Volume 2 - CH 6

"Fuuhn, fufufunn, I'm! I'm a good cook! Cook the meat, cook the fish! Hide the leaves somewhere!"

"Hey pervert. you're noisy. You are too bad at singing and cooking. Don't you know the right amount of seasoning? You are too extreme in everything you do. And don't hide the vegetables. It's our master who suffers from unbalanced nutrition, you know?."

"Eh!? My grandmother praised me for my singing skills, you know!?"

"――Your grandmother is kind isn't she?, If she is still alive, you should take good care of her. But that's what called family favoritism. Both the pitch and the lyrics are rattled. In general, you pervert would have been frightened at first, but lately you has been unnecessarily loud. It's so annoying!"

Because of her good hearing, Hazuki's voice was grating on Lilia's ears.

Lilia and Hazuki were cooking in the kitchen of the inn's room, looking at Mars' recipe notebook.

However, Lilia was the only one who followed the recipe faithfully.

In a good mood, Hazuki takes the high quality ingredients that Mars has collected and transforms them one after another into sub-par dishes that can only be grilled.

Since they had to stay at home, they both decided to entertain Mars when he returned.

"Hmm, I love Mars-sama for many things, and Lilia-san is like a big sister to me, so I'm starting to feel comfortable talking to you these days! When I was little, I was dark and didn't have any friends at all, so I used to play with dolls all alone in my house. When I was growing up, all I did was masturbate to feel good. Eventually, I became really bad at talking to people. ...... But now, I have so much fun every day!"

Seeing Hazuki's gloomy face followed by a joyful one, Lilia's maternal side started to stir just a little.

Despite her cold tone of voice, Lilia's basic personality is kind. She also has a desire to have children as much or more than others.

――It's hard to say strongly because she lost her parents early and has this kind of dark background .......

And it seems that she was beaten by those termites on a daily basis.

To put it simply, an unhappy upbringing. Especially with a family of Grave Keepers. ......

Lilia sighs when she sees that Hazuki seems to be enjoying herself.

Then, she utters a question that she could not ask in front of Mars.

"Hey, pervert. ――Why don't you tell Mars-sama what your true purpose?"

"I-I knew you would know, Lilia-san.……I've always wondered what it was……"

"Yes. ――The Grave Keeper's clan can only produce females. That's why they bring men to their villages to mate in groups and produce offspring. The reason you were hanging out with those termites was probably because you wanted the seed of a dungeon adventurer. Then, you let them capture the Evil Priest Gustave's Tomb, a dungeon that is also the village's secret area, and destroy Gustave's remains to break the curse. I only know this outline, but I'm sure that the Grave Keepers' females scattered around the world are not only searching for necromancy, but also for this"

"Th-that's……"

Lilia prepares her magic as she watches Hazuki stop moving and clam up.

There is nothing that Hazuki can do about Mars. It's the kind of contract that slaves have.

But it's different for Lilia, who is also a slave. It is possible for slaves to fight each other unless their masters stop them.

There was a possibility that Hazuki would harm Lilia, who knew the truth.

Hazuki's family was that of a Grave Keeper guardian. But that was a name that came later.

Lilia knew this from reading ancient texts.

The gravekeeper's family was once known as a family of necromancers who desecrated death.――。

"Your high sex drive must be somewhat due to Gustave's curse. I was skeptical, though, since this was the first time I had actually met a Grave Keeper. They can only be born female, so they can't procreate in a family, nor can they get rid of the strong aching they were born with.――It's an insidious curse."

At the time of his death, the evil priest Gustave placed a curse on his fellow Hazuki clan members.

It was a curse that allowed them to internalize excessive sexual desire in their bodies, and yet prevented them from having a turn.

The death-controlling sorcerer refused to allow the family to live a new life.

"……That's right. Our clan is cursed. And we've known where the Book of Necromancy is for a long time. Because our ancestors sealed it in the depths of the dungeon with Gustave, the traitor of the family. In the depths of a dungeon that no one can touch, no one can conquer. The reason why I was so reluctant to look for necromancy was because I knew it was probably nowhere to be found.――The reason why I don't want to bring this story to Mars-sama is because I don't want him to die in the dungeon.……"

"Stupid thing. If so, why don't you talk to Master about it?――I've told you before. That person is, Mars is a man who cares about things. He'll take care of all your problems."

Lilia said in a dumbfounded voice.

No matter what, Hazuki is an important person to Mars right now. It's hard to believe that he would ignore the troubles of such a person.

She also believes in the power of Mars. Lilia does not believe that Mars is a man who cannot overcome hardship.

"――You really like Mars-sama, don't you, Lilia-san? I mean, you trust him wholeheartedly."

"Yes. In human terms, it's my first love. But it's my first and last. Because there is no such important thing as a Mars in my life.――I really want to spend the rest of my life with him. Of course, elf time is different from human time, so it's impossible."

Looking at Lilia's sad face with narrowed eyes, Hazuki was not sure if she should tell Lilia what Mars had told her.

The purpose of Mars diving into the dungeon is to get the time to be with Lilia.

The reason Mars hasn't told Lilia is because it's uncertain. He didn't want to just let her get her hopes up and then have them turn into despair.

Hazuki knew that too.

"M-Mars-sama said that in order to live with Lilia, he was looking for the [Forbidden Magic Book] that can manipulate life span!"

But I will say this. I wanted Lilia to know how I felt about Mars.

――Mars-san's number one is not me, but Lilia-san.

I feel a little sad. But it's true, and I'm sure it's unshakeable.

Even second place is fine, thinks Hazuki. Even so, it was too much of a blessing in light of her life so far.

"D-don't say anything you don't mean!"

"It-it's true! I heard it directly from Mars-san yesterday when you collapsed!"

With an impatient, confused, and complicated expression on her face, Lilia fell to her knees and burst into tears.

Lilia was like a small child, and Hazuki was greatly agitated.

Lilia, who usually looks resolute and strong, has become like any other girl.

"Uuuhh, uuuuhhh……"

"Li-Lilia-san!? A-are you okay!? D-does your stomach hurts!?"

"N-No, No It's not! I was so happy that Mars, Mars was thinking about that, *sob*……!"

"Th-that's right! Mars-san and I will extend our lifespan, so that Lilia-san won't be alone and lonely!"

Hazuki rubbed Lilia's back and shielded her from the tears that were falling down her face.

Eventually, Hazuki's tear glands relaxed and she began to cry along with her.