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Chapter 45.7: Nikolaus – Part 3

「I haven’t received any report about this. Are you hiding information from me?」

「N-no, of course not! It’s just… this is a private matter, not something that needed to be in an official report…」

A holy knight responsible for subjugating monsters claiming that dating one didn’t merit a report, Nikolaus could hardly believe it. While he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Ritter waved his hands in a panic.

「Ah, it’s not like I forced her or anything! We’re a recognized couple, Witch-sama approves!」

At those words, Nikolaus instinctively turned toward the Witch. She only smiled serenely, seemingly unconcerned. The mandragora in question was under her control; if it were dangerous, she’d have dealt with it. Assuming she bore no ill will, which he believed unlikely, then this Ritter wasn’t being enchanted. He genuinely loved the mandragora and thought of her as his lover. And since the Witch didn’t seem surprised at all, perhaps relationships between humans and monsters were nothing unusual to her.

(…So maybe that theory’s true, that demons were born from humans and monsters mingling.)

Nikolaus had studied his race through the records left by his kin and through human writings from five centuries ago. One such record proposed that 「the ancestors of demons were the offspring of humans and monsters,」 though modern scholars dismissed it as myth. But perhaps, among the ancient demons, it had been known fact. That would explain why this Witch could accept such a scene without question.

(Looks like my research direction wasn’t wrong after all. …I could use these two as research subjects, actually.)

Humans and plant-type monsters were vastly different species; their biology shouldn’t be compatible. Still, there had to be some method, worth studying, certainly. The Witch’s subjugation mark confirmed that the mandragora was harmless, so it could, technically, be considered a private affair. If Nikolaus oversaw it as part of research, there’d be no issue, or so he decided to think.

「Well, fine then. If you ever want kids, I’ll help.」

「Eh…!? Magician-dono, you’re so kind…! Thank you! But only after we’re married!」

(…What?)

The idea of a human marrying a monster was absurd, but Ritter had always been a bit of a dreamer for a common knight, that was partly why Nikolaus had kept him as an assistant. Now, though, Ritter might serve better as a research specimen.

Just then, another knight appeared from the building, calling Ritter’s name, probably wondering why he was taking so long.

「Ah, Witch-sama… and Magician-dono as well? That’s a rare pairing.」

Leonhart, the one-eyed knight, spotted the Witch first. He smiled warmly at her, then, realizing Nikolaus was there too, straightened his expression. For some reason, that shift irritated Nikolaus more than it should have.

「…We have to discuss the frontier defense plans. It’ll take at least one night.」

「I see. So you may be staying here several days, then.」

「Probably. During that time…」

Something moved at the edge of his vision, and he trailed off. The Witch, who had been standing quietly behind him until now, suddenly walked off toward the open space beside the knights’ quarters. She raised her hand over the ground, and before their eyes, a tree began to sprout, growing rapidly into a massive trunk. It hollowed itself from within, branches weaving together to form a door. By the time the growth stopped, it had clearly become a house.

(…Seriously? Who just makes a house like that?)

All he’d said was that he’d be staying in the village for a few days. But if she built this at that exact moment, it could only be for him. Even if it was meant as hospitality, wasn’t this going a bit too far?

「Hey… what exactly are you doing?」

The Witch turned back with her usual gentle smile. There had been no such tradition among demons as gifting someone a house. She walked up to him, wove some vines together with delicate fingers, and formed slightly crooked letters.

『I thought you might need a place to stay.』

「…You’re an idiot if you think a simple lodging needs that.」

He had been planning to camp near her house using a magic tent, maybe observe her plant magic while he was at it. But she must have considered his convenience with the knights and gone out of her way to build it here instead. Did she really see him as someone who couldn’t take care of himself?

(…No, that’s not it. Just like she’s my only kin, I’m hers too. It’s only natural she’d want to fuss over me.)

Nikolaus kept finding reasons to justify her actions, just as she, perhaps, treated him like a much younger relative she felt compelled to look after. Considering the age difference, that wasn’t unreasonable.

She kept smiling at him, clearly waiting for his response.

「Well, since you went to the trouble, I’ll use it. …Thanks.」

It had been a long time since he’d last thanked anyone. When he turned away, avoiding her gaze, he met Leonhart’s eyes, the knight looked oddly restrained, his expression caught between politeness and something else.

Even though Nikolaus rarely formed close bonds with humans, after living among them for centuries he could still read their emotions well enough.

(…Jealousy, huh? Falling for a demon, humans really don’t learn. It’s hopeless.)

The difference in lifespan was an unbridgeable wall between their races. For demons, being the one who’s left behind was always easier.

「Witch-sama, it looks like rain. You should head back soon… Shall I escort you?」

The Witch shook her head. Then a cold drop struck Nikolaus’s skin. One, then many, fat droplets began to fall in earnest. It would soon turn into a downpour.

「Ah, Murasaki-chan’ll get soaked! Let’s hurry inside!」

The mandragora was a plant-type monster; a little water wouldn’t hurt it. But her lover clearly couldn’t stand to see her in the rain, and hurried inside carrying the small creature in his arms. Nikolaus, unwilling to get drenched, jogged in after them, but Leonhart and the Witch didn’t follow.

(What are they doing?)

After a while, Leonhart returned, holding a mandragora dressed in green, a different one from the purple one Ritter carried, and using a large leaf as an umbrella.

「…Where’s the Witch?」

「…She left this mandragora with me and went home. Apparently, it was nearby when the rain started, and she wanted it to have shelter.」

Leonhart cradled the green mandragora gently, while Ritter, across the room, was dabbing his own plant dry with a handkerchief. Seeing the two knights tenderly caring for mandragoras in the same way struck Nikolaus as an oddly surreal sight.