※ This part contains a slightly darker story. 【】
Passing by a drunk who must have been drinking until morning, clutching his liquor bottle like a treasure while sleeping by the roadside, we headed home after finishing the cleanup.
It was already past noon, yet the lively atmosphere from yesterday had vanished as if it had been a dream, and I couldn’t help but feel a little lonely as the city quietly returned to normal.
After that, things went back to the usual routine.
Aina and the others were preparing for a quest, Wendy and Mizera took care of the housework, Shiro went for a walk somewhere, and I was in the alchemy room getting some work done when a visitor arrived.
「Onii-chan, can I come in?」
「Hm? Sure, come on in.」
「Yay! Ah, were you working? Sorry if I interrupted.」
「No, it’s fine. I was just about to take a break anyway.」
Even without checking, there’s only one person who calls me “onii-chan”.
As expected, it was Origol, carrying a backpack as she stepped into the room.
I stretched my stiffened body after being hunched over for too long, my joints creaking audibly.
「Ahaha, you were so busy these past few days. You should’ve just taken the day off today.」
「I wanted to, but Yasis wouldn’t let me…」
During the festival period, the production of vibrators had been put on hold.
Apparently, some customers from other territories came all the way here to pick up their orders, and it seemed the stock was about to run out.
I could easily reproduce existing models using the ‘Multi-Copy’ function or ‘Experience Circles’, but they’d requested something new. So right now, I’m in the middle of developing a new model.
Incidentally, the one currently in demand, one I could also use myself, is something with a stronger massage function. So, I’m working on that.
「Ahaha, I see. Sorry to add to your workload, but I’m here to talk about business too. I heard from Meira-chan, you really left the shop in her hands?」
「Yeah. If it will make this city better, all is well.」
「Hmm. And your real reason?」
「I just can’t be bothered to run it myself.」
「Ahahaha, you haven’t changed at all. But for us, it’s great news, more jobs mean the town keeps growing.」
With a cheerful smile, Origol clasped her hands behind her back and slowly walked toward me, her steps alternating between quick and slow. Then, with a spin, she turned her back to me and swung her backpack around to the front.
Sensing her intention, I leaned back in my chair. As expected, she plopped down onto my lap, settling there with her usual carefree boldness. I instinctively placed my hands around her waist to steady her.
「Fufufu. Thanks.」
「No problem. You must be tired too.」
「Yeah… I’m really tired…」
When I lightly touched Origol’s shoulders, I could feel the stiffness beneath my fingers. She was quite tense. Since she was already here, I decided to give her a light massage while listening to her.
「Aah… Meira-chan told me, you’re really good at this… such a technician.」
That last part sounded like it had another meaning, but I let it slide. Despite her small body, she was still an adult, so the fatigue built up easily.
As my hands moved across her back and shoulders, her whole body seemed to be crying out, ‘I’m tired everywhere!’
「So, you came here to confirm that?」
「Mm-hmm. And to keep a promise too. When I asked you for help with work, I said I’d give you a proper reward, remember?」
「Ah… did you?」
「I did! I said, ‘I’ll make it worth your while, so please take care of it!’ And I thought really hard about what kind of reward would be best…」
With that, Origol opened her backpack and pulled out a fairly old book, about as thick as a thin magazine.
What… is that?
「You’ve been visiting the library a lot lately, right? With my authority as the lord, I can check your borrowing history. It wasn’t hard to figure out what you were looking for.」
「Wait, this is…」
「Yeah. This book contains the dark truth of this kingdom, the kind of truth that isn’t written in the public archives.」
She handed me the book.
The title read “The Truth About the Half-Elves”.
A title that straightforward could only mean one thing. I swallowed hard and began to read slowly, tension tightening my chest.
「It’s not a story you can laugh about… not at all…」
As I read, I realized the story centered around three people:
A talented baron, his half-elf wife who supported him, and a young royal man who fell in love with the wife’s beauty and brilliance at first sight.
【Their meeting took place at a banquet held by the marquis who was the baron’s patron.
There, the royal man fell instantly for the baron’s half-elf wife and began to pursue her relentlessly. But the half-elf, as befitting a noble’s wife, gracefully evaded every advance.
Thanks to his wife’s support, the baron was later elevated to the rank of viscount.
In time, his competence could have easily made him an earl in a single generation. He was beloved by his people and, for the kingdom, a most profitable man whose tax revenues increased year by year.
However, the royal man, growing impatient with the Half-Elf who would not yield to his advances, decided to take action.
The Half-Elves possessed a distinct trait.
Their lifespan was about twice that of humans, and because of it, their skill growth was slower.
Without mentioning their high resistance to skills, and taking advantage of the fact that such knowledge was not widely known, he made a public declaration.
『Half-Elves are an inferior species compared to humans, possessing meager skill growth. Their beauty exists only to tempt and manipulate the capable. Therefore, the nobles of our kingdom are forbidden from marrying or employing them.』
He must have thought that this would force the husband to abandon his wife.
And then, when the Half-Elf woman lost her place in the world, he could swoop in as her savior and make her fall in love with him.
He probably believed he could later revoke the declaration as if it had never existed.
Such a foolish plan.
Love truly blinds even the wise.
Naturally, the royal man’s dream never came true.
The viscount chose his wife over the kingdom.
He decided to flee to another country, but before doing so, he made sure to tell his beloved people the truth behind his departure.
Many of his subjects, devoted to him, chose to abandon their homes and follow.
Moved by their loyalty, the viscount and his wife accepted their wish.
Had it been only the two of them, they might have escaped.
But they couldn’t bring themselves to leave behind those who loved and trusted them, even though they knew traveling with so many would slow their flight.
Then, the royal man, informed by his scouts who had been watching the viscount, exercised his authority and sent the army.
Realizing this, the viscount rushed to confront the approaching soldiers, hoping to buy time for his people to escape.
Some soldiers followed him into battle, but it was hopeless.
Outnumbered and outmatched, the rural guards stood no chance against the trained knights of the capital.
The viscount and his Half-Elf wife were captured.
Most of their people managed to scatter and flee safely, though many were lost.
The viscount was executed soon after.
His final words were recorded as follows:
『My people will find a new land, a new lord, and live in peace. I was blessed with a good wife, good people, and to be loved by them… I was happy.』
With a calm expression, the viscount’s head was severed.
The royal man then took the head and brought it before the Half-Elf wife.
『This is your last chance. Become mine. Refuse, and I will take you by force.』
He must have thought that showing her husband’s severed head would shatter her spirit.
But the wife looked at the peaceful face of the man she loved, embraced his head tightly, and replied with unwavering resolve.
『I refuse. The man I loved in this life was only one. By the pride of myself and my husband… there is nothing I would ever give to you. I will soon follow him… by my own hand.』
Those words stripped away the royal man’s weakness born of infatuation, and his gaze hardened into its usual coldness.
He forced the Half-Elf down. Yet then a miracle occurred.
The Half-Elf’s body became wreathed in light and threw the royal man’s hand aside.
It was truly a miracle. A blessing from the gods.
『Vow for Life(Only One)』
From that moment on, she would never give her body to anyone but the one man she loved for life.
It was a power that repelled those with impure intent.
When the royal man realized he could no longer touch her, rage consumed him and he killed the Half-Elf.
Beside her husband’s severed head, the Half-Elf fell into an eternal, peaceful sleep.
Because everything had been done in secret, no one was supposed to know about the royal man’s obsession.
The plan was to present the matter as the viscount’s rebellion, and everything would end there with that justification.
What the conspirators failed to foresee was that I had witnessed everything.
And I was in the faction opposed to that royal man.
I spread the story at once.
For the advantage of my faction.
That sparked civil unrest.
It seemed the Half-Elf’s miracle had been conferred upon the entire race. That fact made the rumor believable, and it spread as truth.
The ensuing insurrection drew in neighboring small states and erupted into a large war.
After fierce battles, we emerged victorious and placed a compassionate, wise ruler on the throne.
Naturally, we expected that man to be punished for his crimes, but the new king was too merciful.
『That household will become a blight upon this nation. We should remove it now.』
『…I will not spill more of my blood over internal strife. I will not have needless bloodshed. If I cannot protect my kin, I cannot protect the people. Therefore… I will excise the minor to save the whole.』
And so, the king placed all blame on the viscount and the Half-Elf, spared the ducal house from destruction, and imposed only light penalties that ensured the family would never again become royal.
From then on, the king implemented good governance and won the people’s trust.
Peace with the empire was negotiated after years of strife. Taxes were eased and trade expanded; the country prospered.
Yet the king who had chosen to excise the problem remained a king to the core.
Determined to protect his line, he removed any mention of Half-Elves from the country’s records and declared possession of such texts a grave crime, treating them as forbidden books.
Only the volumes held under the church’s care, those claiming divine wrath would strike anyone who destroyed the records of miracles, remained untouched and untouchable.
But the king also acted against that church.
To the church, which stubbornly refused to dispose of the books, he permitted their preservation but declared them nonpublic texts.
In return, he promised extraordinary privileges: freedom of preaching within the kingdom, overwhelming support from the crown, and more.
In a peaceful world and with prosperous lives, the rumors quieted and the king’s plan seemed to succeed.
Yet the harm had begun to spread even to unrelated mixed-blood peoples.
Mixed blood was branded as evil. Around the capital and out into the countryside, the rumor worsened for no reason and took hold.
…Whether this was right, I do not know.
Many people now live happily, and our ideal has in part been realized.
We wanted a world where everyone smiles and no one goes hungry, and we gained great results.
But the happiness built upon the continued persecution of innocent Half-Elves… was that truly the ideal we sought?
…This book will eventually be found and destroyed.
Still, I cannot erase the truth.
Hoping against hope, I decided to leave this record.
I feel ashamed and powerless to entrust the ending to a future I have not seen.】
「……」
I closed the book slowly.
「……How do you feel now that you know the truth?」
「Is this… the truth?」
「Yes. …This town was built by people who lost their villages to war, who had nowhere else to live. In that sense, this town itself is the proof.」
「But could the author have fabricated the story? Is it not possible?」
「Of course there is no absolute proof. But I do not think so. …The one who wrote it was my father.」
Hearing that, I felt an odd certainty settle over me.
I pictured Origol’s earnestness when it comes to her duties as lord, and I found her trustworthy.
「…Only a few decades, huh? In such a short time… people forget the facts, and a mistaken view that Half-Elves are inferior or evil takes hold. How heartless people are in the face of their own happiness…」
「…It really is a laughable and horrible tale. Does the current king feel nothing?」
「Who knows. The present king was still a child back then. Perhaps he only saw the good parts of the previous king, the improvements to the country. If you grow up safe inside the castle, you might not notice a history that is being erased. The current king’s brother realized it, and for that he was targeted by a duke and forced to leave the royal family, you know.」
The current king’s older brother, he’s Iris’s father, right? The one who gave up his claim to the throne and vanished with his family…
「…He’s not a bad king, you know. He inherited the previous king’s policies, and the people love him. Taxes are low, he spends money on national defense, and he’s even working to improve the slums. The number of citizens dying from hunger has dropped dramatically, and our relations with other nations aren’t bad either.」
「…Hearing that alone, he sounds like a ruler whose name will be remembered for generations.」
「Yeah… That’s why I wish he’d notice the disease festering within the kingdom. But there’s no one who can make him see it. The nobility at the core are under the duke’s thumb, and the one knight captain who could have advised him is gone. Iris-chan is trying to act on it, but… it looks like a gamble she’s unlikely to win.」
But then Origol continued.
「Well, we’re not just going to sit around hoping for a miracle. If there’s no one to make him see, then I’ll be the one to do it. I’ll save Mizera-chan, and every Half-Elf who’s suffering.」
「…You’re not planning to start a war, are you?」
「Ahaha. Of course not. I’ve no intention of spilling pointless blood. …Though they might be the ones to start something, even then I’ll make sure it’s resolved peacefully.」
When Origol made that scheming, serious face of her, I couldn’t help but think she looked a lot like Darwin.
But hearing her words, I let out a quiet breath of relief.
War… that’s the one thing we don’t need.
I can’t bear the thought of anyone in this city, anyone I know, dying because of it.
「We don’t abandon our comrades. We protect the truth. Always have, always will. Anyway, this book’s my treasure, so I’m taking it back with me. If it were found here, you might be punished, you know.」
She hopped off my lap, tucked the book into her backpack, and grinned.
「You sure you’ll be fine keeping that?」
「Ha-ha-ha! I’ll hide it with my naughty books, so no one’ll ever find it! My concealment’s perfect, after all!」
…Yeah, something tells me Walkas or Souma already knows about those.
Thinking that, I watched Origol leave, then looked up at the ceiling, exhaling a long sigh as I closed my eyes.
So, the cause lies with the royal duke’s family…
The duke’s house again, huh. The same one behind that mess with the knight captain.
Two people who truly loved each other, said to have died peacefully, happy in the end…
But it just feels so hollow.
Could they really have been happy with an ending like that…?
「…milord?」
「Ah, what is it, Mizera?」
「Well, lord-sama said you looked unwell, so I came to check on you… Are you all right?」
Mizera noticed my expression and immediately came to my side, placing her hand on my forehead.
I wonder why… That simple kindness, compared to how Mizera was when she first arrived, and seeing her now, recovered and full of life, made the backs of my eyes grow hot.
「No fever… it seems, eep!」
Before I knew it, I pulled her into a tight embrace while still seated.
「H-hey… what’s wrong?」
「Sorry. Just let me stay like this for a moment.」
「…………Alright. But only for a little while… okay?」
「Yeah…」
Mizera gently wrapped her arms around my back and held me in return.
As I rested my head against her chest, I could clearly hear her slightly restless heartbeat.
Somehow… it felt incredibly soothing.
「Really now… what’s gotten into you?」
「Mizera… I swear to you again, I will make you happy.」
Once more, from the bottom of my heart.
「…Silly. You don’t have to say that.」
「I know. But I wanted to say it.」
「I see… But you know, you don’t have to push yourself so hard.」
「Huh…?」
Mizera pulled her hands away, and when I looked up…
‘Chu.’
「I’m already happy.」
She placed a hand on my cheek, and for just an instant, our lips met before she pulled away, smiling softly with a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
After a moment of stunned silence, I stood and drew her into another strong embrace.
「Eh? Wha, eek!…」
I lifted her into my arms, gently laid her on the sofa, leaned in close, and returned her kiss.
「Mmm… haah…」
When our lips parted, Mizera’s body was still tense, perhaps from nervousness.
Finding her expression utterly endearing, I pressed my lips to hers once more, and she accepted them fully.
「Mm, chu… ah… nn, fuu…」
Sweet breaths escaped between our kisses, and her dazed eyes gazed weakly back into mine.
「…Mizera. May I?」
「Ah… Yes… you may. Make me… very happy.」
I locked the door to the alchemy room and slowly, gently, lowered myself over her.
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