As a Reward for Saving the World, I Was Reincarnated Into a World Where Girls Are Super Aggressive and Chastity Roles Are Reversed!! …Or So I Thought, Until It Turned Out to Be an Overbearing Yandere Harem of My Former Companions Who Loved Me Too Much - 23-24

Chapter 23: The Maid’s Pampering and the Scent of Conspiracy

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Huh, my head felt all fuzzy…”

“Master, it’s time for your meal. Silvia-sama, Master is about to eat. Please get off his lap.”

Shinon entered with a silver cart and separated Silvia from me.

“That thing just now was a curse-removal tool… You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”

“Such a terrible way to put it. Protecting my Master from a tsundere elf is part of my job. More importantly, it’s time. Please return to your duties, Silvia-sama.”

Shinon whispered something, and Silvia left the room reluctantly. I felt as though I had been dreaming.

“Now then, Kazuki-sama, it’s time for your meal. Since you seemed restless in your sleep last night, I made bread with extra herbs. Here you go.”

When I turned to Shinon, she tore the bread into bite-sized pieces and held it out to me with an “aah.”

“This is delicious! Shinon, your cooking is the best in the world! And you even think about my health, don’t you?”

Unlike the cooking from that big-sis character in Gakumasu, the taste was great, so I had no complaints.

“…I am honored by your praise. In that case, from now on, please never eat anyone’s homemade cooking but mine. This personal maid of yours will dedicate her life to managing your health.”

“Eh? I can’t even eat out…?”

“You’re right… In that case, I shall accompany you when you want to eat out.”

“Eh, but what about when I eat with other people…”

“Since I will be managing your nutrition, whenever you want to eat something, I will accompany you. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

Shinon, expressionless, declared it with an undeniable force. Then, after I drank the soup, she gently wiped my lips with her delicate, white fingers.

“Oh my, excuse me. Your lips were simply too enticing, Master.”

“Wait, can’t you just use a handkerchief?”

Isn’t this even more intense than an indirect kiss!? 

I thought, as her act of licking her own fingers was so sensual it made my heart skip a beat.

“Also, today at lunch, you have a meal with a merchant, so please wear this outfit.”

“Ah, thank you for handling not only my schedule but also my clothes and accessories. Seriously, without you, Shinon, I couldn’t survive.”

When I cracked that light joke, she smiled—something she rarely did. But was it just my imagination that her eyes looked somewhat clouded?

“Isn’t that just fine?”

“Huh?”

“As the one who manages everything about you… That is what makes me most fit to be your legal wife…”

It was just when Shinon was gazing at me with an unusually fiery look. Bang! The door was flung open, and a knight rushed in, his face pale.

“I—I have urgent news! Kazuki-sama! A royal decree has arrived from the capital!”

Accepting the rolled parchment of vellum the knight respectfully offered, I read through it. And as I did, the blood drained from my face.

“…What?”

What was written there was unbelievable.

“Lord Kazuki Homura is suspected of unlawful hoarding of wealth and collusion with important figures to throw the nation into turmoil. Report to the capital at once to explain yourself. If no proper justification is given, your lands shall be confiscated, and you shall be taken into custody under the authority of the royal family.”

“W–What the hell is this…!? I didn’t do anything!”

Unlawful hoarding of wealth? Throwing the nation into turmoil? I had absolutely no idea what this was about. It had to be some mistake.

“…This reeks of a dirty scheme. Let’s summon the other two as well.”

The sweet atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced with sharp tension.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 24: Isabella the Intruder

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

We had moved to the conference room and were discussing the letter laid out before us.

“…So there are insolent people trying to frame Kazuki-sama. To act without fear of God… Divine punishment will surely befall them.”

“Indeed, absolutely. To try to seize Master’s territory and even take him captive…It is unforgivable.”

“Hmph, this is just what you’d expect from humans. Petty jealousy, trying to drag someone down.”

Standing before me were three beautiful girls, each wearing a lovely smile, but with eyes utterly devoid of light.

They said people unite when faced with a common enemy—this seemed to be exactly that. Just a moment ago they had been bickering a little, yet now, for the sake of me, their precious man, they were all burning with anger. I felt almost as though I had become the protagonist of some story.

“That said, what should we do…? It’s obviously a trap, and going to the capital to explain won’t do any good.”

“Kazuki-sama, you need not worry.”

Celestia stepped forward, took my hand with a loving smile. Yet, was it my imagination, or were her eyes filled with a bottomless darkness?

“Any foolish royalty who would dare to slander Kazuki-sama is now nothing but an enemy of God. I shall ask the Church to summon every cleric from the capital. Without divine miracles, they can scarcely heal a wound. They will bow their heads and beg before long.”

“Sorry, I get that you’re upset, but I don’t want others to suffer because of me.”

“Honestly, Celestia-sama’s methods are a little too flashy. Leave this to me.”

This time, Shinon spoke up in a calm voice… though what she said was anything but calm.

“Let us keep this simple. I shall slip into the royal castle, and into the meals of those involved in this decree, I will mix a special medicine. All their troubles will be gone in an instant.”

“That’s assassination, isn’t it!? Absolutely not!”

“But… I cannot allow the existence of those who would harm Kazuki-sama.”

“Shinon… I appreciate the thought, but I don’t want you to stain those beautiful hands. Didn’t I tell you? You’re precious to me, like family.”

“Kazuki-sama…”

When I held Shinon’s hand firmly, her face flushed red despite her expressionless look. Thank goodness… I didn’t want to let her become a mass murderer for my sake…

“Why are you flirting in the middle of this!! Listen to my plan!!”

Silvia pulled our hands apart and grinned proudly.

“We don’t need anything so troublesome! If anyone dares to harm Kazuki, fiancé to me, the daughter of the Elf Chief, the elves will not sit idly by! Humans weakened by their war with the Demon Lord are no match to the elves. We’ll wipe out the capital with ancient magic and build our own kingdom there instead! Naturally, the king will be you, my fiancé Kazuki! We’ll call it the Kingdom of Kazuki!! How’s that!?”

“You can’t defeat the Demon Lord only to start an interspecies war! And starting a whole country is way too big in scale! Also, why did you say fiancé twice!?”

“Because it’s important!! Got a problem!?”

Silvia blushed at her own words. Cute as it was, between trying to destroy infrastructure, carrying out assassinations, and now plotting state overthrow, I was forced to give them all a firm scolding.

Yes… So this world’s women would even turn a kingdom into an enemy if it meant protecting the man they loved! How passionate! …Wait, this wasn’t the time to be impressed!

“Listen, all of you, calm down! I want to settle this through discussion!”

As I struggled desperately to hold back their reckless impulses, a haughty voice rang out from outside the door.

“My, you seem troubled, Kazuki-sama.”

When the door opened, a maid appeared, looking apologetic. Behind her came a young noblewoman, hiding her mouth behind a fan, smirking mockingly. Shinon ignored her and asked with a flat voice.

“I ordered that no one be let in without permission. Did I not?”

“M-my apologies. She carried official royal documents, and I could not turn her away…”

“I see. Then I shall overlook this matter.”

When their exchange ended, I turned back to her.

“Isabella…! Why are you here?”

“Oh my, to call me without honorifics—such rudeness, as ever. But I shall forgive it, for now. After all, you are but a poor man, suspected of crimes.”

Isabella, the daughter of a marquis, laughed with a light chuckle and looked down at me. The three girls glared at her with murderous eyes, but I stopped them with my gaze. She was here as an official envoy of the kingdom, and the charges were false. The best course was to convince her—forcefully if needed—and have her leave.

『Lord Kazuki Homura is suspected of unlawful hoarding of wealth and collusion with important figures to throw the nation into turmoil. Report to the capital at once to explain yourself. If no proper justification is given, your lands shall be confiscated, and you shall be taken into custody under the authority of the royal family.』

I showed Isabella the paper and explained.

“Unfortunately for you, I have done nothing but live in peace with the support of these girls after defeating the Demon Lord. Do you even have proof? What are the charges?”

“Ufufu, proof I have not yet… But I will have it soon. A kind person informed me. In great detail, of your crimes!!”

With a triumphant laugh, Isabella turned her gaze past me, to Celestia and the others.

“First, Saintess Celestia. Yes, you abandoned your duties in the capital to save Kazuki-dono. Because of that, the faith of the Church faltered. And that is not all—you incited many people, causing them to emigrate here, did you not?”

“And what of it? My power is granted by God, and I only acted in accordance with His will. There is nothing shameful in that.”

“Nothing shameful, you say… Then, what of the book you wrote, The Aloof Saintess Seduces the Dense Hero Lewdly? It became a bestseller, making people believe that sisters and saintesses are secretly wanton. Do you feel no shame for such a misunderstanding?”

“W-waaaah!! T-that wasn’t me! I have nothing to do with it!! No one should have known about that—how did you…”

Celestia faltered suddenly, while Isabella grinned.

“Next, maid Shinon. Despite being of demonkin blood, you wormed your way close to the Hero and call yourself his personal maid. Have you considered the trouble this brings him?”

“That matter has already been resolved. Master accepted my blood and even called me his family.”

“How touching… But then, what of the noble who mistreated Kazuki-sama when leaving the castle? Did you not poison him so that he suffered three days and nights of diarrhea? Was that truly right?”

Huh? After using and exploiting Kazuki-sama, the Hero, he got off lightly, don’t you think?”

“Eh?”

Isabella blinked, dumbfounded, while Shinon tilted her head.

Wait, Shinon… She actually did that!? When our eyes met, she simply said.

“Avenging someone is considered a crime under the Adventurer Law.”

“It was for someone precious to me. How could I regret it? I feel no shame.”

“I see… But it doesn’t end there. That elf over there. Everywhere you went, whenever Kazuki-dono rescued a female adventurer, you told her, ‘He is my fiancé!’ You were practically lording it over her, didn’t you?”

“Kazuki, cover your ears! That’s a mental attack!!”

“Whaaa-!?”

For some reason, Silvia suddenly pressed her hands over my ears, her face flushed. Her soft chest pressed against my back, and I almost grinned instinctively—but then I saw Celestia’s lifeless eyes and Shinon’s frozen glare, and quickly pulled away.

“As you see, even if Kazuki-sama himself is innocent, the women around him harbor many shameful secrets. Should I so wish, I could spread this across the kingdom at once. But I am not without mercy. If you kneel before me, lick my shoes, and beg for aid… Perhaps I will save you from this crisis. What say you, Hero-sama?”

“How does she know my secret…”

“Her information network is monstrous…”

“We could just ignore her and take her down, couldn’t we?”

Celestia and Silvia broke into cold sweat, while Shinon remained calm. And I thought—honestly, more than the matter of being a lord or not, I simply hated the thought of them feeling sad or facing suffering.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー