Chapter 12

For awhile now, I've realized that Reeve actually has blue features instead of green. It will be blue from now on. I wanted to be sure to mention it because the color thing becomes a recurring theme later on.

Also, because a couple people have been confused by some of the things that Eiji says and does, I figured I'd let you know. Eiji always calls himself an "arasaa hikineet" which just refers to a 30-year-old female hikineet. So even though it never says it outright, I'm pretty sure Eiji was always a female at heart. I hope that helps clear up some of the questions some of you had.

The Third Victim

Emotional scars need to be disinfected in order to heal.

After lunch, Ellis decided to take Claire out again. But the other two wouldn't allow it that easily.

"Frau, besides dinner, can you take care of the laundry and prepare the bath?"

"Reeve, taking care of the laundry and the bath is easy, so could you prepare dinner?"

The two both simultaneously tried to pawn off their work on each other.

While the two of them were confronting each other, Ellis and Claire were slipping on their shoes at the door.

"Well then Reeve, Frau, we will see you once we're done."

"Such…"

"I too…"

Ellis cut them off coldly, "The two of us will be going out alone."

They both decided to give up after seeing Ellis's look.

As Ellis and Claire approached the stream again, Ellis pulled out a small stone from her shoulder bag.

"How about this as a heat source? {Turn red}."

The small stone began to glow red at Ellis's command . When Ellis submerged the stone into a small puddle created next to the stream, the water began to warm up.

"If it's a Fever Stone, it could indeed continuously produce hot water as long as it's active."

Claire was interested in Ellis's idea and crouched down to more carefully observe the puddle.

"But it would be impossible to make a bath with this stone."

Ellis was waiting for this conclusion from Claire.

"Claire, how many stones would we need to keep a one meter cube of water warm?"

Ellis drew a simple design into the mud with a stick. As a girl who loves this kind of topic, Claire jumped at Ellis's invitation.

"Yeah. If it is 1 cubic meter of water, you would need a 500 millimeter fever stone to boil it, but for the temperature of a bath, you should be able to accomplish it with a 200 millimeter stone. Of course, if we have a few smaller stones instead of one big stone, we could increase the surface area and have a higher thermal conduction effect. This would require more MP to get started though."

"In that case, why not just have the bath always be on. We can have water from the stream be constantly flowing to regulate the temperature of the bath."

Claire was having fun and grabbed her own stick to add on to Ellis's diagram.

"If we did that, we would still want a 500 millimeter stone to keep the water warm during winter, but then the water would be too warm during summer. So we would need to make another waterway that would divert just cold water to regulate the excessively warm water that could be adjusted with a mechanism."

"So we put in another canal here?"

Ellis and Claire were alternately marking down their ideas into the mud with their tree branches.

"If we always keep the bath on, we can create a mechanism to divert a certain amount of the hot water and have it lead into the waterway from the toilet. That way the cold water from the toilet waterway can cool down the warm water before it enters the wetlands."

With this, a complete design for the public bathhouse and a toilet was completed.

"Claire, this is amazing!"

Claire blushed a little and laughed. "It would be fun if this could be realized."

"How much would it cost to construct a bathtub big enough for ten people to fit in plus the building surrounding it?"

"The bathtub would be about 5 million ril if it was made from wood. If you want it made of stone, it would cost twice that at 10 million ril. If the building was made from wood, it would cost another 10 million ril, so if you want everything made of stone, the whole structure would come out to around 30 million ril."

Ellis calculated the amount and added in the price for the two waterways that the plan would require.

"To sum up, with the extra waterway, the stone bathtub, plus a quality building, the whole thing would come out to around 50 million ril."

"Yeah, that should be enough, but it's an enormous amount of money," Claire replied while staring up at the sky as if she could see the end result.

To such a peaceful smile, Ellis mercilessly cut right to the point.

"By the way, can Claire use magic?"

Huh?

Claire could not answer Ellis's sudden question. No, she wouldn't. She did not want to have to remember.

But Ellis ignored Claire's pained expression and repeated her question.

"Claire, can you use magic?"

"Why are you so suddenly asking…?"

"It's okay to tell me!"

Claire was shaken at Ellis's question.

Do not know. I do not know such a thing…

"Claire, can you use magic?"

Persistent Ellis… …

Why, why are you asking me such a thing?

Ellis was really kind to me a moment ago.

We were talking happily together.

Both Reeve and Frau were kind, weren't they?

Why are you suddenly asking me such a thing?

Why are you questioning me?

But Ellis would not let her escape.

"Claire, I will ask again. Can you use magic?"

Why, why are you asking so much?

"Claire, you can use magic, can't you?"

Completely ignoring the feelings of the other party, Ellis grabbed Claire's hand.

I do not want to remember.

Yada yada.

Don't touch me!

"Claire, can you use magic?"

Die already!

Claire screamed and reflexively cast out her explosion magic.

The resulting outburst immediately returned Claire to her senses, and she was horrified to find that she had impulsively cast an irreparable spell. It was a spell that she had feared since that time. A spell cast against her uncle whose serpentine hands had stretched across her body until she could no longer bear it.

She recited the chant then too. Will she end up covered in brains this time as well. Ellis's…

Claire's eyes clouded over and fell into darkness.

But, Claire was soon pulled back out from the dark.

"Stupid Claire."

Claire felt someone gently pet her head.

That was a girl whose head should have been blown off.

Good, she's still alive.

A pure white light spread inside Claire's mind and banished the darkness.

The petting feels comfortable.

I cannot stop my tears.

I don't want anyone to curse me anymore.

I don't want to have to hide away anymore.

I want someone to understand me.

"Claire, look at me."

The voice of the little girl echoed in her ear. Ellis wrapped Claire's cheeks in her hands and made Claire look up.

"My parents aren't here either. I am the same."

Then, something soft and warm was gently placed on Claire's lips.

When Ellis took her lips away from Claire, she showed her a calm smile, but in reality, her heart was banging so hard she thought it would fly out of her chest.

Because Ellis's head was was. .h.i.t straight on by Claire's explosion spell, the Sacrificial Doll tied to her waist scattered into a million pieces. It was a lethal blow.

Ellis sighed in relief as she held up Claire's body. It was a good thing she had bought so many dolls to copy the sacrifice ability. She would have to remember to grab another one when she got back home.

Well, by the time Ellis carried Claire back to the mansion, Frau and Reeve had both finished their respective chores.

Ellis gently quarreled with Frau and Reeve.

"Can you two wait to play until after we take a bath?"

Reeve and Frau looked at each other and sighed for the umpteenth time today.

"You mean that everyone bathing together is a mater of course?"

To Frau's disappointment, Ellis made an unreasonable declaration.

"If my plan fails, it will be all Frau's fault!"

Ellis relaxed her expression and turned to the surprised Frau. "It's only until I tell my secret to Claire, so please cooperate until then."

Today's dinner is Frau's homemade roast chicken. It is accompanied by bread and sweet soup.

"Bon appetite."

Claire began eating at Frau's recommendation, but her heart wasn't in it.

Claire sat down in the living room after dinner and stared into space until it was time to take a bath.

"Then Claire, let's take a bath and then go to bed."

"Yeah…"

Claire's reaction was dull, but Ellis brought Claire to the washroom without any hesitation.

In the washroom, an already blue slender girl and a red glamorous girl were already there awaiting their arrival.

That beautiful sight stimulated her, and Claire regained herself.

It was a world that Claire wished for, but she could not believe that it would exist in reality.

A world of only beautiful women.

Claire, who had been trapped in her own little world, was easily dragged out into the world before her.

"Claire, come here."

"Come on in, Claire."

Claire began to panic at Frau and Reeve's invitation, but Ellis began to mercilessly remove her clothes on the spot. As she was stripped, she gradually began to reveal her developing limbs.

Her chest was only slightly bigger than Ellis's, but there was room to grow in the future. In a few years, she would have a thin and neutral body.

Ellis finally solved the knot, tying Claire's hair back. When it was released, glossy black hair spread out.

"Let's go."

Ellis took her hand, and the jet black girl jumped into the sanctuary of gold, blue, and red.

Claire's black hair was carefully washed by a beautiful girl with a blue color while her body was gently wiped by a beautiful girl with a red color. In front of her, there was a young girl like a little sister with beautiful golden hair and gorgeous white skin that contrasted her own black hair.

Then Ellis suddenly looked directly into Claire's eyes.

"Claire, it was painful."

Tears spilled from Claire's eyes as she gazed into that emerald color. She couldn't stop them. Unconsciously, Claire hugged the girl in front of her, and she cried some more. She cried without fear of the people around her. The things that were stagnant at the bottom of her heart were shed with every teardrop.

"Claire, let's go."

Ellis wiped Claire's body with a towel, and pulled her along as she was. Naked, Claire was brought up to the guest room.

The remaining Frau and Reeve folded Ellis and Claire's pajamas and set them in front of the guest room door before returning to their own rooms.

Claire honestly hugged Ellis and left herself to Ellis for the evening.

Ellis sealed the techniques she knew as a hikineet and embraced Claire with some simple and honest moves that she knew.

"Are you okay, Claire?"

"Yes. Yes, I am okay, Ellis."

Claire tasted the world without fear for the first time in a long while. To this world, Claire gently nodded off and entered the world of dreams.

After Claire fell asleep, Ellis moved to the door and laid Claire's pajamas next to the bed. She then left the room and closed the door behind her.

First was punishment for red.

"Frau, how dare you pretend to be the master of the house in front of Claire!"

"Ellis, please forgive me…"

Today, Frau was punished as expected.

Next was an outburst of anger for blue.

"Reeve, I'm tired of you always being nice to other people!"

"Miss, if you do not mind, please hit me eight times."

Reeve was humiliated for a baseless reason.

Today was Reeve's turn to have Ellis sleep with her, but since there is a guest, Ellis thought it might be a good idea to sleep in her own bed once in awhile.

In the end, Ellis returned to Claire's room in order get closer to Claire.

"In the morning, I must be gentle."