Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi Chapter 246

Translator: Nat

-Aegir POV-

「Like I told you, I'm an acquaintance. I'm here to return the money I was lent and you're not even the person in question so why are you obstructing me?」

「You may be an acquaintance but I told you that you can't pass without an appointment! If we allow an intruder into the mansion, we'll be demoted! More so if you try something on Carlsama. My wife and daughter will all be eaten up…… no, nevermind.」

A female is arguing with the guards at the main entrance.
One seems to be saying "let me pass" while the other is saying "you will not pass".

「It's really rare for me to get a visitor, I'll at least see who it is.」

「I'm here too. There's an off chance that they could be a desperate assassin.」

When Carla and I arrive at the main entrance, the guard quickly greets us with a salute.
He's making a face like he made a huge mistake, then stares detestfully at the female.
It's not like I'll do anything to him just because there was a fuss here.

「It's rare for Carla to get a visitor after all. ……so, what's going on?」

I get the guard to lower his spear and ask the question while inspecting the female.

She appears to be around 20 years old and quite tall for a woman at around 170 cm.
I can tell, even from above her thick clothes, that her abdomen and limbs are thin, unlike the sturdy impression given off by Irijina.
I've looked long and hard at her chest area but I can't see anything but the slightest bulge, so her breasts are considerably lacking.

She's wearing an ankle-long fur coat, which is normal for the winter season, and a hood which is pulled over her head to cover up to her eyebrows. From the opening, I was able to catch a tiny glimpse of her pale green hair.

It was natural for the guard not to let her pass.
She's hiding her face with a hood, she has a small knife at her waist and is even carrying a bow on her back.
That is clearly suspicious and if he were to let her pass, his wife and daughter would have been taken away from him as punishment.

「I came to return the gold I borrowed from Carldono from a while ago. Could you let me meet her?」

I ask the woman while holding back Carla, who looked like she wanted to say something.

「I see, so you met her in the past. Then all I have to do is call her, right?」

The woman looks carefully at my face and then Carla's face before nodding.
She should have met Carla before but she doesn't seem to recognize her face.
So that proves this guest isn't normal.

「Restrain her. Make sure not to hurt her.」

I have to make her explain what circumstances she has.

「Yessir!」

「What are you doing!?」

The two guards try to grab her but what happened next was beyond expectations.

She slips through the hands of the guard trying to hold her down, grabs the guard's arm instead and throws him over her shoulder.
The soldier quickly draws his sword but the weapon was kicked out of his hand by the woman.
What excellent skill.

「I'll do it then, gotta make sure not to injure her……」

I approach the woman bare-handed and try to grab her.
She tries to throw me like she did the other soldier, but my heavier body makes it hard for her to lift me up.
I'm able to wrap my arms around her and push her to the ground.

「Kuh, let me go, stop this!」

I take advantage of the frenzied struggling to touch her chest and I really can't feel the shape of her breasts.
Since I'm pinning her to the ground, I take the opportunity presented to me to push my crotch up against her ass. It feels nice and soft.

She's a quick and nimble woman who isn't particularly strong. Once I pin her down like this, she can't do anything.
After seeing me take control of the situation, Carla stands in front of the woman.

「I'm Carla and I don't know anyone like you. You're a pretty bad liar, aren't you.」

However the woman doesn't give up.

「There's no way. You're a fake! You don't look anything like the Carla I know!」

How courageous of her to say that to the actual person.
Still, this is too foolish of a move for a person who is scheming to do something.

「Carla was way more beautiful than you!」

「This bitch……」

Carla gets angry and swings her arm back.
She was always a strong-willed woman to begin with.

「Above all, she should be a woman with outrageously large breasts!」

The hand she raised stops in midair and then Carla looks up at me.

「Where did you meet her?」
「Tortoent in Libatis.」

It matches.

「What color was her hair?」
「A pretty brown color.」

I see, the pieces are coming together.

「What did you mean when you said you were lent money?」
「She bought a vitality potion which I made myself. I didn't have any money on hand so I couldn't give any change back to her.」

It's pretty much confirmed now.

「Did she refer to herself using 'watakushi'?」
「That's right.」

That was the final confirmation necessary.

I let the woman stand up from the ground and brush any dirt or dust off her.

「It seems this was a misunderstanding. Sorry for treating you like that…… I'll have your clothes washed so go inside and eat something.」

The woman looks at me dubiously with the sudden change in attitude.

「You do that. I'm going to chew out that idiot.」

「I'm fine with just returning the money to Carldono……」

「You can do that after I introduce you to someone. I'll be giving them a good spanking before though.」

After that, Carla storms off back into the dining hall.

「What is it, getting up from your seat in the middle of a meal is indecent, wait Carla, what are you doing!? Hey, stop it! Both the front and back belong to Aegir-sama…… oww! Why are you hitting me, stop it! Kyaah!!」

I listen to Nonna's screams and the slapping sounds while guiding the woman to the guest room.

「I'm sorry…… I'm actually named Nonna…… I deceived you with Carla's name……」

Nonna lowers her head while Carla watches angrily with her hands on her hips.
Apparently, she was embarrassed to buy something like an aphrodisiac and used Carla's name to try and hide that.

「Muu…… using another person's name isn't very praiseworthy but what's done is done. There is no need to apologize any more than this.」

After saying that, the woman takes out eight silver coins and places it on the table.
She went to all that effort just to deliver a few coins, what an honest and upright girl.

「As you can see, we are pretty well off and we did cause you trouble, so you can just keep it.」

Carla says.
That's right, she was pushed to the ground and her clothes got covered with dirt.
On top of that, even though it was over her clothes, I did feel up her nonexistent boobs and pushed my crotch up against her butt.
I think I won't mind letting her keep eight silver.

「I can't do that. Not returning something I borrowed would make me the same as a beggar. It is an act to be ashamed of.」

'Besides', the woman adds.

「I crossed the river and the land of ash so I could return the money. All that effort would be in vain if you do not accept it.」

「By the way, where did you come from?」

I want to know too.

「Our home is deep in the dense forest on the west bank of the Teries river.」

I picture a map in my mind.
South of the group of city states, west of the Divine nation of Altair and across the river is the unexplored primordial forest and wetland region.
There are no fields in the forest because of the thick vegetation and many monsters roam about so not many people dare to venture there to live.
Only a small fraction of people would explore the area for rare herbs and materials.

「Your home is in such a place? I didn't think a city would be there.」

The woman looks away almost like she said something she wasn't supposed to.
She must the type of person who can't lie.

But now I can make somewhat of a prediction.
Actually, I saw what was under her hood when I was holding her down earlier.
That is, I saw her cute ears.

「Uu, so you saw them. I guess there's no helping it now……」

After some inner conflict, the woman removes the hood she kept on even as she entered the house.

What was revealed were her beautiful face with delicate features, her pale green hair tied up behind her head…… and the pointy, skin-colored ears much longer than those of a human.

「I am Natia, an elf adventurer.」

Nonna and Carla stop moving.
Stories have described elves living deep in forests, but this is the first time I've actually seen one in person.

Natia must be nervous, expecting people to scream in reaction.
Her ears are also twitching restlessly.

「「「Eei」」」

「Wah! What are you doing!?」

Nonna and Carla move simultaneously to the woman's side to feel her ears.
I take advantage of the confusion and put my hand on her thigh.

「I mean, they just make you want to touch them. These things are against the rules.」
「Aah, they feel slightly warm. How wonderful.」
「You're right, I can't get enough.」

Natia seems to be writhing uncomfortably from having her ears felt up on both sides.

「S-stop it! My ears are sensitive, so my body gets all tingly when you touch them so much!」

I see, her thighs are getting hotter too.
I wonder if I can go further up her leg.

「Eeeh, c'mon.」
「Just a little bit more……」
「Just a bit more and I'll reach the place with hair……」

「Will you stop already!」

Natia brushes Nonna's and Carla's hands away while I get kicked.
Crap, she noticed me.

「Ahem! All of you are really hopeless!」

Natia is pretty mad but naturally lets the three of us off easy.
This situation is so pleasant for some reason.

After that, her mood was improved with some sweets and we talked about various things.

There is a village in the primordial forest where elves gathered and she was apparently also born there.

「There isn't just one settlement. It seems the elves split up into several smaller groups…… and there isn't much interaction between them. There isn't any conflict between groups but there is no cooperation either. Most elves spend their whole lives around their own village.」

The primordial forest is a harsh environment for humans to live in but to the elves who have grown accustomed to the forest, they feel blessed to have an unlimited number of gifts provided for them.
Plenty of food are available for them to eat such as fruits and mushrooms, and thoughts like hunger or thirst never even cross their minds.

「Uu, I don't want this.」

Natia pushes the dried meat, which was served alongside the sweets, far away from her.

「In our village, we don't eat much meat. It's something we eat when we get injured and have no other choice. I don't know about the other villages…… to be honest, I can't really handle meat from animals.」

Fumufumu, I'm learning more about the beings known as elves.

「Even so, your bow and sword look pretty used.」

Carla is fiddling with the elf's belongings.

「There are poisonous snakes, monsters, and those we can't communicate with after all. They're for self-protection whenever I travel.」

Looking at this the other way, it means there are animals they can communicate with.

「According to what you said, elves don't often leave their villages but you've traveled such long distance back then and this time.」

Natia smiles at Nonna's comment.

「I'm a little different. I've been traveling here and there every so often since a while ago, even those in my village think I'm strange. I don't really have a place I belong to in there.」

Fumu, the pelt she's wearing and the sword she's been using seem to be made by humans.

「I'm a wanderer but I'm quite talented. I'm confident in my skills with a bow and a sword, and I'm also proficient at acrobatics. During my travels, I've also gotten good at making potions.」

「You were easily defeated by Aegir though.」

Carla interrupts with some teasing remarks, which somewhat hurts her feelings and makes her eyebrows wrinkle up.

「I wasn't even trying to defeat him! If I was serious…… no, sorry I probably wouldn't stand a chance. I really thought I was going to be strangled to death.」

Her moves were decent, but I didn't feel like I would lose to her at all.
However boasting of your strength against a woman is a little ridiculous so I'll just smile here.
Oh, I almost forgot.

「That's right, I wanted to ask about the drug you sold to Nonna. There is actually someone in our house who is impotent, so could you make the potion again? I have no problem with paying.」

According to Lola, when Kroll drank that drug last night, he displayed the lust similar to that of a middle-aged man from a bar in a run-down district, and he was persistently going at them for the entire night.
I don't think a drug would be enough to fix everything but it's better than nothing for now.

「Aah, a potion to assist with baby-making. ……mmm, I used a lot of herbs that only grow in the forest of my home so I can't really make it here.」

That's unfortunate.

「……for example, I would make it in exchange for these sweets, but there isn't really time for that in my village.」

Natia seems to have gotten fond of those sweets and is stuffing her face with them.
They're actually Casie's portion but I haven't seen her since yesterday.

「Your village?」

「Yeah, I also intended to go straight back after returning the money I borrowed.」

「If you don't mind me asking, did something happen?」

Natia stops putting sweets in her mouth and goes into thinking.

「Hmmm…… it's not really something which I can't tell you……」

Right at that moment, a maid brings in a freshly baked lemon pie.

「It must be some sort of fate for you to tell us. Could you explain while eating this pie? There's juice here for you too.」

Natia's eyes sparkle after she takes one bite.
The pies Maria bakes is incomparable to those sold in your average shop.

「W-well, I guess I can. It appears that a nest of orcs was discovered close to our village. One or two of them aren't too problematic…… but we're suffering casualties with so many of them appearing.」

Natia makes an unhappy face.
Orcs attack and eat humans, plus they also rape women.
They're not particularly pleasant things.

I look at the beautiful elf in front of me.
It makes me upset just by imagining an orc holding this pretty elf down, violating and breaking her.
More so, it would be worse if the orcs killed her.
The one who will attain this slender beauty is me.

「Do you need help?」

I'm sure I can manage a group of orcs.
Besides, Natia will have to travel a long distance again to go back.
She might get captured and raped by bandits or an evil feudal lord along the way.

「I'll be fine, I hear a subjugation unit will be formed soon and Felteris will be there too.」

「Felteris?」

「Felteris is the village's strongest warrior and is way more adept with the bow and sword than I am. She's a female elf warrior.」

I see.

「The proud female elf warriors will not lose to a mere orc. Even if they're surrounded.」

I still feel anxious for some reason.

「I think I should still come help. I just can't leave some elven girls alone when I hear they're in trouble.」

「Aegir-sama!? Don't tell me you intend to go by yourself!」
「That's right, you should leave that to somebody else!」

I think about it for a bit.
Sending soldiers means either Leopolt or Tristan will have to go.
Taking Leopolt away from his work would delay practical training and Tristan doesn't have any battle strength himself.

Myla has a job to do in protecting the order of the city, and Irijina's an idiot so she would probably lose sight of her objective if dispatched alone.
More importantly, I can't send women against a horde of orcs.

「Besides, I can't move any soldiers.」

Geographically, passing through Altair is out of the question, which means I'll have to go through the group of city states or Libatis.
I can't barge in leading a fully armed army.
The most optimal solution would be to secretly send a small group.

「But you still have to return to the capital for the new year's greetings!」

「I'll be back before then.」

If I can't make it back in time, I can tell them I'm sick.
I'll give them an excuse like 'there's an abscess growing on my dick' or something.

「I heard that not many people come back alive after entering the dangerous primordial forest……」

「Well, Natia will be there right?」

「I guess you won't be killed in the forest if you're with me.」

See, everything will be fine.

「Besides, acting like a noble or feudal lord so much lately is too confining…… it's nice to go wild and do as I wish occasionally.」

「「Didn't you go wild last night!?」」

Let's not say those things to each other.
My memory is a little hazy too.

「Please wait! I didn't say it was okay for you to come yet.」

We've already discussed this much and Natia is telling me to wait.

「It will become a big deal if I were to bring humans back to the village. I can't do something like that.」

「Don't be like that…… we're friends right, you let me touch your boobs and ass already.」

「As I thought, you did that on purpose!! You made me think it was an accident during our struggle…… you lecherous man!」

For some reason, it doesn't upset me when Natia curses at me.
Rather, it arouses me slightly.

「How about this, as an apology for the rude actions against you, I'll escort you back to your village. In addition, I'll buy the potion from you. And then, I'll help out with the extermination of orcs if possible…… of course, I won't enter the village if the elves don't want me to. How does that sound?」

「D-don't blame me for what happens then, okay? You probably won't be allowed in the village, you know?」

The worried expression on her face tells me she's just an honest and naive girl.
I want to make her mine by all means now.

No, she might already be my woman already, I'm sure of it.
That means I have to protect her no matter what.

「That's fine. I'll just pick a few people to go with me, so please treat me well from now on.」

When I extend my hand towards her, she does the same.
As expected of an adventurer, she has knowledge about human greetings.

When I pull her in closer for a hug, her body flinches before tentatively returning the favor.
Umu, seems like she's okay with hugs.

I finally wrap my arms around her shoulder, bringing my hand behind her head while closing in on her lips.

「Wait right there!」

She still hasn't given up yet.

「This is how humans greet each other. It's good manners for humans to press their lips together and twirl tongues.」

「I see…… -not! Even I know the meaning of a kiss! You perverted man!」

I thought she believed me for a second, but I guess not.
I got kneed in the crotch for that.

「Uwaah, that looked like it hurt.」「He's writhing in pain.」

I listen to Nonna and Carla comment as I think about the members to take with me.

「Kroll is definitely going, Alice as well since she can use magic…… no, the enemies are orcs. Irijina should be fine, Mack will be reliable too…… and then we need a shield.」

I decided to go with Mack, Kroll, Irijina, and Christoph. These four should be good enough.

「M-my knee! It hit something hard……」

Natia rolls on the ground, clutching her knee in pain.
It'll be bad if she injures her knee before our journey.
She should put some ointment on it.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 23 years old. Winter.
Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave. Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area. Mountain Legend. Friend of the Dwarves. Friend of the King of Aless. Dragon Slayer Hero.
Citizens: 174,000. Major Cities - Rafen: 25,000. Lintbloom: 5000. Vandolea Special Town: 9000.

Family: Nonna (legal wife), Carla (concubine), Mel (concubine), Miti (concubine, expecting), Maria (concubine, expecting)
Catherine (concubine, expecting), Kuu (lover), Ruu (lover), Mireille (lover), Leah (lover)
Casie (???), Rita (head maid), Yoguri (playwright), Pipi (lover), Alice (magical girl)
Marceline (pregnant lover), Daughters - Stephanie (lover), Bridget (lover), Felicie (lover)
Sebastian (butler), Dorothea (lover, in the capital), Melissa (lover, left for the capital), Alma (left for the capital)
Claudia (free-loader), Clara (female attendant)

Children: Sue, Miu, Ekaterina, Amata, Anastasia (daughters); Antonio, Claude, Gilbard, Reiner, Bartolome (sons); Rose (foster daughter), ??? (son?)

Non-humans: Lammy (snake lover), Mirumi (mermaid), Alraune (growing), Natia (Elf Adventurer)

Subordinates (temporary): Celia (asleep), Gido (escort unit), Kroll (mendicant monk), Irijina (commander), Luna (commander), Ruby
Myla (security officer), Polte (training supervisor), Gretel (domestic affairs trainee)
Leopolt (staff officer), Adolph (domestic affairs official), Tristan (staff officer B)
Claire & Laurie (official merchant), Schwartz (horse), Lilian (actress), Totipa (everyone's wife)

Assets: 20,660 gold
Sexual Partners: 390, children who have been born: 54 + 555 fish

Chapter end