Chapter 945: How to Spend the Year-End and New Year Holidays 14
Once again, Nord-san’s dance performance really got the crowd going. It seems she’s planning to divide the day into several time slots, change outfits, and take the stage multiple times. She’ll start by dancing in a white-themed outfit (a color she loves to wear regularly because it contrasts beautifully with her tanned skin), and then in the afternoon, she’ll ramp up the energy with her backup dancers in a bright red costume.
“For the evening, it’ll be sparkling gold, and we’re planning to wrap things up with a revealing purple outfit. ……The key is keeping the crowd engaged right up until the end by saving something a little risqué for last, right♪”
“Did Carlos-san come up with that plan……?”
“If I told Big Brother about this beforehand, he’d definitely say, 『Don’t let that rotten human corrupt you into stripping off so casually! Not allowed! Not allowed—!』, it’s just for internal use. ……Though for some reason, those loose-lipped maids keep leaking the info to the customers, though♪”
Well, if we didn’t say anything, we wouldn’t get any customers, after all.
“……Just out of curiosity, what do you mean by revealing?”
“I’m not planning on getting naked or anything. It’ll just be a little more revealing than underwear”
……Dianne and others wear outfits that’re basically just one layer more revealing than that as their everyday clothes, so maybe she doesn’t think it’s a big deal herself……? Being a typical Talc girl, she does show off some pretty bold stripteases at the Oasis, after all. That said, since she clearly understands the impact of revealing outfits as dance costumes, it’s probably not just unconscious indifference.
“Anyway, I actually think we could be a little more daring here. We’ve already done nude sketches and stuff, making such a big fuss over just showing some boobs isn’t very Talc-like”
“Eh……”
“At parties elsewhere, they’ll casually hire prostitutes for strip shows, you know?”
“Talc is crazy”
Once again, I started to feel that maybe I shouldn’t be judging Talc’s Spirit Festival based solely on what I’ve seen at Onyx. ……But Dianne interrupted me with a sigh.
“Parties with acts that vulgar are probably the domain of some pretty dangerous people. Don’t let Andy get the wrong idea that this happens everywhere”
“Even setting that aside, our party is way too refined”
“You’re just an older brother who can’t stand the idea of your little sister casually putting her body on display”
“Casual or not, I’m a woman who makes a living by showing off my body”
“You used to say you’d take offense at being lumped in with strip dancers, didn’t you?”
“That’s why I don’t plan on taking my clothes off that much, that’s a performance reserved exclusively for my little brother”
What kind of face am I supposed to make in a situation like this? As I’m struggling with what expression to wear, Nord-san wraps her arms around me from behind and whispers.
“The real sexy dance……is in the middle of the night♪ Look forward to it♪”
“……Y, Yes”
A voice that was playful, clingy, seductive, and desperate all at once. I was slightly surprised that she could convey so many different emotions in such a short whisper, the whisper of my sister-in-law and female slave. As I nodded along, seemingly carried away by it, Dianne and Laila gave a wry smile. ……Anzeros, Aurora, Sharon, and Almeida, the serious group, had somehow slipped up close behind me, staring intently as if they wanted to say something. ……Yeah, I don’t think it’s a good idea to pretend I don’t get it here.
“Of course, you guys are going to join in the fun too, right?”
That’s right. From Anzeros and the others’ perspective, when Nord-san and Cosmos-san, whom they haven’t seen in a while, assert their priority, they have no choice but to give in to some extent. After all, we’ve been having plenty of fun on the way here. That said, today is a special day for couples. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be in Celesta. They’ve gone to the trouble of following us all the way from distant Polka, so they’d probably want to voice their dissatisfaction if they were sidelined. So, I’ll say this up front: that won’t happen. There’s no way to avoid it now, this is going to turn into a large-scale orgy. You’ll just have to accept that.
“……Yeah. Well, I guess you’re right”
“Of course, I’ve kept my schedule open”
“……Princess Aurora, I don’t think that slot……is ever going to get filled”
“No, Knight Chief. There’s a possibility they might wander off to play, just like Naris and the others”
People actually think Naris and the others would go out to play on a night like this……well, since they’re not from Celesta, it’s not entirely out of the question that they’d prioritize sightseeing over following local customs, is it?
“……If it looks like they’re about to go out to play, just catch them over there. After all, it is a special event”
I’ll issue the instructions just in case. Well, if it comes down to it, I could always ask Emma or someone to track them down, but it would be a shame if things got messy just because we didn’t all gather together on such a special day.
After eating all sorts of energizing foods and watching dances and street performances, I was getting a bit tired, so I thought I’d rest indoors for a bit. Just as I was about to enter the mansion through a nearby entrance, I couldn’t grasp the doorknob that should have been right in front of me.
“?”
It was a strange sensation. I was reaching out for something right in front of me, but my hand wouldn’t actually extend at all. It would stop halfway, as if it were hovering. It felt like trying to force my hand to move when it was completely numb. It was kind of funny how my brain’s commands didn’t match my actual movements. I could tell right then that there was some kind of trick involved, but instead of backing down, I felt a strange surge of determination, I just had to figure out how to grab the doorknob or open the door. Still in that awkward position, I tried to see if I could reach it by stepping forward, but a maid who had been watching me quickly stopped me. Or rather, she came running over and opened the door for me.
“Please don’t strain yourself. We’ve cast a slightly strange spell on the doors here during the Spirit Festival”
“……What kind of spell is this?”
“It’s the kind that creates a slight illusion when you try to open the door. The doorknob isn’t in its usual spot to begin with, so you can’t grab it, and it should look like your hand isn’t moving the way you want it to”
“……Eh? So my hand isn’t actually paralyzed?”
“From an outsider’s perspective, your movements probably look exactly as intended. However, to you, it looks like your arm isn’t moving at all, so your movements end up looking really suspicious. ……To be honest, a spell that causes paralysis just by looking at it is a bit too advanced for me. I think there was something similar in Irina-sama’s original spells from the Northern Forest, wasn’t there?”
“Ah……so that was such an advanced spell after all”
Irina’s signature move, 『Viper Eye』. It’s a relatively understated yet highly versatile spell that paralyzes anyone who looks into her eyes. Come to think of it, the idea that a spell capable of so effortlessly rendering someone immobile could be casually cast on everyday objects, and triggered simply by looking at or approaching them……that’s terrifying.
“If I set this up, any intruders who try to break in will get tripped up, making them easier to catch. There are also a few other weird illusions like this set up randomly, so please let the maid know before you go inside the house, okay?”
“……Yes”
“Also, it’s fine if you just happen to get a sudden urge, too—♪ I’ll be happy to play along♪”
“……Yes”
Who could blame me for my weakness of character, for not saying, 「No way, I can’t just call out to you for something like that」? ……Hmm, maybe I’ll give it a try on at least one of them before nightfall. When she’s practically begging me to 「Go ahead and attack her」, it makes me want to give it a shot.
That said, I end up waiting until nightfall because it’d be awkward if the female slaves, Carlos, or even Nancy caught me trying to hit on the maids.
I watched as Julio, the weapon sculptor, spent an entire day carving a 「Reclining Dragon Statue」 out of a massive block of gypsum rock, it was practically a small hill and then whined, 「My sister-in-law, I really wish you’d stop commissioning things this huge from now on……I just can’t keep up the momentum……」. Then a daring buyer showed up to purchase that dragon statue, leaving everyone involved at a loss as to how on earth to haul it out.
(It was so massive and hard that even mobilizing a massive army of ogres might not have been enough to move it.)
In the end, my dragon girls pitched in and carried it out themselves, solving the problem.
(We decided to pass it off as the work of an unknown hero who happened to be visiting thanks to Dianne’s connections)
As for the entertainment, the dance performance with musical accompaniment that Fiona put on was unexpectedly well-received, causing the other knight girls to get restless, thinking, 「If I tried, I could probably do something like that too……」. While we were doing all that, night fell, and then it was the middle of the night.
As promised, the final act featured Nord-san dancing in a costume that was practically just underwear, and the event closed to thunderous cheers from the gentlemen who’d been waiting in anticipation after believing the unofficial leaks.
“Nancy, I’m not really a fan of using that kind of thing to draw a crowd……I mean, if it were some other dancer, fine, but Nord can draw a crowd just fine with a regular dance, can’t she……?”
“She’s the one who said she wanted to try that kind of performance and planned it herself, so don’t complain about it”
“I know you say that, but come on, she’s definitely been influenced by that pervert over there. I really think we can’t just leave him alone”
Even as they had that conversation, Carlos and Nancy disappeared toward the bedrooms. The other brothers also vanished into the bedrooms with their respective partners, and I finished my last drink and handed the expensive-looking glass to a maid. Even at this point, I still found myself thinking, 「Maybe I should try hitting on this maid, I wonder if I could actually get her if I really made a move」, but in the end, I didn’t go through with it. I let out a sigh. Breathing in the scent of the feast and feeling the lingering warmth of the festival in the night sky, I headed toward the bedroom assigned to me and my female slaves for the night.
“Well then, have you all eaten your fill?”
Dianne asked to confirm. She and many of the other women were already naked and waiting.
“……Yes, I am……but”
Then, my eyes fell on the young girl standing in the corner. She squirmed uncomfortably.
“……Your Highness, are you planning to join us……?”
“Y, Yes”
I hesitated, wondering if I should jump in with momentum.