What If the Strongest Villain from the Original Story Became the Protagonist's Ally? - Chapter 79 - Shame, and War

His Majesty’s birthday festival.

A large-scale attack by criminals occurred there.

Naturally, the festival ended. Many people died and the town was considerably destroyed.

Those thought to be the ringleaders were all dead (sorry, I killed them).

Their companions who had little information were imprisoned in jail.

And I immediately went to sleep from fatigue.

I was thinking about what to do when I next woke up, but when I next opened my eyes… Iris was in front of me.

For some reason, she was also sleeping beside me.

I thought for a while, but my understanding couldn’t catch up.

With me confused before her, Iris woke up.

She saw my face and blushed.

She sat up in complete panic.

“N-no! I was just, nothing…!”

“Calm down, Iris. I understand well. I know you well, so please explain calmly.”

Looking at her spiraling eyes, I didn’t know what she might do next.

When I restrained Iris with my hand and persuaded her to calm down, she continued with her red face.

“Um, well… I got the wrong room.”

“That excuse is way too bad!!”

There’s no way such an excuse would work!

There’s no fool who would make a mistake when I was already sleeping there first.

When I inadvertently said that, she wrapped herself in the blanket and shut herself away.

“~~~~! I-it’s impossible anymore… I’ll die.”

“Don’t die. What would the Kingdom do if you died?”

“With Yuu-san here, we could win the war against the Empire…”

“I don’t want to say goodbye to you though?”

“…I don’t want to either.”

Iris’s body trembled slightly.

She peeked her face out and stared at me.

“So? What’s the real reason? The reason you came into my room and slept beside me.”

“Uuu… when I was watching you sleep, I got sleepy too… it was a momentary impulse. Yuu-san’s scent is quite…”

“Scent…”

Just smelling my body odor would only be smelly.

Yet Iris had a somewhat happy expression.

Was there a difference in scents that men and women felt?

I couldn’t even take a bath after the battle, so I thought I smelled of sweat.

“Whatever. Hurry back to your own room, Iris. I’ll go take a bath.”

“A bath? That’s certainly embarrassing…”

“Don’t naturally try to get in with me. Is that okay? I don’t know what I might do to you.”

“What would you do!?”

“You’re eager.”

Recently, Iris seemed to be gradually losing the emotion called shame.

Should I interpret this as her having that much affection for me, or should I self-deprecatingly think she’d become strange due to my influence?

It was quite hard to decide on an answer.

“—Too bad. Papa is getting in with me.”

“Nana.”

Nana was standing at the room’s entrance before I knew it.

With her usual unfriendly face, she took my hand and grinned at Iris.

“To think I’d be interrupted by Nana…!”

“Isn’t there an option for all of us to get in?”

“A-all three of us!? You’re perverted, Yuu-san!”

“Why!?”

I might have said something perverted, but I never said I wanted to get in.

Of course I wanted to, but suddenly closing the distance too much, I didn’t think my reason would hold.

I was maintaining a line with Iris. That line was absolute.

“Anyway, I’m going to take a bath with Nana, so you hurry back to your own room.”

“Boo. I understand…”

Iris puffed her cheeks with a reluctant air.

That expression was also cute, but I ignored it and left the room. Nana followed behind.

“Hey, Nana.”

“Hm? What?”

I spoke to her while walking down the hallway.

“How was the birthday festival disturbance?”

“How?”

“Did you do well?”

“V. I helped Princess Iris and Princess Lycoris. I think I worked pretty hard.”

“I see. As expected.”

I thought she did well despite still being a child.

Because she was there, I could entrust Iris to her and move freely.

I was always being helped.

“By the way, Nana.”

“What?”

“Are you really getting in together?”

“I don’t go back on my word. We’re parent and child, so it’s normal.”

“No… even parent and child don’t get in together once they’re teenagers.”

Moreover, I was male and she was female.

Even blood-related families avoided such acts, so it was somehow strange for us, who weren’t blood-related, to do it.

While hesitating, I ended up taking a bath with her after all.

I was glad Nana had a childish figure.

▼△▼

The Empire, inner palace.

In the audience chamber where His Imperial Majesty sat, before the gathered nobles and civil officials, the lavishly dressed man—the current emperor—declared:

“Having been prevented from numerous attacks on the Kingdom, I must acknowledge it. The Kingdom is strong. Our country should also attack with full force. You lot, are the preparations ready?”

“Yes!”

The retainers answered in unison.

All for the Empire and themselves.

The emperor who stood up from the throne opened his mouth with an evil smile:

“Now! Let’s begin soon then. War with the Kingdom!!”

“Uooooh!!”

Tremendous shouting echoed throughout the audience chamber.

The Empire, having completed its preparations, was finally about to begin a full-scale attack on the Kingdom.

In their methods—there were no limits.