Vol 4 Chapter 37 – Always on the Battlefield【Vol 4 – Stop Shion’s Fabricated Engagement】

Initially, Princess Shion wore a grim expression on our way to the Sebas Empire.
It was hardly surprising, given that she was being forced into a marriage against her will.
So, as her Master, I decided to walk and share some old stories, hoping to distract her even a little.
I told a story from back when I still thought Shion was a boy.

For some reason, General Yuna and Nagisa latched onto it with incredible intensity.

“How envious… To be alone in the mountains with Master, and not just for meals, but even bathing and sleeping together…!”

“I completely agree. Even so, Master, didn’t you realize Shion wasn’t a boy when you bathed together?”

“Shion told me it was kotsukake, and I believed him…”

Kotsukake is a secret martial arts technique passed down in an eastern island nation—a grand technique where one retracts the male-specific weak point, the family jewels, into the body.
Of course, thinking about it calmly, it isn’t a technique a child under ten would master, but back then, I was simply impressed and accepted it at face value.
That’s just how much of a grubby little brat Shion was at the time; I never suspected she was a girl.
Naturally, her chest was flat as a board, too.

“Wait, why was Shion pretending to be a boy?”

“Umm, well… I thought if Master found out I was a girl, you wouldn’t feel comfortable punching me freely anymore…”

“Stop making it sound like I was abusing children!?”

“But Master always said ‘Always on the battlefield’ and beat me to a pulp if I showed even the slightest opening!”

“That was part of the training!?”

This is bad. At this rate, never mind Shion, the other two might start looking at me with repulsion…!
Ignoring my panic, General Yuna and Nagisa nodded repeatedly, looking deeply impressed.

“I see. That explains how Shion acquired strength rivaling mine at such a young age. But still, I’m far too envious…!”

“Shion’s talent aside, having Master as a teacher must have been huge. Ahh, if only I had a Master like that.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what they were envious of, but since they didn’t criticize the training, I was safe.
In fact, since they seemed impressed, I didn’t feel bad about it.
Carried away by this, I carelessly made a proposal.

“If everyone is up for it, would you like to experience Shion’s training until we get there?”

　＊＊＊＊

The training I used to do with Shion was about embodying the concept of “Always on the battlefield.” In other words, while living normally, if you spot an opening, you can beat the opponent up at any time.
This rule applies to both sides.
Not showing an opening to your opponent and spotting your opponent’s openings are equally important.
…And thus, the scene before my eyes.

“Ngh… Master, it’s a little hot…”

Shion looked at me, unbuttoned one button on her chest, and fanned herself with her hand.
It was natural that it was hot.
After all, there was a volcanic crater right next to us.

A mountain range runs between the Succubish Kingdom and the neighboring country, and the highway takes a long detour around it. However, we decided that the four of us could handle a direct route without issue.
Since high-altitude mountaineering also serves as training, we chose the route crossing the mountains.
And halfway along the route, there was an active volcanic crater.

“Umu, it truly is hot… And having sweat stick to me is unpleasant. It would be better to take this off.”

Saying that, General Yuna stripped off her armor, leaving herself in little more than her underwear and her greatsword.

“Until now, I absolutely couldn’t take my clothes off even if it was hot because I’d be exposed as a woman… but now it’s fine, right?”

Nagisa had changed into a monochrome bikini with a maid headband—a maid swimsuit version of her outfit. She even prepared something like that?
Thus, the three of them wiped sweat from their armpits and chests while glancing at me.

To be frank, they were full of openings.
However, all three of them had weapons ready behind their backs to move at maximum speed.
If I tried to chest (strike) Shion here, at that moment, General Yuna would swing her sword from the side at godspeed, and Nagisa would draw the knife hidden on her thigh and stab me from behind.
Of course, it would be the same if I targeted General Yuna or Nagisa.
The one I chested would go down, but the remaining two would land a fatal blow on me. That was the composition they had established.

It was probably an improvised coordination, but I was impressed by how well-constructed it was.
After all, doing this saved them the trouble of both hiding their openings and probing for mine.
However, more than that, what troubled me was…

(I-I can almost see it…!?)

No matter how much I trained in subspace, ultimately, it was just me and the evil god.
Unlike martial prowess or magic, when it came to seduction, I only possessed the resistance of a socially healthy boy. In short.

(This situation is bad in many ways for a Master…!)

As a Master, I must chest my disciples if they show an opening.
However, as a Master, I must not be chested by my disciples either.
Of course, if I got serious, I could chest all three of them at once, but blowing away my disciples’ well-thought-out coordination with brute force is simply not beautiful for a Master.
Confused about what to do, I accidentally blurted this out.

“…Maybe I should just take mine off too.”

“Ehhhhhh────!?”

Immediately after, the knife hidden in Shion’s skirt clattered to the ground.
The greatsword slipped from General Yuna’s hand.
The blowgun hidden in Nagisa’s cleavage flew off somewhere.
And the moment all three of them inexplicably let their gazes dart toward my crotch—

“──I don’t really get it, but you’re wide open!”

I chested all three of them at once, preserving my dignity as a Master.

After that, various things happened, like the three of them pressing their bodies tightly against me on the snowy high mountains, leading to even more trouble, but…
That is a story for another time.