[Chapter 5]

-The Earth G.o.ddess and The Female Swordsman-

Right now, I am in a world that can be described as an Utopia, or rather Heaven. It is a place where Life and Death, Good and Evil, intertwined in absolute chaos yet so beautiful. It is also where G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses isolate themselves from the mortal world.

Also, my Human body is currently sleeping soundly in the bed within my house, which I built from the earth, gra.s.s and trees in Bern. My consciousness, my soul slipped out of my body and took on my Ancient Divine Dragon form. So here I am, in the Realm of the G.o.ds.

For the last sixteen years of my life as a Human, my soul has been resided in the sh.e.l.l of a Human body. However, I am not currently physically or spiritually bound to my body, so I feel rather good. While I am in this realm, the chain of that pulls everything to the ground, also known as  gravity, does not apply to me. Therefore, I fly high into the blue sky with my three pairs of wings spread wide. When I see my destination, I let out my favorite phrase.Fumu.

I stop flying and descend onto the ground. The spot I’m currently standing on is in a small region of a large continent in the sky. The beautiful blue sky stretches as far as your eyes can see. Near here, there are waterfalls spilling mist into the air and forming clouds. It’s such a beautiful sight. The one G.o.ddess I was expecting is waiting for me, and she smiles while seeing me come into view. For some reason, I find myself quickly feeling joy, and the smile on the beauty’s face is warm; how I’d always known her to be.

The G.o.ddess is dressed in a piece of white silk cloth hanging loosely by two strings, her jet-black hair is straight and long, almost reaching all the way to the ground. Her black pupils glow radiantly like black agates. There is no mistake, she is the G.o.ddess with the most influence, Mairahl.

I land on the ground and flap my wings a few times while balancing my big body on my feet. Of course, my form right now has no weight so it was only done out of habit. After all, my Dragon body is one which I had grown accustomed to for eons. I take a look around and see that the fully bloomed flowers, green trees, and green gra.s.s are living healthily in this environment. Those flowers can only exist on this Haven, where the G.o.ds live and are only permitted for their enjoyment. Thus, they give off a very sweet scent in the warm wind.

Even Mairahl, a G.o.ddess whose very existence on Earth is being revered, grew tired of the world because people catching diseases, and the population grows old and declines. However, she stays the same and keeps showing her gentle appearance.

“It has been long time. Old friend, Dragon.”

Mairahl’s voice sounds both like an old woman and a young girl, it’s still the same as the last time we met, what a nostalgic feeling. The reason why I feel nostalgia now probably has something to do with meeting her again.

“Certainly. How many ages has it been since we last met, G.o.ddess of the Earth? Either way, I am happy that you still look young and healthy.”

Mairahl smiles. I wonder if I said something funny?

“Fumu. After all, my soul has been damaged due to my reincarnation into a Human. I hope it is not too shabby in front of the Lady?”

My figure as a Dragon right now has six wings shining on my back, my eyes glow with seven colors(rainbow color), and my scales are white. In my opinion, nothing has changed regarding my appearance, but it may not seem so to Mairahl. If by accident, I expose this pathetic figure to an old friend, I am very sorry, but she laughs like a little girl and shakes her head, and I realize my misunderstanding.

“No, that is not the case. Compared to when I saw you last, you look much livelier, and I am glad that you are so. Oh…When I heard that you were taken prisoner by men, and since you grew tired of living and such….I too… thought…”

“I won’t deny it. At that particular time, I had already grown tired of living, whether I continued  to live or die did not matter to me at the slightest. So when the Hero’s sword pierced my heart, I felt neither a will to live nor to struggle, I only thought that it was finally over. I took it for granted. Also, I didn’t think that I should cause the Heroes anymore ha.s.sle than they’ve already had in coming to kill me.”

It’s like I’ve used their attack as an excuse to commit suicide now that I think about it. Even in my final moments, I spat a few words at the Heroes. in retrospect, it was a little childish, the Heroes shouldn’t have had anything to worry about.

“I see. However, the current you seems to enjoy living very much.

I am very happy to see you standing here, the figure of you and your soul doesn’t hide anything and I can see that you are living and enjoying your life as a Human. I am glad that it turned out this way.”

“Hearing that from the Lady herself, I am proud to have you as a friend, Mairahl. Fumu. I did not think that reincarnation into a Human was possible. However, the feeling of Human flesh, the stimulation of how they feel and taste things from a different perspective blew away my boredom and filled my soul with joys. So I thought about it and decided that this is a much more enjoyable way to live.”

After I was born as a Human being, through a Human baby’s eyes, I was surprised to see so many differences compared to the perspective of a Dragon. The unfamiliar Humans live their lives with their fragile bodies and low magic output, the joy and excitement of when my younger brother was born. Although life out on the edge of the continent is harsh, I talked to Mairahl without getting tired.

It is great that Mairahl, who is one of the major G.o.ddesses, and also considered to be the holiest G.o.ddess for Humans, to be listening to my story like a mother listening to her son’s bragging. She did ask quite a few questions but I answered them all. It seems that I have become talkative lately. The Earth G.o.ddess was a very good listener. Then, I finally notice that I did not talk about what I came here for. I make a gesture and bow to her.

“My story took longer than expected. The reason I bear the shame of exposing this slightly shabby appearance to the Lady is because I wished to talk about the matter concerning Selia. Thanks to you telling the oracle, she was able to live in the village.”

“That’s good. Recently, the people living in the village pray to me, and a sign of something very nostalgic was felt. So I started looking for what is going on in the Human world and stumbled upon you and that Lamia girl talking to the villagers. I listened to the story and gave an oracle out of kindness.”

In addition to that, it’s all thanks to Retisha who has both faith, strong enough to receive the oracle, and a kind heart, which allowed the situation to work out well. Once again, I lower my head toward Mairahl. And besides, using an oracle is considered to be a very big deal, so the fact that she used it to help Selia live in the village extinguished any doubts of her being dangerous to the villagers for good. For doing such a thing, I can only feel like I have to offer enough grat.i.tude.

“Nevertheless, I feel that I have not done enough to show you my dearest thanks. Lady Mairahl, what do you suggest I should do in order to repay you? I can do anything that will benefit you with the best of my current ability. Or if in the future you happen to be battling a strong foes such as an Evil Demon, I will rally into battle to help you as well. My power up to that extent still remains.”

The so called Evil Demons, they are an evil existence, evil G.o.ds, the false G.o.ds that dwell in their own evil spirit world. Within it, numerous factions of Demons exist, and even if I were to destroy a dozen legions, there would still be millions, or billions. But perhaps their numbers are infinite, and they would continue to try and corrupt the world.

Strictly speaking, that world would be called h.e.l.l, and inside that h.e.l.l, there can be another smaller h.e.l.l within it, and inside that “mini” h.e.l.l, there maybe a ruler which is the leader of all the minions in that pocket world. (T.L. It’s like a universe of h.e.l.l. A h.e.l.l within a h.e.l.l within a h.e.l.l. h.e.l.lception.)

Anyway, if one of those Rulers would attack the G.o.ds and try to disturb the balance of the world, then I will destroy him and his legion and make it a favor for Mairahl. After all, if they were to win, which is unlikely, it would cause very serious negative effects on the world. If someone else(G.o.ds) asked me to fight those Demons, I would refuse them and let them deal with it.

After hearing my resolve, Mairahl puts on a troubled expression. I struggled to find a way to repay my debt, and resolved to offer my power as a Dragon to do so. It would seem that in my desperation to find a way to repay the favor, I’ve pushed my benefactor into the corner of not knowing how to respond. The sense of guilt immediately attacks me and gives me an urge to apologize. I will reflect on this later so next time it won’t be this way.

“Please pay it no need. It is not not big of a deal. If possible I would be satisfied if we continue to be good friends.”

“Is that so? I am happy for you to say that. If all the other G.o.ds were like you, how prosperous would the world below be?”

“Each of us G.o.ds operate differently, we do things to our liking. After all, we are not perfect beings. Thus, the world below is the result  of our actions. Do you dislike the imperfect world right now?”

“Friend, you have taken it in the wrong direction. I welcome all the experiences a Human can experience, the world as it is has already given me plenty of joy.”

I reply with a small laugh, and Mairahl in turn let out a small smile across her face. However, I’m having a little trouble discerning if that smile is an ancient one or a sly one. Now that I think about it, Mairahl has the tolerance and affection/love like that of a mother, but at the same time, she possess the personality of a childish girl, her duality still hasn’t changed since the old days. Of course this “love” is directed only to her friends in term of liking, and not mutual love.

Although it is fun talking to Mairahl after a long time, if I stay in this realm of G.o.ds for an extended period of time, my Human body would subsequently be destroyed. It’s best if I end this conversation soon. The small village on the outskirt of the kingdom is the place I want to stay in, to live and enjoy life. Simply put, I love the village.

“I’ve finished my unexpectedly long story. It was fun talking to a good listener like yourself, Lady. Since I was reincarnated as a Human, it would be troublesome if others find out that I go in and out of this realm as I please. That kind of trouble is unnecessary. So I will be taking my leave before it does so.”

“Ah, yes. Since the War G.o.d Ardes loves to have contests of strength against you, once he senses your presence, he would no doubt step out of his hot bath with weapons in hands, and come rushing over. Despite the fact that you’ve weakened compare to your former self, your soul still shines brightly. The other G.o.ds will take notice of that soon.”

“All the more reason for me to excuse myself from here. I need to get up early and tend to my potato field tomorrow.”

“Are they sweet potatoes?”

Mairahl puts her hand on her cheek and tilts her head to one side while asking me.

Me and the potatoes. It is a mysterious relationship that I should think nothing of, because there are none.

I answer the adorable looking Mairahl with a serious tone.

“They’re potatoes.”

“You have….sweet potatoes.”

I nod at her statement and staring at her in her black pupils. Soon, she covers her mouth with both hands and giggles vigorously.

I wonder if I said something funny? The process of producing potatoes is fun, I think.

I take a couple steps back and casually rise my wings, as I do so, the gra.s.s, the flowers, the leaves, and small trees branches wave gently due to the pressure from my wings. The higher I go, the smaller Mairahl looks, and she waves at me. Then, a young looking G.o.ddess with blue braided hair shows up next to Mairahl, seemingly intending to protect her. Looking at the G.o.ddess who just showed up, her appearance may be that of a young girl but she has a more older feel to her, she probably one of the lesser G.o.ds.

Did she notice my presence and rush over to Mairahl’s side thinking that she was in danger? Mairahl is such a tomboy. If Retisha were to know this, I wonder what her reaction might be? That’s something I want to see.

That said, it won’t be good if I stay around here any longer. Thus, I down thrust my wings downward and jet upwards, flying my soul away from the location. The place where Mairahl waited for me look like the size of a puppy in an instant, behind me.

That G.o.ddess however, was probably turned into a G.o.d by Human belief. In a Human’s life time, they spend quite a lot of time devoting themselves to the G.o.ds, and it is not limited only to Mairahl. Depending on whatever fame, desire, and belief one possesses, and the influence they have with the people around them, after they die, those beliefs may transform into a kin of the G.o.d.

I am one of the oldest beings/consciousnesses in existence, those who rule Heaven and h.e.l.l had saw me were in awe, tried to search for my origins and tried to understand my true nature. And because of my power, my name and my appearance are well known by all the G.o.ds, both Good and Evil.

At the same time while I am thinking of these matters, back at where Mairahl is standing, the other G.o.ddess who is wearing G.o.dly(?) clothes that only G.o.ds can wear, confirms the safety of Mairahl and then kneels before Mairahl, apologizing for not being there sooner. I lower my speed, and land on the ground, then direct my attention toward the conversation between the rookie G.o.ddess and Mairahl out of curiosity.

“Mairahl-sama’s safety is of uttermost importance. I who was given the honor to serve by your side has allowed you to be exposed to danger. It is a disgrace. Please do as you will and punish me however you wish.”

Most of the major G.o.ds usually keep a high ranking G.o.d by their side, but Mairahl of all people likes to keep the rookie G.o.ds with her, being an oddball. All the while saying that she likes to take care of them. The rookie G.o.ddess’s face turns pale when Mairahl takes her hand and raises her to her feet, she then strokes the rookie’s cheek.

“It was I who left your side out of my own convenience. It is not your fault Meifa. Now, stand up.”

While Meifa’s face was still looking down, Mairahl’s hand continues to rub her cheek. After a while, Meifa collects herself together in a hurry and parts from Mairahl hand. Meifa probably spent her entire lifetime, gathering trust and feeling of respect from many people, but in front of Mairahl, she is but a child. Maybe a G.o.d’s nature may has something to do with their birth as a G.o.d originated from men.

“I’m sorry, Meifa. That dragon is a very old friend of mine. Due to the circ.u.mstances, it was not possible for you two to meet. There is nothing to be wary of. Come here, and take a look.”

Mairahl shows Meifa the scene of the best and most beautiful flowers in the world being display in Heaven being blow lightly by the wind. It is a spectacle so beautiful that only exists here, and there isn’t a way for Selia or my family nor any mortal to see it.

“The flowers, the gra.s.s, the trees none has been tread over, they have not been squashed, you see? He is a person with so much thoughtfulness. You do not need to panic in case he shows up again.”

I feel a little embarra.s.sed and continue to return to my Human body back in Bern. After I finished thanking Mairahl, I return to my sleeping body around morning.

When the sun rises high enough to chase away the darkness, I take fresh water from the jar and wash my face to freshen up. Then I prepare for breakfast, as usual. I warm up the remainder of my dinner from yesterday, but farmers are normally satisfied with black breads and potatoes for breakfast, and head out to work. I also add the smoked meat of the Mutant Rabbit that I killed before, mixing it with vegetables and eating it with the omelette made from the eggs of the Dodo bird I have behind my house.

Dodo birds are domestic animals with discolored feathers, a c.o.c.ks...o...b..on the head, and with their deteriorated wings, they cannot fly. I have a habit of nudging the little ones, children require special attention, however I hold myself back if it were a Human child. I own twenty Dodo birds at my house, the treasures they lay are full of nutrients. I don’t usually eat their meat, I only do so when they die of natural causes, for example, in an accident or of old age. They provide me precious eggs so I rarely strangle them. I spice up the taste of the Rabbit meat with herbs and it was great.

Now I start taking care of the potato field I mentioned to Mairahl, and the potatoes will be the main dish for my dinner, but how is Selia doing, you may ask? Selia continues to be monitored by three soldiers whenever she goes somewhere, after all, the villagers still do not trust her completely yet. The fact is that the fieldwork is the responsibility of the father, and he needs to produce enough food for the family. Whereas the house ch.o.r.es were taught by her mother, Selia once told me. Selia can handle most things even if she were to live alone. Selia goes outside the village to hunt for animals, fish, etc.,  since she knows that the villagers do not completely trust her.

As for me, I brought up the fact that Selia saved me from the Armored Bear and asked the Chief for permission to take care of her, and he reluctantly gave me his approval. However, the wariness towards Lamia is still lurking around. I even sense it from my brothers and parents.

Personally, I think if Selia continues to try hard at getting their approval, the minimum amount of time it’d take should be around five days. It’s long enough for them to take notice of her personality. This process should not be rushed because like in the past, all Selia needs is time. The more times she spends living in the village, the more comfortable the villagers will be around her. So naturally, I do not worry about it very much.

Although Selia was given a hut as a house, that particular hut was in the possession of a family which left the village to travel south because of their son’s marriage, so it was left unattended. [Editors note: it’s implied that they went to live with their son, now that he’s independent.]

“It is alright to stay at my house for a while.”

I suggested but I was unfortunately turned down . The reason being that there is still distrust and rumors about living with Demon that would start, leading to an unfortunate outcome..

The hut has been abandoned for five years now, and thanks to the st.u.r.dy building method, the rain and wind did not damage it very much. Although some window have broken and house is very drafty. There was a rat nest inside the hut but when Selia appeared, they mysteriously disappeared. It is understandable since Selia has the characteristic of the snakes, and snakes are one of  rat’s natural enemy, but still, the rodents ran away with lightning speed.

Yesterday Selia was guided to the hut, and started to live there that afternoon, the village Chief, the Witch, Balin, and Restisha. announced that there they will be responsible for monitoring her, along with five other soldiers, my father, Goran, also chose to partic.i.p.ate. It is a fairly large group, but it was established in case Selia decide to show hostility. Also, since only Retisha received the oracle from Mairahl, there are suspicions about whether Retisha is acquainted Selia, but commander Balin supports that they aren’t related, since he was present during the encounter.

Though my father has a very friendly relationship with Goblins and Kobolds, he could not help but be wary of me being friendly with a Lamia, he worries for his family much more than others. Despite the fact that I befriended a Demon, a potentially very dangerous Demon, he respects and trusts my decision. Furthermore he is brave enough to volunteer to monitor her, I am proud of my father.

It’s unfortunate that the only things left inside the hut is an empty shelf and an old stack of firewood, but Selia doesn’t seem to be concerned about her living s.p.a.ce at the very least. She has been provided with some cushions and a new set of sheets to put on top of the straw bed in the back room of the hut, as a place to sleep. Since Selia’s lower body is that of a snake, Maguru Obasan suggested that it is better to use those as padding rather than to sleep like a human. In fact, Maguru Obasan herself provided Selia with the cushions, as well as a new sheet from her own house. Maguru Obasan definitely wants to welcome Selia as a member of the village. It probably has something to do with good omen she sensed, after all.

In addition to the cushions, Selia was also given a whole new set of tableware, and also smoked meat from the game she hunted. She didn’t need a new set of pots since she brought her own, and she sets them near the stack of wood. For Selia, who has been camping out in the abandoned Kobold village up until recently, she wouldn’t complain about living in a hut at all.

She hugged the cushion and deeply inhaled the scent of clean fabric, laying down on her bed and rolling around it while she giggles.

Fumu. She is a cute one.

Such an innocent action matched the appearance of the girl before them, the village’s Chief, the people, and even commander Balin’s guard, stared at one another dumbfounded and the tension was eased. (T.L. Lamia used “Cute” It’s super effective!)

Her behavior was not fake, and these people knew  it, therefore it would be very unreasonable to think of that person as a terrifying Demon. Granted, Lamia may indeed be dangerous, but it is not the case with Selia. I think that getting to knows one another is better than holding imaginary fear and casting hatred on another race. In this case, the Lamia race.

After she was done enjoying the cushion and finished unpacking her belongings, she bowed deeply to the village elder, thanking them with a bright smile on her face. That, combined with her wavy blond hair,  made her resemble a sunflower. Afterwards, they left her to her own devices for the rest of the day.

Looking at that smile, who on this Earth would have thought of Selia as  a dangerous Demon? Selia’s smile was filled with grat.i.tude from the bottom of her adorable and innocent heart.

Selia’s first day in Bern was being guided around the village and being shown to her residence The next day, Selia went hunting with the other hunters in the village. Selia is still a young and immature Lamia, but even so, she will be able to defend the hunters from other monsters near the village. I feel relieved when I think that the group of hunters will be safe near her.

I eat my lunch which consists of  black bread, smoked Mutant Rabbit meat mixed with vegetables, a fried fish which I caught in the river, and a jar full of Miu’s milk. I eat a lot but I also work hard, and at the same time, I’m having fun everyday.

At the end of the day, my sweat soaks my shirt and drenches  my cheek and forehead. The fatigue makes my body feel heavy and my arms and fingers hard to move, with the sun setting over the horizon, the wind blows past me and gives me the joy of being alive.

With the sky all red because of the setting sun, everyone out in the fields  starts to collect their belongings, packing up to go home. I retrieve the net I left in the river that morning, and has caught some fish in it, sling it over my back and go home. I’ve only recently fixed my long standing habit of collecting too much food., I was able to catch just the right amount. My habit of using magic while doing thing still remains from my past life, but I limited it as much as possible. But every now and then, I over do it, and it’s not very good.

One must learn from their mistakes and correct themselves one step at a time.

I decided to challenge everything a Human is capable of, and I am not afraid of failure. Fail the challenge, try it again, fail it, and try again. Eventually, it will lead to success if one has the patience and corrects themselves in the process. This method matches with my personality quite well. I spend a lot of time learning and perfecting the fish trap that my father and brother taught me, and my current one isn’t half bad. When I am busy thinking about my trap, I walk past a certain house and a girl hides behind the door, speaking out to me with a quiet voice.

“Ah, Dran-san. Can you come in for just a minute? I just want you to have a taste(?).”

The owner of the voice is Miru, the fourteen year old daughter of Miu and commander Balin.

Miu’s blood runs deep in Miru’s veins, and as such, she has many features of the Cowpeople, including fur, hooves, a tail extending from her b.u.t.tocks and past her knees. Her ear pokes out of her brown hair and her fur has the black and white pattern. Her well developed b.r.e.a.s.t.s is being pushed up by the white dress she’s wearing. Her narrow waist is around the same as her mother’s even at her age. The atmosphere around her is also as gentle as her mother, Mui.

To be frank, sometimes I wonder if Airi is really only a few years younger than Miru, while Miru is younger than Airi mentally?

In this spingly night, Miru looks at me with an innocent and completely defenseless smile, and I walk over to her.

I walk past the open door where Miru is standing, right before I enter the house Miru steps aside and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s bounce as she moves. Once inside, I follow Miru obediently. Commander Balin lost his parent in an epidemic and a Demon attack. He met Miu while being trained as a soldier in Galois, and once they married, they’ve lived here ever since.

I was lead to the dining table with six chairs around the long table by Miru. Also, Miu is present in the room as well. No matter how many times I see Miu and Miru together, I cannot help but think that they are sisters. The men in the village cannot help themselves but to be jealous at Commander Balin.

“h.e.l.lo Miu-san. I hope I am not bothering you.”

“Oh no Dran-san. It’s not your fault. After all, there is something that I want you to taste for me. Please help yourself, and sit down at the table.”

I take Mui-san’s offer and sat down into one of the chairs. I have a feeling that I’ll be tasting something delicious, so I’m secretly wondering what it is.

“Eh? Is this perhaps…?”

Miru places three cups of white liquid in front of me with a smile on her face. A slightly sweet aroma is coming off of the liquid.

“This is milk, but perhaps it’s Miru’s?”

“Yes, Today, I began to make milk~~. I let Oto-san and Tauro taste it, but I also want someone outside of the family to taste it as well, so will you drink it, please?”

Tauro is Miru’s younger brother. He inherited the traits of the Cowman, and Commander Balin himself taught him martial arts.. It was said that in the future, Tauro is planning on becoming either an adventurer or a soldier.

“Fumu. It would be my pleasure.”

Since producing milk is a sign that proves that a Cow-woman’s body has become fully mature, I am not particularly ashamed of it. Rather, I feel like it’s something to boast about.

Since the relationship between Cowpeople and Humans are deep, their milk also provides Humans with a valuable resource. Helping Miru by tasting her milk is nothing too moderate. With the milk placed in front of me, I am just thinking if Miru squeezed it out herself or if Miu did it since Miru may be still inexperienced?

“Since I did not have much training in squeezing it out yet, mother had to help me with it. It was squeezed out this morning did the taste worsen since them? Dran-san, Please taste it?”

“There is no reason to decline your request. I’ll taste it.”

There isn’t a reason for me not to taste it. Miru comes over to my left side and sit down, leaning her face towards me and staring intently, asking me to taste it. After I answered, she had a smile plastered across her face. From where she sits and leans towards me, her voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.t.s are directly below so I avert my gaze .

Just what is the secret to b.r.e.a.s.t.s that attract the eyes?

It’s even bigger than Selia’s, does every Cow-woman have big b.r.e.a.s.t.s?

I bring the cup of milk to my mouth and take a sip of it. I make sure I do not swallow it immediately and taste it thoroughly, enjoying the taste itself.

“Delicious. It’s even sweeter than Miu’s. With this, the villagers will be delighted.”

Miru looked at me with her eyes sparkling while waiting for me impression. I gave her my honest impression, and since my vocabulary is lacking, I tell her what I really think, no exaggerations, none. Afterwards, I set the empty cup down and finish drinking the others. Miru looks at me with a smile on her face, but gradually it is turning into an embarra.s.sed smile. One way or another, I spoke what was truly on my mind, and I am glad that she likes it. Miu who heard my reply is relieved and takes the cups away.

Although we live in the same village, squeezing milk isn’t exactly something you would show to a guest. And NO, I am not disappointed in the least.(Editor: you sure about that?) Miru smiles happily and suddenly hugs my head against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which feel wonderful, and most adult women can’t even compare to.

Fumu. It has a rich feel that is soft, yet completely elastic. They’re the b.r.e.a.s.t.s that make milk, and I would never be tired of touching.

It would be good if I worship the Cow-women and show them my appreciation from now on.

“Oh Goodness. If Dran-san says so then I think that the villagers will definitely be delighted. I was a bit worried. Thank you so much Dran-san~~.”

“Mugyumugyu.”

Miru increase her strength in hugging me to her chest innocently. I am not complaining since it is soft, smells great, and is comfortable anyways. However, it is an act that I will not carry over to the wrong direction. While I am considering what I should do, Miru finally releases my head. Well…I feel both disappointed and relieved. Does the disappointment surpa.s.s the relief?

“I’m sorry. I was hugging you without thinking about my manners. I had been told by Oto-san to fix it but I am just very glad.”

Miru’s habit of hugging others involuntarily is something she had even when she was little. In fact, she has already hugged most of the children around her age, her friends.. She held back in the recent years, but it doesn’t seem to have disappeared completely.

“You should not be so defenseless in front of a man, Miru. After seing you do so, others might take advantage of you.. Because Miru is cute and pretty, guys might lose it and attack you.”

“Eh, eh? Cute? Me?”

“Well.”

Oh? Miru’s face completely blushed. She’s probably not accustomed to this kind of speech. A child simply follows what their parents taught them, but what they need is practice(? experience), and in time they will find a suitable partner. Or not, but I am doing well so far.

Miru’s understanding of it is limited, but fortunately for her, her physical charm won’t be of a disadvantage against anyone. Her personality on the other hand, will be somewhat of a problem. Miu brings me another cup of milk(warm) and I decide to stay at her house a little longer to chat. I received the jar of milk from Miu and while she is handing it to me, the motion of the milk inside reminded me of the motion of b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

“It is quite a lot.”

“I was finally able to get it all out. Since both Miru and I are able to produce milk, even if we manage to get everybody to drink as much as they like, there will still be extra. So it will be shipped to other villages and traded. Therefore, Miru and I will have to do a better job.”

“Hehe, please drink a lot~, Dran-san.” (T.L. Emphasis)

“Oh thank you. I appreciate it.”

I say my goodbyes to Miu and Miru, and head to the river to carefully place my trap in a good place.

I already took two small Sharlotes out of the previous trap and I feel good knowing that the trap did its job, while walking back home. With the fish and the jar of Miru’s milk, tonight dinner will be very delicious.

It seems that my expectations of Selia getting along well with the village betrayed me, but in a good way. I had considerably underestimated the  sociability of Selia, and the the villagers’ adaptability.

When it is time for lunch, I take a break and sit on the tree stump near my bean field, watching Selia and the children swimming in the river. Yes, the soldiers are still doing their job monitoring her, but the tension from the first day has decreased considerably, at least for the time being. However, they still carry their weapons, ready to charge at her if something were to happen. As expected of the soldiers who fight on the frontline.

It has been three days since she started living here. The children are already calling her “Selia-nee.” Right now, I can see Selia playing with the children, and to them, she is probably the perfect older sister figure. She is being splashed with water diagonally by some kids, while others are even clinging onto her tail. I can hear cheerful laughter from everyone of them, including Selia.

I had asked Selia what she thinks about the children but she replied that she is the only child in her family therefore, she said it would be fun, and that playing with children might be like playing with younger brothers and sisters. Since I do not have much free time to spend with Selia and can only interact with her at night, it is nice knowing that she still has fun with children. (Editor Note: hooooh, do clarify on these “interactions” dran, do tell.)

Also, the village’s hunting efficiency has risen considerably, all thanks to Selia’s Magic and Demon Eyes. What’s more, Selia only eats a small portion of meat and vegetables, and so the rest of her game was given to the village, and she gains a lot of good reputation with the hunters. Also, there are no parents stopping their children from playing with Selia anymore. It is nice having Selia on a good terms with the people here.

But right now, there is something else that bother me. It is the Armored Bear incident. Why is it that a Demon that lives deep inside the eastern forest, which is rarely seen around here, appearing? Fortunately, there hasn’t been a sighting of a second one but it might be necessary to check things out.

Fumu… Should I ask for permission to do an investigation in the forest?

On a certain day, I have to partic.i.p.ate in a combat training session for the children with Commander Balin. The place this happens is in a courtyard of a certain two-story inn, with the soldiers station outside. Compared to the two fully equipped soldiers next to us, Albert and I only have a wooden spear and practice sword, respectively. Airi-chan and the other children looked at us with the eyes that seem to be comparing who is better.

Adjutant Marida is under Commander Balin and is his Second in Command. She has clear and unyielding brown eyes. Her hair was cut to an even line in the front, and overall, she has a very sharp look. Her skill with the sword is no less than beautiful, the way she wields it is very fluent. Her enemies would be fools if they think that such elegant movement is not deadly.

Her skin is tan, and she is wearing a partial chest plated armor over a thin layer of leather clothes. In her hands she wields a single-edged sword. The blade is slightly curved, and the tips is very sharp. (T.L. A j.a.panese sword, but this is not j.a.pan so I can’t say it’s a j.a.panese sword ~.~) (E.N: You sure it’s a nihontou?)(T.L. Yes.)

Marida is tall for a woman, however, she is inferior to a man in terms of muscular endurance and overall fitness, even in training. Therefore, she specializes in quick, precise, agile, and deadly attacks. Watching Marida wielding the sword while moving on the ground, and cutting the wind. Is like watching a dancer move along with the music, it is as if she had become one with the battlefield, you can say that it is her natural talent.

There is no doubt that if she were to move to the more central area of the kingdom, she would be granted the t.i.tle of “Sword Master.” Living in the village with that level of swordsmanship is truly a shame. Ironically, her sparring partner holds off against her quite well, and it partially due to Marida’s lesser experience with combat. Marida’s opponent is another experienced soldier.

Also present is someone who has stayed in the inn for the past few days. She is an adventurer and was staying in the inn to collect information, since she saw that big crocodile, and she wanted to know what’s going on before heading into the forest.

Now that I think about it, all the efforts put into making the scene of that crocodile was all wasted.

The female swordsman also has a mysterious habit of going to the church and pray to Mairahl along with Retisha for an entire day. The village of Bern doesn’t usually get visitors, so the female swordsman does certainly pique my interest. As a matter of fact, people naturally get attracted to her because of her n.o.ble atmosphere. She wears very expensive looking clothes, the way she interact with people and her manners are both  very n.o.ble, like an aristocrat. Slowly but surely, the people here have already come around to admiring her.

Her outer appearance is good. There are no traces of useless fat visible. Her chest is slightly small and is being pushed up by her clothing. Her waist looks healthy and on top of that, she has a well rounded b.u.t.tock. She wears a pair of tight leather pants that beautifully shows the outlines of her legs, all the way to her ankles. Since she doesn’t have a lot of fat, her legs are presumably very muscular, yet still retain the features of a woman. Her silver hair is tied up with a blue ribbon, reaching down to the middle of her back and glitters in the sun like silver, it is magnificent. Around her neck is a gold necklace which suits her quite well, silver and gold. Her long eyelashes protect her blood-colored irises from the elements. Her lips are small and wet, the same color as her pupils.

A few days ago this female swordsman, whose beauty could bring a country to ruin, visited the Chief’s house and declared her name to be Christina. The Chief granted her permission to stay at the inn for several days.

She is wearing a silk shirt and tight leather pants. Christina is attracting lots of attention, especially from the men. She is currently practicing by herself, if she were facing an opponent, all of her attacks and blocks would have worked perfectly. Combine that with the fact that she is wearing tight leather pants, Christina is attracting lots of attentions from the men.

Once finished, she glances  at those of us that are training and the other soldiers teaching the children martial arts in the center of the yard. She looks at us with her curious red eyes that show signs of her wanting to partic.i.p.ate, despite the fact that she is an outsider. While Albert, with  a wooden spear, and I wielding a sword, are practicing our stabs and slashes on a target dummy in the open, Christina comes over and asks.

“If I may trouble you, would it be alright if you allow me to partic.i.p.ate in training? The Kobolds and Goblins will give me a rather dull experience if I train with them.”

In front of Christina, Marida sheaths her curves sword in its scabbard, and directs a group of children over to Kress, one of the supervisors.

“I do not mind, however you are an expert Swordsman and it will be a rather painful time for the kids if you were to spar with them. Therefore, I will be your opponent. Would that be alright with you?”

Marida replied with a dangerous tone against the girl, but Christina, still cladding a n.o.ble atmosphere wasn’t fazed in the slightest, letting out a small smile. On the side, Kress, Albert, Airi, and I can’t help but let out a smile at the two attractive females, Marida and Christina, all are excited for the duel.

“Since it was I who asked, I have no reason to refuse. I would thank you instead, but I think it is best to only use one hand against you.”

“With a strangely perfect balance that can move in all directions, your center of gravity is no less from perfect. It is very exceptional, there aren’t many people like you, even in Galois, no?”

“I thank you for the compliment. Regardless, it has been a while since I practiced with one arm, this will be entertaining.”

We; the people in the back, cannot help ourselves but to be curious about Christina’s sword arm. Marida, who happens to be today’s training supervisor, can’t help but let out a bitter smile.

Then Christina draws her sword from her leather belt, decorated with Magic Stones, and dashes straight for Marida with her sword in hand. Their swords clash a few more times. It doesn’t take long for us and Marida to realize that Christina’s swordsmanship is on another level.

If Marida is first-cla.s.s, then Christina is at the absolute highest peak. . Christina’s swordsmanship makes me doubt my eyes and question if a Human with such skill could possibly exist. Kress, who is the other supervisor for today’s practice, is watching the their sparring with admiration, and so are the rest of us.

The breakdown of the duel is like this.

Marida counters the attack by directing Christina’s sword to the left. After she hit it, she turned her entire body to the right while swinging her curves sword at Christina like a Crescent Moon. Christina dodges the swing by lowering her body, however I can see that she isn’t too familiar with using only her right hand. She regains her posture immediately. The gap between the two seems large, but for those two, the distance means nothing because the speed at which they move is like lightning. If we blink for even a moment, something would already have happened, the antic.i.p.ation is very high. Marida advances toward Christina at frightening speed, but instead of panicking, Christina just lets out a small smile.

“Judging from my stance, I don’t suppose I should be the one engaging first. Come.”

As Christina said that with a light tone, she then starts to move under today’s fair sky. Her first few steps left footprints in the ground. I wonder how much strength she possessed in her legs in order to do such things. And how is it that she is able to utilize that strength and turn it into speed? (T.L. Lots of power, but little traction, that is what he means.)

What’s more, Marida, Kress, and even my Human eyes (without using enhance vision) cannot see Christina clearly, all we can see is her afterimage, and it looks like a wave of silvery looking wind. (T.L. Genjutsu! wait…Taijutsu?)(Editor: clever placement of holograms.)

Suddenly, right in front of Marida’s face sparks fly. (T.L. d.a.m.n Ninja.)(editor: has changed her “wind’s” direction and went straight for Marida. However, Marida must have blocked that one attack by pure instinct. Despite being in broad daylight, the sparks from their swords  are bright from when they hit against each other. In the heat of battle, Marida shows an astonished face, and a moment of hesitation is shown.

Marida is a soldier on the frontline, she is more or less experienced in battle, so she quickly suppresses her astonishment and regains her focus. With the two swords still in contact, Marida tries to press it against Christina’s right flank because she notices that Christina’s defences were lacking in that area. Christina stands her ground, however.

Ever since I was born as a Human, I have not once witnessed any Human that possessed her level of physical strength and speed. In these two criteria, she has already far surpa.s.sed the realm of Human’s capability. Granted, the number of Humans I’ve seen up to now is unlikely to have surpa.s.sed one hundred. (T.L. Sad story T_T)

Seeing that neither is backing down, both of them change the direction of the force on their swords and slash at each other, but to no avail because they both evade it smoothly, almost. The force Christina puts in her sword was a little too much for Marida, so it slightly glances across the back of her neck.

Marida lets off a sharp hiss. Even though it is a mock battle, if the sword were to find its target, the one receiving it would undoubtedly be cut or even killed.

Perhaps in a mock battle they should hold back more, and speaking of which, is it a good idea to do a mock battle with real swords?

Does Marida herself want to see if she can cope with Christina? (Editor: FYI only an idiot blocks an enemy directly with the edge of their sword. Think about it, two sharp pieces of metal chopping each other, they both get chipped. ) (T.L. We don’t question how they fight because the weapon hitting each other look cool. It’s all about the cool factor hooray~~)

Marida pulls back her sword that failed to hit Christina and she ducks down to avoid Christina’s sword as much as possible, and then rolls away, trying to distance herself. Christina sees what Marida is doing and goes right after her while she is still in Marida’s blind spot. No amount of luck could save Marida if this is an actual battle because if Christina were to finish her attack, Marida’s head would continue to roll down the corner of the yard, but she pulls through by stopping her rolling motion and the two swords once again collide.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh!!”

Marida roars with the intensity of a lion. Intense sparks continue to fly from their blades.

Not just that, Christina repeatedly swings down her sword and we all can hear the sound that is made by the sword swings through the air. I cannot help myself but stare at the swinging motion of the sword, it seems as if that it would continue to swing until nothing is left. However, each strike is beautifully executed and leaves behind a black train of light.

Christina aims her attacks at Marida’s neck, but Marida blocks them with her thin sword. Just by hearing the sound of the two swords colliding, it is clear that there is a tremendous amount of force being put in to each swings. Christina’s monstrous strength betrays her beautiful and mysterious looks. Through my eyes (enhance vision) Christina is definitely a Human, however there are differences between her and other Humans, especially her red eyes, and her senses.

Fumu, this is rare. Are there people with such physique(referring to her parents), or is she a by-product born inside “that body”?

Her training with the sword is no short from expert. However, it is lacking compared to the past Heroes and Heroines. In the history of man, there are surely people who were born with a “unique body structure” just like Christina, although it is extremely rare for it to occur.  While I am the only one who is convinced that Christina’s skill is more frightful than her physical strength, the mock battle heats up even more.

When Marida somehow manages to get back onto her feet, she then pounces at Christina’s feet in an irregular position. Human martial arts aren’t used  against tall people, and it barely focuses on any point below the knee, so for Marida to aim for the feet, she must absolutely be on the edge.

Even the more savage species such as the Goblin and Kobold, especially the Kobold, aim for the abdomen against opponents who are taller than them*. Therefore, even expert warriors have difficulty fighting against Kobolds due to their small size, quick movements, and the fact that they would wear the taller opponent down by focusing the abdomen. Marida may be aiming for the element of surprise against expert swordsman like Christina. (Editor: … I get the feeling if kobolds learned chinese kung fu  they’d have taken over the world. Google up “monkey steals the peach” to see what I mean.)

Surprise attacks can be as effective as any regular attack. Unfortunately for Marida, Christina simply takes a step back, does a backflip and lands perfectly*. She directs her cool looking red eyes at Marida. (editor: if your regular attacks are ineffective, then by that logic, surprise attacks wouldn’t work either. )(T.L. Good point, but the element of surprise?)

Next to me, Airi and Albert, along with the rest of the viewers are quite thrilled by their performance . Marida goes on the offensive and focuses on attacking Christina’s ankle by staying low to the ground and making horizontal slashes. Each of Marida’s slashes with the curved and sharp sword are very fast, it can cleanly cut bones  with ease. Even if Christina is wearing a pair of black boots which protect her ankle, that sword can still cut right through them.

Who cares if you are a swordsman or not, when watching these two fight, one cannot help but find it incredible. When the sword is coming for her right ankle, Christina spins her body sideways in mid-air to dodge it beautifully. From what I have seen so far, Christina would not have been able to avoid that slash if she didn’t prepare for it before hand. Marida is no less impressive, she too had already thought of her attack plan. As Christina avoids her slash while in mid-air, Marida moves her sword in a continuous flow, bringing it in a stance and cuts straight down.

Marida positions her legs correctly on the ground to put more force into her sword and swings it downward on Christina’s left flank diagonally. It is a beautiful slash, the curved arc that she is making is perfectly round and even Marida lets out a little smile of satisfaction.

With the sword coming down diagonally from the top, Christina, who is directly in the way of the cut, does not seems to be surprised in the slightest. Her red eyes follow the sword’s edge accurately traveling towards her. Christina uses her sword to push Marida’s blade and parries it. Not only that, while the swords are in contact, Christina uses her strength and redirects the strike toward Marida’s body.

Noticing that she can’t win in the contest of strength, Marida separates her sword to avoid having her own blade used against her. However, Christina doesn’t give up and as her leg touch the ground, she pushes forward and before Marida can react, in a blink of an eye, on Marida’ neck, the tip of Christina’s sword is already touching.

The intense battle ends in that single instant, Christina pushes her blade up slightly and Marida lowers the blade that was aiming for Christina’s right leg. I can tell that Marida is breathing heavily and is quite nervous at having the cold blade pressed against her neck. It is the same for the audience, we are all nervous as to what would happen next, until Christina sheaths her sword and the atmosphere returns to normal.

During that brief moments of tension, nearly everyone forgets how to breathe. But when swords were put down, everyone starts to cheer happily. Only after Kress and I understood that the match between Marida and Christina was finally over, do we relax our guard. While Marida is sheathing her sword, Christina cheerfully exchanges a few lines with Marida. It is good manners to show good sportsmanship.

It has only been a few days since Christina came to the village, she is mysterious, she has crossed swords with Marida, and she seems to be in quite a good mood, however, in her red eyes I could see light, dark light, and something that feels like she has a deep resignation to something.

Now, after having a good match against Marida, she seems to have attain temporary brightness in her eyes. I want to know what emotion or feeling  is just under the surface of this beautiful girl.

“Seeing Marida-dono’s skill with the sword and martial arts, isn’t it a shame if you stay in the military?”

“It is not, I take pride in my duty. And I’ve also developed a way of thinking that defending others is the same as defending myself.”

“Is that so? It’s something to be envied. I, on the other hand, lack a reason to continue living simply because I must.”

Hearing a piece of Christina’s dark/negative emotion from afar, I have a very bad feeling about her condition, and I would imagine that it would get worse if she doesn’t have a reason to live.

Fumu. If depression is a topic to talk about, I would talk about it even if it’s a tough thing to. Now I wonder if there will be an opportunity to talk with her?

With the crowd cheering loudly, including Albert and Airi, both Marida and Christina have no choice but to shake each other’s hands with a little embarra.s.sment. Seeing Christina embarra.s.sment, the crowd cheered even louder.

Christina had such charm to her.

After a little bit, with our arms crossed, Albert and I give our impressions, and Miru and Restisha bring over trays laden with several wooden cups and biscuits on them.

“Thank you everyone for doing a good job. Please have some milk, fruit juice, and water.”

“Take care not to drink too much or else you may have a stomach ache.”

Restisha and Miru said while smiling. Perhaps, in terms of smiles, these two rank one and two in the village, which eases almost all of our fatigue from training.(Editor Note: I call bulls.h.i.t)

“Christina-san, please by all means have what you want. However, I afraid the food in this  village might not be to your liking.”

Jars of milk, juice, and water are placed on the table top and from afar, Risha is talking to Christina and complimenting on how beautiful her sword belt is. (T.L. Hardcore Gold digger spotted.)

“Oh no! The food from the village is very delicious. I would love to have some. Thank you.”

Risha pours some juice for Christina as she smile. She isn’t someone who is unable to socialize well with other people, probably because she isn’t wearing her mysterious atmosphere. Now, I’m really interested in what this beauty is hiding in her shadow.

Formally, Christina never once declared that she is an aristocrat, but through her manners and clothing, it can’t be helped that people think that, at the very least she is of n.o.ble lineage. Complex relationships between n.o.bles and the ranks are something I can’t imagine. Yes, it is impossible for me to imagine that.

“Miru, can I also have some?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

I hand my cup to Miru while thinking about Christina visiting the village. But at the least, she doesn’t seem to hold any ill intentions.

[To be continued]