Chapter 69
"It seems difficult to handle alone. I was wondering if I could lend a hand."
"...?"
"How about it?"
The snake asking gently.
The girl who had frozen for a moment soon reacted belatedly as she grasped the meaning of the sentence.
Heat suddenly rose to her face.
"Wh-Wh-What are you saying...?"
Her stuttering lips stumbled over even words.
Her pupils shaking violently.
"H-How can you, s-say such a shameless thing so casually...!"
"Hmm?"
The villainess cried out in shock.
However, despite such a rebuke, the golden-haired boy only floated question marks.
As if asking what was wrong.
"But you're struggling even now. I simply wanted to offer help."
"E-Even so...!"
"If you say no, I'll withdraw."
"Ugh."
The girl who had been resisting closed her mouth.
It was because of their met gazes.
Looking at the narrowly opened slit eyes, a single covenant whispered once brushed her ears.
The memory remained clear.
-I want you to live for me.
In fact, the villainess had no right of refusal.
Because she had made a contract to dedicate her everything in exchange for owing her life.
But.
"How disappointing."
Could it be this sudden?
Even if one side harbored feelings, she had heard such progress should have steps.
She was a girl at a loss, having no experience with men at all.
'O-Of course we kissed last time, but th-that was when I wasn't in my right mind...!'
Emilia could only stamp her feet inwardly.
Of course, nothing changed.
At least for the snake, vanity was an utterly powerless emotion.
The girl lost in agony finally extended her hand.
"Wait... w-wait."
She timidly grabbed his sleeve.
An intense shame washed over her.
Though she tried to speak proudly, even to her own ears her voice trembled pathetically.
Emilia held out the bottle she was holding and asked:
"...Please."
"Lady?"
"Help me apply it. So my skin doesn't get sunburned."
Her face burned as if it would burst.
***
A moment later.
Emilia was lying on a mat.
She had even removed the lightly worn cardigan. Thanks to that, her hidden white skin was completely revealed.
Only a single sky blue swimsuit covered her body.
Her characteristic feminine curves flowed.
Blue hair disheveled.
Between such waves lay an unmistakable fullness.
Her thoroughly maintained figure was as if drawn in a picture, capturing gazes regardless of gender.
That's what beauty is.
"......"
Perhaps because such a situation was embarrassing?
The girl couldn't raise her head.
If she showed her face even for a moment, she felt her hopelessly flushed complexion would be exposed.
She just lay face down with her arms folded.
"You don't need to be tense. It won't hurt."
"...Be quiet."
The snake whispering as if soothing the villainess.
The boy held a faint smile, then soon gathered sunscreen in his palm.
Right after.
"Then, I'll begin."
Pat-.
A hand touched the villainess's back.
Perhaps due to the cool temperature? Emilia who had been holding her breath unknowingly let out a sound.
The palm coated with cosmetics slid like scales.
"Ugh..."
A back allowed to someone for the first time.
Before her startled heart could settle, the attached hand moved and broadly stroked the girl's skin.
Swish-.
Calm hands continued.
White traces remained on the soft skin, and after rubbing several times it repeatedly soaked in.
The boy applied the sunscreen with devotion.
"Ugh... hnngh."
Moans kept leaking out at the alien sensation.
Emilia biting her lips tightly.
A strange sentiment lingered.
Though the villainess trembled at her shoulders, she tried not to show it.
She didn't want to lose her dignity.
Swish swish-.
Even amidst that, the boy kept moving his arms.
Perhaps because he was experienced with women(?), it was indeed an attack continuing without hesitation.
She felt strangely heated.
'How annoying.'
Slit eyes drawing a slight curve.
The purely smiling expression as if without any ulterior motives displeased her.
It felt like only she was becoming strange like this.
"Ahem."
Of course, it was a misunderstanding.
In reality, the boy had no ulterior motives at all.
He had simply wanted to help, but some distortion occurred in the process of conveying his intention.
This too, Emilia didn't know.
The deeply rooted misunderstanding deepened like that.
"How long, hic... are you going to apply it?"
"I'm almost done."
Breath dyeing hazily.
The villainess had to endure while lying face down.
Until the cool palm left her back, the pitiful trembling didn't stop.
***
After finishing applying the sunscreen.
Emilia rose from her spot staggering.
The villainess who had somewhat dazed pupils soon came to her senses and glared this way.
It was a gaze as if looking at trash.
"...Pervert."
The girl reacted like a fierce cat.
She backed away to create distance, even going so far as to hide herself behind Regia who was standing nearby.
Though I asked why, all that returned were hisses.
I suddenly became a strange person who got cursed despite giving help.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't come near me."
"Won't you at least tell me the reason?"
"Pervert."
Words didn't get through.
I finally gave up getting an answer and instead asked Irene who had been standing in the shade.
She had watched the whole situation from right beside us.
"Miss Irene, do you know why Lady is acting like this?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Trash."
"Is that so?"
"It's not wrong though."
"......"
Pervert, creep, trash.
Having suddenly received a triple combo, I quietly closed my mouth.
It was truly a harsh world.
Anyway,
With the UV problem solved, the children properly entered the sea.
Wind brushed past following the incoming waves.
It was a sea breeze cool enough to blow away all of the hot summer.
"I-It's cold!"
"Of course it is, it's seawater."
"But I think this is the first time I've seen such a clean sea! Even when I was traveling the continent, places like this were rare......"
"Alright, just walk properly. Don't fall over from splashing around."
"Y-Yes...!"
The protagonist and villainess.
The two girls crossed the shoreline side by side.
Their steps advanced treading the waves.
I watched their backs while sitting in the shade a bit away.
I was thinking of just watching without entering the water.
"It's peaceful."
I muttered quietly.
As I was breathing in the refreshing air for a moment, I suddenly turned to the side on sensing a presence.
Where my gaze was directed, the fox was sitting.
Similarly, she too didn't seem to have any intention of entering the water.
"......"
The girl quiet as death.
I lightly threw out words.
"How about at least dipping your feet? Since we came all the way to the sea."
"I don't even have a swimsuit anyway."
"You can get wet and change clothes later. We have plenty of spare clothes."
"No thanks."
Irene firmly refused.
A voice strangely lacking energy.
As I was floating question marks at the strange reaction, the fox added one more line.
It was a vague mutter.
"...Just. I hate the sea."
Her gaze was oddly averted.
She seemed to be ruminating on something.
The fox ears on her head were drooping too.
As I waited for the girl who was silent for a moment, this time a question flew from her side.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"You're not entering the sea either. What's your reason for just sitting here like this?"
"Well."
I answered nonchalantly:
"Rather than hating the sea, I should say I dislike wearing swimsuits."
"Swimsuits?"
"I'm too embarrassed to wear such revealing clothing."
"There you go speaking indirectly again."
"It's true. My body isn't one worth showing off to anyone."
"Aren't you quite fit though...?"
"Huhu."
I smiled silently.
Dodging the answer.
After all, everyone has a few traces they want to hide.
"Everyone thinks differently."
"...Right. If you say so, then that must be it."
Irene didn't ask any more.
She just closed her lips.
Calm settling down.
Until sunset and our time at the sea ended, we only respected each other's silence.
Only the sea breeze brushed our ears.
***
After finishing the enjoyable schedule, the four people returned to the lodgings.
Children who had spent all day at the sea.
Perhaps due to consuming energy?
They seemed to be getting hungry.
They gathered in the room to eat together.
As discussed in the morning, dinner was food cooked directly by the snake.
The children sat at the table with half worry and half anticipation.
"Now, please feel free to eat."
Fortunately, the boy's cooking was edible.
No, beyond being merely edible, it was excellent taste not inferior to high-class restaurants.
For Regia and Emilia who were eating it for the first time, they couldn't help but be surprised.
"It-It's delicious...!"
"This is impossible."
The children exclaiming while stopping their hands.
The boy wearing a pink apron showed a gentle eye-smile.
"I'm glad it seems to suit your taste."
"It seems more delicious than the restaurant we went to this morning! I didn't know Young Master was good at cooking, I-I want to learn...!"
"Huhu, I should serve you like this occasionally."
Regia's eyes sparkling brightly.
"...How can a person have nothing they can't do?"
"I just have a bit of knowledge here and there."
"This is really annoying... I was going to laugh at you if it tasted bad."
"It's because I'm somewhat of a domestic man."
"That kind of appeal won't work on me...?"
"Oh my, how disappointing."
Emilia grumbling but acknowledging his skill.
The snake held a satisfied smile.
"It's rewarding."
Dinner continued in a pleasant atmosphere.
A loose ending to wrap up the day.
However, there was one person who couldn't melt into such an atmosphere.
None other than Irene.
"......"
The girl kept being in a daze.
Though she would answer when her name was called occasionally, her consciousness seemed to be somewhere completely different.
She had been in this state ever since returning from the sea.
"Miss Irene."
"......"
"Miss Irene?"
"...Ah. Sorry, I didn't hear."
The fox reacting belatedly.
The snake gently spoke to the girl with hazy eyes as if worried.
"Are you alright?"
"What?"
"You seem unable to concentrate since earlier. Did something bad happen perhaps?"
"Bad things, there's nothing like that."
"Then?"
"Just... maybe I'm tired. You don't need to worry about it."
Irene brushing it off vaguely.
She continued dinner nonchalantly while moving her stopped utensils.
It was her usual expressionless face.
"Hmm."
Black pupils like extinguished flames.
The snake quietly observed the girl's sinking atmosphere while pretending not to.
The evening hours flowed like that.
***
That night.
Irene couldn't fall asleep.
"......"
Black eyes blankly open.
Though the time had already entered dawn, for some reason her chest felt too tight to lie down.
The fox who had been tossing and turning for a while finally rose from the bed.
She was thinking of getting some air and coming back briefly.
Creak-.
When she left the bedroom, the first thing she saw was the golden-haired boy.
He was leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed.
It seemed he had fallen asleep early.
She left the room carefully so as not to wake him.
Since it was just a brief walk anyway, she didn't leave a note or anything.
The fox just moved her steps.
"......"
Irene headed to the coast located near the lodgings.
Whoosh-.
As she crossed the wide sandy beach, wave sounds surged in her ears.
The blowing sea breeze made her think of various things.
The fox took in the terrible scenery.
A sky where starlight poured down.
The transparent sea captured the night's colors right on its surface.
Though it was clearly a beautifully reflected scene.
What popped out between her lips was a completely opposite sentence.
The girl muttered as if chewing:
"...I still hate the sea."
Perhaps it was because of nightmares?
Looking at the rippling surface, she kept getting glimpses of herself trapped in iron bars.
It felt like those waves would swallow her at any moment.
On one hand, she also thought she shouldn't have come out.
It felt like it was just ruining her mood more.
The characteristic fishy salty smell of the sea.
Irene just slowly made footprints while chewing on that.
The air was quiet without even a trace of noise.
Whoosh-.
She brushed back her bangs fluttering in the wind.
Walking for a while in a daze, before she knew it she had come to a remote corner.
"Should I go back."
She was thinking of heading back soon.
Just as she was about to turn her stopped steps.
-...!
An alien noise was heard from somewhere.
The fox's ears perking up involuntarily.
The girl who had been focusing on her hearing for a moment soon realized the identity of the sound was someone's scream.
It wasn't far away.
"A scream...?"
Irene frowning.
Her shoes kicked off the ground and ran towards the source of the sound.
It was an alley close to the coast.
Rattle rattle-.
Several large carriages lined up.
Around them, as if standing guard, soldiers wearing robes were stationed here and there.
They gave off a somehow familiar feeling.
The fox's eyes watching from hiding wavered.
She noticed their identity right away.
How could she not recognize them?
When they were the ones who had turned her life into hell.
'Slave traders.'
Clench-.
Strength entered her fist involuntarily.
Since escaping she hadn't encountered them, she didn't expect to see their transport carriages at such a resort.
Their method of only moving through dark alleys seemed unchanged.
-How dare you try to run away!
-H-Help me...!
-Shut up! Get in quietly if you don't want to die!
-Eek...!
Had they been caught trying to escape?
A woman was being loaded back into the transport compartment while grabbed by the collar in a soldier's hand.
It seemed this was the source of the earlier scream.
'What should I do?'
She had to save them.
Though she wanted to jump in right away, the problem was that she couldn't gauge how many opponents there were.
Also, the number of people to rescue was unclear too.
If it was a transport carriage, there would be more people trapped inside.
It might just make the situation worse.
'Regular guards aren't a problem.'
It was a level she could handle sufficiently.
But if there were 'hunting dogs' mixed among them, that would be different.
She might get caught instead.
'But if I don't do something...'
While she was hesitating with her hand on her sword.
Before she knew it, the carriages with closed doors began to depart one by one.
"Damn...!"
She couldn't let them get away like this.
Irene chewed curses, then soon moved avoiding the guards' eyes.
She lightly boarded the carriage that was standing at the back.
It was a cargo compartment full of only supplies.
The fox held her breath and hid her body between the rattling boxes.
Neigh-!
Following the horse's vigorous cry, the carriage began to run.
The girl ended up following without any plan.
***
Meanwhile.
There was someone smiling meaningfully while watching the departing carriages.
Narrowly opened slit eyes were especially ominous.
"The protagonist is done... It seems the supporting character's growth event is starting now."
An incomprehensible muttering.
Following that, a clapping sound rang out.
Clap-!
The shadow standing in the darkness had disappeared without a trace before anyone knew it.
Only the flowing night wind filled the void.
[EP.10 The Slave Traders]
-Surging Waves, Iron Bars Sinking in Water-
It was the start of a new episode.