C. 26 “Misfortune!”

Im sorry guys, but ill be out of the country for about 3 to 4 weeks for my aunts funeral so im sorry but the next one will be really late, also for some reason im really really bad with names so tell me if i keep messing them up.

“Misfortune!”

────Man, Kuriha sure is cute.

“Fio, why have you been hugging me nonstop for the last little while?”

“────Because there is a maid right in front of me.”

Without showing any expression, the cat eye maid sat in the driver’s seat, paying no attention to my s.e.xual hara.s.sment of her. As she drove the cart, her silver hair reflected the sunlight, and that along with the trace of sweat on her skin made her s.h.i.+ne brilliantly.

She was completely at my mercy. As the cool, beautiful Kuriha offered no resistance, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to love her body and soul.

“Fio, I am very sorry, but I cannot properly steer, so I would appreciate if you could release me from your hold.”

“How can you say that after you captured my heart and won’t let it go?”

Actually, I had hardly visited the red-light district recently.

The other day, after finally entering into a relations.h.i.+p and wanting to have some common interests, just once I tried to invite Alto to join me in visiting a lewd business.

His face looked unbelievably forlorn. His expression was beyond description, and it almost appeared as though he were bearing the misfortunes of the entire world at once.

No matter what, even if I said the other person would be a girl, he was completely against the idea of visiting a lewd business. Yeah, just as you’d expect.

Despite that, I was unable to resist. After returning to the capital, I snuck out once to the red-light district on Bardi’s invitation, and the next day Alto was in a terrible mood. He said that I needed to take a long look in the mirror, and for almost half a day he wouldn’t even talk to me.

... He must have found out.

How, how did that guy find out? It didn’t seem possible, but could he have possibly been stalking me? No, he certainly didn’t have that much free time. Well then, how about that... what’s it called, his hero’s sixth sense? How closed minded he is. And he gets to do whatever he wants with a girl (me). It’s all so unfair.

“Um, Fio, isn’t this physical contact a bit more intense than normal?”

“Yeah. Because today you are more beautiful than ever.”

Just like that, my craving for a girl was growing stronger and stronger. It couldn’t be helped. I was thinking about how if I got Root to dress up as a girl then it wouldn’t count as cheating and other half baked ideas, and I was right on the cusp of putting a devious plan into action.

It was as if an oasis had sprung up in the desert, right in front of my eyes. This cool, beautiful girl was accompanying us on our mission. It was only natural that I would get more and more worked up. Ahh... what an intoxicating aroma.

“This feels so good... There’s nothing like a woman’s body...”

“Uh, uh...”

“... Fio, Kuriha is trying to break free. If you don’t want her to start hating you, stop what you are doing and get up.”

Ugh. I had finally gotten out of Alto’s sight and was free to do whatever I wanted. It didn’t matter who tried, n.o.body would be able to stop me now.

“If you are that desperate, then why don’t you visit one of those types of businesses at our destination? Recently you haven’t really had the chance to go.”

“Ah, I guess you’re right, Bardi. For the first time in a while, I’ll party like crazy today!”

“... Uh, why has it come to this?”

“C’mon, Root. You can’t complain about part of your pay going toward having some fun. Or, maybe, do you want to go too?”

“No way!”

After getting overly excited and “borrowing” some money on the last expedition, I had already paid it back in full (you could also say I had been forced to pay it back). If I were to blow some money now, no matter what kind of establishment it was, n.o.body would have any right to complain.

“... Bardi, if you go to a place like that then, uh, rumors will start flying around the palace, so it would be wise to show some self restraint.”

“Look! Even Kuriha agrees. You guys need to learn the meaning of the words ‘self restraint.’”

“La la la. I can’t hear you!”

“Well, my small breasted little maid. If you feel that strongly about it, then how about you fill that role and have some fun with us tonight?”

“That makes sense. Bardi, you’re a genius. Kuriha, how about a night of pa.s.sion with us tonight?”

“Kuriha, you can just ignore these two’s jokes.”

“Uh, yeah, okay.”

With this kind of lively conversation taking place inside the cart, we approached the end of our entertaining first day of travel. We would likely arrive at the village of Mikuaru the next day. We stopped for today at the halfway point on the road to my hometown of Mikuaru, as we safely arrived at the small town hidden in the forest to rest for the night.

“Well then, Fio. Why did you want to talk to me in secret?”

Night had arrived. Unfortunately, because this town was small, there weren’t any of those types of businesses.

That left only one option. There was a cute maid right in front of me, and I was about to come up with various plans for how to engage in a night of indulgent fun with her. Kuriha whispered in my ear, “I want to be alone with that person.”

c.r.a.p... c.r.a.p! That enviable b.a.s.t.a.r.d. But I couldn’t just ignore the maid’s n.o.ble plea. I reluctantly gathered Root and decided to lend my support to her love.

“You look pretty distraught... What’s up? Is there something I can do for you?”

“Please listen to me, Root. The thing is, there is nothing you can do for me right now, but there is something that you dressed as a girl could do for me...”

“I’m leaving.”

“Wa, wait, I was joking!”

Jokes just fly right over this guy’s head.

“You know, it’s rare to be alone with you like this, Root. Even if all I’m doing is casually inviting you out for a stroll.”

“Ah. If that’s the case then just say so, Fio. If you aren’t going to act weird, then I’d be happy to join you.”

Having said that, Root’s expression softened considerably, and he walked alongside me. Alright, now I just need to transform Root into a girl in my head, then I can enjoy spending the night with him. The two of us walked through the unlit town, laughing and relying on the light of the moon as we unsteadily made our way around. At times I teased Root. At times Root lectured me.

Yeah. Every now and then, a crossdressing boy isn’t bad. With that sort of feeling in the air, the two of us continued our pleasant evening walk.

────Until the sound of a young girl crying echoed softly in the darkness.

“... Did you just hear that, Fio?”

“Yeah. But I don’t know where the crying came from. Can you show me?”

“Leave it to me. That girl is already in the grasp of my search magic.”

“You’re always so quick to get to work.”

We quickly broke into a run. A child was crying. That was reason enough for us to start running. The only question was whether or not we’d be able to take care of the problem.

No matter what, before a decision could be made, we needed information. If there were some kind of scary guy near the child that we wouldn’t have a chance of defeating, then Root would surely recognize that.

“There she is. It doesn’t seem like there is anybody else around...”

I followed Root as he ran along an unpaved path through the forest, and I saw a small girl crying alone.

Maybe she tripped and sprained her ankle? Or, considering the time of day and the fact that she’s alone, maybe she got lost?

“Hey, little girl. What happened?”

“There’s no need to worry. We are here to help you.”

With gentle words and a smile, I approached her. Suddenly, her head jerked up, and she rushed straight for me at an unbelievable speed. She seemed like she was really distraught.

“There, there. What happened?”

“Please! My big brother! Help him!”

The child shaking in my arms was completely distressed. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she gripped my clothes tightly, looking at me with a pleading expression.

“Your big brother? What happened to your big brother?”

“We were attacked, and we tried to run, but I fell!! My big brother went to face it all by himself!”

“Hmm, what attacked you? Root, do you sense another child anywhere nearby?”

“... No, there’s n.o.body else here. In this area at least, the only person I sense this child.”

“No!! We were attacked, just over there! My big brother hit it with a rock, and then I ran!”

The girl’s thoughts were all over the place, and we couldn’t get a grasp on what actually happened. The only thing we understood was that she was attacked by something.

An animal? A person? A demon? Whatever the case, it seemed likely we’d be going into battle. Dang, it’s a b.u.mmer that we left battle specialist Bardi behind. Root is basically useless in a battle, so it would be up to my weak magic. If I cast the mist like usual, we should at least be able to run away.

“Root, stay on guard. I’m going to try to ask this child for a bit more information.”

“Alright. I still can’t sense anything with hostile intentions, and I don’t sense any living things at all.”

Root continued to search with a serious look on his face. He was not taking any chances. This crossdressing guy is always completely devoted to his work.

“Hey Root, is there any chance that an enemy could evade your search?”

“Ugh, I don’t really want to consider that possibility... I might not be able to find something like completely concealed undead, but if there are no nuns (Yurii) around then there isn’t anything we could do about them anyway. Otherwise, it is possible that some super strong demon could deceive me. In that case, however, I think they’d need the help of the Demon King Kurasu.”

“I see.”

I listed to Root’s words, and I quietly held the crying child.

“This doesn’t seem like the work of undead... So I guess it must be the latter.”

“... Huh?”

I finally noticed it. Almost as if it had been there from the very start, it was standing right there.

Wearing a long coat, and with a dark face twisted into a quiet, fiendish grin, it was a single giant demon. He was right behind Root, and he held a boy in one arm as he grinned wickedly and looked down upon us.

“Uh, uh. No way. There was nothing there, that’s what the spirits said────”

“However. One’s eyes tell the truth. Isn’t that correct, my naive little humans?”

That is what the demon said to us.

I couldn’t feel a thing. Bloodthirstiness, hostility, or even a presence. Not even the magic power that the demon must surely have.

However, a rainbow like silhouette wavered around him almost like a mirage, creating a solid protective barrier. There is no way he could do that without using magic power.

It was perfect. Coming face to face at point blank range, I understood. He had an unimaginable level of concealing power. Then I realized just how overwhelmingly outcla.s.sed we were.

If Root was correct, then this was a servant of the Demon King Kurasu────

“You would be wise not to resist. If you resist, I will fight you. Make your choice. The outcome will not change.”

We hadn’t even reached the village of Mikuaru yet. We were already facing a desperate situation.