Chapter 41

“Then… I’ll overlook it even if you turn into a wolf… If you absolutely must… it’s okay… I’ve probably lived long enough that even a hundred of your lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to match mine…”

WHAAAAAT?!

“Um, you shouldn’t say things like that so lightly… There are men out there who change completely, you know…”

“There is almost no man in this world who can defeat me.”

Now that she mentioned it, that was true.

“I know how a man feels when a girl clings to him… My big brother probably started pulling away because he didn’t know how to handle me anymore, too…”

As a brother, that must have been incredibly awkward. I felt like I had made a similar choice myself.

“S-so… if you can’t help it, I’ll… let you do those things… It makes me sad if you tell me not to stick to you just because it makes you restless… and I hate not being able to sleep because of it…”

Cerulia whispered softly in my ear.

“Master, you should say ‘yes’ here. You shouldn’t make a girl say any more than this.”

But since I’ve naturally never had an experience like this, I didn’t quite know how to react…

“If Lady Mary didn’t have any feelings for you, she would never say such a thing. This is basically a confession.”

Is that really true? Regardless, I felt that rejecting her outright was definitely the wrong move. In that case, there was only ever one answer.

“I understand… I’ll try to endure as much as I possibly can, though…”

“U-um… I can’t return to my original world, but if I can sleep soundly here, I’m glad I came.”

Wait, she said something concerning.
“When you say you can’t return… is that because you haven’t fulfilled your role even though you were summoned?”

“That’s right. Unless I destroy something to a certain extent, the contract won’t be completed. At the very least, your summoning magic isn’t just to ‘call’ me, but to ‘call and destroy’.”

That’s right. It was my responsibility as the one who summoned her to resolve that issue.

That day, when I arrived at work, I headed straight to President Kelkel.

“How is it? Have you gotten along with Mary-san?”

“President, is there anything that everyone would be happy and grateful for if it were destroyed?”

“Is that a riddle?”

It certainly sounded like a strange question.

“For example, during a war, the country would be grateful if you destroyed the enemy, but we aren’t at war right now. Using Mary-san would be overkill. It would be a ‘war without honor,’ so to speak.”

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking of anything bloody like that, but…”

I informed her that Mary needed to perform acts of destruction to return to her original world. As expected, even the President couldn’t ask her to destroy a rival company, so she was at a loss for an answer.

“It’s fine. Even if I destroy what needs destroying, I intend to stay by Big Bro—Franz’s side for a while. Franz is the best sleeping pillow ever.”

She almost called me Big Brother again. Do we really look that much alike?

“I know that, but I feel like being able to go back whenever you want versus not being able to go back at all are two different things…”

“In that case, why don’t you go find something that should be destroyed?” President Kelkel suggested with a fluffy smile.

“Mary-san has just arrived in this world, so I’ll authorize showing her around the Capital as official business. Furthermore, if Mary-san’s activities contribute to the company, I don’t mind treating her as an employee.”

If I was going to live with Mary, spending time introducing her to the Capital seemed like the right move. Plus, Mary had whispered in a small voice with a red face, “I want to walk through the town with just the two of us…”

“Master, I shall prepare dinner, so please go ahead and go,” Cerulia said, giving me a nudge.

In times like these, I’m truly grateful that Cerulia is a Succubus. If she were a human wife, there’s no way she’d allow her husband to go on a date with another girl. I probably shouldn’t take advantage of the fact that she’s my familiar, but right now, I needed to spend time for Mary’s sake.

“Understood. Then, I’ll head to the Capital.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll destroy anything you want,” Mary said.

It was a statement that provided absolutely no peace of mind.

●

The Capital during the daylight hours had a completely different atmosphere than the night before. There was a heavy flow of people entering and leaving the city. Elves, Orcs, and other races were walking about. Though few in number, there were occasionally people from rare professions like Blue Mages—though Dark Mages are quite rare themselves.

“It’s quite lively. If I let a plague loose, it looks like it would be very effective.”

“Is that what you notice…? Do you want to eat something?”

“Franz, you can just speak casually to me… It makes you feel more like a big brother.”

It’s a strange thought, but haven’t I just acquired an extremely dangerous amount of power by becoming close friends with a staggeringly powerful demon? If I were to abuse this, I would truly become a figure passed down to posterity as “the descendant of a legendary Dark Mage executed for plotting the destruction of the nation.” Let’s live humbly.

“Mary… so, what do you want to eat?”

“Let’s see. How about that?”

Mary pointed to a street stall selling an old-fashioned snack: dough rolled into balls, deep-fried, and dusted with sugar. Those were cheap, so there was no problem.

“Yeah, it’s good. Simple, but it’s quality work.”

Mary popped the hot balls into her mouth one by one. Perhaps because we were walking hand-in-hand, the feeling that she was my little sister grew stronger. The stallkeeper even said, “Are you siblings? Ah, with those wings, I guess not…” Mary does have demon wings, after all.

“Mary, where shall we go next?”

“Hmm. I’d like to buy some shoes.”

Since it was the Capital, there were large-scale shoe retailers, so I took her to one. They had everything from sturdy gear for travelers to fashionable items for city girls.

“This one, this one, or this one—which looks better on me?”

“Hmm, shouldn’t you just pick the one you like best?”

“No. Big Bro—Franz, I want to wear the one you like.”

Is that how it works? I really don’t understand the hearts of women.

“By the way, deciding based on price is out of the question.”

She made sure to warn me.

“Then, I think the ones with the ribbons are good. You have a ribbon in your hair, too.”

“Hehe, you have good taste. I’ll buy these!” Mary laughed happily.

For the record, those shoes cost a whole silver coin. Dammit, I wasn’t paying attention because Mary was so cute, but I think I’m spending a lot on her…

“Big Brother… I mean, Franz, there’s another shop I want to go to.”

This feels like one of those shady businesses where you pay for a date with a “little sister” character… Or rather, is this just a plain and simple date?

Mary’s real brother must have agonized even more than I am, being told “I love you” by such a cute sister…