Bonus Short Stories

In Search of My Beloved Synergist: 3

“I give up,” a despairing voice wailed. It belonged to Aisha, a fifteen-year-old waitress who used to work at one of the restaurants in Velnika, the capital of the Velka Kingdom. She normally put her indigo blue hair up into a ponytail, but right now it was drooping limply around her face and shoulders. She staggered a few steps forward on the highway she was traveling on, looking almost like a zombie. Her eyes, which were mostly obscured by her hair, were cloudy and unfocused. Everything about her made it seem like she’d just walked out of a horror movie.

“Oscar-san... I don’t think I can make it...”

She had spent almost a year traveling the continent in search of Oscar, her one-sided crush. But now her ironclad resolve was beginning to crack. One could hardly blame her, though.

“Hmm, if they’re not in Esperado, we’re completely out of leads.”

“Well, it’s the biggest city in the world, so maybe they’re still there and we just missed them?”

The two adventurers Aisha had hired as her bodyguards exchanged smiles. Indeed, their current problem was they had no idea where Oscar might have gone. After drifting aimlessly through the western seas for ten days without food or water, they’d been picked up by the Melusine pirate crew. The crew had nursed them back from the brink of death, and it was there that Aisha had learned what Oscar and his companions had been up to. She’d lied to Chris, Baharl, Diene, and the others, by telling them she was Oscar’s wife and demanded that they tell her his whereabouts. In the end, Chris contacted the Liberator village Oscar had helped built in the northern reaches of the desert and discovered that he and his friends had since left for Esperado, the capital of the Entris Federation.

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Aisha and the others the location of the Liberator hideout in the city. So instead, he sailed north along the coast to the border between the theocracy and Dukedom of Uldia, and set them down in the mountain range separating the two nations. From there, Aisha crossed the mountains, passed through multiple countries, and traversed all sorts of rough terrain before finally arriving in Esperado. But there, she was unable to find any information about Oscar’s current whereabouts. Now she was walking back down the same highway she’d come from. She planned to visit all the towns and cities within Entris that they’d skipped on their way and see if they couldn’t find any other clues to where Oscar had gone. If that failed, they’d return to the coast.

“Come on, pull yourself together. We expected this, remember?” Kyaty Cougan, who’d decided to tag along with Aisha for this expedition, said. Part of the reason they were returning was so that she could get back to her crew. Aisha was planning on sticking with the Melusine pirates for the foreseeable future as well. Barring any other clues, staying with them would be the fastest way to see Oscar again. Since Kyaty knew they’d end up coming back from the very beginning, she’d opted to tag along to see what cities on the mainland were like.

“I can’t believe you don’t care about my problems! You’re horrible!”

“I mean, they’re not my problems, so yeah. Anyway, take a look at this book. It’s got a really easy to understand summary of world history and economics! Thank god they had the latest edition at that bookstore. This even has an updated account of each country’s political—”

“How can you be so insensitive, Kyaty-san!? This is why you’ve never had a boyfriend!”

“What was that!? H-How are you so sure I’ve never had a boyfriend before!?”

“Well, have you!?”

“N-No, but so what!? What’s wrong with that!? So I’ve never dated anyone in my life, big deal!”

For the record, Kyaty was twenty-two.

“Hey, Kyaty, if you’re looking for a boyfriend, I’d be happy to—”

Scurdy, one of Aisha’s bodyguards, casually tried to ask Kyaty out. In truth, he’d had a crush on her since she’d saved them near Andika.

“I’m only interested in strong guys!”

However, Kyaty shot him down instantly. Scurdy’s eyes glazed over and he backed off with a mumbled, “Oh, okay.”

Thanks to her rather rugged upbringing, Kyaty’s type was smart guys who were stronger than her, but acted like gentlemen.

In other words, the only man you’re interested in is Oscar-san, Aisha said flatly.

“I never said that! B-Besides, who’d like a dumb four-eyes like him!?”

“Says the girl who tried to seduce him with a maid outfit.”

“Like I said, that was all a misunderstanding!” Kyaty retorted hotly.

However, Aisha wasn’t convinced, and she gave the catgirl a suspicious look. The two of them continued bickering for hours until the party finally reached a town in the evening. They strolled through the streets, searching for an inn to stay the night. After a few minutes, Aisha suddenly came to a halt.

“I can smell it! I can smell Oscar-san’s presence coming from that woman!” Aisha roared as she pointed to a young girl standing in front of them. How she could “smell” someone’s presence on other people was an absolute mystery, but Aisha dashed off toward the girl before anyone could ask her about it.

“Wow, she’s fast. Nowhere near as fast as my Acceleration, but still, what’s gotten into her?”

“It’s the power of love, I guess.”

“I feel like that’s how you’ve been explaining all her weird quirks. What is she, some kind of love-powered lifeform?”

Exasperated, Kyaty and the others walked over to the girl as well, who was currently looking extremely confused as Aisha sniffed at her clothes.

“Ugh, why are you sniffing me like that? Do I smell? I just took a bath, you know!” the girl wailed.

Half in tears, she tried to escape from Aisha, but Aisha used her superhuman agility to keep up with the girl. After a few seconds, though, Aisha returned to her senses and realized she was being extremely rude.

“I-I’m terribly sorry! I just happened to smell Oscar-san’s presence from you, so I couldn’t help myself! Ah, my name’s Aisha! Do you know someone called Oscar?”

“Huh!? Actually, I run an inn, and I do believe we had a guest by that name some time back. May I ask what your relationship with him is?”

As she inched away from Aisha, the girl warily answered her question. Her expression completely serious, Aisha replied without hesitation, “I’m his wife.”

Sighing, Kyaty and the others prepared themselves to resolve the misunderstanding. But before they could even say a word, the girl shouted, “Liar! You’re lying!”

“Wh-Where’s your proof!?”

“I know you’re lying because Oscar and Miledi are in love!”

The girl’s words echoed through the street. She spread her legs wide and confidently put her hands on her hips.

“Th-They’ve already gone all the way! In fact, Miledi’s so energetic in bed that Oscar came down every morning looking completely drained!”

“Wh-What did you just say!?”

Aisha’s eyes rolled back into her head. However, this girl was a devout fan of Miledi, and she was determined to defend Miledi’s honor to the last.

“Sometimes, they even had a foursomes with Naiz and Meiru...”

Blood started dripping from the girl’s nose as she lost herself in her delusions. This time, it was Kyaty’s turn to swoon.

“N-No way! That super sadist, Meiru... managed to go all the way before me!?”

Kyaty staggered backward. Though she tried to act like she was above romance, the knowledge that her fellow boyfriendless childhood friend had climbed the stairs to adulthood before her had come as a shock. Especially when she’d started off with something as hardcore as a foursome. She felt utterly defeated.

“I-I don’t believe it! Aisha can’t believe it!” Aisha shouted. It seemed she’d received such a huge blow that she’d mentally reverted to a five-year-old. Kyaty was in a similar state.

“Y-Yeah! You’re the one who’s lying!”

Kyaty advanced menacingly on the girl, her claws flashing in the sunset. But the girl just harrumphed and turned on her heel. She looked back over her shoulder at Kyaty and Aisha and said dismissively, “Follow me! I’ll let you stay at my inn! But you better be ready to hear how no one can ever get in between Oscar and Miledi’s love!”

“H-Hah, bring it on!”

“I am a little curious about Oscar’s relationship, but more importantly, tell me what Meiru’s been up to!”

The three girls walked off, leaving the two bodyguards in the dust. They were arguing loudly enough that the bodyguards could hear passerby muttering things like, “My, how nice it is to be young.”

Feeling helpless, they followed after their charge. Naturally, the inn the girl led the party to was none other than Wanda’s Inn.

The Very First Soul Sisters Society

“Haaah... I’m exhausted.”

“Hahaha. Lyu-chan sure is attached to you, huh, Meru-nee?”

Miledi and Meiru made their way down one of the hallways of the giant tree that served as the beastmen capital’s palace. Meiru looked worn out, while Miledi appeared quite chipper. The reason for Meiru’s tiredness wasn’t the war, which had been dragging on for a few weeks now, but rather Lyutillis’ obsession with her. The masochistic elven queen was always begging Meiru to punish her.

“But you know, Meru-nee. You complain a lot, but I secretly think you’re enjoying this,” Miledi mused.

“Please never say that again!”

However, the fact of the matter was that whenever Lyutillis got on all fours, Meiru reflexively would use her as a chair. As a natural-born sadist, she was surprisingly compatible Lyutillis.

“Aww, but you two look so cute together!” Miledi said with a mischievous grin.

Meiru glared at Miledi, thinking of what prank she could pull to get back at her cheeky leader. Just then, though, a timid voice called out to her from behind.

“U-Umm, Meiru-sama!”

Turning around, Meiru saw one of the catgirl maids who worked in the palace fidgeting bashfully. Another four girls were hiding in the maid’s shadow and they all squealed when Meiru turned to them.

“Wow, you really called out to her!” one of them said to the maid.

“You’re so brave!” shouted another.

In general, Meiru was nicer to girls than she was to guys. Her tired expression transformed into a gentle smile and she kindly asked, “Did you need something?”

The cat-eared maid blushed and started fidgeting even more. She looked like a hardcore groupie meeting her favorite celebrity for the first time.

“U-Umm, umm, I-I-I-I-I...” she started tripping over her words, her ears flapping back and forth. From the looks of it, the starry-eyed maid was still in her teens. Her youth brought out Meiru’s doting side. She hugged the young maid and gently patted her cat ears.

“There, there, calm down. I won’t go anywhere, so take your time, okay?”

“O-Okaaaaaaaaay!”

The catgirl was so excited she looked like she was about to faint. Being enveloped in Meiru’s ample cleavage was one of the happiest moments of her life. The girls behind her started muttering jealously to each other.

“I can’t believe she’s trying to steal a march on us!”

“I’m so jealous!”

“Off with her head!”

The maid seemed to have heard her friends’ grumblings, as she hurriedly extricated herself from Meiru’s embrace. She took a deep breath to steady her resolve, brought a hand to her chest, looked up at Meiru with tears in her eyes, and shouted, “P-Please let me be your younger sister!”

Her words echoed down the hallway.

“Ummm, what? Sister?”

Confused, Meiru turned to Miledi for help. However, Miledi seemed just as confused.

“Y-Yes! After seeing how Her Majesty called you onee-sama, all of the maids in the palace... no, all of the women in the republic, have been dying to become your sister!”

To people who didn’t know the full picture, it seemed as though Lyutillis was infatuated with Meiru, and Meiru acted like a kindly older sister toward her. Though if any of them had looked closer, they’d notice the smile Meiru had in Lyutillis’ presence always looked oddly strained. Even her kind act in public was mostly to spare Parsha any more suffering. Moreover, Lyutillis always returned from their dates alone looking extremely happy.

“You’ve shown all of us a part of ourselves we never knew existed!”

“And what part would that be!?”

“The part that wants to cross the taboo boundary between sisters.”

“Bury that part of yourselves somewhere deep and never let it see the light of day!”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.”

Once opened, that door could never be closed again. Meiru and the maid continued arguing back and forth for a few seconds, but soon the maid’s friends joined in on her side. This was their one chance to get Meiru to accept them. They’d make her swear to make them her sisters by hook or by crook. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Meiru turned to Miledi for help. However, Miledi didn’t look too happy right now.

“Hm... So you’re going to make these random strangers your little sisters too, Meru-nee?”

“Miledi-chan?”

To Meiru’s surprise, it looked like Miledi was sulking. Like a girl annoyed that her popular boyfriend had become friends with yet another girl. Miledi pursed her lips and shot Meiru an accusatory look.

“Meru-nee, you... you sisterizer!”

“What the heck is a sisterizer!?”

“I can’t live with a sisterizer like this!”

Without even answering Meiru’s question, Miledi turned around and ran off.

“Meiru-sama, may we call you onee-sama!?”

“Umm, sure. Do whatever you want.”

Meiru had no idea what was going on anymore. Still confused, she ended up saying yes to all of the cat-eared maids’ other demands without really listening to them. Sighing, she looked tiredly up at the ceiling while the maid and her friends cheered around her.

Ten days later, Miledi, Meiru, Lyutillis, and Naiz were heading to the usual spring for their daily tea party. Along the way, they were interrupted.

“Ngh, Meiru...” Valf groaned, jumping out of the nearby woods. He was covered in wounds, and his face was twisted in fear.

“Valf-kun!? What happened!?”

Meiru was certain she’d healed the injuries he’d incurred on the battlefield, which meant all of these cuts had to be new. In other words, an enemy strong enough to beat Valf was currently hiding nearby. Miledi and the others instantly went on high alert. Meiru quickly began gathering her mana, but just as she was about to cast her restoration spell—

“There’s no need to show him any mercy, Onee-sama.”

The cat-eared maid Meiru had talked to ten days ago walked out of the woods. Her gaze was unnaturally sharp.

“Damn, she caught up to me already!?”

“Huh? Valf-kun, are you saying...?”

Judging by the current situation, it was obvious the maid was the one who’d attacked Valf. Or rather, she was one of the people who’d attacked him.

“The second-in-command was right. We have to dispose of any disgusting men who try to hang around Onee-sama.”

More beastmen started pouring out of the woods. In seconds, Meiru and the others found themselves surrounded by nearly a hundred of them. Panicking, Valf shouted, “Meiru, be careful. Their love for you has driven them crazy and now—”

“Who gave you permission to address Onee-sama?”

The women all moved in perfect sync. Their coordination was so great it was hard to believe they were civilians. Moreover, the bloodlust in their eyes was intense. It took only ten of them to overpower Valf and wrestle him to the ground.

“What are you girls doing!?” Meiru screamed.

While Miledi and the others watched on in utter confusion, the cat-eared maid the others had referred to as their second-in-command stepped forward and smiled warmly at Meiru.

“We’re simply doing our duty as your sisters.”

“That doesn’t explain anything!”

“Men will only sully your surroundings. All you need is us sisters, who’ve pledged a soul-binding oath to you.”

“Stay still, I’m going to cast restoration magic on your brain.”

Orange light rained down on the cat-eared maid’s head. However, her rapt expression didn’t change. If anything, it became even more fanatical.

“We were thinking, and we came to a realization. It’s you who we must serve, Onee-sama, not Her Majesty. You are our ultimate goal, the paradise we must strive for.”

“What do I do?! They’re just getting worse!”

“And so, we’ve banded together!”

The hundred-odd women lined up behind the cat-eared maid. In perfect sync, they all sucked in a breath and shouted, “We have decided to offer our lives to you, Onee-sama! We are known as the Soul Sisters!”

“Lyu, I’m sorry, but I think your republic’s doomed. It’s too late to save it.”

Even Lyutillis was a bit put off by their zeal. She opened her mouth to scold her maid, but before she could the maid said, “Incidentally, I’m the second-in-command, Paretta. Naturally, the head of our organization is you, Your Majesty!”

“My, what a wonderful organization you have here, Paretta! I expect you to do everything in your power to make it grow!” Lyutillis replied, doing a complete 180.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Paretta and her subordinates knelt in front of their queen. Stupefied, Meiru muttered, “I had nothing to do with this... I didn’t make these sisters appear...”

Once they were done kneeling, Paretta turned to Miledi and pointed at her. Miledi twitched, surprised that she was being singled out.

“Miledi-sama, don’t think you’ll always get to be Onee-sama’s special little sister.”

“Uhhh, okay?”

A little overwhelmed, Miledi nodded. Her expression suddenly stiffened though as a horrible realization hit her.

I don’t even want to think about what these girls will do if they find out Meru-nee has an actual, blood-related little sister.

Is This Bunny Girl Really Okay?

About a month had passed since Miledi and the others had arrived in the beastmen republic. If there was one thing they’d learned, it was that the forest paradise was more dangerous than it seemed.

“Ngh, that fucking rabbit!”

“Everything’s numb... I’m gonna make her pay for this!”

“Aaah... My balls!”

“Someone, help! Rakin fell headfirst into the septic tank!”

The wails of suffering beastmen filled the forest. Some had been paralyzed, others had pissed themselves in fear, and some were laughing so hard they were rolling around on the floor. Yet others had been exposed to odors so odious that they’d fainted, and quite a few were hanging upside-down from vines. Many of the men had had their balls crushed. However, this tragic scene hadn’t been caused by an invasion. The fog protecting the forest was still working its magic, and no invader had made it into the forest. No, this carnage had all been caused by a single girl.

“You’re still nowhere close to beating me,” Sui muttered, a mixture of pity and triumph on her face. She surveyed the tragedy around her and a sadistic grin spread across the scouting division captain’s cute face. Her comrades often called the young bunny girl things like “the embodiment of laziness” or “a master at pissing people off.”They also had choice words like “Just because they’re not lethal doses doesn’t mean you can make your comrades guinea pigs for your new poisons!” and “How come you’re so evil when all the other rabbitmen are so nice, you shitty rabbit!?”

Sui casually brushed her ears and looked at all the beastmen lying around. They were all glaring daggers at her. While Sui normally always justified her own barbaric acts and felt no remorse, this time, she was surprisingly taken aback by the venom in her comrade’s glares.

“Wh-What’re you all so mad about!? You’re the ones who attacked me this time! It’s not my fault you got beaten up instead! Besides, why were you all trying to kill me, anyway!?”

Sui insisted she wasn’t in the wrong this time around. However, the defeated beastmen all shouted in unison, “Because you tried to poison Meiru-sama!”

There was, of course, a reason for that. In order to avoid Lyutillis’ ever-expanding surveillance net, Meiru had taken to kidnapping Sui and forcing the bunny girl to help her hide. Tired of being dragged around by Meiru, Sui had attempted to slip the Liberator one of her newly developed poisons. But a number of beastmen had caught on to her plan and risked their lives to stop her. In other words, everything was still Sui’s fault.

“How cruel! I can’t believe you’d attack a comrade over something so small!” Sui exclaimed.

“You’re the cruel one here! You’re really starting to scare us, Sui!”

Everyone loved Meiru because she was the one healing all the warriors after every battle, and Sui had just tried to poison her. The sixteen-year-old girl was starting to seem like a psychopath to her fellow comrades. However, Sui did have a somewhat good reason for doing what she’d done.

“But ever since she started taking a liking to me, Her Majesty’s been glaring at me every time we meet! I’m tired of being hated by our queen! Besides, it wasn’t even a lethal poison! She’s sturdy, so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind helping me test my newest creation!”

I’m just having her pay me back for all the times I helped her escape! Sui’s ears wagged back and forth as she vehemently asserted her innocence. She really was rotten to the core. Unfortunately for her, Meiru happened to be passing by at this very moment and heard everything Sui just said.

“Oh, you were trying to poison me?”

Sui’s bunny ears froze. Cold sweat poured down her forehead and she awkwardly turned to look over her shoulder. Meiru was wearing an angelic smile on her face. Sui smiled apologetically back at her.

“I’m so sorryyyyyyyyy!”

She dropped to her knees and groveled at Meiru’s feet. It was actually impressive how she debased herself without any hesitation. The remorseful look in her eyes was perfect too. She’d obviously spent a lot of time practicing it. However, it was a bit depressing that the genius assassin, who’d been made one of the republic’s five generals at the tender age of sixteen, was like this.

Meiru looked down at Sui, a sadistic gleam in her eyes. But before she could say anything, a few rabbitman children ran over to where the two of them were.

“Meiru-sama, please forgive Sui-sama!”

“We’ll say sorry too!”

About ten or so rabbitman children were standing protectively in front of Sui.

“Please, Meiru-neesan. Can’t you forgive me for these kids’ sake?” Sui pleaded.

You’re not the one who should be saying that! the beastmen lying on the ground all thought simultaneously.

“Sheesh, you’re such an unruly child. Very well, but don’t think I’ll be so lenient next time.”

“Roger!”

The republic’s strongest assassin gathered up the children and hustled them out of there like some small-time thug running from the police. Once she was gone, Meiru started casting restoration magic on the beastmen Sui had poisoned or otherwise incapacitated. While she was in the middle of healing people, Lyutillis showed up.

“I’m terribly sorry for what Sui’s done, Onee-sama.”

Meiru let out a very unladylike groan when she spotted Lyutillis, which caused the elven queen to blush slightly.

“But despite her incorrigible personality, she is still a hero to the rabbitmen. The kids especially adore her.”

“What? Are you sure the rabbitmen are in their right mind? Should I cast restoration magic on them?”

Meiru’s reaction was understandable, considering how Sui normally acted. Smiling wryly, Lyutillis replied, “By nature, rabbitmen are a gentle, peace-loving race.”

“So I’ve noticed. The one other bunny girl I know is quite assertive, so I had a hard time believing that at first, but after coming here, I’ve come to see what people mean.”

Most of the rabbitmen Meiru had seen in the republic were farmers, tailors, or palace attendants. All non-violent professions, in other words.

“They’re serious and hardworking, so I feel confident entrusting important non-military tasks and duties to them. But the rabbitmen themselves seem to have a complex about their non-confrontational nature.”

Naturally, their hatred for their own dispositions grew stronger in times of war like these, where they felt like they weren’t contributing very much.

“So what you’re saying is Sui’s special?” Meiru asked.

“She is without a doubt... unique. Though it seems every few centuries, a rabbitman appears who’s the antithesis of the stereotypical rabbitman. It’s as if all their repressed distaste for their nature manifests in a single person.”

Lyutillis looked wistfully in the direction that Sui had left and said gently, “I believe she acts the way she does partially out of consideration to the other rabbitmen, who she sees as family.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Many rabbitmen feel guilty that they can’t do anything to help fight and are making Sui carry their burden. The adults especially feel that way.”

“I see. So by acting unreliable and cowardly, she’s trying to show the others that they don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Correct. Despite everything she says, she won’t hesitate to put her life on the line for her country and her friends. She’s a loyal general.”

The injured beastmen lying on the ground silently absorbed that information as well, their expressions pensive. As they exchanged glances, they suddenly heard Sui, who should have left a while ago, talking to someone in the distance. From the sound of their voice, it seemed to be Miledi. The conversation appeared to be about Kiara, the bunny girl who’d joined the Liberators.

“Nah, you don’t need to introduce me. I don’t get along with people like that, anyway. She’s one of those naive, innocent types, right? People who’re enjoying their life to the fullest without realizing what’s going on in the world around them piss me off.”

Sui’s words instantly tanked any goodwill that might have been budding in Meiru or the other beastmen.

“Wait, people in the support branch don’t have to go on assassination missions or infiltrate enemy bases!? They just get to chill in a city!? You even provide housing for them and send them assistance when they need help!? That’s such a nice organization! Miledi... I mean, Boss. Please let me join the Liberators! I wanna work for you now!”

Everyone turned to Lyutillis.

What was all that about her being loyal to her country and her friends?

“Hey, Lyu, are you sure you want her to be one of your generals?” Meiru asked.

“I-I’m sure it’s fine. She’s a loyal general... Probably...”

From that day onward, Lyutillis had a different reason to be mad at Sui.

The Day He Bade Farewell

A lone man sat in the middle of a large, quiet workshop. His eyes were closed, and his breathing steady. He looked like a prisoner mentally preparing himself for his execution, or perhaps a hero steeling himself for the final battle. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, revealing the determination hidden within his gaze.

He looked down at a sheet spread out before him. Resting on that sheet was a blade. The man solemnly picked up the blade and raised it until it was level with his eyes. Its edge was sharp enough to cut with ease, and the metal glinted dully in the light. The man turned the blade around in his hands, inspecting it from every angle for dents or nicks.

“Acceptable,” the man muttered. He sucked in a deep breath, then said, “Now let us begin.”

He pointed the keen blade toward his own head.

This all happened on a day long before the theocracy declared war on the republic. After returning from their humiliating defeat on the western seas, Araym Orcman had thrown himself into his training. After another day of harsh drills, he staggered tiredly down the halls of the main cathedral. As he was walking, he sensed his commander, Laus’, presence beyond the next corner. He fixed his appearance as best as he could, and straightened his tired back. Though he was beginning to have doubts about his commander, discipline took precedence. He refused to appear disheveled before his commanding officer. But while Araym was still in the middle of straightening his hair, Laus turned the corner.

“Lau—!?”

“Araym? From the looks of it, you’ve been training quite hard.”

Normally, Araym would have quipped back with something like, “Very perceptive of you, sir,” but he was too shocked to reply.

“Hm? What’s the matter, Araym?”

“N-Nothing, sir! My apologies. I was simply musing about hair. And how divine it is.”

“I see...”

Araym was visibly shaken. Though he managed to croak out a reply, he was still staring intently at Laus. Specifically, at Laus’ eyes. He felt as though he’d be killed on the spot if he raised his gaze any higher. For a few seconds, the two men stared at each other. In truth, Laus was hoping Araym would comment on the state of his head. He wanted to hear other people’s impressions, but it seemed obvious Araym wouldn’t make the first move, so he decided to break the ice.

“I shaved my head,” he said simply.

“Ah! So you did, sir!”

“Mhm.”

The two men stared at each other again. Sweat started beading on Araym’s forehead.

“I feel a lot better now, honestly.”

“Th-That’s wonderful.”

“Mhm.”

Silence fell for a third time and the two men stared at each other yet again. But this time, Araym broke eye contact after a few seconds. Feeling a bit disappointed, Laus bid farewell to Araym and walked off. A wave of relief wash over him as Araym leaned against the wall.

“Wh-Why did he shave it off?”

He looked back at Laus and saw the sunlight reflecting off his commander’s bald head. Just before Laus could turn the corner, Mulm showed up.

“L-Laus, what did you do with your hair!?”

“Hello, Mulm.”

Mulm Allridge, the commander of the Paragons of Light, pointed at Laus’ head, aghast.

“I shaved it off,” Laus replied simply.

“But why!? Oh, is it because of what happened on the western seas?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“Huh!? It’s not!? Wait, why are you denying it so vehemently!?”

Mulm had been certain Laus had shaved as a way to show his remorse for losing at Andika, so he was surprised Laus was denying it.

“I’m not worried about what that little girl said at all...” he muttered to himself. He then turned to Mulm and said, “Mulm.”

“Wh-What is it, Laus?”

“Hair is unnecessary. It’s just that many people don’t understand that yet.”

“Well, I definitely don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Laus and Mulm looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. Finally, Laus muttered, “I see,” with a despondent look on his face and walked off.

Is he that depressed over his loss in the west? Mulm thought, genuinely worried about his fellow knight.

Some hours later, Laus started on the road home. His subordinates and comrades had been staring at his head all day. But at the same time, few actually voiced their opinions on his new look, as if it was some sort of taboo topic. He was tired of the negative attention and wanted to hurry home back to his beloved son, Sharm. But just as he left the cathedral, he ran into the person he was least interested in seeing.

“Lord Barn.”

“Oracle.”

Ainz Arsalk, Ehit’s divine oracle, stood before him. Her beauty did nothing to hide her emptiness. She was wearing her nun’s habit and a veil over her face, which was why no one else had taken notice of her yet. Laus broke out in a cold sweat and desperately tried to find a way to end the conversation as soon as possible.

“Are you on your way home?”

“Y-Yes.”

“I see. Be sure to treasure your family. You’ve had little opportunity to see them since you returned from the expedition on the western seas. I recommend spending the rest of the day with your loved ones.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Normally, Laus would have been thinking something caustic like, As if you mean a single word you say, but he didn’t at that moment. It wasn’t because the oracle was being sincere for once, though. No, it was because she, too, was staring at his head.

“My lady, is there something on my head?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Though she sounded confused, the oracle had been staring at Laus’ head since the moment she’d seen him and hadn’t looked away from it even once.

“At any rate, please excuse me, Lord Barn.”

“Of course.”

However, even as the oracle walked past Laus, she turned her head to keep staring at his hairless scalp. It scintillated in the evening light, reflecting the orange-red glow of the sunset. The oracle stared at it like a child captivated by a beautiful butterfly.

“D-Does it really look that bad?”

All I did was shave my head... Plenty of other priests and bishops do it... so why is it everyone’s staring at me like I’m some strange creature?

Confused and a little depressed, Laus returned home.

“F-Father, you lost your hair! Sharm shouted as he walked through the front door.”

“Y-Yeah. I decided to shave it off. Does it look weird?”

“Nope, it looks cool! You look way stronger now!”

Those words were all it took to clear away Laus’ doubts. His wife, Ricolis, refused to meet his eyes for a few days, but as long as Sharm liked his new look, he didn’t care.

Saint Corrin

Some time had passed since Miledi and the others had left the new village they’d made for the Liberators displaced by the demon king’s invasion of the Reisen Gorge. The villagers were still unused to their new surroundings, and there was one among their number who seemed to be far busier than the others. Oscar’s younger sister, Corrin. She ran to and fro across the village, carrying baskets of laundry from place to place. Oscar and Vandre, who’d stayed behind to finish getting things set up, watched her as they took a short break from their work. As she ran about on her errands, she accidentally bumped into Marshal.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Marshal-san.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s an awful lot of laundry you’ve got there. You sure you can carry it all, Corrin?”

Marshal gave her a worried look, but Corrin just smiled cheerfully and nodded. It was obvious from her reaction that she wasn’t pushing herself too hard.

“Yep, I’ll be fine! Oh, but...”

“What do you need? If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”

“Okay then, umm... Marshal-san, please stop putting your laundry inside-out. It makes it harder for everyone to wash it.”

“Oh, uh, sure. Sorry, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Marshal was well into his forties, but he still looked contrite as a seven-year-old girl scolded him. Suddenly, Corrin blinked in surprise as a realization hit her.

“Could you hold this for a second, Marshal-san?”

“Huh? Sure, I don’t mind, but...”

Confused, Marshal took the laundry basket from Corrin. Once her hands were free, she took her sewing kit out of her pocket and stepped closer to Marshal.

“Stay still for a second.”

She grabbed one of the loose buttons on Marshal’s cuff and sewed it back on properly. She worked quickly, and in seconds she was finished. After that, she clapped her hands together and declared, “Okay, all done!”

Smiling, she put away her sewing kit and took the laundry basket back from Marshal. He looked down at his sleeve, then at Corrin, then blushed. Just then, he spotted Mikaela, who happened to be passing by.

Wait, don’t tell me Marshal-san’s into girls as young as Corrin!? Mikaela thought, looking shocked. Corrin noticed Mikaela as well, then looked from her to Marshal and back again. Nodding to herself, she tottered over to Mikaela and started whispering something into her ear.

No one else could make out what she said, but once she finished, Mikaela’s expression brightened up instantly. Corrin gave her an angelic smile that felt like it was coming from someone much older than seven, then ran off to deliver the dirty laundry to the washers.

“She’s a nice girl,” Vandre muttered.

“I know,” Oscar replied.

The two of them didn’t have anything to do for a while, so they decided to continue observing Corrin for a bit longer. They followed her as she went to the village entrance to greet Margaretta, who had just returned from patrol.

“Welcome back, Margaretta-oneesan!”

“Thank you, Corrin.”

“Dinner’s almost ready. The bath’s warm too, if you want to go wash up first.”

“In that case, I guess I’ll take a bath first.”

While they talked, Corrin took Margaretta’s coat and neatly folded it up. Once she’d put it away, she ran off to go make dinner. Humming, she put on the apron Jinglebell had made for her and started cooking. The whole time, she made sure to see off the Schnee warriors who were going on patrol next as well as greet the fighters who were in charge of protecting the village gates.

“Stay safe! It’s important to work hard, but don’t overdo it!” Corrin said to the warriors going on patrol as she handed them her handmade meals. Everyone smiled kindly at her as she ran back and forth. After that, she paid a visit to the patients in the village hospital.

“Sorry for making you do this every time, Corrin-chan.”

“You promised to stop apologizing, remember?”

Smiling cheerfully, Corrin went around helping the patients with their needs. Even when the other kids of the village, or even Katy and Dylan, did something bad, she didn’t get too angry.

“Jeez! If you don’t stop that, I won’t give you any dinner, okay!?”

Of course, she still scolded them, but when they helped, she also praised them.

“Hehehe, you did such a good job. I’m so proud of you!”

Time passed, and before long, it was the day before Oscar and Vandre were scheduled to depart. It was a cloudy day in the village, but there was a single ray of light that broke through the clouds and fell directly on Corrin, who was sitting in the center of the town’s main plaza. One of Vandre’s familiars, the silver wolf Kuou, was resting in her lap. It closed its eyes and growled in contentment. Vandre’s wyvern, Ururuk, was embracing both of them with its large wings. It nuzzled its head against Corrin’s back, looking as content as Kuou did. Sitting atop Corrin’s head was Batlam, who looked as pleased as the rest of Vandre’s familiars. Many of his weaker familiars were also lying down around Corrin.

Corrin gently patted Kuou and Ururuk’s heads, her expression full of love. The whole scene looked beautiful, and the artistry of it was enhanced by the fact that a lone ray of light was breaking through the clouds to reach them. Many of the villagers were watching her from the shadows and sighing in wonder. Oscar and Vandre were watching as well, and Oscar turned to his partner and said, “Hey, Van. You sure your familiars don’t belong to Corrin now?”

“Ngh... Honestly, I’m not sure. Even Batlam’s been prioritizing Corrin’s requests over my orders...”

“I see...”

Vandre looked forlornly off into the distance, and Oscar looked unsure of what to say to his friend. After a few seconds, it looked like Vandre suddenly remembered something and he said, “Did you know, people have started giving Corrin a nickname.”

“Huh? Really? First I’ve heard of that,” Oscar said, sounding surprised.

Everyone was hiding it from you because they know you have a huge sister complex, Vandre said, then took a deep breath before continuing with, “They’re calling her Mommy Corrin.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Vandre nodded, not expecting Oscar to understand. He launched into a more detailed explanation.

“Mommy is a term people use for girls who are younger than them, but have really motherly instincts. They use mommy because it’s more childish than mother, but still has that same feeling. Anyway, people are saying Corrin’s momminess is so great it has to be some kind of special magic or something.”

“I still have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“There’s even a bunch of guys who’ve been saying things like, ‘I wish Corrin-chan would be my mommy’ and shit too.”

“Okay, it looks like I can’t afford to be ignorant here. Please enlighten me.”

“These guys want Corrin to spoil them rotten. Kind of like what she’s doing to Kuou and the others right now.”

“I see.”

Oscar adjusted his glasses and summoned his umbrella, his gloves, and his Shadow Knights.

“Looks like I’ve got some work to do before we leave. I need to teach the guys of this village that none of them are allowed to lay a hand on my dear sister!”

Afterward, a mini-war broke out between Oscar the siscon and the guys who wanted Corrin to be their mommy. Naturally, Corrin put a stop to it by scolding both parties. Shortly thereafter, she came to be known by the nickname Saint Corrin as well as Mommy Corrin.