Episode 58: Kitten
The ‘Garden’ spell.
A vast farmland, a sea and river, a single mansion, an orchard, and a gazebo in front of it.
The weather is warm, like between spring and summer, but there’s a cool breeze, so it’s hardly stifling.
“Welcome to the ‘Garden’. I welcome you, with open arms.”
I gave a light greeting like that, and then guided the four… lovers? Mistresses? Well, I don’t really know, but women…
…Ah, Rosalinde’s two guards are here too. I can’t separate them.
“Let me give you a tour. That’s the farm, that’s the mansion, that’s the sea, that’s the lake. This is the orchard, and the mansion has a workshop, a bookshelf, and a warehouse.”
That’s all.
End of the tour.
“The farm is huge~!”
“Nyaa…”
“Fufu… I’m all wobbly…”
“…The mansion, the magical power reaction, it’s amazing. What’s inside?”
They seem to be enjoying it like tourists. Good!
…No, it’s not good, Mirei-sama fainted.
I’ll lay her down in the gazebo.
“Feel free to look around, I’ll take care of Mirei-sama.”
I said that and sent Shio and Margot off.
Rosalinde is…
“Rosalinde-sama!”
“Fufu, I can’t stand up.”
She’s just lost strength in her legs, they’re all wobbly.
I’ll have her sit in the gazebo.
“How is it? Nice view, right?”
I said that and smiled at Rosalinde.
“Yes, it is.”
But Rosalinde doesn’t return the smile.
The two guards are looking at me not as a “respected teacher” or “their master’s partner,” but as an “unidentifiable monster.”
Ah, I see.
After all, a Mage is…
“…Did I scare you? Sorry.”
It’s only natural.
If you use a Cheat to become the strongest, everyone will praise you?
That’s impossible.
If you’re a normal person, you’ll be frightened and shrink back when faced with great “power.”
That’s normal.
Shio and Margot are Striders, warriors who fight with their lives on the line. That’s why they might not be so surprised even when they see great “power.” They’ve resigned themselves to dying at any moment. It’s like Keiji said, a warrior doesn’t dodge arrows.
But Rosalinde and Mirei are different.
They’re not warriors, they’re ordinary people. And girls.
If I flaunt my power and brag about it, they’ll be scared.
Certainly, I thought that at some point I had to disclose the extent of my power, or there would be differences in perception and values in living together, so I showed my power on this occasion…
But seeing this reaction, I can’t help but regret that I was too hasty.
“…No. I understand the intention, you showed me your magical power and explained it, right? Fufu, for someone who looks like you, you’re surprisingly sincere?”
Rosalinde said, laughing mockingly.
I’ll ignore the trembling in her hands.
She’s being considerate of me.
“U-um…”
Oh, Mirei-sama woke up.
“Are you alright, Mirei-sama?”
“Hii!”
Oh dear, she’s scared.
That’s quite a shock.
“…I-I’m sorry, Nya. I got scared of Dru-san.”
“No, it can’t be helped. It was sudden, and you weren’t prepared for it.”
“…Um, Dru-san.”
Mirei-sama gently places her hand on mine.
“To be honest, I’m still scared, Nya. I knew Dru-san was strong, but I never thought you’d be a Mage-sama… As for me, I thought if I became Dru-san’s, my life would improve, Nya.”
“That’s true.”
“But, um… Is that okay with Dru-san, Nya? I really don’t have any special skills, Nya? I’m just a town girl, Nya. What do you gain by having me, Dru-san, Nya?”
“I only look at a girl’s face, figure, and personality…”
I don’t care about titles or positions. I’ll support you and do the housework…
“Dru-san, you don’t gain anything, but you’ll cherish me because you like me, Nya?”
“Yeah, that’s how it is.”
“…As expected, Dru-san is amazing, Nya. Amazing and weird, Nya.”
Is that so…?
“Yeah, I’m still scared, Nya… But, becoming a Mage-sama’s mistress is a position you can’t normally get even if you bow your head and pile up mountains of money, Nya… As for me, I have no complaints, Nyaa.”
Ah… That’s the harsh reality of this different world…
Becoming a high-ranking person’s mistress is a proper status in this world…
In Japan on Earth, well, if you publicly declare it, you’ll be criticized, and it’s not a common story in the Reiwa era. The mistress culture is a story of ancient Showa civilization.
But this is different, this world is medieval.
Having mistresses is a sign of virility, especially protecting women in weak positions as concubines is a virtue. That’s the value system here.
Even in this world, the “value” of being able to inherit the “blood” of a Magician, a talent that only one in tens of thousands possesses, is tremendous.
That’s why, even if she’s scared, Mirei probably thinks she can’t throw away the enormous benefits.
It may be dry, but in this kind of world, it’s normal to think about marriage in terms of merits and demerits.
Here, asking “How do you feel?” or “What about love?” is… let’s stop that.
It’s normal not to be able to choose your marriage partner in this world.
In Mirei’s case, she has two older brothers who are heirs, so Mirei is left to her own devices as a “disposable child.”
It’s a harsh story, but that’s how it is.
So, Mirei’s feelings don’t matter. Even if they did, Mirei likes me, so there’s no problem…
That’s the kind of position she’s in.
Women in low positions are good.
We can love each other honestly.
Partners without family ties or fences are less troublesome…
“Ah… Want to eat something? The fruits in the orchard are all well-made, you know?”
I said that to distract them for the time being…