episode_0015

The evening that followed our return to the castle was excessively luxurious.

“…Incredible.”

Yuri, who had been responsible for my meals for nearly ten years, had developed cooking skills that would make even the head chef weep.

And, a truly magnificent feast, a culmination of her skill, was laid out on my table.

Meat, seafood… a world encompassing land, sea, and air was spread before me.

I felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

“What is it, Yuri… where are you going?”

“Yes? I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then why this… this last supper-like meal…”

Yuri smiled slightly.

“It’s not that difficult. And…”

Swish.

And, as usual, she came and sat in the empty seat beside me.

“Today is a happy day for me as well, so it’s a way of expressing my gratitude for everything.”

“How can you always pick such heartwarming words?”

Even for me, the moment I truly sensed mana and used magic with my own power was thrilling.

Of course, I didn’t entirely leave her to her own devices, but Yuri, attributing her hard-earned happiness to me, made me feel so proud.

One word, “fulfillment,” couldn’t possibly encompass it.

As I stroked her head, her dignified smile disappeared, and she transformed back into a lively young girl.

Yuri and I devoured the dinner, even the dishes themselves seemed to be almost consumed.

Soon, night fell.

As I lay alone in bed, gazing at the moonlight, someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Yuri entered, as usual.

Her hair loose, wearing her fluttering pajamas. Unless something special happened, we always ended up sleeping in the same bed.

Special things sometimes happened in the bed, too.

Well, anyway.

Her neat maid uniform and relatively stiff demeanor during the day gave way to her old self at night. The carefree girl she was when we first met.

Of course, she’s affectionate even during the day, but now that she’s a grown woman, “graceful” is a more fitting description of her.

I can’t choose between the two. Both sides are my Yuri.

I pulled back the covers to make room and laid her on my arm.

“Whew… I worked hard today.”

“It was truly delicious. Thinking I can still enjoy this kind of cooking at the academy makes all my worries disappear.”

“Hehe…”

Hug.

Yuri embraced me, burying her face in my chest. Her happy expression while rubbing her cheek against me with her eyes closed was just like a little kitten.

“If you keep rubbing… I’ll want to do it again. Shall I give you another reward tonight?”

“It’s alright. Tonight, it’s alright. I’ve already received enough. Besides…”

Yuri’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

She made a look as if she had spotted her prey.

Looking up at me with a captivating gaze, she gently rubbed my stomach.

“We already did so much today, didn’t we?”

“…Huh? Ah, ah. Right. We did do a lot this morning.”

“Heh heh.”

Yuri’s eyes and the corners of her mouth widened. This expression… what was it called again…?

Was it a smug face?

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You’ve been going around reeking of another woman’s scent.”

“…!”

Thump.

My heart sank.

I had intended to tell her… but the timing never seemed right.

I had also spent a considerable amount of time worrying about how to even tell her.

She already knew…

“When I checked on you, even with Her Highness right there, all I could smell was the scent of sex.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Brightly.

The moonlight glistened in Yuri’s wide eyes.

“Why are you sorry?”

“…I messed up.”

“What did you mess up?”

A question that leads to another. Yuri’s face only showed interest as she pressed me.

‘…She’s not angry.’

At least, she seemed willing to listen to me.

“…It happened without me realizing. She’s someone I knew before, and when I saw her…”

“You acted like you were meeting her for the first time.”

“My robe hid my face properly.”

What will she ask next…?

I continued to brainstorm likely questions, searching for the best answer that wouldn’t hurt Yuri.

Whether she knew or not that my mind was in a mess, Yuri quietly laughed.

“I figured it would come to this, actually. Professor Valentine is quite well-known for his tastes.”

“And yet he manages to do a good job as the headmaster…”

“That must mean he’s extraordinarily skilled.”

I felt tense.

A sense of guilt rose above the transgression of indulging in Lulu’s body, engulfing me completely.

“So… did you enjoy it?”

I instinctively realized.

This is the biggest hurdle.

I’m sure there was a meme about this in my past life… what was the optimal answer?

Walking slowly through the far reaches of my memory, where countless words were piled up, I picked the most brilliant one.

“I did, Yuri. Enough to make me think of you. I felt as if something was missing with that person alone…”

Yuri laughed, “Pfft—”.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Her Highness so nervous.”

The answer I gave might have been something I overheard somewhere.

Or it could have been one of the choices in [Acastus].

But since it came out of my mouth, it’s my words.

My feelings, my thoughts, my chosen words.

Uncompromisingly, it was my true feelings that I wanted to show Yuri.

“Ten points, ten points.”

“Puahahahaha…”

“Heh heh, why were you so nervous? As Her Highness, it’s not a problem if you have relations with other women.”

Indeed, there’s a culture where royalty can have as many wives, concubines, and servants as they please.

But that’s a fantasy world tale.

I still have the memories of my modern life.

A shred of conscience remained.

“But I love you.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Looking at your reaction today, I can rest assured.”

Yuri, quietly resting her head on my arm, got up.

She lifted the covers and climbed on top of me.

Leaning her face close, her hair fell on my cheek.

Rustle.

“Whether Her Highness meets more women, falls in love, or engages in intimacy, I’m fine with it.”

Her figure, shining brightly in the moonlight, was exquisitely beautiful.

I was completely captivated by it, so enthralled I almost couldn’t hear her words, but…

Yuri’s voice was even more captivating.

“I’m Her Highness’s first woman.”

“…….”

“So that Her Highness always thinks of me, in Her Highness’s heart…”

A soft touch brushed my chest.

“On Her Highness’s lips—”

She caressed my lips.

“And… on Her Highness’s genitals.”

Astride me, she lightly caressed my lower body.

Then, at the last moment, like hammering a stake into my heart, Yuri whispered in my ear.

“…I’ve properly marked it…♥”

I lost.

My relationship with Yuri is no longer merely physical intimacy, exchanging words of love while sharing our daily lives, or envisioning our future in the bed we share.

It’s beyond that.

It has surpassed the level of simple explanation.

To trust each other, to place one’s heart in another’s and even understand their very soul.

Our bond reached its peak.

If a man is to take responsibility for a woman.

If the woman has promised that she will accept him completely.

Then he must reward her.

I embraced Yuri, spun us around, and switched positions.

“Kyaah—”

“…Yuri.”

I gazed into her eyes, brimming with moonlight. They spoke—it was alright, she could accept me anytime.

“I’ll give you a real reward.”

“Even after doing that, we’ll do it again…?”

“No, I’m not talking about sex.”

I lifted Yuri up.

‘I can do that anytime.’

Something I couldn’t do on any other day.

Something I could only feel today, the day I first felt mana.

“Let’s take a short walk.”

“At this time…?”

“I’ll show you the true nature of this world.”

Yuri tightly gripped the collar of my clothes, quietly nodding.

Half nervous, half excited.

Yuri’s face, filled with excitement, returned to the expression of a girl.

I walked to the terrace, stepped onto the railing.

Whoosh.

I leaped towards the night sky.

[Mana Manipulation]!

With each step in the air, my footprints spread out like ripples, like drops of water falling on a still surface.

I was literally running through the night.

The refreshing breeze.

The moonlight illuminating my skin.

The rustling of the grass.

The night filled this world without the sun.

“It’s truly… beautiful.”

“It’s too soon to admire it.”

I gathered mana in my legs and jumped even higher.

Whoosh, whoosh.

The night air felt soft against my bare feet.

‘This should be about right.’

If it were Yuri who hadn’t yet felt mana, it would have been different, but now, she might be able to do it.

To accept my mana.

“Relax, Yuri.”

“Yes…!”

I placed my hand over her chest.

Slowly, I let the mana flow.

“Ugh, uhn…”

“Are you all right?”

“It’s warm… like our wedding night…”

Certainly, there was no rejection like before.

The preparations were complete.

We were connected through mana.

What I feel, Yuri can now feel.

Then, let’s truly feel this world.

I drew all of my mana and spread it around me.

[Mana Barrier]!

The spell’s effect is [Mana Sensing].

『Trait, [Mana Lover] activates.』

『Overlaps the effects of the two skills.』

Soon, the surrounding scenery began to change dramatically.

“This…!!”

Yuri’s expression went beyond shock to sheer amazement.

What spread around us was not the usual forest, trees, and animals.

The mana hidden within them.

The essence of nature was made visible to our eyes.

The flowing river contains the mana of water.

The great, wondrous blue mana that forms the foundation of everything silently sleeps there.

In the grass growing on the ground, the fresh mana of the earth writhes.

With every breath, yellow mana bubbles slowly rise into the heavens.

Beyond the night air that brushes the leaves, the mana of the wind scatters in the sky.

Embracing all things that breathe, green mana freely wanders through the emptiness.

The life that enjoys all of nature, in its heart, the mana of fire beats.

This subtle trembling spreads throughout the world, becoming the red driving force that moves all things.

It’s a whole different level than what I read in books.

It’s not that mana of different attributes fought for territory, drawing lines, but rather, everything harmonized perfectly.

The mana overlapped and overlapped, making it difficult to find the same color no matter which way you looked.

A landscape painting full of colorful hues.

We suddenly looked at each other.

Seeing my reflection in Yuri’s eyes, we laughed.

And we understood.

‘Right now, we’re seeing the same world.’

This breathtaking scenery, shared by only the two of us in this moment.

Amidst the passing world, our time completely overlaps.

Just now.

We mingled our souls, not our bodies.

“Yuri.”

“…Yes, Your Highness—”

“No.”

That’s not what I want to hear right now.

I embraced Yuri, who was nestled in my arms, and gently kissed her.

“Call me by my name.”

“…Narita.”

My name, spoken by the person I love for the first time.

Involuntarily, a smile spread across my face.

Now that our souls meet, we cast off the skins of princess and maid.

In this moment, standing on an entirely equal footing.

To Yuri, I humbly confessed.

“That… what do you think? Will you marry me?”

Blink, blink.

Yuri blinked twice, and her face quickly flushed red.

Embarrassed, she covered her cheeks and eyes and turned her head, catching her breath for a moment.

“I will spend my life with you, until death do us part.”

“…….”

She only rolled her eyes slightly to look at my face.

My face is burning up, too. I must look like a complete tomato.

It doesn’t matter.

We’re standing on completely equal footing.

While her head remained turned toward the night sky, Yuri whispered.

“I don’t need to say that, I’m yours forever…”

“Is that so…? Hm, hm…”

A side of her I had never seen before.

Because she showed me all the sincerity she had in her heart, we could only become flustered.

That fluster turned into happiness.

Satisfying our new understanding of each other.

“But—”

In my arms, with a happier expression than usual.

“Saying it… I’m happy…♥”

“Thank you.”

Yuri, the girl, truly became my woman.

『[Character Story: Yuri]’s progress has drastically increased.』

. . .

A few months later.

I was wrestling with Yuri in front of a mirror.

“Yuri, we’re going to be late. Let’s just…”

“No. It’s the entrance ceremony, so I have to make you look as pretty as possible.”

“It’s the entrance ceremony, so we need to get there quickly…! What’s the point if we’re late?”

As usual, Yuri carefully brushed my hair.

There’s no time.

Maybe because I’m impatient, I feel so rushed by her touch today.

Aaah, why is she always late on important days like this…!!

“It’s all because you overslept, sis.”

“You promised to wake me up…”

“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t wake up.”

Ugh, bickering won’t help.

It was all my fault.

After so many frustrated stomps – about an hour’s worth of brushing –

“All done.”

In the mirror, there was a pretty brown-haired woman.

Behind her stood another beautiful girl; same hair color hair and hairpin.

We were both in our Naifrantz Academy uniforms.

“Let’s go, quickly! Mother and Father must be waiting!”

“Yes!”

Thud-thud-thud.

As we slid down the stairs, we saw welcoming faces in the mansion’s entrance hall.

The Filbrogue Baron’s family, who moved in a few months ago.

A powerless aristocrat with a small fiefdom, making it an ideal place to hide one’s identity.

Of course, the size of power is external.

The Baron, his wife, and children accepted us into their family.

Thanks to them, we were able to assimilate into the life of an ordinary noble family.

It was all thanks to their kind hearts.

There were many shortcomings, but it’s our responsibility to fill them.

In truth, I was worried at first.

But.

“Ooh, ooooh!! Nari, Yuri! You two look so alike. This father really has wished to see daughters like you—”

“This man is acting silly in the early morning… I’m sorry, I can’t do more.”

“No, it’s enough. Mother, Father.”

We have received so much.

The love of a family, which I didn’t receive properly when I was young.

That’s enough.

“Did you pack your textbooks? What about the feather pen I gave you? Did you pack everything properly? The handkerchief? Yuri, your sister is scatterbrained, so please make sure she has it all—”

“Stop it. We’re not kids.”

“Hahaha…”

I’m the older sister.

I will make sure everything is packed.

Regardless, everyone in my family laughed brightly.

“The carriage is ready, so let’s go…”

“Ah, that’s okay. If we take the carriage, we’ll be late.”

Holding Yuri’s hand, I burst out of the door.

“We’ll be back!”

The training ground where I practiced swordsmanship with my father.

The garden where I drank tea with my mother.

The yard where I played with my younger brothers.

And the mansion where I spent every day with Yuri.

A new home, a new home, Filbrogue Barony.

Saying goodbye for a moment, we ran.

“Did you practice the magic I taught you?”

“Yes, sis.”

“Do you know why I overslept today?”

I looked back at Yuri, who was holding my hand.

“I had a dream about that day. The day we took a night walk.”

“…The day you proposed to me.”

I felt a hard texture between our clasped hands.

The ring on Yuri’s ring finger.

Soon, she ran to my side.

Just like that day, standing on the same level as I am.

“Then, shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Whoosh.

We started running through the air.

Now let’s go to the academy for real.

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[Status]

Name: Narias Filbrogue (Narita Florine Naifrantz)

Level: 59

Gender: Female (Male/Female)

Title: Young lady of the Filbrogue Baron, Naifrantz Academy Special Student

Traits: [Reborn], [Beyond the Laws of Nature], [Mana Lover], [Hidden Identity], [Weapon Master], [Adventurer]

Skills: [Swordsmanship Lv. 61], [Martial Arts Lv. 43], [Mana Sensing Lv. 75], [Mana Manipulation Lv. 45], [Mana Explosion Lv. 49], [Mana Barrier Lv. 53]

[Ongoing Scenario]

-[Main Story Chapter 1: Academy Entrance]

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