Chapter 168 – Another story 16: Maorin and the beastman.
— Maorin’s POV —
Lately I’ve been worring about things that I hadn’t worry about before. For example my hair. Up until lately I wouldn’t comb my hair properly and at most would untagle it with my hand and wouldn’t really get fixed on my appearance but because Kagane had fervently said that I have such a fluffy hair, I started to comb it every day. I also never worried about what I ate because I thought that everything gets mixed in the stomach but, after seeing Otto-dono so happily eating Tata’s meals and say how delicious they were, I started to think that I also want to make Otto-dono do that kind of face, and now I’m being taught by the highly praised Tata to cook. To think that I would get so enthusiastic over something other than fighting. Every day I’m struggling.
I want to be praised by my future husband and I want to be told that I’m beautiful.
The moment that I understood that those feelings are what move me now thought that I was changing because I got a man that I love…
I was making sandwiches with Tata for lunch, and when Tata went to distribute them to everyone, I stayed seated in my seat and took a bite off the sandwich I made. Tata made a lot of sandwiches for everyone’s lunch but, The way she made them was so elegant and magnificent that it was as if a master had decided on his only path. Her skill was so uniform and they all came out perfectly arranged, and she also put some kind of secret ingredient that I don’t know of but she said that it would make it delicious. On the other hand, my sandwitch were all unevenly shaped because when I cutted the bread I put in too much force and I just put any ingredient I had at hand together. The taste itself it was almost close to Tata’s but I feel the shape hurted how appetizing it was… haa… I still need to practice more…
I was eating my badly done sandwiches while sulking, Otto-dono came in while knocking on the door.
“You were in here, I went looking for you in your room”
My heart jumped when I saw Otto-dono come in. Is my hair okay…? While I was worring about that, I quietly tried to hide my poorly made sandwiches.
“W-What is it Otto-dono? Looking for me, do you need me for something?”
“Yeah, I’m making everyone’s equipment and I need your body measures so I’ve been asking everyone around. So I was hoping that you would tell me your measurements… is it okay?”
“You are making one for me too?”
“Eh? Of course. Well, the thing about becoming my wife put aside, I don’r particularly hate you, you know? I really like your honest personality and you have being doing your hair for me, right? That makes me really happy. My lack of answer to your feelings is just me being selfish so I sincerely ask you to wait for me to put things in order… I’m properly looking at you, Mao…”
Seeing Otto-dono say that while getting a completely red face makes my heart beat even faster. He’s properly looking at me… I forced myself into coming with them, and up until now all I have been doing is fight so I tried a lot of things to get him to like me but Otto-dono said that he is properly looking at me… Just by knowing that, I feel like this warm thing that I had in my chest since before got even hotter. I’m glad I started doing my hair and practice cooking… I’ll make sure to try even harder.
“U-Umu… uhmm… T-Thank you…”
I feel my face burn too and realize that my face is also deep red too. Ahh… I feel like jumping out and screa
m ‘Waaaahh!!’.
“T-That’s right! You came to ask for my body measures… I-If is okay with you Otto-dono… would you please take them yourself? I mean… I’ve always neglected that kind of thing so… I don’t know something like my measurements…”
“Even if you say that… U~m… Are you fine with it? You don’t mind me taking them?”
“Of course not! On the contrary I wish you would take them!”
I mustered a little courage and said what I wanted and got my measures taken by a red-faced Otto-dono while I myself had a red face. O-Otto-dono! My ears are particularly sensitive so… please be more gentle… uuhh… ahhh…
Some days later Otto-dono gave me an equipment that would adapt to my movements. As my main weapons he gave me a pair of swords made of Orichalcum that were the exactly same length as the ones that I was previously using and, accordingly to what Otto-dono said, the long one was infused with God Magic to adjust itself to my body growth, and the small one was infused with earth magic and can do simple earth manipulation.
And my protective gear was a light armour that covered my arms, legs, upper body and the part around my hips so that it wouldn’t get in the way of my movements. It also has a hole for my tail and it’s also made of Orichalcum. All that’s left is for me to become even stronger. While I was looking at my equipment I tightened even more.
I head towards the prairie that’s across the castle to train myself with my equipment. I can’t let myself be led by the power of my weapon. It will show its true might if I can master it…
“Haa… haa…”
I was wholeheartedly doing my training and was sweating drops like balls when suddenly I glance upon a distant scene. Otto-dono was fightin with the Dragon King Ragnil-sama. And while watching that mytical fight I decided something in my heart.
I want to be able to spar like that…
“… Someday I too will…”
“If you desire strength, fight with me Daughter of the Beasts!”
I turn to look to the source of those words and come to see an old man that looks like a golden lion. With golden ears, mane and tail, a rough face and muscles that looked well trained… eh?
“… Grandfather?”
“… mh? Grandfather? … Those ears and tail… Those features… Are you Maorin?”
Grandfather points at me and opens his mouth big.
“Guaah!! What’s this?! When I heard that finally a beastperson had come it turned out to be my cute, lovely granddaughter! Now I can’t have a match to the death!!”
Grandfather starts to tear his mane off and stomp his foot.
Grandfather… The one who was in a journey to train himself and who occasionally comes home just to brag about having defeated this or that but hadn’t return recently… To think that he was living in the Central Mountain…
“Haa… should I give up in my deathmatch…? It has been a while Maorin. You were so cute but before I knew you became this beautiful… Ojii-chan (T/L: affective for grandfather) is glad. Do you have enough money? Should I give you some pocket money? Mh?”
You worry too much. I’ve become a proper adult you know. Although… I don’t have any “experience” yet but…
“I’m fine right now. Grandfather why are you in this kind of place?”
“Umu, during my search for strong beings to train myself with, I came to settle in this place. And I got to meet friends with whom I get along mysteriously well. A high elf and a necromancer! Isn’t it that amazing?! Gahahaha!!”
… U~m… If it had been before meeting Otto-dono and everyone, I would be certainly amazed of hearing about a high elf and a necromancer but… after experiencing my self the power of Otto-dono… it’s kind of… Mh? Ah!
“Grandfather, just now you said that you wanted to fight a match to the death, right? If you wold like, why don’t you try fighting with Otto-dono?”
As I said that grandfather’s hair raises up and shows his rage.
“Otto?! A husband?! Someone made my cute granddaughter a bride?! That bastard Deizu, to what shoddy person did you gave your daughter to?! He surely has guts!! Who’s the bastard?! I’ll fight him to see if he is fit!!”
“Ah, Otto-dono is that person fighting with the Dragon King Ragnil-sama.”
Grandfather turns his bloodshot eyes towards I’m pointing and in an instant, his bloodlust vanishes.
“Grandfather?”
“Maorin… Is that guy really your husband?”
“Yes. Well at least that is how it’s going to be… Father has already given his consent.”
“… Un, is that so… Then Ojii-chan has no complaints”
“Is that so? If so, do you want me to ask him for a deathmatch with you?”
“… Ojii-chan will really die, you know?”
“Mh? Grandfather, do you know Otto-dono?”
Grandfather tells his story embarrassed. Around the time when he came to this mountain, he was feeling overconfident because not even S-rank monsters could match him, when he met a taciturn boy who viciously beated him up without being able to do anything. It seems that the taciturn boy was Otto-dono. After that he met the high elf and the necromancer and while getting healed from his injuries, he became friends with them.
Afterwards I asked Grandfather to train me.
I want to become stronger… I also have to try harder at cooking… and at my personal appearance…