Chapter 762: The Dark Elves’ Dining Table
It’s been a while since I left the house, and my appearance as I survey the town looks pretty suspicious. With the number of female slaves already beyond a joke, and now more than ten have been added, it’s no wonder I’m on edge and wary of awkward questions. I haven’t seen my mother recently either. I’m hoping that by giving it some time, the questions will lose some of their explosive power and the seriousness of the inquiries will fade. Well, getting kicked by Keel is no big deal. It’ll hurt a bit, but in the end, we’ll just laugh it off. But if they ask me serious questions, the dragon girls will have to give them a real explanation. For them, my honor is something that must not be tarnished. If I draw too clear a line in that regard, I might lose my position as 「A citizen of Polka」. That’s what I’m afraid of.
You could say I’m just overly self-conscious. However, I don’t want to settle into the role of a lord, noble, or king. I want to stay in this town, even if I’m called a womanizer, and remain just one of the young men, getting along with everyone. I know my own limits. I’m not cut out to be one of those 「People in power」 who manipulate others’ futures with wisdom or violence, fighting to take each other’s seats. However, depending on how the dragon girls and the townspeople clash, there is a risk that I might be forced into that position against my will. As Dianne pointed out earlier, the power I have obtained is too great, and I am well aware of that. But I don’t particularly need that power. I only took their hands because the dragon girls wanted to do erotic things, or because I couldn’t bear to abandon them. I want to avoid using that authority to distance myself from the rest of the town. I’ve explained this to all the dragons (especially Emma, Leda, and Corti, who tend to get worked up) many times, but I’m not sure if they truly understand. It seems like they believe that my place is on the side of the rulers, and that this kind of casual familiarity is just a game. Unconsciously, they’re applying their own bad habit and racial common understanding that 「Strong beings are destined to crush other races」 and 「Since we’re fundamentally different creatures, being feared is inevitable」. Of course, I know that the environment where I can do whatever I want thanks to the dragons’ power is maintained because of them, but I can’t abandon the idea of finding a balance. I’m fine being the son of a perverted blacksmith. I don’t want anything more than that. So I hope the townspeople won’t push me too hard either.
“……Master, I understand that you don’t want to stand out, but you don’t have to be so secretive”
“U, Uwaa……Emma”
Emma looked down at me in exasperation as I crawled behind a rough fence and hid in the shadow of a wooden box, looking for my next hiding place. I had been careful not to be seen, but how did she get so close without me noticing? But that question is meaningless to a dragon. Because she’s a dragon, that’s all there is to it.
“If you’d like, I can use an illusion spell to make you invisible to the townspeople”
“No, it’s not that serious”
“From my perspective, your pathetic appearance is what makes it 『That serious』”
“Don’t call me pathetic!”
Sure, it’s a little embarrassing, but I don’t think it’s right to say it straight out.
In the end, I had Emma accompany me, and we hid ourselves with a strong illusion and walked proudly.
“What are you so worried about?”
“I’m just worried that everyone is blending in properly in the town……”
“I don’t think anyone is having trouble communicating to the extent that you need to worry”
I can’t say that I’m especially worried about her and Leda. If she gets upset, that would be troublesome. Then, I go to the light meal terrace where I haven’t seen Cosmos-san for a while. ……There’s a sign outside that says 「Café Light Meal Leslie House」. Did she give it a name? Actually, Leslie is Cosmos-san’s (in Talc) pseudonym, right? She could have chosen any name she liked, but using her own name seems somehow typical of a woman of the night. Just a feeling.
“This place is a gathering spot for dark elf women, isn’t it?”
“Besides Cosmos and Cima?”
“Yes. Perhaps they miss the food of their homeland”
Well, other than that, this place is near the northern elf territory of Trot, so dark elves may find it difficult to settle down here. They look completely different, and there still seems to be a strong sense of discrimination among the elves, so even if I don’t see it, there might be some uncomfortable discrimination going on behind the scenes. While they say that interaction is the most important thing, it’s important to have an environment where they can protect each other to some extent as fellow elves. Loneliness is what drives people to the brink. Thinking about that, I peeked inside the shop and saw that almost all the dark elves were there.
“Hey, hey, clear that way! Here comes the silver pear, green vegetables, river fish, and some kind of meat pie you’ve all been waiting for!”
“What’s some kind of meat……”
“I don’t know! The cherry blossom girl brought it, so I bought it! It doesn’t seem to be unicorn meat, but I’m not sure!”
“That’s why I’m scared of the food Cima makes. Once, after eating it, I checked everywhere and found out it was sandworm meat”
“Don’t mock sandworms, Lukino. My older sister survived on them”
“You shouldn’t eat something like that without knowing what it is! Wait, does Dianne-san eat it? Have you ever eaten it!?”
“I’ve never been that desperate for food……”
“Hmm, but I heard sandworms aren’t poisonous. They move around in the desert with that huge body, so their muscles must be incredible, right?”
“Hey, stop getting excited about topics unrelated to my pie and eat! It’ll lose half its flavor if it gets cold!”
“Cima-chan, can I put the next dish in the oven?”
“Sure, go ahead. Stop complaining and just eat!”
“……It’s delicious. Why are you two so cautious, Lukino and Mira?”
“I’m a little worried about Nord-san, who ate without hesitation after hearing that story”
Dark elf women, or rather, Dianne-san’s sisters and Cosmos-san. Cosmos is in the kitchen, so it’s mostly the sisters talking. However, aside from Mira and the other new sisters and Nord, it’s a bit unexpected that Dianne and Hilda are here too. It’s not that it’s weird they’re here, but I thought they’d each have their own place. Plus, the older guys are drawn to the lively and sexy dark elf women, so a few of them are hanging out in the corner. Maybe since the 「Leslie House」 was built, Dianne and Hilda don’t go to the tavern for lunch anymore, so they’ve started coming here instead.
“By the way, Captain Dianne. How’s Andy doing?”
One of the older men brought up the topic I was thinking about.
“With Laila-san and Maia-chan here, why isn’t he around? Did he hide in the forest or something? Marie-san was worried about him”
“I’m sure I told Marie……Andy is working at home. When he concentrates, he loses track of his surroundings and doesn’t come out”
“What kind of work? Something dirty again?”
“Well, with all these people around, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible”
Dianne casually pointed at her sisters’ collars with her palm. Her lack of emotion was typical of her.
“Everyone here is one of 100-man commander Dianne’s sisters, right? How can you all be so calm?”
“I think it’s hard for people from Trot to understand. But my mother has ten daughters. If you have a value system where you share one man, then being the first to find that man is something to be proud of, and I can understand why my sisters are attracted to him”
“Even so, ten isn’t enough anymore. What’s the point of introducing more sisters?”
“My father was a great man, but Andy is ten times, no, a hundred times greater. There’s no doubt he can make such a woman happy. That’s why I, Laila, and even Selenium accept it”
Dianne smiled calmly.
“If you know she’ll be happy, it’s a sister’s duty to give her a chance at a good marriage”
“U, Uuh……I see what you mean, but I don’t really get it”
“That’s how it is, Celesta. That’s the way the world works. Don’t let Trot’s narrow-minded values bind us. I’ve lived two hundred years, and my older sister Hilda has lived five hundred. I don’t expect you to understand, but it would help if you could at least accept it”
Dianne shifts the reason for the harem from my power or connections to the abstract concepts of 「Foreign Countries」 and 「The World」. When put that way, as a country bumpkin, I can only nod in agreement. It’s a cunning argument. Another old man says while tilting his beer.
“……I don’t get why Andy is considered great, but being surrounded by such beautiful sisters at night is definitely something to envy”
It’s a crude remark, and I should probably be a bit angry, but since everyone here is wearing collars as a symbol of being a female slave, I guess it’s their own fault. However.
“Being surrounded by girls all night must be tough, right?”
Cosmos-san peeks out and says with a smile.
“Want to try it?”
“Eh……eh?”
“Actually, we’re planning something soon, gonyo gonyo gonyo”
“…… Seriously?”
“Don’t tell the wives, okay?”
“I won’t say anything, but”
……Wh, What did I just say? Could it be…Cosmos-san and Gloria-san are planning something with that old man? As I was wondering, Emma whispered to me.
“A group of prostitutes from Talc’s brothel is coming on a comfort trip, so they’re offering us a special deal”
“……Uwaa”
Business……! Come to think of it, she was really pushing her own place when we first met.
“Are you going to allow it?”
“……I can’t control what the prostitutes over there do”
Maybe the day when that place also opens in Polka is getting closer.