I left the mansion of Meena the Snake Demon tribe.
　Meena and Noosh had seen us off.
　Do you want to use the snake you brought us on the way back?　I was asked if I could use it, but I politely declined.
　It would be ruinous if someone saw me leaving with that thing.

I'd like to have a private conversation with Noish before I leave, but is there a chance for that?

No, what's the point of being alone with him from the beginning?
　If we talk about the two of us alone, Noosh will tell the Lord, Meena, everything now.
　So, I make up my mind.
　I will say what I have to say to Noish in front of Meena.

"Noish, tell me. "Noish, tell me, what are you here for?

What I want to know is whether Neusch is Neusch or not.
　If we say it's for Meena here, then Neusch is no longer Neusch.
　He's a complete puppet of Meena.
　Noish opens his mouth with a doll-like inorganic face.
　.........No?
　No, no.
　Neusch's expression is distorted, it's the face of a human being, not a doll, struggling to protect something important.
　It's a human face, not a doll's, but a human face as it struggles to protect something important.

"I'm here to be strong. I am here to be strong.

The sound of the wind drowned out everything else from there.
　But enough is enough.
　Neusch knew it was all right.

'Well, I'll see you later.'

If it's already ruined, I was thinking of pulling it away from Meena, being prepared to risk it.
　Even if I tried to pull away from Meena in this state, she would recognize me as an enemy and attack me, and even after I took her back by force, she would try to return to Meena. That's not enough, it could break me.

Still, if Noish was no longer Noish, he was going to take a forceful move on the slightest chance of being able to cure it.
　........But even now, Neusch is Neusch. Then there's no gambling with him.
　I will leave him here.

''Yeah, it's going to be the school next.

I look at Meena's face. She smiles and doesn't deny Neusch's words.
　The restoration of the school is well underway. The students will be called back in not too long.
　But is that where you want Neusch to go now?

Okay, at school.

All right. I don't know what your intentions are, but if you can give me time to be with Noosh while away from Meena, I'll do some things to help you in my own way.
　Even if it's just a trap.

◇

Then I flew to the nearest city to rely on my memory of the trip, and took a hotel.
　It's the best inn in town.
　This city is not safe and that's why I'm excited about it. In an unsafe city, price isn't just about comfort, it's also about hygiene and safety.
　We could deal with a mugger, but we don't want to get tired.
　As soon as I enter the room, I fall into bed.
　When Dia saw this, she mimicked it and fell down next to him in the same way.

'I'm tired ... Shindoku.'
Yeah, it just stuck.
'It's unusual. It's unusual to see Master Rouges looking so disheveled.
What about me?
Well, it's always been that way.

Tart told the truth as he looked away a bit.

'This is still the case when I was in Vicone, as a deep-windowed lady, I tried not to show any gaps. Since I came to live with Lugue, I felt like a fool to stand on my shoulders.''

Even now, when Dear wears the mask of a nobleman, he acts perfect and seamless.
　But in front of me, the tart, and the ones I trust, her true colors come out.

I'm tired too. I've already gotten rid of the fatigue in my body, but in my mind.
''Yeah, [Super Recovery] it's too convenient. No matter how hard you push yourself, you'll be able to move right away. ........But my mind is completely useless.

That is the weakness of 【Super Recovery】.
　The only thing that recovers is the body.
　Myself, my nerves are tattered from the negotiations with Meena after the last-minute death struggle with the demon race.
　That's why I decided to take a break in a nearby place instead of forcing myself to return to Touahade in a day.

'Speaking of which, is the tart all right now?　See, if you always make [beastification] longer, you'll be in trouble, right?

Tart's face turned red.
He's very concerned about the side effects of [Beastification] that make him erotic.

'As Master Rouges told me, I've gotten used to it and can tolerate it after a little bit of a transformation each day.

It's just that I can tolerate it, but it doesn't mean I've lost those urges.
　My eyes are still a bit feverish.

'I see. I can put up with it.
'Well, what about it?'
No, it's nothing. Anyway, dinner's ready. I'm hungry.
'Yes, I'm starving too. Perhaps, 【Super Recovery】 might be more resilient, so you might be hungry faster. I've been carrying a heavy load for a long time.

Tart saw the magic spear, which was propped up against the wall.
　I usually store it in the [Crane Leather Bag], but if I put it in there, the last thing I want to do is to be affected by the [Fruit of Life] and I don't know what will happen to it.
　It was difficult to carry it in a hang glider, and with the huge mechanical spear on my back, I was looked at oddly in the city.
I didn't realize that the lack of [Crane Leather Bag] was such an inconvenience.
　When I return to Touahade, I need to thoroughly investigate and make sure I can use it somehow.

◇

The food was kind of ... subtle.

'Ugh, the bread and alcohol aren't very good either.
Well, it's all very normal.

This city is not a city that uses only first-class products like the royal capital, nor is it a city that gathers goods from all over the world like Murteu, nor is it a city with fertile land and high quality crops like Touahade.
　That's why our discerning palates are not happy with the taste of the food.

'Instead, it's cheap and plentiful. It's more of a working man's tavern. It's good to be cheap.

It's a city that has no tourist resources and can't count on tourists.
　This is also a bar where workers use everyday, and I suppose they are looking for quantity rather than taste or delicacy.

The main dish of the day, stir-fried pork, came out with a bang.
　They put all kinds of parts of pork, such as belly, loin, liver, heart, small intestine, etc., into it, cooked them all thoroughly and then coated with a sweet and spicy sauce.
　It's usually good. You can enjoy various flavors, and the strong flavor goes well with sake.

Well, it's not bad.
This is more than enough of a treat for me.
Sometimes it's good to do this.

The menu at Touahade is more than home-cooked, but my mother and I have a taste for elegant food.
　If it wasn't for this kind of opportunity, I wouldn't have been able to eat such rough food.
　◇

I went back to my room and was doing some tedious work when Dia peeked out from behind me.

We are renting two rooms, and Dia and Tart are in a separate room, but they are coming to play in their pajamas.
　The pajamas are light, so she looks s*xy.
　Recently, I've noticed that Dia is growing up. She is becoming more feminine.
　Perhaps she will be bigger than her mother.

'What do you think she's doing?'
Here's today's report. I should send it in. ........It's a pain in the ass and I'd like to keep it quiet that I defeated the demon race, but that's not going to happen.

It would be a big deal if they defeated the demon race again.
　Now, I have defeated the majority of demons. If I can defeat all the demons, the whole country will be excited, and they'll start celebrating me.
　I'd like to avoid that, but the statue of the demon race will be shattered again in the Holy Land, so it's impossible to hide it.

''Why?　Maybe you'll get another medal and a reward. On the contrary, you might get a new territory and get a promotion.
''I don't want to rise in the ranks. If the estate gets any larger, I won't be able to see into the corners, and I'm tired of being bothered by central politics. A baron is the most suitable for me.

Nobles gain more power and wealth as they rise in rank, but they also gain more obligations.
　A baron should basically only have to think about his estate.
　Beyond that, they are forced to participate in politics without choice and have to take care of the lower class nobles.
　Frankly speaking, it's a bother.
　.........To say the least, as long as you are a lower class aristocrat, you may receive unreasonable orders from a higher class aristocrat, but based on that, I still think it's not worth it.

''You have no greed, do you?''
I'm greedy. I'm going to take whatever I want. What I need to make me and the people I care about happy. It's just that there's nothing that's going to make us happy when we get ahead.

Even now, there's hardly anything we don't want and can't get.
　The only thing beyond my career is what I don't want, and I don't feel like I or Dia and the others will be happy.

'Hmmm, I guess so. It's much better to be with them all the time than to have a rogue become a great person. Your father and others were always so busy that we rarely even had time to eat together.
''With the Count, I suppose. .........maybe it would be better to make a firm statement of intent once. Then you won't have to be dragged down by guile like last time.
Statement, that you don't want to get ahead, in front of everyone?
That's the quickest way to do it, but that's what makes people so irritating.

Human mind is unreasonable and difficult. And when you are dealing with one or two people, but when you are dealing with multiple people, you are in over your head.

I've written a letter. I'll send the letter first thing in the morning and that's it. I'm going to go to bed now. I have to look into the [Fruit of Life] tomorrow, so I want to make sure I'm back in good shape.
Well that's a shame.

Dia hugged me from behind.
　I felt her body temperature was higher than usual.
　Deere's intentions can be felt along with her body heat.

You're not tired?
I'm very tired. But that's how I feel. I get turned on by the thought of losing Lug. I was fighting with the demons today, and this rougue, by himself, did something very dangerous, and when he was talking to Meena, he seemed so far away, and I kept, kept getting this feeling. I asked Tart if he felt like getting laid, and I said I wouldn't give up on him if he couldn't stand it. I'm weird, right?

It's not weird, I kind of get it.

We try to connect to counteract our insecurities.
　I want to feel each other and know that it's going to be okay. I want to feel Diah too. But more than that, I'm too cute and ruined by Dia's shyness in sharing her feelings with me.

'Kyah.'

In an instant, like a magic trick, I broke free of Dia's embrace and, conversely, carried her to the bed in a princess hug.
　Dia looks up at me with moist eyes and opens her arms to welcome me.

'I'm not going away,'
Yes, let me believe you.

I smile and lock my lips together.
　I'm here. And I'll never leave you, dear.
　Let me tell you about that.
　I left the mansion of Meena the Snake Demon tribe.
　Meena and Noosh had seen us off.
　Do you want to use the snake you brought us on the way back?　I was asked if I could use it, but I politely declined.
　It would be ruinous if someone saw me leaving with that thing.

I'd like to have a private conversation with Noish before I leave, but is there a chance for that?

No, what's the point of being alone with him from the beginning?
　If we talk about the two of us alone, Noosh will tell the Lord, Meena, everything now.
　So, I make up my mind.
　I will say what I have to say to Noish in front of Meena.

"Noish, tell me. "Noish, tell me, what are you here for?

What I want to know is whether Neusch is Neusch or not.
　If we say it's for Meena here, then Neusch is no longer Neusch.
　He's a complete puppet of Meena.
　Noish opens his mouth with a doll-like inorganic face.
　.........No?
　No, no.
　Neusch's expression is distorted, it's the face of a human being, not a doll, struggling to protect something important.
　It's a human face, not a doll's, but a human face as it struggles to protect something important.

"I'm here to be strong. I am here to be strong.

The sound of the wind drowned out everything else from there.
　But enough is enough.
　Neusch knew it was all right.

'Well, I'll see you later.'

If it's already ruined, I was thinking of pulling it away from Meena, being prepared to risk it.
　Even if I tried to pull away from Meena in this state, she would recognize me as an enemy and attack me, and even after I took her back by force, she would try to return to Meena. That's not enough, it could break me.

Still, if Noish was no longer Noish, he was going to take a forceful move on the slightest chance of being able to cure it.
　........But even now, Neusch is Neusch. Then there's no gambling with him.
　I will leave him here.

''Yeah, it's going to be the school next.

I look at Meena's face. She smiles and doesn't deny Neusch's words.
　The restoration of the school is well underway. The students will be called back in not too long.
　But is that where you want Neusch to go now?

Okay, at school.

All right. I don't know what your intentions are, but if you can give me time to be with Noosh while away from Meena, I'll do some things to help you in my own way.
　Even if it's just a trap.

◇

Then I flew to the nearest city to rely on my memory of the trip, and took a hotel.
　It's the best inn in town.
　This city is not safe and that's why I'm excited about it. In an unsafe city, price isn't just about comfort, it's also about hygiene and safety.
　We could deal with a mugger, but we don't want to get tired.
　As soon as I enter the room, I fall into bed.
　When Dia saw this, she mimicked it and fell down next to him in the same way.

'I'm tired ... Shindoku.'
Yeah, it just stuck.
'It's unusual. It's unusual to see Master Rouges looking so disheveled.
What about me?
Well, it's always been that way.

Tart told the truth as he looked away a bit.

'This is still the case when I was in Vicone, as a deep-windowed lady, I tried not to show any gaps. Since I came to live with Lugue, I felt like a fool to stand on my shoulders.''

Even now, when Dear wears the mask of a nobleman, he acts perfect and seamless.
　But in front of me, the tart, and the ones I trust, her true colors come out.

I'm tired too. I've already gotten rid of the fatigue in my body, but in my mind.
''Yeah, [Super Recovery] it's too convenient. No matter how hard you push yourself, you'll be able to move right away. ........But my mind is completely useless.

That is the weakness of 【Super Recovery】.
　The only thing that recovers is the body.
　Myself, my nerves are tattered from the negotiations with Meena after the last-minute death struggle with the demon race.
　That's why I decided to take a break in a nearby place instead of forcing myself to return to Touahade in a day.

'Speaking of which, is the tart all right now?　See, if you always make [beastification] longer, you'll be in trouble, right?

Tart's face turned red.
He's very concerned about the side effects of [Beastification] that make him erotic.

'As Master Rouges told me, I've gotten used to it and can tolerate it after a little bit of a transformation each day.

It's just that I can tolerate it, but it doesn't mean I've lost those urges.
　My eyes are still a bit feverish.

'I see. I can put up with it.
'Well, what about it?'
No, it's nothing. Anyway, dinner's ready. I'm hungry.
'Yes, I'm starving too. Perhaps, 【Super Recovery】 might be more resilient, so you might be hungry faster. I've been carrying a heavy load for a long time.

Tart saw the magic spear, which was propped up against the wall.
　I usually store it in the [Crane Leather Bag], but if I put it in there, the last thing I want to do is to be affected by the [Fruit of Life] and I don't know what will happen to it.
　It was difficult to carry it in a hang glider, and with the huge mechanical spear on my back, I was looked at oddly in the city.
I didn't realize that the lack of [Crane Leather Bag] was such an inconvenience.
　When I return to Touahade, I need to thoroughly investigate and make sure I can use it somehow.

◇

The food was kind of ... subtle.

'Ugh, the bread and alcohol aren't very good either.
Well, it's all very normal.

This city is not a city that uses only first-class products like the royal capital, nor is it a city that gathers goods from all over the world like Murteu, nor is it a city with fertile land and high quality crops like Touahade.
　That's why our discerning palates are not happy with the taste of the food.

'Instead, it's cheap and plentiful. It's more of a working man's tavern. It's good to be cheap.

It's a city that has no tourist resources and can't count on tourists.
　This is also a bar where workers use everyday, and I suppose they are looking for quantity rather than taste or delicacy.

The main dish of the day, stir-fried pork, came out with a bang.
　They put all kinds of parts of pork, such as belly, loin, liver, heart, small intestine, etc., into it, cooked them all thoroughly and then coated with a sweet and spicy sauce.
　It's usually good. You can enjoy various flavors, and the strong flavor goes well with sake.

Well, it's not bad.
This is more than enough of a treat for me.
Sometimes it's good to do this.

The menu at Touahade is more than home-cooked, but my mother and I have a taste for elegant food.
　If it wasn't for this kind of opportunity, I wouldn't have been able to eat such rough food.
　◇

I went back to my room and was doing some tedious work when Dia peeked out from behind me.

We are renting two rooms, and Dia and Tart are in a separate room, but they are coming to play in their pajamas.
　The pajamas are light, so she looks s*xy.
　Recently, I've noticed that Dia is growing up. She is becoming more feminine.
　Perhaps she will be bigger than her mother.

'What do you think she's doing?'
Here's today's report. I should send it in. ........It's a pain in the ass and I'd like to keep it quiet that I defeated the demon race, but that's not going to happen.

It would be a big deal if they defeated the demon race again.
　Now, I have defeated the majority of demons. If I can defeat all the demons, the whole country will be excited, and they'll start celebrating me.
　I'd like to avoid that, but the statue of the demon race will be shattered again in the Holy Land, so it's impossible to hide it.

''Why?　Maybe you'll get another medal and a reward. On the contrary, you might get a new territory and get a promotion.
''I don't want to rise in the ranks. If the estate gets any larger, I won't be able to see into the corners, and I'm tired of being bothered by central politics. A baron is the most suitable for me.

Nobles gain more power and wealth as they rise in rank, but they also gain more obligations.
　A baron should basically only have to think about his estate.
　Beyond that, they are forced to participate in politics without choice and have to take care of the lower class nobles.
　Frankly speaking, it's a bother.
　.........To say the least, as long as you are a lower class aristocrat, you may receive unreasonable orders from a higher class aristocrat, but based on that, I still think it's not worth it.

''You have no greed, do you?''
I'm greedy. I'm going to take whatever I want. What I need to make me and the people I care about happy. It's just that there's nothing that's going to make us happy when we get ahead.

Even now, there's hardly anything we don't want and can't get.
　The only thing beyond my career is what I don't want, and I don't feel like I or Dia and the others will be happy.

'Hmmm, I guess so. It's much better to be with them all the time than to have a rogue become a great person. Your father and others were always so busy that we rarely even had time to eat together.
''With the Count, I suppose. .........maybe it would be better to make a firm statement of intent once. Then you won't have to be dragged down by guile like last time.
Statement, that you don't want to get ahead, in front of everyone?
That's the quickest way to do it, but that's what makes people so irritating.

Human mind is unreasonable and difficult. And when you are dealing with one or two people, but when you are dealing with multiple people, you are in over your head.

I've written a letter. I'll send the letter first thing in the morning and that's it. I'm going to go to bed now. I have to look into the [Fruit of Life] tomorrow, so I want to make sure I'm back in good shape.
Well that's a shame.

Dia hugged me from behind.
　I felt her body temperature was higher than usual.
　Deere's intentions can be felt along with her body heat.

You're not tired?
I'm very tired. But that's how I feel. I get turned on by the thought of losing Lug. I was fighting with the demons today, and this rougue, by himself, did something very dangerous, and when he was talking to Meena, he seemed so far away, and I kept, kept getting this feeling. I asked Tart if he felt like getting laid, and I said I wouldn't give up on him if he couldn't stand it. I'm weird, right?

It's not weird, I kind of get it.

We try to connect to counteract our insecurities.
　I want to feel each other and know that it's going to be okay. I want to feel Diah too. But more than that, I'm too cute and ruined by Dia's shyness in sharing her feelings with me.

'Kyah.'

In an instant, like a magic trick, I broke free of Dia's embrace and, conversely, carried her to the bed in a princess hug.
　Dia looks up at me with moist eyes and opens her arms to welcome me.

'I'm not going away,'
Yes, let me believe you.

I smile and lock my lips together.
　I'm here. And I'll never leave you, dear.
　Let me tell you about that.