Chapter 874: The Second Year of the Great Invasion 10
Upon returning to Rennesto, dinner was already prepared.
“Uhaa, after battles in Ghibli, all I remember is salty food, so getting a proper meal is amazing, right?”
Naris was overjoyed at the feast complete with dessert. Well, calling it a feast doesn’t mean Lord Buster ordered takeout from town restaurants or anything, it was actually the result of Apple and Hilda working hard since noon.
“We worked hard to make something that would surprise everyone when you all got back”
“It’s great no one got hurt☆ I even tried my hand at cooking, so try and guess who made what☆”
That said, their cooking styles are quite distinct, so if you know their personalities, it’s not hard to tell them apart. The roughly prepared, richly flavored fried and grilled dishes, the Celesta-style fare, were almost certainly Hilda’s work. The salads with their oddly elaborate presentation were probably hers too. When it comes to handling knives and dexterity, Apple simply can’t compete. That leaves the milder simmered dishes and soups as likely Apple’s work. Apple hasn’t been cooking for very long, but her flavors are mainly influenced by what she picked up from Selene and the other wives back in Polka. Her strengths are worlds apart from the hearty, rich power of Celesta cuisine.
“Seeing it like this, their cooking is really interesting with such strong personalities, isn’t it?”
“Shall we try our hand at it tomorrow too?”
“No……I don’t think I could pull that off confidently after seeing this”
Anzeros gave a wry smile even when Aurora invited her. Anzeros was trained by the crossbow squad, so her cooking inevitably leaned toward the masculine side. Her go-to is a stir-fry where everything gets roughly chopped large, cooked together, seasoned by eye with a bit too much salt, put nicely, it’s forgiving; put bluntly, it’s a hodgepodge of whatever ingredients are thrown in. Well, when the two old cooks who were practically Basson Base’s exclusive chefs made it, there was some variety. But on expeditions with only squad members, it was always that. Me, Isaac, Keiron—we all make it. Aurora, on the other hand, seems to have kept up with her cooking training fairly diligently, so she might be itching to show off her skills.
“Are we leaving right after dinner? We did fight today. Why not take some time for a bath?”
Dianne suggested. True, we hadn’t moved as much as the vanguard, but we had moved a bit and worked up a sweat. There was a proper bathhouse here, so freshening up before leaving sounded like a good idea.
“Hoho, in that case, I shall go ahead and heat the water, shall I?”
Saying this, Laila set down her cup and stood up.
“Wait, didn’t this place have proper hot water facilities?”
“Heating it up from scratch will take time. With my heat, even starting from cold water would be quick”
It seemed she was about to use her signature move: the personal heat source bath heating. ……But.
“Ah, about the bath, sister was messing with it earlier”
Corti interjected.
“She was messing with it?”
“She was bored, so she was exploring the mansion. She found that place, looked at the equipment, figured out roughly how it worked, and decided to try using it since she was there”
“…..And she figured out how to use it properly?”
“There’s no one to judge if she 『Properly understood』, so I’m not confident about that part either. But she should have been able to get hot water out”
Can a dragon really figure out a mechanism on first sight? Well, it’s not like it was some terrifyingly complex contraption or anything.
When I went to check, the bathhouse was pleasantly steamy, filled with the fresh scent of hot water.
“Master”
“……Leyla. Thanks for heating the bath”
“Shall I wash your back?”
Leyla, who had been soaking in the tub, splashed out.
“No, before that, the girls probably want to wash off their sweat first……”
“Why not just join them?”
“I’m not exactly sensitive to that sort of thing, but……I don’t think it’s the kind of thing you can just casually do in a place that’s not exactly Polka”
I’m still clothed. I just came to see how things were going. And when I tried to let Fiona, today’s heroine, go first……Fiona had already started undressing.
“Wait, take your time undressing after I leave!?”
“We Saint Gardoians don’t bathe naked, so don’t panic”
“Even so, you’re not wearing your bathing suit underneath, are you?”
“……Honestly, I’ve gotten used to it by now”
Saying that, Fiona flung off her top, slipped on her bathing suit, then removed her bottoms. Yeah, quite the pair of breasts. Not quite as big as Laila or Sharon’s, but they definitely made an impression. No, that’s not what I meant.
“…..I said I’m getting used to it, but don’t stare so intently”
“Ah……thank you for the feast”
Guys who say things like 「You’re the one showing them off」 or 「I wasn’t looking, I wasn’t looking」 in situations like this are amateurs. Pros just say thanks politely. Fighting over it only leaves bad blood between you. That’s what Lantz, the self-proclaimed pro, used to say. But Fiona just looked exasperated.
“I was starting to think better of you, but you haven’t changed a bit, have you?”
“I don’t want to fake my gratitude for the boobs”
“Answer me properly!”
Northwestern dialect and Southern dialect. Since we’re both speaking our native tongues, there’s always a slight disconnect, but regardless, I’m a man who strongly asserts his principles.
“So, can we join too? It’s fine, right? This place is spacious anyway”
“Naris-chan, just a little while ago, you were the one squealing the loudest when the master barged in, you know?”
“Well, taking that kind of attitude at this point is a bit much, don’t you think? It’s a fact that 10-man Captain Smithson is running out of time”
“First of all, don’t make such a fuss just because a man saw your chest or butt. You’re the one who wore bikini armor!”
“No, Almeida-san, you’re just too careless overall! If it were just about this person, fine, but if it’s about men in general, you have to make a fuss—otherwise, society would question you!”
“Being seen by unfamiliar gentlemen isn’t so bad sometimes, you know?”
“No, it is bad, Knight Chief!? Let’s at least maintain a basic sense of modesty, okay!?”
Amidst the raucous chatter, the Gauntlet Knight group barged right into the bathhouse without hesitation. Following them, Anzeros and Aurora naturally showed no hesitation about sharing the bath with me.
“Andy, you’re the one who needs to get this over with first. Why don’t you get undressed already?”
“If Fiona-san doesn’t mind, then it’s fine, isn’t it?”
And then Neia and Beatrice too……yeah.
“Well, it’s always like this in Polka anyway”
“Want to get frisky while you’re at it? You’ve got time for one quick round, right?”
“……Beatrice. You should know this isn’t the place for that”
Beatrice was way too forward, earning her a knuckle rap from Neia’s educational guidance.
“……Stop bickering and let’s just bathe”
“Y, Yeah, you’re right”
Since nobody seemed to mind, Fiona and I felt a bit silly and obediently stripped, stepping into the bathhouse filled with the girls’ chatter and the sound of water. Getting accepted into the women’s bath naturally like this, rather than being let in with the expectation of doing something lewd, was probably a rare situation in its own way……I thought to myself belatedly, visually enjoying the backs of the girls washing their hair and the breasts warming themselves in the tub. You just couldn’t get this kind of atmosphere in a sex play scenario. Incidentally, there was a bit of a scramble over who got to wash her back, but Sharon ended up doing it.
“Shall I wash you with my breasts?♪”
“Let’s not do that, it’ll make me horny”
Honestly, I was rock hard, but I held back. If I was going to do anything, it would be after we got back. ……Fiona pretended not to see my erection. Not that making a fuss about it would have changed anything.
—————-
And this time, the plan is to go easy and just reduce the number.
“If we can just watch the battle situation and take turns breathing one at a time, then not burdening my master is best, right?”
“It might sway a bit when switching midway, but please forgive us”
Following Emma and Leda’s suggestion, I’d oversee things from inside the 『Sexroom』, much like Princess Ran did during the day. The plan was for two of them to fly, with Leda handling attacks while Emma held the 『Sexroom』, then Emma would take over attacks after Leda handed the 『Sexroom』 to her mid-fight. I thought it might be fine to just stick with one of them until the end, but it seems they both have that competitive spirit—wanting to shine and be seen—so this plan naturally emerged. And so.
“In that case……might I also observe the scene of the dragons exterminating the monsters?”
“……Well, yeah. I guess that’s fine”
Princess Ran jumped at the chance. And since it was indeed safe, there was no reason to refuse. If anything, it’s just that you couldn’t spend your time watching the extermination while casually having sex with someone……no, even if you let the dragons do the killing, that’s questionable to begin with, and I wouldn’t do it anyway.
“But if we try to see the ice dragon in action at night, we might not see much”
“Ah, that’s no problem. Night vision magic isn’t that difficult☆”
“……Did you teach her, Hilda?”
“Was that a mistake?”
“W, Well, not at all, but……”
Princess Ran possesses relatively rich magic talent. If taught, she can learn. That said, I’m a bit taken aback by the fact that while I was preoccupied with strengthening Fiona, Princess Ran had quietly leveled up her skills too. It’s not unusual since many of my female slaves are talented, but I suddenly realize that if this continues, Princess Ran might blossom with unexpected speed.
Emma carried the 『Sexrroom』 carrying me and the princess, with Leda leading the way. The two silver dragons took off from Rennesto. In stark contrast to the overly lively daytime sortie, it was just the two of us in our flying bedroom.
“……It’ll take a while to reach Catalina. Shall we sleep on the way?”
“Y, Yes”
Princess Ran nodded, her freshly bathed, damp hair swaying, and lay down beside me on the bed. ……Then she stared intently at me. Her gaze felt strangely intense.
“……Wh, What?”
“……That
The princess turned her face sideways, her expression tense as her gaze wandered slightly.
“……Thank you for today, for Fiona’s sake”
“Ah, yeah”
“……I was moved by Fiona’s fighting, but I was also captivated by your heroic form. Facing those terrifying beasts without flinching, breathing in unison with the assembled heroes, fighting casually yet sometimes boldly to complement the flow……hearing about you through others and seeing you depicted in myths, I was convinced your image wasn’t just fantasy”
“……No……well, when your allies are that strong, you don’t get scared”
“That is not the case. Fiona and the other soldiers were afraid. Yet you showed no fear or hesitation whatsoever. Your bearing was that of an exceptional commander”
“I know the strength of those female slaves well. Their power saved me countless times. Several of them were even my enemies at first. So I knew it was absolutely safe”
“……That accumulated trust and battle record. Above all, the courage to never consider yourself powerless in a world of violence. That very presence proves you are the protagonist of that myth. I am deeply impressed and, once again……I offer my devotion”
“H, Hey hey”
“Fiona isn’t here either. ……It might seem like I’m taking advantage of the moment, but now is the time”
Princess Ran seems full of determination. Wait, hold on. That’s why we’re heading to the slaughterhouse with the dragons right now……isn’t that a bit inappropriate?
『……My Lord. We have a little time. Should we……find a suitable place to land, somewhere stable?』
Emma’s voice, tinged with restraint, echoed through the chamber. An application of illusion magic.
“It’s awkward, so just keep flying!”
“…Umm”
“No, wait a moment, Princess. Let’s watch the attack first. We don’t want to forget this battle because of the sensation of breaking through a virgin. Also”
I was certain.
“You’re here, Charlotte, right?”
“!”
……Creak. The built-in bench/costume box groaned. I’d only suspected something was there, but it really was. She’s way too fond of stowaways.
“!”
“……So let’s just watch normally tonight. Okay?”
“……Yes”
Princess Ran shot Charlotte, who emerged looking awkward, a slightly resentful glare.