Tap, tap, tap…
From morning, I jogged around the castle of Ulaid. The morning starts with exercise. Well… I did have a different kind of exercise all night, though. In the morning, they are weak. To be precise, their backs are sore, so they are resting. It's a good thing I don't feel tired thanks to the runes. Otherwise, I would have been tired from lack of sleep.
"...Jogging from the morning, I see."
"Nessa, you're up early."
After I finished jogging, I saw Nessa. She seemed to have been shocked by the incident with Conchobar, and the dark circles under her eyes seemed to speak of her mental anguish. It must have been a shock for her that her son had done such a thing. As a mother who had given birth to a child, how could she have thought that her son could do such a thing?
"...You look tired because of the incident with Conchobar."
"Yes… that's right. What will happen to that child's punishment?"
"He is currently in temporary custody in the prison… but his punishment has not yet been decided. The farmer who instigated it has been sentenced to death, but Conchobar is a member of the royal family, is he not? He is the main culprit along with the farmer, but because he is royalty, there is considerable opposition from others. It will take a few days of meetings. I will not kill him either… but the punishment I want is to strip him of his royal title for about a year and exile him to the countryside to farm."
"Is that so… that's not bad either…"
To accept this so readily. It's unlike her, who doted on her son so much. Rather than having some ulterior motive, she had the face of someone who had given up on everything.
"...Are you abandoning Conchobar?"
"Abandoning him… perhaps that would be for the best."
"Are you serious?"
She smiled bitterly with a detached expression. Nessa, she and I were actually like siblings. As a child, I had lost my parents early on, and the former king had raised me like his own son. Nessa, who was five years older than me, had treated me like a younger brother.
In our childhood, we were as close as siblings, inseparable friends. But… the moment I was chosen as the heir, Nessa began to distance herself from me and started to hate me. And she married Cathbad, seeking to usurp the throne.
Nessa, you say…?
Yes. You are leaving for the Land of Shadows, are you not? Then this will probably be our last meeting. Even if Nessa is like that now, I believe that one day, she will return to how she used to be. Fergus… please, I'm counting on you to take care of Nessa.
"...You've changed too."
The reason I didn't cast Nessa out was because of the former king's request. Even though she was always aiming for my throne, I didn't drive her away. Cathbad was an old man with not much time left anyway, and he had done well in the past, so I let him be. In Nessa's case, it was because of the former king's dying wish. She was also the older sister I had once thought of as family…
Looking at her now, it seems she has had a change of heart because of Conchobar's mad act. I don't trust her completely, but…
"Well… we've both come a long way."
"?"
"...No, it's nothing. Please forget it."
She smiled bitterly and returned to the castle. Has she had some sort of realization? Still, she has built up too much of a negative image… I shouldn't let my guard down.
Still, except for the matter of the curse, things have been peaceful lately, so I wonder if it will be alright. I was about to go to my office without much thought, but…
BOOM…!
"..."
A woman suddenly appeared, breaking through the castle wall. That woman… is she Scáthach? No, she's different. Who is she? Could it be…
"My name is Aífe! You bastard, what have you done to Scáthach!"
"I see, you must be my sister-in-law."
"S-sister-in-law…!? No way, is it true that she got married!?"
"Didn't I tell you…"
Scáthach walked over, rubbing her lower back. She looked like she needed a cure for a hangover.
"Suddenly barging into my room, you're being too noisy from the morning, Aífe. To try and fight as soon as you return from the fairy realm…"
"Shut up and tell me properly, Scáthach! The fact that you've come out as a Divided Spirit, and this guy who calls himself your husband! It's not like you!"
"Sigh… what else would I call my husband? Fergus is the High King of Erin, and he has a record of defeating me once in the past. Now, by a geas, I am his wife and his servant."
"Wh-what did you say…? Y-you… lost? To such a slender man…?"
Am I slender… I've maintained lean muscle, and I'm not that tall. But for her to not recognize my strength. It's not that she's confident like Scáthach; she's simply unable to gauge her opponent's skill. For a twin of Scáthach, she's much weaker than Scáthach…
"I see… then, if I defeat you, the Land of Shadows will be mine."
"Huh?"
"If you are Scáthach's master, then all I have to do is defeat you and make you my slave! Hehe, what do you think?"
"...Well, fine. I'll agree to those terms. What about you?"
"Me? …Ha! Very well, if I lose, I will become your servant! Not that I will lose! Scáthach, it's different from you losing because you grew lazy and careless in the Land of Shadows. I have grown strong through arduous training in the fairy realm!"
Shing~
Aífe took out her spear and spun it, showing off her prowess. Then, she took out a staff and drew a Primordial Rune in the air. A Primordial Rune… did Scáthach teach her? She seems to be quite skilled.
"Now, come. I will show you the difference in our skills."
"Hmm… I see. Then, shall we see your skills? {Curruid Bolg}(The Gouging, Slashing, Guardian Sword)."
"...What is that demonic sword—"
KRAKOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
In short, Aífe lost to me. She was about on par with Setanta. For someone who had gone to the fairy realm to train, she was too weak compared to Scáthach. She was weaker than I was when I first fought Scáthach. Is this right…?
"Kuh… I-I lost… how can this be…"
"Hmm… you're weaker than I expected."
"Aífe has no talent for martial arts. She certainly has a talent for magic, but her desire to become strong as a warrior like me led her down the wrong path. That's why she always lost to me. And yet, she went around calling herself my rival."
"We were equals in the past!"
"What are you talking about, that was when we were four. It was so long ago, I barely remember."
"Kuh, how humiliating… I lost… what are you going to do to me now!?"
"What am I going to do to you…"
"You'll surely rape me! But even so, I will not submit to you! You may subdue my body, but you cannot subdue my heart! Even if you get me pregnant, I will never submit! You'll surely violate me until I'm a mess, right!? Kuh, I will never yield!"
What is with this woman… she's completely different from Scáthach. She strangely resembles Skadi, but she's also different from Skadi.
"What are you two doing? What's this, two Scáthachs…? Who's this?"
Just then, Medb came over, yawning.
"Two… women…? Y-you lecherous bastard! Are you just trying to make me your concubine!"
"What, is she another one?"
"Well… this is a bit troublesome."
"Just leave a girl like that and let's do more together♡ Hmm?"
"What—don't ignore me! How dare you ignore the great Aífe!? Y-you harlot!"
To see Scáthach shouting with a red face, this is a rare sight…
"You seem to be quite desperate for a man, Aífe."
"Wh-who's desperate!?"
"So she says, Fergus~? What do you think? How about showing her your manliness…♡"
"I see, so it's overtime. Interesting. What do you think? This is called a sister sandwich… doesn't it look delicious?"
If I refuse, Aífe might actually cry. She looks like a knight who is looking forward to it.
In the end, we did it like crazy────
"Fergus… can't we do a little more…?"
"I have work to do."
"Then I'll help you! I'll be more competent than Scáthach!"
"...Then I'll leave it to you."
"Leave it to me!"
Aífe, who smiled brightly and clung to me after our relations. Was this woman a megadere type? Scáthach and Medb had a bit of a yandere streak, but Aífe was a mild version. That's why I liked her, but… I don't know if this is okay.
Afterwards, I announced that I would take Aífe as my third wife, and Ulaid was once again in an uproar. Cathbad's faction seemed to be in despair, as the fact that the former princesses of Ulster had become my wives gave my royal authority an unassailable legitimacy. Nessa looked at me with a wistful gaze.