episode_0018

Some members of the militia, including Victor, followed Meisa as she was carried to the hospital, while others who had other tasks or had lost interest in the drama went back to headquarters or headed into town.

In front of the militia headquarters, a few militia members stood idly by, quietly smiling as they imagined Cantaloupe gently parting Eliza’s stomach with both hands, picking apart her ribs, and caressing her soft entrails, contemplating how to assist Eliza without her doing anything strange and always remaining cute. Among them, there was only Eliza, who was smiling brightly, unaware of the burning desire the other two harbored towards her.

“Um….”

Eliza spoke to Cantaloupe, who was absentmindedly playing with her hand.

Cantaloupe snapped out of his reverie of desire, hastily withdrawing his hand as if he didn’t know what he was holding.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to talk to you quickly.”

“Talk? Oh, I see. Victor….”

Cantaloupe was about to call for Victor to give orders but realized he had disappeared like magic and stopped speaking.

“Victor followed Meisa from the militia a while ago. But I wonder if Meisa is okay… She seemed completely unconscious.”

Eliza was worried about Meisa. It bothered her that Meisa had been complaining of headaches since yesterday.

“I heard from Victor that Meisa has been complaining of headaches frequently lately. It seems like a simple headache or a brain condition like a brain tumor, so I’m a bit worried.”

Cantaloupe expressed concern for Meisa with minimal courtesy. Deep down, he hoped for the day when Meisa would love him, even if she died and he could sell her body to the undertaker (Miss Marvel, the town’s only undertaker, was willing to sell her husband and children to the devil for money, and her mouth was so heavy that Cantaloupe’s sexual orientation was unlikely to count). He preferred being loved while alive, but there was too much risk in kidnapping and killing her prematurely.

It was even worse now that the capable chief of security was acting recklessly without knowing his place.

“Is that so… She said there’s no need to worry about just a simple headache…”

“If necessary, we can take her to Manchester for brain surgery. So don’t worry.”

“Well, that’s a relief… But… I think the hospital bills might be quite expensive.”

“Don’t worry too much, Elza. There are many residents in Libreville who will gladly help.”

“E-Elza….”

Eliza felt uncomfortable with the title that came out of Cantaloupe’s mouth.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t address you like that. I’ll call you Eliza if it bothers you.”

“No, it’s okay. You can call me however you feel comfortable.”

In reality, it was extremely uncomfortable, but Eliza didn’t show it to avoid upsetting Cantaloupe.

“Elza.”

Vine, who had been watching the two converse with their arms crossed, called out to Eliza.

“Eh! W-Why are you… doing this?”

Eliza replied meekly to Vine.

“Don’t you have something to apologize to me for?”

“…Ah.”

Eliza remembered what she had done to Vine.

‘Apologize to Vine… What was I thinking back then? I must have been completely insane.’

“I’m sorry! I must have been momentarily insane! I’ll do anything, please forgive me!”

Eliza bowed 90 degrees, offering a sincere apology.

“You’re not going to apologize properly like you would to a mouse?”

Vine arrogantly spoke to Eliza.

“Uh… Yes?”

Flustered, Eliza couldn’t find her words.

“Wait, didn’t you hit Elza first? I think it’s your side that should be apologizing.”

Cantelroop looked straight at Bine as he spoke. His fist still clad in knuckles and the revolver stuck in the holster were always ready to harm Bine.

“It’s not wrong what the mouse says. Bine, you should apologize for handling it roughly, even with brass knuckles.”

Eliza thought it was unexpected to see Bine apologizing obediently and said, “Is it over now? Elza, apologize again.”

Nevertheless, Bine thought of himself as Bine and, to comply with Bine’s demand, cleared his throat and opened his mouth, saying, “Serious Elza isn’t needed. I need cute Elza.”

Then he closed his mouth.

“Sit down for now.”

Without giving Eliza a chance to ask questions, Bine commanded her.

Eliza obediently sat on the floor.

“You should kneel.”

Again, Eliza obediently followed.

Bine comfortably sat on the floor, extended his right leg, and pressed his foot against Eliza’s face.

“Lick it.”

“What?”

Eliza screamed.

“Here? Like this? Really?”

There were still soldiers watching this farce.

“Can’t you do it?”

Bine coldly urged Eliza to lick while looking at her.

“Ugh…”

In truth, if she closed her eyes and forced herself, there was nothing she couldn’t do. Bine’s foot, usually barefoot, was clean without any injuries, and there was no foul smell. Instead, it emitted a fresh mushroom-like earthy scent.

When alone, she would have willingly licked it without feeling embarrassed, but there were too many eyes watching now.

“What are you thinking…”

“Quiet, mouse.”

Bine looked up at Cantelroop and spoke. His eyes were filled with animosity towards Cantelroop.

“…Cantelroop, I’m fine.”

Eliza swallowed her saliva and objected to Cantelroop.

“See? Elza says she’s fine. So, mouse, behave yourself and just watch quietly. Unless you want to die.”

Bine said to Cantelroop with a strangely triumphant expression.

“I’m sorry, Elza.”

Cantelroop stepped back, swallowing his anger and a hint of jealousy.

“It’s okay.”

Eliza smiled at Cantelroop and focused on Bine’s foot.

It was a pretty foot.

The white skin, like poisonous mushrooms, was clean without blemishes or calluses. The toenails were sharp from lack of trimming, but there were no splits or discolored areas.

If Eliza had a foot fetish, it would have been a foot she would have gladly licked with care, but unfortunately, she did not have such a preference.

‘Just close your eyes and lick. It’s okay, it’s okay…’

Suppressing her rising embarrassment, Eliza extended her tongue to lick Bine’s foot.

“Stop.”

Eliza’s tongue stopped just before licking his foot.

Everyone’s attention turned to a woman who appeared out of nowhere and spoke in an authoritative voice.

“According to Section 4 of Manchester’s Public Indecency Act, sexual acts are prohibited on busy streets.”

The woman was dressed in the uniform worn by Manchester’s Law Enforcement Division officers, consisting of a dark trench coat and suit pants, with a major’s insignia on the collar.

The three soldiers accompanying the woman were also dressed in the same uniform, carrying assault rifles of superior quality compared to what the Libre militia used, instead of the handguns holstered on their thighs.

Her brown hair, falling to her shoulders, was neatly tied back, and she wore a golden eagle badge, the emblem of law enforcement, on her dark combat helmet.

Cantelroop obviously knew who the woman was. She had come to interfere and meddle in various matters at his inn.

“Whenever Cantroupe talked with the police, if the topic of neighborhood security came up by chance, he always referred to women as ‘walls with no way in or out.’

“Captain David, you’ve arrived at just the right time.”

However, in a situation like this where Cantroupe alone couldn’t do much, there was no staunch ally as reliable as this wall.

“Isn’t this Cantroupe? It seems to be our first meeting outside the inn.”

The leader of the security forces, Captain David, greeted Cantroupe. Unlike Cantroupe’s dislike for Captain David, the captain quite liked her due to the lack of incidents and the cleanliness of Cantroupe’s inn.

On the other hand, Murian despised it greatly. It saddened him to see Cantroupe, a law-abiding citizen who followed rules well, being friendly with a witch like Murian.

“I’m glad to meet you too. It would have been better to meet under different circumstances.”

Cantroupe forced a smile as she responded to Captain David’s greeting.

“Elsa, this is Captain Hannah David of the Libra Security Forces. Captain David, this is Eliza Rusta, the trusted ally from the city of Amehain in Manchester.”

…!

Eliza quickly stood up straight from her seat.

Eliza had clashed with the security forces quite a bit while traveling through Manchester’s territory, once even being mistaken for a radar target and shot at due to the van she was driving being covered in metal plates.

Having experienced the trouble that arises when upsetting these individuals, Eliza knew it all too well.

“I am Eliza Rusta, the eldest son of the Rusta family!”

Eliza nervously introduced herself to Captain David.

Captain David looked sharply between Eliza and Vine before pointing at Eliza and asking a question.

“The eldest son? You definitely look like a woman to me. And…”

This time, he pointed at Vine.

“What are you exactly?”

Vine tried to unleash her usual sharp tongue in response, but Eliza quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“Vine! Please hold back! We’ll be in big trouble if you mess up! Uh… I mean… There are extremely complicated reasons why I, being a woman, am the eldest son, and Vine is…”

Vine grabbed Eliza’s wrist and removed her hand from her mouth.

It was a gentle gesture devoid of force.

“I’m Vine. A fairy who emerged from the depths of hell to exterminate unfortunate humans like you.”

Upon hearing Vine’s insult, Eliza’s face turned pale, but Captain David calmly brushed off Vine’s words.

“You’re no fairy or Aelenis. Once you step into Manchester’s territory, according to Manchester’s laws, it doesn’t matter. Discrimination based on race is a foolish act performed only by incompetent fools who have nothing but their race to boast about.”

The last words were directed at Vine.

“…Why are humans so uncivilized and unmatched. Sigh…”

Vine sighed as if in despair.

“Well, having fascist stench and racial superiority complex isn’t my cup of tea. What I want to know is the reason behind assaulting people in public places and committing foolish acts.”

Captain David spoke in a businesslike yet authoritative tone.

“There was a need for an apology from Elsa. You don’t need to know more than that.”

Vine retorted in an equally cold voice.

The atmosphere between them grew increasingly hostile.

“It seems like we might have to arrest you. There are plenty of charges we can apply, such as assault and attempted rape. If you resist arrest…”

Captain David snapped his fingers, and three soldiers released the safety catches on their rifles, aiming at Vine.

“Just a moment! There’s no need to go this far!”

Elaiza, fearing that Vine might be provoked and leap into action, protested to Captain David.

“…Things have gotten more complicated.”

Canteloupe muttered, looking at the ground and sighing.

“How foolish.”

With those words, Vine spread his wings, propelled himself towards Captain David, but before he could reach him or turn into a target for the soldiers’ bullets, Vine’s body crashed to the ground.

As if being pressed down by a giant hand.

Vine was not the only one being pressed down. The entire group of militia members, including Captain David and his security forces, who had been hoping for a bloody conflict, found themselves on the ground.

“Violence is bad! Why do people insist on guns and knives when there are peaceful means of dialogue available?”

A lively voice echoed in front of the militia headquarters. Those free to move raised their heads in the direction of the sound.

The owner of the voice stood on the roof of a two-story museum. Clad in a black cloak with a hood, they were small in stature, almost childlike.

Elaiza remembered hearing that voice not long ago. The culprit behind the radio wave hijacking incident.

The owner of the voice effortlessly leaped from the roof and landed in front of Elaiza.

“Alright! Let’s all put down our weapons and have an honest conversation. Perhaps in the midst of dialogue, we may realize each other’s charms and become friends! Isn’t that wonderful?”

The owner of the voice, Muriann, removed the deeply pressed hood.

“…You again! Aargh!”

Captain David roared with anger.

“Uh… Hello.”

Elaiza greeted Muriann, looking at their cute face.

“You probably didn’t imagine me looking like a kid, right? Don’t worry. I’m older than you think. It’s legal, so no need to worry.”

“L-Legal…”

Muriann chuckled brightly and spoke to Elaiza.

“It’s good timing, Muriann.”

Canteloupe holstered her revolver and greeted them.

“Yeehaw! Canteloupe! My most beloved friend!”

Muriann rushed towards Canteloupe and embraced her.

“Yes, I’m glad to see you too. Without Muriann, a terrible bloodbath would have occurred.”

“Hmph! Of course! If it had just been the pathetic militia and the tightly controlled security forces, Libra would have long become a ghost town.”

After a brief hug, Muriann let go of Canteloupe and walked slowly towards Vine, dissing the militia and security forces along the way.

“….”

Vine had also heard Muriann’s voice somewhere before. Long before being pinned to the depths of hell.

However, Muriann did not exude the foul smell of sulfur that Vine associated with that time. No matter how much one changed their appearance, they couldn’t hide their inherent scent.

Sitting next to Vine, Muriann looked up at Vine and asked a question.

“Hey, are you really a fairy?”

“Yeah. So, can you release this magic? If you do, I promise a quick death without suffering.”

“Wow! A real fairy! I’ve only seen you in pictures, but seeing you in person, you’re truly beautiful!”

Ignoring Vine’s insult completely, Muriann gazed with sparkling green eyes.

“Moreover, Ada de Sangre, here stands the Fairy Princess. I thought no one survived after Al Inferno!”

Seeing perfect fairy language coming from a human mouth astonished Vine.

“Are you human? Or perhaps a fairy?”

In fairy language, Vine asked Muriann.

“Unfortunately, no! I’m neither Changeling nor Polymorph. Just a human with a keen interest in fairies. Your language is already used by humans, so learning it shouldn’t be a big issue. Apart from me, there might not be many who have grasped numerous nouns and some grammar. But it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’m not sure why you’ve come all the way to Libreville, but I hope we can get along well! Seeing a fairy in person must be quite exciting!”

With these words, Murian looked down at Vine with a gentle smile.

Vine did not like that smile at all. It was too similar to the smile shown by the immortal stranger who used to speak.

A smile that a wicked devil who had found the perfect sacrificial lamb would make.

“I don’t know who you are, but I won’t play along with your wishes.”

Upon hearing Vine’s words, Murian covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly.

“It’s okay! I love fairies so much that I wouldn’t do anything to harm the fairy princess.”

“Why should I trust you?”

Murian whispered just two words into Vine’s ear. Upon hearing those words, Vine’s eyes widened, and her mind was filled with confusion and doubt.

In Libreville, where most people didn’t even understand Elvish, let alone Southern dialects, the chances of someone else understanding were slim, but Murian purposely whispered secretly for dramatic effect.

Murian was a skilled alchemist and witch, after all, known for her showmanship.