Chapter 876: The Second Year of the Great Invasion 12
I went to the captain’s office to hear more details from Dianne.
“She’s our biggest concern right now. Anzeros and I were discussing whether we could somehow restrict her movements or predict her actions……but then Laila pointed out that she probably hasn’t even tried to infiltrate anywhere other than near you from the very beginning, and that’s when it dawned on me”
“……Didn’t you realize that until recently, Dianne?”
“Normally, sneaking into other areas wouldn’t be something we’d notice, nor would it pose a danger worth worrying about……it wasn’t until you started acting separately from me like this that I finally became certain”
Dianne crossed her arms and looked at Charlotte. Charlotte cowered in fear, then vanished from right in front of her……hey, I was just looking at her, and she disappeared. Just as I thought that, she was caught by Emma at the door.
“Running away now won’t do you any good. Surely you’d rather be here openly with me than be treated as just another pervert after the Master”
“B, But……I’m scared……”
“Dianne-dono doesn’t resort to unreasonable violence. Unless she deems you an enemy of the family, that is”
What’s the point of threatening her? ……Dianne, the one being threatened, didn’t seem particularly bothered and continued speaking.
“Still, you should’ve noticed at least a little bit. That she’s always following you around”
“No, if Dianne didn’t notice, there’s no way I could have”
“Don’t you think about it at all, as a man? That maybe she’s acting this way because she has a crush on you? Becker would’ve noticed right away”
“Well, until Selenium showed up, I was actually on the unpopular side, you know?”
“……Well, that might be true”
The Crossbow Corps was an all-male unit aside from Dianne, and Basson wasn’t exactly the kind of place where you could casually hook up with girls. There were a few members who had girlfriends, but those were the seasoned veterans who boasted about being exceptionally good-looking or having been womanizers since childhood. Oh, and Boyd was a bit of an exception. Other than that, the rest of the crossbow corps were all the type who kept saying they wanted a girlfriend but ended up content with the comfort of their own circle, just drinking and shooting the breeze whenever they had a day off. Myself included. And as for whether there was any chance of being popular back when I was working in the capital before that……well. In the world of blacksmiths, the mindset was, 「You don’t mess around with women until you’ve made it on your own」. Besides, as a teenager doing menial grunt work, you didn’t get paid that much anyway. Even so, the only ones who had girlfriends were the guys from the neighborhood. Even in a world where women were practically off-limits, having a childhood friend from way back was a huge advantage. Part of it was simply that we country bumpkins couldn’t help but pale in comparison to the city boys born and raised in the capital. Whether it was grooming or the way they spoke, the guys born in the capital understood the finer points of looking good, and I was made to feel like I just couldn’t compete with them. ……But let’s set aside those sad memories of my youth.
“These days, you’re treated like a full-fledged hero. Plus, you’ve got youth on your side alongside your achievements. You can be sure women will look at you that way”
“Eh……well, even if you say that……”
Come to think of it, when I hear that Charlotte was acting like one of those 「Nameless fans who follow me around」, it actually makes a strange kind of sense. But it doesn’t really connect to the fact that I’m a hero who’s made a name for myself as a Dragon Rider. I always thought Charlotte kept her distance from that kind of martial stuff. So why is she following me around like this? I don’t really have any other idea why, though. ……Come to think of it, there’s no reason for me to be overly cautious. I’ll just ask her straight out.
“Charlotte”
“……Hiu”
“No, I’m not angry at all, mind you. ……Why did you take such a liking to me? Even if you weren’t comfortable there, I know it takes a lot of courage for a northern elf to just up and leave the forest like that. Was your interest in the outside world really just an excuse to be interested in me……? Or did your feelings change along the way? Or is there some reason we don’t know about? I’d like to hear that before we move forward”
There’s no need to jump straight to making her my female slave. I should consider that after hearing about her motives. As I stared at Charlotte, she vanished again with a whoosh……and when I looked up, she had moved a few meters to the edge of my field of vision.
“……How did she just do that?”
I couldn’t help but ask Emma, who was guarding the door, for an explanation.
“It’s a type of light illusion magic. Rather than an illusion, she seems to have mastered a type of magic that induces a sort of dizziness. We dragons aren’t affected if we’re aware of it……but for ordinary people like you, Master, it should cause a brief lapse in consciousness for a few moments. She slips through during that time”
“Wait, isn’t that a dangerous ability?”
I wondered if it was something incredibly difficult, like Irina’s 「Viper Eye」, but both Charlotte and Emma shook their heads. Charlotte, in particular, shook her head frantically.
“It’s like a magic trick that diverts your consciousness the moment you focus on a specific spot. It’s not difficult. ……However, precisely because it’s a simple trick, the incantation is minimal, and it leaves almost no trace”
“I, I see……?”
To be honest, I don’t really understand magic that well, and it’s hard for me to grasp just how 「Easy」 something is by dragon standards, but judging by the way she put it, it gives the impression of being easier to use than lighting spells. While there’s a fair amount of demand for spells that let others hide behind illusions, this is the kind of technique that hasn’t really come up much because they’re not interested in quick, split-second maneuvers like diverting someone’s gaze to make an emergency evasion……I guess that’s how I should interpret it. When she hid in the attic, she might have used something like that, a method where she made only her hiding spot disappear. That aside, she flinched whenever I tried to look at her again, which was a bit of a problem, so I had no choice but to turn my back and speak to her.
“So, can I get an answer to my question……?”
“……W, Well, actually……emm, the thing I was really interested in wasn’t the outside……it was Smithson-san. Or rather, I was really fascinated by the idea that the human race from outside created the whole sequence of events……the changes in the forest, the creation of the Labyrinth Village, and all the young elves gathering there”
“Umm”
“So, I wanted to know what kind of person Smithson-san is……what kind of person could have even the Holy Beast so deeply devoted to him. And I was also curious about what Silver Clan´s Phaser said a while back……”
“……Did that guy go to the Labyrinth Village too? Actually, if he’s been going around badmouthing me, he’s probably about to get beaten up by Breakcore”
“Yeah, he was immediately summoned by the Holy Beast, locked up in the temple, and grilled……”
Phaser, you……. It’s not my place to say this, but try to be a little smarter about how you live your life.
“So, I became really curious about how different this human hero……Smithson-san, the hero of the forest, who surpasses any of the forest’s own heroes, was from us. I thought I was sneaking around, but I got caught right away……”
“Ah, yeah”
“But after we got to Polka, I heard and saw all sorts of things. Plus, he was kind to me……and somehow, little by little, my interest started shifting to……a different kind of feeling.”
“……I see. So it’s the same pattern as with Sevory and the others……and on top of that, Andy was paying special attention to you, wasn’t he?”
Dianne murmurs as if she’s convinced. But I’m still not quite sure. I mean, I know that Sevory and the others also had weird expectations based on the narrative Phazer spread about 「Me being a once-in-a-generation trainer」 and made their moves, but Charlotte seems too calm for someone being swayed by that…….
“Is that really how girls fall for someone……?”
“Whether they fall for him or not is one thing, but when you talk to the women in Polka who have a particularly high opinion of Andy, they’ll go out of their way to tell you how great you are. There’s enough varied evidence and witnesses to prove that your success isn’t just a fluke. If you think that man is taking an interest in you, you’re bound to start noticing him”
“……I, I guess so”
“And you’ve actually shown real results. ……You can’t take your eyes off him”
Dianne nodded along as if she understood.
“So, what do you think about becoming a female slave, Charlotte? Andy’s really into the idea”
“…………”
I really want to say 「Wait a minute」, but let’s just move the conversation forward for now. If Charlotte just says she’s not interested yet, it’ll be easier for me to talk about it too. But Charlotte.
“……E, Emm……even with eyes like a beast’s……is that okay……?”
“That’s what you’re worried about!?”
“Hiu”
I mean, I know she’s really self-conscious about it. But with Luna and Dianne around, why bring it up now? I couldn’t help but blurt out my reaction.