Chapter 110: A Mass of Will and Feelings
On the main street illuminated by the setting sun.
Among the not-too-many passersby, I was walking toward the Suzuya tavern.
Croana, walking to my right, was making a difficult face as if thinking about something.
"Hmm... so Pafa was drawn by some kind of scent and came?"
"U-un..."
The girl Pafa, who was naturally linking arms with me on my left, replied to Croana’s words in a small voice.
When I asked her name after that, the girl made a slight show of thinking and named herself Pafa.
At the same time she named herself, Croana came to the instructor’s office asking about it.
According to Croana, she had felt a strange magic power and come to check.
Then when I explained the circumstances to Croana, she asked Pafa various questions and confirmed whether there was any danger.
When I told her I would return to Suzuya, Croana’s work also seemed to be finished, so we decided to head to Suzuya together.
Since Fia and Lea came, the two have been helping with Croana’s work.
Because of that, she can finish earlier than when working alone, and Croana was laughing happily.
When Croana heard Pafa’s reply, she looked at my face, smiled wryly, and spoke.
"I don’t understand. Even I am seeing a race like Pafa for the first time."
"Even Croana doesn’t know?"
"If it were Fia nee-sama she might know, but... if it’s not in my knowledge, I think the hope is thin."
"...Hmm."
When I directed my gaze at Pafa on my left, she was restlessly looking around at the townscape of the main street and the figures of passersby with curiosity.
At Pafa, who was looking as if seeing them for the first time and seeming to enjoy it, I thought a little and then asked.
"Will Pafa harm us?"
"I-I won’t."
"I see... I’ll believe you."
At my words Pafa smiled softly and immediately shifted her gaze to the surroundings and began looking.
When I turned my face to Croana, she was looking at me with a slightly exasperated smile.
When I smiled and tilted my head, Croana shook her head and spoke.
"No, I was just thinking that Raide is kind."
"...Is that so?"
"Kukuku, normally one wouldn’t take her home, and would hand her over to the soldiers."
"Certainly... that’s true."
As Croana said, I had certainly almost been attacked.
The reason I couldn’t abandon her no matter what may also be related to the fact that I knew of Pafa’s existence.
If I hadn’t known, I would have left her to the soldiers or Croana as a suspicious person.
Unable to come up with an answer for why I protected her, I troubledly rubbed the back of my neck with my free right hand.
Perhaps finding that action amusing, Croana looked at my face and laughed enjoyably.
When we arrived at the Suzuya tavern, I gently pulled Pafa’s hand and entered.
Upon entering, Fia happened to be walking right in front of us while serving.
When Fia spotted me she made a glossy smile; immediately afterward her gaze shifted to Pafa, who was hiding her body behind my back and only peeking out her face.
Then Fia made a puzzled expression and slowly approached.
"Another unusual customer?"
"...You can tell?"
"Yes, well... yes."
Fia moved from in front of me to the side and gazed at Pafa while smiling.
Pafa looked at Fia’s face with a slightly troubled expression and tightly grasped the clothes of my back.
A little surprised at Pafa’s first reaction of that kind, I quietly watched the two’s movements.
When Fia held out one hand to Pafa, Pafa timidly touched Fia’s hand.
As if searching for something, Fia gently held Pafa’s hand and tilted her head.
Then noticing the bracelet fitted on her wrist, she smiled as if understanding and looked at me as she spoke.
"I see. No wonder I thought it was stable."
"Stable?"
"I’ll explain, but first please take a seat. Standing the whole time is unsettling, right?"
"...You’re right."
When we sat at a nearby table seat, Pafa sat beside me, and Croana entered the kitchen as if leaving the rest to Fia.
Fia said she would bring drinks and entered the kitchen.
"Wear this, pleaseeeee!!"
"Wait! Lea nee-sama!?"
"Awawawawawa!! So cuuuute!!"
"Stop, please stop!!"
The voices of Lea and Croana echoed from the kitchen, and on the floor the adventurers who heard the voices were laughing enjoyably.
While I was also smiling wryly, Fia and Nimi came out of the kitchen with exasperated laughs.
Then Pafa saw Nimi’s figure, stood up from her seat, and ran over.
I was surprised and stood up vigorously.
But Fia waved one hand lightly and smiled as if saying it was fine.
Pafa hugged Nimi from the front, buried her face in her chest, and stopped moving.
While looking puzzled, Nimi wrapped both arms around Pafa’s back, hugged her back, and looked at me.
I was also puzzled by Pafa’s action and shook my head while remaining with a surprised expression.
Fia walked over near me while leading Nimi, who was still being hugged by Pafa, and spoke.
"Pafa is a mass of a person’s will and feelings."
"...Eh?"
"Allowing me to omit the difficult explanation, she is a mass of Nimi’s will and feelings. I don’t know why it’s Nimi, though. In this world it is an extremely rare occurrence."
"That’s why you brought Nimi?"
"Yes, that’s right. It’s unavoidable that Croana didn’t understand. Unless one has been in contact with existences similar to these children for a long time, it’s hard to grasp the sensation..."
At Fia, who made a slightly lonely expression, I stopped asking further.
She had probably been together with an existence like Pafa before.
Fia, sensing that I had closed my mouth, murmured "Thank you" in a small voice.
With an indescribable expression I shook my head small.
Nimi, who heard Fia’s words, made a surprised expression and gazed at Pafa, who was still burying her face in her chest.
Come to think of it, I remember.
The time when the doll event begins and ends.
In the game it coincided with the period when Raide was absent from the academy for a short while.
In other words, something had happened to Nimi at that time.
But why did she appear this time?
While tilting my head with a suspicious expression, Fia smiled enjoyably and looked at Nimi’s face.
"The prayer Nimi offers every day is that child, you know?"
"...This child is... my prayer’s..."
Hearing Fia’s words, Nimi strengthened the force with which she hugged Pafa, smiled lovingly, and began stroking her hair.
When her hair began to be stroked, Pafa raised her face a little, looked at Nimi, and smiled softly.
Seeing that scene I released my tension, and now I understood why I had thought of protecting Pafa.
She resembles Nimi.
If asked where, I cannot put it into words, but somehow she resembles her.
That’s why I couldn’t leave her alone and ended up bringing her home.
That day, until the tavern closed, Pafa never left Nimi’s side.
As if she had finally met a person she had not been able to meet, Pafa continued clinging to Nimi.
New Profile
＊Pafa
Height: 150 cm
Age: Unknown
Cream-colored hair — softly waved hair grown longer than her shoulders.
Calm expression. Possesses both a calm atmosphere and a modest atmosphere.
Body is slender but the type that looks thinner in clothes; breasts are a little larger than apples.
Legs are neither thick nor thin, ideally slender.
The form in which Nimi’s prayer was embodied into human shape.
She can speak a few words, but still cannot speak well.
Like Nimi she loves Raide, but is not aware of it.
She is not aware of it, but thinks she does not want to leave him.
Therefore, before she knows it she is touching Raide’s body.
Character Profiles
＊Stepmother Nimi
Height: 165 cm
Age: 37
Brown hair — hair reaching about the waist gathered into a single braid.
She unties it when sleeping.
Expression is soft. A gentle older-sister type with strong maternal instincts.
Looks like a woman in her late 20s.
Body type is a perfect balance — neither too thin nor too plump.
The word "wife" suits her well.
Breasts are about the size of a dodgeball; softness is like marshmallows.
Raide’s lover.
＊Croana Bawen
Height: 140 cm
Age: 122
Black hair — long hair that seems about to reach the floor.
Face is childlike, but her gestures, movements, way of speaking, and atmosphere are those of an adult woman.
Slender body type; breasts bear slightly large melons.
Loli big breasts.
Despite this appearance, she is the headmistress of the academy where Raide works.
A top-tier mage whose knowledge and techniques are at a level the country will not let go of.
Her long hair is also made by magic so that it does not touch the floor or get dirty.
Her lifespan is also one by magic.
Perhaps because of her childlike body and breasts she has no good memories, and she thinks of herself as ugly.
But now, with Raide’s words, she has become like a young woman.
Currently Raide’s lover.
＊Fia
Real name: Fia Criela
Height: 122 cm
Age: 131
Black hair — long hair reaching the waist.
Face is childlike like a young girl. Atmosphere and gestures are those of a seductive adult woman.
Body is childishly slender; breasts are small hills.
One of Croana’s older sisters, and the very person who destroyed the Criela clan.
She received experiments similar to Croana’s from the Criela clan, and her knowledge and magic power are abnormal values.
She can use magic that sees through lies, but it is limited to several hours once a day.
Her heart that thinks of people is strong, and she does things such as visiting the family that took care of her.
She herself seems to want to wear adult-like clothing, but there appear to be no clothes that fit her body type.
Therefore she prefers wearing gothic lolita or dresses.
She holds radical thoughts that she would make an enemy of the world for her little sister’s sake.
Currently Raide’s lover.
＊Lea
Real name: Lea Criela
Height: 121 cm
Age: 129
Black hair — long hair reaching the waist.
Face is childlike like a young girl. Innocent and lively personality.
Body is childishly slender; breasts are small hills.
One of Croana’s older sisters, and the very person who destroyed the Criela clan.
She received experiments similar to Croana’s from the Criela clan, and her knowledge and magic power are abnormal values.
She can understand a person’s emotions to a certain extent by scent, but never misuses it.
Because of her personality she tends to be seen as a child, but she also possesses adult thoughts.
Basically if left alone she wears the same things, so her older sister Fia chooses them.
Therefore she often wears gothic lolita or dresses.
She holds radical thoughts even more extreme than Fia’s that she would destroy the world for her little sister’s sake.
Currently Raide’s lover.