While Vertis in Laputa was buried in a swamp of paperwork piled high as a mountain, Vertis in Ingrasia was out on a date with Shizu.
"Sorry. Did you wait long?"
"No, I just got here too."
Shizu was dressed not in her usual teacher's uniform, but in a black dress that matched her eyes and hair. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail with a black ribbon the sa color as the dress, and a blue ribbon adorned the lower part of it. On top of that, since she wasn't wearing the mask she always used when going out, Shizu's beauty stood out all the more.
"Well? Does it suit ?"
"Yeah. It looks great on you."
"Really? That's a relief. Then can I ask you to take care of for today?"
"Sure. Let's start by looking around the city."
With that, I took Shizu's hand and walked through the streets of the tourist district. As we strolled, we stopped at a café along the road, took our ti over tea, and chatted.
"...So I asked the kids which they'd rather do: run fifty laps around the field, go up and down the stairs in a duck walk, do fifty practice matches, or draw. And would you believe it? Every single one of them chose drawing. Working out is so much fun..."
"I... see?"
I did my best to keep a calm expression as I took a sip of tea and ate the snacks the server had brought, listening to Shizu talk about her life as a teacher.
At the Free Academy, Shizu's nickna was the Demon Drill Instructor. Her teaching was so strict that people said it was harsh enough to make not only children but even adults run away. Very few had ever made it through her hellish training, and among them were Yuuki, now the chairman of the Free Guild, and Hinata, known as the right hand of God.
Well... knowing Shizu's past, I understood that she was only trying to think of others, but even so, she definitely took it a little too far.
"Have you ever thought about easing up a little? They're still kids, you know."
"Because they're kids, they need to be raised strong!"
She said it with a smile, and her face was breathtakingly beautiful, but the words coming out of her mouth were anything but.
After our light conversation at the café, we wandered all over Ingrasia while eating street food. Along the way, I learned a new fact: despite appearances, Shizu had a surprisingly huge appetite. We also watched a martial arts tournant between adventurers at the arena and saw a play being perford at the Rozzo Theater.
The play was supposedly based on the epic of the Holy Knight Hinata, but honestly, I barely took in what it was about. Partly because I had no interest in the church, and partly because it just didn't resonate with . Still, the acting and singing were quite impressive.
Shizu, on the other hand, was seeing a play for the first ti, and she seed completely absorbed from beginning to end. After that, we headed to an art gallery a short distance from the theater and admired the works on display.
Perhaps because it was close to the Western Holy Church, most of the artwork was related to light or to God. The piece that left the strongest impression on was one called God's Grace. It depicted a silver-haired woman who looked like so kind of deity bestowing a blessing on a knight presud to be Hinata.
"It's beautiful."
"I don't really get it..."
After finishing our look around the gallery, we stepped back out into the street and entered a shop lined with all sorts of accessories. There were countless items on display, but nothing really caught my eye.
"Do you think this penguin doll would suit Elise?"
"Elise? Oh, that blonde girl you teach? I think it'd be fine. She seems like the type who likes dolls."
As I said that and kept browsing the shop, sothing that seed like it would suit Shizu caught my eye. It was a teardrop-shaped necklace.
Should I buy this for her?
I picked up the necklace in front of , and after Shizu quickly bought gifts for the children, I handed it to her.
"This is for you. I hope you like it."
"A necklace? What a pretty color. I love it!"
Seeing how pleased she looked made feel happy too. Then, saying that she'd like to put it on her myself, Shizu lowered her head, and I took hold of the clasp and fastened the necklace around her neck.
"All done," I said as I drew my arms back. Shizu, who had been bowing her head, stared intently at the necklace hanging from her neck.
"Thank you, Betty."
Betty was the nickna she used for . Maybe my na was too long. Milim called Ver, while Shizu called Betty.
By the ti our date continued on, the sky had already turned with the colors of sunset. For the last stop, Shizu and I went to an upscale bar in Ingrasia and spent our ti drinking together. As we kept drinking, it beca obvious that unlike , who couldn't get drunk no matter how much I drank because of my draconic lineage, Shizu was thoroughly intoxicated after just a few glasses, her face flushed bright red.
Fortunately, I'd reserved the entire place for our date, so there were no other custors besides Shizu and .
"Aren't you drinking too much?"
Shizu, completely drunk, spoke in a slurred voice.
"Hiccup... Hehe... no. I can still drink more~!!"
As she tilted her glass again, Shizu, who had been lying face-down on the table without moving for a while, finally spoke.
"...You know, there was a ti when I wanted to die."
"...?!"
"Even if Ifrit stole my will, the truth is that these hands of mine killed a precious friend. And even after doing sothing like that, I couldn't shed a single tear. But I didn't even know who I was supposed to hate. Whether Ifrit killed her, or whether I did~~."
People say that when soone gets drunk, the feelings buried in their heart co pouring out just as they are. This was exactly that kind of mont. Shizu was laying bare the thoughts she had never told anyone else.
"...After that, I kept thinking that if anyone found out I was a majin, I might hurt the people precious to with my own hands all over again~~... I don't want to repeat sothing that horrible ever again."
"....."
"So I don't really have many good mories of this world... but after I t you, I started thinking I was glad I'd stayed alive this long. I made so many good mories because of that, and I got to know soone precious like you~ Hehe. You know I love you very much, don't you, Betty?"
With those words, Shizu was completely drunk, and I was carrying her on my back toward the Free Guild. Then she spoke.
"...Hey."
"What?"
"Let's do it like this."
"...."
I couldn't tell whether she ant it or whether it was just the drunken rambling of soone out of her mind, so I asked to make sure.
"...Are you serious?"
"Mm~. I want to feel you with my whole body, Betty. So..."
"...Whew. Then don't regret it."
After that, Vertis changed direction, entered his room, and ended up sleeping with Shizu.
His overwhelming stamina and vigor gave Shizu an intense pleasure so powerful and unfamiliar that it felt as if she were ascending into the heavens. Before long, she was letting out sweet, breathy cries, surrendering herself to instinct as she panted and moved her hips, and their union continued until morning.
Side: The Council
While Vertis in Ingrasia was with Shizu, an ergency eting was being held before the round table by council mbers chosen from each nation. Among them was one of Vertis's subordinates, who had taken control of the body of the king of the Kingdom of Falmuth, and beside him stood Vertis himself, disguised as an aide—parallel existence number three.
The Council's guiding principle was to help one another as equals, without looking down on smaller nations just because they were weak. Its purpose was to protect the interests of humanity as a whole. And the topic of this eting was none other than Tempest, the nation that had suddenly appeared in the Great Forest of Jura and was rapidly making its presence known.
Maintaining humanity's right to survive, dealing with monsters, and responding to natural disasters such as famine and epidemics were all part of the Council's role. A city built by monsters, therefore, was sothing they absolutely could not ignore.
Just like the saying about too many captains steering the ship into the mountains, nothing gets done when incompetents are the ones talking.
Watching the council mbers behind the scenes fold their arms and argue among themselves, Vertis let out an inward sigh.
Of course, with representatives from so many countries, there was no way this would end with everyone agreeing to get along. Every nation had its own internal sses. The powerful countries glared at each other in silence while letting the lesser ones fight in their place. Resources and technology were nothing more than tools for threats and coercion. Differences in wealth and religion ant they would never truly allow kings to stand as equals. And the mont they did join hands, they'd smile while trampling soone else together. How many kings could honestly say they spoke for their people or for other nations? The round table, symbol of peace, would be weeping. Still... as long as no blood is flowing, I suppose this can be called peace.
Monsters, in truth, worship strength, so they do not argue against the words of the strong. Humans, however, are different. They will sche behind the scenes in any way they can to gain even a little more advantage.
As the council mbers split into a faction that viewed Tempest favorably and a faction that viewed it with hostility, raising their voices at one another, the king of Falmuth and I simply stood there with our arms folded, saying nothing.
Most of those who saw Tempest favorably were from countries bordering the Great Forest of Jura. Since Rimuru was keeping the monsters of the forest under control, the nations neighboring it were benefiting from that grace.
In other words, those hostile to Tempest were mostly inland nations with relatively stable circumstances. And that wasn't all. Since the inland representatives had little direct experience with monsters, they had grown arrogant, speaking as though a nation built by monsters couldn't possibly amount to much.
Pathetic. You lot wouldn't even make it past Rimuru's subordinates, let alone Rimuru herself.
As the discussion dragged on, one council mber finally addressed the king of Falmuth.
"Your Majesty of Falmuth! What is your opinion of Tempest?!"
At that, the king, who had remained silent until now, spoke.
"It is hardly a matter worth making such a commotion over. I had one of my n investigate that nation independently. This is what he told : 'I have visited many countries, but I was simply astonished that monsters built a nation this beautiful. Its streets are orderly and clean, its people are neatly dressed, its standard of living is high, and public safety is excellent. If you saw it with your own eyes, you would never think it was a country built by monsters. If they are friendly to us humans, then white. If hostile, then black. Isn't that enough?'"
"What are you saying?! Surely you don't an to say monsters can be trusted?"
In the end, the pointless eting continued for so ti, and the ergency session concluded with the decision that they would keep a close watch on that nation for the ti being and also hear the opinion of the Western Holy Church.
But the part about consulting the Western Holy Church bothered . Their doctrine held that monsters were the common enemy of mankind, so there was no predicting what sort of divine ssage they might proclaim. They might even advocate sothing extre, like the complete annihilation of the monster nation.
And before long, that unease beca reality.
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