CH 144

Chapter 144 – Welcome Party And…

“‘”Welcome back, you two! And welcome, Grande-chan!”””

“Umu.”

“Yeah.”

“U-umu… thank you.”

On the night we returned to Erichburg, a welcome party was held at the lord’s mansion, hosted by the Harpies and others, to welcome us home and also to welcome Grande. The idea came to me thirty minutes ago, and I provided the food and drinks, so I guess it’s more accurate to say they were the initiator rather than the host.

“I’ll bring out the souvenirs.”

“””Woohoo!”””

The Harpies clapped their hands with their wings. Isla and Melty also clapped their hands.

“Err, first of all, to Isla. It’s a rare flower, with soil and roots, that I collected from the depths of the Black Forest.”

“Oh…”

I pulled out a table from my inventory and laid out all the high-altitude flowers in pots on it.

“It’s a plant from a very high place, so it might not last very long on the plains.”

“No, I’m happy with the unusual flowers. It might have medicinal effects. Thank you.”

“It’s a beautiful flower.”

“I’ve never seen such a flower before.”

“Flowers are such a romantic gift.”

Melty and the Harpies’ eyes also sparkled at the colorful flowers. Women love flowers, after all.

“For Pirna and the others, I’ve brought back an assortment of fruits from around the Elven village, dried fruits and jams.”

“Wow, this brings back memories.”

“I haven’t had a chance to eat since I left the forest!”

“When I was in the forest, the sweetness of the fruit was the only thing I enjoyed.”

The Harpies’ eyes lit up at the baskets of fruit, bags of dried fruit, and colorful jams in magnificent glass jars.

“For Melty, a bottle of wine from the Elven village. It’s good wine from a lucky year.”

“Thank you, Kosuke-san.”

I give Melty a set of red and white wine in a bottle. It’s not the type of wine that you can open with much fanfare at a party; it’s more like vintage wine.

“After that, I gave everyone some of the Elves’ woven fabrics. You can divide these among yourselves.”

The last item I brought out was a large number of cloths, both patterned and monochromatic. I exchanged these at the Elves’ shared warehouse for gemstones, magic crystals, enchanted materials, and monster materials brought by the gluttonous dragons.

“Wow! It’s a beautiful cloth!”

“I’ll take it to a tailor in the city and have them make some clothes for me.”

The Harpies were crowded around the cloths, cackling with excitement. As we were drinking honey wine while watching them, the Harpies unfolded the cloths, surrounded Grande, put them on her body, and began to talk to her enthusiastically. Apparently, they were thinking of clothes for Grande to wear using the Elves’ cloths.

“Isn’t that clothing ― or something that can’t be called clothing ― a hobby of yours, Kosuke-san?”

“Definitely not. It was the only piece of clothing I had on hand that could cover her private parts without being affected by the wings and the huge claws on her hands and feet. I chose that because I thought it would be a little bit better than having her wear just a bra and panties.”

“Is that so…? Would you like me to wear one? Something like that.”

As Melty says that, she pushes her breasts up with her arms to emphasize their size. Kuh, my gaze is drawn to it. How cowardly.

“…Next time, okay?”

“When we’re alone?”

“T-that’s right.”

As I tried to calm myself down, I looked away from Melty, who was leaning against me, and Isla, who was sitting on the other side of Melty, hugged my body tightly.

“Do you want me to wear one too?”

Her large eye stared at me. The bikini armor… in Isla’s shape is also good. I think it’s the best for a beautiful, voluptuous woman to wear, but I also think it’s good for a smooth, flat-chested woman like Isla to wear.

“N-next time, okay?”

“Fufu…”

“…..”

As Melty leaks a seductive smile, Isla silently relaxes her cheeks a little and plays with my body with a soft touch. Oh, no, don’t do that! Customer! Customer! Please, it’s troubling me! Ah! Customer, customer!

[T/n: Idk why he called her okyakusama here.]

“Ah! Melty-san and Isla-san are flirting with Kosuke-san!”

“That’s not fair!”

“It’s not nice to sneak around like that.”

“Come on, Grande-chan. Let’s go.”

“Ah, o-oh…”

Whoa! And then the Harpies rushed in, shoving their thin breasts in my face, giving me light kisses on the cheeks, lips, and neck, and rubbing and puffing with the wings of their arms. Grande is also hugging my legs as she sits on the couch with her eyes rolling back and forth. What are you doing?

“Mmm, I’m not giving up this spot.”

“I can’t lose.”

“Ouch, it hurts.”

Melty and Isla tighten their hugs on me, but it’s simply too tight and painful. Sylphy is quietly tipping back the bottle of honey wine while looking at us with a smile on her face. I guess that’s what you call a generous smile. Why don’t you share some of that room with me?

“Hey, don’t touch it… Wait, don’t take it off! Ouch! Who bit me on the neck? You can’t leave teeth marks or anything like that in a visible place!”

“Well, well, well, well, well, well.”

“Stop…! Wa-wait! Wait! The welcome party has just begun! We haven’t even eaten yet…”

“It’s okay. We’ve been served food that tastes good even if it gets a little cold. I’ll feed you on the way, okay?”

“Wha…? Your request for food was made with this in mind from the beginning…!?”

There were indeed few dishes that tasted good when hot, such as pizza, soup, and gratin… but n-no way!

“A-are you going to do that…?”

“Ufufu… We love that, after all…”

“Danna-sama just needs to swallow it!”

“We’ll take care of everything for you…”

The Harpies, with their debaucherous smiles, began to drag me towards the bedroom. Kuh, I can’t shake my conscience. If I shake it off here, I’m going to make them sad――.

“Hmm, once you get used to it, you’ll start to like it too.”

“I like it a lot, too.”

With a plate of sandwiches, burgers, and fruit in each hand, Isla and Melty followed behind the Harpies. Grande was carrying a large water bottle, looking flustered. You’re well-hydrated, aren’t you?

“I’ll join you later.”

“””Yes!”””

Sylphy smiled at us and held up a bottle of honey wine. The door was then closed. 

☆★☆

“…I’m so tired.”

“You reap what you sow. You are lucky you are still alive, and I think your endurance is first-rate.”

With a strange look of admiration, Sir Leonard helped me to sit down in a chair. Oh, the table is nice and cold. More importantly, Sir Leonard is back, huh? He wasn’t here yesterday.

“Heh… I’m completely burned out, you know… what I saw was all white…”

I woke up in the early afternoon and walked to the lounge on the first floor of the lord’s mansion. With a staggering gait. What is the maximum value of my life and stamina, you ask? It’s about 20% of both, what about it?

“Well, you should do it in moderation. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I hope you won’t die of kidney deficiency. It would be better if you told them to be a little more careful too.”

Danan and Sir Leonard are discussing countermeasures in a serious tone. I can’t stand it.

“Putting that aside, how are the negotiations with the Holy Kingdom going?”

“Hmm… You want to hear it?”

“That’s why I’m asking. Is it bad for me to ask?”

“There’s nothing bad about it. There is nothing to hide from you.”

“Nothing?”

“Well, the saint that we contacted may have authority, but she doesn’t have the power to control everything, does she? There are two people who are in charge of the government and the military, and each of them is in charge of the political and military affairs. The saint is only in control of religious affairs. Even so, it seems that the military governor cannot ignore the wishes of the saint and take military action because she is the most authoritative of the three.”

“She is the saint of truth, after all. Just by standing in front of her, the truth and lies are completely exposed. It will be difficult to outsmart her and do any harm.”

“I see.”

I’ve heard that she is a saint of truth and that no lie can penetrate her. I didn’t really understand it either.

“However, it seems to be difficult for the army to attack us anyway, as they are in the process of reorganizing and replenishing their troops. It seems that they can barely maintain security and exterminate monsters by using mercenaries and adventurers. With their feet in such a state, it’s impossible to direct an army towards us.”

“Unless large-scale reinforcements come from the Holy Kingdom’s home country.”

“I see. So, what about the negotiations for the return of the territory?”

“It’s been difficult. We demanded the return of all of the former Merinard Kingdom and its enslaved citizens, whereas they have already colonized the Merinard Kingdom with their own Holy Kings, so they can’t accept our demands.”

“Is it going to be a war?”

“Well, that’s the quickest way to do it. If we can’t get rid of them by talking, we have to take them by force. The southern part of the country has been pacified, and the Liberation Army is gaining momentum. It is possible to invade as far as Merinesburg now, isn’t it?”

The Liberation Army is aiming to regain its footing, and the Holy Kingdom, once victorious, has placed the Merinard Kingdom under its control. I thought it was possible to solve the problem by talking, but now…?

“Should we ask another country to be involved?”

“It would be a bad idea. Countries don’t always go hand in hand and get along well. If other countries intervene in this situation, we don’t know what kind of demands they will put on us after the war.”

“There are some suspicious movements in the coalition of small states bordering the western part of the country. In some cases, this could lead to a two-front operation.”

“What would we do? Should we act before they do?”

“That’s where our opinions are divided. Her Highness seems to be against the idea of aggressively attacking, but Melty argues that from the perspective of an internal affairs officer, it is almost impossible for the other side to make concessions, so it is better to attack and recover the land quickly.”

“That’s aggressive, indeed. What do you two think?”

“We have no choice but fight, I think.”

“I think it would be better to wait a little longer. If the nostalgic faction to which the saint belongs can check the current government of the Holy Kingdom and the current mainstream of the Adel religion, then waiting for that is more reliable. No matter how powerful the weapons given to us by Kosuke are, the original ground power between the Holy Kingdom and us is too different.”

Sir Leonard was reluctantly in favor, while Danan was more cautious.

However, it’s not a good idea to give them too much time. The more time we give them, the more likely they are to respond to the Harpy’s bombing tactics, and the more time we give them, the more advantageous it will be for them to have the greater ground power.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Ellen ― it depends on the work of the saint of truth, Eleonora? Is there anything I can do to help her? As I recall, she mentioned something about ruins. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have a little something to do in that direction?