"I knew it — I'd rather be a butterfly or a bee than a flower. I'd rather be one of those butterflies and bees, flitting about among the beautiful blossoms."
Inside the tent, seated right between the two camps glaring at each other across a long, narrow table, I retracted my earlier statement from outside — with Monica at my side.
They told me I really couldn't go around stark naked, so I reluctantly put on a gown, left it wide open at the chest, and resigned myself to that.
Directly across from me, Alette sat hunched over, looking small and ill at ease.
Beside her, her adjutant stood at a slight distance. Her posture was proud and upright, but her expression was pale — whether from nerves, I couldn't tell.
Monica, who was taking care of me, set down some tea as she spoke.
"Hey, Chicken — we're in the middle of a conversation here."
"Right, right. So you came here to recruit us — is that right? I've been listening, I assure you. I never imagined you'd go so far as to offer yourself up just to rope me in... You've got good taste, I'll give you that."
From within the Jewel, the voices of the Successive Heads chimed in, starting with the Third Generation.
"Lael-san, you're really Lael-san today too!"
"Starting with that first Marvelous, this time we've had consecutive candidates..."
"...That one, huh? His rough stretch lasted a long time this round, so this is probably the backlash."
"I'm casting my vote for 'Paint the graveyard in my color.' That bold declaration to dye hell itself in his own image... There's no other choice!"
"Sixth Generation, it's still too early for that. Let's take our time and wait while we listen to the nonsensical quotes one after another. After all, this is Lael-san we're talking about."
Smiling, I turned the conversation toward Alette. She glanced between both camps before quickly correcting herself.
"N-No... that's not what I meant. I genuinely recognize your abilities, and I approached you with a straightforward recruitment offer. Besides, as adventurers, we'll be working together going forward too."
Her shifting gaze probably had something to do with the beautiful flowers shooting her jealous looks left and right.
Good grief... What a sinful man I am.
Alette turned to me in a fluster and spoke.
"I-I-it's not the recruitment itself I'm asking about! It's, it's that! That thing!"
Alette turned to her adjutant. The adjutant looked away with a deeply uncomfortable expression on her face.
I thought about what "that thing" referred to—
"Ah, I see. Porter, is it? You have excellent taste. That is the masterwork of both Monica and me! The prototype of the Porter you see taught at Aramsass is actually my mini-Porter!"
When I explained, Alette's face lit up with a look of pure relief.
"That's it! The mini-Porter—or the Porter itself—I want you to teach me about it! That thing will revolutionize transportation. Absolutely!"
Alette nodded enthusiastically to herself, and I pressed a hand to my face, looking apologetic.
"I'm afraid I can't. There are circumstances on my end that make teaching it rather time-consuming. Besides, if I teach one person, the requests just keep pouring in. I can't afford that kind of time, so I've made it a policy not to teach it to anyone."
The Fourth Generation muttered in frustration.
'...If only we had the time, we could teach it at Baim and rake in the money. Ah, if only we had the time.'
It sounded like something you could make a living just by teaching.
But we had goals beyond simply making money—we wanted to strengthen ourselves in the process.
"They should be teaching it at Aramsass already, so I'd recommend learning it there. If you can use magic, you should be able to operate one fairly easily, though."
At that, Alette looked pleased.
"Oh, is that so? Then I suppose it can't be helped! Well then, we shall take our leave. We have preparations to make for the next one, after all. Absolutely!"
Why did she look so happy about it? A little puzzled, I noticed Alette was about to step out of the tent—
"Oh, that reminds me. About those documents from before... do you still have them?"
When I asked, Alette spun around, her face flushing red as she shouted back.
"I don't just carry them around with me all the time! That time... that tiiiime!!"
Watching Alette on the verge of tears, I pushed my hair back and spoke.
"Then go get it right now. I'll sign it right here. Come on, run and bring it back!"
Alette's face, already on the verge of tears, went blank with shock. Her aide, who had been comforting her beside the table, stared at me with wide eyes.
From the Jewel, it was the Fifth Generation who spoke.
"That's our Lyle for you. I'm looking forward to what Lyle has to say about this later."
On either side of me sat Novem and Miranda. They both looked at me and spoke with smiles.
"Lord Lyle, this is far too rushed, no matter how you look at it. At least wait until you've confirmed your partner first..."
"You, stay quiet! Lyle, don't say anything unnecessary given the current situation! Listen, you understand what kind of time this is, right? Besides, our problem hasn't been resolved yet either."
As I listened to their opinions, I held both hands out wide. Then, crossing them back over myself as if embracing my own body—
"Don't be jealous. After all, I'm everyone's Lyle. Don't worry—I'll make all of you happy!"
Both Novem and Miranda pressed their hands to their foreheads as though a headache had come on.
Then, turning their gazes away from me, they looked toward Alette.
Alette, who had been growing increasingly tense inside the already-strained tent—could she hold back no longer?
"I—I understand too, you know... I understand that after this growth spurt, this isn't serious!"
—and she burst out of the tent in tears.
Her aide hurriedly muttered "Excuse me" and chased after Alette.
Inside the tent, it was just the rest of us.
I took a sip of the tea Monica had brewed, then turned my gaze to everyone.
"Well then, shall we begin our little discussion?"
With a confident smile, I urged the women, who were glaring daggers at each other, to talk it out.
The whole thing had started over something trivial.
I was brought back from the Dungeon by Novem, Aria, and Miranda — the three of them had recovered from their pre-growth fatigue before I had.
I lay in our campsite for a while, but come morning, I came up with such a brilliant idea that all the things I'd been agonizing over until now seemed downright ridiculous.
So I stepped outside to share the news, and there — with Novem at the lead, flanked by Eva and May — were Miranda, backed by Aria and Shannon, facing them down.
Clara was hanging back at a distance, watching how things played out, but she was probably leaning more toward Miranda's side.
Monica was on my side, and just like that, I was thrust right into the middle of their staring contest.
And the issue at hand was —
"Novem withheld details about the staff. On top of that, she met someone from House Foxes in Baim and had a conversation with them... That's not all, but there are plenty of suspicious things about Novem."
Miranda clearly couldn't forgive Novem's past behavior, nor the fact that she'd kept the staff a secret from all of them.
It probably came down to a suspicion that Novem had some connection to Ceres.
In response, Novem answered calmly.
"I did deceive you, yes. But that was for Lord Lyle's sake. More importantly, I never intended for that deception to cause anyone any harm. But rather than that... Miranda, you had someone tailing me, didn't you? And this time you brought gunpowder along. If it had detonated, that would have been a disaster!"
The one siding with Novem was Eva. May stood with her too, defending her.
"Seriously, tailing someone just because you think Novem is shady? You've lost your mind!"
"Agreed. Besides, if you don't like it, couldn't you just stay away?"
On Miranda's side were Aria and Shannon, and though she kept her distance, Clara was with Miranda too.
As for Aria —
"Can you really blame us for being suspicious when you've been doing things that look suspicious? And it's not like this is the first time Novem's pulled something like this!"
Shannon just stood there flustered, looked at me, let out a sigh, and looked away with her head down.
"Honestly... Lyle, you're hopeless right now."
Being told I was hopeless stung. All right — let me wring the best possible outcome out of this impossible situation.
I thought as much, but it was Clara who spoke up.
"Miranda was definitely hiding things too. I'll admit even I went overboard with the tailoring... but in the end, Novem really was meeting with people from her family. And the thing she received was supposedly a family heirloom staff. Some outrageous staff, apparently."
Both sides probably had their points.
Novem, meanwhile,
"I have always acted in Lord Lyle's interest—past and present. To have that doubted is deeply hurtful."
She protested quietly.
Monica, watching the argument from my side,
"Heh, what a battlefield. You've got to admire a Chicken who dares to step on landmines that are clearly in plain sight."
I didn't really understand the landmine metaphor, but I could tell I was being praised.
"Don't overdo it. I feel like I'm going to float away."
While I sat there sipping tea and watching the argument, the dispute inside the Jewel was continuing just as fiercely.
The Third and Fourth Generations were going at it.
"How could you do that to Novem-chan! Without her, the current Lyle wouldn't exist! Oh, and I still think Marvelous deserves the Best Lyle Award this time!"
"Absolutely! Novem-chan gave everything to you people who came later—Miranda and the rest have no right to judge her! While we're at it, I'd tell them to bring the marriage paperwork—I'll sign it right here and now."
The Fifth Generation kept a bit of distance.
"I don't intend to meet her either, but Octo, was it? He said to trust Novem. They clearly have some connection. I'm not sure we should believe everything, though. I also vote for Marvelous—the impact just hits different."
The Sixth Generation,
"Blaming Miranda? Don't you think that completely ignores Novem's secrecy? After all, Miranda was the one who exposed all the things Novem had been hiding. By the way, my pick is 'Paint the Graveyard My Color.'"
The Seventh Generation too,
"I understand that House Foxes has been a benefactor. I myself have been helped by them more than once or twice. However, blind trust is dangerous. I still have more to say, so I'm holding off for now."
It seems opinions are divided on Novem here too.
(Honestly... every single one of them. Isn't it obvious? And more importantly, these are comrades who act for my sake... How could you not call that wonderful!)
Watching the two camps argue, I stood up and declared.
"I love you all!!!"
My sudden shout brought the argument to an abrupt halt. I gazed up at the ceiling, covered my face with both hands, and spoke.
"To be loved this much... I'm so happy."
Monica:
"Oh my? Has things gotten so tense it's finally turned weird? This is all your fault, you know. Try to be a little more considerate of the poor, sensitive Chicken!"
Novem, looking worried:
"M-Master Laiel, I'm truly sorry. However, if we keep suspecting each other like this, sooner or later we'll have to talk about it..."
Miranda also gazed at me with concern.
"You might've gone a bit too far. But still, if we're entrusting our lives to you, there are things we'd want to know..."
I turned to face everyone head-on and spread both arms wide.
"I get it! In short, you can't trust each other — is that about right?"
Everyone looked at each other and nodded.
"Then it's simple. Let me show you how easily I can resolve something like this."
I flashed a smile at everyone, but they all stared back with suspicious eyes. Sadly, my usual behavior meant they couldn't trust me.
(Sure, I've been a bit timid up until now. But from today onward, I'm different!)
"Now then, to settle this right away, I'm going to need each of you to kiss me. A deep one!"
At that, Aria turned bright red, knocked her chair over as she stood, and retreated all the way to the corner of the tent.
Shannon's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, and Clara had turned beet red all the way to her ears.
As for May,
"Come to think of it, last time you were in Kirin form, weren't you? Which is it this time? Kirin again?"
Hearing this, I answered with a smile.
"The Kirin tongue feel is nice too, but I'll have you in human form, please. I'll take first kisses from both of you."
However, May just shrugged her shoulders in exasperation.
"Sorry to disappoint. My first kiss was with Fredericks."
Inside the Jewel, voices could be heard that sounded like they were blaming the Fifth Generation.
"Pervert."
"No way~ Surely it's not single digits~"
"A father with that sort of hobby... how embarrassing."
"All that cool composure, and he has tastes like that?"
The Fifth Generation raged.
"It was just a greeting in Kirin form! The tongue accidentally went into the mouth! You guys know that and you're still saying this!"
It was a little disappointing, but I decided to accept it since it was the Fifth Generation.
"Well, if that's how it is, fine. Then right away—"
At that, Shannon protested fiercely.
"Don't be ridiculous! Putting your tongue in... out of the question!"
Watching Shannon protest with her face bright red, I stroked my chin.
"If a deep one's no good, how about a 'tongue kiss'? See, doesn't that sound kinda cute?"
"Not cute at all! And it's the same thing anyway! Absolutely not!"
Shannon crossed her arms and turned away. I had to admit, I probably pushed too fast.
"Fine. You can pass. I'll look forward to next time. Now then, let's get the remaining ladies—"
As I said that, Shannon reached out toward me with a slightly troubled expression.
"Wait, so… you're just going to back down that easily?"
She said that, but time was short, so I checked on the other ladies and decided to start once they were ready. But there was still one holdout.
Eva.
"Hold on a second… I mean, sure, I've been sticking around with Rael, but that doesn't mean I'm into you or anything. I don't want a kiss."
She just said that to my face, totally straight-faced.
But I'm not the type to give up over something like this.
"Is that so?"
"That's right. So just kiss the remaining ladies this time. And anyway, why a kiss? Do you think using Skills will somehow resolve this situation?"
As Eva regarded me with open suspicion, I closed the distance, wrapped my arm around her waist, and pushed her down, catching her with one hand supporting her back as I held her close.
I caught her flailing hands with my right hand and brought my face close.
"Then fall for me right now. Fall for me immediately."
"W-what?! Are you out of your mind?!!"
Eva struggled, but she kept turning her face away, refusing to meet my gaze. Still, her cheeks were faintly flushed.
(There's a pulse!)
From inside the Jewel, the Seventh Generation chimed in.
"…This 'fall for me right now' approach — isn't that exactly what befits the Best Rael?"
The Third Generation was.
"Mmm~ isn't it just marvelous?"
The Fifth Generation said, looking vexed.
"I haven't forgotten you guys calling me a pervert earlier. Oh, I'm changing mine to 'because I'm everyone's Rael'!"
With everyone in a state of confusion and unable to act properly, I looked into Eva's eyes and spoke.
"Relax. The only difference is whether you fall for me now or later!"
Eva resisted.
"That's exactly why, no! I have dreams too! A dream where someone comes with a bouquet of flowers after my performance and confesses to me... And yet, you expect me to fall for a man who says something like that in a place this crowded? There's no way!"
Hearing Eva's explanation, Monica looked exasperated.
"Well, I think your dream actually has more people around than this, so it's not that different..."
Hearing about Eva's dream, I nodded and said:
"Got it. Then I'll put the confession on hold. First, let me have your lips. When you're ready, I'll make your dream come true. Just imagine... a grand theater, rented out entirely, and after your performance ends, I confess to you in front of everyone. A packed audience, applauding as they look at us! And besides... you don't hate being watched, do you?"
At that, Eva blushed and nodded.
"...Yes."
It seemed she had inadvertently imagined the confession scene, and she looked happy about it.
Shannon pointed at Eva.
"Hey, she just nodded and gave an answer! After all that fuss earlier, what's with the nodding and blushing?!"
( got her!)
Before she could recover her composure, I kissed Eva. The surprised Eva's eyes went wide for just an instant, but they quickly returned to normal.
I could feel the line of the Skill [Connection] forming between Eva and me.
(Alright, next up—)
The Fourth Generation murmured softly.
"If only you had this much initiative all the time...well, maybe it's fine since it's only once in a while."
Everyone inside the tent was staring at us, faces flushed red.
—We were in a circular room.
The ceiling was high, embedded with round blue gems.
It seemed I wasn't wrong to think they resembled Riel's Jewel.
Standing at the center of the room was Riel—not in a gown, but in her everyday clothes.
The spacious room had five doors.
Floating in the air were Riel's silver greatsword and bow. On the floor, there was a raised circular ring of some kind.
Glancing around, I could see Clara, still red-faced, swaying unsteadily.
May, looking around with darting eyes at the doors, seemed composed.
(Is it because it's the second time? She did say she'd been kissed before...and really, kissing in Kirin form—what was Riel thinking...)
Miranda's head was starting to hurt, though she never imagined her first kiss would be taken in a situation like this.
Riel's forceful nature was fine, but she honestly would have preferred if some mood had been set.
(Well, it's not like I prepared a confession just for Eva, so I can always make requests later...but is this the inside of Riel's heart, brought here by her Skill [Connection]?)
Riel's Skill [Connection].
It was a Skill that signified bonds. It connected people through lines of magical power, enabling the exchange of thoughts.
Still, even someone as capable as Miranda never imagined it could pull one's consciousness directly into another's heart.
On the ring.
Laiel spread his arms wide as multiple beams of light suddenly shone down from the ceiling upon him.
"If words won't do it, then speak with your fists! That is the way of House Walt, handed down from the First Generation! Now then, step into the ring!"
Everyone standing around looked up at Laiel on the ring, unable to comprehend what was happening——.