by Fujino Omori
“Ah…”
“From one prum to another, your courage took my breath away,” he said. “How could I not try to make a move?”
He placed his right hand over his chest, but he seemed truly happy.
It was his standard as Braver.
Just as he was trying to inspire his people, he was looking for a partner who could inspire him.
“Well, looks like I’m back to square one.”
Finn leaned back in his chair and cast his gaze thoughtfully toward the ceiling.
It wasn’t Loki Familia’s general sitting across from Lilly at the table but Finn as he truly was as a person. Seeing that made Lilly smile.
“If Lilly meets anyone special, she’ll introduce you right away.”
“Please do. I don’t think I’m cut out for this sort of thing. I’ve always been unlucky.”
Finn grinned back at her.
Although she had turned down his proposal, the two were happy to at least find someone who shared their strong feelings of devotion to a cause, and they exchanged lighthearted smiles.
A calming air descended upon the table.
“Sir, sir! What are you doing?!”
““?””
That’s when it happened.
The door was practically thrown off its hinges as every customer looked toward the front in a mix of surprise and confusion.
Lilly and Finn were among them. And what should greet their eyes but an extremely out-of-breath white-haired human boy.
“M-Mr. Bell?!”
Lilly reflexively jumped to her feet as the boy made a remarkably late entrance.
His eyes opened wide the moment her voice reached his ears. Breaking through the bar staff trying to block his path, Bell rushed over to their table.
The boy had made his way all the way to the Hidden Home of the Prums either by his vague memories of the map on Finn’s note or by wandering around aimlessly until he found it, and he went straight to Finn. Lilly watched in dumbfounded silence.
“Mr. Finn! Please, please don’t take Lilly away!”
“Huh?” was all Lilly could say.
Finn stayed seated with a blank look on his face.
But only for a moment. Instantly piecing together what was happening, he glanced over at Lilly and winked. A slightly evil smile appeared on his lips.
“How unfortunate—She’s already accepted my offer, Bell Cranell.”
Lilly was speechless. Shock was the only thing keeping her from jumping in and asking what he meant by that.
Just wait, the prum said with his eyes, stopping Lilly in her tracks. Her chance to get angry at him was gone.
At the same time, all the color had drained from Bell’s face. But he didn’t give up.
“I still—I still want to be with Lilly! I don’t want to let her go!”
The strength behind Bell’s scream caught Lilly by surprise, making her blush.
A glint appeared in Finn’s eyes, as if he was enjoying himself. He started speaking again, the wicked smile still on his lips. “The two of us have already decided to unite as one. Are you really going to trample on that?”
“Yes!”
“Well, it sounds like you have a vested interest. So then, what is she to you?”
“She’s part of my familia—my family!”
“Is that all? That’s hardly enough.”
“…She was my first ally and is a very, very important partner!”
Finn spurred Bell into yelling his true feelings for Lilly at the top of his lungs.
She listened to every word, her heart beating with every syllable. Heat built up inside her, to the point that her chest was aching.
That’s when she figured out his plan. He was trying to show her exactly how much Lilly meant to the boy. It was unfair, almost dirty. Was there a way to stop this runaway train?
This human who had forced his way onto the dining floor was now exchanging words with Braver in the center of a crowd. Lilly was turning redder by the second, unable to do much more than look left and right between the two.
“At long last, I found the bride I’ve been searching for. I won’t give up on this marriage that easily…Or will you try to take her by force? From me?”
Screech. Finn stood from the chair, looking up at Bell as he issued a challenge.
He was Level 6, a top-tier adventurer even stronger than Ishtar Familia’s Phryne Jamil. Bell cleared his throat but didn’t back down.
It was his turn to be selfish, and he would see it through to the end no matter who stood in his way. Bell squared his shoulders and faced Finn directly.
“You’ve got spirit, and this could be interesting…The winner of our duel will decide her fate!”
Braver was getting caught up in the moment and having a bit too much fun. Forgetting his age, Finn pointed at the ruby-red-eyed boy, like he was a cocky teenager itching for a fight.
Luan had gone completely slack-jawed as he watched it all unfold. The rest of the prum staff and patrons gathered around the table, excited to see what would happen next.
As for Lilly, she couldn’t be blushing any harder.
Wh…What is going ooooooon?!
Bell and Finn were about to fight over her?
One of them might’ve been just joking around, but the other one was completely serious. She could see it in the boy’s eyes.
It was like a scene out of a fairy tale—two knights fighting for the right to marry a young maiden, or perhaps the queen. That was her part in the story, and it made her face burn with embarrassment.
I’m not fit for this role! I’m a servant of the castle, at the most! Or so she silently screamed inside her head.
Looking vaguely similar to a boiling apple, Lilly watched Bell muster up every bit of courage he possessed and Finn grin with the same twinkle in his eye.
Surrounded by the cheers of his kin, Finn declared:
“If by some chance you manage to land a hit, I will concede. However, should I win, she will be my bride.”
“Get him!” came the jeering voices of the prum onlookers. Bell slowly nodded and took three steps back away from the corner of the dining floor before turning to face Finn once again.
This has gone too far, Lilly thought to herself, the shame taking its toll. She had to stop this, run in between them and—
“General?”
A cold chill swept through the bar.
“““?!”””
Lilly, Finn, Bell—all flipped around to face the terrifying, murderous aura emanating from the front.
On the other side of the panic-stricken crowd was an Amazon shrouded in a black miasma.
“T-Tione…How long have you been standing there?”
“General, what did you mean by that just now? Marriage…Your bride?”
Finn reeled backward. Tione hadn’t been there long enough to hear the whole thing.
There was no light in the Amazon’s dead, empty eyes. Her plump, heavily exposed breasts swayed with each heavy step she took in his direction. The floor under her feet groaned precariously.
Her very presence overwhelmed the bar’s patrons. Unable to withstand the pressure of a top-tier adventurer, many collapsed to the floor like flies, staring at the ceiling with drool running down their chins.
“How did you know I was here…?”
“I followed your scent.”
“What are you, some kind of animal person…?”
While it might have been in jest, she was the last person Finn wanted to hear say those words. Sweat was pouring down his face. At the same time, this Amazon who was head over heels for the general to a frightening extent swayed back and forth as she made her way through the tables and closer to the corner of the bar.
As soon as Tione got within three meders of Finn, her voice exploded:
“GENERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLL—!!”
“Get a hold of yourself, Tione!”
Finn darted away to get out of the charging Amazon’s path. Pushing his s
mall body to its limits, he stayed as close to the floor as possible and dashed away like a scared rabbit, hopping in leaps and bounds.
An ominous light came to life inside the Amazon’s eyes. Going berserk, she spun around and chased the Braver out of the bar and into the streets at breakneck speed.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump! The last of their footsteps echoing through the bar, a strange stillness filled the air.
Lilly, Bell, and the still-conscious prums were stunned.
“…Um, Lilly.”
“!”
At a time when no one knew what to say, Bell cautiously broke the silence.
The rest of the prums lost interest, returning to their seats and massaging their aching heads. Lilly’s shoulders jumped up to her ears as she spun around to face the boy.
Bell threw his body into a deep bow right in front of her.
“I’m sorry! Sorry I couldn’t make a decision, sorry that I wasn’t clear…”
“N-no! This is a misunderstanding! That was all Mr. Finn’s idea…! He was teasing you!”
“He…he was?”
“Yes! Lilly didn’t accept his offer!”
Lilly desperately tried to explain what happened. Relief swelled within Bell’s heart with each passing moment.
Hand over his chest, the tension started to disappear from Bell’s shoulders. He still had a guilty look on his face, but he maintained eye contact with Lilly and spoke as clearly as he could.
“I’m sorry—for everything. But I just…I still want you to be here with me.”
Bell bared his heart to her, his cheeks taking on a slightly scarlet hue.
Lilly was much the same way, wide-eyed and blushing. Her lips slowly spread into a smile.
“…Lilly is sorry, too. Suddenly getting angry, running away from home…”
“N-no, that was all because of me…”
“No, Mr. Bell. Lilly is at fault. She said in anger so many things she doesn’t believe about you and put you in a bad situation.”
The two stood there, exchanging apologies. They looked away at the same time, spouting even more explanations. Then they made eye contact again, blushing in embarrassment and feeling a little awkward.
“…Shall we go home?”
“Yes!”
Bell shrugged and smiled. Lilly enthusiastically smiled back as she answered.
Bell then went to apologize to the prum staff for all the trouble he caused, breaking into their bar, and did the same to the patrons soon after. Luan looked up from one of them who was still passed out on the floor and yelled, “Never show your face here again!” with all his anger. With that, Lilly and Bell left the Hidden Home of the Prums.
A clear blue sky above their heads, the two of them passed by crowds of demi-humans as they walked down the side streets.
“Um, also, how can I put this…?”
The two of them were almost home. They were in such a good mood that the events of last night didn’t feel real anymore, and Bell felt comfortable enough to say what was on his mind.
Lilly looked up at him and saw him blush a little as he stumbled over his words.
“Lilly, you’re like a little sister to me.”
“Mhh…”
“I-I only ever had my grandfather. No brothers, no sisters…So I didn’t want to lose one.”
The boy shyly exposed the very deepest part of his heart to her. The corner of Lilly’s mouth twitched. She knew that he thought of her as nothing more than a little sister, but hearing it still stung. She had decided to never leave his side no matter what happened, but this was something else entirely.
Cheeks trembling as anger started to take hold once again, Lilly suddenly thought of something and flashed a grin.
“Mr. Bell, oh Mr. Bell. Please lean in close.”
“?”
Making a face fitting for an innocent little sister, she came to a stop and Bell did the same, albeit confused. The clueless white rabbit did as he was told and bent over at the waist so that the prum could whisper into his ear.
Lilly put her lips right next to it.
“I am older than you, Bell.”
She spoke in the most adult, seductive way she knew how.
“?!”
A jolt ran down his spine as Bell stood up with a start. As he held his ear that Lilly had spoken into, the rest of his face hung limply. It wasn’t long before he began to blush.
Lilly was looking back up at him, barely open eyes twinkling. Without warning, a grin appeared. The innocent-little-sister smile was back.
“Now let’s get home, Mr. Bell.”
“…Ho-hold on a second, Lilly! Are…are you serious?!”
“Who knows?”
She walked ahead at a brisk pace. Bell desperately tried to keep up.
Lilly’s robe swished as she took a peek over her shoulder and saw that the boy was beet red and practically falling over his feet. It brought yet another smile to her face.
I see, I see.
So thinking of her as an older sister triggered a reaction like that.
It was worth remembering.
Lilly’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she listened to the boy’s rambling behind her and smiled happily.
Holding her hands behind her back, she had a bit more spring in her step as her footfalls echoed off the stone pavement.
The boy’s pitiful voice echoed through the busy street.
The prum girl enjoyed the warmth of the sunlight, dimples forming in her cheeks as she savored the moment.
CHAPTER 3
LOVE SONG TO A GODDESS OF THE FORGE
“Finally, everything is in order.”
Light from a magic-stone lamp flickered in the darkness.
Two cloaked shadows stood facing each other in a small room and whispered quietly.
“Our soldiers have made it safely inside. Once we’re done, they can deploy anytime.”
“Is that right…”
One voice was that of a man filled to the brim with enthusiasm; the other, a stern, solemn voice of someone many years his elder. Their private conversation continued.
“We already know where he is. I’ll make contact myself in a day or two.”
“…”
The youth took a step closer to his silent companion.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.”
“…”
“It’s too late to start wavering now. We have received an important task that leads directly to a promotion by our lord. This may be our last chance.”
“I’m aware.”
The elder nodded as the younger leaned toward him.
The man was most pleased by that response. Without missing a beat, he channeled into words the numerous emotions coursing through his veins.
“We must bring him back. That power belongs to us, and this place isn’t worthy of it.”
“…”
“Lost glory is once again within our grasp.”
The elder figure stayed silent throughout his younger companion’s impassioned speech.
Light from the lamp cast two long, flickering shadows high onto the wall.
Bright flames filled the inside of the forge.
Hephaistos intently watched the dark-red fire, the same color as her hair, rise and fall.
She was standing in a workshop where the large forge, an anvil, and other big tools sat ready for use in the corner.
Hephaistos, dressed in work clothes, came to a stop with a hammer in her hand. The shaft of a silver sword had already taken shape on top of the anvil beneath her, the metal still glowing with heat.
Flames from the forge illuminated half her face, including the prominent, bandage-like black eye patch.
The heavy blows of hammer on metal ceased, leaving behind only the crackle of the fire.
“Where’d your spine go?”
The front door of the forge creaked open and was closely followed by a new voice.
A rush of cold air came in from outside, making
the flames flicker and ruining the perfect conditions inside the workshop. Hephaistos turned to face her visitor.
“Tsubaki.”
“Now, I’d heard rumors you shut yourself up in this workshop. I came all this way to check on you, and you’re not even swinging that hammer. So, what are you up to?”
The woman who entered the forge workshop had long black hair tied back behind her shoulders and wheat-colored skin.
Just as Hephaistos had an eye patch over her right eye, this woman had an eye patch over her left. Wearing a crimson pair of Far Eastern–style, skirtlike pants called hakama, Tsubaki rebuked Hephaistos for the lack of hammer work.
They were in Hephaistos Familia’s store, located on Northwest Main Street. Not far from Guild Headquarters on the road known as Adventurers Way, the store was equipped with a workshop on the first floor.
“Nothing much,” Hephaistos responded to her follower.
“You’ve spent a lot more time in your head since Welfy boy left, now haven’t you, My Ladyship? A bit lonely, are we?”
“…I’m always sad whenever a child leaves the nest. That goes for anyone, not just Welf.”
Tsubaki, obviously put off by her goddess’s condition, showed no restraint or fear in conveying her dissatisfaction. Hephaistos knew there was no point in trying to fool her and confirmed her suspicions without beating around the bush.
The woman watched as the goddess put the finishing touches on the weapon in a flash before starting to clean up the workspace.
“Well, then, any news?”
Releasing her crimson hair from its restraints and working her way out of her tight-fitting work clothes, Hephaistos addressed her follower. The woman nodded, her long black hair swishing behind her head.
“A message from the Guild and Loki Familia. Rakia has a plot afoot this time, by the sound of it.”
The goddess narrowed her left eye while listening to Tsubaki explain the finer details.
“So, Hestia’s children are to be the bait…” The goddess sounded deep in thought as the name of a friend rolled off her tongue. “All right then,” she said with a nod. “Do exactly as the Guild says. Tsubaki, take command for me.”
“Was planning on holing up in the shop for a bit, but this could be fun. You got it, I’ll be takin’ the helm.”