The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

Chapter 245: Training & Ice Cream & Eva’s Smile

I took off my leather clothes on the spot, exposing my own chest. Though, I won’t do a muscle pose towards the servant near me.

After quickly handing over the clothes, I ran across the courtyard. While checking the pattern on the stone paving, I jumped after stepping into the gap of a trench. Suddenly I could hear shrill, happy screams from the servants.

――Is it because I’m naked above the waist?

I invoked several instances of < Magic Hand guided by Thought > as scaffolding in midair, and as if using them as a stairway, I went up into the air by kicking off the respective steps, running through the air.

When the roof of the front gate came in sight, I performed a forward somersault, and decisively landed heel-first on that roof with the image of making an enemy eat my stabbing kick.

And then, “――Catiza, become my new arm, around the elbow of my right arm.”

Catiza, who had been sticking to my arm, transformed into a golden caterpillar, and swiftly went up to my right elbow with movements characteristic of a caterpillar. There she transformed, resulting in a new arm growing out from my right elbow.

I raised my right arm with the new addition, and stared at the right wrist with the < Chain Factor > and my item box. The item box was a bracelet, kind of like a futuristic wrist watch. I touched its glass surface resembling a glass panel with the tip of my finger.

No spraying sound could be heard from the panel, but a rainbow-colored laser with the impression of a spray was emitted right above it. The radiated laser was partially destroyed once it created a Tensegrity hemisphere that resonated above my arm, but the laser waves, which were emitted once more, deployed into a hologram map as if the oscillation and resonance was modeled after the world’s structure.

――The simple map of Dimension Scan, which is also a three-dimensional hologram.

This part makes it completely obvious that it’s a device belonging to an alien civilization.

I thrust my hand into the three-dimensional map as if to sneak a look at the Dimension Scan’s content. While watching my arm and the semi-transparent three-dimensional map, I touched the glass panel of the item box with my finger with an image of barraging the A button sixteen times. Of course it’s a gentle touch so as to not break the panel.

The map floating above the panel vanished and the light green menu of the item box showed up.

◆: Human-shaped Mark: Storage: List

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Item Inventory:　60/260

There was no buzzing activation sound. However, the menu screen gave me such an impression. I touched the entries at the bottom of the menu screen.

Divine Spear Ganghis, Lightning-style La Doola, Magic Spear Gudorl which I got appraised, and Tofinger’s Crying Ax. I took out the Ring of Mist Mirage, and put it on my new arm.

I guess I will leave offering magic stones to the item box for another day. It’s not like I’m in a particular hurry anyway. Let’s go at it slow and steady. For now, the training of my new arm.

With that decided, I lifted up Magic Spear Gudorl with my new arm. Gudorl had an orange blade with a width similar to that of a two-handed sword. An orange naginata blade that’s on fire…

The classy shopkeeper mentioned that it had a fire-attribute effect that could be called the light of a strong life with a woman’s life as source. The woman that saved the 【Spirit Fog Island】. I don’t know how she’s related to Pax, though.

…Is it one of those…the one where your body will turn into a woman’s body once you pour mana into it? Should I go for it?

I guess I could. Alright, I got this!

Then I poured mana into Gudorl-chan with the evil thought of “Come on, gimme a beauty!”

At that moment, alongside a hollow, rapping sound ― a pillar of fire was created from the orange blade.

Ugh, scaaary shit! Is that Gudorl-chan’s retort!?

A thin, blazing column headed for me…

The shopkeeper didn’t mention with a single word that it had such an effect though! Even though my Dad never beat me――

With such feelings, I glared at Gudorl-chan like the pilot of the 『Federation’s White Devil』. As a test, I sent in mana once more.

Huh? Nothing’s happening? What’s the deal?

Did the previous pillar of fire react to my evil thoughts? It might have been a kind of a retort with the feeling of 『As if there’s any way to change into a woman’s body』 by a gorilla fairy dwelling in the orange blade.

Yep, it was a retort pillar. I’m sure, that must be it…

While pondering about such things, I summoned the Magic Halberd into the palm of my right hand, the original one, and shifted it into my left hand. Then I summoned Ganghis into my right hand. A three-spear style with those three…

If I had another physical arm, it’d become a four-spear style. Well, I got < Magic Hand guided by Thought >, so let’s not be too demanding.

I had the crooked mana hand of < Magic Hand guided by Thought > grasp La Doola.

Fufu, fuhahahaha! Finally! A four-spear style!

While thinking that, I pointlessly adopted a Gri〇 Pose. No, this is no Gri〇 Pose! It’s the crane pose. Having said that, it’s not the yoga’s Bakasana. It’s in the style of masterpiece movie 『Karate Kid』.

Speaking of karate, it has a crane technique. While focusing on that crane technique, I moved the yellow spearhead of La Doola to the upper left. And then I extended my left arm with Baldok straight ahead as if to stare at its crimson spearhead, and got it ready at the height of my chest.

I changed the angle of my right arm with Ghangis at hand, moving its silver spearhead to the upper right. Next I also changed the angle of Gudorl in my additional arm on the elbow, shifting it to the upper right as well. I’m going to dance the spearmaster marching song while using this four-spear style!

No, no, stop, stop. My tension over training with my new arm went through the roof. I immediately switched my thinking towards doing this seriously.

I thrust out Gudorl diagonally to the front, drawing the figure eight in midair with its orange blade with the feeling of a painter. At the same time, I strongly concentrated on my back muscles. With the image of amassing power across my whole body, I circulated the Magic Halberd to my back.

When I had accumulated all energy, including the mana in my whole body, I released that power as if placing it on the Magic Halberd, activating < Powerful Slash >. Using the momentum, I let my body revolve like a spin-top, advancing forward in such a manner. I felt giddy from all the rotating, but I probably didn’t feel sick because of the Lucival’s resistant semicircular canals.

And, thanks to the increased rotational power, I had a momentum as if my arm and the Magic Halberd were twining themselves around my body. Its red ax blade kept rotating and rotating with a force to cut through space.

――As my visual field kept changing rapidly, the crimson trail remaining in midair entered my sight. The trails spread out in a fan-form, following in my wake as I advanced forward. At the moment when the rotational slash movements came to an end, I focused on the Master Archilles’ directly transmitted way of walking.

Using the precise walking method of the Wind Spear Style, I attained various alterations by including fine, different distributions of the < Magic Combat Style > at the soles of both my feet.

I’m thankful to Master Archilles for having taught me the Wind Spear Style. While walking across the roof with that style’s walking method, I continued to harbor feelings of gratitude towards my Master.

And then I started to twist my waist and right arm. I unleashed a < Thrust > with Ghangis. A twin-moon spearhead resembling a Chinese halberd. Since it’s a weapon considered to have been loved by Lü Bu, one of the heroes in the Annals of the Three Kingdoms, I put my fighting spirit behind it. In reality it seems to be a weapon dating back to the Song dynasty, though.

Next, I had the crooked mana hand thrust La Doola in the empty spear right over my head. In addition, I scooped up Gudorl from below. The tip of its orange blade passed at a distance where it wasn’t clear whether it touched the roof’s surface. Flame-like particles scattered from the blade.

While pulling Gudorl’s handle back towards my chest, I clad my body in the < Magic Combat Style >. I especially strengthened my right hand and the right lower arm with mana. Then I unleashed another < Thrust > with Ghangis in my right hand.

One flash――

On top, I released another < Thrust > with Gudorl, which I had drawn to the front, in the same direction as Ghangis’. A two-chain combo of < Thrust >.

Because I had strengthened the arms with the < Magic Combat Style >, the speed of the thrusts was slightly increased.

A sound similar to fire being breathed out reverberated from Gudorl’s blade, suggesting that an orange flame had burst forth.

The < Thrust > with Gudorl’s spearhead wasn’t a thrusting technique, but rather looked like a sweeping technique. The shape of this spearhead’s blade…resembles the Green Dragon Crescent Blade of Guan Yu. An opponent facing it might feel its might.

And, < Thrust > was the basics. While delicately changing the quality of < Magic Combat Style > depending on the opponent, the basic < Thrust > had also the potential to become a certain death < Thrust >.

With the image of tripping up an imaginary enemy, I made a low sweep with Baldok. I imagined how the red ax blade dug into the legs of the imaginary enemy, causing blood to splatter into the air. In an instant I pulled back the hand holding Baldok, and made one rotation to lift up Baldok’s handle after making the ax blade point upwards. Baldok rotated with a force as if pushing through the wind. In addition, I swung La Doola diagonally downwards, to sever the imaginary enemy’s leg.

But, I assumed that the imaginary enemy would splendidly block the blade. Thus I unleashed several normal thrusts, < Thrusts > and fakes with La Doola and Baldok, aiming for the imaginary enemy’s head. I swung Baldok downwards, thinking how I would crush the enemy’s head with the red ax blade, and then I stopped Baldok just before it touched the roof’s surface.

At that point, I wrapped up my initial training.

――Ossu! I made a greeting full of fighting spirit that feels like constricting the waist with both arms. And then I went on with the training centered around spearmanship until the sun went down. When it became evening, I still wasn’t fully satisfied.

Next, < Sage Art > training.

After taking a deep breath and getting my mana ready…I created fog. The cold fog of < Sage Art > blended with the darkness. The cold-weather-like sage art mana that had turned into a dense mist hit my cheeks and chilled my body.

It felt as though the coldness of the night was ruling the roof. But…I can’t get used to the consumption of mana for < Sage Art >.

It felt as if my stomach was being twisted…it’s tough. Still, the invocation of < Sage Art > has become a lot smoother. Alright. While motivating myself with an image of having just stepped out of a bath, I used the Ring of Mist Mirage, creating clones of myself.

I moved, dashing across the roof which was dominated by mist. Implementing a stepwork that focused on the muscles at my feet, I repeatedly performed rotations on my toes with such a force that the roof’s surface got scorched by the soles of Arzen’s Boots.

At the same time, I used evasion techniques in succession.

Rotations that left no openings ―― motion.

Stopping to move ―― stillness.

A spear martial arts training that unified me, the four spears and my evasion techniques. The spears that focused on stabbing and slashing steadily crushed my clones that manifested as imaginary enemies. My clones also floated in midair within the fog.

In the next moment, those clones attacked. I erased Baldok, becoming unarmed in one hand.

After striking the ground with that hand, I performed a cartwheel, and while revolving, I focused on my belly as I bent the elbow of the hand supporting me. Let’s make use of my inner abs. I jumped by handling my body like a spring through the power of my hand and my abs.

While making my body rotate through the air in a somewhat messy state, I crossed both my feet as if performing a scissors flip in midair, and using kicking techniques and a part of the < Magic Hand guided by Thought > as scaffolding, I carried out spear arts in the air combining kicks and < Spear Kumite >.

――It’s self-taught, but still feels good.

I eliminated the mist clones floating in the air with spear arts that used those kicking techniques as the main element. While repeatedly attacking with the four spears, I continued my martial arts training.

――I guess around here is fine.

I landed after having fully erased a part of the mist and clones.

…Next is Tofinger’s Crying Ax. Fortunately the nights are long on this planet.

Just when I thought that,

“Your Excellency, I have brought black tea.” Helme called out to me with a clean, refreshing voice.

She looked at me with a beautiful expression that had a solemn and mysterious atmosphere. Her posture of puffing out her chest looked dignified. And, although she didn’t wear her heels…her big two hills wobbled each time she took a step forward.

Helme-san, who was endowed with such a wonderful chest, held a teacup in one hand, apparently carrying it so that no black tea would spill over. She sure is a thoughtful spirit-san.

“Okay…” I nodded while looking at Helme.

I’m going to enjoy the cool and refreshing night wind together with Helme. I think I can treat myself to a little bit of a teatime. Afterwards it might be a good idea to have a mock battle with Helme.

◇◇◇◇

Next day.

I had started to make ice cream in the kitchen of the Ligna Dee restaurant. Eva, Dee, and Lily were watching me from the side. Rollo also observed the work progress on top of the table, looking small and quiet.

Ingredients like eggs, honey, and alcohol, a large and two medium thin-skinned bags, a cloth, the fruits prepared by me, and the cooled coconuts lined up atop the table. Cinnamon and sugar were present as well, but I won’t use them this time.

However, Dee-san’s look is fiery. I could sense a desperate desire to learn anything about ice cream.

It’s nothing that difficult, though.

I started with normal ice cream.

“Well then, we start with the meringue.”

I split yolk and white of the eggs, distributing them into two bowls. I added plenty of honey to the whites, and dribbled a bit black sweet water into it. Then I turned my hand in the way of a hand mixer, stirring it up inside the bowl with a wooden stick.

“That’s it for the meringue for now.”

“Splitting yolk and white, black sweet water as secret flavoring…”

“It’s still not done.”

At that point, I took out the coconut milk I had prepared in advance.

“Nn, coconuts.”

“Correct, a sweet fruit.”

I completed the check that the coconut milk’s liquid and solid components had separated.

“Nyao.”

“If it’s that sweet fruit juice, I have already drunk some of it in the past!”

Lily and Rollo exclaimed while looking as if they were gulping down.

I put the solid coconut cream, which drew everyone’s attention, into a wooden bowl, and while cooling the bowl from the outside with < Life Magic > ice, I started to stir the cream inside the bowl.

“The way you’re mixing this is really superb.” Dee-san, a professional cook, pointed out.

It made me slightly embarrassed.

While carefully stirring…so that the bowl wouldn’t get damaged, “…Well, I do have confidence in my physical strength.” The instant I gave that reply, the stirring stick snapped.

“Kya.”

“Ah!”

The broken stick clashed against an iron frying pan, bounced off it, flew back towards my face, and stabbed ―― not. I grabbed it as if catching an arrow.

…I got a bit too caught up in the moment there.

“…I heard that you’re a first-class adventurer, but to catch a bouncing stick, I’m filled with awe.”

“Yep. I knew that you were amazing. Still, Shuuya-san, you also make mistakes, don’t you?” Lily said.

“Nn, Shuuya, got too cocky.”

“Milady, you look happy although he failed?”

“Nn, Shuuya cute, he‘s sometimes a scatterbrain.”

“I’m ashamed. I planned to hold back my strength a bit, but it looks I got too elated after being praised by you.”

“Haha, you’re an honest man. Shuuya-san, please continue without minding it.” The handsome Dee-san urged me to keep going with a laugh.

I continued stirring with a new stick. Even while imagining an eggbeater, the image of tampering with soft marshmallows…

“Nyaon, nyaa.”

However, Rollo reacted to those flawless stick motions. It looks like she wants to mix the cream together with me.

If she were to churn it up with her pads, adorable paw balls3 are, no, let’s forget it.

“Nn, Rollo-chan, don’t disturb Shuuya.”

“Nyaa.”

Next Rollo-san thrust a paw into a bowl filled with ichigon(Strawberry).

“Jeez, Rollo-chan, you’re a rascal.”

“It’s not alloweeed!”

Lily grabbed Rollo by the scruff of her neck and hugged her closely at her chest. While massaging the backside of both front paws, she gave Rollo’s small head a kiss.

“Fufu, cute～”

“Seeing how Rollo looks happy as well, I think that she likes your warmth, Lily.”

Well it’s because she’s a beastman, I suppose. While thinking that they might be able to understand each other, I mixed the yolk, honey, a small amount of alcohol, the whipped coconut cream, and the meringue together, and then stuffed the mass into a leather bag and let it rest for a bit.

Next…I washed the ichigon and crushed them into puree. And then, using the same ingredients as before, I mixed it all together, and stuffed it into another leather bag.

With this the foundation for normal ice cream and ichigon ice cream are done.

Lastly, I crammed a somewhat larger amount of salt and < Life Magic > ice into the big leather bag. I’m going to make use of the freezing point depression’s effect.

I put the smaller bags with the ice cream and ichigon ice cream into the big bag, stimulating a rapid freezing. I wrapped the big bag up with a cloth, and after thoroughly rubbing the bag through the cloth, we waited for around an hour.

Afterwards I took out the medium bags from the big bag with the ice, and checked their contents. Of course I found ice cream inside.

The ice cream had solidified into a creamy consistency with a pretty, white color and a nice aroma. I scooped out that soft, delicious-looking ice cream with a wooden spoon, getting everyone else to sample it as well.

“Whoaa…so that’s ice cream!”

“Nn, Shuuya, amazing! Resembles the one I ate at the Tanaka Cafe.”

After looking at everyone with a smile, I sampled it as well. The ice cream immediately melted on my tongue. Its coldness and the faint sweetness were indescribable. It had a wonderful taste because the ingredients were great. It possessed a simple coconut sweetness and flavor.

“――Wonderful, it’s perfect.”

“This is, ice cream. A cooking method using < Life Magic >.”

Dee-san looked into the big bag with the salt and ice.

“Yeah, it melts right away. Come on, let’s eat up the two types of ice cream soon.”

“Okay, good appetite.”

“Nn.”

“Let me dig in then.”

All of us ate the fresh ice cream after placing it on plates.

“Wow! It immediately melts inside the mouth.”

“Nyaoooo～”

“Nn, it has the taste of milk! The one with ichigon that’s different from Tanaka’s is delicious as well!”

“This is, ice cream. Cold, sweet, and a nice food texture…it’s the first time for me to see a cold dish that doesn’t need any heating, but it looks like it’d be interesting if you added jigua to it as well. However, I recall having eaten something similar in the past.”

It seems to be popular.

Dee-san came up with an idea how to modify it at once. Nothing less of a professional.

Combining ice scream and jigua…that might be a nice idea. Jigua is a light brown great burdock, but it has a crisp vegetable part and a white flesh core…kind of like corn, an ingredient with a peculiar sweetness. Adding that sweetness to this ice cream…seems chaotic if you imagine it, but it has the potential to become an unknown dessert.

Well, I think I will leave that area to the professional.

He remembers having eaten in the past. That probably means he ate an ice cream created by someone else seeing how it’s easy to make it. It just hasn’t spread much in the culinary world of Pelneet, but I think for those who know about cooking it’s a dessert they will recognize.

I handed over the ingredients and tools to Dee-san, sponsoring them.

“This is all you need.”

“Thank you. This increased the recipes for this restaurant.”

“Nn, Shuuya, thanks.”

“Shuuya-san, thank you very much.”

Following Dee-san’s and Eva’s lead, Lily, who had been playing around with Rollo, also bowed. The small dog-like ears growing on her head twitched.

“…No, don’t mind it. I had promised Eva to do this.”

“Nn, nyaon.”

After getting away from Lily and climbing on the table, Rollo also gave her reply. Of course with a triumphant look.

“Nn, Rollo-chan, you also did your best at mix mix?”

“Nyan.” Rollo answered while tapping the table with one paw.

Afterwards, we all left the kitchen, gathered at a clean, square table located in a corner of the restaurant, and chatted with each other about various topics.

Things such as…thanks for the development of the magic wheelchair, the invocation of Magic Tiger Create at my mansion, and how Lily previously hid, trying to hit me.

“Nn, Lily! Don’t do something so dangerous ever again!”

“O-Okay, milady… But, I want to protect you, milady!” Lily’s ears dropped down while she defended her actions.

She has adorable ears that look like cat ears or those of a toy dog. For an instant I was reminded of Sarah of Red Tiger’s Tempest.

Lily isn’t as manly as Sarah, but Lily is who she is, and she’s cute since she’s tiny.

Eva stared at Lily with an angelic smile.

“…You’re really being cherished, Eva.” I unintentionally pointed out.

“Nn, know. I love Lily.”

“Milady! I love you, too!”

Lily hugged Eva who was sitting in her wheelchair. In the shape of burying her face in Eva’s hidden big boobs…

Eva gently caressed Lily’s back as if calming a baby.

Afterwards, the conversation shifted towards a discussion about cooking with Dee-san. He mentioned that he was in the middle of researching gratin dishes and Tonra bird meat dishes rather than fish-based cooking most recently, and then he passionately declared,

“…I also want to challenge myself by cooking the Great Prairie’s large deer, the A-rank subjugation target Cockatrice, and the B-rank subjugation target Big Stone Kicker which is breeding in great quantities. However, nowadays…it feels like there’s a lack of cooking ingredients…but, I can still handle it with the ingredients on hand. I can’t lose to the restaurants on the Flavor Street.”

During his speech, Eva, who had been listening silently, looked at me. For an instant, she clad her whole body with mana that had the same violet color as her eyes, wrapping up her wheelchair in violet mana as well.

Eva lifted up the hem of her dress as if to show off her thighs.

“――Nn, Dee, let’s stop the talk about hunting for ingredients now. Shuuya, I will take you to the upper floor, come.”

Eva transformed her wheelchair. Her legs became metallic with wheels attaching themselves to her ankles. Eva swiftly proceeded in the direction of the restaurant’s entrance by smoothly gliding across the wooden floor.

“Sure, upstairs, it is――”

I stood up from my chair, and after bowing to Dee-san, who told me about cooking and ingredients, I followed Eva. Lily played with Rollo using a stick similar to a green foxtail. Rollo ran after her with a nice rhythm. She lifted one paw, and cut through the air with a cat punch.

“Ahahaha, Rollo-chan! Next is this! I wonder whether you will be able to keep up.”

“Nyanyaaa.”

Rather than playing around, my partner was being toyed with by Lily, I think. It woke the urge in me to chase after the foxtail as well, err no, I mean play with my partner, but I shifted my eyes towards Eva’s back.

While watching her back and the beautiful metallic legs…Lily, who had been playing with Rollo, was about to climb the stairs located on the right of the entrance in order to hug Eva from the side.

At that moment, Eva shouted, “Not allowed――”, with a powerful voice from atop the stairs, and released her violet mana towards the base of the stairway.

The mana, similar to a wall of fog, blocked Lily’s movements.

“Milady!?”

Lily had apparently attempted to hinder Eva and me to spend time together by ourselves.

“Lily, no. Right now I want to be together with Shuuya, okay?”

Lily made her small ears droop while unable to move due to the violet mana enveloping her.

“Uuuh, okay.”

Once she gave such a weak reply, Lily was released by Eva’s mana. She distanced herself from us in low spirits. I faced Dee-san who had watched this while smiling. Because the foxtail-like toy was still in Lily’s slender hand, Rollo was drawn in and walked around at Lily’s feet. The swaying of the dense fur on her hind paws was cute.

“Nn, Shuuya, follow me.”

“Sure.”

After climbing the stairs, I entered the second floor. It had a rectangle shape just like the first floor. The ceiling was slightly low, making it feel a bit narrow.

Eva opened a light brown door on the front left side, and went inside. Following her, I also went into the room.

The room was surprisingly big. On the right side was a wooden window with an impressive, thick, woven curtain. The sun illuminated the room through the window. A nice aroma hung in the air.

An aroma similar to pine needles? Is it some flower? It invigorated my mood.

And then I felt something soft at my feet. It was a violet-blue carpet, looking like it’d feel great to step on barefooted.

There was a knitting work that was still in progress laying on a white chair. …I feel like I saw something similar in Eva’s room back at home. Is knitting her secret hobby?

The bed was in the left corner. It was a sturdy one, although it didn’t have a canopy. Parchments with pictures drawn on them and old drawing papers hung on the wall next to the bed. One of them was drawn with thick crayon lines, only using the primary colors, depicting a girl that resembled Eva, who sat on a wheelchair and had big wings grow out of her back.

She looked just like an angel…

Next to the girl were people that could barely be identified as Lily and Dee-san. The angel had put both her hands together and was flying while praying with Dee-san and Lily at her sides. The violet lines were slightly blurry…

“…In the past, Lily drew it for me. She said that I look like an angel.” Eva said with a shy smile.

Seeing that smile, I felt how my heart throbbed. And, even though it’s a memory of the two of them, it felt nostalgic to me. My face naturally formed a broad smile.

“…Angel, eh?”

I could agree to that. Eva has an angelic smile after all. I could sense a deep love and their history as family…from this picture.

Averting my eyes from the deeply emotional picture, I looked at the middle of the room. A solemn cabinet with a black luster was placed close to the wall opposite of the entrance door. Several metal ingots and sculpture-like minerals were exhibited in that cabinet.

The chest of drawers for storing her clothes was small. I guess it’s very typical of Eva.

Next to the cabinet with the metals and minerals was a small desk with a bookshelf. The faint light of a lamp illuminated the antique, light brown desk and the shelf at the wall which was stuffed with scrolls and books. A diary and a quill were placed on the desk.

The traces of metal that had eaten trenches into the desk’s wood, and traces of ink stains…I feel like I could take a glimpse at Eva’s appearance back then when she sat there. I was also a bit curious about the books.

There are certainly books that I don’t have at home. With that belief, I shifted my eyes towards the bookshelf. The Path to A-rank Adventurer; The Voice Calling through the Abysmal Silence of the Heart; The Black Swan, Boar, and Lion; Mislan Tower; Heretic Galmodeus; Fate of the Nobles with a Magic Symbol; Lineage of the Shunned Half Elves; Included Extra Skills; The Way to Move a Cudgel; Monsters as Ingredients; Monster Book; The Hidden, Ancient Noble Fenron Family; Ysoln Kingdom, Home of the Thread Users; and The Penniless Toad.4 Various books that had apparently been created by a relieur were lined up there. The Monster Book seems to have many descriptions of different species. Several versions of monster books could also be found in Eva’s room in my mansion.

“It’s because I also buy books every now and then.”

“Looks like it.”

Eva provided an explanation after following my look. Several white Adirondack-style chairs were standing next to her. There were also props which she had apparently bought in antique shops here and there. Overall, I felt that they were slightly nebulous items.

“…Nn, sit down here.”

Eva sat down on a white chair with her legs still being metallic. Eva trying to hide the knitting work by putting it in the box below was totally obvious.

“Got it…”

I nodded towards Eva’s invitation. Eva’s room, eh? It’s classy, and a womanly room, just as expected…I feel slightly nervous.

Then I sat down on one of the chairs next to her bed.

“Nn, different from the usual Shuuya.”

Ugh, she’s perceptive.

“Well, that’s because it’s the first time for me to visit your bedroom, Eva.”

“Nn, cute.”

Eva smiled while widening the orbicular muscles of her eyes.

“Me, cute….?”

“Fufu, Shuuya, you have such parts as well. You were also cute when we were eating steak in the evil domain.” Eva smiled angelically.

The way of Eva talking like that is lovely, but…

“I see. Thanks. But, as a man I’d be more happy about being called cool than cute, to be honest.” I answered while sticking out my chin crisply.

“Nn, Shuuya, showing off?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Fufu, you’re cool and cute.”

“Darling, you’re also very cute when you’re acting like this.”

“Nn.” She nodded, apparently agreeing.

She emphasized the look in her eyes, trying to produce an aura of confidence. Her violet eyes were trembling as she stared at me.

“Haha, today you’re acting awfully confident, aren’t you Eva? Is it because you’re in your own room? I have entered your room in my mansion many times as well…”

“Nn…”

Eva’s cheeks dyed scarlet as she apparently recalled various scenes.

“…Did the usual Eva return?”

“Nn, on the contrary, I might have become slightly embarrassed since it’s my room…”

She really seems to be embarrassed. Suddenly Eva changed, turning her look towards diagonally below.

Is Eva thinking that she has failed in taking the initiative?

Either way, it’s a womanly, cute behavior.

“…But, this room sure is great. It smells nice as well. Somehow it feels like it’s the room where you grew up.”

“Nn, really? This room?”

“Yep. A tidy and orderly environment with a bunch of metals over there. Since you’ve also got an item box, I know that those are only a small fraction of what you have, but there’s many of them and they are pretty.”

“Thanks. But, I cleaned before your visit. Also, when I’m not here, Lily keeps this room clean as well.”

Oh, that’s how it is.

“Is Lily also gathering ingredients and such?”

“Nn, she’s an adventurer. Unlike me, she has formed a party with people of the academy, who live in the neighborhood, I heard.”

“Hee, if you say academy, you mean the one where Rebecca graduated and where Mysty is working as a teacher?”

“Yes. If it’s fish that can be caught in the Heim River, it’s easy to stock them up, but Lily seems to have it difficult with going back and forth between the labyrinth and the great prairie…she also mentioned that she’s worried about the war.” Eva explained in a slightly dispirited manner.

Is it because she hasn’t gathered ingredients most recently? Or is it about the war?

“Now that you mention it, Dee-san also said that he’s lacking ingredients.”

“Nn, I might help out as well.”

“Makes sense. Previously you had gathered mushrooms, jigua, and slimes as ingredients in the labyrinth, after all.”

“Nn――”

After listening to my words and nodding deeply, Eva clad her whole body with mana. While making her body float, she got close to me, and then flopped down on my knees.

“Nn, Shuuya…”

Eva turned her face towards my face which was diagonally behind her. Her eyes were trembling slightly. It was an expression full of expectations.

Just as she wished, I tightly hugged her from behind.

“Nn…”

Eva turned back to the front while lifting her happy face, and grabbed my arm with both her hands.

A nice aroma tickled my nostrils, originating from her nape…

At the same time I gently caressed her breast which was so big that I couldn’t fully grasp it in my left palm.

“…Shuuya, your hand, warm…” Eva whispered in a hushed, small voice.

“Your body is so soft.”

Yep, it’s soft and full of places to massage.

“Nn, you told me before…”

“I will say it as often as you like. It’s soft and heavenly…”

“――Nn.”

Eva leaned her slender back against my chest, entrusting her body’s weight to me.

…It’s a weight dear to me.

And then she extended her neck towards me as far as she could, trying to turn around her small face. She shut her eyes and attempted to place her lovable lips on mine. How cute.

I gently welcomed Eva’s lips, and we kissed for a long, long time.

Light Demon Lucival have no need to breathe. …It was a truly long kiss, one that felt as though we became one mind, one body.

Once our lips separated, strings of saliva spanned between our mouths.

“…I felt your love.”

“Well, I wouldn’t kiss you if I didn’t love you.”

“Nn.”

Eva revealed her angelic smile. I felt like the shepherd who heard a divine revelation from an angel that the messiah would be born.

This is probably what it means to fall to the charm of a woman’s smile.

My heart was beating furiously. I’m a Lucival. No matter how much I run, I won’t get tired. My stamina is inexhaustible…however, right now my heartbeat is intense. I guess, in the end my weakness are women.

“…Shuuya, laughed?”

“Yeah, about me having fallen to the charm of your smile.”

“Fufu, whenever I look at your smile, my heart throbs as well――”

Eva properly turned around towards me, and embraced me.

I don’t know whether Rollo, who’s been playing around below, has noticed what came afterwards, but…

――It became a wonderful night full of sex.

◇◆◇◆

“Mumumu, milady…”

“Nyaa?”

“Lily, milady will be sad if you pull such a face.”

“N, nyaa.”

“Dee-san, I know that, but uuuhh.”

Dee-san smiled gently as he looked at Lily’s face, and added, “――Here, eat this. It’s a new, improved ice cream I came up with based on Shuuya-san’s recipe and ingredients.”

“Whooaaa, it’s grains! Those are pesoto nuts!?”

Just as the veteran cook had mentioned, he improved the ice cream by sprinkling finely mashed pesoto nuts.

“――Nya, nyaaaaan.”

The black cat Rollodeen, who was next to Lily, was overjoyed. She might be excited over the new ice cream.

She extended a tentacle towards the plate

“Ah, Rollo-chan is snatching the ice cream with her tentacle…”

“Lily, that ice cream was the last right now.”

“Uuuhh, whatever…” Lily revealed an expression that seemed to be on the verge of crying.

“N, nya.”

Rollodeen stopped being mischievous after seeing Lily’s sad look. She gently extended her tentacle towards Lily’s chest. The ice cream plate was placed on the flat part of her tentacle.

“Rollo-chan! Fufu, you’ve properly left some ice cream for me, haven’t you? Then, let’s eat it together to console each other?”

◇◆◇◆

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