Chapter 105: Retaliation
Translator: Soafp
The season is mid-December, Light day.
The school will be on a long break from January to February. Faristea, Yuri, and Anna-Sensei will probably go with me to Blue Ring, but I asked Lewis and Nero what they would do.
“Lewis, Nero, what are you guys doing during the long break?”
“Well, I didn’t go back in the summer. Mom keeps nagging me to come back to Sandra.”
“I see. You should show your face once in a while.”
“Yeah, yeah. So, I’ll be going back to Sandra.”
It seems Lewis received an order from his mother in the Sandra territory to return home. I can somewhat understand a parent’s heart wanting to see their 13-year-old son.
I hope Lewis will be a good son to his parents.
Lewis is going back home. Then, what about Nero? So I asked Nero too.
“What are you going to do during the long break, Nero?”
“I’m probably going to be forced to help out at the store…”
“Help out at the store?”
“Yeah. It seems like my mom’s store is short-handed, so I’ll be helping out during the break.”
Nero’s mom’s store… Lewis and I exchanged glances and had peach-colored fantasies… Massages for the older sisters. I envy him!
“I’ll probably have to do tasks like cleaning up the room after the customers leave, fetching water, running errands, and other odd jobs… But I won’t be doing any soliciting.”
Instead of peach-colored, it was gray. I absolutely don’t want to do someone else’s post-customer cleaning.
“I see. Do your best. I’m rooting for you.”
I managed to squeeze out those words somehow.
Both of them seem to have plans for the long break, so I, El, Marl, Faristea, Yuri, Anna-sensei, and Grandpa will go together to Blue Ring to see Condense Ray.
Lewis and Nero seem to have forgotten about learning Air Conditioning Magic again. If there’s a chance, I’ll teach them.
But as soon as I think about going back home, thoughts of Blue Ring, family, and Ashera come to mind and then fade away.
Come to think of it, I sent a letter to Mom asking for permission to accompany me to the Claw Fang Labyrinth, but I still haven’t received a reply even after almost a month…
Ice Witch is so carefree. She’s probably read it and forgotten, or maybe she hasn’t even read it.
I’ll try asking her directly when I go back to Blue Ring. I’ll write it down in my mental notepad.
Dinner that day…
Usually, it’s dinner for seven: Grandpa, me, El, Marl, Faristea, Yuri, and Anna-Sensei. But today, there were eleven people at the table…
Who increased by five and one?
At the dining table were Dad, Mom, Clara, and Ashera. Four people… I don’t understand.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Ashera, even though I was surprised… Dad was smiling awkwardly, Mom chuckled, Clara puffed her cheeks, and Ashera looked shyly downcast as she glanced at us.
“W-what, why, how, eh?…”
As I was panicking, Grandpa spoke with a wicked look on his face.
“I’ve kept it a secret from Aldo, but I called her from Blue Ring.”
You’re the culprit! You old man! I want to hug the old man who called Ashera. Because! If I can get Ashera into the bath… Even though she’s already at 120% for me… if she gets in the bath… my blood will be through the roof!! It’ll surely be 140%, no, 150%.
My tension rose suddenly at the surprise. I need to regain some composure and greet her properly.
“Father, Mother, it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you.”
“It seems Aldo didn’t hear about it. I’ll tell him later.”
“Aldo, during the long break, we’re going into Claw Fang’s Labyrinth. Be prepared.”
“Father, please. Mother, thank you.”
I finished greeting my father and mother. Next is… Clara, I suppose. She’s been puffing her cheeks cutely since earlier.
“Clara, it’s been a while. You look prettier.”
Actually, it’s only been a few months, so I can’t tell the difference, but Clara seemed delighted.
“Aldo Nii-sama, it’s been a while!”
“If you want, you should try the bath I made. You’ll become 20% more beautiful.”
At my words, Ice Witch, Clara, and Ashera’s eyes sparkled mysteriously…
“…What Aldo said is true. I’ll explain later.”
It seemed like things were about to get strange, so Marl, who usually doesn’t step forward, supplemented.
“Marl, thank you. Please join her in the bath after dinner. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Now Clara should be fine. Next… I’ll talk to Ashera.
“Ashera, I’m surprised, but I’m glad we could meet again. I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too…”
As I looked into Ashera’s eyes and spoke, I felt like we were being sucked into a world of our own… It seemed like Ashera felt the same way.
How much time had passed as we gazed at each other?
“Ahem, is everything okay?”
When Grandpa’s voice startled both Ashera and me back to reality, everyone around us looked at us with faces that seemed ready to spew sugar. Ice Witch, in particular, was throwing jeers like “Woo woo.”
“Cough. Joshua, Rafina, Clara, Ashera, it was a long journey. I’m glad we made it safely. I’d like to ask Rafina and Ashera to support Aldo’s labyrinth. I’m sorry for asking too much, but I’m counting on you.”
As Mom mentioned earlier, it seems like it’s already decided that we’ll dive into Claw Fang’s Labyrinth…
What’s this… this sense of exclusion… Did everyone except me know about it? I feel like I’m sweating from my eyes.
Including the conversation afterwards, it seems that because of the letter I sent, it was decided that I, El, Ashera, and Mom would dive into the Claw Fang’s Labyrinth.
However, we’re direct descendants of the Blue Ring family. If by any chance I and El die at the same time, Clara would be the only successor.
So a letter of explanation and confirmation was sent to Grandpa.
For some reason, Grandpa said to help me as much as possible… I don’t understand.
Thus, the dungeon exploration of the Claw Fang’s Labyrinth with I, El, Ashera, and Mom as a four-person party was decided.
However, it turns out that recently, Grandpa, who has been surprising me all the time, had been secretly arranging for Dad, Mom, Clara, and Ashera to come as payback to me.
“I understand, Father. I’ll go to the guild tomorrow and gather the latest information.”
“Thank you, Rafina.”
It seems that we’ll be entering the dungeon at the same time as the long break. Since Naga-san wanted to see Mom, there will surely be a nostalgic reunion tomorrow.
“Al. Just to confirm, are you really planning to trigger the teleportation trap?”
“Yes. I want to experience teleportation.”
“It was written in the letter, but there’s no guarantee that experiencing teleportation will enable you to use it.”
“Yes. However, since the clue to teleportation was only mentioned as something ‘used by the apostles’ in the fairy tale…”
“…Understood. And Ashera will also trigger the teleportation trap. Of course, I will too.”
“Y-you don’t need to trigger the teleportation trap. I can’t let Mom and Ashera be in danger.”
“If you don’t agree to that, then I won’t help at all.”
“…”
“How about it?”
“…Understood.”
Thus, thanks to Mom’s insistence, it was decided that me, Ashera, and Mom would trigger the teleportation trap.
Now, what about El? It seems Mom is asking El about something that concerns me.
“El, sorry for springing this on you suddenly, but Aldo seems to want to experience the teleportation trap in Claw Fang’s Labyrinth. Normally, avoiding teleportation traps is common sense in dungeon exploration, no matter what. To be honest, you need to be prepared for danger. You don’t need to answer immediately, but please let us know whether you’ll join us or not by the end of the long break.”
“…Yes.”
El looks conflicted. Marl, too, is gripping his hand tightly, looking pale.
This time, it’s my selfishness. El doesn’t need to go along with it. After all, if I learn teleportation, El will learn it too.
However, knowing El’s personality, if I say that, he won’t agree to just get the results for free. I’ll leave it up to El’s judgment. It’s a little sad to think that we’re starting to walk different paths like this.
I’m 13 and a half now. In another year and a half, not just El, but also Lewis, Nero, Faristea, and Olivia, will each start walking their own paths.
I’ve experienced graduation and farewells many times even in Japan, but perhaps there’s no getting used to this feeling.
My thoughts drifted a bit. Originally, I planned to trigger the teleportation trap alone. It’s fine even if El isn’t there.
Now, all I can hope for is not to encounter the Earth Dragon.
After Dinner:
I took a bath with El, Dad, and Grandpa.
Dad seemed to be washing himself, as he was much cleaner after just one body wash and two hair washes. I couldn’t help but admire him.
It’s December. It’s the perfect situation for an open-air bath.
The four of us soaked in the tub, looking up at the sky. The clear winter sky made the stars and moon stand out beautifully.
“Dad, this is… the ultimate luxury, isn’t it? Is this kind of bath popular in the capital?”
Dad was asking Grandpa, but Grandpa looked at me and Dad with a wry smile.
“There’s no bath like this in the capital. Count Sandra and Danhill have repeatedly asked to be allowed to bathe here.”
“Only here?”
“Just as you imagine. I left Aldo rummaging around in the backyard, and the bath was made.
“…”
Dad looks at me with a murky gaze.
“I want to ask you, have you ever seen a mock battle between Aldo and Elphus?”
“A mock battle? I’ve heard about it from Rafi…”
“Try to watch it as soon as possible. It’s for your own good.”
“??…Understood.”
With that, Grandpa glanced at me and El as if to say “I’ve already forgotten” and enjoyed the outdoor bath while looking at the moon.
After a while, before getting too hot, we got out of the bath. Now, the four of us are drinking milk together.
“”””Pufuhaaa, delicious!””””
Everyone exclaimed except Dad, who seemed a bit off, but he’s a direct descendant after all. His mannerisms and lines are spot on.
As we walked back to the mansion, cooling our overheated bodies in the winter night breeze, the maids went to clean the bath.
Once the cleaning was done, Marl should have taken Mom, Clara… and then Ashera to the bath.
I can’t wait any longer! Ashera hurry up, I can’t wait loooooonger!
What? You ask if my excitement increases by 50%? Well, my current level is at 120%, so a 30% increase means I’ll be at 150%!
Once the bath cleaning was finished, Marl took everyone to the bath. Faristea, Yuri, and Anna-sensei will enter later. I feel bad for inconveniencing them.
About an hour passes…
As expected of the ladies! They take a long time in the bath. When they returned, the atmosphere froze in the living room.
Marl has already increased her charm by 30%, but after the bath, with wet hair and all, she’s downright sexy… El is the first victim.
Next is Mom. Although she’s over 30, she’s still beautiful. The bath seems to have enhanced her beauty… Dad is the second victim.
It seems Clara has grown up to be cute, resembling Grandma. Grandpa, who was already fond of Clara, was completely won over by her 30% cuter post-bath appearance… Third victim.
Lastly, it’s me… Already completely won over by Ashera, I’m now completely done in by her post-bath +30% charm… Ashera is just too much. Fourth victim.
As I bask in my excitement, I suddenly feel a strong killing intent. I look in the direction of the killing intent and see Halva glaring at me while placing his hand on the hilt of his hip sword for some reason.
Next to Halva is Lush, smacking him on the head.
Thus, the four of us men easily fell captive and almost hugged each other.
Relying on our remaining sanity, the four of us shook our heads and slapped our own cheeks… Our synchronization was impeccable, truly the work of blood ties.
And so the day passes. Tomorrow is Wednesday, and I have a promise to take on a request with El, Lewis, and Nero.
If I talk to Mom and Ashera about it, maybe they’ll come with us.
I want to be by Ashera’s side as much as possible…