chapter_0153

The rice ball was held between her slender fingers, the grains glistening with a sheen, and the aroma wafting towards me was mouthwatering. The shape was almost perfect, aside from a slight indentation from her fingers.

Behind her, Leona’s face was even redder than before, as if she were about to burst at any moment.

“Huh, heyaak?!” Leona squealed as I took the rice ball from her, her body trembling at the sensation of my fingers in her mouth. I ignored her reaction and continued to chew, pulling my fingers out with the rice ball still attached.

It wasn’t intentional, but there was no other way to eat it without getting my fingers in the way, and it was Leona’s fault for using her fingers instead of chopsticks.

“Wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa…” Leona stammered, her eyes fixed on my lips as I chewed, her fingers still in my mouth. Her breathing was ragged, and her face was flushed beyond recognition.

After swallowing the rice ball, I asked, “It’s delicious. Did you make this?”

“Uh, yeah! I mean, no! It’s not mine!” Leona exclaimed, her face contorting as she realized her mistake.

She had confidently presented her creation, only to accidentally give herself away. I smiled inwardly, knowing that she had no chance of succeeding with such an obvious tell.

“……” Aria seemed to be debating whether to continue with the plan, her expression serious.

Since the truth was already out, there was no point in continuing, but I felt a little bad for Aria, so I decided to give her a chance as well.

“Well, if you say so, Aria? You should do the same since you denied it,” I said, a playful smile on my face.

“Yes… yes, of course, Mir Mira,” Aria said, her face brightening slightly as she picked up a rice ball from the other side of the row. She approached me with a shy smile, her face flushed, and offered her hand, just as I had done with Leona.

“Heu, heuheuu…” Leona’s reaction was even more exaggerated this time, her body trembling as she watched my lips wrap around Aria’s fingers.

‘This is a fresh feeling,’ I thought. It was a surprisingly innocent reaction, one that I wouldn’t expect from the other girls possessed by the novel’s characters.

Priscilla, of course, would be all for it, and Rosalia would likely enjoy the situation as well. Laura and Elysier probably wouldn’t be far behind, and as for the Chairman… I didn’t even want to imagine it.

“This one’s delicious too,” I said, swallowing the rice ball.

“Tha, thank you,” Aria replied, her smile widening. She seemed to have given up on hiding her feelings, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Why are you thanking me?” I asked, a hint of amusement in my voice.

“……Because… well, to make you confused?” Aria said, her voice trailing off.

Her expression didn’t match her words, and it was clear that she wasn’t being entirely truthful.

In the end, Leona failed to achieve her goal again. I had simply played along, pretending to be fooled by her denial, but I had correctly guessed which rice balls were hers.

“Your cooking skills have improved a lot. If you hadn’t self-destructed, it would’ve been hard to guess,” I said, a playful tone in my voice.

“……Just forget about it, Mira. Otherwise, I might die of embarrassment,” Leona said, her cheeks still flushed.

Despite her failure, she didn’t seem discouraged at all. Both Leona and Aria spent the rest of the meal blushing furiously, their faces a constant shade of crimson.

After lunch, we spent some time by the lake, dipping our feet in the water, walking around the perimeter, and even creating a makeshift aquarium by parting the lake to observe the fish within.

By the time we returned to the village, it was almost evening. The time spent outdoors had helped to ease the tension, and the girls’ faces were no longer flushed with embarrassment.

“We’ve decided to display the Kobold King’s head in the center of the village, where the first well used to be. It’s a fitting tribute to its rarity and value,” Wilhelm said, explaining their decision regarding the Kobold King’s head.

“And since your contribution might be overlooked, we plan to engrave your name and achievements on a steel alloy plaque to be preserved alongside it,” he continued.

“That’s not necessary. Just spread the story orally,” I said, a hint of amusement in my voice.

‘I immediately objected to the idea of engraving my name and the details of who killed it in steel, so they dropped the idea. Leona’s father seemed a bit disappointed, though’ I thought, recounting the decision regarding the Kobold King’s head.

We then headed to Aria’s house, where we finally had the chance to meet her parents.

“Welcome, come in,” Aria’s father greeted us warmly.

“Make yourself at home, Mir Mira. We’ve heard about your deeds, so please stay as long as you like,” Aria’s mother added, her voice kind and gentle.

In a nutshell, Aria’s parents were the embodiment of kindness and goodness, and it was no wonder that Aria had grown up to be such a sweet and innocent person. Like Leona’s parents, Aria’s mother bore no resemblance to her father, her genes seemingly absent from Aria’s appearance.

“Please take care of our Aria, Mir Mira. She may have her shortcomings, but she has many wonderful qualities as well,” Aria’s mother said, taking my hand in a motherly gesture.

“Mom… stop it, you’re embarrassing me,” Aria said, her face reddening as she tugged on her mother’s sleeve, perhaps forgetting what she had done by the lakeside.

.

.

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I stayed in the village for about a week, spending time with Leona and Aria and keeping an eye out for any signs of the Demon God’s miasma.

Contrary to their complaints about how boring it was to live here for ten years, Leona and Aria couldn’t hide their joy as they spent time with me, their smiles never fading.

It was obvious why they had enjoyed their village life in the original story—they just hadn’t said it out loud.

“……Today’s the last day, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s a shame.”

The week had flown by, and as the news of my departure spread, the entire village was abuzz.

Not only had the story of my involvement in the kobold incident spread, but my constant presence with Leona and Aria had piqued the villagers’ curiosity.

“Wow, you’ve got a lot of luggage there. Seems like everyone took a shine to you, Mira,” the coachman commented as he surveyed the mountain of luggage.

“A little?” I replied, amused.

The luggage filled the cargo hold and spilled over into the passenger area, taking up all the seats except for the one I was sitting on. It was only with the help of enhancement magic that we were able to fit everything in.

The coachman had initially objected, worried that the horses would tire easily with such a heavy load, but when I promised to triple his pay and cast an enhancement spell on them, he readily agreed.

We were able to enter the village during the day this time, unlike when we had arrived at night, when it would have been too dangerous to navigate the forest path by carriage.

“Aren’t you coming with us, dear?” Aria’s mother asked, her voice soft.

“No, I’ll stay here. It’s already decided, Mom,” Aria replied, her voice steady.

I couldn’t hear what they were whispering, but I assumed it was something along the lines of not wanting to hold me back.

“Work hard, Aria. I know you won’t lose to anyone,” Aria’s father said, his voice filled with encouragement.

“……” I felt a twinge of guilt as I overheard their conversation. It was generous of them not to get upset about their daughter seeing multiple partners in a row.

As I stepped outside to bid them farewell, Leona and Aria waved goodbye with pure smiles on their faces.

“See you later. Take care,” I said.

“When will you be back?”

“When will you be back?”

“……Whenever there’s an opportunity and time?”

I waved back awkwardly, and the carriage began its journey. Leona and Aria continued to wave until I was out of sight.

Thanks to the enhancement magic, the carriage traveled without stopping and soon arrived at the city we had departed from. After paying the promised fee and unloading the mountain of luggage with magic, a large carriage pulled up nearby.

“I apologize for the delay, young master. I should have left as soon as I received the message,” the driver said, his voice respectful.

“I came early, so it’s fine. Good timing.” Beatrice said, stepping out of the golem carriage. She rarely showed surprise, but the mountain of luggage seemed to have caught even her off guard.

“As you predicted, I’ll help as well,” she said, her eyes scanning the piles of luggage.

“I gathered a lot of things along the way. It just ended up like this,” I said, a bit embarrassed. “Where’s Eustera? Didn’t she come with you?”

Beatrice, despite her reservations about Nika, was a stickler for professionalism and wouldn’t have come alone without her role as my maid.

“Young master, she left alone because of a certain reason. There was an urgent matter in the demon world, and although I sent her away, I didn’t expect her to be gone this long. I apologize, young master,” Beatrice explained, her tone serious.

It seemed that the matter involved the succubus incident. With the Elder Lich gone, it was only natural for some of the demons to start acting up again, seeking to fill the power vacuum.

“How long has it been?” I asked, a bit concerned.

“Exactly five days and 21 hours,” she replied.

I was a bit surprised. It had been longer than I expected. I had stayed in the village for a week, so Nika must have left for the demon world right after we departed from the mansion, and she still hadn’t returned.

‘I hope nothing serious happened,’ I thought.

Nika staying in the demon world for so long wasn’t a good sign. It implied that the situation was beyond the capabilities of her subordinates and had been ongoing for quite some time.

“I’m back, Master. I’m sorry I took so long…” Nika said, her voice weary and her face drawn as she offered a weak smile. Even Beatrice, usually full of enthusiasm for training, seemed at a loss for words.

“It’s fine. Something must have happened. What’s going on?” I asked, my tone gentle.

Nika’s amber eyes glanced at Beatrice, who quietly closed the door and left us alone. Nika continued her explanation, her voice softer than usual.

“Six days ago, Dullahan came to our castle, demanding that I bring you to him. Or rather, your other self,” Nika said, her eyes downcast.

That alone wouldn’t have kept her away for so long. I waited patiently for her to continue.

“He had a demon sword,” Nika said, her voice steady.

“Wait. A demon sword? The real one, not a replica made by the Elder Lich?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.

Nika nodded. “Yes, it was the real thing. I could feel the same energy from it as I did from Astaroth.”

“……Go on.”

“At first, he demanded that I bring you to him, and when I said you weren’t there, he attacked my subordinates. By the time I arrived, it was already too late. I managed to gather the remaining ones and barely escaped,” Nika said, her voice strained.