When Elga and I return from our stroll in the forest, we see the girls sitting around a round white table that we don’t know where they got, looking like elegant nobles having a tea party.
It looks like they’ve gotten a lot closer. It’s clear even from here that they’re having fun chatting.
I’m not brave enough to jump in right now, and apparently Elga is feeling the same way, as he’s hesitating to move forward.
But then Tiltue notices us, and when our eyes meet, she comes charging this way with great intensity.
“W-e-l-c-o-m-e back darling!!”
“Gufu…”
I feel a bigger impact from her hugging me than I did from the emperor boar.
It would be fine if I was braced for it, but that impact pierces through me and violently shakes the trees behind me.
Would anyone else be blown far away if this happened to them?
I don’t really know, but Tiltue is rubbing her face against my chest with a smile on her face.
Maybe it’s because of that thin sundress she’s wearing, but I can feel everything. She looks like a cute high schooler, so I wish she’d be a bit more modest.
That said, despite what she looks like, she’s still an actual dragon.
I should probably not push my human values and sense on her. Not to mention that it really feels more like I’m being pampered by a large dog, so I’m not getting any weird feelings.
“Yes, we’re back. Were you a good girl?”
“I am always a good girl.”
I pull her away from me and head to where the others are, but it only takes her a second to get behind me and demand a piggyback ride. And I do just that.
Livia looks like she thinks Tiltue’s intense approach is charming, but everyone else is used to it by now, so they don’t really react.
“Welcome back Arata. Did anything weird happen?”
“Weird…”
That makes me think of those mushrooms Elga showed me.
Should I tell Reina? I don’t think I need to talk about that now.
“No?”
“What was with that pause… Oh well, it’s fine.”
It looks like she’s not going to prod any more, but I feel like I’m going to have to tell her about them eventually.
She’s probably going to go to that area to pick ingredients at some point, so it’s important that she knows what those are.
“You guys have gotten pretty friendly.”
“Yes. I have been having fun talking.”
“So have I. There aren’t a lot of women my age in our village, so this is really fun.”
The place feels livelier with beautiful girls.
Luna and Tiltue aren’t all that girly, so it doesn’t feel like this with just them around.
Well, it’s not really their fault, they’re still kids.
“Livia told me about when you first got together. You really went after her with a lot of passion, didn’t you?”
“Hey…”
“Did I lie, dear? Don’t you remember how furiously you wanted me?”
The image of a pure and beautiful girl talking while her cheeks turn red is very picturesque.
However, while she’s not lying, I’m pretty sure she missed a step there.
I’ve already heard this story, so I can’t not find it frightening.
“Ah, Reina. I was talking about it with Elga earlier, but how about we go visit the divine beasts tomorrow?”
“You were? I’m fine with it, but what about them?”
“Yes, apparently that’s fine. We can’t just show up there today all of a sudden, and also…”
We should probably ask them beforehand to hold back their power, for Reina’s sake.
She’s one of the seven great mages, making her one of the most powerful, but that’s if we’re only talking about humans.
The gap between her and the beings on this island is big, and I’m worried about her health if they get serious.
“Also?”
“Nothing, we just need to talk about some things beforehand to make sure everything goes smoothly. We can’t forget that we’re still outsiders to people of this island.”
“Well, we already talked about this, and we are going to have to go there eventually, so this is actually perfect timing.”
“Oh my!”
Livia cracks her knuckles with a happy expression on her face.
“Then we should go back soon and start getting ready to receive you! Luna!”
“Yes!”
Luna was a bit far away doing something with Tiltue, but she responds and comes back.
“They are going to be visiting the divine beast village tomorrow!”
“Really!?”
“Yes. We’ve been on this island for over a week now. It’s about time we went to say hello.”
“Yay! Then let’s prepare lots of things to make sure you two enjoy it!”
The two divine beast girls get into a happy welcoming mood. Looking at this makes me feel like it will all be fine.
Elga says there won’t be a problem as long as we bring a gift, but what matters the most is that we’re not going there to pick a fight or anything.
We’re just going there to thank them for letting us borrow this place, and say that we hope we will continue to get along from now on.
“I can’t wait to see what it’s like over there.”
◇ ◇ ◇
That night, I keep watch again while Reina is in the bath.
With her magic and my power, making a fence like that is easy, so this time we made it so it has three layers. That should at least buy some time if something happens again.
That said, I’m not letting anything like what happened last night happen again. And just as I’m thinking that, she appears from the sky again.
“There is not a full moon today, but the wind is nice and gentle, and it is also a good night, Arata.”
“Wilhelmina…”
“Why that face? I came all the way out here, so the least you could do is look happier about it.”
It’s the same golden hair, crimson eyes, and that black cloak.
But not all is the same. She’s holding a staff with a jewel on its tip, and a three-cornered hat. She’s looking like a witch tonight.
“You’re really dressed up tonight.”
“Fufufu. Even a long time ago, it was unthinkable for a human to speak so casually when faced with me, but that does not feel bad at all. Yes, but don’t mind the outfit. If you were to attack me with all you have, I would be killed instantly the way I was before. It is just for insurance sake”
“No, I’m not going to try to solve this with that kind of violence.”
“People’s positions change with their circumstances. But like I said, don’t mind it.”
Apparently what happened last night led her to believe my strength is a threat. Now that I think about it, I get the feeling that she was treating me like a monster even before I demonstrated what this body can do.
“Well then, what brings you here tonight? Just so you know, if you’re planning to do something like you did yesterday, this time I have a lot of things in mind.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry. Last night’s full moon brought with it all sorts of thirst, but normally I don’t do anything.”
“…”
“What? You look like you don’t believe me.”
“Well…”
She lives by feeding on people’s emotions, right? But she has fun with it. Basically, she won’t die if she doesn’t have entertainment, but she says that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need it.
From Wilhelmina’s point of view, if she can have a tasty meal, she’s obviously going to want it. That’s why I can’t let my guard down, or I can imagine I’m going to see her laughing loudly again.
It actually looks like she isn’t happy with my attitude, because she has her arms crossed and kind of looks like she’s sulking.
“Geez, who do you think I am? I don’t lie. If I’m going to go at it, it will be from the front, with no trickery, and with my full power.”
“I don’t trust any of that… But it’s fine. Then why are you here?”
I ask, and she scoffs daringly.
“What… Since we met already, I figured we should get to know each other better.”
“Know each other… This late?”
“I am a vampire. Isn’t it obvious that I am active during the night?”
“But aren’t you a true ancestral one that conquered the sun? Then come here during the day.”
“No. I’m sleepy during the day.”
“…”
She sounds like a kid. Elga told me she doesn’t actually have to be active during the night or anything, she just can’t be bothered.
That said, it’s probably true that it’s in a vampire’s nature to be sleepy during the day.
“All right… Then what do we do?”
“Well, we just met. That means fighting with killing intent at full power, to get to know each other better. What do you think?”
“Rejected.”
How can this loli vampire say that with a smile?”
“I’m joking I’m joking. If we really did start fighting to the death, that girl over there would meet an abrupt end.”
“Eh…?”
I turn to look, and see Reina is out of the bath.
This time she’s wearing clothes, but her eyes look somewhat gloomy, pointed at Wilhelmina.
It looks like what happened last night left scars.
“Hey, girl. Sorry about last night. I brought you something nice as an apology.”
But Wilhelmina faces Reina with a smile, takes out a book from her shadow, and throws it over here.
Reina catches it and leafs through it, and her eyes open wide with surprise.
“T-this is…”
“It is terribly difficult for regular humans to live on this island. You should learn that and at the very least be able to protect yourself.”
I can only see the cover, but it looks like some sort of magic book.
Reina’s surprise tells me it must be a pretty precious one.
If she’s willing to part with something that important, maybe she really is here to deepen our relations.
“Well then, are you satisfied with that gift? Then tell me about yourselves.”
She says as she gets closer like it’s all natural, and we end up inviting her to the tent.
Reina talks about herself and the continent, and I talk about what happened after we got to the island.
She interrupts and teases Reina here and there, but it’s looking like she wasn’t lying when she said she wants to get to know us better.
We have fun chatting, and she leaves before it gets too late.
“What did she even come here for?”
“Who knows? But the fact that she gave me this so casually tells me she definitely is something incredible.”
Says Reina as she looks at the magic book in her hand, and her face twitches a little.
For me, regardless of what’s inside it, I think it’s nice if it can be a weapon that helps her protect herself.
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