Nidoume no Jinsei wo Isekai de Chapter 109

Lydia Femme Fatale, 36 years old.
Current Archduchess of the Trident Principality and mother of two.
Having lost her husband 5 years ago in a monster subjugation in the Miasma Forest, she is currently a widow.
She has no plans to remarry.
This is Shion's and Mayria's mother, whom Renya has heard about from Mayria. It was information about Archduchess Fatale, the most influential authority in the Trident Principality.
You can call this information really lacking.
Of course it would have likely been possible for Renya to learn in detail about what food she likes and dislikes, her hobbies and even the color of her panties if he asked, since Mayria is her blood-related daughter, but Renya wasn't interested in any of that to begin with.
She was the type of person he didn't want to get involved with as much as possible, but as a war is something where you often can't choose your options, it has become necessary, no matter what, for Renya to exchange a few words with the archduchess if he plans to put an end to this war.
It was a fact that there might exist a plan that will be affected if he were to irresponsibly feign ignorance, turning it into a situation where this war will be far off reaching a clear conclusion.
Although it's tentatively, Renya got a promise from the Holy Kingdom's side that they will bring the hero's rampaging to an end in regards to this time's matter as long as he deals with the hero. So it's necessary to advance the situation in a way that is in accordance with that.
Renya, who flew back to the city of Kukrika, tried to head to the capital Trident after picking up Croire and Emil, but after being asked by Frau that she'd like to borrow some of his time, he went back home.
What awaited Renya there is the complete set of armor he handed over to Frau a little while ago after she requested it.
Renya ran into it at the front door just as he came back home. Normally such an armor is something you either store away after taking it apart or leave alone after displaying it on something like a simple stand. But what Renya ran into, was something that stood by itself while properly adopting a human shape, without any indication that it has been placed on some kind of stand.

“Master, Frau can't participate in the war ~no. However, Frau also wants to be useful to master ~no. Therefore I'd like you to take this along with you ~no.” (Frau)

Next to Frau, who talks while looking up to Renya, the armor fluently bowed its head without even causing any creaking sounds.
Renya, who succumbed to his curiosity of wondering whether there was something inside the armor, touches a clasp at the torso part of the armor, which that was standing straight after lifting its head again.
To begin with, it's a set of armor that was created for the sake of cramming Liaris into it.
Since he has created the armor with the idea of only tossing Liaris into it, it allows one to see the contents by simply taking the lid off. As he didn't put much thought to donning and removing it, it was very easy to take the armor off.
After making sure that Frau had no intention to stop him, Renya undoes the clasp and opens the torso armor like a door.
Now that he was able to look inside, Renya peeked into the torso armor quietly.
Just like the interior of Croire's skirt, only a black space spreads within.
Staring fixedly at that space for a little while, Renya quietly closes the torso armor before long and affixes the clasp back again into its previous state.

“… Frau…-san. This is?” (Renya)

“I did my best to make it for master ~no.” (Frau)

“No, saying you made it…. from what?” (Renya)

“From the armor I received from you, master ~nano.” (Frau)

“What about the content…?” (Renya)

“Secret ~nano.” (Frau)

Frau said that while looking slightly bashful. But even if one can call her words and gestures cute, he can't apply an evaluation of cute to the thing actually indicated by those words after having seen it earlier.
Due to Renya maintaining a faint smile while not saying anything further, Frau started to emphasize how very useful that armor will be.

“On top of being able to move eternally without sleep or rest, it won't get destroyed by mere damage ~no! In addition it becomes stronger in proportion to the enemies it kills ~no!” (Frau)

“Does this grow…?” (Renya)

“It doesn't grow… ummm… I guess you can call it becoming bigger by absorbing ~no?” (Frau)

I think it's a failure if the producer mixes doubts into their explanation. On the other hand it seems that the armor was an item that made him think that the armor's functions, which he somehow managed to guess, might be interesting in their own way.

“Its actions are of the autonomous type? Does this listen to what I tell it?” (Renya)

“It will only listen to the orders from you and I, master ~no. Normally it acts independently ~nano. It does have a configuration to put priority on orders though ~no!” (Frau)

The only question remaining would be why Frau, who is ought to be a simple fairy, can create something like this?
It's left unanswered, but as for asking about it, Renya feels that it's somehow equal to opening the lock of a door that mustn't be opened.
I guess for the time being it will be fine if I can use it without bringing any danger onto myself, he persuades himself to agree.

“Master, there are no absolutes in war ~no. Besides, even if you will be safe, I will be troubled if something happened to Shion-ane-sama or Ronane-sama ~no. … I'd like you to be careful ~no.” (Frau)

“I guess you are right. I will do that. Thank you.” (Renya)

Renya nodded while gently stroking Frau's head, who's looking up at Renya with slightly teary eyes.
No matter how great of a power one possesses, people will still easily die due to one blow that, by coincidence, got through.
Renya didn't have the slightest intention to be arrogant and conceited, but there are also situations where it happens unconsciously.
Renya smiled at Frau in order to make her feel relieved while thinking I have to be careful.
By the way, Renya didn't notice at that time that Croire, who watched that scene enviously, and Emil, who attentively watched while finding it amusing, were present as well. Afterwards he ended up getting embarrassed due to being teased by Emil.
It seems that's how much he was preoccupied with the worrying Frau and being surprised by the armor.
Anyway, he grabs Emil's nape, who is poking fun at him, and Croire with her expression full of jealousy, throws both of them on the emerald dragon's back and straddles himself onto its back as well.
He wondered what to do about the armor, but it clung to the dragon's foot before being told anything by Renya and stopped moving just like that.

“Can you fly like this…?” (Renya)

(Emedra)

Even in the eyes of a dragon, it seems to be an existence that doesn't feel very good to touch.
Renya wondered whether he should have properly asked about the true identity of the pitch black stuff that's been crammed into the armor after all, but, as if not wanting to waste the time waiting for Renya's thinking, the dragon flaps its wings and flies directly towards the capital city Trident from Kukrika.
Renya's group that arrived at Trident joined up with Shion, Rona and Mayria who went ahead.
The construction of defense structures for the sake of opposing the allied army, which was already approaching Trident, has started. Trenches and simple watchtowers are dug out and built all around the city, while they have also started to set traps at several places outside the city's outer wall.
In the city that had started its evacuation, by having soldiers accompany the city's residents as their guards, the only remaining residents are those who refused to evacuate and those who had indispensable duties.
Running through the streets that are usually crowded with people, Renya's group heads towards the castle, where the archduchess waits, with Mayria in the lead.
Because Mayria and Shion, who are both daughters of the archduchess, were at the front, there were absolutely no soldiers that called them to a halt.
Even at the archduchess' castle, the gate was opened by a single order to do so, and the sentries made way and saluted after simply looking at Shion's and Mayria's faces.

“That's incredible, isn't it, Renya? We are let through with a face pass.” (Emil)

“Rather, with those two in the lead, it would be weird if someone stopped them, no?” (Renya)

Renya and the others chase the two who are rapidly proceeding deeper into the castle.
When those two stopped in front of a certain room's door, Mayria knocked in a slightly shy manner.

“It's Mayria. Might it be fine for us to enter?” (Mayria)

“Come in~.”

The voice that could be heard coming from the room was the voice of a woman that seemed somewhat lifeless.
Crossing through the door, it sounds slightly mumbly, but it's quite the young voice, Renya thinks.
After making sure that she had received permission, Mayria opens the door and enters.
After Shion, who followed Mayria, Renya goes inside as well. What awaited him in there was an unbelievable sight.

“Eh… This is……” (Renya)

The room's interior is barren.
The stone walls are bleak and there's almost no furniture.
Sunlight shines into the room through the only opened window. Just a single, rectangle table has been placed in the centre of the room.
A woman was sitting at a spot that is equivalent to the seat of honor.
Her hair and eyes are black, just like that of her daughters.
Her neat, long, black hair naturally flows straight down her back. Compared to Shion and Mayria, that woman has a gentle look.
Rather, it might be correct to call her gentleness and personal appearance as somewhat drowsy.
She's wearing tekkou and a silver breastplate seemingly for the sake of being prepared for war, more or less.
Below that breastplate there's a dougi-like tunic that looks just like Shion's hakama at a first glance.
It was certainly not wrong to think that her equipment is the same as that of Shion's, but what was largely different is…

“No way… for there to exist a person who exceeds Rona…” (Renya)

Going by Renya's sense of beauty, he considered Rona's size as something that can be barely judged as beautiful.
If it goes beyond that size, you might call it unreal, or rather creepy, or going even further, as something similar to a monster; anyway, there's no doubt that they largely exceed the breastplate's capacity, he thinks.

It's not always good if they are big.
Nevertheless, the black-haired woman, who has a strange expression as she sits on the seat of honor, was endowed with a chest that exceeds Rona's size by more than one cup size.
Although he should have originally considered them as too big, Renya is unable to recognize them as such for some reason.
He certainly thinks that they are big.
But, he can't think of them as too big.
You could say that her chest had an outlandish volume with a miraculous, superior balance at a frighteningly perfect level.

“U-Umm… Renya? At what part of my mother are you staring there? I think you owe me an explanation here…” (Shion)

“Well Shion, you probably know by looking. In case of a man, their eyes will be glued to those… no wait, since people inclining towards small or non-existent in their preferences have appeared most recently, I suppose it's not definite that they will be interested in hers?” (Renya)

“Terrifying… those are dreadful. Shion's mother… please make sure to never visit the elven country.” (Croire)

Croire trembles in fear.
Which reminds me, I wonder whether those reformist guys are doing fine, Renya remembers.
Its likely no exaggeration to say that the scenery in front of Renya's eyes right now can be regarded as the most valuable asset in the reformists' eyes.

“Mayrichan, I wonder, what are they talking about~?” (Lydia)

“U-Umm… that is… how to explain it?” (Mayria)

Facing the brunt of the attack, Mayria frantically ponders how to answer her mother while averting her eyes and having sweat stream down in drops, but there's no way for her to find a reply.
The archduchess pressed her index finger against her chin with a “Hmm~” and clapped her hands together once with a slap after thinking for a moment while looking at Mayria who continues to avert her eyes.

“Ah, I got it~. It's a talk about my breasts, right~? They are big, aren't they~? They are far bigger than Ronchan's~.” (Lydia)

While laughing very innocently, the archduchess taps her chest from above the silver breastplate. Due to that vibration, the interior wobbles with a force that makes it look as if they will pop out of her breastplate anytime soon now.

“M-Mother…” (Mayria)

“Somehow… she's different from what I imagined.” (Renya)

Renya expresses his impressions while looking at Mayria who is flustered after having been being bluntly told such a thing.
For Renya there's no way to imagine the archduchess' appearance in front of him from Shion's and Mayria's appearance.

“It's not like she's always like that.” (Shion)

Shion whispers into Renya's ear with a murmur.

“It's just that there's a big difference between her archduchess mode and her normal mode.” (Shion)

“This is her normal mode?” (Renya)

“No, this is… her mother mode, I guess…? It's been a long time since I have met with her.” (Shion)

“It's good that we are currently in the midst of being on standby as we prepare for battle”, Shion says.
Thanks to that even the archduchess is armed, even though it's just a light armament.

“I'm horrified to think about what would have happened if that breastplate wasn't there.”

“… Why?”

“You know, our mother, umm… has an habit of embracing others.” Shion says while looking as if it's very difficult to speak about the topic.

Now that she mentions it, didn't Shion have that habit as well? Renya recalls.

“Umm… look properly at that volume. The sensation might be heavenly, but… it's definitely suffocating.” (Shion)

“Yeah… I suppose parent and child have the habit of hugging others… is it the same for Mayria as well?” (Renya)

Due to the style of being suddenly talked about by Renya, not only Mayria's body twitched with a start, but it also triggered the following words to spill from the archduchess' mouth, who is still sitting in the seat of honor,

“About May-chan, you know~, she has the hugging habit and also a thumb sucking habit~.” (Lydia)

“Mother!?” (Mayria)

Mayria is in a state of panic due to the unexpected vulnerability exposed by the archduchess.
However, as there's no way for her to physically plug the archduchess' mouth, her talk about Mayria's secrets continued even while Mayria herself was grinding her teeth in vexation wondering what she could do about it.

“Most of the reasons for her to suck her thumb have vanished already~. But well, if you bully her, May-chan will end up crying~.” (Lydia)

“St-op-it mother! That story, from just how many years back is it!? Stop bringing up old stories!!?” (Mayria)

“I guess I will stay quiet for a while. She's going to stop once she runs out of material, right?” (Renya)

Without paying any attention to Mayria, who desperately protests with a blushing face the archduchess continues exposing Mayria's secrets, all while grinning.
Renya, who judged that she's doing so because she's completely enjoying Mayria's reactions, sat down on a chair while thinking it looks like there's no other option for now but to wait until she gets bored of messing with Mayria.

Chapter end