Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 373

373: The Dark Knight Commander’s Disgrace

“Ugh… my head…”

I—Bringit Finis—groaned at the intense headache that assaulted me the moment I woke up and pressed my face into the pillow.

“Good morning, Bridget. It’s morning.”

I froze.

In a strange bed.

I was naked.

I slowly turned my gaze, and next to me was a naked—Lord of Disease. Her translucent skin, in contrast to her black hair, looked almost pure white compared to my own dark elf brown skin.

In a moment that felt as if time had stopped, only my head throbbed.

“Um… hello?”

“Yes, what is it?” She replied with a natural smile, as if she didn’t think the situation was strange at all.

I cautiously tried to grasp the situation.

“…Do you remember… last night?”

Her eyes widened for a moment, and then her lips slowly curved into a smile.

“Of course. …Because Bridget was so passionate.”

I froze again. What had happened last night? I remembered coming to this mansion from Litalside and staying the night… but I had no memory of what had happened after that.

The door opened without a knock.

“Master? It’s time to get up—”

And my eyes met Liz’s, who had entered with a familiar air.

I turned pale. I was naked. And next to me was my sister’s naked lover.

For a moment, I was about to shout, “I swear, nothing happened!” But then I stopped. Had nothing really happened? The Lord of Disease’s meaningful words, and the current situation.

“…Master, I demand an explanation.”

My sister, who was in front of me, wrapped her red scarf around her arms and, flipping up her skirt, she held a large black knife in each hand, with a speed that was almost invisible. The light—the emotion—disappeared from her eyes. It must have been the spell [Optimization].

Now, she was the Darkling Blade. Even in my full armor, if she caught me off guard, I would lose. And now, I was literally naked. Now, my sister was scary.

“I swear, nothing happened.”

“To be able to say that in this situation… you’re quite bold, Master. Even with my sister, it’s cheating.”

“Liz, are you the type to kill the one who cheated, or the one they cheated with?”

For some reason, even in the face of my serious sister, the Lord of Disease next to me was smiling. And she even had the composure to ask such a strange question.

“The one who cheated. If I were to kill them, that is.”

The Lord of Disease was a former human, but now she was a Greater Wraith. And her training had paid off. Perhaps that was why she was so composed, but my sister could kill her. …Probably.

“Liz, your big sister is scared.”

“It’s alright, Neesama. Even if something happens, only Master will die.”

That was not reassuring at all.

“W-well, um… Liz.”

“…Hah.” Liz closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, they were her usual eyes. —Though they were filled with exasperation.

She unwrapped the scarf from her arms and, after fumbling for a moment, she put the knives back inside her skirt.

“You were just trying to tease me, weren’t you? And Neesama doesn’t seem to remember.”

“Yes.”

“Hurry up and get dressed. You too, Neesama.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Ah, yes… yes.”

We both put on the clothes that were handed to us. I was a little flustered, but since the Lord of Disease didn’t seem to mind, I acted the same.

“…But please, don’t make that kind of a joke. …If I’m compared to my sister…”

Liz looked down, her expression anxious. Even though she was my sister, her vulnerability made my heart skip a beat. And the Lord of Disease next to me seemed to have felt the same, because she quickly hugged her.

“Master?!”

“I’m sorry, Liz.”

“Mmm…” And she silenced her with a kiss. Should I learn from this decisiveness?

I couldn’t take my eyes off the romantic scene between my sister and my friend, and then I realized that Liz was telling me, with her eyes, “Don’t look.” Her face was red, all the way to her ears. I couldn’t help but look.

After a while, Liz pushed the Lord of Disease away.

“—Hah! Master, have you forgotten that I’m a race that needs to breathe?!”

“You could have breathed through your nose.”

“I was. But you were the one who came to steal my composure.”

“I just put my tongue in.”

“Normally, you don’t kiss in a situation like this, or if you do, you just give a light kiss on the cheek!”

“Why?”

“Because my sister is watching!”

“I was only looking at you, Liz.”

A pang in my chest.

“It’s your fault for being too cute, Liz.”

“Please don’t blame me.”

The tension from before was gone, and they were back to their usual selves. My sister, who was making a sound argument, and her, who was smiling and accepting it, seemed to be playing.

“Um… so, why was I sleeping naked?”

“Bridget, do you remember finishing a whole case of wine, mostly with Liz?”

“…Ah, that did happen.”

What was the occasion? Something about a large order, and a lot of samples…

“Liz fell asleep after the first bottle.”

“So, I finished the rest by myself?”

“I had a little, but that’s about right.”

I had thought I was a strong drinker, but had I let my guard down too much? Or had I just drunk too much? I didn’t remember why I had drunk at such a pace, but perhaps that was the nature of alcohol.

“…And after that?”

“You said you wanted to take a bath, and I said you shouldn’t, since you were drunk, but you made me use [Create Ooze], and you said you wanted to take a bath together, and you kept adding ooze, and you got lightheaded from the long bath, and then I had to put you to bed.”

“I shouldn’t have asked…”

It was a terrible disgrace. I couldn’t help but blush.

“So, it wasn’t a joke that I was sleeping naked.”

“I thought it was polite.”

“What kind of a politeness is that?”

“I thought it would be rude to be the only one wearing clothes.”

“That’s not… no, is that… right?”

When she said it so calmly, it had a strange persuasiveness.

“Don’t be fooled, Neesama. Master is just making things up. The normal etiquette would be to call me and have me put you in your nightgown, or to let you sleep alone.”

“That’s right.”

“But you wouldn’t let go of my hand… or rather, you used me as a body pillow for a long time… I really did my best to endure it.”

“…What did you endure?”

“Maybe a three-way with Liz. You know, it’s not cheating if it’s two, right?”

“I understand that your sense of ethics is terrible, Master.”

“…No, this time, it was my fault. I’m sorry.”

“That’s a separate matter from Master’s terribleness.”

“But she was considerate of her lover. You should trust her on that.”

“I do trust her… but sometimes, I get a little… anxious…” Liz’s gaze was distant.

“I-I see.” I let out a breath.

“…I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

“It’s fine. You’re my future sister-in-law.”

“…Huh? Sister-in-law?” A strange sound.

“Hey, Liz, is Bridget the type to lose her memory when she drinks too much?”

“I don’t really know, but it seems so.”

“…So?”

“The preparations for the legal reform are underway, and the undead, demons, and dragons will be properly registered as residents, and same-sex marriage, and marriage between races that were previously not possible, will be allowed. And as the first to apply the new system, I’m going to have a wedding with Liz, so please come to the ceremony. That’s what we talked about yesterday… but you don’t remember, do you?”

I had no memory of it. And besides.

“…What are you talking about?”

I knew they were lovers, and I was happy for them. But—a wedding?

“Liz.”

“The story about the family register and the marriage system is as Master said. Our ceremony… the public objective is to promote the new system. And behind the scenes, it’s a trap to lure out the unstable elements and to hunt down the extremists.”

“…I see. I think… I understand. —Is it not dangerous?”

“I have no intention of participating in a ‘perfectly safe operation.’” She said, her voice flat.

“Well, as Master said, there are no absolutes… but it’s a little late for that. We’re still in the process of making the arrangements, but the supreme commanders who will be attending, aside from Master, are you, Neesama, and Lathus-sama. And you know the skill of the death knights of the Sixth Army. They will also be participating in the ceremony.”

Three supreme commanders.

“Then… they won’t make a move, will they?”

“I thought so, too… but it seems there are some who don’t quite understand the greatness of a ‘supreme commander’…”

“—Oh?” I grinned.

“So, I just have to teach them what a ‘supreme commander’ is?”

“That’s right. …I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me.” What was the point of being a supreme commander, if I couldn’t meet this expectation?

“That’s right. If you’re getting married, then you’ll need a wedding gift. What do you want? Anything.”

“Anything?”

“Well, as long as it’s within my power.”

For a moment, I thought I had had this conversation before. At that time, she had asked if she could call me Bridget, instead of Bringit. A person who, with nothing, had asked for such a thing, more strongly than for a guarantee of her safety, or a better room or a better meal.

She was looking at me with her black eyes.

“Then… can I call you… ‘Nee-chan’?”

“…Huh?” My mind couldn’t keep up, and I froze.