Chapter 12
「Fire monster... Lilia, do you know anything about the boss?」
The next enemy is likely to be the boss of the Regalia Grand Volcano.
While having lunch, Mars and the others gathered in the living room for a strategy meeting.
However, in reality, the so-called strategy meeting was rather relaxed, and everyone was snacking and having a casual chat.
Nemu was drawing pictures on the floor.
In adventures, it's generally recommended to take a break every other day.
They'll have to wait for "Jet Black," but at this point, they don't really care about that.
It's more important to increase the certainty of their conquest.
「Let's see... 」
Lilia seems to be opening drawers in her mind one by one.
Lilia, who knows the most about monsters, is easily identifiable.
She learned about legendary beings as part of the royal education when she was little.
In Mars's previous world, you would call it social studies.
「Fire monsters... Even the fire itself is new to me, so I have no idea ......」
「I'm completely clueless about monsters too... The pizza is delicious! I'd get fat immediately if I wasn't adventuring in the dungeon!」
Hazuki and Sion stretch the cheese on the freshly baked pizza and stuff their mouths full.
As always, there was no sense of tension.
「Is the next monster like this-nyaa!?」
Nemu shows her sketchbook drawing to Mars.
It is remarkably realistic and very skillful as a painting.
It depicts a towering giant engulfed in flames.
「Did you come up with this, Nemu-chan?」
「Nemu thought it would be scary if the bonfire started spreading-nyaa? So she made it look like a monster-nyaa.」
「That's really scary......」
Mars can't help but chuckle.
「Oh!」
「? What's wrong, Lilia?」
「N-No, I just remembered something when I saw that drawing. I have heard of a monster called the Flame God Surtr.」
「......What kind of guy is that?」
Lilia explains her memories triggered by Nemu's drawing.
Surtr is a giant made of flames.
Lilia herself doesn't know the exact details, but it is said that Surtr is not someone who simply likes volcanoes but rather someone who creates them.
In other words, Regalia Grand Volcano became a volcano because Surtr made it its habitat.
Lilia's face turned pale at the high probability of a superorganism capable of altering the environment becoming the next boss.
「It's like an upgraded version of me...!」
「If it were the sea, I think I could somehow manipulate water... But it's difficult now.」
Mars sees Surtr as a tangible flame.
If that's the case, it's practically like dealing with natural phenomena, and there seems to be no way to handle it.
「Hazuki-chan's ice magic seems difficult too. In the first place, I wonder if it can even freeze Sutr, and even if it does, it seems like it would be melted.」
「In reality, isn't it impossible to defeat something like that? How did 'Jet Black' do it?」
「That guy seems to have a lot of magic that surpasses the 'Forbidden Magic Book'... He's already beyond human levels, being able to create monsters.」
Even after considering various options, they couldn't find a way to control fire.
Using water could cause a steam explosion, and it's doubtful whether there's anything that can freeze inside Surtr.
There are very few means to deal with it.
「First of all, what about the possibility of a fire giant appearing in this place? Even though it's called the World Tree, it's technically still a tree. In the worst-case scenario, there's even a chance that the entire place could burn down.」
「It's like putting a volcano inside a tree... It's a last resort, but maybe we should ask 'Jet Black' not to summon that monster. I have a feeling it might work.」
「That's going too far with a last resort, isn't it!?」
Mars was certain.
If he were to say it, 'Jet Black' would probably replace it with a different monster.
Because 'Jet Black' doesn't care about such details.
「That guy's goal is to fight Mars-nyan. He said he didn't want him to die in a trap, so he said he would break it-nyaa. That's why there's no reason for him to summon an opponent Mars-nyan can't defeat-nyaa.」
「Yeah, that's right. I think so too.」
Sometimes Nemu was sharp.
She excelled at grasping the essence of things. That's why she's good at drawing, sculpting, and clay work. Her high learning ability is also a result of that.
'Jet Black' is the storyteller in this dungeon.
The scenario ends with a one-on-one fight against Mars. That's what he wants.
Therefore, there's a need for 'Jet Black' to eliminate obstacles.
「Well, it might not even be Surt in the first place. It's just because it's a famous monster, so it came to mind.」
「It's no use worrying too much about it, right!? Let's talk about dinner!」
「Isn't that too relaxed!? We're already eating, and you're talking about dinner again!?」
While eating pizza, Hazuki started talking about dinner.
「It's true that there's no point in worrying too much. In this world, even if you can make some predictions, there are very few things you can know for sure.」
Predicting the future is equivalent to reading the heart of 'Jet Black.'
Even in a normal dungeon, clearing it is a great achievement worthy of being called a hero.
Mars cannot predict the thoughts of individuals who effortlessly clear the Seven Great Dungeons, the pinnacle of the world, and even remodel them as he pleases.
No, anyone wouldn't be able to read them.
If someone were skillful enough to decipher other people's hearts, Mars wouldn't have come to this world.
He would have lived a better life.
「Well... There's no use thinking about it. I want to eat noodles.」
「If it's cold noodles, Nemu also prefers that-nya. She doesn't like hot ones-nyaa.」
It seems Lilia has completely relaxed.
It's foolish to let one's anxiety grow.
In a dungeon, it is not contradictory to have both the foresight to see the future and the boldness to abandon everything at once.
The ability to switch one's mindset quickly is a significant advantage for adventurers.
Being swallowed by the fear of the dungeon and following the rules of the opponent and the surroundings would lead to imminent death.
Lack of social awareness didn't always bring about negative consequences.
Those who can achieve great feats somewhere are always a bit thick-skinned.
Except for Mars, everyone in this group has that resilience.
Lilia, on the other hand, has a somewhat delicate side, but she has the strength to face forward after all her struggles.
In contrast, Mars has a precedent of abandoning everything, even his own life.
In fact, he is the most mentally fragile.
「As for me, I would like to have a ramen! That complex taste...! I don't mind eating ramen every day!」
「Nyaa! Nemu doesn't like it because she has to blow on it for so long before she can eat it-nyaa!」
With a fascinated expression, Sion craves ramen.
Nemu, with her sensitive tongue, finds it challenging to eat, regardless of the taste.
Perhaps due to growing accustomed to the heat, Sion has developed a preference for hot food.
Ramen, in particular, is her favorite, with a preference for rich and heavy flavors like tonkotsu.
If Sion were in modern-day Japan, she would undoubtedly become a formidable individual who lines up at ramen shops alone after work.
Despite appearing calm and gentle enough to be a nursery teacher, of all things.
「Nemu-chan, are you going to have tsukemen? I think I'll go with tsukemen today too.」
「Make it light, with less oil, soft, and lukewarm, please-nyaa.」
「Roger that.」
Mars grinned, wondering when their group had become a ramen shop.
Their backgrounds and food preferences were all so different.
Although it was challenging to accommodate everyone's preferences, Mars genuinely felt happy that each person asserted their own tastes.
「C-Can I have an extra serving of noodles, please!」
Sion raises her hand with steam and a blush on her face.
It was a matter of finishing it before anyone else.
For tonight's meal, it was decided to have noodles, so Hazuki and Nemu set up a makeshift food stall outside and ate there.
Mars, dressed as a stall owner, served everyone's orders while eating himself.
He offered various types of soup and noodle thicknesses.
Eating outside in the dungeon was deliberate to prevent the smell from lingering indoors.
In this dungeon, there were no small monsters, and only one person would bother them.
「Of course, we have plenty prepared.」
Mars drains the noodles and scoops them into a bowl.
Sion, the calmest and gentlest of them all, had the strongest attachment to surface food.
Her perspective on life, which had only known seafood for seven hundred years, had completely changed.
Her enjoyment of food was magnificent.
In this world, instant noodles were widely popular as preserved food, and there was a reasonable development in noodle cuisine.
Ramen-like dishes were readily available in eateries.
However, Mars's noodles were not preserved kind but fresh ones.
Regarding the soup, based on memories from his past lives, Mars prepared it taking everyone's preferences into account.
He even had a variety of broth types, more than your average shop.
He wouldn't claim it was a full-fledged shop, though Mars secretly took pride in surpassing the passing grade.
Receiving compliments for the food Mars made, made him happy, and he started getting carried away.
「Nemu wants an egg-nyaa!」
「Sure thing.」
「Master, I would like you to eat properly as well.」
「Don't worry, I'm eating properly. This is quite enjoyable, you know.」
Even in his pretend food stall game, Mars was thoroughly enjoying it.
He would eat various dishes himself while taking care of everyone.
「I want more meat! I need more chashu! This makes rice disappear so quickly!」
「Hazuki-chan, that's practically how an old man eats, you know?」
「Old man...! I'm still young and fresh, though!?」
「Your butt is big, though-nyaa!」
Nemu, sitting next to Hazuki, pats her butt and laughs.
「Honestly... Can't we have a quiet meal?」
「It's fun to talk while eating, you know! Even Lilia-san does that, right?」
「Well... ever since being bought by Mars, eating and talking have become a daily routine. When I was a royal and even as a slave, it was customary to eat in silence, so it felt a bit strange.」
「Are you having fun here?」
Lilia returns Hazuki's question with a smile.
The answer was clear.
「Mars, how about joining us for a drink once in a while? You said you didn't have any in 'Jet Black,' but I'm sure you have some with you, don't you?」
「But we're still inside the dungeon.........and getting drunk wouldn't be great.」
「Just a little bit. I'm not a heavy drinker either.」
"Hmm..." pondering, Mars plunges his hand into the "Treasury of Dreams."
He thought it wouldn't be a problem as long as he was just slightly tipsy.
There was plenty of alcohol since it was also used in cooking. In this world where meat has a strong odor due to a lack of breeding improvements, alcohol for odor removal is a necessity.
Having too much money and struggling with where to use it, he only brought high-quality brands from this world.
Naturally, they were delicious even when consumed normally.
Among them, he takes out a relatively mild wine. He didn't want to serve anything too strong.
Except for Mars, who can drink, Lilia, a member of the royal family, has been drinking diluted wine with water since childhood, so she is the only one who can handle it.
Being able to drink alcohol is an important requirement in social interactions, after all.
Hazuki and Nemu have never drunk alcohol, and Sion didn't even know of its existence.
「That stinky one-nyaa. Nemu doesn't have to drink it for the rest of her life-nyaa.」
Nemu slurps the noddles one by one and tilted her ears to the side.
Nemu dislikes the smell of alcohol.
「I prefer sweet things... and they're expensive too!」
「Pfff, you're quite childish.」
Lilia said, somewhat mockingly, "You don't even know the taste of alcohol."
In this world, there are no particular age restrictions on alcohol consumption. It is up to each family to set their own policies.
「But, when Lilia-sama drinks alcohol...」
「How should I put it」
Sion, who was happily slurping the noodles, looks a bit worried.
Lilia can drink, but she can't handle strong alcohol. And alcohol brings out a person's true nature.
Mars has his reasons for not wanting Lilia to drink too much.
「I-I'll be fine! I won't embarrass myself like before!」
「You were petting Mars' head and......you were saying 'luv you, luv you'! I was so embarrassed just watching that!」
「You... pervert! You're the pervert! Y-You're so noisy!」
「And you kept saying you wanted to do lewd things in the end! The pervert is you, Lilia-san!」
――A spoiled child.
Lilia, who is usually serious and rational, has a tendency to act spoiled. She comes clinging and speaking in a babyish voice without caring about others.
Compared to her usual self, it's quite an embarrassing sight. Even Mars, who is being spoiled, feels a bit embarrassed.
Mars doesn't want to let Lilia drink too much to preserve her dignity, but it's difficult to refuse when she wants it.
「Ah, you shouldn't drink too much, okay?」
「I-I won't! I'm an adult!」
「Are adults talking like babies?!」
「Ugh, f-fine!? Even when I don't drink, it's like that when we're alone!」
「Yay! Pervert, pervert!」
Blushing Lilia and a cheerful Hazuki exchange words.
Lilia wants to act spoiled, so she wants an excuse. Emotional beings can do anything if they have an excuse.
If she can blame it on the alcohol, even if it's embarrassing, she can act spoiled.
Thinking so, Mars pours alcohol into a glass, reluctantly.
At that moment, something unexpected happens.
「Master, tonkotsu ramen, extra rich, extra thick broth. More vegetables and garlic. And extra chashu, please.」
Entering through the noren (curtain) was 'Jet Black'
「What the hell did you come here?」
「Just here for some ramen. I had a hunch from the smell, but for real, it was ramen. It's my favorite. And you have thick noodles too!? That's the best!?」
Among all the things he had heard, "Jet Black" seemed the happiest as he laughed and took a seat.
「It's Nemu and the others' food-nyaa! Not yours-nyaa!」
「It's okay, kitty. Ramen is an essential food for us in our country. We eat it almost every day, you know?」
「Don't feed us lies!」
「No, really, I eat ramen every day, you know? Well, mostly cup ramen, though.」
The moment Nemu and the others were almost convinced, Mars corrected them, saying it was a mistake.
Mars rarely ate it. Most of it was convenience store bento.
「We're expensive, you know.」
「Oh, if it's money, you can do everything. This world's gonna end anyway.」(?)
「If the next monster is Surtr, I want you to stop. That will be your fee.」
「Surtr? The one I was trying to summon was a dragon, though. A strange creature swimming in lava. It looks like an eel rather than a dragon, though.」
What, were you worried? "Jet Black" laughed mockingly.
While talking, Mars, who had prepared ramen for "Jet Black," felt a little fear when he heard the word dragon.
The others were equally unsettled.
Dragons are legendary creatures even in this world with dungeons.
Even Mars and the others have only seen a dragon zombie in the Norn Great Tomb and a sea serpent they encountered in the previous underwater city.
The dragon zombie was controlled by the necromancer Norn and the sea serpent was the hidden form of the sea god, and both were not in perfect condition.
However, both served as one of the bosses of the Seven Great Dungeons.
In other words, they were that strong and rare of an existence.
「Can't we change it?」
Placing the ramen on the table, Mars started negotiations again.
The fear of the dragon lies in the lack of information.
Only nonsensical stories remain, and no one knows the real thing.
But one thing is certain, they are powerful.
Mars, who knows a piece of their strength, can say it with confidence.
「Well, you'll be fine. You guys can win.」
「......?」
Mars tilted his head at the words he hadn't imagined.
What "Jet Black," said was a word of trust.
「Do you know? Gods don't give trials that cannot be overcome. So I should follow that custom as well. After all, I'm a God――By the way, it's delicious! You should open a shop!」
「We are here to prevent you from becoming a God. Save your sleep talking for after you're buried.」
「You're a strong woman. You better choose your opponents carefully when picking a fight. If I were in a bad mood, your head would have already fallen to the ground.」
Adding various seasonings like pepper, "Jet Black" nodded in satisfaction and intimidated Lilia again.
「I want to settle things with this guy, but you guys aren't important to me. I'd rather just kill you all to make him more vengeful. You understand that much, right?」
While floating nonchalantly, it's clear that there are no lies in "Jet Black's" words.
As "Jet Black" said, everyone's lives were at his mercy.
If he wanted, he could wipe them all out right now.
The reason he didn't do it is an irrational one, simply because "Jet Black" was not in the mood for it.
So if he gets upset, the situation will change in an instant.
Nemu, whose wild instincts kicked in, bristled her tail.
「Well, I don't intend to do anything now. It's a reminder to watch how you speak. Oh, that char siu rice bowl looks delicious too. Give me some.」
"Jet Black" pointed to the char siu rice bowl that Hazuki was eating.
Startled by the sudden gesture, Hazuki jumped back, using the bowl as a shield.
"Don't get scared so easily," complained "Jet Black" and placed another order.
「Even though it was supposed to be a fun food stall game...」
「I only managed to have three bowls, too...」
「You eat quite a lot, don't you?」
「I wanted to try the miso flavor too...」
Sighing, Hazuki and Sion clean up while feeling down.
「Nemu hates that guy-nyaa!」
「I agree. Behaving however he wants... My drunkenness wore off instantly!」
Nemu and Lilia are also furious.
「Everyone, I'm sorry. If only I were stronger, I wouldn't have let him act like that.」
「It's not something Master should apologize for.」
In short, this is happening because Mars is being underestimated.
It's nice that they're defending him, but the responsibility lies with Mars himself.
「Is that person feeling lonely?」
Hazuki said while removing the food stall's noren.
「Huh?」
「Well, he often comes to interact with Mars-san, doesn't he? Maybe he wants a friend.」
「Friends with me?」
Mars's image of "Jet Black" doesn't match.
He's frank, but he can't get along with anyone, like a lone wolf.
Their fundamental values are different, so they can never understand each other, and Mars believed that they couldn't be friends.
「What people desire can ultimately be something ordinary. Family, lovers, friends... It can't be said for certain that 'Jet Black' isn't like that. But then, why does he pick fights?」
「...Tsundere-san?」
「It suddenly feels disgusting...」
Everyone, including Lilia, chuckles at the idea of "Jet Black" being a tsundere.
「But anyway, the next one is a dragon...」
「There are too many variations of dragons to predict. It is said that wherever you go, there will always be a type of dragon adapted to that region. The Hydra we encountered before was also a dragon's kin, but it was different from what we had imagined, right?」
「It couldn't fly, more like a snake than a lizard. And he said the next one looks like an eel...」
Rather than having many variations, it can be said that the definition of a dragon is unusually broad.
A giant creature classified as a reptile.
That is probably the true definition of a dragon.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a creature that flies.
Many of them, like the previous Longneck, cannot fly.
「Still, Nemu's a little excited-nyaa. Nemu's monster encyclopedia is going to be great-nyaa.」
「Monster encyclopedia?」
「Nyaa. Nemu thinks there are people who want to see monsters even if they don't go on adventures-nyaa. That's why Nemu wants to become a monster expert-nyaa. Nemu wants to be someone who draws pictures and writes books-nyaa? If Nemu lives long enough, she can master everything-nyaa!」
Nemu looked so happy.
Mars thinks Nemu's greatest strength is being able to smile in any situation.
Every monster they have encountered so far has been sketched, and he has seen her occasionally redoing them into more detailed drawings.
「Nemu-senpai, you have so many dreams!」
「I also want to become a novelist, poet, or singer!」
Everyone talks about dreams that can truly be called dream stories, albeit vaguely.
「I think you should give up on being a singer, though.」
Lilia bluntly asserted to Hazuki.
「Eh!?」
「Well, your singing is catastrophically bad. You sing during cooking and in the bath, and it's a kind of attack. It's even more painful for me and Nemu since we have good ears.」
「T-That's harsh! W-Well, I thought that might be the case after hearing it from Sion, though!」
Her pitch is disastrous, and the lyrics are disastrous too.
It seems Hazuki didn't have any friends in her hometown, so she doesn't know the skill level around her very well.
Moreover, her only close relative, her grandmother, doted on Hazuki a lot, so she was praised for various things like singing as she grew up.
So, she didn't know about her tone-deafness until recently.
If we talk about simple skills, Sion is outstanding.
Her voice, imbued with bewitching magic, pierces through anyone's heart.
「A-And what about Lilia-san's dream!?」
「My dream is to bear and raise Mars' child. It's not just a dream. It's the reality that lies ahead.」
Lilia declares seriously.
Mars blushes.
「Having a baby is exciting no matter whose it is! I've never seen a baby before! They must be cute!」
Hazuki's clan, ruled by the former chieftain Norn's curse, consists only of females.
So the clan faced a crisis of survival. Hardly any babies were born.
「What about Nemu's baby-nyaa? Will they have ears and a tail-nyaa?」
「It depends on which blood is stronger... I think it would be cute if they had black hair like Mars and had a tail!」
「I'm a little worried... they won't end up as some halfway creature that's neither human nor maid, right....?」
Mars also imagines and becomes anxious.
However, Lilia dispels that anxiety.
「Don't worry. In that case, we won't be able to have children.」
「So, that's how it is.」
「We, as different species, may be closely related to humans, but not all of us can conceive children with humans. Elves and beast folk have precedents, but as for mermaids, honestly, I don't know...」
Mermaids themselves are legendary beings.
In other words, if Sion doesn't know, then no one knows.
「Well, there's no use thinking about it. Let's take a bath and go to sleep. Tomorrow we have to subdue a dragon.」
「Our hair and skin feel sticky from sweat. Look, your bangs are all sticky on your forehead!」
They are sticky from sweat, and their hairstyles are messy.
Lilia is the only one who is concerned about her appearance and maintains her original look.
The one in the worst condition is the greedy Sion.
Her hair sticks to her face, and it's a slightly embarrassing state that goes beyond sensuality.
「Phew! I had a nice bath too! Let's have some ice cream!」
「You're a bit earlier than usual, aren't you?」
「I felt like I was going to get heatstroke, so I came out first!」
Hazuki, who usually takes long baths, unusually came out first.
There must be voices of excitement coming from the bath, and the other three must be engaged in casual conversation.
The women-only bath is a kingdom where Mars cannot reach.
They always bring drinks and make it lively.
Hazuki, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, hangs a towel around her neck and licks a frozen stock ice candy with her wet hair.
Then she sits next to Mars, who was reading a book on the couch.
「Apple flavor tastes the best, after all...!」
「With such a serious face.」
Looking at her like this, she is indeed a girl of her age.
She doesn't appear to belong to a race living in a turbulent world.
She has the sensitivity to find joy or worry in something as simple as the taste of ice cream.
However, her slightly reddened skin and wet hair in the bath are sexy, and it feels even more provocative to think of her as a pervert with this appearance.
The way she licks the ice cream even looks like she's giving a blowjob.
Mars nodded, thinking she is naturally erotic.
「What's wrong? There's still apple flavor left, you know?」
「I thought you were cute.」
「S-Suddenly being told that surprises me! W-What's the matter?」
「No, it's just for some reason. Not for any particular reason.」
Hazuki changed the quality of her reddened skin and started to stutter shyly, just like when they first met.
She had become more accustomed to it recently and didn't stutter as much, but her words get stuck when her emotions are heightened.
「T-Today, will we, um, make a baby...?」
「There's no rush for that kind of thing. It's not like you have to be in heat like Lilia and the others.」
「N-No! I'm always in heat! Besides, I'm getting to that age, and I've been thinking that I want one or two children!」
In this world, the average lifespan is short.
If you live until fifty, you are considered elderly.
Living at the level of Mars and the others is only for a few nobles, and it's not uncommon for people to consider themselves fortunate if they can have one meal a day.
Due to the need for a labor force and the high mortality rate among children, the number of children is high, and the age of childbirth is low.
From that perspective, nineteen-year-old Hazuki would be considered late if she were to have a child.
All cycles in this world happen at a faster pace than in modern times.
「In the world I came from, it's still early. Maybe around twenty-two at the earliest. It's like graduating from school, finding a job, and then...」
「Eh, in that world, is that age the most exciting?」
「Well, I don't think it's any different from here. Isn't it usually around eighteen?」
「Y-You have amazing self-control in that world...!」
Mars was going to explain about the differences in social structure, but he stopped.
It would be difficult to explain things like everyone considering their careers and attending school, and the majority of people working for companies.
He thought it was something you wouldn't understand unless you experienced it yourself.
There's no way Hazuki can imagine modern-day Japan.
Mars couldn't even imagine this world until he saw it, even if it was explained to him.
――I don't get much of a loverly vibe with Hazuki-chan.
When Lilia and Mars have conversations like this, it usually leads to a sweet atmosphere. But in the case of Hazuki, even though they get excited together, there's no trace of that sweetness in the air.
If anything, it's more like friends rather than lovers.
So the closest sensation would be friends with benefits.
From Hazuki's perspective, she also believes that Lilia is his number one, so it's becoming even more like that.
「Ice cream is unfair-nya! Nemu wants some too-nyaa!」
「Nemu! Dry yourself off! Why are you different from cats in that regard!? Normally, cats dislike water, don't they!?」
While wiping the water scattered on the floor with a familiar motion, Lilia returns a little angry.
She goes to the frozen area completely naked, and Nemu brings back a chocolate ice cream.
「Where is Sion-san?」
「She's still soaking. Even though she said she feels like she's boiled enough, she hasn't come out.」
I was about to get dizzy too, Lilia says as she fans her face with her hand.
Sion seems to enjoy the hot springs born from the underwater volcano. She likes baths. And surprisingly, she can handle high temperatures.
At first, she was reserved, but now she's enjoying meals and playtime to the fullest.
「U-Umm!」
「What's the matter, Hazuki? Remember, it's one ice cream per person. I won't give you mine.」
Ice cream is a precious commodity for everyone craving sweetness, and it's even exchanged as a form of currency among friends.
In this world, frozen treats themselves are quite valuable.
「N-No, not about the ice cream! Today, I want to have a child-making session with Mars-san!」
「Eh? Are you talking about monopolizing him?」
Lilia makes a bitter face.
Mars is surprised by the unexpected proposal.
「A-Are you serious? I said it before, but there's no need to rush, you know?」
「I-I get anxious when I see "Jet Black"! And tomorrow is the dragon! If we don't do it today, we might not have another chance, you know!?」
「W-Well...」
Mars glanced at Lilia for a moment.
Lilia had a smile that seemed both happy and sad, angry and complicated.
Her expression was a jumble of emotions.
Lilia, who was most eager for childbearing, hasn't had a chance yet.
If Mars were to die tomorrow and Hazuki was his last partner, Lilia wouldn't accept it.
She might even slap him on his deathbed.
「Don't worry. We'll definitely survive!」
「T-That's right! We'll defeat the dragon quickly! I won't allow Hazuki to be the last one!」
Lilia pats Mars's shoulder warmly, showing a mix of shyness and anger.
「T-Then, today it will be me and you for child-making! It will be an intense and passionate session!?」
「D-Don't say it! Why do I have to be the last one...!? It's infuriating!」
"Argghhh," Lilia lamented.
To think that they started with the deepest love and now it would be their last.
Lilia truly believed that the limited pregnancy period of an elf's body was abhorrent.
Even though she usually takes pride in her body, in cases like this, it feels different.
To love, bear children, grow old, and die together with Mars—that was the desire Lilia harbored when she met him. Though it might seem trivial to others, it was an unreachable dream for her.
But now that it became possible, Lilia couldn't compromise on even the smallest details.
Even though she thought it was futile to wish for it, once she embraced hope, she became insatiably greedy.
This was not only true for Lilia but for everyone else as well.
Desire is the vitality of life.
They can finally say they have grasped hold of life.
That's why Lilia voices her selfishness to Mars.
However, Lilia, at her core, remains level-headed and realizes that it's important to respect Hazuki's wishes.
「In return, promise me that I will be the first to hold your child! Promise me!」
「W-What? You mean before me!?」
「No, as expected, I will give up on that. It's more like the 'next one'.」
There was a brief silence, and Mars interjected.
「...So, you mean before me?」
「Yes――If you think of it as also being my child, it might help you accept it. They will all be my children.」
「I've had a vague sense of it for a while, but it seems like I'm going to be under Lilia's control, huh?」
He seems to hold the reins, yet he doesn't.
It's likely to become even more so once the child is born.
Mars paled slightly, realizing that it might be even more challenging after the adventure, but he quickly turned his face into a smile as he looked at everyone.
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