As it turned out, the hospitality (?) of Lime and the others were very amicable.
âOhâŠâ
My whole body was wrapped in the moderately warm Limeâs body, and every corner of my body was rubbed and relaxed. The massage is like being massaged in a hot spring bath by the hot spring water itself.
âDoes it feel good?â
âVery goodâŠâ
When I was first stripped naked, I thought I was done for. The first time I was wrapped up in Poizo and my skin started to tingle, I was terrified that I was going to be preyed upon. After all, Poizo could dissolve all the dirt and grime on the surface of my body. Wasnât it dangerous if she made a mistake? I asked her.
âI practiced a lot to get it just right, you know-nodesu?â
Thatâs what she said. I was too scared to ask her what she practiced with and how she practiced, and what would happen if she made a mistake, so I didnât ask her for details. Iâve seen these three girls digest and absorb a chunk of Gizmaâs flesh in the blink of an eye many times, after all.
After that, Beth took over and gave me a full-body oil massage, and here I am.
Whatâs my state of mind right now, you ask? Lime has taken everything from my neck down, yes. And my head is completely enclosed by Limeâs cleavage. Itâs very comfortable⊠Well, since Lime, which is an irregularly shaped slime, basically has no concept of breasts or buttocks, this is a fake breast thatâs holding my head.
âAre you okay?â
âUh⊠huh? What do you mean by okay?â
âDoing impossible things?â
Lime looked into my face worriedly.
âKosuke is not from this world, so you donât have to work so hard, you know?â
âAh, that kind of⊠well, Iâm not really pushing myself, and I have fun every day. Iâve got a baby with the harpies, and Ellen and Amalie-san will probably deliver in the fall. I need to settle things for the sake of my children.â
I want the children who will be born to live in a peaceful, safe, and convenient world. Working hard for that purpose is not at all hard; in fact, it feels rewarding. I donât want to work too hard for the grandiose goal of world peace, but I will do what I can for my children to be born in the future.
âUhâŠâ
âWhat are you doing?â
Limeâs hand starts kneading my cheek. It seems that something is not to her liking.
âIf youâre sick of everything, you can run away here with us. We will protect you from everything in this world. It would be nice to live a carefree life with just us and Kosuke again like we did back then.â
âNngh.â
Even Beth is pushing up my nose with her fingertips as she says this. Why is she making my nose look like a pig?
âIâm not as sweet as the two of them. Since you have done so many things, Kosuke should be the one to take responsibility for it and take care of it all. But when you are tired, you can come here and take a rest. I can shelter you for a little while-nodesu.â
Poizo slapped my forehead with a hand made of green slime as she said that.
âIâm not sure what to say, but I think Poizo is sweet, too.â
âWhile saying that youâre not sweet, what youâre saying is almost the same as us, isnât it?â
âItâs different. It is not the same. You both have to listen to what I have to say-nodesu.â
Lime and Beth are giggling, and Poizo is adamant about denying them. I donât mind if you deny it, but Iâd like you to stop slapping my forehead because it hurts so much.
After that, Poizo explained how she was not as sweet as Lime and Beth and how different what she and Lime and Beth were saying was, but they were not taken seriously by the two of them.
Incidentally, from my point of view, what Lime and Beth, as well as Poizo, are saying is sweet enough for me. It is nice to know that there are people who are willing to give up everything and come here if the need arises.
I spent the day relaxing and being taken care of by the three slime girls.
The next day, when I was woken up by Lime and the others, I realized that I had no memory of what had happened after dinner, but I decided not to think about it too much. It was a common occurrence after spending time with Lime and the others. It happens so often!
I mustnât think about it because if I think too deeply to remember, I will get a headache. Okay? Yes, yes, yes! Good.
ââ â
While instinctively refusing to recall last nightâs events, I am still at work today.
However, I donât have a fixed job or a job that is assigned to me at the moment. I am a free man. I am by no means unemployed. Itâs called freelancing. Well, itâs almost certain that I will be working like a cart-horse to prepare pioneer villages all over the kingdom of Merinard, so itâs not a bad idea to enjoy my freedom while I still have it.
âSo I think Iâll go on a free collecting spree.â
ââŠ..â
Why did you come to tell me that? As if to say that, Aquawill-sanâs cold gaze pierced me. The color of her aquamarine eyes is also a factor, but her gaze is so cold that it sends a shiver down my spine.
âSeraphita-san asked me to take Aquawill-san along with me when I go out collecting, you know?â
âI donât want to.â
âShe also said that you might feel depressed if you remain cooped up in the castle.â
âThatâs none of your business.â
âI was wondering if youâd like a change of sceneryâŠâ
âNo, thank you.â
With a cold stare at me, Aquawill-san dismisses all my advances with a single blow. There is no turf to step on at all.
âEven for me personally, I donât think it would be nice if Sylphyâs older sister didnât like me at all.â
ââŠI think you should just leave it alone.â
The reason there was a pause is probably because she swallowed her aggressive words against me.
âI hate you. Not only Sylphy but also my mother, Dri-aneesama, and recently If-aneesama. I hate you for your indiscretion. Mother and the others too. Disregarding our father who protected us at the cost of his life, they quickly fell for a man like you andâŠâ
Aquawill-san said this as if to throw up and turned her gaze away from me.
ââŠI have said too much. Itâs not that Iâm not grateful to you. Without you, we would still be frozen in this castle, or the Holy Kingdom would have lifted my fatherâs magic and made us their comforters. Sylphy would have been killed in battle, and many more of our people would still be suffering. I know that thanks to you, I am able to live with my mother, sister, and Sylphy again without⊠starving, freezing, or being frightened by the people of the Holy Kingdom. Still, IâŠâ
Aquawill-san turned her head down and fell silent. I have very mixed feelings about what Aquawill-san really said. From her point of view, I am probably nothing more than someone who has torn apart the family ties between her father, Ixwill-shi, the former king, and her family.
She probably would have accepted it if it had been just me and Sylphy, but Driada-san, Iphrita, and even Seraphita-san are showing her affection for me.
I think it was not my intention, but because of my ability, or perhaps because of a strange boost in likability related to my achievements; this is what happened. I am not so self-confident as to believe that I was liked by Driada-san and Seraphita-san because of my charm. No, when I say it like that, all of them are like that.
âOkay, I understand.â
ââŠDo you understand? So thatâs what Iâm saying, so please leave me alone. I will live quietly and discreetly so as not to disturb you.â
âNo, thatâs different from this. I understand why Aquawill-san hates me. But thatâs no reason not to go with me today.â
âWhy?â
She gives me a look that says, âWhat the hell is this guy talking about?â but Iâm not intimidated. If you know from the start that the likability is negative, thatâs the way to go about it.
I mean, if this is just how it is, Iâm not sure if sheâs being honest or not, but sheâs speaking rather brokenly.
âThere will be times in the future when I will have to work and live with people I donât like. I canât avoid it all, so Iâm going to practice patience. Fortunately, I have a close relationship with Sylphy, so I donât have any ill will toward Aquawill-san.â
âThatâs not the point, is it?â
Even if you donât like someone, isnât it a necessary behavior for royalty to take advantage of them and work for your own benefit? You should at least feel like you can take advantage of me. Also, Seraphita-san asked me to take you with me, so give it up.â
ââŠ..!â
Perhaps annoyed by the mention of Seraphita-sanâs name, Aquawill-san glared at me sharply. Oh, she looks just like Sylphy when she makes that expression.
Well, thatâs the point. The method is to proceed with the story, even if a bit forcefully, and force her to go along with it. If itâs negative and wonât go down any further, what does it matter what I do?
âNow, now, get ready to leave. Well, even if you donât have any particular preparations, everything will be provided for you without any inconvenience.â
My inventory has everything a person needs, from clothes to underwear to anything else. I can prepare anything on the spot if the need arises. I am confident that I can prepare a room suitable for royalty in the middle of the wilderness.
âItâs a very aggressive and barbaric approach, isnât it?â
âAfter all, I was brought up by my upbringing. Iâm a genuine commoner, so I canât possibly behave in an elegant manner.â
After saying that and shrugging my shoulders, Aquawill-san let out a sigh as if she had given up. For now, Iâm glad to see that the first barrier has been breached.