CH 42

January 7th, 2023

Beta Reader: My_Own_Worst_NPC

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Since I was able to extract collagen from the bones of the red boar, I made mango pudding for tonight’s dessert. I made it by mixing pureed mango with sugar and cream, heated until the sugar dissolved, and added gelatin. I made the cream from the milk that I gotten from the soldiers. It seemed they had brought over some live cows too.

“The meal was delicious, as always!”

After finishing their dinners, the officers returned to their respective rooms. I nonchalantly called out to both Gram and Lane.

“Can I have a moment of your time?”

“Is something matter?”

“After that, how are you feeling today?”

Naturally, by that, I was asking about the massage. But somehow both of them froze up and then flustered. Cheryl, who was still finishing her dessert, quickly make an exit from the dining room.

“Th-thanks to that, I woke up this morning feeling quite refreshed.” Gram said this while stuttering, but she looks happy.

“That… It was so good that before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.” Lane looked at me as if she were suspecting something.

“Please keep this a secret from anyone else, but I’m offering special service for tonight…”

“Special service?”

I could hear the two of them loudly swallow in apprehension.

“That’s right. It won’t be something lascivious, of course, it will be a perfectly and completely a proper medical procedure,” I said as convincing as I could, “I only wanted to do something for both of you, since you’re usually under a lot of stress…” [1]

“We-well, we can’t possibly reject your good intention… ahem…”

Yes!

A home run, baby!

This will be a special time for relaxing both the soul and body of the two people that I like, while at the same time I can enjoy it to my heart’s content.

“So, exactly, what kind of service will it be?”

“It will be like yesterday’s message, but I will be using this oil.”

I pulled out a blue glass bottle containing the massage oil, and when I uncorked it, the aroma of relaxing herbs spread through the room.

“Hooh, that’s quite a nice scent.”

“Yep, I also like the fragrance.”

Thank goodness, I’m so glad that I decided to make it. I’m sorry Wonder No.6, for canceling your production process; please rest assured that thanks to your sacrifice, I will have a rosy experience soon. I swear I will properly complete your production process next time, so please forgive this useless father of yours for now. [2]

“Well then, after taking a short break from finishing your dinner, please come to my room. I will start the treatment at that time.”

I especially emphasized the word ‘treatment’.

♢ Lotte’s POV

After returning to her room, Lotte restlessly walked around the room.

Shirou said that they should take a break from eating, but how long should she wait? If she went too early, she might be seen as being too eager, but at the same time she didn’t want to make Shirou wait too long either.

Just thinking about Shiro’s fingers touching her shoulders and waist gave her butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

No no, Shirou said it was a medical procedure, right? And yet, why am I expecting something else to happen…

Lotte tried to maintain self-discipline and stop thinking about it, but it still couldn’t stop the tingling feeling in her body.

I wonder what kind of massage I will receive tonight…?

And then a sudden realization dawned on her.

Wait. He said he’ll be using massage oil. Doesn’t that mean I’ll have to take off my clothes?

The more she thought about it the more it seems obvious, since you couldn’t put oil on someone else’s body without first taking off their clothes, which means the massage treatment tonight would be performed with her clothes off.

I can’t just wear something like this!

Lotte emptied her clothing bag onto the bed. Now which underwear would be the prettiest and most flattering? For the women of that world, being seen naked by a man was nothing to bat an eye over; among the commoners, many women would just walking around shirtless on a hot day.

While the aristocrats would say that walking around half-naked was beneath them, they would have no qualms about being seen by a man either. However, to be seen wearing shabby underwear would be a different story altogether, something Lotte was determined to avoid at any cost.

“Alright, I think this one is the least worn…”

Lotte chose a pair of plain white cotton underthings with a simple design. It was her least worn set because she thought it would be hard to wash if it got dirty; thanks to that bit of caution, they were the most pristine underwear amongst her arsenal.

Lotte was someone who had already given up on romance, thinking that there would be no way for her to have a fateful encounter with the opposite sex, and so she had never given thought to underwear appropriate for an intimate occasion that might be shown off to a man.

After that, she waffled for a long while whether or not to change her clothes, but finally decided that it’d be too conspicuous, so she only changed her underwear. As a note, there are no bras in that world.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, all she could make of herself was that she was a short woman with thick curves and a face that was rather ordinary, and feeling thusly defeated she quickly gave up on any further effort to improve her appearance.

But Shirou is so kind to me…

For Lotte that alone was enough. His kindness was both her salvation, and her wish…

“Right, it’s time to go …”

When she exited her room into the hallway, she found her second-in-command waiting for her.

“You ready?”

“Yes. No need for much preparation anyway.”

Dianne’s reply made her wonder; her adjutant was notoriously overly prepared for any kind of situation, but in this moment she seemed remarkably nonchalant? Could it be that Dianne hadn’t realized that she’d need to take off her clothes for Shirou’s massage treatment? Saying nothing, Lotte headed towards Shirou’s room without giving it a second thought.

As she walked, Lotte wondered if maybe she should’ve been more like Dianne and not read into it so much. Dianne’s cool demeanor seemed to Lotte as how a refined woman ought to be.

“Thank you very much for coming. Well then, please enter.”

Lotte felt relieved when Shiro greeted them with his usual smile. The room was lit by the gentle light of a magic lantern, casting a mellow glow on the pure white sheets.

“Lotte-sama, let’s begin the massage treatment with you. Please put your clothes in this basket?” Shirou smiled widely as he laid out bottles of oils and clean towels. “Lane-san, could you please change into the lounge wear[3] I’ve put over there? It’ll make you more comfortable.”

“I see. I’ll try wearing it then…”

Lotte and Dianne took off their clothes at the same time, as if on cue…

and Lotte was astonished.

Dianne was wearing luxurious underwear with olive-colored lace. The garment was a little small, so her full bottom peeked salaciously out around them hemlines. Her figure left a strong impression, even a woman would agree that Dianne looked attractive. 

Lotte let out an appreciative whistle. “Dianne, I never thought you’d bring underwear like that.”

“It’s something that comes with experience. One must prepare for all eventualities, after all.”

Lotte felt completely outclassed by her adjutant, not that she could do anything about it now.

Meanwhile, Shirou was oblivious to what was happening and led Lotte to the bed.

♢ Shirou’s POV

Gram and Lane were standing in front of me in their underwear, and both of them were absolutely stunning.

Gram’s body radiated a soft plushness and looked dazzling in her pure white underwear, while Lane’s muscular body was well accented by her calming green-colored underwear.

I led Gram to the bed while trying to hide my excitement.

“Well then, come here. I hope you can relax and feel refreshed both mentally and physically today.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

“Please lay down on the bed.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

Maybe she’s feeling nervous, but Gram seemed only able to say ‘Uh-huh’. I needed to somehow lighten up the mood with some small talk.

“………”

Err… what should I say…? This is bad, somehow, I can’t come up with anything to break the ice.

While I was thinking of what to say, Gram rolled over and ended up lying on her back right in front of me. While it’s amazing that she could roll her body without losing her posture, I was at a loss what to do. Afterall, normally you’ll be lying on your stomach if you wanted to get a massage.

Actually, it’s my fault… since I didn’t clearly instruct her to lay face down. However, if I think about it, isn’t it a blessing in disguise? Good job, me! Let’s proceed with the massage while acting like nothing is out of place.

“I will now start massaging your shoulders.”

I applied the massage oil while being careful not to let my nervousness show, then gently laid my hands on Lotte Gram.

“Please tell me if I put too much pressure.”

“Uh, Uh-huh… I mean… it’s not too much… It feels nice…”

Gram closed her eyes while occasionally letting out soft moans. It was a very amazing scene.

She made no movement to cover her bosom, since the women in this world didn’t seem to think anything of being shirtless. It’s also quite hot on Monte Chris Island, so a lot of the soldiers tend to be bare-chested.

While I’m supposed to be glad that they do this, in reality, I wish that they would start wearing something. I’m starting to get accustomed to the sight of a topless woman, and as much as I feel I should be excited, it’s becoming commonplace.

Meanwhile, both the Commander and her Adjutant always wore their uniforms crisply and without flaw; a prime example of Senior Officers indeed, which is why seeing them in all their nude glory excites me very much.

“I’m going to go lower. As I thought, your muscles are still really stiff.”

I’m sure they really exhaust themselves by going to the dungeon every day.

“Please tell me if there’s any place that you don’t want to be massaged.”

“Uh-huh… I’ll leave it to Shirou… Do whatever you need…”

If you’re saying such thing to me… it makes me really happy, you know?

“Gram-sama, I will serve you with all my heart and soul.”

I massaged Gram’s white skin with utmost care, while paying close attention to my fingertips.

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1 Very smooth, Shirou, very smooth

2 Shirou thinks of his golems as his childrens.

3 The novel uses the word ルームウェア (‘Room Wear’ written in katakana). It’s a term in Japanese referring to comfy clothes for lounging around the room, which is usually similar to pajamas, but I think they made something with similar design like a kimono/yukata too, although with more comfy material.