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Chapter 66 – part 1

When you pierce it with a fork, the oil from the orc meat drips out, almost overflowing.

Loaded with rich flavors, it’s sweet.
To put it differently, it’s top-notch meat juice.

The scent of charred garlic and a faint spicy aroma gently stimulate the stomach.

As Liz takes a bite of the orc meat, she lets out a sigh of admiration.

「Phew… Phew… Ha… Ha… Haah… Haah… Ugh… Hahee… Ho… Hah…」

She can’t find the words.
It’s exactly that kind of feeling.

Lilith gazes at Liz with a gentle smile and, like her, takes a bite into the juicy meat.

「…Delicious.」

Lilith chews the meat several times, savoring it, then remarks,

「…However, the use of spices… is still vulgar.」

「That’s not it, Lilith.」

「…Not it?」

「This taste, if I were to describe it, isn’t vulgar; it’s more like ‘junk.’」

「…’Junk’?」

Well, I don’t think Lilith understands the intention behind that word.

Garlic, meat, oil, salt, and a ton of spices.

What I always make is a dish that’s a surefire way to get adult diseases… a risky kind of cuisine.

Well, our physical age is still 16, so we’ll probably get away with it for now.

「…?」

At this point, Liz falls silent, her gaze shifting into the distance, wearing a melancholic expression.

However, her fork and chewing movements don’t stop.

「What’s wrong, Liz?」

「It’s about what Lute-onii-chan said…whether I’m a young lady from a noble family…」

Chewing slowly, Liz maintains her melancholic expression.

「Don’t want to answer?」

Liz places another bite of the orc meat into her mouth.

「Yes.」

Said Lilith while putting another piece of orc meat into her mouth.

「You really don’t want to say?」

While chewing the next piece of meat, Liz speaks again.

「It’s highly private… relates to my birth… it’s traumatic…」

As she speaks, Liz takes another bite of the orc meat.

「…I see. Then you don’t have to answer.」

「Yes… It would be helpful if you didn’t ask.」

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

The sound of chewing echoes around us.

Diligently, Liz and Lilith continue devouring the orc meat.

「Wait, did you really think I’ll be fine with you not telling us!」

At that moment, I put on a solemn expression and lightly tapped Liz’s head.

「In what world does someone get all hyped up while munching away food when talking about sharing their trauma stories!」

「Ow!」

With teary eyes, Liz looks surprised by my sudden change, since I’ve generally treated her with gentlemanly manners until now.

「It hurts… it hurts…」

She gazes at me with a pleading look, but unfortunately, I tend to have a more critical nature.

Since I sensed a similar scent on her with Lilith’s, I’ll have to handle this situation somewhat firmly.

Lilith, with a gentle smile, starts patting Liz’s head.

The expression Lilith wears seems like a scene cut from a masterpiece of the Virgin Mary in an art gallery—

—Wait.

Just for a moment, I was captivated by Lilith’s expression.

Admittedly, if based solely on appearance, she’s incredibly cute.
But in terms of personality, she’s disappointing or lacking, so I currently can’t feel anything more than the bond of family or friendship towards her…

「…Was Lute being cold towards you hurt, Liz?」

Still teary-eyed, Liz buries her face in Lilith’s chest.

For now, ever since earlier… Lilith has been utterly doting on Liz.
Since I gave Liz a slightly stern retort, she doesn’t have anyone else to turn to but Lilith.

「Lilith, my head… that spot on my head hurts.」

「…It hurts?」

「…Yeah.」

Once again, Lilith smiles gently, then pinches Liz’s cheek firmly.

「Huh? Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts, Onee-chan!」

Lilith smiles cheerfully and, with eyes that don’t reflect her smile, says,

「…Getting a knock from Lute is more like a reward. Naturally, it’s something to be grateful for; it’s not something to cry about.」

Indeed, I was breathless at the sheer beauty of Lilith’s smile.

But immediately, I took my previous statement back.

—Seriously, is she a genuine yandere?

「So… I want to hear your story. What happened, Liz? Despite being from a good family, you seem unfamiliar with spices, even though your upbringing should have introduced you to such things.」

For a moment, Liz remains silent.

「If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s totally fine.」

「I… I really… don’t want to talk about it.」

At that, Lilith seems to consider something, then claps her hands.

「…Liz?」

「What is it, Lilith… onee-chan?」

「…It’s because.」

「Because?」

Lilith points her fork at what remains of her orc meat.

「…There’s none left for Liz. You ate at a tremendous speed. But if you talk, you can have the rest of mine.」

No, no, Lilith.

It seems like Liz truly has some trauma, and there’s no way she’d be lured in by something like this bait.

Liz shakes her head from side to side, wearing a face that’s on the verge of tears.

Well, yeah.
Talking about something that tugs at your heart, all in the name of a meal, Liz must feel a bit uncomfortable with it.

Trembling slightly, Liz speaks resolutely.

「Going back ten years ago—I was born between an Elven princess and the son of the Beastman King—」

Wait, she is talking?!

Seriously, she was from a really good family!

Liz looks up at Lilith, seemingly trying to gauge her reaction, and Lilith nods with a smile.
Liz’s fork immediately plunges into the orc meat.

「Slurp, chewy… *munch munch*…」

「You can talk after eating slowly.」

For a while, Liz chews in silence.

「Lute-onii-chan, do you know about the conflict between Elves and Beastmen?」

「Both are races of demi-humans living in the forest. Elves with a culture of magic and Beastmen relying on brute strength. Long ago, Elves were slaves to the Beastmen, but in recent times, Elf magic advanced, granting independence from Beastmen’s rule.」

「That’s not the end of the story, right?」

「Yeah, with the Elves gaining power and the Beastmen relying on traditional physical strength—there’s not a balance, but a widening gap in strength.」

「Right, inevitably leading to…」

「War. No, in this case, it’s more like an invasion. Accumulated grudges. Well… it’s pretty brutal.」

So, the war broke out between the borderland Beastman country of Makkinri and the Elven country of Forestheim.

First, the Elven country initiated the war against the Beastman country.

Many expected the Elven country to win, just like what was happening in remote forests around the world.

—But, this time, the result was different.

Lilith lowers her eyelashes, seeming lost in thought, and then speaks curtly.

「…The Beastmen, in essence, are Werewolves. During the war, the majority evolved into Were-Tigers. Furthermore, the outstanding individuals who were originally Were-Tigers evolved into Were-Tiger Kings.」

Liz nodded.

「Then, the Were-Tiger King who ruled over all the beastmen… evolved into a Were-Saber Tiger. 」

「…Classified as Legendary Beastman. If translated into monster terms… they’d be upper SS-rank.」

Maybe recalling the recent Ogre incident, Lilith says this with an air of disdain.

「The war turned into a complete victory for the Beastmen, and the Elven country was ravaged. Then, the Elven princess was handed over to the Beastman royal family, and I was born. Initially, my existence was treated as a symbol of the Beastmen’s victory over the Elves. As a living testament to the royal family being ravaged… Well, it was convenient. But, that’s when problems started.」