episode_0088

“Yes. It’s absolutely lovely and wonderful. I’m so happy from the morning.”

Our beautiful subordinate, craving affection and making heart poses with both hands, was incredibly lovely, so I doted on her without reservation.

Looking back, before the regression, we weren’t in such an affectionate and loving relationship…

Of course, even before the regression, Pisces was beautiful, lovely, and cute.

However, because I didn’t openly dote on her and show her affection as I do now, she also held back and couldn’t be as proactive in her affectionate overtures.

Actually… it wasn’t just that she couldn’t make affectionate overtures; she was very afraid of me for most of the time we spent together.

At that time, I was afflicted by considerable madness due to my desire for revenge and the endless, continuous mental and physical pain, and my condition was much worse than it is now.

That’s not to say I treated my subordinates like dirt… but I was far more cruel than I am now, and I turned the back alleys into a bloodbath as if unleashing my fury.

Even when assigning tasks, I didn’t maintain the golden ratio of work, pay, and rest as I do now.

Instead of giving generous pay, I worked them like dogs and led my subordinates into perilous situations like moths drawn to a flame – that was me in those days.

“Caw-! Master-nim is thinking about something else again..! That’s very mean. It’s really bad when I came out looking so pretty~”

As I was lost in old thoughts, the quick-witted Pisces immediately sensed it and clung to me, rubbing against me.

Anyway, there was no doubt this girl was the cutest in the world when it came to pouting for attention.

“It’s a punishment. I hereby sentence you to the punishment of head-patting Pisces~”

She placed my hand on her head and then shook her clever-looking head back and forth, demanding to be petted.

Envious Pisces, ever since she saw me unconsciously patting Irha’s round head the day I was with Irha, had been clamoring for me to do it to her every time she saw me.

Pisces’s head was very small but had a slightly firm feeling, giving her a different charm compared to Irha or Rosalie-ssi.

“It’s too pleasant for a punishment. Is this really a punishment?”

When I complimented her roughly like that, she giggled with satisfaction.

“Hehehe!!! Indeed, it’s a fact proven over long ages that a crow’s head is smaller and cuter than a seagull’s.”

“You’re quite a character, you know. Since we met just in time for lunch, let’s go eat first.”

“Hehe. Then let’s go eat pizza. I want pizza with pepperoni and mayonnaise!”

And so, we happily left for lunch.

Pisces ate and slept well, gaining a healthy amount of weight, and lately, seeing that sight made me feel incredibly good.

*

“……”

“Munch munch munch!!! But is there something you wanted to say? Master-nim’s lips are totally curling up like someone who’s hesitating..!”

Pisces was happily munching on pizza and pasta…

Although not as much as Rosalie-ssi or Irha, Pisces is certainly not a picky eater or someone who eats very little.

Anyway, her tasty and hearty eating was cute… but when should I bring up work?

But somehow, I felt that if I suddenly brought up work now, especially informing this cowardly girl who tries to protect herself that I’d decided to entrust her with a potentially dangerous and important task, she’d get incredibly sulky.

“Ah… it doesn’t seem like a conversation to have while eating. I’ll do it later, there’s still plenty of time.”

“Hehe!! Can’t you do it while eating? If it’s something you’ll say later… Aha! Master-nim is finally going to propose to Pisces~”

The girl, pretending to be innocent and nonchalantly bringing up ‘marriage’ again, was cheeky.

I thought, “Can someone be so lovely even if they’re this cheeky?”

“Are marriage proposals not supposed to be discussed while eating?”

Suddenly, I just threw out the question, and Pisces subtly furrowed her brow and nodded.

Her expression instantly turned a little prim, like a true actress.

“Hmm..! For example, silly seagulls would boast, ‘Wow!! I got proposed to while eating pizza! Isn’t that great?!’ but I’m not like that.”

Was there something specific she wanted? Curious, I gestured with my chin for her to continue, and she spoke freely.

“Well, I’d like to be proposed to at night on a clear day, not during the day. Under the starlight, very romantically…? And somewhere high up with a nice view? A ring would be good too… like a princess from an old fairy tale.”

She said a lot, but surprisingly, it was all very simple and modest.

Normally, proposals for noble young ladies are quite extravagant, even called ‘proposal ceremonies,’ and there’s even a kind of template for them.

The type of proposal, or rather, roughly how much it cost when converted to a price, often determined the winner and loser in a kind of power struggle.

Naturally, there was a lot to prepare, and I myself had seen quite a few young noblemen suffering during the preparation process.

In contrast, the proposal our cute subordinate wanted was…

“Even if I prepared it today, I could easily pull off that proposal. It’s really modest.”

“Caw…! So, Master-nim, you called Pisces here today to propose to me! But my outfit today isn’t very princess-like, hehehe…”

She swayed her body excitedly, seemingly quite happy, then glanced at her outfit and gave an awkward laugh.

Her entirely black dress looked sophisticated and cute because Pisces was wearing it, but it was by no means a luxury item like a princess’s gown.

Where was the Pisces from before the regression who would instantly buy and collect luxury items if given money? The current Pisces was surprisingly frugal.

‘Why don’t you save money? I pour so much salary on you, yet why do you always make me pay for your meals?’

‘Ah, geez..! Why save money when you always push me into dangerous situations?! I… I just enjoy the moment and live life… do you hate eating with me, Boss?’

‘No. I like it too, as it keeps me from feeling lonely. But it’s a bit annoying that you always pick only expensive things like a freeloader.’

‘Hehehe…’

Perhaps the reason she always made me pay for her meals wasn’t because she was so extravagant she couldn’t afford them… but simply because she wanted to eat with me?

Those were thoughts I occasionally had after Pisces left me, and so, remembering that time, I still make sure to take her to good restaurants whenever I find one.

Ah… all of that has become a distant past now, so faint, so faint.

It was then.

“Ouch! What’s wrong with you!”

As I was recalling memories from before the regression, this time Pisces nipped my hand with a snap! like a slightly annoyed puppy.

“Tch..! Master-nim is bad for thinking about other women while talking with Pisces, especially about proposals. Hmph!!! I’m really sulking now. You’re meanie!”

Is that how it works? But it wasn’t about another woman; it was about you, you fool. Why would she try to compete with you from the past, no, the future, no… anyway! Why would she compete with you?

“No. I was just thinking about you.”

As I tried to explain with a slightly puzzled, questioning expression, Pisces argued with a sorrowful voice.

“No way. Pisces has good instincts, so I know everything. Who are you thinking of that’s similar to Pisces? Geez… you’re only twenty-one, but you’ve had so many women pass by…!”

It seemed Pisces’s unique ‘instinct’ perceived the Pisces from before the regression as a ‘love rival’ distinct from her current self.

Since that ‘instinct’ was a kind of pseudo-supernatural sense unique to half-demons, I stopped explaining and simply appeased her.

Since she insisted she wasn’t wrong, her words must be true.

“Alright, alright. I was wrong. You had every right to feel hurt. Anyway… what does it matter if it’s not a princess dress? The one wearing it is a princess.”

Most of the ‘women’ around me are like this, but Pisces is also generally gentle, so if I just appease her a little, she immediately calms down and smiles sweetly.

“Do I look like a princess? Right~ It’s true I look more like a princess than Rosalie Unnie or Marisa, isn’t it?”

Actually, Rosalie-ssi gives off more of a benevolent priestess vibe than a princess one.

Marisa, a noble among nobles, certainly has a strong princess feel… but well… considering her rather faint aura or presence, as Pisces said, the one who truly feels most like a princess is Pisces herself.

Because even if she always wears black clothes like that, Pisces is the one who truly gives off the feeling of a traditional, fairy-tale princess.

“Yes. You’re right. Our subordinate truly was a princess.”

When I said that with a gentle smile, Pisces grumbled pleasantly.

“Who on earth puts ‘subordinate’ and ‘princess’ in the same sentence? Anyway… Master-nim’s love for your subordinate is truly something to acknowledge.”

As I happily chatted with Pisces like that, I decided to put aside any talk of work for just this one day.

*

And so, we spent the entire afternoon enjoying a casual date, just like any ordinary couple.

Forgetting about the Emperor, the negotiations I had conducted, the future, and even Pisces from before the regression, I happily wandered around with Pisces.

Delphi.

In this place, where the landscapes of my youth were etched, I danced with my small, precious crow.

“Master-nim, let’s go there too. Wow..! That looks delicious! That’s amazing, hehe!!”

Perhaps because she liked that I was focusing entirely on her, Pisces followed me around with unusual brightness.

Although we usually engage in various forms of skinship, today’s Pisces was showing me a slightly shy and fresh side, rather than her usual bold and cute displays of charm.

We watched a small puppet show on the street, ate fruit skewers, and went into a general store selling cheap, small accessories to buy insignificant souvenirs resembling Pisces, and before we knew it, the day had quickly ended.

And so, as our final stop, we arrived near a deserted Celestial Church located on a high ground that offered a panoramic view of Delphi’s nightscape.

This church was previously used by the Delphi branch of the Celestial Church, but after the branch moved to the outskirts of the city, the empty building was renovated into a tourist attraction.

Since the night view was excellent, it was a place often visited by couples as a date spot, and we ended up coming here after Pisces persistently nagged to see the night view.

Since it was Saturday evening, there were quite a lot of people around, but the church was quite large, so it wasn’t too crowded.

“Handsome young man~ There are too many people here, so shall we go somewhere a little more secluded? Hehehe….”

The girl who had insisted we absolutely *had* to go, once we actually arrived, suddenly seemed to get shy about something and mischievously grinned.

“Sounds good. Wouldn’t it be romantic to embrace the starlight in a secluded place with a beautiful young lady?”

Many layers of the pitch-black night’s secrets still remained between us, but perhaps beneath the starlight, we could speak our true feelings and the truth?

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was bad for trying to entrust Pisces with a difficult and potentially dangerous important task without even telling her the full truth about myself.

Being a bad master and boss once before the regression was enough.

Now, more than a master, I needed to be Pisces’s lover, so I had to consider and respect her as much as possible, seeing as she showed me such genuine affection.

“So let’s go, Pisces. I have some things I need to tell you today.”

“Ugh… Ah.. I understand… Actually, you know. I also have things I want to ask and things I want to say today. It was such a fun day that I almost thought of postponing it, but it’s probably for the best.”

We slipped out behind the church and quietly walked towards the broken observatory, a place where people rarely ventured at this hour.

Since it was a rather rough path where one could get hurt if their night vision wasn’t exceptionally good, there were always no people on this path even without any explicit entry restrictions.

And so, we silently walked up the steep, mountain-like incline.

I didn’t know what you were about to say, but were you also choosing your words, just like me?

Meanwhile, the small hand gripping mine tightly conveyed earnestness and overflowing affection.

Upon reaching our destination, we climbed atop the observatory tower, whose roof had blown off, and could see the stars, the sky, and the city clearly.

Now that there was nothing left to hide, it was my turn to speak…

“Master-nim. I have something to say. Very… seriously.”

However, Pisces’s calm, settled voice, completely different from her usual boisterous tone and playful ‘Master-nim,’ cut off my words and thoughts.

What was she about to tell me? I nodded, indicating that I understood.

Pisces’s small, rosy lips parted clearly.

“I like you very much. As a person, and also… as a man.”

“Ah…”

Our audacious subordinate thus confessed her love to me first, with unwavering eyes and voice.

Up to this point… I wasn’t a fool, so I had somewhat expected it.

However, the words that followed the next moment were so audacious that I genuinely lost my words for the first time in a long while.

“My Master-nim. My love…. and the regressor who returned from the future, Ras Etgard.”

To what extent should I raise the salary of this excessively competent subordinate, who so easily surpasses all my calculations…?

I truly had no idea anymore.