「Hey, onii-chan」
「……What is it?」
After finishing our training and taking a break together, Ralina-chan spoke up again.
Whenever I hear that line, 『Hey, onii-chan』, from her, my heart always skips a beat.
Because more often than not, those words are followed by her interrogating me.
「That 『Paralyze Arrow』… what’s it like when you use it?」
「……Ah, that’s all」
So this time, she wasn’t planning to grill me about my relationships with women.
「What’s wrong?」
「No, nothing at all. 『Paralyze Arrow』, huh……」
「Yeah. I was watching, but it didn’t look like anything changed」
「That’s the strange part. I can feel my magic power being drained, so I know it’s activating」
「If it hits someone, they’re supposed to be paralyzed, right?」
「That’s what they say」
By now, that rice bale I’ve been shooting at should be so numb it can’t even stand.
「So you’ve never hit a person with it?」
Whoa, that’s a scary thing to ask, Ralina-chan……
Of course I’ve never hit a person. I mean, unless it’s absolutely necessary, I’d never shoot something so unknown at anyone.
It’s the same arrow I always use, but for some reason it causes paralysis on impact.
How does that even work? Is it poison? Is it electricity? Or maybe it just directly damages the target’s nerves somehow?
「I’ve never hit a person, or an animal, or even a monster」
「I see」
「I asked Lau… well, someone who knows about these things. Apparently it’s a pretty rare Skill Art, and actually a really strong technique」
「Hmm……」
「But I won’t really know until I actually use it」
「I see…… I see……」
After whispering that, Ralina-chan lowered her head, as if lost in thought. What’s going on with her?
「Onii-chan」
「What is it, Ralina-chan?」
「If Onii-chan wants to try it………… I don’t mind」
「………………」
She raised her face, wearing an expression like she had made up her mind, and said something strange.
What the heck is she talking about all of a sudden? In broad daylight, outdoors of all places…… Ralina-chan, that’s way too open-minded……
「Wh-what brought this on, Ralina-chan?」
「I thought maybe onii-chan would want to test it out……」
Test what! There’s nothing I want to test on a nine-year-old girl!
「If you fail when it really matters, wouldn’t it be better to test it on me first?」
Somehow, Ralina-chan started saying things that sounded exactly like the kind of lines a lewd older neighbor would say in those thin books.
「It might hurt, and maybe even bleed a little… but I’ll endure it」
That was awfully raw and realistic…
「Uh, well, yeah… that’s true, apparently, but…」
「So, it really is like that…」
「Yeah. That’s why――」
「Then maybe we should have Jisrare-san stay with us too?」
「Eh?」
W-what kind of play is that supposed to be…? Being watched!? Ralina-chan, that’s way too advanced…
Well, sure, having a doctor nearby would make it reassuring… but Jisrare-san would definitely stop us, you know? The moment we went to ask, she’d stop it flat, and probably say again, 『I can’t heal the illnesses of the heart』.
「No, I’m not testing it. I’d never ‘test’ something like that on you, Ralina-chan」
「Not on me? Ah… is it because I’m a girl?」
「Eh?」
「You don’t want to do that to a girl?」
「…Eh?」
「So, if you did test it, you’d be thinking of using Jered-kun instead?」
「…………Eh!?」
So even Ralina-chan was looking at me and Jered-kun in that kind of way…?
「No, I wouldn’t test it on Jered-kun either. …Besides, Ralina-chan, it’s way too early for you」
「Too early…?」
「Yeah, way too early…」
「Then… at what age would it be okay to do it?」
「‘Do it’…」
Ralina-chan, what kind of phrasing is that…
Wait, you’re asking me to tell you the proper age? Talking about that with her feels ridiculously embarrassing, and worse, it’s like I’d be leaving myself open for her to hold me to it later… Honestly, I’d much rather Ralina mama be the one to talk to her about this…
「U-uh… normally around twenty? I think? Probably… I’m not sure…」
「Twenty…」
「I don’t really know though…」
「Isn’t that late?」
「Ehh…」
Kids these days sure are ahead of the curve…
「By the time I turn twenty, you’ll already have tested it with someone else, right, onii-chan?」
「No, that’s… that’s not…」
「You’ll test it on a monster instead, won’t you?」
「I’d ‘never’ do something like that with a monster!?」
W-what the heck are you even saying, Ralina-chan! Just what do you think I am…!?
The monsters in this world are basically all animal-types or plant-types, you know? As if I’d ever test something like that on a pack of vicious, fluffy beasts…
It seems there are sirens, harpies, and other such races, but they apparently exist as “people”, with intelligence and societies of their own.
So, when it comes to monsters, it’s basically fluffballs, birds, insects, fish… or walking trees and mushrooms.
And Ralina-chan really thinks I’d do ‘that’ with one of them…?
「You wouldn’t?」
「N-no, of course not! I’d never test something like that on a monster…」
「Really? But I heard Papa does all sorts of testing with monsters」
「……Haaaaaaaa!?」
I-I just heard something outrageous. Wait, what kind of talk are you giving your daughter, Ralina papa!?
「R-Really? Ralina papa-san… does all sorts of testing with monsters?」
「Yeah. Papa travels to many different villages, so he runs into monsters along the way」
「B-but still…」
「He might look that way, but Papa has all kinds of techniques」
「All kinds of… techniques… on monsters……」
Crap… So, Ralina papa is that kind of guy? That’s straight-up perverted…
No, wait, now that she mentions it, I ‘can’ kind of picture it. The kind of person who looks serious and proper in public, but behind the scenes… yeah.
Except instead of at home, Ralina papa apparently indulges in his perversions outdoors.
「W-wait, when you say testing…? He tries out techniques… but would that even work on monsters?」
「Hmm. It depends on the skill and on the monster. Papa says he also looks for weak points that monsters are especially vulnerable to」
「I-I see…」
Weak points…? Like, finding the sensitive spots on a walking mushroom—what good would that do…? Well, I guess you’d focus your attacks there, but still…
From the sound of it, Ralina papa isn’t just seeking his own pleasure, but actually trying to give the monsters pleasure too. Either way, he’s still a pervert.
And the fact that he boasts about this to his daughter makes it even worse.
Seriously, isn’t that ‘really’ bad…? Maybe I should get Ralina-chan away from him… Maybe talk to her parents about it…
「A-anyway, unlike Ralina papa-san, I’d never test things on monsters…」
「Really? Then… where ‘would’ you test the『Paralyze Arrow』?」
「Huh? 『Paralyze Arrow』?」
「Yeah」
「You mean… the『Paralyze Arrow』?」
「Mm-hm」
Eh? Uh… wait, what? Testing the『Paralyze Arrow』?
Ah…oh. Ooooh… that’s what she meant… Ahhh, I see now……
Next Chapter: Ralina Family
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