Chapter 349: Returning home

It’s evening on the 4th of the Month of Blue Moon (Sougetsu). We made it through the victory parade without incident – no, the spectators had no reaction to us at all; it was quite an empty-feeling parade... Anyway, we’ve finally made it back. Back to this worn-down dormitory in the Royal Spada Academy.

「We’re baaack!」

Three voices, with Lily’s being the loudest, echo out in this entrance that’s a little cold from the autumn wind getting in through a gap somewhere. Man, this dormitory is really worn down.

「But coming back here makes you really feel at ease, doesn’t it?」

「I agree.」

「Right!」

My right arm is holding onto Lily, while Fiona is snuggling against my left. I really have flowers in both of my hands* right now. The small tinge of loneliness that I feel despite this isn’t a luxury, by any means.

TLN*: 両手に花/ryoute ni hana translates to “having flowers in both hands”, which is a Japanese phrase that means “to be in between two beautiful women”.

「I hope that Simon can hurry and come back as well.」

Simon, the true landlord of this dormitory, will not be coming back here today.

Thanks to Nell’s treatment, Simon made a full recovery from the injuries he sustained when he was attacked by the Morjura, but both his physical and mental strength have been exhausted. What Simon needs right now isn’t treatment, but rest.

「He is with Emilia-san, so he will get better soon.」

The Bardiel house is a large noble family, one of Spada’s Four Great Noble Houses, so I’m sure Simon is living the best lifestyle for recuperation there is.

Simon seems to really not get along with his older sister, but just like after the battle of Alzas, they’ll definitely take good care of him.

「I am sure that he is currently crying tears of happiness at the devotion with which Emilia-san is nursing him.」

「Y-you think so?」

From what I heard from Simon, I can’t imagine his older sister being that type of person, but... No, Fiona did say that she personally met her at some point; Fiona trusts her enough to be able to say this with confidence.

Either way, Simon is currently experiencing the warmth of being nursed by his family, and there’s nothing better than that.

「You know, Lily gave him the Fairies’ Miracle Medicine, so he’ll be fine!」

「Ah, you’re right.」

Now that she mentions it, I used the Fairies’ Miracle Medicine for the luxurious purpose of removing my paralysis, so I’m completely out. I’ll have to ask her to make more.

I really don’t know when the trials will appear, so I need to be well-prepared.

But I’m sure I won’t get punished for taking it easy tonight. Please, Mia-chan, spare me another trial for now.

「By the way, Kurono-san, it is almost time for dinner, isn’t it?」

Fiona’s stomach gives a hearty grumble. There is no better way for her to express herself.

「For now, should we get changed first?」

I don’t want to be wearing this coat with a ripped right sleeve forever, and since I’ve just gone through battle after battle while wearing it, it’s really dirty.

「Yes, we will eat a little later, then. I will retrieve the souvenirs from Avalon and wait in the lounge.」

I see, Fiona went to Avalon. She was supposed to be training, but she was kind enough to buy souvenirs – no, she was probably dazzled by tasty souvenirs that she wanted to eat herself.

We’ve only just got back and Fiona’s already acting like herself, I think warmly as I head for my own room with Lily.

「It’s been a while since I’ve been back in this room.」

If I recall, we left this place on the 25th of the Month of Platinum (Hakkin). The last time I was here was when I left excitedly to take place in the『Curse Carnival.』

To think that I would receive that emergency request right after my match... Looking back on it, that was incredible timing.

「Lily wanted to come home quickly as well. Lily is lonely when she can’t sleep together with Kurono!」

Saying such adorable words, Lily behaves like a spoiled child. Ah, Lily really is cute.

「I was lonely without you too, Lily.」

Fufufu, I can say farewell to the lonely nights where I’m sleeping alone. Thinking this impure thought, I put Lily down on the bed.

Lily rolls around on the bed, giggling. The hem of her one-piece dress has worked its way up, exposing her bottom that is covered by her white silk underwear, but I don’t really pay it any attention.

「Hey, Lily, aren’t you going to get changed, too?」

「Ye~es!」

With an enthusiastic response, she opens the light Dimension with her small hands and takes out the robe made of the fur of a Punpun, or the White-pun robe for short.

The reason she is holding the robe out towards me is certainly not because she wants me to wear it, but because she wants me to help her put it on.

Normally, Lily would easily be able to get changed on her own. But damn it, right now I have the urge to spoil her, so I have no choice. The child-form Lily is good at being spoiled. So good that it makes me wonder if she has me dancing on the palm of her hand.

Well, even if that’s the case, I’m happy to dance as much as she wants. And so I gladly take the robe to help her get changed.

「Alright, banzai.」

「Banza~ai!」

TLN: For those who don’t know, “banzai” is an action where you raise both arms over your head

With the enthusiasm of someone about to do radio calisthenics*, Lily straightens out her back and holds both arms up high. I grab a hold of the hem of her one-piece dress and lift it straight up.

TLN*: Warm-up exercises broadcast over radio in Japan

I am once again faced with the white underwear of a little girl. I also see her soft, white stomach with that little bit of roundness that’s unique to little girls, and her small belly button.

Oops, I have to be careful so that it doesn’t get caught on her wings. They’re transparent and look like they’re made of light, but these things do physically exist.

Lily points her upper wings upwards and her lower wings downwards so that they are almost vertical and don’t get caught up in her dress.

Nice, I managed to get it off.

With the one-piece dress removed, she is only wearing a single pair of underwear.

Seeing her almost fully naked, it reminds me of when I first met her not that long ago. Starting with this black Ancient velvet one-piece dress, I’ve gotten used to seeing Lily in various different clothes, but she was completely naked at first. Now that I think about it, it seems kind of outrageous.

「Okay, gabah.」

「Gabah!」

I make a random onomatopoeic sound as I pull the White-pun robe over her head in one movement.

With the hood that has long rabbit ears attached pulled over her head, the transformation from a cute fairy into a wild Punpun is complete.

「Alright, we’re done.」

「Thanks, Kurono!」

Don’t mention it. I got to enjoy Lily’s cuteness; in fact, I’m the one who wants to thank her.

Huh, these thoughts sound kind of lolicon-like... No, no, they’re not, definitely not.

In a very pleasant mood, I finally throw『Diablo’s Embrace』off my body while gazing at Lily’s bottom and its round rabbit tail as she rolls around once more.

I have to launder this guy thoroughly tomorrow. It really put its heart into enduring those fierce battles.

And so I finish changing into new pants and a shirt, giving me a rough appearance. Now then, time to go to the lounge to eat Fiona’s souvenirs from Avalon –

「Say, Kurono.」

But at that moment, Lily calls out to me. Her voice has a somewhat cold tone that clearly doesn’t sound like her child form, but more like her juvenile form.

「Yeah, what is it, Lily?」

Lily herself is still in her child form, still on all-fours on the bed. With her bottom that has a tail attached to it still facing me, she twists around to look at me.

「This white feather, what is it?」

Huh, Lily-san? Your eyes are a little scary...

Lily, who is now radiating a presence like the Wrath-Pun’s, has found a single feather on the bed. I have a very good idea who it belongs to.

Nell Julius Elroad. The kind-hearted First Princess of Avalon, the second friend I made in Spada.

Friend. That’s right, on the day that Nell and I made it clear that we are friends, at that time, she was sitting on the bed in my room. She did more than just sit on it; she flapped her wings around and reacted quite intensely, so there’s a high chance that this feather was left there back then.

Well, even if that’s not the case, there were several occasions where I invited her to my room to have her teach me magic, and she often sat on my bed. It’s not strange for there to be a feather or two left on the bed.

Now of all times, the sharp-sighted Lily has discovered this feather here. And with that discovery comes a great misunderstanding...

Note from the author:

Please look forward to the next, final chapter of Kuro no Maou:『Kurono dies.』(Just kidding.)