CH 105

Chapter 105

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : The Fairy And Great Beasts Of The Prairie, Part 15 — Tender Feelings

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

＊＊＊

The girl with green hair that flutters in the wind is the Guardian of the Prairie and is also referred to by some as the Spirit of the Prairie.

Aerial was reading the wind outside the rocky area. It has already been about a month since she came to live with Alfiris and the others. Usually the storm season ends in about a month, but this year has been exceptionally long, and they wanted to know when in the world it would end.

If she had the time, she liked to sit on the rocks and stare out at the prairie, letting the wind blow in. Even though it may seem innocuous at first glance, she felt that by doing so she would gain the power of the prairie, as if nature were speaking to her.

Black tornadoes were still visible in my field of vision, but they were becoming fewer in number and visibly smaller in size. The storm season will continue for a few more days, but it may be coming to an end.

And at the same time, it indicates that we are also approaching the parting of the ways with Alfiris and others. The Prairie, her beloved horse Sylphide, and Phalanx. Aerial thought she had everything she needed, but when she thought of Alfiris and the others, she somehow felt a hole in her chest.

「Everything should live as the wind guides— I thought it was like that…」

As if to distract herself from her loneliness, Aerial was hugging herself with both arms.

＊＊＊

「Have you shaped it yet?」

「Yes, after all, Lisa is a genius.」

Lisa’s training was in the final stages. Of course, it meant within the limits that the Phalanx can teach. Having succeeded in aligning the sensor with the air flow, Lisa began creating her own『Area.』If someone enter it, one can’t help but perceive anything—— it’s like a barrier for Lisa.

Personality and experience are involved in how the Area will be shaped by the Sensor itself. Of course, the shape is limited to some extent because it is formed in the image of covering a certain space. A typical example is a hemisphere, but there are also many circles, and some of them are shaped like a hand.

This is said to be one of the extremes of sensor, and those who can exercise it are unconditionally given A+ Rank as a Sensor. Lisa had reached that far in just about a month, and even the Phalanx simply groaned in surprise.

「The shape is still premature, but…」

「No, that’s a nice word. And above all… it’s beautiful」

In front of Phalanx was a truly elegant sight. If it’s unfinished, how artistic would it be if it were completed… Phalanx unconsciously focused his attention on his dream.

「Thank you. Lisa can’t see, but I’ll take your word for it」

Lisa pinched the hem of her skirt and gracefully bowed.

「I have nothing more to teach you.」

「That’s why I said if you underestimate Lisa you’ll get burned, baby!」

「…What was that just now.」

「Sorry, I just wanted to say it once.」

When Phalanx realized that Lisa had apparently made a joke, he couldn’t help but… And he let out a sneaky laugh.

「（I have been smiling at least once a day since they arrived… it’s been a joyous day indeed. I’m sad to think that these days are numbered…）」

That’s where Miranda and Aerial come in.

「Dinner’s ready～」

「Coming.」

「Where’s Alfie?」

「Alfie says she’s in the toilet.」

Fenna, Kazas, Nia, and Euthy came in as well.

「It’s a long way to the toilet… the food will get cold.」

「Everyone is here except Alfiris… just as well.」

Phalanx raises himself up.

「Actually, I need to talk Alfiris about something…」

「Father, what’s wrong?」

「I’m worried about that girl…」

Phalanx confirms that Alfiris is not nearby and continued speaking.

「Alfiris was not at all surprised when she first saw me. I was deliberately trying to intimidate the people around me. Whether or not she was aware of my intentions, this is not normal. Even Nia and Lisa there were frightened, and even Miranda, who must have had a lot of experience, her expression remained tense. And yet Alfiris…」

「She weren’t surprised at all. It was as if the feeling of fear was paralyzing, or something else.」

Miranda connected the words. Miranda had the same concerns as Phalanx.

「Alfiris is basically a compassionate person, but sometimes she has surprisingly cold remarks and attitude. Even I… sometimes I wonder which one of them is the real Alfiris.」

「That’s what Lisa felt, too.」

This time Lisa followed suit.

「It wasn’t until we entered the prairie that I became convinced, but there are times when Alfiris are definitely trying to choke the magical beasts. Like I mean, once the switch is turned on, it doesn’t stop? Usually she tries to avoid fighting as much as possible, but when we do get into a fight, she was relentless… It’s not too much, but the change is astonishing.」

「I thought of that as well.」

Nia agrees.

「I often do spars with Alfie, and the longer the spar goes on, the more alive Alfie’s face becomes. This sometimes causes me to overdo the training. If I don’t tell her to stop first, she might do it forever… Maybe she’s a little bit of a battle freak.」

「Wasn’t that also the case when we were being chased by fiends on the north side? She said herself that cursed seals were dangerous, but after we were chased by fiends, she insisted on using her cursed seal. Sure, they could have been defeated with her curse mark, but it was as if she wanted to fight with the curse mark when we basically should have avoided the fight that could have been avoided…」

Fenna says with concern.

「Phalanx, any idea what it is?」

Kazas asks. But Phalanx shook his head.

「I’m not sure myself as well. I know that the power of Alfiris is sealed by something, but beyond that, it is beyond the scope of my knowledge. It would be best to ask an expert, such as a magician, after all. But I’m afraid my worries will be in vain.」

Nik, Phalanx laughed.

「Why is that again?」

「That’s true… with someone who cares so much about Alfiris by her side. She will not go astray.」

「Of course. If she make a wrong turn, I’ll slap her back.」

「Yeah. If she make a mistake, she should be stripped naked and threatened with a crossing of the central highway.」

Lisa’s eyes twinkle. First of all, she would definitely do it for real. But Phalanx seems relieved to see that.

「Kukuku… I’m afraid I’m overstepping my bounds. But it’s power enough to seal it, surely it shouldn’t be used too much, right?」

「We’re well aware of that. We’ll take care of that.」

「Please do…」

「Hmm? Guys, where’s the dinner? I’m so hungry, I can’t take it anymore.」

At that time, Alfiris’ peaceful voice was heard from outside. And then, they all looked at each other, laughed, and ran to Alfiris.

＊＊＊

Kazas stopped Nia as everyone finished eating lunch and each one scattered.

「Nia-san, may I have a moment of your time?」

「I don’t mind, but what is it?」

「A little bit over there, I don’t want too many strangers to hear us…」

「?」

Nia tilts her head and follows Kazas as she is told. And they came to a place a little apart from everyone else.

「Is it a lengthy errand? I have an sparring session with Alfiris…」

「No, I won’t take up too much of your time, so I’ll be straightforward. Nia-san, please go out with me.」

「…………Hah?」

「That’s why I’m asking to go out with you.」

「Erm… When you say『socializing,』do you mean that?」

Nia holds her fist in the air.

「That would be a『thrusting match』By the way, if I were to do that with Nia-san, I think there is a very high probability that I would die.」

「That seems correct…」

「I mean, I am quite serious about what I am saying, but do you not believe me?」

Unusually for Kazas, he nodded as if quite depressed. It was painfully obvious to Nia as well.

「Or do you already have someone you like, so you can’t go out with me? Or do you not want to be with such a small, scrawny guy like me?」

「No, it’s not that… I mean, uhh. I’ve never had a man say that to me… I don’t know what to do…」

Nia mumbles and mopes. In fact, this was true, and although Nia may have had opportunities to fall in love while in the military, she tried not to pay too much attention to such feelings because of her belief that『love is a hindrance to self-improvement.』

Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no men around Nia that she liked, and her platoon leader made fun of her at every opportunity, which spread to the entire unit and put Nia in the position of being teased a lot. Her pride frustrated her every time she was teased, and she herself doesn’t deny that this was one of the triggers for Nia’s training journey.

But it’s because she’s like that that she’s worth teasing, and she’s extraordinarily musical, it was a mean-spirited consideration by the platoon leader, who wanted to point out Nia’s short-tempered personality, but it was impossible for the young Nia to understand such a thing.

In such a situation, even if there were people who made fun of Nia at the drinking table, there was no man in her life who would confess to her head-on like Kazas did, so it was correct to say that Nia was having trouble dealing with them. As for Nia, she didn’t have any ill feelings toward Kazas.

But seeing Nia’s reaction, even Kazas continued to look unsure.

「I’ve never said anything like this to a woman before… I’m surprised myself.」

「I–Is, I–Is that so?」

「Yes. I was going to devote my whole life to my studies. I was willing to consider a woman with whom I would not interfere with my studies. I never thought I would fall in love with a beastkin woman myself. Ah, I didn’t mean to call you a beastkin with a racist remark… what can I say, I was too surprised myself… damn, I can’t say it well. I’ve never once been stuck for a word in a class or a lecture… I’ve thought about so many situations, and I didn’t realize how complicated my feelings were… I’m such a guy who’s totally in love…」

「……Fufufu.」

「I–Is there something wrong? Or am I not good enough?」

Seeing Kazas’ panic, Nia couldn’t help but laugh. Nia’s impression of Kazas was most impressive not because of his appearance or his intelligence, but because of his grit.

Kazas was completely ordinary in his upbringing and carriage, but he was first-rate only in his grit. Even in a pinch, when Alfiris and the others are in a panic, he doesn’t make a fuss at all and faithfully follows their instructions. He doesn’t complain even if he had to stay in the field in bad conditions. To say that she was rational would be an understatement, but many of them, even the most belligerent of beastmen, get upset on their first battle or in a losing battle.

Kazas, with his inferior physical abilities, must have more insecurity than the beastmen, but Nia liked the fact that he did not shy away from it. At first she thought he might be slow, but seeing Kazas flustered in front of her at the moment, it became clear that he was just more restrained than she had imagined.

As for Kazas, he is just ready to be a martyr to his own ideals as an academician, and if he dies in the course of his research, he just thinks it’s a good thing, but he doesn’t expect Nia to enter his mind. In that area, he is probably also a beginner in love.

Anyway, his reticence seemed to have made a good impression on Nia.

「Ahhh, I guess I’m no good after all…」

「No, I’ll go out with you if you’re okay with me.」

「I see then, a little guy like me is no good after all… Fuu… huh, just now what?」

「I said I was willing to be your lover, Kazas.」

Nia has her arms crossed and her chest out. She thinks she is bluffing as best she can, but her face is blushing and her eyes are looking sideways. Besides, her tail also hung down and touched like a pendulum, as if to show embarrassed emotion. When she is really bossy, her tail turns up and moves quickly from side to side, so her inner thoughts are obvious, and only she knows.

「A–Are you sure you want me?」

「Yes… I’m not spouting lies. Rather, it’s Kazas who should be the one to do it.」

「What do you mean by “me”?」

「I’m not much of a cook, and sewing is a complete waste of time for me. I am a beastkin who joined the military as if to ran away from home not long after I was born, and has been training only in combat ever since. I’m not educated, I’m not interesting to talk to. I’m not that beautiful… Are you happy to be with me?」

「You may be right, Nia-san, on those general femininity points…」

Kazas groans.

「But I like you that way. Of course, if I look for reasons, various reasons come to mind, but the truth is that I don’t really know what they are. I guess that disqualifies me as a scholar.」

「No, I don’t know… I think I’m okay with that. But I am a soldier of Gruzald, I have to go back to Gruzald one of these days. So, um… I don’t know if we’ll be together for long…」

「Uhh, I’ll go to Gruzald if that’s what you want.」

「Eh?」

The words were very surprising to Nia, but Kazas said calmly.

「No, that’s…」

「I can do my studies anywhere, I just have to quit my position as a professor at the University of Triade. Oh, but as you can imagine, it will take a bit of time to complete the retirement formalities, so if you don’t mind, I will follow Mr. Nia to Groussaldo after that. What do you think?」

「But I can’t let it get you that far.」

「I want to do it, so I won’t let Nia-san tell me what to do, will I?」

「You’re pushy. But… I’m so happy…」

Nia bows her head happily. But those words were small, and she wonder if Kazas could hear her…

「Then we are lovers from now on, I hope we’ll take care of each other.」

「Yeah… I look forward having this relationship with you」

Both of them who hold out each other’s hand and shake hands. Their faces looked vaguely embarrassed, but at the same time they were expecting a lot of happiness that was about to come.

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Unmute

At that time, they heard Alfiris scream from outside.