"That's a solid barrier, alright," Konrad noted, shaking his head as he took a disappointed step back. "Since when did they share a bedchamber, anyway?"
Lily and Gabrielle couldn't have been more different.
Especially not towards him.
Actually, he didn't even know where his first wife used to sleep, if ever, because, well—
"Since Lady Liliana has returned, Master," Eyna said, her tone neutral, as if she knew better than to question it. "But Lady Gabrielle locked herself up in here long before that."
Hmm. He had a good idea of what was going on inside.
Nothing. They weren't even there—not their souls, at least.
Konrad saw it more than once. Lily, visiting the higher planes and turning into a ragdoll. When Welf was there, he wouldn't even bat an eye, leaving her somewhere safe until it was over.
And it wasn't surprising those two would do something in heaven together, but—
This wasn't a locked door from the Tanidia inn.
He couldn't see his first wife. The town would have collapsed before he pried his way inside.
They had a good reason to be cautious, but come on.
Even if the Devil—no, that damned angel never slept—
"Fine, let's visit the frontlines, then," Konrad decided, feeling too restless to wait for them. "Get the horses ready."
And by frontlines, he meant the Halaima Pass, stealing Gabrielle's carriage, of course.
He had to see for himself how Stella Nord took charge and if anyone was still alive out there. Like, if his twin took over his public appearances, morale must have been at an all-time low.
It wasn't that far anyway, and he had already taken a fleeting look at Eyna's bookkeeping here.
Unexpected as it seemed, everything was fine in Halaima.
No bankruptcy, no starvation, not even crime was an issue while he was gone.
As if the world would not collapse if he looked the other way.
A little disappointing, actually.
But he tried to be happy about it.
The only problem was that he had gotten used to the Tokyo transportation network.
Now, the carriage that felt like a racing car before was only crawling along the highway.
The few miles to the base camp and up to the pass took them ages.
Comfort wasn't as great as on the Tokyo Metro service, either, and he brought no food.
Well, he could still make the best of his time.
"And that's how we portaled away," he finished the story of his time on Earth. "It's still hard to believe it actually happened with the details being so fuzzy. Especially after that."
Which was one of the many reasons he wanted to see his first wife so much.
But he couldn't sit idle until those two returned.
"So that strange instrument is from another world?" Eyna asked, attentive as always.
"That's an electric guitar," Konrad nodded. "It doesn't sound great on its own, but—"
He was glad he somehow brought the reborn ES-335 along. He'll find a way to make it work somehow when his list of things to do finally starts to shrink.
As if that ever happened before.
But he still had no idea what to expect. Where were his people from Earth?
He could guess where the Demon Lord went, and even had a wild theory about Kaede, but Yuki-san? And had Lily kicked that angel's ass, or only bought Konrad time to escape?
Escape. More like falling and falling, until he fell asleep mid-air.
Eyna's pinky finger grazed his hand, feeling like a little spark.
The type of electric shock he wouldn't want to avoid.
The girl jolted, but Konrad didn't let her go. He grabbed her waist instead, pulling her closer, and she made a sound he had never heard before. A little yelp. Not an unpleasant one.
"Sorry, I left you alone with all the hard work," he whispered into her ear, and the girl shivered.
Her dark skin was also prickling with gooseflesh, but she melted into him.
Only a little, before she'd shake her head.
"It was Lady Stella, Master," she claimed. "L-Lady Liliana left it up to her to hold down the fort."
"Let me guess," Konrad said, his voice a low murmur. "She was the only one around after our duel? And I bet you did all the important paperwork regardless, letting her take credit for it."
She didn't protest.
Sweet, sweet girl. Eyna was smart, beautiful, and the most useful in his entire duchy.
"Things would have collapsed without you many times over by now," he whispered. "And I never gave you the recognition you deserved."
Another shiver.
But no, that wasn't the right word.
He was always thankful, but never had the time to express it. And with Lily around, he didn't think about getting closer with the other girls, either, harem or not. So what could he do?
From that little spark earlier—she didn't spell it out, but she wanted that closeness, for sure.
"M-Master, I—"
She didn't finish, but her pulse was racing with his.
"Name what'd make you happy," Konrad offered. "A title? Wealth? Returning to your tribe?"
Right, he hadn't visited the Black Rivers for a while. What were they up to? And those slaves he freed? What about Welf and his romance with Helena? There were so many things to do, but—
"N-No," Eyna protested, her small hands squeezing his back for the first time.
Huh? Did he say something wrong?
"No?"
"Please don't give me anything that would, um," she hesitated, her face flushing. "L-let me stay by your side, Master. That's the only thing I could ever ask for. When you were gone, I—"
"You what?" Konrad asked, caressing her face to offset that little teasing.
Though it was more of a pretense to keep her from turning away.
"Lady Stella did an excellent job," she said, her tone changing. "She deserves your praise. She reined in Lord Nimrod, won a splendid victory in your name, and—"
"And you were the one keeping everything together behind her back."
That wasn't a question. He was sure of it.
The same was true when Konrad was in charge, no matter how bad he felt. Even with his expertise, he alone couldn't run an entire duchy, wage war, and handle politics.
"You are my savior, Eyna," he announced. "Name a reward of your desire, and—"
"No," she protested, firmer this time. "You're the one who saved me, Master. My entire tribe and I, when your own life was in danger. And I am forever in your debt for that."
Konrad sighed.
"Stubborn girl," he grunted, having to pull her chin back again.
What he didn't expect was the girl pressing closer as well. With the same momentum, her full lips pressed against his, and before he knew—
Both their tongues danced together in slow, tentative circles.
It was their first, but somehow, it felt so natural.
Who knows how long they would have continued, had the carriage not hit a rut and separated their faces. Eyna's breathing was shallow, her face beet red, and her eyes avoided him like fire.
Konrad didn't even hear what she was mumbling at first.
"W-what?" he breathed, only realizing how much he was panting, too.
"I said," she whispered, still adamant on turning away. "T-that this is the only reward I want."