Chapter 13
“Wh-what did I do wrong…? Why are you bathing with other women instead of me…? Isn’t this weird? A, Adam’s master is me, right? So why wasn’t I the one who went to the hot spring with Adam? I’m really the master, right? Right? Can’t you just confirm that for me? I feel like I’m going crazy…”
I’ve already told her hundreds of times that she’s right.
“Taking a bath with the daughter of Terminus? Are you even in your right mind, Adam? Now you’re reaching out to dragons after being satisfied with humans? What about me? And you’re going to bring up that tiresome excuse about raising her like a daughter again? But what can I do? I love Adam as a man… Huh? What am I supposed to do about it? What can Adam possibly do about it? Answer me.”
I’ve already said hundreds of times that I’m ready to accept it.
Let’s see, it’s been about five hours since I came out of the bath before dinner and now it’s almost dawn.
Things had been pretty calm since we started living together as three, but the moment she saw me accidentally coming out of the bath with Sinkerian, her possessive tendencies flared up again.
From long experience, I know the best course of action when this happens is to just listen quietly until she calms down. But even so, my patience is wearing thin.
“Hey, don’t you think it’s time to stop? My ears are about to bleed.”
“No way. This time there’s no way I can let it go. Even if you only helped her scrub her back, I can’t believe that and even if it’s true, I can’t forgive it.”
“M, that’s right…! I haven’t even scrubbed Adam’s back yet…!”
Is that the problem?
“Should I rent a private bath for you now?”
“No, it’s not necessary.”
With a determined look, Iris came up to me and instantly untied her bathrobe, leaving her completely naked.
Ah, so this was what she was aiming for.
I kind of expected it would happen eventually, but it feels strange having someone I raised from a child undress like this. I’ll have to apologize to Erlig and his wife later.
“I, Iris!? What are you doing…?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to take Adam for myself.”
“B, but why are you taking off your robe?! I wanted to be the first to do that…!”
Don’t talk about people like they’re gifts being unwrapped.
“True, Adam’s current master isn’t me but you. I’ll let you have the first bite.”
Am I some kind of food?
“That’s obviously… Wait a minute!? Don’t casually imply you’re planning to be with Adam after me!”
“Eh? If we’ve come this far, shouldn’t we share nicely?”
“Ugh… Just one bite then.”
And so Lucy and Iris decided to “share” me amicably and slowly approached me. Unfortunately, there was something they overlooked.
It’s the fact that they’re both virgins.
“Um… What should we do first?”
“Well, the maids said to put it in standing up… But…”
“Are you an idiot? Who just puts it in right at the start?”
While watching them fumble around not knowing what to do is amusing, I don’t want to make things too difficult for them, so I guess I’ll have to step in personally.
“Eh? Wh-why is it getting bigger…!?”
“It’s too big…?!”
That day, two blossoms were plucked by me.
Anyway, despite encountering some old enemies and minor incidents along the way, our trip ended happily and we returned to the royal road of Babulus to resume our daily lives.
As usual, every two or three days I would go to the training grounds to help the knights train. One day after finishing training and about to head back…
A knight cautiously approached me.
“Excuse me, Master. Do you have a moment?”
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s something I’d like to consult with you…”
The consultation with me as their swordsmanship instructor probably concerns their martial arts skills.
Judging from his serious expression, he’s probably struggling with breaking through a wall in his cultivation.
Though I mainly built my skills through self-study and experience, I understand wanting guidance when you hit a plateau.
Thinking this is also part of an instructor’s role, I asked Lucy and Iris for understanding and decided to hear him out in an empty office.
“Sorry, but I still haven’t memorized all the knights’ faces and names, so could you tell me your affiliation and name first?”
“I’m Tobias from the Second Knights Division.”
“Got it, Tobias. What would you like to consult about?”
In response to my question, Tobias hesitantly fidgeted with his fingers.
I get it. Seeking advice means exposing your weaknesses.
Even though the person giving advice is an instructor, knights and swordsmen have their pride, so it’s not easy for him to speak up.
After sipping tea for a few minutes to give him time to gather his courage, Tobias finally spoke.
“I’ve known a childhood friend since I was young, but recently I’ve started seeing her as a woman. I want to confess, but she seems to see me as a brother since we grew up together. Moreover, I’m afraid that if I confess and fail, our current relationship will fall apart. But seeing my childhood friend becoming more beautiful every day makes me feel tormented and I don’t know what to do. What should I do?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
The heads of me, Lucy, and Iris tilted simultaneously to the side.
This guy is asking me for dating advice now?
“T-Tobias? That must have been a hard story to tell, so thanks for having the courage to say it. But why are you asking me?”
“Aren’t you Adam Idinga, the <The Legend> who has gone through countless women? You’re an expert on matters between men and women, so I’d like your advice!”
Apparently, while I wasn’t paying attention, another embarrassing nickname was added to my repertoire.
Did this become a trend? And would you stop pinching my thighs with your nails already.
“Didn’t you forget? I’m your swordsmanship instructor?”
“I know! Please grant me your wisdom!”
Either he doesn’t realize, or during my absence the meaning and role of a swordsmanship instructor changed – it must be one of these two.
Anyway, since I heard his story, I should probably give some advice.
“Why don’t you just confess?”
“But what if I fail?”
“Then you should give up.”
“Don’t simplify it please!”
Simplifying it isn’t the issue.
“Fearing failure and being unable to do anything defeats the purpose of seeking advice. No matter what advice you receive, ultimately you need to take action yourself. If you can’t do that, it’s the same as doing nothing.”
“…”
“Uh?”
“I’m not crying!”
Seeing Tobias switch consultation targets, wiping chicken poop-like tears with the back of his hand…
“Would you mind if I also hear Lucy-sama and Erlig-sama’s opinions?”
“You, about relationship problems…?”
“Hmm, childhood friend. Difficult.”
Surprisingly, the two seem genuinely interested.
After some thought, Lucy and Iris began speaking in turn.
“Well, I’m not quite sure, but if Tobias-san looks at her and finds her attractive, others might too, so if you don’t confess soon, someone else might take her away, right…?”
“Worrying about ruining the current relationship is just an excuse for the cowardly. If you truly love that woman, you must convey your feelings with the resolve that you may never see her again.”
Cruelly realistic advice poured out, perhaps too much for a young man just awakening to love.
“…”
“Uh?”
“I’m not crying…”
At this point, he’s starting to evoke pity.
“Stand up, Tobias. Let’s go somewhere together for a bit.”
“S, surely you’re not telling me to confess right now?!”
Of course not.
“Actually, I think getting advice from a married man would be better than us.”
“Indeed! Definitely correct! A married man is someone who successfully navigated love and reached the goal of marriage! There’s no one more suitable to consult!”
Thus, we took Tobias, newly hopeful, to a place where we knew a married man.
“So you came looking for baggage?”
“Yes.”
Having heard the entire situation, King Babulus nodded as he looked down at Tobias, who was kneeling on one knee trembling like a quaking aspen.
“Nice choice. Indeed, there’s no one more suitable to advise on this matter than me.”
“Exactly what I thought. However, Master, why are you shaking like that? Are you cold?”
“S, please Master!”
Whether Tobias’ sideways glance is filled with resentment or gratitude toward me remains unclear as King Babulus gazes into the air reminiscing about the past.
“It’s a childhood friend, huh? The emperor and empress were similar. We were engaged before even understanding the differences between men and women and spent our youth together until adulthood.”
“So you didn’t actually confess then?”
“What nonsense, Lord Idinga. I’m not that dry of a man. In the year I reached marriageable age, I immediately conveyed my passionate feelings to the empress.”
Oh, not bad.
“You there, Knight Tobias, was it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Seems like you’re worried that because of your childhood friendship, you won’t be seen as a romantic interest, but you don’t need to worry about that. Knowing each other for so long means you have many shared memories. If you sincerely wish to change the nature of your relationship, the other party will likely accept it.”
Unexpectedly, Tobias received extremely normal advice and looked up at King Babulus with moved eyes before bowing his head and shouting forcefully.
“Yes! I will keep this in mind!”
“That’s good, Tobias. By the way, what was the empress’ response to Your Majesty’s confession?”
In response to my question, King Babulus answered with a pleased smile.
“She said there’s no woman who would love a fool like me except her, and ordered me to dedicate the rest of my life to her. Haha! I’m still working hard to keep that vow.”
Indeed. King Babulus seems to have obtained a wise wife.
A few days later, Tobias, having received advice, mustered his courage and confessed to his childhood friend, happily reporting to me that they had become a couple.
This itself was good news, but there was one side effect: as soon as word spread of Tobias’ successful confession, other knights began frequently seeking me out for consultations.
“Knights’ counseling sessions are absolutely not allowed…!”
“That’s right. It’s all a prelude to trying to seduce Adam!”
“And stop smiling at the knights…”
“Reject any requests to check posture. Does it make sense for someone who’s already a knight to not know basic posture?”
Thanks to this, complaints from the knights were rampant, but Iris’ statement that anyone wanting counseling should defeat her first left no room for rebuttal.
Separate from that, Lucy’s study of writing finally concluded, and after much discussion, it was decided she would transfer to magic school.
And on the day of the grand transfer…
“I don’t want to go to school…”
Lucy declared her refusal to attend school.
