CH 355

Chapter 355 – Ambush

“Hmm…”

“Did you see that?”

“I honestly can’t tell the difference.”

I tried to look through the telescope and observe the location indicated by the map, but my eyes couldn’t distinguish it from the rest of the empty space.

“Look more closely. Unlike the other places, the forest has been cut inland in that area, and the color is whitish.”

“Hmm…? When you say it like that, it also looks that way…?”

It is true that the darker areas seem to recede slightly from the water’s edge to the inland areas, but are these the traces of civilization? I can’t help but tilt my head when I say that.

“It is certainly very difficult to discern. That’s why we want an astronomical telescope with a higher magnification.”

“I see. I understand perfectly.”

Well, it seems to me that the distance between Omicrule is closer than between the Earth and the Moon, and if there is an astronomical telescope with a higher magnification, we might be able to see it in more detail.

“Let me take a look.”

“Me next.”

“Then I’ll be after that…”

Isla and the others took turns looking through the telescope, and I returned to the table, looking at them with a sideways glance. Then, Leviera acted tactfully and quickly poured a fresh cup of tea for me. The tea was not too hot, not too warm, and was a really good harmony.

As I sipped the tea, I thought about a telescope with a higher magnification. After all, shouldn’t it be better to build a facility like an observatory? Perhaps I could build a large, stationary telescope in a location not far from Merinesburg, either on top of a mountain or a hill of some height.

It will probably be more than a few days of overnight work. They will also need a place to live. There may be attacks by monsters or bandits. It is better to build a sturdy building. In some cases, it may be a good idea to deploy golems as guards.

Then there is the design and engineering of a large astronomical telescope. I can imagine to some extent, but I need to solidify the image. However, the item creation will not be triggered unless the image is solidified beyond a certain level. At the very least, I need to be able to picture the finished product in my brain. I can make up for the internal structure of an item even if it’s not quite right, but if the external appearance is hazy, it’s no good. I’m not sure if my abilities are really that easy or hard to handle.

“…So you can make a serious face, too, can’t you?”

“Of course, I can, you know? I mean, that’s a bit rude, isn’t it?”

“It’s called a figure of speech.”

Leviera said so with a calm and clear face. Gerda smiling next to her is really a stark contrast.

“Speaking of which, what do you think about them? Those girls.”

“It’s not enough to say that they are perfected. They are all working diligently. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“They’re not very good with human men, it seems. They make a lot of mistakes.”

“That’s… well, I guess we’ll just have to take a long-term view of it.”

After all, that’s how they ended up here. It’s no wonder they have a hard time with men – especially human men. Let’s not push them too hard… No, no matter how they live their lives from now on, what they have learned here will not be in vain. For now, I’ll leave them to do their best. I would like them to work for me if they want to, but I don’t know what they will think or do in the future.

And even if I ask them to work for me, how much will I take care of them? There is also talk about that. I could take care of them until the end of their lives, but I’m sure they would consider their life plans according to their environment… No, I should be more concerned about their mental and physical health first.

They may be carrying children in their bellies. If so, I should be responsible for them now that I have taken them in. If I’m going to do this, I can’t do it halfway.

“…..”

“What is it?”

“No, nothing.”

I was thinking a lot about the future of Byaku and the girls, and Leviera was staring at me like that.

“I was not thinking of firing them or anything like that. I was just thinking that if I were going to do something, I would have to be thorough.”

“Thorough?”

“I brought them here on my own selfishness. If they want to, I’ll take care of them, but if they don’t, I’ll still take care of them. No matter how far I have to go.”

“I see. How far will you go? Then, what would you do if they asked for Kosuke-sama’s affection?”

“This is getting a little serious all of a sudden, isn’t it?”

I laugh bitterly as I drink my tea. Well, Olivia is like that. I don’t know about the other girls, though.

“If that makes them feel safe. I’ll tell Sylphy about it.”

From my standpoint, it’s not a good idea to do things just for my own selfish reasons. In some cases, it might make their position worse, so it is better to talk to Sylphy in advance.

Even if I do whatever I want, Sylphy and the others can’t say anything and won’t say anything. But that doesn’t mean I should do whatever I want.

“…I don’t know why this is bothering me. If I am a man, I have to enjoy it! I’ve got a lot to choose from! Isn’t this a scene to be rejoicing in?”

“I wonder if that’s the way it should be.”

I let out a sigh, and Leviera brewed me another cup of tea. Ah, the tea is delicious. The tea that Leviera brews is really delicious.

“Kosuke is trying to hook up with a new girl.”

“Haha, well, I’m okay with it, so I’m sure the girl is okay with it too.”

“W-when it comes to fluffy wings, I can’t be outdone.”

“…..”

“No, that’s not it. Aquawill-san, please stop that eye. I’m just asking about things because I’m leaving Leviera in charge of mentoring the girls I brought with me. Isn’t that right? Gerda-san.”

“Yes. We were just talking about whether it is good or not for Kosuke-san to touch those girls.”

“H-hey!?”

It was a sudden betrayal. Why? Why is that?

“I can’t say anything about that. It’s Kosuke who decides what to do with those girls.”

“No, wait. Please wait. First of all, I’m not talking about touching them. I was asked what I would do if they wanted to do that, and I just said that I would talk to Sylphy about it so that they could do what they wanted.”

“Isn’t that like saying you’re going to touch them?”

“If that’s what they want, you know?”

“Isn’t that naturally the case? The only thing those girls can offer is their lives, their minds, and their bodies.”

“That’s heavy…”

“That’s all there is to it. If I were in their shoes, I would do the same thing.”

“I see…”

As we were talking, Aquawill-san was looking at me with a curious look on her face. When I looked at her, she opened her mouth with a very serious expression on her face.

“Did you take them in with good intentions without thinking about such things at all?”

“Eehh? Yeah. I don’t know.”

The reason I wanted to help them was because I saw the scene of the horrific attack and felt a sense of righteous indignation. Well, that’s a very rough way of putting it. Naturally, I felt like, “What the hell have they done to the innocent pioneers?” I couldn’t forgive them. But I also had a feeling that they had interfered with my work and that I would never forgive them for slaughtering the people of the Merinard Kingdom under Sylphy’s rule.

“I think it’s called righteous indignation, which includes all those personal and miscellaneous feelings.”

“I see. So?”

“Hmm. So what? Oh, I get it.”

After examining the scene of the attack, I learned that someone―probably a woman―had been taken. At that point, I had an inkling of how the women―or those girls―were being treated. I was determined to help them, but did I expect to have that kind of relationship with them at that point? I wonder.

“Now that I think about it calmly, it seems likely, but I don’t think I was thinking about that at the time. I just wanted to kill those bandits and save the victims.”

“Well, that’s what it looked like.”

Tozume, who was watching me closely at the time, nodded in affirmation of my words.

“Kosuke was like that from the very beginning. Even before we left the Black Forest, he had only seen Sylphy-ane.”

“In spite of that, he seems to have a lot of women with whom he has relationships.”

“Don’t get it wrong. It’s not that Kosuke has relationships with many women. Many women are having relations with Kosuke. We must not take it the other way around.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not at all.”

As she said that, Isla took out a piece of paper from somewhere and wrote a circle in the center. Then she drew many circles around it and wrote an arrow toward the center circle.

“The diagram is like this. What Aquawill-sama is thinking of is the opposite of this. From a distance, it looks the same, but the meaning is different.”

“…I see?”

Aquawill-san looked convinced while tilting her head with a stern expression on her face. Princess, you’re probably being deceived; that’s it. After all, I have my hands on them. I can’t escape the accusation that I’m a lewd womanizer.

“By the way, Gerda-san?”

“Yes, what is it, Kosuke-san?”

I called Gerda, who was standing by, and she walked up to me, smiling.

“Isn’t that a terrible betrayal you just made?”

When I said that, Gerda showed a slight pretense of thinking and then smiled again.

“Kosuke-san, you’d do anything for those girls if they wanted you to, wouldn’t you?”

“You asked me something that is hard to answer immediately… Well, yes, I would. If it comes to that.”

“Is that so? Then I’m fine too, aren’t I?”

The air in the room seemed to freeze with a crackling sound. With my face still facing Gerda, I glanced to the side and saw that all of the people were looking at me. The pressure, the pressure was great.

“Gerda, you’re acting illogically.”

“…That’s right. My apologies.”

After saying that, Gerda bowed deeply and walked quietly out of the room.

“…I see.”

“What do you mean by I see?”

“No, yeah. I’m confused. Forgive me.”

I see. I see… So it is. Come to think of it, I think I heard something like that when I was with the guys a long time ago. So, Gerda has been around since then? So, we lost contact for a while after that, but somehow she was able to spend time by my side again as a royal guard now that I’m royalty.

While she was thinking about how to convey her feelings to me, I brought the beastmen girls to her and instructed her to educate them to use them as my servants, and said that if they wanted, I would accept them.

Gerda might have a hard time accepting this.

“Anyway, see to it that I don’t do anything rash. I will discuss Gerda’s case with Sylphy as soon as possible.”

“I understand. I will send someone else over here as soon as possible.”

Leviera then quickly exits the room.

“…You, aren’t you using some kind of weird trick to make women fall in love with you?”

“No, nothing like that. There is no such thing. I am innocent.”

The achievement effect is quite suspicious, but at least it is not active.

But what is wrong with this? It’s the day my children were born, and here I am, right away. I have no choice but to stand on my feet and try to make it all go away, yes. If I go it alone at a time like this, it will never turn out well, so the first thing I need to do is to ask for advice. When things like this get bogged down in dramas, manga, or novels, it’s usually due to a lack of communication.