Chapter 203 – Contact with the Unknown: The Case of the Third Sister

Hey, it’s Kosuke. The castle is getting hectic, but I’m Kosuke, not particularly called upon.

Yeah, well, there’s no need for me to be there to greet Ellen’s boss. It’s enough just for Sylphy, who is the leader of the Liberation Army, and Melty or Sir Leonard as her assistant. My position in the Liberation Army is practically the number two after Sylphy, but in fact, I don’t have an official position like Isla, Melty, Sir Leonard, Danan, or Ms. Zamir, such as captain of the Mage Corps, the first in command of the internal affairs office, or a general.

So even though the royal castle is getting hectic like this, I’m still quietly doing the work assigned to me.

“Jii…” [T/n: It’s like someone staring at you, I think you guys might have seen it in anime.]

“…..”

“Jii…”

While enduring the gaze of the Elf princess, who is looking at me from the shadows with high pressure. Haha. It’s cute that she says “Jii” with her mouth. Isn’t it adorable? Well, the gaze she’s giving me isn’t friendly at all. HAHAHA!

Then, I turned my gaze to her.

“…..!”

The Elf princess quickly hides from my gaze, but as she does so, her bluish silver hair softly flutters and hides a little later, so it is easy to see who is looking at me. She is small in stature and is definitely the third of the four sisters, Aquawill-chan… or, since she is older than me, I guess I would call her Aquawill-san…? Anyway, I am sure it is her.

I think as I plant medicinal herb seeds in the courtyard field of the royal castle, which I have finished digging up and laying out the farm blocks. Why on earth is she watching me? Well, if I think about it in order, is it because I am the person who is closest to Sylphy? She must be convinced that I am a marebito, but I guess the human race itself is something she cannot trust.

From her point of view, it was only a few days ago that her father sacrificed his own life to keep them alive after being hunted down by the people of the Holy Kingdom. So such a kind human is taking up with her own sister, proclaiming to be a marebito.

A little sister… Yeah, it’s a little sister. Sylphy is her little sister. By all appearances, Aquawill-san’s physique is about the same as Isla’s, which means that she’s the same size as a girl with a small to medium size, but she’s still Sylphy’s older sister.

“…Sweet treats!”

“…..!”

Such a simple invitation would make her long ears pop out from the shadows, and she would react with a twitch! I was worried about her, especially since she is Sylphy’s older sister. However, this reaction made me wonder if she was not watching me because she was worried about Sylphy but simply wanted to see how things were going for the sake of sweet treats? Suspicion surfaced, but she is still Sylphy’s older sister.

When I looked up at the sky, where the Harpies that had been flying around had calmed down, I realized that it was almost time for a snack, judging from the tilt of the sun. It has been about half a year since I came to this world, and I have been living without a clock. I have come to be able to guess the approximate time by the position of the sun. It’s really only a rough estimate, though.

At any rate, I’ve finished planting the medicinal herb seedlings as far as I can go, so it’s time to take a break. The only other thing I have to do now is to install an infinite water source. It would be better to consult with Isla and decide on the water supply. Even if I wanted to make an automatic water supply system, I would need Isla to make the magic tools for me.

So, I took a short break. I took out a wet towel from my inventory, cleaned my hands and face from the dirt, and set up a wooden table and two chairs on the ground that had not been used as farmland.

“…..”

“…..”

Both of us, staring at each other…! Instead, I set up sweets on the table and beckoned her with a smile. The sweets I set up were the new strawberry parfait. The artistically shaped cream and bright red strawberries on top of the glass are an eye-catching gem.

“Let’s eat together!”

“…..!”

Of course, I served two strawberry parfaits. It was impossible for me and her to share one parfait. In my case, if I can make one, people know I can make many more, so I’d rather not have to deal with that situation with anyone. There is no concept of kyaa kyaa ufufufu over parfaits together in this world. [T/n: Probably about a couple that is flirting with each other over a parfait.]

Aquawill-san, who had been watching me, came out of the shadows and ran up to me and stopped.

“Ugh…”

It seemed that it was not good for her to come out in front of me.

“Well, well, well. I might be able to understand what I can’t understand just by looking at you if I talk to you.”

I don’t know if she was convinced by my words or not, but Aquawill-san took her seat despite her wariness toward me. She then took the parfait spoon I offered her, said in a small voice, “Itadakimasu,” and made a small bow before beginning to eat her parfait.

“…..!!”

“Mmm, yummy, yummy. It’s so good.”

The taste of sweet cream, strawberry sauce, and sweet and sour strawberries spread in my mouth. Each creates a perfect harmony in the mouth, and a happy feeling fills the heart. I like the balance of sweetness and sourness. I think this will be popular even among those who do not like sweets.

“So, why is Your Highness keeping an eye on me?”

“…..”

When I asked her that, she hurriedly stopped eating her parfait and turned her gaze on me. The look in her eyes was clearly hostile, if not outright hostile, but at least not in a positive way.

“Uh, did I do something to offend Your Highness…?”

“…You bullied If-aneesama.”

“Oh…”

I was taken aback when I discovered the cause of her not-very-favorable attitude. Sure, I made the red jersey cry, but that was only because the red jersey insisted on screwing around, and I stuffed it up. I may have been a little unpopular with the naive young lady, but the argument she made was unacceptable. I have no intention of retracting my previous statement.

However, it seems that Aquawill-san was quite rational when she looked at me, who made the red jersey cry like this, and tried to find out what the truth was about. Fumu.

“I don’t know how Your Highness understands the situation, so I’ll tell you what happened if you can understand it from my point of view.”

“…I will listen.”

Aquawill-san nodded, and I carefully explained the circumstances that made Ifrita, aka red jersey, cry.

I explained that Ifrita’s ideas and those of us in the Liberation Army had diverged greatly, that Ifrita’s insistence was radical enough to drag not only the clergy but also other Adol believers, the Liberation Army, and the people of the Merinard Kingdom into the mud of a fierce struggle. Above all, the Adol believers and the Adol nostalgics were essential because they would be our bridge to the Holy Kingdom in order to end the war.

“That’s the reason. In fact, it would be too great a sacrifice to follow Ifrita’s advice in the current situation. I know that my decision is not in accordance with her and Your Highness’s hearts, but I cannot accept it.”

“…I see. I understand now why If-aneesama insisted on something so wild and out of line.”

“Thank you.”

“That said, I think you could have explained it in a more conciliatory way so as not to make If-aneesama cry, as you just explained it to me.”

“Mm…”

I am weak when you say that. It is true that my tone may have been aggressive because of my sales pitch. I might have looked down on Ifrita and said, “What are you talking about when you don’t know anything about it?”

“If-aneesama has a short and fierce temper, but at the same time, she is a sensitive person with a sensitive heart. Please be a little gentler with her. Please.”

“I understand. I will reflect on it.”

When she stared at me with her beautiful aquamarine eyes, it was hard for me to refuse. She is small, but she has a presence that makes you feel as if you can’t say no to her. U-umu, Is this the charisma of royalty?

“Yes, you are a good and honest person, aren’t you? As expected of Sylphy’s husband.”

She smiled and began to eat the parfait again. The presence of the person who is not to be taken lightly until now is nowhere to be seen. The figure of the person who enjoyed the parfait is full of cuteness.

“Mmm…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head at Aquawill-san, who looked puzzled and began to eat my parfait again.

She’s royalty, after all. Even though she looked young, she’s not something to be taken lightly. But when I think about it, I think about how disappointing the red jersey is.