In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 236

Chapter 236: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Difficult Case

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I let out a small breath and drained the cup of sweet-potato shochu. Being sexually harassed by a loli hag actually felt nice, but if I got too carried away, I would end up worrying Sonia. It seemed I needed to steer my thoughts away from the perverted direction and back toward something more serious.

“Still… This liquor is good. I’ve completely taken a liking to it.”

“Of course, of course. Elf potato liquor is our greatest treasure.”

Smiling broadly, Lady Dalaiya poured sweet-potato shochu into my cup from a large ceramic tokkuri (a sake vessel similar to what people call a poor man’s flask). After thanking her, I took another sip. Compared to the Japanese-made sweet potato shochu I had loved in my previous life, it was far more pungent and full of off-flavors, but I thought that, in its own way, it had a certain charm.

“…Once our exchanges with the elves really get going, maybe we should build a distillery so we can produce it ourselves too.”

As I breathed in the strong, potato-heavy aroma, I muttered that to myself. At that, Lady Dalaiya’s face lit up. It wasn’t her usual sarcastic, suspicious grin, but a smile that clearly showed her genuine delight.

“Oh! Is that true!?”

“I was planning to build a distillery anyway.”

I nodded as I slowly sipped the sweet potato shochu. For the record, it wasn’t because I was a drunkard that I wanted to build a distillery. Rather, I needed alcohol for purposes other than drinking. High-proof alcohol could be used directly as a disinfectant, and it was also a raw material for special gunpowder used to fire rifles and cannons.

Since alcohol was one of those critical supplies, it was better to be able to produce it ourselves. As far as I was concerned, military resources should basically be self-sufficient.

“As for what to use as the main raw material… Barley and grapes aren’t really suited to the climate of Liseben. In that case, using Elf potatoes, which we can expect to supply in large quantities, would be appropriate.”

“Indeed, that’s true.”

Lady Dalaiya nodded, glancing briefly at the brandy filling her own cup. Incidentally, we were also planning to introduce Satsuma Elf potatoes in Liseben. During the earlier meeting, we had already signed a contract to purchase seed potatoes from New Elfenia. Of course, the payment wasn’t silver coins, but food. A straight barter of potatoes for wheat.

“When you build the distillery, please let us help as well. We Elfenia no longer have even a single large-scale distillery, you see. With simple distillers, you just can’t expect much in terms of quality or quantity…”

With a troubled look, Lady Dalaiya let out a sigh. She seemed to be quite the drinker herself. Given that the liquor she loved had become almost impossible to produce, she probably had a lot on her mind about the current situation.

Lady Dalaiya had a suspicious side to her, but I felt I could trust her when it came to things like this. …Well, judging by how the elves were living now, it was only natural to worry about the present state of affairs. Since self-rescue was difficult, asking the nearest neighbor for help was probably unavoidable.

“Of course, when the time comes, I’d be happy to work with you.”

If it was this kind of peaceful exchange, I wanted to promote it as much as possible. Unfortunately, reality had a nasty way of not going so smoothly. I let out a small breath and glanced over at Lady Dalaiya, who was happily drinking her watered-down brandy.

“…From the perspective of the people of Liseben right now, the elves are frankly troublesome neighbors. They steal food and abduct men… Nothing but enemies, really.”

“Mm…”

Without showing sadness or anger, Lady Dalaiya simply nodded gently.

“However… In the future, I’d like to aim for a wonderful relationship where we can proudly say we’re the closest and dearest of friends.”

“That’s right. I couldn’t agree more. But…”

Grinning, Lady Dalaiya gently took my left hand in hers.

“If so, aiming for an even closer relationship wouldn’t be so bad either. For example, family… Or husband and wife… Hm?”

“……”

Still holding my hand, Lady Dalaiya softly traced the back of it with her tiny fingers. It was a strangely suggestive way of touching. Thanks to a certain chancellor, I had built up quite a tolerance for sexual harassment, but my opponent was a fairy-like loli whose appearance seemed completely unrelated to matters of love or lust. Naturally, my heartbeat started to quicken.

Isn’t she just straight-up flirting with me? Whoa, that actually made my head spin… N-no, but… Maybe I’m just being self-conscious…? When it comes to relationships between men and women, my instincts are completely useless…

“But…”

Completely unconcerned with my confusion, Lady Dalaiya quickly pulled her hand back. Her expression turned serious as she continued.

“Not all elves think that way. Even the Council of Elders, the core of the ‘New,’ is no exception.”

“…Oh?”

This had suddenly turned into a serious conversation. Almost unconsciously, my mind shifted into work mode, and my heart, which had been pounding, quickly returned to normal. Even I thought I switched gears too fast. Since I was drinking with a loli hag, I wanted to soak in the good mood just a bit longer…

“Especially Elder Vanka. She is especially dangerous. That woman lost her husband and child to an attack by the ‘Legitimate,’ and she harbors deep hatred toward them. There’s no doubt she prioritizes her own desire for revenge over Elfenia’s future.”

Wow, she was married, huh. Considering the elven trait that aging begins once they have children, the grief and sense of loss from losing a child might be even greater than that of humans or dragonewt. No wonder she’d go mad with vengeance…

“So she’s someone to watch out for.”

“Indeed. You’re trying to mediate peace with the ‘Legitimate,’ aren’t you? From her perspective, that fact is far worse than merely unpleasant. She’ll certainly interfere, and depending on the situation, she may even bare her fangs directly at you…”

After sighing, Lady Dalaiya downed her watered-down brandy in one go, as if in frustration. Letting out a ‘puhah!’ with an alcohol-scented breath, she continued.

“Of course, I intend to restrain her as much as I can. But, well… To be honest, it likely won’t be very effective. Even the young ones call me a coward and look down on me…”

Shrugging apologetically, Lady Dalaiya explained. Even as an outsider, the internal situation sounded awful. They called themselves a nation, but they didn’t seem much different from a band of brigands anymore. …I supposed that the more moderate people had been weeded out during the long years of war.

On top of that, every single elf was starving. When people are hungry, they inevitably become short-tempered. To calm them down, we’d first need to fill their bellies. It wouldn’t be too late to talk constructively after that.

There was a saying: when people have enough food and clothing, they learn propriety. You shouldn’t get angry or disappointed at people whose hunger has robbed them of clear thinking. You just have to accept it for what it is and deal with them patiently. That was a lesson I had learned in Africa and the Middle East in my previous life.

“Personally, I think we should quickly make peace with the ‘Legitimate.’ Their Fezaria likely feels the same way. She’s a woman so calm and intelligent that you’d never think she was an elf warrior…”

Fezaria—she must mean Lady Orphan, the leader of the ‘Legitimate.’ Come to think of it, Lady Dalaiya had originally been her tutor. Even after being split into opposing sides, they still trusted each other. It was a painful story.

“In any case, if you desire peace, I won’t hesitate to cooperate. But not only allies will increase. Never let your guard down.”

“When allies increase, so do enemies. What a pain.”

Ugh, I really hated this. I was supposed to be going to the ‘New’ stronghold next, after all. And since it was scheduled to be a three-party meeting, Lady Orphan would obviously be there too. From the anti ‘Legitimate’ faction’s point of view, it was the perfect chance to strike. No matter how I looked at it, they were going to try something. Seriously, give me a break…

“I’m counting on you, Dalaiya-dono. We are like birds sharing the same wings, a community of shared fate. If Liseben and Elfenia are to become unparalleled friends, then let us first set an example at the top.”

“…Mm! Leave it to me!”

I had meant that as a warning not to betray me, but Lady Dalaiya nodded with a beaming smile. …She didn’t take that literally, did she?

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