The Expelled Boy Does All Sorts of Things with the Onee-sans He Saved.

Chapter 100: The Secret of the Belladonna Family

When I returned from the villa, something serious was happening in the living room.

“Everyone!! Are you okay!?”

I rushed over first to Charlotte-sama and the others. They were all in tears.

“I-I’m fine…”

“What happened!?”

Maria-san and Artemisia-san were slumped over nearby, and Aira and the others had gloomy expressions too.

“Grandma!? What did you do to everyone!?”

I asked Grandma, who was sitting on the sofa.

“It’s only natural. Al dear is the next head of the Belladonna family. I had to thoroughly question the girls who might marry you.”

“Why would you do that!?”

“It’s for your sake!!”

“If it’s for my sake, you don’t need to do something like that!!”

“No, it is necessary. As a member of the clan, I must properly evaluate them!!”

Grandma spoke to me with a stern face. However—

“I will decide my own marriage partner!!”

“Even so, we need to be convinced first.”

“Who decided that!?”

“I did, as the previous head. Your mother and Klaus got married the same way.”

“But this makes everyone so pitiful…”

“They are marrying into the Belladonna family. I believe they understand what that means.”

Grandma showed no sign of apologizing to everyone. In that case, I had my own idea.

“Fine, I understand.”

“Oh, you do?”

“I’ll quit being the next head.”

“……Eh?”

“If everyone has to go through this just to marry into the Belladonna family, then I’ll become the son-in-law instead.”

“Wait!? Al dear?”

“Uncle can be the next head, right?”

“Now listen here!? Actually—”

“I’m going now. I hate you, Grandma.”

With that, I went upstairs. I’m sure Grandma was half teasing them while questioning, but this was going too far. She probably planned to approve them from the start, but the process was terrifying. That’s why I decided to give her a little scolding. She won’t reflect otherwise.

Then—

Crash!!

The sound of pottery breaking echoed.

“Meldina!!”

Grandpa’s voice rang out.

Something must have happened. I hurried back downstairs and saw Grandma collapsed on the floor.

～～～～～～～

After that, a doctor came and examined her. It was just a fainting spell.

I was scolded by Mother afterward. It had been a long time since she scolded me that harshly.

Later, Grandpa came to me.

“Al. Meldina adores you more than anything. She’s worried sick about you. What she did was certainly too harsh for 10-year-old girls. I understand why you can’t forgive her. You and Meldina are very similar. The way you spoke to her earlier was exactly like her.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Meldina isn’t angry. In fact, it was probably a good lesson for her.”

Grandpa then took me to the room where Grandma was resting. She had woken up a short while ago.

“Meldina. It’s me. I brought Al.”

Led by Grandpa’s hand, I entered Grandma’s room.

“Al dear.”

There was Grandma, smiling as she sat up in bed.

“Grandma… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I went too far too.”

Grandma stroked my head. Tears began spilling from my eyes.

“I love you, Grandma!!”

“Yes, I love you too, so much.”

Grandma pulled me close and hugged me tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. Grandma isn’t angry.”

Then, she let go of me and explained why she had done all this.

“The Belladonna family wasn’t always this large. It grew big during my mother’s time — your great-grandmother’s era.”

“I see.”

“The previous head before that was a man. He married three women. Two of them were beautiful but complete gold-diggers. The family fell into ruin. The remaining one drove the other two out. Fortunately, neither of them had children, so it worked out.”

So that kind of past existed.

“My grandmother was ridiculed from a young age, but she worked hard and seriously. That’s when the Belladonna family became known for its strong women.”

“……I see.”

I glanced at Grandpa. Please don’t look away so awkwardly.

“As a result, she paid off all the debts in 15 years. When it came time to choose the next head, my mother was selected. Because of what happened to my grandfather, my mother only had one husband. Even so, she had seven children. That’s why the Belladonna family was safe. Plus, Mother had great business talent, so the family grew rapidly during her generation.”

“Grandma, are you saying…”

“Yes. I saw all of that. That’s why I believed I had to carefully evaluate any potential fiancée for the sake of the growing Belladonna family.”

“So that’s why…”

“Yes. But a problem arose here. Both I and Louisa have a lot of magic power, which makes it difficult for us to conceive.”

“!!”

“Louisa followed my and my grandmother’s example and only took one husband. She tells everyone it’s because she wants him all to herself, but the truth is this.”

This was the first time I learned about Mother’s situation. She never talks about it.

“I somehow managed to have Louisa and Klaus, and Louisa had you, Al dear. However…”

Grandma’s expression became serious.

“At this rate, the Belladonna family in Nelba will die out.”

“…………”

“That’s why Klaus and I decided that you two should take many wives and have lots of children. But we will still carefully select those wives.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know any of that.”

“It’s fine. I should have explained it properly from the beginning.”

“Hey, I also have strong magic power like you and Mother, right? So why…?”

“That’s the mysterious part. Men with strong magic power usually have very small reproductive organs and low fertility, but…”

Grandma took a thick stack of papers from the shelf beside the bed.

“According to the ‘Al Report’, you are completely different from those short-endowed men. In fact, your manhood is more than twice as large — enough to completely knock out any woman.”

The document bundle was apparently called the “Al Report.” What a name… It gave me chills.

“Hmm, there are exceptions, right?”

When Grandpa spoke, Grandma placed the report down.

“Well… let’s just say that’s the case…”

“Then shall we head downstairs?”

Grandma got out of bed and picked me up in her arms.

“Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. My body is still quite young.”

As Grandpa opened the door for us to leave—

“““Waaaaah!!”””

“Everyone!?”

It seemed Rosaria, Maria-san, Charlotte-sama, and the rest had been eavesdropping right outside the door.

“Um… you heard everything?”

“S-Sorry.”

“Please forgive us, Alphonse-sama.”

Everyone looked apologetic, but—

“Sigh… You heard it all. Oh well. Everyone, I went too far. I’m sorry.”

Grandma put me down and bowed deeply. While everyone stood stunned, I said:

“Everyone. My family caused you trouble. I apologize as well.”

“Al dear!?”

When I bowed my head, Grandma hurriedly hugged me again.

“Alright, alright. Let’s end this emotional moment.”

“Mother.”

“Sophia and the others have prepared dinner and are waiting downstairs. Let’s go.”

Mother said that and headed down the stairs.

“…Yes. Everyone, let’s go.”

Following Grandma, everyone went downstairs.

“Lana-san, Karen-san, Fiora-san. I’m sorry things turned out like this.”

“It’s okay. We understand Grandma’s feelings.”

“I’m glad I learned more about Alphonse-sama’s family.”

“Talking with Grandma was tough, though…”

I was relieved everyone was so kind.

“Alphonse-sama. Shall we?”

“Yes, Charlotte-sama!!”

I headed downstairs too.

Afterward, we had a fun dinner together.

～～～～～～～

That night.

“Has your head cooled down, Mother?”

“Really now. Stop that, Louisa.”

In the quiet living room late at night, Louisa, Meldina, and Sophia were present.

“I can’t believe Al dear would do something like that.”

“You went too far. Even love can hurt someone if it goes overboard.”

“You say that so well for someone who isn’t that old.”

“We’re the same in that regard, dear wives.”

“I’m sorry for troubling you, Sophia.”

Louisa comforted Sophia.

“You must really want to go to Al dear’s side right now.”

“Yes, of course.”

“You could at least lie and say no.”

While a peaceful atmosphere flowed, Meldina asked:

“By the way, are you okay with it?”

“With what?”

“You have a special body, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have children.”

“That’s true. Maybe it’s time I tried a little harder.”

“Oh? So Al dear is getting a little brother or sister?”

Meldina said mischievously. Louisa sighed.

“For that, I’ll need Reislott to do his best too.”

“Then, will you stay in Riema for a while?”

“It looks that way. Al will probably stay at the main house for now.”

“Will it be alright?”

“There’s no need to worry. I have Rosaria-san, Elena-san, and Urka-san as well.”

“I see. I’m leaving it to you, Sophia.”

Sophia bowed deeply.

“Well then, the black tea is enough. Sophia, please clear the table. I’m going to sleep.”

“Understood.”

Sophia placed the cups and teapot on a tray and went to the kitchen. After confirming she had left…

“By the way, is everything fine on t(・)h(・)a(・)t(・) s(・)i(・)d(・)e?”

“Yes. You don’t need to worry, Mother. I’m getting along well with everyone there too.”

“I see. Then I’m relieved.”

“No problem, right?”

She spoke into empty space. In response, a red light blinked for a moment in the supposedly empty area.

Chapter 101: Rivals and the Beauty on the Beach

The next day, everyone went around the bustling shopping district together.

“Is this your first time here, Al dear?”

Grandma asked with a smile.

“Yeah! It’s amazing!”

There were so many shops I had never seen before. Stores roasting large chunks of meat on spits, shops shaving blocks of flour dough with blades and dropping them into pots — there were tons of interesting things.

“There are also plenty of souvenirs.”

Things you don’t see in Riema.

“This one is a necklace made by polishing seashells into beads.”

“How about it, young customer?”

“Hmm, yeah.”

I took the necklace from the shopkeeper and placed it around Charlotte-sama’s and Fiora’s necks.

“Yeah! It looks really good on you both!”

“E-eh, thank you very much.”

“I’m so happy…”

Charlotte-sama unusually blushed and looked down. Fiora was also fiddling with her hair, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“My my, Al dear, you’re quite smooth!”

Grandma grinned at me as I panicked.

I suddenly felt a gaze from behind and turned around. Elena was watching with envious eyes. Come to think of it, she was the only one among the three who hadn’t received anything yet.

“Elena.”

I slipped a ring made from the same seashell onto her right middle finger.

“Yeah! It suits you.”

“!! Thank you very much!!”

She looked incredibly happy.

“Oh, right. Here you go, Maria-san, Artemisia-san.”

I also gave Maria-san earrings and Artemisia-san a brooch. I’m glad they were both happy. …Rosaria, I already gave you one earlier, right?

In the end, I gave presents to everyone. I’m glad I could do that.

～～～～～～～～～～～～

While eating the food we bought at the shops, I asked something that had been bothering me.

“Hey, Grandma.”

“What is it, Al dear?”

“There aren’t any shops with the Belladonna mark here, are there?”

That’s right. In the streets we had walked earlier, I saw mostly marks from other chambers of commerce, not the Belladonna one.

“That’s correct. We could do business here too, but oversaturating the market isn’t good.”

“Heh.”

“Merchants need trust and proper consideration.”

“So what’s this mark then?”

Rosaria asked. She’s started speaking more casually with Grandma lately.

“It’s the Burgmansia Chamber of Commerce.”

“That’s a long name.”

“Umm…”

“Yes, they’re famous for clothing.”

“And they have shops here?”

“That’s right, Elena-san. A while back we kept stealing their customers, so they came crying to us.”

That sounds kind of sad.

“We did no such crying!!”

A woman with luxurious clothing and long golden vertical ringlet curls reaching down to her waist suddenly appeared in front of us.

“Oh, if it isn’t Marta-san.”

“And you must be the next head of the Belladonna Chamber of Commerce? I am the current head of the Burgmansia Chamber of Commerce, Marta = Eleo = Burgmansia.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alphonse = Reis = Belladonna.”

“You’re just a child. Well, never mind. By the time you become an adult, I’ll surpass your chamber of commerce!!”

“Hmph!!” She grandly opened her fan. Her large breasts bounced heavily.

“Master!!”

Elena scolded me. Sorry.

“It’s fine. Go ahead and be enchanted by my charm!”

She seems very confident.

“Fufu, she’s quite an interesting girl, isn’t she?”

Grandma looked amused.

“She’s only 16 but already working hard.”

“Kuh. Get cocky while you can. I won’t lose!”

With that, she left with her entourage.

“She’s like a storm.”

“What a weird person.”

Urka, that’s a bit harsh…

Despite that encounter, we enjoyed the rest of the day.

～～～～～～～

That was how the week went.

And finally, we are playing at the beach.

“Alphonse-sama! Here it comes!”

We are currently playing with a ball. It’s a sphere made by drying out a slime’s surface and inflating it. It feels strangely smooth and slippery.

Charlotte-sama throws it, and Lana-san hits it back, trying not to let it drop.

“There!!”

Fiora hit the ball a little too strongly.

“S-Sorry!”

“It’s okay. I’ll go get it.”

I ran after the ball.

“Umm, where did it go?”

I looked around but couldn’t find it. She must have hit it pretty far.

“Where could it be…?”

While I was searching, a woman’s voice called out.

“Here you go, young boy.”

I looked up and saw a very beautiful woman.

“Thank you very much.”

She had long blue-gray hair reaching down to her waist and beautiful peridot-like eyes.

“Fufu, you’re welcome.”

Holding a parasol and smiling gracefully, she looked both elegant and somehow bewitching at the same time.

Chapter 102: Mother’s True Identity

I met a beautiful lady.

“Fufu, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. By the way, I have something to ask you, young boy.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen anyone dressed strangely around here?”

“Strangely dressed?”

“Yes. Someone wearing a tailcoat and a mask, with a very theatrical way of speaking.”

What kind of person is that? Sounds like a walking bundle of personality.

“No, I haven’t seen anyone like that.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The lady patted my head. Then she said,

“You should go back to your friends now, okay?”

“Ah, yes. Well then—”

“Al!!”

A voice suddenly called out from behind me. When I turned around, Mother was there.

“Get away from that woman!!”

Mother spoke in a flustered tone I had rarely seen from her.

“Eh?”

“My my…”

The lady placed a hand on her cheek and smiled brightly.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“You’re still searching for that man?”

“Yes. I need him returned to me.”

Do these two know each other?

“Mother, do you know her?”

“Oh my!!”

Suddenly, the lady hugged me tightly.

“So you’re Louisa’s child?”

“Eh? Y-Yes.”

“How adorable!!”

She squeezed me hard.

“Hödeliefe!!”

“You’re as strict as ever.”

The lady — Hödeliefe — finally let go of me.

“Mother, you know her?”

“Y-Yes…”

Mother looked somewhat awkward.

“You haven’t told your son yet?”

“…It’s fine, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not! You have to tell him properly!”

It was the first time I had ever seen Mother being persuaded like this.

“…Fine, I understand.”

“Mother?”

“You see… This is Hödeliefe = Hanna = Atema, also known as the ‘Dragon Witch’.”

“Dragon Witch?”

I had never heard that title before, though I remembered that Elena had once been framed as a “witch.”

“Let me say this first: I’m different from the witches of the Holy Kingdom.”

Mother saw through my thoughts and immediately corrected me.

“And your mother is also a witch.”

“Eh?”

“The ‘Spider Witch’. That is the other face of Louisa = Meldina = Belladonna.”

“Eeeeeehhh!!”

I was shocked. Mother’s true identity…!

“It’s more like a side job.”

Mother said with a red face.

“It’s too hot to talk here. Hödeliefe, let’s go to our villa.”

“Oh? Sorry for the trouble.”

“Al, come to the living room tonight. You can bring Rosaria-san, Elena-san, and the others. We’ll talk there.”

“Yeah, got it.”

Mother then took Hödeliefe with her and returned to Grandma’s house.

“Alphonse-sama!!”

The others came running over, worried.

“What happened?”

“I’m fine.”

After that, I played on the beach with everyone. However, the shock from earlier lingered in my mind the whole time.

Chapter 103: What is a Witch?

That night, I headed to the living room.

In the end, Rosaria, Elena, Charlotte-sama, and pretty much everyone else came along.

In the living room were Mother, Hödeliefe-san, Grandma, and Grandpa.

“Now then, where should we begin?”

“Let’s start with explaining what a Witch is.”

Hödeliefe-san began to speak.

“First, since there are people from the Holy Kingdom here, let’s clarify the definition of a Witch.”

The three from the Holy Kingdom looked displeased.

“Calm down.”

Rosaria warned them. That’s right — let’s avoid any unnecessary conflict.

“In the Holy Kingdom, the term ‘Witch’ refers to those who have turned against the Anis faith — it means heretics.”

Maria-san explained.

“Correct. As expected from the former Pope. However, the ‘Witch’ you define and the ‘Witch’ in the world of sorcery are completely different. A Witch is a being who has formed a contract with a living creature.”

“A contract?”

“You know about Contractors, right?”

“Yes, I met Lord Shuriman.”

“Exactly. Contractors form contracts with ancient, enormous structures. Witches, on the other hand, form contracts with living beings — specifically, superior individuals that are gigantic and possess vast amounts of magic power.”

So that’s the difference.

“Is it different from a Tamer?”

Urka asked. That makes sense.

“Tamers mainly contract with lower-ranking creatures. That’s why men can also become Tamers, and they can form multiple contracts. A Witch can only form one contract.”

“I see.”

“Once we contract with the creature, we receive a title based on it. That’s where my ‘Dragon Witch’ and her ‘Spider Witch’ come from.”

“So then…”

When I looked at Mother, she nodded.

“Yes. The creature I contracted with is the Demon Spider Arachnid.”

Mother stood up.

“It’s a bit cramped in here. Let’s go outside.”

We all went out to the garden. Mother said, “Come out,” and a magic circle appeared behind her. From it emerged a giant spider.

“““Kyaaaaaaa!?”””

“!!”

It had black fur that blended into the darkness of the night and red eyes looking down at us.

“Greet them.”

At Mother’s command, Arachnid raised one of its legs. That was probably its way of greeting.

“How does something this huge stay hidden?”

“He has his own dedicated nest. He usually stays there.”

I see.

“Then, Mother’s thread magic is…”

“Yes. I became able to use it after forming the contract.”

So that’s how it happened.

“When a Witch forms a contract, she can use a portion of that creature’s power.”

“I see…”

Charlotte-sama looked deeply impressed.

“But why did Mother become a Witch?”

“I’ll explain that part.”

Hödeliefe-san looked at Mother for confirmation. Mother nodded quietly.

“The previous contractor of that spider was a completely different person. She was quite psychotic — she would attack children in villages across countries and use them for human experiments.”

“How horrible!!”

“We moved to purge her. The operation was successful. The only thing left was dealing with the contracted spider…”

Hödeliefe-san lowered her eyes.

“The spider cut the contract and escaped.”

“Can contracts be cut?”

“They are equal partnerships. If the creature decides the master is unworthy, it can sever the contract.”

“Let me continue,” Hödeliefe-san said.

“We pursued the spider, but lost track of it. Three weeks later, we learned that she had formed a new contract with Arachnid.”

Mother continued from there.

“This happened three years before Al was born. I was at the villa resting that day. I suddenly sensed a presence outside the window. When I looked, this child was there, covered in wounds. So I formed a contract with it.”

“Eh? For what reason?”

“Because it looked interesting.”

“……”

A very Mother-like reason.

“When I saw Arachnid again after so long, I was surprised. He’s become so docile.”

“At first, he tried to dominate me, but I didn’t allow it. I made sure he couldn’t.”

In short, she subdued him easily.

“You didn’t cut the contract?”

“I didn’t give him the chance.”

As expected of Mother…

“Lady Louisa is incredibly strong, isn’t she?”

Elena glanced at Artemisia, who nodded.