Chapter 013 BraceletLute, age 8.
“Snow…… Please make Snow into Lute-kun’s “s.e.x slave”!”
Idiot Snow made a most unexpected remark, I was dumbfounded.
Holding back a painful expression, I pressed her for an answer.
“S, Snow, do you understand what “s.e.x slave” means? Actually, where did you even learn that word?”
“Of course I understand. Some of the merchants that I work making magic stones for also handle slaves, I heard that from them. “s.e.x slaves” will absolutely stay by their masters’ side. Because I want to always be by Lute-kun’s side, I want to be a “s.e.x slave”!”
Oi, merchant. What the h.e.l.l are you teaching an 8 year old kid…….. Does this world have no concept of decency or s.e.xual hara.s.sment?
As I cursed the merchant for teaching Snow strange things, I asked her.
“I’m happy about Snow’s feelings, but we’re still 8 years old, special relationships like “s.e.x slaves” are a bit……. Aren’t there more ordinary choices, like lovers or married couples?”
“Lovers… married couples…”
Snow frowned and hung her head, but immediately raised it back up and made a firm smile.
“…… It’s fine, I already understood. I’m not a suitable person for Lute-kun. But I’ll be happy just staying by Lute-kun’s side. So, so, don’t worry about me!”
“Sorry, I don’t get what you mean. Why is Snow not a suitable person for me?”
“Well, Lute-kun is a genius who can make a magic device more amazing than magic at 7 years old, right? From the beginning, I never thought of becoming lovers or couples with someone amazing like that….”
I can finally get a glimpse of Snow’s thoughts.
Somehow the me in her mind is an unimaginably amazing person.
There’s no way that kind of person will love her.
But conflictingly, she wanted to stay by his side.
Therefore she came to the conclusion to be a “s.e.x slave” instead of lovers or spouses.
Well, I was spoiled by Snow’s courtesy, since I didn’t properly tell her my feelings.
I ran away from telling her my feelings using excuses like, “because she’s an 8 year old kid” or “because she has choices”.
It’s my own misunderstanding, but I was afraid of being dumped.
Because of that, I even waited until she confesses to me.
If it’s like that ―― then I won’t get hurt.
I understand well the reason why the amount of years I spent without a girlfriend equals my age in my previous life.
Even though I should have sworn to not run away from hardship ever again, but once I noticed, I had run from what was in front of me and took the easy path.
In order to wipe away Snow’s uneasiness, I decided to summon courage from within.
I put the small cask on the ground and opened the lid.
I put my hands in the remaining magic liquid metal and raised the image.
A pair of bracelets were made in my hands.
The bracelets were merely black loops, without any decorations.
Because I didn’t have time, this was the limit of what I can do.
I held the bracelets in hand, and once again faced Snow.
“Snow.”
“Y, yes!”
Her eyes were rooted on the bracelets in my hand.
There were legends about the 5 great heroes that saved this world.
One of them is: the night before facing the demon king of the Fairy Human Continent together, the Human Hero gifted a bracelet to the Fairy Hero as his lover.
The hero proposed to marry her once they defeated the demon king and returned.
From then on, this world developed a custom of gifting the partner with a bracelet when marrying. Then, the act of wearing a bracelet had come to mean that one had a marriage partner or someone they plan to marry.
Speaking in terms of my previous world, it’s a wedding ring.
With the bracelets in hand, I proposed to Snow for marriage.
“We’re still 8 years old, but, I like Snow, I love Snow. I don’t want to give Snow to anyone. So…… will you marry me?”
“Y……yes. Me too…… I love Lute-kun very much. I love you.”
She made a smile, and from her large eyes, pearly drops of tears came falling down.
I took Snow’s slender left arm and put the bracelet on.
Snow, too, took my arm and put the bracelet on.
Then with the setting sun as our witness, Snow and I exchanged our first kisses.
“Snow-chan and Lute-kun are getting married!?”
After dinner that night, we asked Elle-sensei for some time and reported our engagement.
The two of us sat beside each other in the orphanage reception office, in front of Sensei.
Snow was clinging on to my arm the whole time we were in the room. Her tail was wagging so much, I was worried that it might get torn off.
“Looking at the two of you, I felt that it would happen “someday”, but marrying at 8 years old…….”
Elle-sensei was confused, she couldn’t believe what had happened.
There are no age limits on marriage in this world.
But even so, getting married at 8 years old is very early.
“Of course, since we’re only 8 year old kids, this is not meant to be an official marriage. We still have no way of living together, too. So after all, these bracelets are just for our engagement. I intend to formally buy Snow a proper bracelet once she graduates magic school. At that time, we will be around 15, which is just about the right age.”
It’s usual for n.o.bles of this world to engage in political marriages.
For that reason their children would wear simple bracelets on their left arms as proof of the engagement.
Then at the time of marriage, it is exchanged for a new bracelet (a splendid one, inlaid with gems).
Common people generally don’t use engagement bracelets, they just simply finish with marriage bracelets.
But if they’re reasonably affluent, there is a custom of seeing their children off with engagement bracelets.
In my case, since there is magic liquid metal as material, I can use a pair of self-made ones.
“I see. Sensei is surprised, you see. I thought, 8 year olds couldn’t possibly be getting married.”
“……. Though the bracelets Lute-kun made are good enough as wedding bracelets for me.”
“Snow, I’m happy you think that way, but these are things made on the spot, after all. I’ll get you proper bracelets when we turn 15, so I’d like you to wait until then.”
“Un, okay. If it’s Lute-kun saying it, I’ll listen and I’ll wait however many years.”
Snow laughed “nihera”, seemingly happy from the bottom of her heart.
Sensei smiled faintly and asked.
“Then once Lute-kun turns 10, do you intend to go together with Snow?”
There is a large city near the magic school.
Sensei seems to think that I “intend to live there waiting for Snow to graduate”, while working.
“No, until she graduates I am going to go on a journey.”
“Journey is it…? Why is that again?”
I told Sensei the same reason I told Snow.
Listening to my story, Sensei clasped her hands on her chest.
“You want to help people in need with your magic device, is it…?…. if so, how about becoming an adventurer through the Adventurers’ Guild and starting a Legion?”
“Legion?”
“Yes, do you know about adventurers?”
Adventurers are one of the jobs in this world.
One can become an adventurer by registering with the Adventurers’ Guild.
They cover a lot of jobs―like monster extermination, bounty hunting, or ruin exploration.
In other words, jacks of all trades.
“If you become an adventurer and fulfill the requirements, you can receive the rights to start a Legion from the Adventurers’ Guild. Among Legions, there are ones advertising specialties like “Won’t defeat anything but dragons”, “Won’t accept members other than n.o.ble magicians higher than B rank”, “Only accepts female adventurers as members”. Therefore if you become an adventurer and make a Legion and declare the objective of saving people in trouble, you can save more people compared to just going on a journey alone. If you make a name for yourself, people seeking a.s.sistance will directly come to you.”
After listening to Sensei’s explanation, I put my hand on my chin.
Certainly, starting a Legion seems to have many benefits.
By making, organizing, my own Legion―my own army, and taking action, I can save lots of people. This world is a dangerous place, so rather than moving alone, mobilizing a number of people is a lot safer.
Then, once Snow graduates from magic school, I’ll have her enter the army, and we can be together forever. Developing stronger weapons, I can protect Snow.
Un, making my own army is not a bad thing.
“If you’re interested, Sensei’s twin younger sister work as an adventurer, I can write her a letter of introduction. Learning the basics of adventuring under her sounds good, no?”
“So Sensei has a younger sister. I never knew.”
“This is the first time I heard of it too.”
“She’s not a magician, but she’s a good girl, with a kind personality and full of adventurous spirit. She had a bit of a failure involving money when she was younger, but……I’m sure that she got over it when she grew up. In the old days, she used to take Sensei, who was always playing inside, along outside.”
Sensei delightedly talked about her sister.
If it’s under Sensei’s younger sister, she’ll be my teacher for learning the ABCs of being an adventurer, I can’t think of anything more with that personnel.
“I think I’ll become an adventurer and start my own Legion. So would you please write your sister a letter of introduction?”
“All right, then I’ll hand it to you when Snow-chan goes to magic school.”
Snow and I bowed our heads and said “thank you very much.”
Sensei changed the topic, and warned us with a red face.
“Congratulations on your engagement, but, you two are still 8. Your bodies still have a lot of growing to do, so never, ever, uh, err…… don’t do that kind of thing. On that point, rather than Snow-chan it’s Lute-kun who should be careful.”
“Y, yes, understood. I’ll be careful.”
“?”
Only Snow tilted her head in puzzlement.
“Other than that, though you two are engaged, please keep it within bounds in front of the other kids. Just do things in moderation. Because it’s bad for their education.”
“Understood.”
“And another thing―”
“There’s still more!?”
“Of course. Listen well, Lute-kun. Since you’re now engaged to Snow-chan, from now on please refrain from stealing glances at other kids’ b.r.e.a.s.t.s or bottoms. Polygamy is a common thing, but please don’t do it so casually.”
I asked back with a serious expression.
“………………………………..Not at all, Sensei. I don’t understand what you’re talking about at all.”
“It’s useless to try and trick me with that serious face. Lute-kun’s ecchi eyes are already exposed.”
“Particularly this year. I think he does it to me on purpose.”
“Even if Lute-kun acts like a gentlemen on the surface, girls are especially sensitive to boys’ gazes. Please fix your ecchi personality just a little bit, okay.”
Elle-sensei scolded me, stretching one finger.
Uooooooo! That can’t be, my stealing glances were exposed!?
I reflexively became perplexed.
“Then finally, Lute-kun, Snow-chan, the two of you, please be happy.”
Elle-sensei said her honest congratulations.
We answered “yes” in unison.
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