Chapter 80: Nagi and Cecile’s Little Promise

Chapter 80: Nagi and Cecile’s Little Promise

“I’m sorry, I didn’t explain myself better.”

… I guess I still don’t know the rules of this world too well.

Okay.

“Don’t be shy at night.”

“You can act as you want.”

“I’ll have fun too.”

So the word “Bureikou” doesn’t mean I’m going to crawl on everyone at night, okay?

I was going to be asked to be served at night? That’s amazing.

No wonder I thought everyone’s attitude was weird…

“The reason why I said “Bureiko” was because the idea of a company trip might be difficult for people in this world to understand, and the reason why I said “no need to hold back at night” was because I thought you girls might not be able to do enjoy yourselves fully because of the Master-Slave contract. And I meant to start it in the nights and extend the time…”I’ll have fun too” was my way of saying that people might be hesitant if I don’t take a break… in other words… I’m really sorry.”

As I kept explaining, everyone’s face started turning redder and redder.

Aine is the only one who looked calm.

Aine held her breasts in her maid’s uniform and mumbled, “I know. It’s okay, I understand. I know because I’m your sister…”. That’s the sister of the party for you.

Iris has a distracted look on her face. She’s the smallest one. I think I made her nervous.

Rita’s face was bright red, her animal ears and tail twitching, and she said, “Well, well, I knew it! There’s no way Nagi would do something like that!” But from the way her tail and ears are moving, it is clear that she had misunderstood. I’ll talk to Rita about it later.

And also because it’s funny how Rafilia is sticking her chest out with Rita. You were completely wrong, too.

And while you’re at it, stop fidgeting in my lap, Reggie. “What!? Don’t take away my pleasure…”. Even if they were really going to crawl into my bed at night, it’s not like you were going to be there. You wouldn’t bee have gotten to observe from a special seat or anything.

And … Cecile is sitting on the ground, flattened, with a complicated look on her face.

… In Cecile’s case, it’s about her ‘subconscious wish’. I’d better follow up on that as soon as possible.

“Cecile, come here for a second.”

“… Oh! Yes. Nagi.”

I told everyone to wait for me and led Cecile through the trees.

It’s my fault for misleading her.

I have to talk to her as her Master.

“Maybe, Cecile, you were expecting me to come to your place in the middle of the night to do … that sort of thing?”

“────!”

Near a lake, in the shade of a tree.

When I asked, Cecile’s thin body shook and turned redder than ever. She pressed her cherry-red lips with her hands, and then.

She nodded her head faintly.

I knew it.

I should have expected this much. I’m still too naive.

“Well, I knew that Cecile wanted to leave behind the Demon race’s blood for the future generations.”

“No, that was just a pretext. I was expecting you because I want to repay you, Nagi.”

“Return the favor?”

“It’s in the teachings of the Demon Tribe. The teachings of the Demon Tribe say that we can be happy just by being with people whose souls resonate with ours, and that we should give back to those who give us that happiness.”

Cecile said, teasing her fingers in embarrassment.

“I am always made happy by you, Nagi. It’s thanks to you that I can live happily with Rita and the others like this. However, the only thing I can give to you is my body, my heart and my soul. That’s why I wanted to take this opportunity to serve you…”

You don’t have to be so careful.

“Cecile’s always been a big help to me.”

The truth is, I’m new to this world, so I need Cecile and the others’ help to survive.

If it weren’t for Cecile’s knowledge, I wouldn’t have been able to get Rita to join me, and I wouldn’t have been able to get Reggie in the dungeon.

That’s why we live together, leaning on each other.

I’m the one who made everyone into cheat characters, but that’s another story.

“But I know how Cecile feels. Thanks.”

“By the way, Nagi… how did you know about ‘My Dream’?”

“… I’m rather surprised you think I don’t know.”

The other day, when I had used [Mind Linkage] on Cecile, it was leaking out.

Also, when I gave the order at the boat, I heard a lot about Cecile’s wishes. This is a secret between me and Rita, but I remember it well as her Master.

“I know about Cecile’s dream, that you want to keep the blood of the Demon ace alive in the future, and I said I would help you. So it’s all right.”

“Ehehe.”

Cecile smiled tantalizingly as she ruffled her silvery hair.

Cecile is the only surviving member of the Demon Tribe.

That’s why the only way for the Demon Tribe to carry on their blood into the future is for Cecile to leave a child. As long as Cecile doesn’t want to leave me, I have to take on half of that role. It’s a big responsibility, but since I’m making Cecile my slave, I’m thinking about it.

I said before, ‘I’m going to help Cecile start a family’.

“But I’m sorry Cecile, but I’d like to wait on those things until our lives are a little more stable.”

“Stable life, huh?”

“Yes. Specifically, I need to save up 10,000 Arsha, or until my average monthly income stabilizes at around 1,500 Arsha.”

“… yes?”

Cecile cocked her head, puzzled.

I guess this needs to be explained.

“I’ve done a lot of research, and it seems that a family of six - Reggie doesn’t eat - would need about 800 Arsha to live in this world for a month.”

In our case, we don’t need to pay rent, so we can afford a little more room, but that’s where we set our baseline. In this world, a year is 12 months, so multiply that by 12 and you get 9600 Arsha - that’s roughly 10000 Arsha.

With that much, we can live for a year no matter what.

Even if we get injured or sick and can’t work, we should be able to survive for a while.

I’d really like to double that to 20,000 Arsha, but that’s a long way off, and I’m not in the mood to set a goal too far away, so I’ll settle for 10,000 Arsha. If I have that much, I think I can consider my life to be stable.

So we’ll think about having kids after that.”

“Eh, eh ,eh? Um, Nagi?”

“And … our ultimate goal is to create ‘skill that allows us to live without working,’ but if we live and play without doing anything, people will think we are suspicious. So we need to work as camouflage.”

We can make it as an adventurer for now, but I want to think about doing some business in case something happens. This trip is also for gathering information.

Besides, if we were to be kicked out of Ilgafa, we would have to secure another place to stay. I’m a visitor from another world, Cecile is a Demon, and Rita, Aine, Iris, and Rafilia are all carrying their own circumstances. When something happens and we have to leave the town, it will be hard to have a child and no place to live tomorrow, right?

In terms of securing a place to escape to, the purpose of this trip is to take a vacation for everyone, but it’s also to gather information about our future lives. That’s what I mean when I say I’m free to do as I want.”

“… Nagi … Wow.”

Cecile is looking at me with a gaping maw.

Oh, shoot. I talked too much.

I guess she is a little surprised. I’m getting ahead of myself.

“…Nagi. You are thinking about us that much …?”

Tears spilled out of Cecile’s eyes.

Huh?

“I’m happy to see… Nagi…”

Cecile hugged me, squeezing me.

I think she understands.

“But … I will work hard too, so you don’t have to think about that alone, okay? You don’t have to be so concerned about stability in our life…”

“I’ll stick to it.”

“Why?”

“I can’t let my children work in the black.”

I’ve been trying not to remind myself of the … world over there.

“I was thrown out by my family and worked black jobs to make ends meet, so I don’t want my kids to go through the same thing. Thanks to Letica, we have a place to live, but it’s still not enough to raise our children. We need more room. Or maybe it’s just that I want to feel safe.

That’s why I want to put my top priority on stabilizing our life for now. It’s going to take some time to build the skill to live without working, so my goal for now is to have 10,000 Arsha in savings.”

I still don’t want to remember too much.

It’s not that I don’t like my parents, nor do I hold a grudge against them. In the end, it was thanks to them that I was able to come to this world and meet Cecile and the others.

But it’s traumatic. I can’t help it, can I?

And I definitely don’t want to put my own children through the same thing.

I’ve found out that there are black jobs in this world too. There are also slave contracts.

It gives me chills to think of having a child, and if my life collapses and I end up having to put him or her through black labor.

If that happens, I’ll need to use [Skill Restructure] and create a skill.

The skill to destroy the world except for your wife and children.

—I think that would be too terribe.

“So, that’s it for this story. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Also, I know exactly what Cecile’s dream is.”

“Yes, Master Nagi!”

After hugging me again, Cecile nodded her head.

Then, right next to me, looking up into my face.

“Heh, heh. I’ve made reservation.”

Cecile rubs her head against my chest.

I feel like it’s too early, but okay.

I can’t keep everyone in a constant state of anxiety as their Master.

I can’t work calmly if I’m worried about my future.

“Then let’s get back to the others. Cecile.”

“Yes, …, but before we go back, can I just say something…?”

With a “fluff”, Cecile let go of my body.

In front of me, she stretched her tiny body to its fullest, and then…

“Nagi, I’m not going anywhere.”

Cecile said with a serious face.

“I’ll stay with you forever and ever until you say, ‘I don’t want Cecile’. Cecile Pharott will always belong to you, even after my heart stops beating and my life disappears - no, even after I’m reborn in the next life. Please remember that.”

“… Does Cecile have a hobby of taking ‘critical hits’ on her Master?”

“I don’t know, but it’s there.”

Cecile then put her hand on my chest.

“Whenever I talk to Nagi, I always feel excited, happy, and fluffy. I want you to … feel the same way, if only for a little while…”

“…, come to think of it…”

“Yes, Nagi.”

“There’s one sentence I’d like to add to what I said earlier about ‘until our lives are stable’.”

“What is it?”

“But not if my reason breaks down.”

“…!!!!”

Cecile’s face turned so red that she almost exploded.

Stability in my life is my top priority, but there are some things I can’t control with reason alone. Cecile sometimes gives me those things because of her critical hits.

Let’s just be prepared for each other. Yeah.

“… Master Nagi.”

“Yeah.”

“……I’m the only one who’s happy…”

Cecile sits down with a sigh.

“Can I share those words with all when I get back?”

And with a bright red face…

“Rita and Aine always take good care of me.

I love Rafilia and Iris.

I also know that Nagi cares about all of us.

So, the words ‘But not if my reason breaks down’… are not only for me, but also for everyone, right?”

Cecile said in a small, stammering voice.

Yeah … for sure.

“All right. Okay, you can tell everyone.”

“Yes, yes. Yes, Master!”

Then I pulled Cecile’s hand, which had turned bright red, and we went back to the others and talked…

Huh?

If you think about it, this isn’t much different from the situation with the “Bureiko” that everyone misunderstood…

So our rest lasted a little longer than planned.

We left the lake in the early afternoon.

Cecile, who was sitting on the carriage’s coachman seat alongside me, was still holding the reigns with one hand and holding her cheek with the other, and she still had a red face, but - the horses went on their own, so there was no problem. The carriage proceeded smoothly down the street and came to the junction between the Resort Town area and the Magic Research City.

“Oh, there’s a carriage!”

“You didn’t meet the Wyvern!? Did you defeat it?”

A number of carriages were gathered around the junction. They all seemed to have stopped to because of the Wyvern.

“We saw it flying toward the mountainous area when we had reached the rocky hills.”

“I was so surprised. We left town early this morning.”

“I didn’t even know there was a Wyvern!”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, Master?”

“I thought it would be okay since I have excellent slaves, but…”

“We’re lucky that we didn’t get hurt, right, Master?”

“Anyway, we’d better be vigilant if you’re going to proceed.”

“I love you, Master.”

Cecile and I pretended to be frightened, huddled together and said the lines we had prepared.

The last one was improvised, though.

“Oh, I see. No, thank you for the information. I’ll send out a reconnaissance here as well.”

At the junction, there was a group of people who looked like soldiers.

They were people wearing white armor with a Heavenly Dragon-like emblem.

“The Magic Research City we belong to is currently in turmoil, and we’ve been delayed in our response.”

“What’s the cause of turmoil?”

“I heard that the gates of the Valley of Mists have opened for the first time in a long time. So we are currently preparing to investigate.”

One of the regular soldiers told us.

“Valley of Mists, is it?”

“It’s an old ruin. It was only recently discovered. Not many details are known about it. It’s filled with mist that deceive those who enter, so it’s hard to investigate.”

“Heh…”

As expected of a different world. Are there such ruins?

There’s something romantic about ruins that haven’t been explored, isn’t there?

Well, if it is such a ruin, it must be pretty dangerous, so it’s none of our business.

“There is not much danger,” he said. “A newlywed couple who wandered into the ruins came back unharmed.”

I see.

So I guess that means that if you’re chosen, you can enter.

“They say it doesn’t matter if you are chosen or not. It is said that the mists test our trust in each other. Conversely, it is said that if those who don’t trust each other enter, they will fight each other. However, it is a troublesome site that does not allow one to enter alone.”

… I see.

But we’re on vacation.

Besides, I don’t know if adventurers should carelessly enter such ruins. I don’t even know if it’s worth the money.

“The newlyweds who wandered in got a jewel that was worth tens of thousands of Arsha. I heard that there are other such things in the ruins. It’s such an enviable story…”

“…”

Bite (in fishing)

Cecile pulled my sleeve and I looked to the side to see her looking at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

“It’s a vacation. It’s ‘Bureiko’. You’re free to do whatever you want, right?”

“We’ll have to do some research before we go.”

I turned to the soldier.

“You don’t know what the ruins are, do you?”

“Oh, they say that those who enter have a dim memory of the intervening time. However, they all say the same thing. I…”

“I saw the shadow of the Heavenly Dragon…”

The regular soldier said, as if he were telling a secret.

Another carriage came from the Resort Town, and the regular soldiers waved us away.

The Shadow of the Heavenly Dragon…?

“The remains of a Heavenly Dragon testing people, or …”

If that girl who called Cecile, Iris, and Rafilia “Ancient Blood” is really related to the Heavenly Dragon, I’m sure we are welcome to enter the ruins. But I am not sure. If I weigh the danger - the benefits - and the rewards…

There’s still too little information. I hope it’s a guild quest.

“It’s not like we’re stepping into some unidentified ruins.”

“The Valley of Mists is a place of ritual for those with Ancient Blood.”

A voice came from behind the platform.

“It’s in the territory of the Heavenly Dragon. If it was sealed up after death, it’s possible that there was some kind of ritual problem. Either they couldn’t adjust it, or they needed help, either way, I think Master, Iris, and Cecile are in little danger.”

“… Rafilia?”

“… Oh?”

Rafilia, who was peeking out from the carriage, opened her mouth with a pout.

“I said something strange, didn’t I?”

“A passage from the … story?”

“Yes… No. Oh? How do I know all this?”

When Rafilia was talking about the Valley of Mist, she had a different expression on her face.

“You know, Rafilia, I’d like you to ask Cecile too.”

“What is it, Master?”

“Is it possible in this world that touching some ruins or relics can bring back sealed memories?”

In the original world, it was possible … at least in games.

I’ve also heard that people with amnesia can regain their memories by seeing things related to their past.

“I think …”

Cecile answered my question.

It’s the same as the ‘resonance’ of the Demon Tribe, where ruins and magic items can resonate with a person and bring back memories of the past. It’s a little different, but it’s like how Master Nagi awakened the memory of an Ancient Language from within me.”

I see.

Is it the Wings of the Heavenly Dragon, the White Girl, the Information of the Ruins, or something else?

It’s possible that one of those triggers brought back some of Rafilia’s memories.

“… Then I’m …”

Rafilia looked surprised.

It’s only been a couple of days since we left for the trip, but a lot has happened.

“… Does this mean that I might really be a legendary hero involved in something ancient?”

“Well, let’s just get to the Resort Town and have dinner.”

I turned the carriage to the south.

“Oh, no, Master! It’s okay. The information about the Valley of Mist is coming back to me, but I won’t tell you. It’s an important site. Are you sure about this? … Are you sure you don’t want to go there? … Please, please, please listen to me.

Oh, you want to know, Iris? I can’t help it. The Valley of the Mists is a place where those with the Ancient Blood seal up their precious things.”

As I listened to Rafilia’s explatination, which I could also hear, we headed towards the Resort Town.

I don’t really care who Rafilia is, and it’s okay if her memory comes back, because she doesn’t seem to change.

… However, if the ruins are related to Rafilia’s memories…

We should explore it, just in case.