The Noble Lady of Lust

Chapter 442: Decision

”Ever since you, my lady, started writhing and pulling your hair like the mentally unstable person you are.”

”Hey, from the very beginning—why didnʼt you say anything?”

I mean, I was doing that while I was thinking about Evangelin and Aeloria. Elena was basically right behind me the whole time.

Or rather, she was hiding on purpose, because I was pacing back and forth the whole time.

Obviously I wouldʼve seen her if sheʼd just been standing behind me; I think she was hiding in my shadow.

She doesnʼt have the Shadow Assimilation skill, but she can do something similar with some dark magic spells she was able to start using when she reached the sixth metamorphosis.

She did the same thing that night before we set out on the expedition, and come to think of it, sheʼs been leaving there a lot lately.

Which really makes me wonder how much time she actually spends there.

Now I canʼt be sure if I was alone when I thought I was alone.

I have to be careful, or, without realizing it, she might be in my shadow when Iʼm trying to spy or doing something thatʼll get me beaten up.

”I didnʼt want to interrupt her, since, as my lady said, she seemed to be thinking about some things.”

”Yeah, thatʼs what… wait, then why did you say that earlier? You just wanted to tell me my head was a mess, right?”

”That is an unfounded accusation, my lady, but, in any case, it is a proven fact.”

”Hey! My head is perfectly in order… I think… yes, I even have a really good mental palace.”

”If thatʼs what your questionable and deplorable reasoning wants to believe. (¬_¬)”

”Hey! What did I do now? Why does it seem like you want to insult me just because I exist?”

”You, my lady, didnʼt do anything… but perhaps the fact that, even though I said I wasnʼt angry, doesnʼt change the fact that you arrived half-dead, which could have caused me great dissatisfaction—and that also makes me feel the need to tell you just how deplorable you are as a person who doesnʼt keep your promises.”

”Ugh!... A-are you sure youʼre not angry?”

”(≖_≖), do you want me to be, my lady?”

”No, maʼam. I can see that itʼs really just a minor dissatisfaction, since youʼre such a big-hearted person who wouldnʼt get angry over my very lacking actions.”

”Well then, my lady. Iʼm glad that even you—who lack many of the qualities a normal person has—can at least understand something as simple as that.”

”Y-yes. Ahem!… and about what happened. How I ended up in a place where I unexpectedly had to fight three Ninth Metamorphosis types… haaah~. Where do I even start?... Well, do you remember when I first arrived in this world and threw up on you for the second time?”

”(ㆆ_ㆆ), I donʼt remember anything like that. It must be a memory created by your disordered and very lacking brain.”

”Hey! Iʼm trying to make a serious confession here—you can save the insults for later.”

”I donʼt understand what you mean. I wouldnʼt dare do something as rude as insulting you. Iʼm just stating facts that, as your personal servant, Iʼve noticed.”

”Hey, donʼt hide behind this ʼprofessionalismʼ nonsense. This is obviously personal now.”

”(¬_¬) Itʼs not… and, in any case, my lady, regarding what youʼre about to say… tell me something first. Do you really want to say it, or do you feel obligated to say it?”

”Ugh!... W-well, I know thereʼs no point in lying, so, well… itʼs more the latter. After all, I have to explain why I ended up like this and how things turned out, donʼt I? Itʼs the least I can do for you all, who care about me and almost saw me die.”

Yes, they deserve an explanation—without any lies or omissions—as to why things ended up this way.

If I think about it, I can leave that out. I can actually say that I went to get Rosyʼs supplies, that I stumbled upon my brotherʼs problem by chance, and that I just happened to know there was a seedling nearby and went to check on it, only to run into those guys.

The only thing that really doesnʼt add up here is that, without any clue, I went to check on a seedling whose location I shouldnʼt have known.

”I see that you still have a glimmer of conscience and understanding, which are fundamental qualities of sentient beings.”

”Youʼre really not going to stop with that, are you?”

”No. (ㆆ_ㆆ)”

”Now you didnʼt even deny it. Ugh… Anyway, I know itʼs my fault. I promised something and didnʼt keep my word, and I came back in that state—which obviously isnʼt something anyone wants to see in the person they love.”

If one of the girls came back in that state, Iʼd definitely be pissed off and really angry.

Obviously, Iʼd want to know why that happened and everything that went down, so I could go after the bastard who did it.

So, looking at it the other way around, I can understand them. Besides, the girls already know Iʼm hiding something from them; Iʼve already pushed my luck by not having to explain anything, when—without any explanation—I went to save down a demon on the other side of the world.

Iʼm the only fool here for thinking the girls wouldnʼt figure it out on their own.

To begin with, I told Silvia that secret to avoid misunderstandings.

And now the same thing is happening: if I leave out any details, they might draw the wrong conclusions, which could later lead to problematic and potentially harmful misunderstandings.

I do think about that: the reason I didnʼt want to tell them is because I didnʼt want to burden them with the future, and I was a little hesitant about how theyʼd feel about what was originally supposed to happen and how things turned out now.

But at this point, the future couldnʼt be more different, and I know our bond isnʼt fragile enough for telling this truth to break it.

In fact, the downsides of not telling them are greater now; besides, if a puslimine like Silvia could handle it, obviously my girls can too.

”I see your ego is big enough to say something like that without any hesitation, and yes, youʼre absolutely right, but I have to ask: would telling me that secret keep you from coming back in that state the next time you go out?”

”Huh?... Hmmm...”

I was already mentally prepared to tell everything, but Elena suddenly asked me a somewhat unexpected and complicated question.

Thinking about it, actually, I donʼt think things would change much.

For example, if they had known when I went to rescue Ciel, I still would have gone alone.

And even if theyʼd known before this trip, nothing would have changed either.

I would have gone alone anyway, since, to begin with, I, too, initially thought everything was safe.

I wasnʼt going to take any risks— Iʼd just save my brother if the opportunity arose, collect Rosyʼs materials, check on the seedling, and set up some barriers until it grew…

I never thought Iʼd run into those guys or discover that a plan like that was being carried out without me even knowing it.

So, even if theyʼd known, nothing would have changed.

And right now, I really donʼt plan on letting something like that happen again, but that was the same thought I had after the Ciel incident, and something even worse ended up happening.

Itʼs really completely out of my control.

So, even if I tell them everything, just as Iʼve planned, a similar situation could happen again in the future.

”I see, so knowing that secret doesnʼt really change anything.”

”Yeah, thatʼs right... Wait!, did you read my mind again?”

”No. (¬_¬)”

”Why does it seem like youʼre lying?!”

”Itʼs your lack of imagination working in tandem with your lack of a brain.”

”Damn it, I feel like it would be better if you insulted me like Eira does... hmm, how long do you think youʼll last like this?”

”I still donʼt understand what youʼre getting at. Iʼm perfectly normal...”

”Fine, letʼs believe that. Anyway, as I was saying, the explanation begins on the very day I came into this world, after I threw up on you because—”

”Stop right there, my lady.”

”Damn it… fine, I wonʼt mention the vomiting, but let me explain or weʼll never make any progress.”

”No, I mean this isnʼt something I alone get to decide.”

”Decide? Decide what? What are you talking about?”

”…Never mind. Anyway, the other young ladies are already here.”

”Huh? Oh, theyʼre here… wait, how did they find us?”

”I sent them a message using magic. This is something we all need to discuss together.”

”Oh, I see. Yeah, youʼre right about that… I was getting a little ahead of myself. I guess Iʼm a little nervous; you know revelations arenʼt really my thing.”

Yes, just as Elena said, the group arrived with all the girls, including Astris and Lily—and for some reason I donʼt understand, Silvia was there too.

She didnʼt seem to like the situation and had the look of someone whoʼd gotten dragged into something she didnʼt want to be a part of.

It was also a little suspicious how Eira was walking right behind her, as if keeping a close watch on her.

ʼHelp me…ʼ

I think I got a telepathic message from Silvia, but I decided to ignore it; there were other things that deserved my attention more, like the fact that the twins had a new look.

Thatʼs something I was already expecting: they both ditched their pink hair and now have blue hair.

Seleneʼs is a dark blue, while Eiraʼs is a light blue.

”Why did this happen? Waaah!” (Leyla)

And maybe thatʼs exactly why the other thing caught my attention: a tearful Lily. No, she wasnʼt just crying; she was throwing a huge tantrum while holding Selene.

Selene was as calm and unflappable as ever, while being carried and hugged by her mother.

She didnʼt even seem to mind that Lily, in addition to tears, was leaving snot in her hair.

”My pretty little pink ones, Why? Damn it! Gods, I swear this wonʼt stay this way..” (Leyla)

Yeah, Iʼm going to ignore the fact that Lily just did something that defies all common sense in this world; anyway, it didnʼt seem like something I could get involved in, so Iʼll wisely ignore it… or so I thought until…

”Hmm!(/ㆆ▵ㆆ/)”(Selene)

When we were close enough, Selene reached out her arms toward me. Her expression didnʼt change, but that was enough to tell me she really wanted me to get her out of that situation. ”So I did what any good partner would do: I waited until they were right in front of me, then discreetly moved close to Eira, grabbed her, and—in one swift motion—swapped her position with Seleneʼs.

Click.

I also removed the sticky substance from her hair. I may not be able to use mana, but my blessing has never relied on that—itʼs based on divinity—so I can keep using it as much as I want.

”Huh?... Hey, you fucking bastard! What do you think youʼre doing? Hey, you old witch, let me go! Donʼt get me covered in your disgusting snot!” (Eira)

Perhaps because my move was so unexpected, Eira didnʼt process it right away, but when she did, she got angry as expected and struggled to break free from Lily—and she succeeded.

But it was too late: that substance was already in her hair.

”Waaah! Even her cuteness is gone! My babies!” (Leyla)

Setting aside the fact that Lily is already overreacting—since Eira is acting just like she always does—Eira glared at me, looking as if she wanted to complain about my actions.

Click!.

But if thereʼs no evidence, nothing happened.

”You, you idiot, tell me something.” (Eira)

”Huh? It wasnʼt me!”

”Stop fooling around. Are you still hurt?” (Eira)

”Well, my magic circuit is a mess, and it wonʼt recover anytime soon.”

”What about your physical condition? How are you doing physically?” (Eira)

”Oh, Iʼm really touched by how worried you are about me. The truth is, I still feel the occasional crack in my bones and several torn muscles, plus some organ issues, and a few minor deformities in various places from casting so many spells,”

”Tsk! Are you that bad off?” (Eria)

”Yeah, but I assure you that in a few hours Iʼll be as good as new. The deformities will also fix themselves, but it might take a few days for my arm to actually grow back. And the only long-term problem is my magical circuit.”

”Tsk… so for now it really isnʼt possible. Whereʼs your doppelganger? I have to finish what I was doing earlier.” (Eria)

”Huh?... Hey! You asked about my condition just so you could hit me!”

”So what if I did! Now tell me where the doppelganger is!” (Eria)

”Oy!, you have to be careful with him! In my current state, I canʼt make another one if he gets destroyed.”

”Tsk. Fine, Iʼll wait a few hours, then...Elena, thatʼs what you called us here for, right? Letʼs get this over with quickly; I have a few things to ask this idiot about what I heard from my goddess.” (Eira)

”Right. I called you all here because this is a matter that concerns everyone.” (Elena)

”Yes, as Elena says, letʼs leave the other things for later. First, listen to what I have to say about—”

The moment had arrived. I just hope I donʼt say anything stupid, now that Iʼm getting a little nervous.