Chapter 30: The Naked King

It had been almost a month since we started living on the deserted island. By now, Lulu had started to show signs of turning wild, and the way Fere was eyeing me felt dangerously close to crossing a line.

Finally, Clarise-san, Collins-san, and the unusually gloomy Kasai-san arrived at the island to deliver their report.

“…You two have really upped the ‘lovey-dovey’ act, haven’t you?”

“Well, it’s all to protect ourselves from the evil yokai…”

Clarise-san, wearing a white bikini, immediately made an impolite remark as she saw me sitting on Master’s lap.

I’m not in this situation because I want to be. If I’m not close to Master, the aquatic yokai living in the nearby spring will start hunting me down like piranhas.

“It looks to me like you're about to be eaten by that evil yokai any moment now.”

“It’s all in your head…”

Clarise-san’s witty responses had certainly improved. As she blocked Master’s perverted hand trying to pat my backside with both hands, she gave a forced smile.

“Well, fine… Now, about Viscount Belma’s case…”

Finally, we were getting to the main topic.

“Has the punishment for illegal hunting been decided?”

“I want Baron Tonma to receive the harshest punishment possible.”

According to what I’ve heard, in this country, slave snatching and kidnapping other races are generally not allowed. It seems the late King was a comrade of Master’s, and he somehow managed to push through this law.

Clarise-san, receiving the hopeful glances from Master and me, let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Rejoice, he’s been acquitted.”

“I figured as much.”

“…What?”

Wait, something’s off. Why was he acquitted? Even if the law is somewhat outdated, this should still be a serious crime. Nobles who break it usually get severely punished. Well, I figured it would end with a light punishment, but no punishment at all? Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence?

“…I gathered all the evidence, arranged everything, and even used force to take it to the King. And this is the result.”

She tossed over an envelope with a familiar seal on it… That’s the national seal of the Kingdom of Forritz, where we live.

“‘Kisaragi Shuuya. The above individual, a rebel who stole a rare elf from the rightful owner, the King. Under the name of King Forritz, this individual is hereby recognized as a serious criminal. Those with hearts should immediately retrieve the elf from this person and return it to the rightful owner, the King.’… So, the King stepped in because of Sora, huh?”

“That’s right. We’ve been given a capture order as well. If you comply, fine. If you resist…” She hesitated, “Well, after a small fight, just run away, will you? I’m not ready to die yet.”

“I’m really sorry this has happened, Shuuya-kun…”

“Sora-chan, I’m really sorry, I’ve been useless…”

“No, Makoto, you’re not at fault. It’s those nobles who are to blame.”

“Sorry…”

――Huh!? Wait, I was spacing out there for a moment. Could it be that the King, after hearing about me from that boar-faced Earl of the Ork race, is now after my innocence, ready to steal it for himself?

Is this what they call a “golden period”? Right now, I feel like I’m riding the wave of popularity, and a reverse harem seems like it could become a reality.

The members? All perverts! …They'd make even the oddest otome games’ lineup look tame. It’s tough.

“That’s why, we’ll fight casually, and if we lose, we’ll head back. Call me when you're ready.”

While I was sinking into despair, Clarise-san, who had been talking like an RPG boss character, left the cave. After watching her leave, I looked up at Master, wondering if everything was going to be alright.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, alright?”

“I understand, I understand perfectly!!”

I shoved Master away as he tried to push me down in a rush, and I realized it might be time to start preparing my escape. If I stayed indecisive, danger would come at me from all directions, in more ways than one.

---

After gathering the harem members, I explained the situation and, after some discussion, we decided to abandon the base and flee to an unexplored, uncharted area in the northern part of the continent.

The reasoning was simple: if we could make the deserted island comfortable, why not try the same with that place? I also wanted to take a relaxing bath. It’s unfortunate that we had to abandon the home we were used to.

Once Master confirmed the letter, he activated a magic spell remotely to cause the house to self-destruct, so if we went back, it would just be a pile of rubble.

By the way, the carnivorous fish had also decided to come along. For something that wasn’t even a slave to Master, this little one sure was bold.

“I’m not giving up on Sora!”

Give it up already. What is this? Is this some kind of punishment that feels like I’ve been struck by a divine curse for putting myself on a pedestal? Do gods strike people down with lightning just because they ignored a red light? If the gods of this world are like that, it’s terrifying. Damn gods.

“Well, I plan to have you bear about ten of my children. After that, we’ll see.”

So, this perverted little girl hobbyist, Master, what exactly does he expect me to do? He’s planning on making me bear ten children as a “starter”? Does he think I’m some kind of breeding machine? Fine, maybe I’ll bear one at most, but I’ll flat-out reject that fish’s statement.

“Alright, I’ll wait until then.”

Oh no, no, no! You…this sea pig wannabe! I’ll turn you into sashimi! I’m not afraid of Australia, you know!!

“Oh, I thought we’d be fighting over you, but this is a bit surprising?”

Lulu casually made this comment. Yeah, I get it. It’s strange, right? I was hoping for a bit of a standoff between the two so that a safe zone could form. But what actually happened?

“We’re people who love the same Sora. I think fighting would only cause trouble!”

“Since I gave my approval, fighting would just stress Sora out… So, we’ll take the cooperative route.”

This is the so-called gentleman’s agreement, huh? What is with this perverted alliance? Does the god hate me that much? I know they do. It’s fine; I hate them too. I’ll make sure to destroy them.

“So, are you ready?”

Just as I was about to propose a plan for my revenge on the gods and discuss a chainsaw recreation project with Master, Clarise-san, who I hadn’t noticed arriving, called out to us. It seemed like she’d been waiting impatiently. She’s quite the impatient one.

“Ah, for now, we’ll escape today and head north.”

“I see. I can’t help, but be careful.”

“Stay safe.”

“Take care, Clarise and everyone.”

“Wish you both happiness!”

“Thank you. You all stay well, too.”

While we were saying our goodbyes in an atmosphere that didn’t seem at all like we were about to fight, Kasai-san was still with his head lowered. What happened to him, I wonder?

“Hey… is it okay if I come along too?”

Hm…?

“...I don’t mind, but...”

Master pulled me closer, his arm around my shoulder… Wait, when did I end up beside Master?

“You get jealous when it’s another guy, huh, Sempai?”

“If it’s a girl, you’re confident you can win, right? So you’re worried about not getting attention from your male friends, aren’t you?”

Even though they were whispering, I could clearly hear them. You two, the cow-cat combo… there will be punishment later. It’s not that I’m jealous, I’m just a little irritated.

“I don’t have anywhere to go, and I thought I was pretty strong, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t be of any help. So, I want to at least help you two in some way. Please, I won’t get in the way.”

“See, Sora? What do you think?”

“…I suppose it can’t be helped.”

It looks like he had been thinking about it too. Honestly, I don’t like it, but I’ll allow it just this once.

“Well then, I guess we should get started. Let’s make a flashy departure.”

Once everything was settled, Clarise-san raised her staff and summoned flames. She’s really serious about this, huh? Panicking, I moved towards the other slaves and hid in the safe zone. We could see Master and the others starting their mock battle with magic.

As a result, about a third of the island was turned to scorched earth… Well, I’ll just forget about that part.

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

【EXP】
NO BATTLE
――Experience points for one month added
◆【Sora Lv.51】+40
◆【Ruru Lv.18】+40
◆【Yuria Lv.16】+40
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.55[553]
Lulu Lv.22[220]
Yuria Lv.20[202]

【RECORD】

[MAX COMBO] >> 33
[MAX BATTLE] >> 33

【PARTY-1 (Main)】

[Shuuya] [Lv55] HP 772/772 MP 1380/1380 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv55] HP 48/50 MP 340/420 [Normal]
[Ruru] [Lv22] HP 602/602 MP 32/32 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv20] HP 1040/1040 MP 60/60 [Normal]

【PARTY-2 (Sub)】

[Fere] [Lv14] HP 140/140 MP 330/330 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】
“Whenever there's nothing else to do, we always end up at that, huh… how pitiful.”

“Guys are just like that, Senpai. And you can’t talk, can you?”

“(No matter what you say, a third of the day is spent with Master, right, My lady?)”