story for Rauka, Grünent and Helen praised Rauka's beauty, saying it was understandable.
Grünent brought the conversation to a close with a joyful face.
"In any case, I am absolutely delighted that His Majesty has accepted Aina. Now we can keep our promise together."
"Promise?"
Grünent dropped the bomb with a laughing face to Rauka, who wore an expression of "was there such a thing?".
"You promised with Lisa, didn't you? To visit the bedchamber together."
"Pfft!"
Roan, who had been drinking tea, sprayed it out violently.
"When did you ever say such a thing, Lady Grünent!"
"It was before Helen arrived."
As Helen, who had been clinging to Roan's front to wipe away the sprayed tea, interrogated Grünent,
Grünent answered with a pout on her lips.
"Master. I also..."
Helen looked at Roan with a desperate expression.
Roan was flustered.
"...Wh-what is it.... Helen."
Helen clenched her fist inwardly.
Her flustered master was a rare sight.
And adorable!
Though she didn't show it, as Roan watched her Affection tick up by a tiny 1, he grew even more flustered.
'Five... five women in one bed...? Should I switch to a larger bed? No, the current one is large enough, but... Still, why did Helen's Affection rise?'
Grünent spoke teasingly.
"It's not something we can decide among ourselves, Helen. His Majesty must grant his permission."
'Haven't you all already decided it among yourselves?!'
Fortunately, his bewilderment showed outwardly only as a nonchalant expression.
A disturbance so slight that only someone like Helen, the sensitive knight who marked her master's every gesture, could notice it.
Watching Helen's subtly crestfallen expression, Roan hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Now that I think of it, it's time we returned to Basel."
"Yes. I heard from the knight a moment ago. We depart the day after tomorrow. We've just begun packing our luggage since this morning."
"There isn't much luggage. Whenever is fine."
Fortunately, Grünent and Helen, noticing the emperor's discomfort with the topic, followed his new thread of conversation.
"You will be terribly busy in the future, establishing the implementation of the armistice, so you must take care of your health first."
The delicate Grünent looked worriedly at Roan, who had 99 Health.
"Understood. And to reduce travel time, I'm thinking of using the Ruins facility. What do you think?"
Just send the luggage by carriage, while the women and I go by Waypoint.
Rauka, who got motion sickness, wore an uncomfortable expression at the mention of using the Waypoint, but Grünent and Helen looked glad.
A nearly week-long carriage journey was arduous.
They had agreed to pretend that the movement using the Waypoint was done via Rauka's magic.
It was in order to convince the many people needed for the journey. That way, even if the luggage was transported without us, they wouldn't think it strange.
I considered revealing the Ruins' function to the two Archdukes and the Chancellor, but I wanted to keep game-world information like that hidden for as long as possible.
Words could always leak somehow.
Until I could capture the Hero and place her before my own eyes, I wanted to take every possible precaution.
As for harvesting crystals, it seemed sufficient for the time being for me to secretly go fetch them whenever needed.
'I have to check for a reply to the note I left last time, so I'd have to use the Waypoint anyway.'
While Roan was lost in thought, Grünent spoke in an excited voice.
"It's already been nearly a month since we left the castle. Once we return quickly, everyone will be delighted. Your Majesty."
Grünent smiled brightly.
For Grünent, Rauka, and Helen, the castle in Basel had now become their new home.
Just as it had for me.
"Mm."
A place where, however briefly,
memories with my women were embedded.
They were going home. Roan nodded.