Chapter 166: (Self Edited) Act in Hot Spring Resort

That day, I took a day off and came to the usual hot spring.It had been a while since I had been here, so when I looked outside, it felt that the scenery had changed. The frozen mountain was slightly unraveling, and the new sprouts were about to appear.

That was what I felt.

Spring had come and it was wonderful. However, the enjoyment of the hot spring would be reduced. The joy of letting the frozen limbs by the flight of an Eagle King in a hot spring was irreplaceable. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ N0vᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Yuri, what’s wrong?” (Carol)

Carol said. She was wearing the same bathrobe-like indoor clothes I was wearing. Her hair was tied, and she was relaxing on a couch that looked like a single-seat couch. She sat deep in her seat and rested her bare feet on the matching Ottoman-like footstool.

“I was thinking of something trivial.” (Yuri)

“What was it?” (Carol)

“The feeling of coming here in the middle of winter and soaking in the hot spring water is something you can’t experience in the summer.” (Yuri)

“It’s not trivial at all.” (Carol)

Carol said with a giggle.

“Well, yeah, maybe not.” (Yuri)

‘It sounds so literary in a way.’

“You seem to get loose when you come here.” (Carol)

“Maybe you’re right. I always have problems.” (Yuri)

Unlike the first time, there were fewer problems that bothered me as much as a difficult task, but while I was in the royal capital, I was asked to make decisions quickly. There weren’t so many decisions that would cause a huge loss if they failed, but they were mentally exhausting every day.

“I like it here. It really puts me at ease.” (Carol)

Carol said.

“Yes. I like the idea of no one coming in contact.” (Yuri)

‘It’s really easy to not have to think about work. It’s not uncommon for ridiculous things to happen while I’m away, so it would be perfect if the time in the outside world stopped, but there’s no way around it.’

“I like the feeling of being able to monopolize you.” (Carol)

‘What did you say?’

I stopped looking outside and turned back to Carol, who had a nasty look on her face. I felt something like the queen’s personality.

“You can always monopolize, right?” (Yuri)

“The heart may be. But I can’t monopolize your time.” (Carol)

“I see…” (Yuri)

“I want to monopolize even your time.” (Yuri)

Carol stepped down from the Ottoman and stood up from the couch.

She hugged me with her body, which wasn’t wearing any underwear. Our legs entwined as her soft body was sticking to mine.

“Even your time and body. How’s that?” (Carol)

“Alright. Let’s go to bed.” (Yuri)

—

‘I don’t think Carol has a tolerance for abnormalities. There was a time when I thought like that, but it was totally wrong. People aren’t always what they seem.’

‘Carol seems to be sexually aroused by the licking of the wound I had received when I was in Kilghina, and she liked my foot with a look of euphoria on her face. The idea of having her meticulously licks the soles of my ticklish feet is tantalizing.’

‘To be honest, I am not that pleasantly surprised, except for the situational part. There are more places that would feel good to be licked.’

“Fuhaa… haa, haa…” (Carol)

“Let’s just leave it at that.” (Yuri)

“Eh… are you going to stop?” (Carol)

“The sun hasn’t even set yet.” (Yuri)

It was still bright outside.

The setting sun was shining lightly on the windows from the side. The bedroom, which was positioned to receive the morning sun, was only bright enough for Carol’s face to finally be discernible without the setting sun, but it should still be orange outside.

“Really… well, we still have the night.” (Carol)

‘Hey, are you a sex monster…? Although we have done it once, and now you want to…’

“How about after we take a bath, cleanse ourselves, and get some rest first?” (Yuri)

“Yeah, alright.” (Carol)

Putting Carol down, I went to the indoor bath, which was a semi-open-air bath, and lightly poured hot water to remove dirt. I wiped the water off with a towel and put on my indoor clothes again.

I went straight to the living room and put my body on the sofa.

“Haah–…” (Yuri)

As I sighed and relaxed, I felt like I was falling into a swamp. My work assignments floated around like bubbles, and I consciously blew them out.

‘Thinking about it too much can ruin your holiday mood. But all that comes to mind is work.’

When I opened my eyes, I saw the moon. It was a bit lower than the full moon, floating in the sky, which was illuminated by the setting sun as it was slowly sinking into the darkness. The moon, which still floated in the bluish, looked somewhat out of place.

From this moment on, when the light of the sun disappeared and the brightness of the atmospheric layer ceased, the moon would begin to shine like a leading star along with the brightness of the stars.

“H-hey, can I sit down?” (Carol)

Carol, who came a bit later, said.

‘She’s really adorable.’

“Sure.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Carol sat on top of me and laid down on her beck. She bent her legs and rested her head against my chest.

I didn’t know what kind of craftsman made this expensive lounging sofa, but even with the weight of two people on it, it didn’t budge.

“Phew…” (Carol)

Carol took a breather, maybe she was relieved.

“Somehow, you’re kind of aggressive today.” (Yuri)

“…Well, it might be because I was a bit lonely.” (Carol)

It had been almost a month and a half since Carol and I had been here.

“Do you have much spare time?” (Yuri)

When I said that teasingly, Carol made a clenched fist and hit around the waist.

‘Like me, Carol also has taken too many lessons, so I’m sure she’s free.’

“Well, I’ve got more spare time than I used to, that’s for sure.” (Carol)

‘I got it right, huh? Then, why did you hit me…?’

“There’s nothing to look forward to every day. I’ve left the Silver Birch dormitory, and there’s no you and Myaro in the dormitory.” (Carol)

“Is that so?” (Yuri)

‘I wonder what you usually do. Are you reading or helping out at the royal castle?’

“I’ve been pretty busy lately too.” (Yuri)

“In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve always been a busy man. If there were Witches in the east, you will have a fight, and if you have vagrants in the west, you will invite them to join you…” (Carol)

‘Uhm…  Did I do those?’

“Really?” (Yuri)

“Yes. You didn’t take any more lessons than anyone else, and yet you were busier.” (Carol)

‘Really… I had a lot of spare time in the period before I built the company.’

“Say, what are you going to do after graduating from the Academy? Are you going to work in the company, while managing the Hou Household?” (Carol)

‘That is… It’s troubling. In fact, I’ve been thinking about what I should do.’

‘It would have been nice if I could have made it a joint-stock company before the time when we had to decide whether to graduate or not, but I couldn’t do it because I felt that if I did something like go public, the Witches would go after me. And that kind of business practice doesn’t exist.

“I should start thinking about what to do with myself.” (Yuri)

“You’re going to enter the Hou Household, right?” (Carol)

“Well… sure, I suppose that I will do it. It’s just that I’ve got a lot of headaches because of that.” (Yuri)

‘I wonder if I can get along well with the lords. I think I’m going to get a headache just thinking about it. I’m not very good at remembering names…’

“…Hey, in that case, why don’t you marry me?” (Carol)

‘…Marriage?’

“If you’re going to enter the Hou Household, why not enter the royal family as well, right? It’ll make things easier.” (Carol)

“Hmm…” (Yuri)

‘So, I’m going to be king? However, it’s hard for me to say no because of my position doing this sort of thing on a regular basis.’

“If I become a prince consort, I’m going to get in a fight with you anyway. I’m going to mess up.” (Yuri)

‘To begin with, the worldview I’ve lived in is different from Carol’s. I’m not really comfortable with the idea of an aristocracy.’

‘I feel that it’s not fair to give someone a privilege and then have it passed down through generations. That’s a different quality of story than something like a wealthy family inheriting a fortune for generations.’

‘If I were to ask myself whether I would be able to leave such a distorted social structure in place when I reached the top, I would probably try to correct it. That’s the kind of place I feel like I could get into a fight.’

“Fighting… isn’t that good? It’s a marital quarrel.” (Carol)

“Why is that?” (Yuri)

“It won’t be such a big quarrel. You’re not doing anything that doesn’t make sense. I know that.” (Carol)

‘No, I wonder about that. I’ll push for what I think is right, but whether it’s reasonable is another thing. That’s a socially acceptable thing to do, and not paying rebates to Witches is also an unreasonable thing to do from the world of Witches.’

“You don’t know that. I’m not a moral authority.” (Yuri)

“…Yeah, well, if we get into a fight, I’ll snap.” (Carol)

‘I can’t imagine you being that way.’

“Even so, there will be Her Majesty the Queen.” (Yuri)

“Okaa-sama? I’m not sure if I can say this because I don’t understand, but things have been weird lately.” (Carol)

‘Ooh? I know she is under a lot of pressure, but weird, you mean?’

“She has been calling Kien-dono for a while… After all, she’s worried about the defense.” (Carol)

“Kien Rube? For what reason?” (Yuri)

“All she asked was if he was alright, had he built a fort, or something similar.” (Carol)

‘Yeah… What would you do if you heard that? If the royal family didn’t bother to ask, they would do it on their own, wouldn’t they? Perhaps, the expert who is most serious about the matter is Kien Rube.’

“Okaa-sama didn’t enter the school of Knights, so she didn’t seem to understand Kien-dono’s explanation. So, she had called the higher ups of the imperial guards to attend the meeting, but… it didn’t seem to make any sense.” (Carol)

‘Simply put, those people are just getting in Kien’s way. It’s like a child who calls out to his mother who is preparing a meal, asking ‘Is the meal ready?’ to a mother who is preparing a meal.’

“It’s better to stop doing that. Kien is the one who thinks the most, so you’ll only antagonize him. Unless, of course, you have a genius tactician among the imperial guards who only appears once in a hundred years.” (Yuri)

“That’s true, but… she seems anxious.” (Carol)

‘Well… it’s not that I don’t understand why. In the first place, the work of the royal family was like a balancing act between the Witch world and the Knight world. In addition to that, the royal family relied on the nobility of blood and ruled with respect received from the whole. I’m afraid that she’s not used to this kind of situation.’

“Would it be better if I enter?” (Yuri)

“When I come of age, she will abdicate and there will be a coronation. Yuri can be the prince consort and call the shots.” (Carol)

“What, is she so eager to abdicate? I mean Her Majesty the Queen.” (Yuri)

“Yes… how should I say it, Okaa-sama is tired.” (Carol)

‘Tired, huh… It’s troubling if she’s tired.’

“Has she ever said that she wanted to abdicate to you, without marrying me or anything?” (Yuri)

“Hehe, that’s not it. It’s not that she wants to shirk her responsibilities. But when it comes to you, she thinks you are the right person, and she would entrust it to you if possible. I suppose I haven’t reached that level yet.” (Carol)

‘Is that so… As for that, parents don’t like to think of their children in a higher light than themselves, so I guess it can’t be helped. But still, a royal family, is it?’

‘In any case, I have only fourteen ships, and even if I want to commandeer other merchant ships in case of emergency, the other ships are all small boats… Even if we do escape at some point, it doesn’t look like not fighting is an option. Goodness.’

“So… uhm, I have something that I need to tell you…” (Carol)

Carol said on my chest.

“What is it?” (Yuri)

“It doesn’t mean we have to get married. If you don’t like it…” (Carol)

Carol shifted her body and rode over me.

“That hasn’t come so far.” (Carol)

“That?” (Yuri)

I had a bad feeling.

“That time of the month…” (Carol)

‘Uwaah… Aah…’

“Really? Since when?” (Yuri)

“It has been about a month or so…” (Carol)

“I see…” (Yuri)

‘Well, it’s almost confirmed, right? I thought I would be more shocked. Somehow, my face is grinning.’

‘What? Am I happy? I… Am I…?’

‘Getting bewildered, or having a rejection feeling, or even ‘Ehhhhh?’… no, there’s none of that. Am I… happy? I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable.’

“I’m happy, truly.” (Yuri)

“You think so?” (Carol)

Carol looked down at me with a worried look in her eyes.

The reddish sunset had fallen, and the sky had become completely dark.

“I really think so. I’m happy.” (Yuri)

“Is that so… Really!?” (Carol)

Carol hugged me with joy, as if she was very worried.

“Thank you. That was good, that was really good!” (Carol)

Carol said as she hugged me with her arms around my neck.

‘Did you think that I’m a savage who wants you to abort the baby…? Even though I was shooting outside as much as possible, I was doing what I was doing, and I knew that one day this would happen.’

“I’m a father… I can’t imagine that.” (Yuri)

“I’m a mother too! It doesn’t feel real!” (Carol)

Carol was strangely excited and even shedding tears.

“Haa… so, shall we get married?” (Yuri)

“Eh?” (Carol)

“I guess it’s time for me to pay my dues. It’s more convenient to be married.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Carol untangled her arms and raised herself to look at me.

“Really? You’re not joking… right?” (Carol)

“No, I’m not.” (Yuri)

As I said this, Carol began to pinch her cheeks.

“That hurts.” (Carol)

‘Do you think it’s a dream? If you’re that happy, I feel honored too.’

“Let’s get married. No, marry me. Carol.” (Yuri)

‘I think the man should propose here.’

“Of course! I’ve never been so happy in my life!” (Carol)

On the couch, Carol and I hugged each other again.