A Peaceful Land of the Orcs (6.9)
"Still, well now. Even you can't see through everything, huh?"
Gustav chuckled quietly.
"Regrettably, there are many things I can't. Far too many, in fact. There's even one thing I never managed to understand, no matter how much I tried."
"Oh? What's that?"
As if he doesn’t already know.
"Gustav. You. Why is it that you never tried to make a move on me? Why didn’t you step in? That. It could've gone any way, couldn't it? With your position. If you’d wanted to, you could’ve done something from the very beginning."
"Ahh... yeah—"
After a brief moment of hesitation, he answered.
"That. It's *because* of that position. First of all, back then, you were in an awful situation. You’d just finally pulled yourself out of it. To take advantage of your loyalty—what could only be described as half despair—and make a move? That’s not something a decent person does. At least, that’s what I believe. Ah… though I guess I’m not exactly ‘a person’ anymore."
I see...
So that's it.
—As I thought, this man is kind.
At his core, the true Gustav is simply a kind man.
No doubt, that kindness is a guiding principle for him.
It may even be a flaw in his nature. In truth, he probably shouldn’t have accepted the crown in the first place.
—Dineluth, you came back well. You did good.
—If you’re going to step down, now’s your chance.
—Training’s canceled! Call it off!
—O’Sun, O’Sun...
Come to think of it, he’s always been that way.
Yes, a fine male.
—No, a fine man.
"And now... well. I’m an Orc. Regardless of what’s inside, I’m an Orc."
What’s that supposed to mean?
*That* was what he was hung up on?
I don’t get it.
"I don’t mind. I’m not bothered by that sort of thing anymore. Not if it’s with you."
"... Thank you. Really, thank you... that makes me very happy."
Ah, he blushed.
Unexpected—or maybe expected. He does have such endearing eyes, this man.
"But, you see, that’s not it. That’s not what I meant. Ahh, how should I put this. You really can be slow in strange ways—"
"...?"
"I'm, well, fairly large even among Orcs. Meaning, my build... and well, my weight too, and, uh—"
—Ah.
"So that’s what you meant..."
"... Yeah. You got it, huh."
I. See.
I see. I see.
So in other words, he was afraid he might break me.
That really was my blind spot.
After all, I have no experience in that sort of area. My clan is made up entirely of women. I mean, sure, there are some with a preference for relationships between women, but still.
I’ve lived a long, long time, but this would be my first time experiencing a woman’s pleasure—
"... Dark Elves aren't as soft as Humans. Probably... yes, probably we’ll be fine. I won’t know for sure unless we try, but..."
"......"
What’s with that slack-jawed look?
Was I too forward this time?
Well, it can’t be helped.
I’m well past the age where anyone would call me a girl.
Let’s see… how many years has it been now—
I stopped counting sometime after I turned three hundred.
Now that I think about it, this man—though he seems curious—has never once asked me how old I am.
Probably because he thinks it’s rude to ask a woman her age. He truly believes that. So he’ll never ask.
Honestly, this man...
"... If you’re that worried. We can have some elixir ready beforehand."
"... Should we have the military doctor on standby too?"
"That would be good. Maybe have an Erhard rifle and some field artillery just in case."
"... Hehehe. Hahahaha! You really are something else."
"Hehe. Well, they say it’s kind of like a battlefield."
"Heh, heheheh. True enough."
At last, we had closure.
Well then.
With this...
Something has begun again.
As for me—
Tonight, I’ll be considering my strategic approach for how I ought to conduct myself.
What do you think about this chapter?
