'Oh nyo. This can't be happening.' I thought. Watching from the carriage window with my twin sister, Mizuki, and our dog-eared maid, Aidy, we could see armed human men and demihuman men forming ranks outside the city walls. They haven't clashed yet, but the tension in the air was palpable.
"Lady Miyabi, what should we do?" Harthela asked from the coachman's seat, her voice filled with concern. I, meanwhile, was on my hands and knees on the carriage floor, despair filling my heart.
'Why? Why is this happening now?' I couldn't help but wonder why this conflict was erupting at such a time. 'This is so unfair.'
"Miyabi." My twin sister called my name, her voice steady and calm. "Please don't act as though you're despairing about the situation. I know that not being able to enjoy combat is the real reason behind your distress."
Indeed, my sister understood me better than anyone else. She knew that my true passion lay in the thrill of battle, and not being able to participate in this conflict was tearing me apart. Argh! This is so unfair!
I feel like the vampire with zero attack power, unable to contribute to the fight and fulfill my passion. As I look through the window at the battle about to unfold, I can't help but feel a deep sense of longing and frustration.
Thud! When I look inside the carriage, I see that somehow Aidy ended up kissing the floor. There was a shoeprint on her back, while her skirt was rolled down, exposing her underwear. Pink, huh. Cute.
"Mou, Miyabi. You're drooling from your battle mania once again. Let me lick that drool off your face." Mizuki's blushing face approached mine, her hot breath tickling my cheek. She used her tongue to greedily lick my cheek, leaving a wet trail behind.
'Even at the library, she did this to me. Does she have a licking fetish or something?' I thought to myself, letting her do as she pleased. Ah, now I know what happened to Aidy. As a dog beastwoman, she probably wanted to lick the drool off my face, but my obsessive sister kicked her away before she could. So cute.
"Mizuki, don't be hard on Aidy. She's part of my harem, and you're my legal wife and twin sister." My black-haired twin sister pouted and crossed her arms, a playful glint in her eyes. "But I can't help it if I get jealous sometimes. Just remember, I'm the one who gets to have you all to myself at the end of the day."
"Yes, yes," I reassured her, rolling my eyes playfully. Glancing at the two armies outside the carriage window, I crossed my arms and sighed. "But right now, we have bigger problems to deal with. We went to the frontier to spread the word of Chuunism; however, it seems like we've stumbled upon a conflict between two opposing factions."
"Indeed, it appears that our mission has taken an unexpected turn," Mizuki commented, observing the chaos about to unfold. "Miyabi, what do we do?"
Adopting a pose with my index and middle fingers raised in thought, I searched my collection of light novels inside my head. Seeing what I was doing, Mizuki sighed exasperatedly.
"Dear sister, the inept strategist doesn't pose like that when he's faced with a crisis," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's the pose of the post-apocalyptic stone doctor's pose, isn't it? You're mixing it up with your otaku references again."
"Urusai wa!" I shot back like the girl who was amassing 80, 000 gold for her retirement, all the while puffing my cheeks in annoyance. "I feel like it, so I'm going to pose however I want!" I retorted, resuming what I was doing.
Browsing through the books in my memory, I recalled a light novel that I had read before, in which the protagonist faced a similar situation. In that story, she pretended to be a goddess and used her wit and charm to bring order to the chaos.
'Boring~' I thought to myself, dismissing the idea. Hmm... Hmm... I continued to ponder, searching for a more creative solution. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration ignited in my mind. However, we don't have enough resources to execute my new plan.
Looking at nothing in particular inside the carriage while my mind raced with ideas, I happened to catch a glimpse of my dog-eared maid still in the same pose as earlier. 'Does she enjoy showing her underwear to everyone?'
She's no longer the man known as General Aiden, ever since we changed her sex to female and her race to dog beastwoman. I was so excited when I heard that she was an Aether—'Wait. Aether?'
Aether. The word resonated in my mind, reminding me that at least Mizuki needed to learn how to use Aether. This was a crucial skill for us since she had to purify the darkness she would consume with her All-Consuming Darkness. If she didn't master the use of Aether, it could potentially lead to disastrous consequences.
'But does it have to be Mizuki? Can't someone else use Aether to purify the darkness instead?' I pondered, wondering if there was another option. 'You know, like a certain dog-eared maid?'
"Aidy." The moment I called out her name, in the blink of an eye—"Wan!"—she was already prim and proper in front of me, her dog ears perked up and her maid outfit immaculate. "Can you still use Aether?" I asked, hoping for a positive response.
"Mm?" Aidy tilted her head slightly, her dog ears twitching. "Aidy hasn't used Aether in a while, so Aidy doesn't know, wan."
Hearing that, I looked at Mizuki, who was clinging to me, not wanting to let go. Without needing to exchange words, Mizuki already guessed what I was thinking. She nodded and whispered, "All-Consuming Darkness."
With her skill, she gathered a minuscule amount of darkness from the well-armed men in the distance, just enough that no one would notice. It started with a mere black dot floating in the air, but within seconds, it expanded into an orb of darkness in a few minutes.
Once she was done, Mizuki presented the orb of darkness to me. It had an eerie and unsettling aura, and if any mortal were to take its power, the wickedness inside would consume them completely. Even we, twin sisters who had the power to control darkness, would need to exercise caution when handling it.
This orb had to be purified before we could use it to replenish our store of darkness, as its current state posed a great risk to us and those around us. If not, a repeat of what happened before could occur, where the darkness overtook our senses and corrupted our very beings.
The expression on Mizuki's face clearly showed that she wanted me to praise her. She made sure that even Aidy could touch the orb without any negative consequences. Being the indulgent sister that I am, I would, of course, shower my sister with praise and admiration for her impressive display of skill.
"There, there," I said, gently patting her on the head. I roughly ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle. "You're really amazing, Mizuki! I'm so proud of you for creating this without any practice."
Mizuki's eyes lit up with joy as my words of praise reached her ears. Her smile widened, revealing her delight and satisfaction. It was clear that my words meant the world to her, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in her accomplishment.
I turned my attention to Aidy next, who had been patiently waiting for her turn. "Now, purify this dark orb with your Blessed Arts, Aidy." Accepting the orb reverently from me, Aidy held it in her hands and closed her eyes, focusing her Aether.
Holding the dark orb in her hands, "Holy Fire Arts, Flames of Purification," she whispered, her voice barely audible. From the gaps between her fingers, flickering flames emerged, coiling around the orb. A warm and gentle glow emanated from the orb as Aidy's Blessed Arts worked their magic.
"Lady Miyabi, Aidy thinks Aidy did it, wan!" Her ears perked up and her tail wagging excitedly. Aidy held the orb up to me, her eyes shining with pride.
"Hmmm... Let me see." I examined the orb closely, using my senses to detect if the darkness inside this orb would still pose a threat.
Looking closely, the inky and sinister energy that once filled the orb seemed to have dissipated completely. It is still dark, but a different kind of darkness, one that no longer holds any malevolent power. The darkness now seemed more like a peaceful, calming presence rather than something to be feared.
'It's different from the one we were given at the library, but this works, I guess.' I thought to myself, comparing it to the one Librarian had given us. If Aidy's purified dark orb is like a gentle night sky, then the one our sister had given us was serene yet mysterious, like a hidden secret waiting to be discovered.
"Aidy, from now on, you'll be tasked with purifying the darkness that Mizuki would consume. Could I trust you to handle this responsibility?" I asked, looking into Aidy's eyes.
With a salute, Aidy replied confidently, "You can count on Aidy, wan! Aidy will do Aidy's best!" Meanwhile, Mizuki was none too pleased with this new arrangement. She crossed her arms and scowled, clearly unhappy about Aidy taking on the responsibility of purifying the darkness.
"Now, now, Mizuki. It's important to delegate tasks to others that we ourselves cannot handle," I said, trying to reassure her. Mizuki's scowl deepened as she reluctantly nodded, understanding the necessity of Aidy's involvement.
"But when the time comes that I'm capable of handling it myself, I'll be ready to take over," Mizuki declared defiantly. She was determined to prove herself and show that she could handle the responsibility of purifying the darkness on her own.
'Haah, I never thought that having a harem would be so complicated,' I thought to myself, realizing the complexities that came with juggling multiple relationships. 'Though, I guess those who are still single and virgin might not understand the challenges I face, heh.'
Anyway, now that I knew that Aidy could purify the darkness Mizuki had to consume, the plan I had thought of was starting to come together. Mizuki's darkness' skills are all I need, and without having to worry about our stock of darkness, we can focus on executing the plan smoothly.
"It will be a little early, Mizuki, but it looks like we'll be having our first concert soon," I said with a smile.
