CH 225

Chapter 225 – Morning of Departure

Days passed while I had tea parties alone with Ellen, talked with Sylphy on the couch at night, developed new magical tools with Isla, plowed the fields, plowed the fields, plowed the fields, etc.

No, really, I expanded the fields quite a bit. It’s not a farm block; it’s really just farmland that I plowed. Still, the yield will be better than in a regular field, and the harvest time will be a little earlier.

At any rate, the people who had been enslaved and given only the bare minimum of food until now, now that they were freed from their status as slaves, had to be fed fully. That is the duty of a nation. That is why I have been a machine to cultivate the farmland.

Of course, I am not the only one struggling. I have to be the one to plow the land, but the work of cultivating the land itself is done by various people working with their sweat on their foreheads.

The main laborers are former subhuman slaves who have been liberated, but it seems that the second and subsequent sons of farmers who cannot inherit their family’s farmland, soldiers of the Liberation Army who have too much power, and some prisoners of war are also engaged in land reclamation work.

Those working on the land reclamation are offered an extra wine for dinner.

It seems that one of the purposes is to show the captives the Merinard Kingdom, which has been liberated from the yoke of the Holy Kingdom, as they would be depressed if they just sat still during the day.

Quietly.

After spending a few days in this way, today is the day for the expeditionary team to leave for the purpose of pacifying the country. The personnel will consist of myself, Ellen, Amalie-san, and Bertha-san, who will be Ellen’s escort and my caretaker. In addition, Ms. Zamir will serve as my escort. Danan will be in command of the soldiers who will accompany us. Pirna and her subordinates from the Harpy Corps and two air boards from the gunners’ corps. In addition, there is an elite military unit led by Danan and dozens of brothers and sisters of the Adolist nostalgic group. There were also dozens of civilian officers from the Liberation Army.

The total number of soldiers would be about 500 people. The great thing about my presence is that we don’t need any logistics personnel.

All the members of the team were transported on air boards that had been converted from the large transport air boards used by Danan’s troops for logistics.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Ahahaha… I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

On the morning of our departure, Seraphita-san held my hands in hers and looked me over with moistened eyes. That’s good. But the stares of everyone… are hurting me.

“…Hmm.”

“Oh…”

“…I see.”

Sylphy was thinking with her hand on her thin chin, Isla’s eye were wide open as if she was surprised, and Melty was smiling happily.

“Ara.”

“Eh… eh?”

“…..”

Driada-san was smiling in a strange way, Ifrita was upset because she couldn’t swallow the situation, and Aquawill-san was looking at the scene in a daze. Notwithstanding Driada-san, this was a completely unexpected development for Ifrita and Aquawill-san. They looked like they had just been pinched by a fox.

Grande? She seems to be planning to stay in the castle this time and just relax. There seems to be little danger, and she’s going to stay out of the fights and quarrels between the human races.

And the harpies were shouting yellow. From their point of view, having more mates means having more friends, and a husband who attracts so many women is so cool!　They say it will be something like that. They are like harem-forming extremists.

And last but not least.

“…Hmm.”

“…Ara.”

“…I see.”

Not so calm are the three members of the Adol religion who will be accompanying me this time. The atmosphere is not so good, although it is difficult to understand the true meaning of the expressionless and smiling faces of each of them. Perhaps they are under the mistaken impression that I have developed a relationship with Seraphita-san over the past few days of rest. There is no such fact, there isn’t…! I’ve basically been plowing the fields!

“Mother, we’d like to send Kosuke off too.”

“Right. Take care of yourself, Kosuke-sama.”

Finally, Seraphita-san gave me a hug and touched me with something soft on my cheek, and moved away. Oh, did she kiss me on the cheek? Bold, isn’t it?

“What a fool.”

“Ouch.”

Sylphy pinches my cheek kissed by Seraphita-san with a smile. And when I turned my face to the front, she put her lips together with mine directly in front of me. It is already intense. The yellow cheer goes up from the harpies.

“…I’ll let you off with this much.”

“Hmph.”

After releasing me, Sylphy moved away from me. I’m glad she moved away from me, but I feel like my back is going to be shattered… I thought, and then a small shadow hugged my waist. I don’t need to confirm that it’s Isla. It seems like a moderately strong tackle to me right now.

“Me too.”

“Yes?”

“Me too.”

Isla looked up at me with her big eye. I look to Melty for help.

“I’ll be next, you know.”

She says so with a devilish smile like an angel. I guess I’m asking the wrong person for help. Hahaha.

☆★☆

“You should have some modesty.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t just answer me randomly. Do you understand? You are going to be the new flag bearer of the Adol religion alongside me, and you have to lead your congregation. That’s why you’re such a… such a…”

Ellen, her face reddening, slaps my chest with her slap and lectures me. The two passengers on the same air board, Amalie-san and Bertha-san just looked at the situation. They were smiling as they watched Ellen and me.

After that, even the harpies and Lime and the others who stayed behind showed up, and it became a big problem. I don’t want to tell you how it got so serious. Let’s just say that Ifrita turned red and ran away, and Aquawill-san also turned red and rolled his eyes.

At any rate, I just want to say that even if they tell me to have modesty, I can’t help it because I don’t have the strength to resist Lime and the others. I think only Sylphy, Melty, and Grande are capable of standing up to these women, who are physically too strong in every sense of the word.

“Well, well, Eleonora-sama. I was indeed a little surprised, but if that is also the culture of the Merinard Kingdom, I don’t think we can blame them too much.”

“I agree. I’ll consider whether or not we follow that style, but I don’t think there was any way for Kosuke-sama to resist…”

Amalie-san and Bertha-san seem to be covering for me. I wish they would have covered for me a little sooner, but I guess there’s no point in saying that. I’ll be stuffed when Lime and the others come out.

“Mmm… but he should be a little more modest and resolute.”

“Kosuke-sama has a gentle heart, so I think it would be difficult for him to take a firm stand against someone who is trying to curry favor with him.”

“He even risked his life to protect Eleonora-sama, who was his enemy in terms of position.”

“Mm… mm!”

The two Amalie-san and Bertha-san persuaded Ellen to become a cute little creature who just snarls with her cheeks puffed out. She had been hitting me earlier, but it was kind of like this, she was just peppering me to show her dissatisfaction, and it was with a force that didn’t hurt at all.

“However, I would be happy if Kosuke-sama would pay a little more attention to us as well. Eleonora-sama was also very lonely.”

In the end, that’s what it all comes down to, I guess. It was not that I was avoiding Ellen, but since Archbishop Deckard’s arrival, she seemed to be very busy, and I did not want to disturb her too much. I also had things to do, and it was rather late at night, while Ellen had a regular schedule and went to bed early, so we didn’t have much time to talk.

The other day we were able to spend a little time together, but in the end, before we had finished a hundred books, High Priestess Katerina showed up and took Eren away. I think that the fact that she saw me and Seraphita getting along so strangely before she knew it, and then seeing what was going on, she became frustrated or angry and exploded.

“I would like to give you the utmost consideration.”

“Yes. However, since Kosuke-sama has basically been entrusted to our care during this trip, I believe that we will be able to strengthen our bond to the fullest extent during this trip.”

That’s right. The Harpies have agreed to give it to us this time.”

Both Amalie-san and Bertha-san smile cheerfully.

I see, so that is the purpose this time?

I mean, it was Archbishop Deckard who said that not only Ellen but also these two and other clergy members would accompany me as caretakers, wasn’t it? Was that his intention from the beginning?

No, it is not surprising that such a good-natured old man… would do such a thing. He is a man who obtained and kept the position of archbishop while opposing the mainstream of the Adol religion, which is a whirlwind of power and intrigue.

“…Please take it easy on me.”

I’ve come this far. I have no choice but to reopen my mind. In the end, it’s all about how I feel.

If I were to be so joyful at a time like this, I would have said, “I’ll take care of it!” If I had a personality like that, I wouldn’t have any trouble at all.