Vol 3 Chapter 29 – Feeding Master Canned Peaches with a “Say Aah”【Vol 3 – The First Knight Commander is a Dark Elf Half-Succubus Who Hates Men】

I was at a loss for what to do. Shion, who was supposed to be lying down resting, suddenly sprang up and started frantically ranting at Yuna-san.

“W-Wait just a minute, Yuna-san!? Poaching between Knight Orders is strictly forbidden! As your Senior Disciple, I firmly protest!!”

“I have no such intention; it was merely within the realm of small talk… However, should Master ever quit the Succubus Knight Order, I simply hope he remembers my offer. Well then, I have business to attend to, so I shall take my leave.”

As she left, Yuna-san whispered “Remember what I said” right into my ear before walking out of the room. Shion, fuming with anger, grumbled.

“Good grief, honestly, what is Yuna-san thinking?”

“I think… she was probably just teasing you.”

“Eh?”

The way I see it, Yuna-san almost certainly knows Shion is faking her illness. Furthermore, since arriving in this frontier city, Yuna-san has been incredibly busy socializing with the city lord and gathering intelligence. If she found out someone was dragging her into a farce like a feigned illness, it’s unfortunately only natural that she’d throw a little teasing jab in return. Well, Shion herself doesn’t seem to realize that.

“Well, in any case, I’m relieved to see you’re more energetic than I thought.”

“N-No! I am a little energetic right now, but if I let my guard down, my chronic shaku will immediately… Cough, cough!”

“You can stay lying down.”

The term shaku used here is a word used by bards; specifically, it refers to general pain ranging from the chest to the abdomen. So, Shion’s acting—pretending to dry cough in pain—is definitely a mistake… isn’t it? I still don’t understand the intention behind Shion’s fake illness, but I suppose I’ll play along with this farce a little longer.

“I heard we aren’t leaving the city until tomorrow, so I’ll spend the whole day nursing you, Shion.”

“M-Master…!”

If she wants to play the sick patient, I’d like to tell her to stop clenching her fist in a triumphant gesture under the blanket. While I was mentally lecturing her, Shion looked at me with eyes full of expectation and said:

“U-Um! If that is the case, I have a request for you, Master!”

“What is it?”

“I want to talk with you all day long, Master!”

“Sure.”

If she were truly in bad physical condition, talking all day would be a bit much, but I have no objections. I’m aware that I’ve been focusing entirely on everyone in the First Knight Order lately and haven’t been paying enough attention to Shion. Besides, saying I’m nursing Shion is the perfect excuse to give the rest of the First Knight Order. When I agreed, Shion, breathing roughly through her nose in excitement, thrust another demand at me.

“Also, also! For our meal, I want you to feed me canned peaches with a ‘say aah,’ Master!”

“Canned peaches? …You mean momokan?”

“Yes! I’ve already asked Yuna-san for them, so all that’s left is for you to say ‘aah’ and feed me, Master!”

“…Well, I guess that’s fine.”

If we did this back in the capital where people could see, it would be a huge problem. But in a frontier city like this, and in a place where it’s just the two of us, it shouldn’t be an issue. Even so, it seems Shion had planned various things. Honestly, this wouldn’t be possible unless it was a premeditated fake illness.

“Umm, I’ve thought of all sorts of things! And then, Master and I will—”

“Before that, Shion. I’m going to check your fever, okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

No matter how obvious the fake illness is, we have to keep up appearances. So, to measure her heat, I moved my face right up close to Shion’s.

“U-Um, Master? What does this m—!?”

“Show me your forehead, Shion.”

“M-M-M-Master—!?”

I brushed aside Shion’s bangs and pressed my forehead against hers. The old-fashioned method of measuring body temperature. It lacks accuracy, but since she’s faking it anyway, this should be fine. I used to do this every time Shion faked being sick in the past, too, I thought, recalling nostalgic memories.

“Yep, your fever is fine—wait, Shion!?”

“Hawawahh…”

“What’s wrong? Wait, now you have a tremendous fever!? What on earth is happening!?”

—From there, it turned into a huge uproar involving calling Yuna-san back and summoning a doctor. It wasn’t until past midnight that the fainting Shion finally woke up. After sitting up and learning that her perfectly crafted nursing program had collapsed, she was stunned. Then, for some reason, she started saying it was my fault for suddenly touching my forehead to hers, which troubled me greatly. I don’t think I did anything wrong, though.