Episode 224
"Hmm..."
It was a few days after the Raphael incident.
"Is it tasty, Frey?"
"Yeah, just like always."
I was in the mansion's dining hall, eating an omelet that Irina had prepared for me.
"I'm sorry... Omelets are the only thing I can make well... Are you sick of it by now?"
Just as she said, ever since she took charge of preparing meals, breakfast had been fixed as omelets and milk for a while.
Of course, since I used to barely get by with just sandwiches and coffee in the mornings due to having no appetite, I didn't really mind, but Irina seemed to think differently.
"No, it's fine. It's really delicious."
But the omelets she prepared were always tasty. Seeing the various heart patterns and puppy designs sprinkled on top was quite entertaining as well.
And ever since I ate the food that Day Serena had prepared to host me at my home a few days ago, Irina's omelets tasted even better than usual.
"So does this mean I won't be able to eat the omelets you prepare for a while?"
That was truly regrettable. Irina was leaving for the Western Continent starting from this morning.
She had said she would join Kania's party in place of Klana, who had returned to her country a bit early due to certain circumstances, to help with the investigation.
It was unfortunate but unavoidable. If too many people stayed in the mansion, it would attract attention. I just hoped she would take good care of herself.
"Frey."
Anyway, as I was munching on my omelet and made a somewhat wistful expression, Irina gently caressed my cheek and whispered.
"Just wait here for a moment."
"Hm?"
"It'll only take a moment."
With those words, she rose from her seat and headed toward her room.
Come to think of it, ever since returning to the mansion, she had been holed up in her room researching something for a while... What were those strange sounds I heard back then?
*Rustle...*
I continued pondering what Irina's motivation might be for heading to her room, when a sound from below made me inadvertently look down.
"Ah, hello... Master..."
There, lying flat on the floor, was Lulu.
"Why did you come here?"
"T-to eat..."
When I asked her that question, she quietly lowered her eyes and answered.
"...*nom nom*."
And then, placing her food bowl on the floor, she quietly buried her head and began eating.
Her appearance, somehow looking far more exaggerated than before while also appearing pitiful, had been continuing for several days now.
When Klana came to the house, she was trembling violently. Perhaps she felt burdened by the status of being a imperial princess and lost her confidence?
Or perhaps there was another reason?
Surely she doesn't think what happened back then was because of her? Her curse mark has been inactive for a long time now.
"...Hmm."
Thinking such thoughts while observing her, I soon frowned.
Yesterday, I had discovered numerous scratch marks made with fingernails remaining on the faint misfortune curse mark on her shoulder.
So I scolded her for the first time in a while, asking if she had forgotten her promise not to self-harm, and wrapped her in bandages, but when I looked today, the bandages had come slightly loose.
'Is it trauma...?'
"Hic..."
When I reached out my hand to her, Lulu squeezed her eyes shut and flinched.
Seeing that, it seems that while I can erase her curse mark, erasing her trauma is quite difficult.
Like graffiti that spreads the more you wipe it, trauma tends to rise more vividly in one's mind the more one tries to forget it.
*Tight...!*
Therefore, looking at Lulu gently, I stroked her head slightly and tightened the loose bandages.
"Did you sleep well last night? Nothing happened, right?"
And then, I said the words I spoke every day.
"I love you, Lulu."
I don't know what stimulated her trauma again, or why she's looking up at me with eyes full of guilt.
But we have plenty of time ahead.
Even if we can't eliminate it all at once, if we continue to make steady efforts like this, won't the day come when we can completely erase her trauma?
"...Me too, Master."
Perhaps my thoughts had an effect, as she answered thus, pushed her food bowl far away, crawled toward me, and quietly pressed her body against my legs.
"......"
And Lulu gently closed her eyes.
"Huu."
Her expression somehow looked peaceful. She must be feeling secure as a pet.
Actually, our relationship like this is quite abnormal, and in some ways, might not be desirable. But for now, it's enough if she can be happy.
Still, when everything is over, I will definitely try to form a normal relationship with her.
"F-Frey."
While I was thinking such thoughts, perhaps because I was tired, Lulu had fallen fast asleep leaning against my leg, and Irina, who had gone to her room, appeared.
"Heh heh..."
In her arms was a small red puppy, appearing from who knows where.
"What is that?"
"M-my pet dog."
"But... Your dog was a large breed, wasn't it?"
The image of her large dog that would charge at me with eyes rolled back whenever it saw me and trample me was still vivid in my mind.
Yet the puppy she was holding in her arms now was small enough to bury itself in her chest, though that was partly due to Irina's large bust.
Did that large dog perhaps have puppies? But there are no dogs in the mansion... Whose puppy is it?
"I-I put a shrinking spell on it. Because you seemed troubled by it..."
"Ah ha."
Only then did I understand. So what she had been doing in her room all this time was trying to shrink the dog to an appropriate size.
'...Is that right?'
Thinking that, I suddenly tilted my head in doubt, wondering if someone of Irina's skill level would really take that long just to shrink a dog.
"T-then... Please take good care of my pet... dog. It's a well-behaved one that you like."
"Heh heh..."
I looked at Irina with suspicion as she handed me the dog that was sticking its tongue out at me, then scratched my head and accepted the puppy.
Well, it looks strong even if it's small, so it should be fine? Should I tie it up in the yard and raise it as a watchdog?
"F-Frey... And I have one more gift for you."
"Hm?"
I was thinking such thoughts while looking down at the puppy that was digging into my clothes and panting, when Irina, whose face had become completely red for some reason, held out her hand to me.
"Give me your handkerchief."
"...Here."
When I obediently handed her my handkerchief, Irina took a deep breath and infused her magical power into it.
"Oh ho."
After a while, the handkerchief I received from her had become warmer, and among the animals that were originally there, a red puppy sticking out its tongue had been newly drawn.
"...It's not over yet."
She, who had been looking at that cute decoration with shining eyes while stroking my cheek, said that, then put something in her mouth and pressed her lips against mine.
*Churup...*
At the same time, her soft body wrapped around me.
"Hmm..."
At the same time, a sweet taste filled my mouth.
No matter how I think about it, this is a Dragon... no, a Dog-Love Fruit.
My favorite fruit, and the fruit that symbolizes the feelings she harbored for me.
As if trying to firmly imprint such fruit upon me, she gently closed her eyes, climbed onto my lap, entangled her tongue with mine.
With both my hands held in hers, she shared and chewed the sweet Dog-Love Fruit in my mouth for a long while, rolling it around, and then...
"Puh ha..."
When the juice we had been sharing in our mouths for a long while had disappeared into both our stomachs, she slightly pulled her head back and asked in a soft voice.
"How does it... taste?"
"...Quite sweet."
"It's a fruit that bloomed from the sapling in your dormitory."
She said to me, slowly pressing closer and whispering by my ear.
"Please remember this moment, definitely."
She was smiling brightly as she said that.
She who was once called the haughty Flame of the Battlefield, revered by all, who used to burn the Demon Lord's army with an icy expression.
She was now sitting on my lap, held in my arms, looking down at me with loving eyes.
How could I ever forget such a situation?
"I love you, Frey."
Even without that, Irina, who had drastically transformed her plain maid outfit... I don't think I'll be able to forget her in many ways.
"...Me too."
Thanks to that, feeling a strange sensation along with a sense of playfulness, I carefully licked the fruit juice flowing down her lips and gave a slight smile with my eyes.
".....!"
Perhaps she didn't expect me to attack, her eyes shaking this way and that as she looked down at me, then she started trembling violently.
"Frey, when I'm not here, be careful with such behavior."
She said that while chewing her lips.
"Realize the destructive power you possess."
Leaving those words behind, she staggered and rose from my lap.
"Good... I did what I could... Please, please let it have worked..."
Muttering to herself, she headed toward the mansion's entrance, then glanced back at me.
"Frey, if anything happens, definitely tear that scroll."
"...Okay."
"Definitely, definitely. You promised, right?"
She, who had been giving instructions while looking at me with eyes overflowing with lingering attachment until the very end.
"Then... take care, Frey."
Opened the front door and stepped out of the mansion, where the winter wind was prevalent.
"........."
I, who had been blankly staring at her retreating figure for a while.
*Click.*
"Sigh..."
As soon as the front door closed, I darkened my expression and lowered my head.
"...I'm worried."
Before long, the anxiety and heart palpitations that had begun to overwhelm me again.
"It's only just beginning..."
That's right. Today is the first day of the 'Verification Ceremony' where the fake hero Ruby will officially reveal herself to the world.
In other words, today I have to head to a place teeming with people who will undoubtedly mock and scorn me, or even attack me, people who might even try to kill me.
No matter how accustomed I've become to such gazes, I'm not immune to fear or sorrow, so I would have preferred to avoid it if at all possible.
But recently, the rate at which I was earning points had stagnated somewhat, and if I didn't go, I didn't know what might happen, so it seemed unavoidable.
"Still... I'm not completely alone."
Slowly rising from my seat, I forced a smile and muttered to myself.
"It'll be better than before... yeah..."
Still, the anxiety doesn't go away. It would have been easier if I were the only one getting entangled.
I'm so worried about my dear ones who will come into the Demon Lord's attention starting from today.
"Hmm..."
"...Ah, Lulu."
Lulu, who had been sleeping soundly leaning against my leg, was now stroking the chair in her sleep when the leg she had been leaning on disappeared.
"As expected, I'll have to leave her behind."
I have no intention of putting her in danger. Neither the dangerous plan to insert her as a spy, nor the plan to take her to the verification ceremony as a servant as she requested.
If Lulu, who already didn't respond to the hero party summons, is seen with me by Ruby, who is constantly eyeing her demonic eye, I don't even want to think about what harm might befall her.
Therefore, the servants I'll take to this coronation ceremony are...
"Preparations are complete."
"Let us depart."
Ariane and Aris, none other than.
Since it's so blatantly obvious that I'm holding them by force, even if I make them my servants, they won't receive any harm.
Incidentally, I had planned to take Miho, whom Lulu strongly recommended as a servant, but since negotiations with Serena haven't finished yet, I removed her.
"...Alright."
However, there is one minor problem.
[Aris's current emotion: Loathing, Anger, Murderous Intent]
Right now, these two will probably try to assassinate me today.
Of course, from their perspective, they must have hidden their loathing toward me and planned as secretly as possible.
"Frey, these ones are strange... Please investigate them..."
A few days ago, after ruining the cooking and sobbing while writing a reflection paper, Serena, who had returned after finishing the interrogation by the investigation team, met them, and she couldn't avoid her detection net.
"........"
While I was thinking such thoughts, the eyes of those guys looking at me began to grow even colder.
*Sigh..."
Naturally, I had already made plans.
"Let's depart."
Not only regarding them, but also regarding the verification ceremony.
It would be too unfair to just take it lying down, wouldn't it?
.
Meanwhile, at that same time.
"Hero, is your body alright?"
"Yes! I've completely recovered!"
Ruby, who had left the hospital, smiled as she looked at the imperial official and the church bishop who had come to meet her.
"Then, let us depart. Time is tight."
"Yes~!"
Ruby boarded the carriage in such a friendly atmosphere.
"Ah, there is special escort for the Hero."
"Yes?"
She tilted her head at the bishop's kindly expressed words.
"What do you mean by..."
And then, she was about to ask the bishop something when her eyes suddenly went round.
"Hello!!!!!"
"......."
Because for some reason, Ferloche was sitting in the front seat, wearing her characteristic stupid smile.
"My friend, Ruby!!!"
".....Ha."
A small crack appeared on Ruby's expression, which had been filled with enjoyment.