We pa.s.sed through the renovated castle gate . How beautiful it is now . Iād like to take a closer look at the vibrant city, but thereās something I needed to deal with first .
Glancing at the well maintained garden with a lush tree in it, I pressed on .
Seto grinned . Apparently noticing what I glanced on earlier .
[The tree Fate planted has grown really well . ]
[Really?]
Taking a slight detour, I decided to take a look at the tree growing near the fountain .
[Ooh, it was still so small the last time I remember! Is this really the sapling from back then?]
[Yes . Still couldnāt believe it myself either . ]
[What a big tree it is . This sizeā¦ . this should have taken at least 10 years to grow . ]
Roxy who was standing by my side also couldnāt hide her surprise as well .
Mimir didnāt seem to believe this, so she eyed us suspiciously .
[Thatās got to be a lie, right? Fate-sama should stop joking either . ]
[Mimir, I wasnāt telling a lie . This tree was just a sapling when I was here last time . ]
Are you suspecting your own brother! Donāt look at me like that .
[Itās the truth! Right, Seto . ]
[Itās true, everyone . I donāt know why, but after Fate left Hauzen, the sapling grew at a tremendous rate . ]
Even when being told right in the face what actually happened, Roxy and Mimir still couldnāt believe me .
However, when Eris and Snow saw the tree .
[Amazing! I can feel Fateās power coming from this tree!]
Saying that, Snow instantly hugged the tree .
[What do you mean, Snow?]
My voice didnāt seem to reach her, as she already closed her eyes, seemingly in comfort .
I tried to peel her away, but she stuck to the tree like a cicada .
[I see . Itās exactly as she said . ]
Eris who also stood right beside me probably felt something after she lightly touched the tree .
[What does that even mean?]
[This tree has been influenced by you . ]
I suddenly had a bad feeling . I used to believe that my power only affects humans .
[Thatāsā¦impossible]
[I also want to believe otherwise, but it is how it is . ]
If I were to believe in Erisā words, then that means the power of Gluttony skill can actually influence plants as well .
[You areā¦ truly special kind, arenāt you?]
[Special? Eris also has this kind of power too, right?]
[But I donāt . So far, only my two white knights have been empowered by my l.u.s.t skill . Even worse, I couldnāt do the same to plants . ]
[Is thisā¦ something good?]
When I planted the sapling, I only wished that itāll grow big . Did Gluttony skill influence it to respond to my wish?
Is the power of Gluttony skill actually stronger than I previously thought?
[So far, I donāt know whether itās bad or not . The tree itself has no other intention . It just wants to grow bigger . Doesnāt seem to intend any harm either . ]
As Eris kept talking, a feeling of relief washed over me .
[But for now, you shouldnāt focus on something else . Who knows, something might go wrong later on . ]
[Ahhā¦ . got it . U~n, no strong thoughts, huhā¦]
Is this really the power of Mortal Sin skill? I could do it, but Eris couldnāt . That didnāt actually make me feel satisfied though . But looking at the result, just as Eris said, maybe I really should refrain from having a strong feeling about random things for now .
Roxy gave me a worried look . She then attempted to encourage me .
[There was a time when Fai wanted to become a gardener, yes? If you can use this power well, creating a garden you want should be a piece of cake, right?]
[Positively thinking, thatās true . ]
[Un, un . If I send some grape saplings from Heart mansion garden, would they not grow and bear fruits in no time at all?]
[Thatās a good idea . Iāve been wanting to drink some Hauzenās wine! Not to mention the wineās color resembles blood, itās also delicious . ]
Mimir also joined in the fray, all smiling as she imagined the taste of the wine . She then looked at my neck and licked her lips .
I unconsciously tried to conceal my neck and hid behind Roxy .
[Really now, Mimir! Stop doing that . I will keep an eye on you tonight . ]
[Eeeee! No wayā¦ my only source of funā¦]
[That can be a problem . Mimir will just have to find some other way to have fun]
Eris was actually unrelated to the topic, but she patted Mimirās shoulder as if trying to console her .
But Roxy caught Erisā hand with a hint of anger .
[Eris-sama too . You are the Queen of this Kingdom . Even soā¦ is sleeping next to Faye while in such a vulnerable getup is a Queen-like conduct?]
[Wellā¦thatāsā¦you see, Iām the owner of l.u.s.t skill after all . I always have the impulse to be intimate with a man . Like this!]
[Uwaa!]
I was listening to the twoā¦ when Eris suddenly hugged me and pressed her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s onto me . I instantly yelped quite loudly in surprise .
[What was that for! That is totally not allowed!]
Roxy protested, trying to peel off Eris from me .
But since Roxyās opponent was an Area E, Eris simply wouldnāt budge .
As for me, if I put in some words here, I had a feeling that sparks would only fly out even more . So I just kept quiet . Itās something I learned after travelling with these girls for a while .
While her arms tightly folded around me, Eris stared at Roxy with a grin on her face .
[Ah, I get it now . Un, unā¦ So thatās how . ]
[Wha, what now!?]
Erisā line of sight was now directed at a certain part of Roxyās body .
Roxy immediately turned around trying to cover her chest area in response .
[Youāre jealous because you canāt do it like me . ]
[Wha, what does that even mean!]
[Well, calm down . There is still some hope for more growth . ]
Was she even trying to comfort Roxy? Her tone sounded like a Queen looking down on a peasant somehow .
Thereās no such thing as a win or loss in that departmentā¦ I could sense the sadness floating from Roxyās back . But I donāt know what to say to console her . With only my short experience in life, I couldnāt think up any good words .
In the end, I decided to poke at Erisā forehead .
[Please use your authority for a more proper stuff . ]
[Arara, Fate, donāt tell you are angry at me?]
[If we keep going this way, eventually, weāll arrive at the castle . ]
[I knew that already . ]
Eris finally released her hug and proceeded to the castle on her own .
Really now? Then, what should I do with Snow who is currently stuck to the tree?
While I was thinking so, I heard Mimirās voice calling out to the still listless Roxy .
[Roxy-sama, let us go as well! Come on, cheer up . ]
[Yesā¦]
[Come on now, your chest is just a tad bit on the smaller side!]
[Do not say that so clearly! Mimir wouldnāt understand my feelings . ]
[Ah, Roxy-sama! Please wait!]
Roxy, almost tearing up, stormed off into the castle . Mimir chased after her .
This side also makes me exasperated .
I lifted Snow up and ran to catch up to the girls .
[Not yet, still wanna play here!]
[We can visit the tree again later . Now letās head to the castle! There must be something more interesting there . ]
[Really? Then what are we waiting for!]
The youngest of them all, Snow, was actually the easiest to persuade .
Finally on our way to the castle again . Just as I thought so, Seto, with Ann on his side, closing in on me .
[You really have a hard time, donāt you? At first I was a bit jealous seeing you bringing so many beautiful ladiesā¦ the Queen herself, and those former holy knights too . Now that I think carefully, no normal man will be enough to handle escorting them all . ]
[Soā¦you understand my pain now?]
[Yeah, but nothing I can do about it, so hang in there, bud . ]
As someone who had married before, Seto sympathized with me .
[Oi! Whatās with ānothing I can do about itā!]
[Obviously, I still want to keep my life intact . Therefore I canāt involve myself in it . I have an important daughter to care about after all . ]
[What part of this can be life-threateningā¦ oh, right, each one of them are strong . ]
[Thatās right . For me who isnāt even a warrior, itās a whole other dimension . Everything will have to depend on Fate . Itāll be no joke if the newly renovated Hauzen collapsed due to some loverās quarrel . Also, I hope all of you can refrain from acting lovey dovey while my daughter is around . Itās bad for her education . ]
[Yesā¦ . . Iāll keep that in mind . ]
Pressured by the gaze of a father trying to protect his daughter, I could only relent .
Even the normally soft Seto could toughen up when it comes to his daughter . Even now, heās still staring at me .
Looks like he didnāt trust me that much . Come on now, I could at least make sure that those girls are in line .
[Letās go then . Iām worried about Eris and the others . ]
[Itās true that Eris-sama is a bit too freewheeling to be left alone inside the castleā¦ I donāt know what sheāll do . ]
[Letās make haste then . ]
Looking back, Eris was smiling coyly before she walked away .
I felt like thatās the face of someone who is up to no good . Now that I think about it, did I leave my room locked? I believe I left it open .