Middle-Aged Man Isekai Summoning - Chapter 41
Saint
[En Route City: Hotel in Torain]
We left the Kingdom and are currently on our journey. We stayed overnight at a high-class hotel in Torain, a city along the way.
"Dai, Iris, the breakfast here is delicious!"
"Ah, it really is♪"
"Yup!"
Iris sat neatly on my lap, nodding with a expressionless yet satisfied look. Watching her, Aria enjoyed her meal with a gentle smile.
(I wish Lady Carla could eat with us too...)
Lady Carla was eating in her room due to security precautions. For me, someone who believes mealtime on a journey is best enjoyed together with companions, it felt a bit disappointing.
(Well, there are exceptions though...)
Glancing toward another table, I saw Sharon, Maya, Cattleya, and Yuno sitting together. However, far from a friendly atmosphere, a distinctly tense air hung over them.
At that table, they were eating meat, and Maya was asking Cattleya about the way she was eating it.
"Heh~ Cattleya, so there's a way to eat it like that. Unlike a certain someone, I hate it when people don't share these things with us♪"
"Uuugh..."
At Maya's comment, Sharon's body shivered violently. Responding to Maya's question, Cattleya answered with a deep, meaningful smile.
"Of course I intended to teach everyone. Unlike a certain someone, I would never act behind everyone's backs without saying a word♪"
"Uuuuuugh..."
Once again, Sharon's shoulders twitched.
"That's right. Let me tone it down and help each other out nicely. Unlike a certain someone, sneaking off on your own is bad, you know?"
Yuno added with a gentle smile, delivering another blow. Hearing those words, Sharon couldn't hold it in any longer.
"I'm sorry! Please forgive me! It was my fault!"
Sharon apologized with a trembling voice. The air around them froze for a moment, and watching the situation from afar, I let out a sigh.
(Sigh~ it can't be helped, but I'm partly to blame too... Should I jump in to save her?)
Just as I thought that, Maya put on a fake smile and began talking fluently.
"Hmm? Sharon-san, what's wrong? We didn't say anything about you, did we? For example—we didn't mean something like, 'When we woke up in the morning, Sharon was gone, so we got super worried and searched everywhere for her but couldn't find her, and when we went to Dai's room to consult him, we saw her sleeping happily, making us feel like fools for worrying, thinking what is up with this woman!'... We definitely weren't thinking that at all, you know?"
In contrast to Maya's calm tone, the content was sharp as a needle. Sharon's face paled even further, her shoulders shaking.
"M-Maya-chan, you're saying everything! ...And I'm so sorry! I'm truly sorry for making you worry!"
Sharon bowed her head deeply, completely intimidated. Seeing her like that, Yuno let out a faint chuckle and spoke up.
"Fufufu, since she seems to reflect on it, let's end it here. But worrying was real, so please don't just disappear without telling us. We're companions, so no secrets, okay?"
At Yuno's gentle voice, Sharon raised her face and nodded with a serious expression.
"I'm really sorry. It's just as Yuno-chan says. As the oldest, I should be dependable, but I shouldn't be like this. From now on, I won't go to Hubby's room without telling anyone!"
"Well, maybe we should set up some rules. It'd be troublesome if something happened again during our journey... By the way, why did you suddenly go to Dai's room?"
When Maya tilted her head and asked, Sharon blushed slightly and began to explain.
"Last night, when I was walking down the hallway, a drunk man asked me to come to his room. I flatly refused, but he tried to drag me in by force..."
"Eh!? That was actually really dangerous!"
Yuno's eyes widened in surprise, and Sharon nodded softly.
"Yeah. But at that moment, Hubby saved me❤️Saying 'Don't lay a finger on my woman!', he was so manly❤️After that, he gently worried about me, saying 'Are you okay? That was scary... I'll stay by your side,' and walked me to my room!"
Sharon continued to speak with an enraptured expression.
"When someone does that for me, my heart just throbbed so much I couldn't stand it... So, I... I asked him and went to Hubby's room to have sex❤️"
Her confession froze the air in the room instantly. Maya and Yuno turned bright red and froze in place, while I, listening from a distance, instinctively averted my eyes. Then, breaking the silence, Maya opened her mouth.
"Th-that's a situation anyone would long for. I-indeed, if I were in that position, I might have gone too...!"
Cattleya's eyes went wide as she clenched her fists and shouted.
"I-I'm so jealous...! As expected, Sharon-sama is an enemy!"
Following those words, Yuno murmured in an innocent voice.
"Must be nice~ I wonder if Master would save me too?"
Maya chuckled at those words and turned to Yuno.
"In Yuno's case, I'd be worried for the other guy instead."
At that remark, Yuno pouted and raised her voice.
"Hey! Maya, what's that supposed to mean!?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. If it were you—"
Just as Maya was about to continue, Yuno hurriedly cut her off. Triggered by Sharon's story, the back-and-forth gradually softened the tense atmosphere. Watching them with a smile, I felt a wave of relief inside.
(Great. It looks like that table calmed down safely♪)
As the sound of laughter spread among my companions, I quietly finished my breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, Aria and I were drinking coffee while discussing today's plans.
"Dai, what shall we do today?"
"Let's see... Since monster beasts are expected to increase from here on out, I'd like to gain some real battle experience. Do you have any ideas?"
"Hmm, we don't particularly have any contacts around here. What should we do?"
There are two routes to the Empire we are heading toward: overland and water. While going purely by land is possible, it holds many dangers, making it too risky for Lady Carla, who is royalty. Therefore, we decided to take the relatively safer water route.
Today, we plan to rest our horses in this transit city, so there are no urgent errands.
(Everything is going smoothly so far, but monster beasts are said to increase, so I want to prepare early. If only there were a typical Adventurer's Guild in this world...)
While I was pondering this, I heard a female voice coming down the stairs.
"Shall I ask the city's knight order to assign a knight as a guide for you?"
The owner of the voice was Irene, who came down the stairs alongside Lady Carla. She approached us with a calm smile.
"Irene-san! That would be a huge help if true!"
"Yes, leave it to me. I have acquaintances in the city's knight order, so I can go negotiate right away."
"Aria, Iris, what about you two? Want to come hunt monster beasts together?"
"Yes, I'll go!"
"Yup!"
At Irene's dependable offer, I let out a sigh of relief. However, a doubt suddenly surfaced, and I couldn't help speaking up.
"Huh? Lady Carla, weren't you waiting in your room?"
"Since I'm traveling with everyone, I wanted to enjoy some post-meal conversation!"
As she said that, Lady Carla leaned in close to me and whispered softly.
"Besides, I want to join that table over there soon, so I want to become more intimate with you, Dai-sama❤️"
"I-Is that so..."
(I'm happy, but will my stamina hold up? No, before that, can we even handle having more girls?)
Holding back my internal retort, I offered a strained smile, prompting Lady Carla to pucker her cheeks cutely.
"Jeez! Dai-sama, don't ignore Carla!"
"I'm sorry. I finished thinking, so it's fine now."
"Then, in exchange for forgiving you, please tell me about your world, Dai-sama!"
"Sure♪"
To meet Lady Carla's expectations, I began talking about my world. She listened with keen interest, asking questions occasionally while enjoying the conversation.
Aria, Iris, and I were at the city gates waiting for the knight who would guide us. By the way, Yuno, Maya, Cattleya, and Sharon weren't participating because they were holding a "Future Sex Conference" regarding their relationship with me.
(It's about me, but my opinion isn't needed at all, huh...)
While I was thinking about that, a slender, beautiful woman knight with brown hair walked over from beyond the gate.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. I am Gisele, a knight stationed in this city. It's a pleasure to work with you today."
She introduced herself with an elegant smile and offered handshakes to Aria and Iris.
"I'm Aria. Nice to meet you!"
"Iris!"
Aria and Iris shook her hand firmly while greeting her politely. But when I reached out my hand to do the same, her expression instantly darkened, giving me a wary glare.
"I'm Dai. Thank you for guiding us today... Huh? Is something wrong?"
When I asked in confusion, Gisele spoke up with a stern look on her face.
"L-Let me tell you this first! I have a wonderful lover named Vincent. So, don't you dare look at me with lustful eyes or try to attack me!"
"Eh? Wait a second, what do you mean?"
"I've heard rumors about you! A man who dragged four women into a lascivious life in such a short period—a incarnation of lust!"
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she pointed her finger at me with a sharp gaze.
"Vin and I are deeply in love! Just recently, we were on a date until morning, and we even have a date scheduled tonight. So, trying to wedge yourself into our relationship is completely impossible!"
(It's true that I have four lovers, but what is with that rumor!? Who on earth is spreading such weird stories...?)
While I groaned internally and struggled to respond, Aria stepped forward in front of Gisele.
"Gisele, Dai is not that kind of man! Everyone just relies on and admires Dai!"
"Is that... really true...?"
"Yes! I am one of them too! Besides, saying such harsh things to someone you just met will hurt anyone!"
Aria looked straight into Gisele's eyes, passionately defending me. Furthermore, with her pure smile and words combined into a 10-minute passionate speech, Gisele finally reluctantly accepted it.
"Indeed, it seems I reacted too sensitively to rumors and was overly cautious. I apologize..."
Gisele bowed her head in apology. Thanks to her sincere attitude, I managed to regain my composure a bit.
(Well, considering her lover, it makes sense she'd be cautious...)
Thinking that, I forced a smile and replied.
"It's fine. I look forward to working with you too! And thanks, Aria!"
When I smiled at Aria, she happily returned the smile.
(I'm blessed with great companions... I'll keep doing my best.)
Just as I uttered that thought in my mind, Aria's next action made my eyes widen.
"Very well. Then shall we go? 'Bloom, Blue Coral!'"
Simultaneously with those words, Aria's body shone brightly, and her armor appeared out of nowhere, equipping itself onto her body in an instant.
"Ehh!? Aria, what is that?! I always wondered how you put on your armor, but... was it like that all along!?"
As I let out a surprised voice, Aria puffed out her chest proudly and began to explain.
"Fufun♪ Come to think of it, this is the first time I've shown you! In my world, armor is stored inside this gem, and we summon and wear it when needed!"
(Wait a minute... that setting sounds familiar...)
I couldn't help asking further.
"I-Is that modeled after something? Constellations? Or maybe animals?"
"Mine is 'Blue Coral', so it's an animal. But I believe there were constellations too?"
"B-By any chance, is there armor for a winged white horse?"
"Pegasus? Yes, I believe there was?"
In that instant, my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the ground with my hands down. Then, I let out a voice of deep emotion.
"Uwoooooh! What an amazing world! A world where Saints exist! I wonder if I can see a real Pegasus Meteor Fist? If we can return together, I want to go to Aria's world!!"
Aria flushed red at my passionate reaction and waved her hands in fluster.
"Eeeeeh!? What do you mean by that?! Don't tell me you want to meet my parents?! How are you going to explain this to Yuno and the others!?❤️"
While I remained on my knees in sheer excitement, Aria watched me embarrassedly, yet somewhat happily. Gisele and Iris stared intently at the scene.
"As expected, let's stay on guard!"
"Yup."
Afterward, as we headed toward the forest to hunt monster beasts, a strange atmosphere hovered over everyone.
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