Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
After thinking about who to start writing about, I decided with the witches.
Thanks for the typo reports, as always.
Chapter 034 – Fufufu, son. Teleportation Makes Traveling Easier
“McBurn the Almighty Conflagration, huh……”
[“Fufufu, Miss Rose. That is a visitor with Divergent Laws. Just like the Salt Pale of North Ambria, he is considered a despair humans are helpless against. Perhaps even a Divine Knight can’t endure long in the face of his flames.”]
“………………………”
“But this brat wanted to befriend such a person. To be frank, we thought he went insane after being burnt from the flames, but, as a past saying goes, the best way to protect yourself is to make your enemy your friend.”
“So, are you willing to help me?”
“Umu, there’s no guarantee that his anger won’t be directed at Eryn, after all. Leave it to us.”
“………………………”
“Thank you very much! ……What’s wrong, Emma? Why are you frowning like that? Roselia-san said she’ll help, so why don’t you look happier?”
“………………………Of course I’m going to frown! Why are you in Eryn?!”
Emma, who had been silently listening to Rean and Roselia’s conversation, roared.
Emma told Dorothee that she would be taking a break from her club activities during her free day but after Emma teleported to Eryn, what awaited her there was Rean, having a cheerful conversation with her grandmother.
Emma already had a bad feeling the moment she saw Valimar, who was supposed to have been teleported from the island to the academy, in the village, but the guess she wished not to come true, did.
Upon seeing the stunned Emma, Rean made her sit down and she got treated like a decoration while the conversation flowed from side to side, but……
“I had something to talk to you about, Emma, so I visited your room, but it just happened that you had recently teleported away. Then, I asked dad and found out you had gone to Eryn. So I contacted the professor, got permission to take Valimar’s main body, and after a lot of stuff happened, we flew to your coordinates.”
{“It is good to learn that I am able to fly to Emma’s side even if I hadn’t gotten called. Being able to teleport is a big deal, after all.”}
In other words, the Master Quartz in Emma’s ARCUS, “Geass”, ended up becoming the marking, and they flew to Eryn just like that.
This can be done? Emma wanted to shout out loud that thought.
However, Rean didn’t pilot Valimar, but rode on Valimar’s shoulder the entire trip, instead.
The day Rean can actually pilot the Ashen Knight still remains unknown.
“Rather, why does Rean-san seem so close to obaa-chan?”
“Muu? You didn’t know? This brat——”
[“Roselia-san, Vita-san asked for it to be kept a secret until Emma manages to realize it on her own.”]
[“Muu, what a difficult girl.”]
Rean’s quick follow-up shone, and Vita’s identity was spared from being discovered.
With a cough, Roselia explained the reason why she knew Rean.
“This brat came the other day with Celine by his side. Rather Emma, weren’t you the one who sent him?”
“Eh? …………Ah.”
“So you finally remembered. It’s about Maya’s mother’s incident.”
Hearing this, Emma remembered how she had wished for the potions from the witch’s village when she was treating Maya’s mother.
When he saw her expression, Rean continued, as if to deceive her.
“But really~ this is a good place. Most of the people here can see dad after all. Roselia-san, about the request I had before……”
“We’ll allow it if Emma gives you permission.”
“Then, Emma, nod without asking anything.”
“No way.”
It was an answer with no hesitation.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“It’s from Rean-san, after all, so it’s nothing good, right? What is his request, obaa-chan?”
“He wants to live in Eryn when he graduates from the academy.”
“No way.”
She spared no mercy.
“Eh~”
“It would be bad for the education of the children in the village.”
“I’ve talked to them a while ago and told them about the outside world, but all of them are good children, you know?”
“I was too late…………”
Emma hung her head in disappointment.
Celine, unable to bear watching any longer, climbed onto the table.
“Okay, okay, so what were you and Rose talking about?’
“It’s about the countermeasure against McBurn-san. For now, I wanted to ask about the Zemurian Ore so that I can upgrade my and Valimar’s weapons.”
“We’ll need a fair amount of materials to prepare this brat and the Ashen Knight’s weapons after all. Emma, Celine, the two of you can guide him to the spirit cave.”
“I’m sorry, obaa-chan. Can you leave that to Celine? The reason I came to Eryn today is for obaa-chan to retrain me.”
“Hou,” exclaimed Roselia, impressed.
Rean also looked at Emma curiously.
“The other day, even though the opponents were top class jaegers, even while I remote controlled the Divine Knight, I couldn’t do anything and lost… Rean-san still rushed over despite being seriously injured, but at this rate, I won’t be able to guide him.”
“Emma…………”
Rean was touched upon hearing that Emma had said something similar to Rosine.
Although her main priority was to restrain Rean from acting impulsively, it was true that she was keenly aware of her lack of power.
But Roselia didn’t look good after Emma’s confession. She crossed her arms and made a sour face.
When Rean asked what happened,
“Well, you see, we still are not used to hearing that Divine Knight was remotely controlled. It makes us think that as time passes, so does the way people use things.”
“Obaa-chan, I think Valimar is just an exception.”
It was certain that even the Gnomes, who had made the Divine Knights, wouldn’t have predicted that the knight dolls would be used in such a manner.
Furthermore, if they were being told that the Divine Knight’s personality resided in its Awakener, they would definitely bear the same impression as when Vita first heard of it, thinking it was an Awakener’s style of joking, unless they got to see them personally.
“So, how is it? I personally prefer it if you decide quickly, though……”
“Umu, we don’t mind. It’s rare for you to express such ‘selfishness’ after all.”
“…………Is that so?”
“Even since Isola passed away, you’ve been getting bad at relying on others. It seems that the good relationship between the Awakener and the witch has advanced such that they can influence each other in such a good way.”
“Isola?”
“She’s Emma’s mother and you can think of her as our previous attendant. She was an excellent wandering witch, and Vita admired her.”
[“Hou, I really wanted to greet her as a fellow parent.”]
“U-umu.”
Roselia looked off into the distance, thinking that Isola most likely would be confused when the doll clinging to Rean’s left arm introduced itself as a father.
“Ah, if it’s training, can I join too?”
“Eh, but the training I mentioned is witch’s training……”
“The training I want to have is about this.”
With that said, Rean used his power of ogre.
Roselia was slightly surprised when Rean’s hair instantly turned ashen and his eyes became fiery, but then Rean tapped into a further depth of his power.
Emma saw it.
The sight of Rean’s fiery eyes turning jet-black.
The power of ogre… sensing what could be called the ogre’s aura overflowing from Rean, Emma’s body couldn’t stop trembling.
Seeing this, Roselia summoned her staff and tried to cast magic on Rean—— but faster than that, Rean raised both of his hands.
“Wha- please wait! Look, I’m still fully conscious!”
“Being told that with that appearance and that face, it makes us confused on how to respond.”
With her staff still standing by and the ogre’s aura flowing off from Rean, Roselia spoke with a serious look on her eyes.
Emma had just declared that she wasn’t strong enough and was on the verge of succumbing to Rean once again, but she regained her strength and slowly spoke.
“Rean-san, that’s……?”
“After receiving McBurn-san’s flame near the area of my heart, I think this perhaps acted as a fuse? I feel like the power of ogre has spread even further. Up until now, it feels like the lake had been held back by a dam, but suddenly, the amount of water increased and it turned into an ocean.”
Since awakening to his power of ogre, Rean had been able to completely control them through special training with Osbon.
But ever since his battle against McBurn, Rean felt as if his power of ogre was leaking out on its own.
The power, which had grown to the point that Osbon judged it to be dangerous and worried about, temporarily calmed down after Emma’s treatment.
“It feels like a leaking roof or a boat with a hole in the bottom. There’s too much water for the vessel to hold. So, it’s a bit of a problem.”
“You should have told me sooner……”
“Well, I wanted to visit Eryn, but part of the reason for that was to talk to Emma about this. There won’t be any problems as long as I don’t forcefully release the power, but I think even unleashing them all at once won’t be enough to take on McBurn-san.”
Rean implicitly announced that in his next battle against McBurn, he would unleash the power of ogre without hesitation.
The two who had been directly hit by the power of ogre earlier, especially Roselia, asked Rean if he knew what that meant.
“Brat. If you continue to use it, you will eventually lose your sense of self and there is a danger of literally becoming an ‘ogre’. Did you make that decision despite being aware of that?”
“It’ll be fine. There’s dad, Valimar, Emma, and Celine to help. Roselia-san is with me this time too.”
“If it still doesn’t work, I’ll get everyone else to help,” said Rean with a smile.
There was an unwavering trust in his family and friends.
When Emma heard this, she felt a mysterious sense of elation and embarrassment and then her face flushed red.
Roselia was also speechless at his words, which while filled with personal feelings, still contained a mysterious comfort.
Roselia felt an itch in her body as she felt that the trust she once had in her allies were now being directed toward her.
“You only met us a few times, right? Geez, we really don’t understand why you have so much trust in us.”
Roselia looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.
As Rean was scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Osbon spoke in his place.
[“Fufufu, Miss Rose. I am also convinced that I can place my complete trust in you. The fact that I sent him here with my advice also has a reason, but it is also because I can sense the affection that you have for Miss Emma.”]
“Eh.”
“W-what are you talking about!”
Roselia yelled with a red face due to unexpected words from Osbon.
The image of a friend from the past who would casually say such embarrassing things to someone of the opposite sex came to Roselia’s mind, and she found herself overwhelmed by sentimentality.
Come to think of it, not only did she not mind being called her pet name Rose by the mysterious doll in front of her, it even made Roselia feel a strange sense of nostalgia.
“Well, that’s why I thought maybe Roselia-san could help her granddaughter’s friend.”
“M-muu.”
“Oh my, it’s unusual for Rose to be teased like this. Maybe you are compatible with that doll?”
“Don’t say something stupid! Geez…… oh well, why don’t you hurry and change back into your normal appearance? Emma is scared.”
“Ah, sorry, Emma.”
“I-It’s okay.”
As Rean’s hair and eye color returned to their original state, Emma’s racing heart began to calm down.
Emma removed her hands from her chest, which were more bountiful compared to those of her age, and declared to Rean.
“I will help you. Since I met you, my life feels like an airship flying through a storm, but I’ve still received a lot of help from you after all.”
The letter from Vita came to Emma’s mind.
On that day, Rean suddenly passed that to her, and every time she looked at the words for her there, Emma’s heart pounded and tears welled up in her eyes.
If she had never met Rean, Emma might still be hiding her identity as a witch, and she would never have found out about her sister so soon.
That was how much caution Vita expressed towards the Ashen Awakener in the letter for her.
Emma even started thinking that maybe the two of them were acquainted to each other without her knowing.
Above all, Rean had declared that he would be doing something reckless again, so there was no way Emma would just sit back and do nothing.
“You’re not going to stop trying becoming friends with that person, right?”
“Aah. He said he wanted to be heated up, so I think he seeks an opponent who could fight him on an equal footing. It’s likely going to be harder than beating Aurelia-san, but that’s not a reason to give up.”
Even though he had help, Rean still had a track record of cornering Aurelia.
But when it came to fighting against McBurn, Rean felt like he would be easily defeated even if the situation had been the same as back when he fought against Aurelia.
There was McBurn’s transformation that was similar to the power of ogre and Rean even felt power of literally different dimensions that he never felt from even the Old Master.
There was no change in the fact that the Old Master was at the pinnacle of martial arts in Rean’s mind, but if he was asked who was the strongest person outside that category, Rean would likely answer with McBurn instead.
“In return, please don’t ask random people to become your friend, at least for a while, okay?”
“Muu.”
[“Fufufu, you should prioritize a definite friend over a friend candidate, son. Since it is Miss Emma’s request, don’t you think it’s worth considering?”]
“………………Okay. But befriending McBurn-san is fine, right?”
“You already declared it to him, so I’ll give up on that.”
Seeing Rean’s attitude that he wouldn’t give up on that one, Emma sighed. Roselia looked at them with narrowed eyes.
It was because she remembered a friend from long ago who had been through the ups and downs with Dreichels.
“That’s right, Roselia-san. I’ll give this to you.”
As Roselia was lost in thought, Rean handed her an ARCUS made by Schmidt.
“What’s this?” asked Roselia while tilting her head and Rean explained the reason for giving it to her.
“Since I need Roselia-san’s help, it’s better if I can get in touch with you right away. I can’t use telepathy after all. There’s a chance that I might need you to come to our place.”
“Hey, where are you planning to bring this old hag?”
“Hahah, it’s to the academy where Emma and I study. There’s nothing better than asking for direct feedback after all.”
“Is it the so-called parental visit? Somehow, we got excited despite our age.”
Roselia’s excited state gave Emma a headache.
There was nothing to note at Thors Military Academy, and even if there was an event for parents to attend, who would believe Roselia, whose appearance was more convincing as Emma’s little sister, to be her grandmother?
While glancing at Emma, who was trying to endure her headache, Rean brought his lips closer to Roselia’s ear.
(“Moreover, you might even get to meet Vita-san. She’s currently active as a diva in the Imperial Capital and occasionally comes to Trista, after all.”)
(“What did you say? It seems like she likes it out there.”)
(“She’s also recording a radio show at a place called Trista Broadcasting Station. I’ll bring an orbal radio next time, so everyone in the village can listen.”)
(“Radio?”)
[“Son, the signal might not be able to connect here, to begin with.”]
(“Ah, I see. Uh~n, I’ll guide you to my room next time, so please try it out then.”)
(“Fuh, to think a young man would invite us to his room. It seems like our charm hasn’t diminished even in this appearance.”)
(“I once invited Celine to sleep with me. Celine accepted and slept on my bed.”)
(“Hou? It seems anything is possible with you.”)
“What are you talking about!!”
Celine screamed at Rean’s sudden remark.
It seemed like there was no way she could let that slide.
“Have you forgotten that night at Saint-Arkh?”
“Shut up!”
Even as Rean teased Celine with Roselia, he hoped that Emma would soon be able to do causal manipulation and meet Vita properly.
He could just send the orbal radio to Emma’s room, but if Rean did that, he would break his promise with Vita.
That said, if he brought Roselia to Machias’s room instead, he would likely preach at Rean for bringing a girl to his room late at night, so Rean’s room was still the most convenient.
“Well, let’s leave that conversation at that. We’ll continue with Emma’s training and search for Zemurian Ores in the Spirit Shrine. Although it’s only temporary, that will be our first goal.”
“Is it not good for me to train in that regard?”
“Regarding your issue, it could be handled with tools. Let’s go get the materials first today. But don’t worry you’ll be joining Emma in her training later.”
“I’m quite curious about the training that Rean-san will be accompanying me in, but tools? Is it at Gandolf-san’s place?
“He’s good with things like that, after all. Besides, it’s more effective if one puts their heart into preparing something. If something is made by hand from scratch, the effect would naturally be greater.”
“So, are we heading back to the Witch’s forest?”
“Umu. Go get dryad tear and lotus vine. If Emma is with you, it won’t take long.”
“Then I guess we should go as we train.”
“Yes, Rean-san.”
“Celine, you should help too.”
“Why should I……”
“It is your role to support the awakener, after all. Go and help properly.”
With that, Roselia sent the three off, then remembered what Rean had said to her before Emma came.
[“——According to dad, Vita-san will be doing something before the end of the year. The fact that she is acquainted to McBurn-san, the combination of Vita-san, Zephyr, and Panzer Soldat don’t seem to suggest it’s a good thing……”]
“…………She really doesn’t consider the feelings of others.”
Since Vita caused her to worry so much, Roselia decided to do something that was impossible for Vita to ignore.
The reason she cooperated with Rean was in hope of bringing Vita back.
Previously, when they had an accidental sudden encounter, Vita somehow evaded her questions, but since it seemed like she would be causing something, it certainly meant that she wouldn’t run away in the middle of the process.
In order to surprise Vita when the time came, Emma will need to work hard.
With that resolve, Roselia waited for them to return.
After that, the tool, a pendant, was successfully created, which served as an accessory that would protect him.
Author Note:
One time at Abend Time
Misty
“Phew, it seems there’s no postcard from Rean-kun this time. Well then, this one is…… Crimson Moon? I’ve never seen that sender name before. The name feels familiar for some reason, but let me see what’s written on ——”
Crimson Moon
“We’re sending this to you for the first time since that Ashen brat introduced it, but how are you doing, Vita? We’re writing this postcard in his room at the moment——”
Misty
“I’m sorry, director, I suddenly don’t feel well. I’ll be taking a short break.”
＊
Vita
“My fellow Anguis —— while working for the Phantasmal Blaze Project or when active in the Empire, if you come into contact with a boy named Rean Schwarzer, please don’t mention anything about the doll attached to his left arm. This is not an order, but a plea. Otherwise, things will become very, very, very troublesome.”
McBurn
What did he do?
Emma told Rean to refrain from asking random people to be his friend, and Vita gave warnings to those who could probably see Osbon in the Society.
This is the Combo Craft done out of a sisterly bond.
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