CH 317

Chapter 317 – Dinner That is Difficult to Eat

“In other words, Kosuke-sama’s gestures are able to slip through the cracks of a woman’s heart.”

Leviera, who escaped my pursuit and said we would talk about it at the dinner table, started talking like that as soon as we started eating dinner. I don’t understand.

“Even if you say so…”

As for me, I can only be puzzled. I can’t understand what she means when she says that my gestures are going into the cracks of a woman’s heart.

But there are many people nodding in agreement with Leviera’s words. What does that mean?

“Well, I mean, you can’t judge Kosuke by his appearance…”

“He is clearly different from ordinary men, isn’t he? It’s more like a preference.”

“Normal human men are afraid of oni women like us.”

“Kosuke-san is kind to us harpies, too.”

“Danna-sama doesn’t look at us harpies in a bad way.”

“W-we are treated like shit birds, after all…”

The oni girls and the harpies talk about me, but that’s just…

“Isn’t that just a lack of integrity?”

Aquawill-san said that and looked at me with an icy glare. Well, yeah. I thought the same thing. I don’t know how the men of this world feel about subhuman women of all shapes and sizes. I don’t have the common sense or universal values of this world. From my point of view, women of the oni tribe, like Shumel and others, and women of the harpy tribe, like Fronte and others, look like fantasy-looking beauties and pretty girls.

“I don’t think that’s the case. Kosuke was kind to me in my dragon form before I assumed my current form.”

Here, a covering shot came from an unexpected source.

It is true that I have treated Grande normally since she was in her dragon form. I think I’m probably almost the same as I am now.

“Kosuke treated me as an equal, fair, and kind to me in my dragon form. When he saw that I was being treated roughly by my brothers, he got angry and fought with them by himself, forcing them to bow to him. He was a human being, and he fought against two dragons. There was no way Kosuke could have any ulterior motives toward me, who was still in dragon form. Even Kosuke said so himself.”

It is true that it was impossible to have sexual relations with Grande, who was still in dragon form. Grande Mama recommended it to me, but I refused, saying I couldn’t do it.

“That’s true, isn’t it…? Or rather, it’s amazing, Kosuke. After listening to that story, I’m really looking at you in a new light.”

“When you say Grande-san’s brother, you mean two adult grand dragons that were bigger than Grande-san when she was in her dragon form, right? Selling a fight over that is just too much, isn’t it?”

“Well, Kosuke might be able to handle two dragons… but it’s still amazing to fight two dragons and make them bow down to you.”

The respectful glances from Grande and the oni girls are dazzling. It’s not that big of a deal, it’s just that Grande is being kicked in the foot by her brother dragons, and that makes me lose my cool.

“I think it is this kind of openness and kindness that makes Kosuke-sama so appealing.”

Leviera stares at me like that. I’m embarrassed to be looked at so seriously.

“…It’s intriguing, isn’t it?”

“Hyiiee…”

I sense something dangerous from Leviera, who mutters with a dangerous atmosphere. T-this is a wave of predatory mode…! No, I don’t think we are there yet. But it looks like it could happen if I make a mistake. I must be careful.

“But still, you brought the dragon to bow… I’ve heard that you almost single-handedly controlled the upheaval in the north, but it doesn’t seem very likely to me, though…”

Aquawill-san looked at me coldly with a spoon in her mouth to drink the soup. Princess-sama, you are misbehaving. It’s not very polite.

“Y-you don’t believe what I have to say?”

Grande sounds offended by Aquawill-san’s words. Hey, hey. Calm down.

“I can tell from the way he built this base that his power is extraordinary, but…”

“Then you’d better watch how Kosuke works from tomorrow on.”

Shumel shrugged her shoulders and brought the sausage I’d prepared for dinner to her mouth and chewed it up with a nice sound. She chewed it, swallowed it, and then opened her mouth again.

“If you do that, you’ll understand just how unusual Kosuke is. In fact, Kosuke doesn’t really need a bodyguard like us, considering his true ability, you know.”

“I think that’s an exaggeration. With a golem, that would be true, but otherwise, I’m not that strong myself, you know?”

“Really? I think it would be difficult for us to beat Kosuke even without using the big guy, you know?”

Shumel grinned as she said that. And Aquawill-san’s skeptical gaze grows stronger. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from raising the hurdle so blindly. You’re making me even more suspicious.

“W-we’ll find out tomorrow, so I’d like you to take a good rest today and prepare for tomorrow.”

Gerda hurriedly raised her voice to blow away the strangely tense atmosphere in the dining room. Perhaps seeing Gerda’s frantic appearance, Aquawill-san silently returned to her meal, and Grande also seemed to concentrate on proceeding with her meal, although she remained in a sour mood.

Aquawill-san and Grande’s chemistry is even worse than I thought…! I hope they manage to get along by the time we return.

☆★☆

There were no particularly lucky events, and on the first day, I took a bath after dinner and went to bed. It was nice to be able to take a bath alone for the first time in a while.

The night was not particularly uneventful either; Grande, who had been sulking, just snuggled up with me as if she wanted to be pampered. It was very peaceful.

Well, the bedrooms, or rather the dormitories, are separated, but if we did it, our voices would leak out. If such a thing were to happen in the current state, I am sure that Aquawill-san’s gaze would be at absolute zero the next morning, so I might have to be very careful.

The problem is that thing.

Bang! Ratatatata!

Yeah, the golem turrets are really noisy, aren’t they?

It’s good that it automatically intercepts, but the huge sound of a large caliber firearm is enough to disturb a good night’s sleep. Grande was sleeping through the night, but I kept waking up in the middle of the night. Shumel and the others woke up the first time, but the rest of the time, they seemed to be asleep. As expected of adventurers, I guess.

“Kosuke-san…”

“…(Trembling).”

“I-I’m so scared…”

On the contrary, it seemed that I was not compatible with the harpies, and all three of them crawled into the bed where Grande and I were sleeping. 

I kept repeating sleep and waking up while thinking that Aquawill-san probably complains to me tomorrow.