Chapter 789: Sword Girls 2
In the end, I decided to call it quits on gathering members and head back after buying some buns as souvenirs at the steamed bun shop. For me, these buns have held a special place in my heart as 「Delicious Food」 since childhood. Of course, I know plenty of tastier things now. I’ve even been welcomed by powerful figures, nobles, and even dragons. Compared to those, these buns are simple, just a local specialty from the countryside. But that’s exactly why they’re easy to share with anyone. Precisely because they aren’t a special flavor, everyone who eats them says they’re delicious. I think that’s important. Pay a high price, and you’ll get something worthy of it. But it’s precisely because they aren’t that they blend into everyday life and naturally color your memories. A beloved ally of the common folk. When you think of Polka, you think of hot springs, the 「Great Ice Field」, and Lindon’s steamed buns.
“Hey, Andy. Could you give me some advice?”
“Huh? That’s unusual. You actually relying on me?”
Keel’s mom beckoned, so I moved closer for a private chat. She put her hand to her mouth, but her voice wasn’t really that quiet.
“Listen, my younger daughters are getting to a certain age. Would you mind introducing them to a decent guy? Someone with a good heart and strong arms? You’re a soldier, right? You must know plenty of guys like that?”
“That’s a tough one……”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re a soldier and you don’t have many soldier friends?”
“My unit’s the crossbow squad. We don’t really train for strength. We work on our legs and core, though”
Or rather.
“Wouldn’t the Polka guys work? Judging by the sword practice in the square, they don’t seem to be short on men”
“We are short. You just don’t get it”
The aunt shrugged her shoulders with a resigned look.
“They might look like there are plenty when lined up like that, but most are already married or engaged. If you get picky about the leftovers, the candidates just disappear. It’s cruel to marry your daughter off to some good-for-nothing just because there happen to be no other men left. As parents, we want to be a little picky”
“But if you’re looking for someone strong……if someone like Lantz is good enough……no, what about Lantz? He’s young, hardworking, and as you can see, he’s not bad looking either”
“You want me to give my beloved daughter to a guy who brags about masturbating in broad daylight?”
“…………”
Lantz, I’m sorry. Honestly, I can’t argue with that.
“What about Keiron, then?”
“He’s a good kid, but thirty is a bit much……unless he’s incredibly wealthy, maybe”
That stabs right through my heart, which is starting to turn into an old man’s. Uh, yeah, I’m fine. I know plenty of girls genuinely like me. But if fate hadn’t intervened and I was still wasting my days in the Crossbow Corps, I’d be thinking this chance was snatched away from me. It doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem at all. Well, since I joined the Crossbow Corps, I’m already secured by Dianne, so it’s nothing to worry about.
“Also, beastmen are a bit. Can’t we manage with humans?”
“……Auntie, beastmen are a no-go too”
“I won’t say absolutely, but they’re not someone your parents would recommend. Your families would be completely different in every way, so the hardships are obvious”
“Umm……”
It’s discrimination, sure, but I get it. I’ve got all kinds of backing, so I don’t hold back with girls who’ve made up their minds to 「Become my female slave」. But realistically, different races have different cultures, customs, sex lives—everything is different. If the husband’s an ogre, sex would be a struggle. If he’s an elf, you couldn’t grow old together. Could parents really tell their child, 「Just put up with that and marry him」? If the child fell in love on their own, that’s one thing, but it’s hard for parents to say that. Keiron’s a good guy, and I don’t get the feeling he’ll end up destitute, but still, those aren’t exactly ideal conditions.
“But what’s with demanding physical strength? I think someone too good at fighting just causes trouble”
“Not at all. A man you can’t rely on in a pinch is the worst of the worst. More like, what good is he if he can’t even stop people from fighting? My husband and Keel are both hopeless in that regard……”
Auntie’s personal values, huh. ……Well, strong is better, right? Normally.
“Besides, if we don’t set those conditions, Andy might start saying stuff like 『What about me?』”
“I wouldn’t!”
“Well, seeing the current mess, I couldn’t even joke about marrying you, you know”
“Mess……”
Yeah. I get what she’s saying, but mess? It’s like I did something really brutal or something. But someone strong, good-natured, and human……. Umm.
“……Well, I do have one person in mind.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course, it depends on their feelings too, so it’s not like we can just rush into an arranged marriage. But I’ll at least bring it up”
“Well, this is the sticks, after all. My kid isn’t suddenly going to fall in love out of nowhere, so I’ll just wait patiently”
……The one who came to mind was the crossbow guard squad. Mikagami’s probably on maternity leave now, so the squad leader should be that round-faced guy, Bronson. Huh, come to think of it, that guy was older than me…:::Oh well.
Since Neia and Maia love sweets, I bought a hefty 30 pieces, stuffed them into a bag, and called the dragons as I walked home.
“Maia! Emma! Leda!”
“Haa”
Once again, the first to arrive……or rather, Emma jumped out from behind a nearby object. She seems to think it’s her signature move. Next, Maia arrived after several long jumps from the direction of the Baron’s residence.
“……Muu”
“What is it?”
Emma and I exchange a subtle glare. She seems annoyed that I arrived first even though she came right away. ……Honestly, I can’t help but think her habit of tailing me from behind things is a bit much. But given Emma’s temperament, telling her to find other ways to kill time would probably leave her at a loss, so I just let her be.
“Now, for Leda……”
I wondered if she hadn’t heard me, feeling a little uneasy. In town, a dragon’s ears would probably pick up anything, but I had no idea what Leda was up to or what her daily life was like. Maybe I should ask her 「What were you doing?」 when she arrives, just to find out. I hesitated, wondering if that might come off a bit rude, but Leda flew in before I could decide. Water droplets and steam scattered from her entire body as she arrived……completely naked.
“Ah, Master! Did you call?”
“……Were you in the hot springs?”
“Ah, well, no! Actually, Lady Michela invited me. She said the best way to blend into town is to build relationships through bathing naked together!”
“Ah……yeah. Sorry about that”
The naked appearance itself wasn’t that shocking anymore, thanks to the blue dragons’ bad habits. Not that I’m complaining about the boobs, mind you. Can’t take my eyes off them. But let’s set that aside.
“If you were trying to bond with everyone, I’d rather you come back……”
“No! If my Lord calls, nothing else matters!”
“……I suppose”
I get that telling her 「You can go now」 at this point would be cruel in its own way. For a dragon bound by contract, anything besides Rider’s orders is just killing time. Even if it’s meaningful for her, being dismissed immediately after being invited would leave her in a tough spot.
“But at least stop running around naked in broad daylight. Dry off and put some clothes on”
“Haa. ……No, with just a few water droplets like this, I can freeze them off first”
Leda closed her eyes, spread her arms wide, and took a slow, deep breath. Before my eyes, the water droplets all over her body froze……or rather, didn’t. Only the air around Leda grew colder.
“……Stupid. Spirit Spring water doesn’t freeze”
Maia muttered in quiet exasperation, and Leda froze. ……Shario had tried this a while back, but back then, it only worked on her hair damp with steam.
“……Come with me. I’ll dry you off at home”
I sighed and gestured with my chin toward my house, right in front of us. Is the property of the sacred spring not freezing something unfamiliar to silver dragons, something they just forget?
Right.
“Cold……!”
When I tried to wipe Leda down with a cloth, the coldness of the sacred spring water soaking into it made me jump back in surprise.
“Even the coldest place in nature isn’t this cold. Leda, you were in such a hurry you got stubborn”
“……Ugh”
Emma took over wiping her down. Regardless of the sacred spring water’s non-freezing property, it was so cold the cloth itself frosted over. And ice dragons were terrible at warming themselves up.
“I was planning to have a little fun with everyone, including Neia and Tetes……”
“If you hugged Leda like this, Master would get frostbite and be in serious trouble”
“……Maybe warm up in the hot spring again, or have Laila-sama breathe on you?”
“I, I’m so sorry! This pregnancy sack is useless when it matters most!”
“Seriously, stop yelling pregnancy sack out loud, okay!?”
……Leda ended up submerging in the secret hot spring for a while before joining the fun. Even knowing it was her, that submerged form looked like a waterlogged corpse and was terrifying.