Chapter 470

Nell’s Poison Course

One day, while I was training on how to suppress my presence.

“Oh, so that’s the technique Onii-san is learning to suppress his presence, right?”

“Yeah, but it weakens as soon as I let my guard down. Lefi seems to be doing this 24/7, but I’m still far from that level.”

I replied to Nell, who had just returned from a day of work in her country.

Recently she worked less than before, or rather, she was able to come home quite often like once a week as long as there was nothing serious going on.

She mentioned that she’s been having her work reduced a little bit as a hero... and, I was glad to hear that.

“Well, you’re learning some hard stuff, that’s for sure. ...But then again, regarding Lefi, I can’t really understand how she can manipulate magic in such a detailed way, even though her usage of magic is so rough.” (Nell)

“Oh, I feel exactly the same way.” (Yuki)

We both looked at each other and laughed, and Nell grinned, as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, right, Onii-san, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this...and it looks like you finally got Layla, too, huh? You’ve done it, Onii-san! It’s quite a feat to get a girl with such a tight guard to fall for you.”

“It’s not like I am collecting people, you know?”

Wasn’t there a better way to put it?

“...I didn’t make that decision, Layla did. I didn’t do anything, I just accepted it. That’s why it was Layla who made the big move.”

Yes, it was Layla’s decision to confess her love, not mine, and she was determined to succeed.

What I had done was nothing compared to what she had to go through.

When I conveyed these thoughts to her, Nell chuckled.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But...I’m still happy, as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure Lefi and Lyuu feel the same way because we already consider Layla... our family, you know? It’s nice to see that becoming true.”

Nell smiled.

She looked genuinely happy and sincere.

I averted my face from embarrassment.

“...But more importantly, by the looks of it, you came here for something else, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yes, yes, Onii-san, you have time today, don’t you?”

“Hmm, yeah, I’m free.”

Then she said, “Well, then, poison! Let’s test some poison!”

“...eh?”

“Well, I couldn’t do it in the Dwarven Village and the Beastmen Village because we didn’t have the time after all. Here are all the poisons I have collected in the Demon Forest with the help of Rir-kun. Now then, prepare some advanced potions.”

Nell started to take out what looked like medicinal herbs one after another from a pouch enchanted with space magic that I had given her before.

...I was wondering what she was doing with Rir in the Demon Forest these days.

While I was unable to say anything, she was making preparations with a mortar and other items that she had apparently prepared.

“...Well, uh, Nell-san, I did ask for your help regarding poisons and how to resist them, but...well, this is too sudden, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it...”

“Naive, that’s too naive, a person who would use poison on you doesn’t care what’s convenient for you! Come on, get ready, and have a drink!”

That sounded like an invitation for a drink.

And just then, Illuna and Shii came over to us, seemingly interested in what we were doing.

“What are you doing? Are you playing apothecary?”

“That’s so cute!”

“Oh, no! This is a poisonous plant. It’s dangerous, so don’t touch it.”NewW novels updates on nov/el/b(i)n(.)com

“Well?”

“...It had a sweet smell, but it tasted like a herb with a hint of bitterness.”

Nell then looked impressed.

“That’s amazing. It’s known among humans as a tasteless, odorless poison, but I guess one can recognize it with Onii-san’s level of keen senses.”

Even if I sensed it, I would have still consumed it as I wouldn’t have even known that it was a poison.

“Oh, but there’s no reaction? Is this the type that shows its effects over time?”

“Well, then, let’s test it out.”

Nell, looking somewhat amused, put her hands on my shoulders.

There’s something strange about that.

My sense of touch itself seemed to be working normally, but there was definitely a sense of discomfort.

“How does this feel?”

“It feels strange. It feels different from when you touch me normally. It’s gone now, though.”

Nell still had her hand on my shoulder, but the weird feeling was already gone.

“Drink some advanced potion, just in case. Just drink about half of it. I’m sure you’ve noticed that there’s been an anomaly in the flow of Onii-san’s magic. Incidentally, when I was made to lick this poison during training, I was unable to exercise my magic for about 30 minutes, and it became difficult for me to move my body. I guess magic power and the human body are deeply connected.”

“...Poison training didn’t leave any aftereffects on you, right? You may be a hero, but your race is still human.”

“I’m fine. This poison is not the type that leaves aftereffects. Besides, when I do that kind of training, I make sure that the medical system is in place so that there are absolutely no aftereffects. It would be stupid if the training left me with serious aftereffects.”

“Well...hey, Nell, I don’t want to get in the way of your heroic activities, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t train that way in the future. I understand that Nell is a military personnel and as such, training is a necessary part of your life... but as your husband, I’m worried about you.”

Nell looked like she was thinking about it for a moment before answering.

“...Yeah, okay. I’ll do that. I’ll try not to do anything dangerous, just like Onii-san said.”

“I’m sorry for restricting your actions, but please, do me a favor. ...Oh yeah, maybe you can take one of our pets with you? I’m sure Byaku is good at what she does and would fit well in human society.”

One of our pets, Byaku, was a giant monster cat.

She was the only female among our pets, and I didn’t know if that was the reason, but she was good at mediating between the pets.

She may be more carefree than Rir, who was a hard worker, but she was also very attentive and caring, which helped her to keep the other three pets together.

She excelled at moving around. She also had a good sense of humor.

She was not intimidating to look at, and I was sure that she would do well among the humans.

Of course, as a fighting force, she was powerful enough to hunt in the Demon Forest, so she would be a great help to Nell if she brought her outside.

“Byaku, is it, thank you, but I would feel bad if I brought her with me. I’d probably give her a hard time.”

“I see... but it should be alright. You can always count on me if things go out of hand. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Yeah, thanks. Fufufu, you really are sweet to us, Onii-san.”

“You guys indulge me. Then I, too, have to answer for it.”

“...Then let me indulge you!”

Saying that, Nell sat on my lap.

“...I thought you were going to give me a lecture on poisons.”

“I will? Like this.”

“...I won’t be able to concentrate...”

“What? I’ll whisper in your ears so that the information remains in your head.”

Nell’s poison lecture, with her delightful, bewitching smile, continued for a while...