After separating from the Lord, we were on foot to our old training grounds, defeating the demons that appeared along the way.

''Hmmmmm.''

Now it's my turn to move forward a bit and defeat the demons that appear.
In a good mood, I hum along and defeat the enemies.
I won't pick up any dropped items this time, as they will become baggage.
However, I did pick up the things that will be used as food, as I'll be eating them today, so I picked them up properly.

''Sorte, you're in a super good mood.
'Yes, you're right. You hunt demons so much with your smile that an adventurer who just passed you by looked at you suspiciously.
'Seriously?　 Madness!　The werewolf race that slaughters demons with a smile!　And so on.
You've been hugging yourself and twirling around like that for a while now. That's even weirder.

I'd be in a daze and all of a sudden I'd start writhing.
A merchant and a few others were walking past me with their faces down.
By the way, do I show that much on my face...?
But, but when I remember what happened earlier, I can't stop thinking about it. It can't be helped.

"No way, I'm not Sorte...
No, you were writhing in agony earlier.
'Ew!　Myself?
'Yeah, I have to admit, it was embarrassing to watch,'

Right.
You were squirming and squirming inward, looking so ecstatic that you wouldn't want people to think you were one of them if you could.
I think the rumors would be more likely to come from Renge.
Obscene!　Rubbing his inner thighs in ecstasy, the sand wolf race!　And so on.
Yeah ... that's kinky.

''Well in case you're wondering, Aina has a lot of loose cheeks, too.
What, me?　I will be firm!
No. I'm still loose.
Oh, no, what the hell is...

I'm not sure where, but the whole face I'm touching right now, or rather, the atmosphere is not able to hide my happiness anymore.

The three of us together with the three of us are buoyant, right?
It can't be helped. You know, a handmade present from the Lord.　It makes me so happy I want to run out of here screaming, "Cah, cah, cah, cah, cah!
Sorte was crying from happiness. I was so surprised.
'It can't be helped, it just came out naturally...'
No, wait. It's more of a matter of, um.......well, the kissing, I guess.
'Yes!　Why are you running around on your own!

Sheesh.
I've been reminded of that.

Okay, let's open it up.

'I can't help it. I was just doing it on impulse.
Then you should just stop all this nonsense and tell your husband how you feel!
'It doesn't work that way, does it?　Division, division. It'll be a lot easier for us to get it right the first time.

I knew I'd give up now. How uncool.
I'm not going to be so miserable.
The only way to break the ice is to complete the quests properly. I know.

But I'm already making a pooch.
Do you think they've already noticed?　She knows.....
But you didn't look uncomfortable, did you?
Did I make a mistake...?　Yeah, that's okay, right?

The kiss....
Oh, you want Aina too, don't you?
I'd like to... well...
'Why are you embarrassed?　You could be bolder in the weirdest places!　You're going to confess to your husband, so don't be shy about kissing him, you'll be late!
Le, aren't you ashamed of Renge!
"I'm not ashamed of that!　It's all here!　Zembu, they've seen the embarrassing part!　I can't be embarrassed to put my mouth to mouth now!

You know, that spiky hair did get shaved by the Lord, didn't it?
I can't do that either.
I'd be too embarrassed to beat him to a pulp.
I'm not going to let that happen. I'm going to stop it before that happens.

"The Lord is very proud of you, isn't he?

Looking at the pendant, it is clear that the materials alone are quite expensive.
Besides, the Lord's alchemy level is already 9, and he's the highest ranked alchemist in the current situation.
Just an accessory made by such a person should be quite expensive... right?

That's right.... Orichalcong, mithril and diamonds, you know.
'A diamond ... does my lord know what it means to send a diamond to a woman?'
You don't know, do you? I mean, you don't seem to know much about that.

I wish I knew that would be great.
But I didn't know that, did I?

"I swear on my life.

How could they have given it to me without knowing that it was used for a ring that two people who are getting married will exchange with each other.
Forever......
I want to be with you forever.

But it makes me happy.
'Oh...'
Well....

All three of them stopped their legs and stared at the pendant that the Lord had given them.
The three of them are all three pendants with the same yet firmly different design, embedded with diamonds.

''I'm sure we didn't have much time... but they're so carefully crafted.
I think it was hard work. This Orihalcon and Mithril folded and layered together is great, but most of all, it's a diamond. How do you cut it to shine so beautifully?
'Well...?　But the Lord has cut like this before.

Maybe it's the knowledge of the original world?
Sometimes I almost forget that the Lord is a 'drifter' from another world.
No wonder he knows things we don't.

It's nice, aren't you two. I wish I had been able to stay over here without doing any of those things.
Not so fast, is it?　It's your job.
That's true, but.... How can I say, I want to know everything about the person I love.

I know the feeling.


As we talk about the Lord's story, yada yada yada, before we know it, we arrive at our destination, the place where our master used to train us as children.

As a child, it seemed farther away, but as an adult, I was deeply moved by how quickly it had gone by.
That rock was so small.

It brings back memories.
Well the shed we used to use looks a little old, but it looks usable.

The hut we were staying in, which was really just a nondescript hut, is still standing, albeit a little old.
We decided to use this hut as a base and unload our luggage first.

We arrived earlier than expected. We need to check the area and get some water before we get ready.
That's true. For now, I'm going to check the area while I fetch water.
'Oh, then it would be more efficient to use the magic bag I borrowed from my lord.
It's convenient, isn't it.... Should we try to clear the dungeon ourselves next time?

That might not be a bad idea.
I wonder if the Lord would appreciate it if I gave it to him?
But I'm sure the Lord will be worried........

''Well then, I'm off!
Yeah, we'll get some wood from the neighborhood.

The only water in this area is from the river.
However, due to the magical influence that flows from the cave, you can't drink it without boiling it once, as you might get sick if you drink it straight from the cave.
This is something I learned from my master when I was training.

''Hmm. That's quite a drop.

I searched the vicinity of the forest for firewood and found a few trees that looked dry here and there.

'Let's be on the lookout and pick it up.
'The cave is close, and there might be some strong demons out there that are reasonably strong.

The demons around here are opponents that a B-ranked adventurer can beat one-on-one with no problem.
If you're C-ranked, a party of three or four would be no problem.
We've fought many times when we were kids and although it was three against one back then, I don't think there's any problem with one against more than one now.

'A cave.... I used to be stopped by my master.
Back then, I remember, adventurers were still taking on those quests.
''Yeah, you were passing by my training on the side...''

But no one came back....
When it became easier to defeat the monsters around here, I got carried away and told Master that I wanted to go to the cave, but he said, 'If you want to die, go ahead. If you want to die, go, but I won't help you.

He knew that he was in a difficult situation like that, and more than anything else, he was afraid of his eyes, so he decided not to go.

''So what's the plan of attack?''
Well, I think I'll take a look around the entrance area today, take a breath and then start the attack in earnest.
Yeah. Let's take our time.

Everything needs to calm down.
I need to sink my floating feelings and switch over to this quest thing right now.
It's natural for an adventurer to feel that impatience and carelessness can easily lead to the loss of life.

We'll have to put our buoyant moods to rest for a while.
'I'm sorry, though. I would have liked to soak it in a little longer, but...
What? You can do it all you want when you get back.
'Yes. Then we'll blow it up as hard as we can.
Yeah, you're right. Let's get it over with and don't worry about what people think.

It's true, Aina has changed too.
She used to feel that she had to get her act together just because she was a little older than us, but since she met the Lord, she's become a little more girly.
Come to think of it, the other day you asked me about underwear........

"....Hey, why don't you invite Renge and let's go shopping for underwear together?
'All of a sudden!　........well, you'll choose?
'Yes!　I'll let you choose the one you like, Lord!
Oh, don't get too flashy, okay?

I know I said the Lord likes it, but it doesn't mean I know it. But, well, I think he likes it naughty anyway.
You know, something with a little less area than color and flutter, right?
But since it's the Lord, maybe he has some weird obsession with it....
Yeah. Well, in that case, you can take the Lord with you.
To say it's embarrassing would be an understatement, but if we don't do that, we're going to fall behind like Renge said.......

.........Huh?　I wonder if I've been poisoned by the Lord that I'm becoming less and less resistant to wearing small areas of fabric?