Foreigner's Mistake

Book 6: Chapter 68: Shock ~ 08

On the opposite side of the field, from the direction of the forest, there were two people peeking into the Reine house.

They were Raymond and his subordinate, a former bandit. Of course, the distance between them is reasonable. Inspired by the High Mentor's personal letter on the message tablet, Raymond ignored the warning against direct contact and came to check.

However, Satoru and the others who had entered the building had not been able to see them, partly because they were in the shadows.

That cabin. Even if it's just by chance, it's close.

Raymond had learned that a mother and daughter of an elf and a half-elf lived on the outskirts of a small village that was not on the map. The plan was to capture the mother and her daughter and sell them to slavers for a small fortune, but Satoru and the others found them and contacted them before Raymond arrived here.

At this point, their little plan to keep the target from contacting the elves had failed. The thought that he might have been able to get away with it if he had made direct contact yesterday lingered in Raymond's mind like a wisp, and his desire to make up for his mistake led him to come and see the target in person.

Raymond-san, stay away from the target.

Shut up. What are you going to do if you miss your chance to see it in person?

The former bandit whispered a warning to Raymond, and he whispered back. He can confirm that there are four of them inside the building. There was also a glimpse of a girl who looked like a half-elf. She was in her early adulthood, and although he couldn't tell from a distance what she was capable of, she didn't seem to have any style problems. If she were for sale, she would fetch a very high price. Then there are the tall women, perhaps the mother elf, with his targets Satoru and Minerva or something like that.

Raymond wondered if he should ask the academy to correct the miscalculation. However, the instructions on the message board were only weakly worded, saying that there should be no contact, not that it was strictly forbidden, so he was too much of an idiot to think that this would be acceptable.

Suddenly, a plan flashed through Raymond's mind.

The reason why the big man called Satoru had contacted the elves was probably to enter the Dark Green Forest, or more specifically, the World Tree Village. It was hard to imagine that both mother and daughter would be asked to lead the way. One of them would have to guide the other, and the other would have to stay behind.

By taking the remaining one hostage, they might be able to do something to Satoru.

That'll do.....

In any case, the mother and her daughter living in that house were going to be captured and given to the slavers. What happens after they fall into slavery is none of Raymond's business. He could use the remaining slaves to have fun until Satoru came back with either the mother or the daughter who had guided him.

Disposing of Satoru as a hostage - shallow, but without realizing that it was shallow, Raymond developed a plan in his mind that was convenient only for him.

For example, if Satoru takes the daughter with him to the village, and he and his men raid this abandoned house where the monster has disappeared, take the mother as hostage, and threaten Satoru, who will probably return, to kill him....

And then a loud thud sounded, and Raymond's heart chilled for a moment.

Oops. ......

He saw a Flying Dragon of a size he had never seen before, flapping its wings and coming down the side of the house. Luckily, they didn't seem to have been spotted. From this position, the Flying Dragon would have landed on the other side of the house.

Oh, the size of that thing. Ohh, scary!

Actually shivering, Raymond hid himself behind a tree more carefully than ever. The distance to the building was about five majors (45 meters). Since the Flying Dragon landed so close to the building, it's unlikely to get any closer.

.......Didn't you say that your goal is to have a flying dragon? Oh, that. That's a hell of a thing.

Raymond is also a nobleman, so he has seen a Flying Dragon knight in person. But even so, he never seen a Flying Dragon as big as that one. It is probably four to five times larger than the Flying Dragons used as Flying Dragon Knights.

If I could make that thing mine, it would be a great influence.

Raymond grinned as he imagined himself flying high in the sky on a Flying Dragon of that size. He even licked his tongue. He doesn't know how Satoru, the target, has such a Flying Dragon, but normally he would be using a magical tool called the Collar of Subordination. If Satoru can manage it, he can rewrite that Flying Dragon master with the Subordination art.

He thought it would be a stingy job, but it could be a huge bonus. Raymond was elated when he realized this. As he leaned forward to check on the Flying Dragon again, his subordinate pressed the hem of his clothes.

Raymond-san, it's dangerous.

.......Tsk, I got it. Let's keep a little more distance and take turns keeping watch.

Raymond had no choice but to obey his subordinate's restraint. Even if he was to be caught unawares and get into a fight with that Flying Dragon alone, there's no way he could win.

What's more, even if I don't stand a chance if I go head-on, there are ways to do it if I go from the rear. I'll need a direct line of sight on the target for a countermeasureRaymond chuckled to himself, confident in his plan.

Riko said she would help prepare the meal, so he left her to it and went up the ladder to the second floor, which he was told was free to use. The ceiling was a little low considering Satoru's large size, but there was nothing he could do about that.

He gathered up a pile of hay and spread leather on top of it to make a bed. Normally, Minerva or Leia would do this job, but under the circumstances, he had no choice but to do it himself.

Putting down his luggage and leaning the Giant Killer against the wall, Satoru sat down on the cot and turned his attention to his own shadow. He can now communicate with his shadow without moving his mouth.

(Sorry, Leia, Solor.)

He apologized to the two for missing the opportunity to go outside. Leia immediately spoke up.

Don't worry about me. ...... but..

Leia also shared her senses with Satoru, and their visual and auditory senses were in sync. She, too, was surprised to see Liz. She looked very similar to the face of Alice, Satoru's younger sister, whom she had seen in a picture left on Satoru's cell phone while they were on their way to the town of Aletta.

I was surprised. Not only does Liz look like Alice, but Reine-san also looks just like my dead mother.)

There's a part of him that can't help but they feel like a stranger. Of course, the fact that their ears were different at times brought him back to reality, but the atmosphere they shared was also too close to the one Satoru knew so well.

That's .....oh

Onii-san

Leia's voice was interrupted mid-sentence. It was because Liz appeared from the doorway with a lantern in her hand.

While they were talking, the sun had gone down considerably, and without the light from the lantern, the light in the room was not bright enough to see properly. Even so, he could see enough thanks to the physical magic that he used without being conscious of it, as usual.

Oh, Liz-chan. ...... It tickles me when you call me Onii-san.

Is that bad?

As she walked up the ladder, Liz came up to the room. She must be the only one who uses the second floor, because Reine's legs are too bad to climb a ladder. The room seemed to be unused, though, and there was nothing but a pile of hay.

No, that's fine. Call me what you want.

When Alice called him, she called him "Onii-chan", so he couldn't get used to being called "san", but since Liz was not Alice but different person, he thought to himself, it's probably better to have some differences.

Thank you so much. Can I talk to you for a moment?

Sure.

Liz walks over, sits down next to Satoru, looks up at him, and smiles. She's not much taller than Leia, so when she sits next to him, she has to look up at him. She has big, dull eyes and black hair, but she doesn't look like an elf. I wonder if her father's blood, who used to be a human, ran deep in her veins.

It is said that she is discriminated against because she is a half-elf, but Satoru doesn't see any sign of that. She is in an unfamiliar place, in an unfamiliar environment, supporting her mother who has bad leg - she must be a strong girl.

Onii-san is an adventurer, right? I'd be happy if you could tell me some stories about the outside world.

Satoru, Liz, dinner's ready!

Rico's voice sounded from downstairs. Liz smiled and stood up, pulling Satoru's hand.

Coming. Let's go, Onii-san.

Somewhere in his heart, Satoru felt guilty. He felt as if he was using Liz as a Alice's substitute, even though Alice was not in front of him. Thinking of Alice, who was probably crying in his hometown, made him feel even more helpless.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Leia was also worried. Of course, she didn't say anything about it.

It was an odd coincidence that they had met this mother and daughter, but it might have a profound effect on Satoru's state of mind. Such fears.

Some of her fears came true, and some did not.

The night went on as they enjoyed a strange form of reunion.

Both Reine and Liz ate the roasted Magara bird that Minerva had hunted, which Rico had prepared. It seems that the elves of this world are not necessarily vegetarians. They just eat less. The rest was black bread and bean soup. Liz was pleased to see that meat was rarely on the table.

Throughout the meal, Liz kept calling Satoru "Onii-chan," and Satoru's attitude toward Liz was that of a younger sister. Rico looked a little strange, but she seemed to have let it go.

Minerva is going to sleep~. Good night~. I want to have sex tomorrow~

As expected, Minerva in her flying dragon form seems to have curled up outside. Satoru apologizes, but Minerva replies, "Don't mind~". As a Flying Dragon, sleeping outside didn't seem to be a painful experience for her. Minerva seemed to have some difficulty with the smell of Rico's menstrual blood, so she might as well keep her distanceIn fact, it was ironic that the smell of blood prevented Minerva from noticing Raymond and the others who were watching from a little distance.

Originally, he thought it would be a bad idea to share the floor with Rico under such circumstances, but Reine and Liz seemed surprisingly unconcerned. He wonderer if their sense of morality is somewhat different from that of humans.

But of course, he couldn't just let it go. First Rico was on the second day of her period. As expected, he didn't want to force her to do anything that would make her bloody. He dressed lightly, but without taking off all his clothes, Satoru dove into the leather. He settled Rico in his arms as usual.

Leia and Solor are both in the shadows today. Minerva was outside, so Rico tried to bask in the joy of having Satoru all to herself, but she couldn't, because she heard footsteps coming up the ladder.

If she pushed herself a little harder, she might be able to get up there, but the light footsteps coming up the stairs were not those of Reine. (?)

Can I sleep with you?

When they looked over, they saw Liz looking at them with just her head peeking out. She had even prepared a leather pillow. She was wearing only a smock.

...... Um, Liz. If you're at that age, it's probably not a good idea.

Rico also wondered if there was a difference in moral values between humans and elves.

It was unthinkable for a fourteen-year-old girl to share a bed with a man she had just met, even if they had become friends. Rico thought that Satoru would probably reject the idea, but his answer was not what Rico had expected.

No, it's fine. Come here.

Satoru, ......?

Satoru had shown some perverse tendencies, such as asking for intercourse in anus, but he had drawn the line very clearly. That's why his answer came as a surprise to Rico.

No way, I wondered if he liked Liz and wanted to make her his.

Satoru smiled a little at Rico's suspicion-filled gaze.

It's all right.

Satoru kicked the leather on the opposite side of his body, as if telling Rico to do so. With a happy thud-thud of her footsteps, Liz ducked into Satoru's side.

With Rico in his right arm and Liz in his left, Satoru enjoys the warmth of their presence. Liz has already begun to breathe in her sleep. If it's just her sleeping face, she looks more and more like Alice. However, the difference between 8 and 14 years old is apparent in her physique, and her body is on the verge of changing from a girl to a woman. The difference is significant because Alice is still a girl. In fact, if she were to reach the same age as Liz, there's no way Satoru'd be sharing a bed like this.

You can't, Satoru. If you get horny...

While checking on Liz's sleep, Rico whispered into Satoru's ear. Satoru was taken aback, but then he realized that he hadn't shown Rico any of Alice's images. Rico's behavior had been a bit suspicious since he met Liz and the others, but she must have been thinking about the exchange between Satoru and Liz.

I won't. ...... Come to think of it, I never told Rico that. Liz looks a lot like my little sister. She's a little older, though. About Reine-san, she looks just like my dead mother.

Ah ......

Rico had heard during the reunion that Satoru resembled the late Reine's husband in appearance and mood. She was convinced that this was the reason why both Liz and Reine were able to be so open with Satoru, even though they had never met before, but Rico didn't realize that Satoru had his own thoughts about their resemblance. Come to think of it, when Satoru met Liz, he called her "Alice", and when he met Reine, he called her "Mom".

So that's what Onii-chan means.

It's the other side that said it. Don't get me wrong..

I won't. I won't.

Rico gave a small laugh in agreement.

...... father

Liz squirmed and moved at Satoru's side. She had lost her father, albeit in his lifetime, around the time she entered puberty. And her life has changed a lot since then. Her father left her at an age when she still needed him, and the shock must have been great.

Then Satoru appeared, who was somewhat similar to her late father. Perhaps she was looking for the scent of her lost father in Satoru. Even though she knew it was only temporary.

Reine said that she filled her loneliness with Liz. But what about Liz? Her mother's leg was badly damaged, and she had nothing to cling to as she struggled to survive. He can't imagine how hard it must have been for her.

Thinking of that, even though he knew it was only for a short time, if he could share a little warmth with her, he would do so. That's why Satoru accepted the morally unacceptable sleeping together.

But... even though I knew that.

......But even more so, I'm afraid that Liz will take Satoru away from me.

Satoru let out a small sigh as he muttered to Rico.

Idiot

Satoru hugged Rico with one arm as she clung to him tightly. For Rico, Satoru's side was the place where she finally found herself. The fear of having that place taken away by a random girl like Liz had been haunting her for a long time.

Satoru brushed it off, but the fear still lingered in Rico's mind.

.........

If the journey is successful, Satoru will return to his world. She know that. Rico knows that there is a possibility that she will have to say goodbye for this life. If she could, she would, but as she was now, Satoru would probably refuse even if she wanted to follow him. Somehow, Rico felt that way.

She knew it was inappropriate, but if Satoru continued to have feelings for Liz and Reine, he might not ask to go back to his world. That would make Rico happy.

But if that happens, it won't be her who can stay by Satoru's side. It will be Reine, who looks like his mother, and Liz, who looks like his little sister. When that happens, What about me?Where will I be?

A whisper of anxiety swirled in Rico's mind.