I let Iris sleep in that place.
She collapsed through exhaustion, but she doesn’t have any injuriesーーI mean, I won’t let her have any, and she is breathing fine as well.
I thought that she would recover after resting for a while.
「Lent me your strength, Eleanor」
『Yareyare, huh』
『Hikari will help too』
Eleanor who seemed to say it can’t be helped, and Hikari who really want to help.
I placed my hand on the hilts of the mother and daughter Demon Swords while they’re in their sheathes.
With a strong and clear image, I released an aura.
It’s an aura that is a little different to up until now.
That aura is darker than black, and even more terrifying. An aura that reminisces everything sinister and disastrous.
I raised that auraーーspread it around, avoiding only Iris who is lying down.
It’s a silent message.
It’s a threat that says I shall make those who approach, experience something more terrifying than death.
Though it is alright to just kill the monsters when they appear.
If I get serious, I can chop those Akephaloses into two with their shields without even making a sound.
I can do it, but there is still a certain chance that I might fail.
Like the possibility that I might make a sound, or the possibility of making a shockwave.
To be sure that I can let Iris rest, I thought that the best way is to make a threat.
It became silent.
That silence was like that of midnight when even the trees and grasses sleep.
And after watching Iris for a while, she woke up.
「……Kakeru?」
「You woke up?」
Iris saw the aura that I am releasing.
「……thank you」
The wise her understood its meaning from the circumstances.
「Don’t mind it. Have you rested well?」
「Yeah. I’ve recovered pretty much」
「Good then」
I retracted the aura.
The surroundings returned to normal, and started to make cave-like sounds.
Suddenly, I noticed that Iris is staring at me.
She is staring straight at me with teary, hot eyes.
「What happened?」
「I am……a useless woman」
「What is it suddenly?」
「I fought with the Akephalos. It felt good. I was able to fight for Kakeru’s sake, and even that, with all of my strength……I fought only for Kakeru. That felt very fulfillingーーand really good」
「Isn’t that great?」
I also know about the excitement and heightened feelings from a fight.
I also know about the pleasure of embracing woman after thatーーbut that is a different topic.
That’s why, I said that, butーーIris slowly shook her head.
「It tasted like sweet honeyーーthat, is addictive. I thought that once I’ve tasted that, I won’t get satisfied by anything else. I thought I would throw away everything, my country, my status, everything. I thought that, I wanted to throw away everything else, and fight only for you. As a simple woman, and only yours……that’s, what I thought」
Iris made a desperate face, one that might cry anytime.
「Elder sister is amazing Even though she became Kakeru’s woman, she’s able to preserve herself, and was able to act as one of Teresia’s Twin Flowers. She’s an amazing person, that I cannot beat at all」
Finally, tears started to drop from her eyes.
「But compared to that……I’m a useless woman」
『She looks very conflicted. A princess and a simple woman, as a public person and as she is in private. She’s too serious』
That’s what makes Iris lovely.
I stared at Iris and said.
「You’re saying it difficultly, but in short, you want to be my woman, right?」
「That is……that’s true」
Iris made a troubled face.
She had a face saying that it’s not wrong, but she can’t nod honestly.
『You summarized it too much』
“Kukuku”, I heard a pleasant laugh in the back of my head.
「What, was I wrong?」
「You’re not, but……」
「Then, isn’t it fine?」
「But……I do not befit Kakeru if I’m like that」
「Ha?」
「There are so many good women around Kakeru. Women who are not inferior compared elder sister. But compared to them, someone like meーーmugu!」
I stopped Iris’s wordsーーwith a kiss.
I made her close that mouth of hers that says so many things with my lips, and stopped her saying anything more.
At first, she was surprised and resisted.
However, I embraced her tightly so that she cannot escape.
I stole her lips for almost a minuteーーand to punish this obstinate person, I gave her plenty of kisses.
I then said to Iris after releasing her.
「Iris」
「W-What?」
「I’m the one who decides whether or not you are befitting of me. It’s my decision whether or not you are going to be my woman. Got it?」
「Ah……un」
「And adding to that, if you think that you do not befit me, rely on me」
「Eh?」
「Tell me how you will suit me. I’ll grant that」
「I can’t ask something like thatーー」
「I’ll do something about it」
I stopped her words halfway.
Iris’s expression changed so much it was interesting.
She got surprised, flushed her cheeks, and calmed down.
「Kakeru’s words are amazing. They’re strong and reliably, it’s as if, they can solve anything」
「It’s not ‘as if’. I’ll solve anything, I will」
「That’s true. If it’s Kakeru, he can do anything」
Iris let out a smile.
It’s not a negative smile that one shows when they give up or self-deprecate.
It’s a positive, calm, and strong smile that really look good on her.
「There was something wrong with me, sorry」
「Hmm?」
「Thinking about it carefully, I didn’t need to worry about it so much. Fighting only for Kakeru and leading the masses as one of Teresia’s Twin Flowers without forgetting my status. I only need to do both」
『The idiot infected her huh, she’s slightly contradictingーーow!』
I stopped the unnecessary retort with a flick of a finger.
Something like contradictions or being idiotic, that doesn’t matter.
There is only one thing important.
That is, Iris looks better as a woman compared to the Iris before.
That’s all.
「Iris」
「Yes」
「I want to take you」
「I also want to be taken by Kakeru」
「Immediately」
「Immediately」
「Let’s go destroy Qushifos」
「Yeah!」
Iris strongly nodded.
She’s an unbelievably, good woman.