“Well, of course, His Highness wants a little private time with his princess. And honestly, who could beat the Demon King?”
That had settled it. The commander’s word carried absolute weight among the knights; once he spoke, every complaint died on the spot.
It had nothing whatsoever to do with the friendly sparring match we had afterward, during which I “accidentally” demonstrated to the good commander exactly why his faith in my strength was justified.
After that day, the knights’ objections evaporated.
Since then, they treated my orders with the kind of respect one usually reserved for divine law.
Convenient, really.
Even now, their obedience made this moment possible, leaving just me, my wife, and the quiet rustle of the courtyard breeze.
“Lord Cecil,” Bertia said suddenly, her eyes soft with gratitude, “thank you for being so thoughtful toward my friends and maids. You’re always so kind… and so wonderful.”
Her cheeks colored as she smiled at me, and for a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.
She really doesn’t have the faintest idea what goes on behind the scenes, does she?
It was endearing… and, admittedly, just a little complicated.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said gently. “Honestly, I’d have liked to take you out as well, Tia. But we can’t exactly go wandering about another nation as we please. Sorry.”
“Oh, please don’t apologize! The merchants have been bringing so many lovely goods here anyway, and I’ve already picked out plenty of souvenirs! I got to attend Lady Lysonna’s wedding, and I’ve spent so much time talking to you, Lord Cecil. I couldn’t be happier.”
I found myself smiling too, helpless against her warmth.
If only I could pretend I hadn’t seen Kuro and that black handball. Kuro. Pausing your game is fine, but stop staring over here while clutching the ball, okay?
Even for me, someone who often chose to ignore the mood around him, that gaze was a little hard to endure.
“I’m glad too,” I said with a faint smile. “Being able to spend more time with you during this trip makes me happy… but it seems we’ve got something we need to talk about first.”
With a sigh, I reluctantly accepted the black sphere that Kuro was holding out to me. The moment it left her paws, she trotted over to Bertia and, as if claiming her rightful place, hopped neatly onto her lap.
“My, Kuro. You’re awfully clingy today, aren’t you?”
Bertia blinked in mild surprise at Kuro’s sudden affection, but her lips soon curved into a warm smile. Wrapping her arms, she held Kuro close so she wouldn’t slip off. Kuro often sat on her lap, so Bertia was used to it. This time, however, the mood was different.
Kuro wasn’t being affectionate on a whim.
She’s being protective, I thought, glancing down at the dark sphere in my hands.
“So, Lord Cecil,” Bertia said, tilting her head slightly, “what is it you wanted to discuss?”
Once Kuro had settled herself, tail flicking lazily against Bertia’s arm, I gave a small, wry chuckle. Setting the black sphere gently onto the table, I met Bertia’s gaze.
“Kuro, could you release the barrier? I can’t speak with him like this.”
Him, yes, that was right. Not her. The way he’d gone on about seeking pure maidens, the sort of things he’d done before… my instincts told me I was dealing with a man.
A quick glance toward Zeno confirmed it. He gave a quiet nod, just enough to say “you’re right.”
Kuro’s ears flattened in clear disapproval, but she obeyed nonetheless. With a flick of her tail tip, the black sphere shimmered and unraveled, the layers of the barrier dissolving into the air.
Thud.
“Hss… Hss…”
A heartbeat later, something dropped onto the table with a dull sound. The weak hiss that followed belonged to a limp, two-headed serpent.
“Eh?! Little Futamata?! Why are you there?!”
Because Zeno and I could see through the barrier, we’d already been watching the faint outline of the twin-headed serpent trapped within the half-transparent sphere. So, when the barrier dissolved, it merely looked to us like the snake had fallen out and landed on the table.
To Bertia, who couldn’t see the interior at all, it must have seemed as though the sphere had suddenly vanished and the serpent had just appeared out of nowhere.
Eyes wide, she stared in open astonishment at the creature writhing weakly atop the table.
Still…
“Hey, Tia,” I asked. “This ‘Futamata’ you mentioned earlier—what exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, that’s my nickname for the little snake!” she declared brightly. “Calling it Yamata-no-Orochi felt wrong, since it only has two heads. So I thought, why not Futamata-no-Orochi, ‘Two-Headed Orochi’? Hence, Futamata-chan! Isn’t it perfect?”
“Pffft.”
Her eyes sparkled as if she’d just invented the cleverest name in the world. Behind me, Zeno failed to hold back a stifled laugh.
Meanwhile, the serpent in question, now officially dubbed Futamata, snapped both heads toward Bertia in disbelief. “Eh?!” Its expression all but shouted. Then, noticing Kuro glaring up from Bertia’s lap with a look of pure contempt, the poor snake frantically shook both heads in protest, as if to say, “It’s not what it looks like!”
Bertia, do you realize that name has a… well, different connotation in common speech? No, of course you don’t. You wouldn’t be smiling so proudly if you did.
Ah well. It’s funny, so I’ll let it slide.
“I see,” I said with a straight face. “Then from now on, I’ll call you that too. Nice to meet you, Futamata.”
I smiled warmly down at the snake resting on the table.
“Shhhk?!”
Both of Futamata’s heads whipped toward me, his eyes wide with something between shock and despair, as if to say, “You’re not going to stop her?!”
Of course not.
After all, I still remembered him sneaking into our bedroom in the middle of the night, flooding the room for no reason, and nearly biting Bertia when she wasn’t looking. Letting this slide was a small price to pay for all that trouble.
“Anyway,” Bertia said, “Kuro, were you being mean to poor Futamata-chan again?”
Still blissfully unaware that Futamata was far more devastated by being sealed inside a toy-like barrier than by anything else, Bertia began speaking to Kuro, who sat primly in her lap.
Now that she’d realized the snake had been trapped inside the barrier Kuro had created earlier, she seemed intent on gently scolding her familiar for it.
Kuro, however, didn’t so much as twitch in apology. She merely turned her head away with a sharp hmph, tail flicking in quiet defiance.
Seeing that, Bertia’s brows softened into a helpless expression. “I’m sorry, Futamata-chan. I’m sure Kuro didn’t mean any harm.”
No, I thought dryly, I’m pretty sure she meant nothing but harm.
Still, I couldn’t exactly blame her. From Kuro’s point of view, Futamata was practically an enemy, a pest who kept trying to make moves on her master. Honestly, I could hardly criticize her for it.
If someone ever tried something like that with my wife, I’d probably do worse than Kuro did. And I’d make sure she never even found out about it.
“Tia,” I said calmly, “Kuro was just defending her master. From her point of view, Futamata’s been trying to steal you away. I can understand why Futamata might be drawn to you, but for Kuro, that’s simply unacceptable. Think of it as… a very firm warning.”
Kuro’s ears perked sharply at that, and with a look that practically said “Finally, someone gets it,” she gave me a tiny nod and lifted her paw, thumb up in perfect approval.
“Oh my,” Bertia giggled. “Were you jealous, Kuro?”
As Bertia’s gloved hand stroked her head, Kuro’s eyes fluttered shut in contentment, leaning into the touch with a low purr.
Then, in the very next moment, Futamata lunged, both heads snapping toward Bertia’s arm, fangs bared, clearly thinking, Now’s my chance!
—Only to have Kuro’s paw slam both serpent heads down onto the table in a single, lightning-fast motion.
Some creatures never learn.
“K-Kuro! You mustn’t do that!” Bertia gasped.
Kuro, small as she was, had expertly pinned both heads, while Futamata’s long lower body writhed frantically, twisting and curling in a desperate attempt to escape.
Bertia hurried to free him, prying gently. I couldn’t help noticing something odd. Her gloves had been pure white earlier, yet now they’d turned black.
“Shaaaaaa!”
The instant Bertia lifted Kuro’s paw, Futamata’s four eyes gleamed in unison, and in the blink of an eye, he struck, sinking his fangs right into Bertia’s hand.