■
Despite the commotion, the Memorial Ceremony proceeded smoothly.
The dispelling magic had not only revealed the Serpents in the garden but also incapacitated others hidden throughout the castle who bore the curse – handmaidens, guards, even members of the Imperial family – nipping any further rebellion in the bud before it could start.
All that remained was the closing ceremony to conclude the event.
As night fell, during a break before the final proceedings began, the Saint could be found indulging in some affection with her Master in the room assigned to <Noah>.
“Nhehe… Master… Master…”
Kirsi had her arms wrapped around Arl’s waist, nuzzling her face against his chest like a contented cat. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had just masterfully neutralized a major threat to the entire ceremony moments ago.
“I did good, right? I sang properly. Was I good?”
“Yes, you did very well. Truly… yes, you were very good.”
Arl gently stroked her silvery hair in response, and she made a soft purring sound deep in her throat. Normally, Arl, ingrained with knightly principles against undue familiarity with ladies, wouldn’t act this way, especially not initiate the contact. But his earlier conversation with Eilfina had forced him to confront his own feelings, allowing him to act more honestly now. He was proud, and undeniably happy, to be these girls’ Master.
“You managed to stop the Serpents’ plan right in the middle of a gathering of major dignitaries. That’s an incredible achievement, Kirsi. Those nobles and authorities who previously looked down on <Noah> as just some ‘civilian organization’ must certainly see you differently now.”
“Do you think… they think you’re amazing too, Master?”
“Me…? Well… yes, I suppose I’ll probably get some credit out of this as well. Thank you, Kirsi.”
Even now, after her great success, her primary concern was still his reputation and glory. Arl found her earnestness incredibly endearing, prompting him to speak further.
“Kirsi, is there anything you want? You were the one who led the Chorus Magic; you’re the true hero of the hour. If there’s anything I can do… I’d really like to give you a reward.”
He thought of how Prima and Rosetta had eagerly requested specific rewards after their own accomplishments. Kirsi looked up at his offer, considering it for a moment before a soft, gentle smile bloomed on her face.
“Then… I want to heal you, Master.”
“…Hm?”
“Ever since you saved me… I’ve always wanted to heal you, to comfort you. Even after starting <Noah>, I studied healing magic so much, practiced so hard, just for you.”
“Kirsi…”
Her earnest, gentle smile struck a chord deep within him. He had always hesitated before, unsure how to properly accept the sheer weight of their devotion. But now, having truly accepted his role as their Master, those internal barriers and reservations were starting to crumble.
“Alright then. Can I ask you to… heal me now?”
“! Leave it to me! Master, sit here.”
She eagerly guided him to sit on the edge of the bed. Maybe she’ll sing a private healing song for me, Arl thought, feeling a warmth akin to a parent watching their child’s earnest efforts. He was relaxed. Complacent. He had completely forgotten… how Kirsi usually tried to ‘heal’ him based on her questionable research.
“—Squeeze.”
Suddenly, before he could react, he was pulled forward forcefully, his face pressed firmly into Kirsi’s soft chest. The yielding, resilient sensation enveloped him completely, his nose sinking deeply into the valley between.
“Ngh—Mmph!?“
“Hya! M-Master, that tickles!”
Kirsi squirmed slightly, blushing, which only served to bury Arl’s face even deeper. A gentle, albeit slightly clumsy, hand began stroking his hair.
“There, there… Don’t struggle so much. It’s okay… I’m not going anywhere.”
“…!”
Kirsi, I appreciate the thought, but is this really ‘healing’!? Is this what healing is!? Arl screamed internally, unable to actually speak with his face smothered. His newfound emotional honesty meant his face was rapidly turning beet red, all the way to his ears.
“Fufu, I finally got to try it out for real. The book was right. Hugging them tightly to your chest and petting them like this really does make them happy.”
‘You still have that cursed book!?’ Arl thought frantically.
“But this isn’t all,” she murmured, seemingly oblivious to his internal panic. “I have more results from my studies to show you.”
Kirsi, it turned out, didn’t know the meaning of moderation when it came to applying her research.
“Open, White Score: Second Movement, Fourth Verse—♪”
He heard her chant softly beside his ear. Felt the subtle shift of magic activating nearby. And then, Kirsi’s voice echoed, seemingly coming from both sides of his head at once.
“”How is it, Master?””
Her words reached his ears with a slight, disorienting delay between the left and right channels. Arl managed to pull back slightly and stared, bewildered. There was Kirsi, the one holding him… and standing right beside her, an identical, though faintly translucent, image of herself. A second Kirsi, solid but see-through, like a ghost made of glass.
“…Duplication magic!?”
Arl gasped, recognizing the incredibly difficult and advanced spell she had just performed so casually. He knew exactly how challenging it was because…
“That’s… my…”
“”Yes,”” the two Kirsis answered in perfect, slightly delayed unison. “”It’s the signature spell of Master.””
“A spell that mimics the caster’s consciousness,” the original Kirsi explained, “creating another ‘self’ with tangible, physical substance.”
“Right now, I can only make one duplicate,” the translucent copy continued, her voice and mannerisms identical to the original, “and only for a few minutes. And as you can see, it’s incomplete, see-through. Not like your perfect duplicates, Master, which were indistinguishable from the real you.”
The translucent Kirsi took Arl’s right arm and gently pulled it against her own chest.
“But… the softness is real.”
“K-Kirsi?”
“Two of me… will heal you together.”
The original Kirsi simultaneously snuggled his left arm against her own chest, sandwiching him between them. The sensation from both sides was overwhelmingly soft and undeniably real, despite one being a magical construct. The two Kirsis leaned in close, whispering directly into each of his ears.
“”There, there.””
“—Hk!”
Their soft whispers tickled his earlobes. The slightly out-of-sync sound seemed to echo pleasantly inside his head, creating a warm, fuzzy, almost intoxicating feeling.
“Thank you for always working so hard.”
“Thank you… for saving me.”
“”Good boy, good boy.””
Their words were simple, almost childish in vocabulary, like a little girl mimicking how a mother might comfort her child. But the tone, the emotion behind the words, was utterly pure and innocent. They were simply words meant to acknowledge and affirm his existence, his efforts, his worth. A warmth unlike anything Arl had ever felt before spread through his chest. An emotion he, who had grown up an orphan knowing only the harsh, demanding life of a knight, had never experienced. A feeling directed towards Kirsi that he could only identify, with dawning horror… as something akin to maternal affection. The realization hit him like a physical blow, and his eyes instantly welled up with unshed tears.
“—!? (No, no, no, no! This is wrong!) “
He recoiled internally, horrified and utterly bewildered by his own reaction. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried for any reason other than extreme physical pain.
“It’s okay, Master.”
“I’m here for you. You’re not alone anymore.”
“”Good boy, good boy.””
“Nnghhhhhhh—!”
Their demonic, angelic whispers threatened to melt his brain entirely. This was bad. Seriously, existentially bad.
Being hugged to a younger girl’s chest, being pampered until I almost cry, and then feeling maternal affection!? This is WRONG on SO MANY LEVELS! I have to get out of here!
Arl steeled himself, preparing to make a desperate escape from Kirsi’s well-intentioned but psychologically devastating embrace, when…
“I’ll always be here to heal you, Master.”
“—But really… I want you to spoil me even more.”
The perfectly synchronized voices suddenly diverged, becoming distinct.
“I want to cling to you all day long,” the duplicate Kirsi purred. “I want you to look only at me, pet my head constantly, and hold me tight.”
“Wh… What am I saying?”
The duplicate was supposed to be a perfect mimicry of the caster’s consciousness, reflecting their thoughts and desires. It shouldn’t act independently or say things the original didn’t intend. The real Kirsi looked utterly bewildered, her mouth opening and closing silently like a fish.
“Kirsi…?”
“Yes? My beloved Master?”
The duplicate Kirsi leaned against Arl intimately, nuzzling her cheek against his like an affectionate cat seeking attention. This was completely unlike her usual reserved behavior. The real Kirsi blushed furiously.
“D-Don’t get so close to Master!”
“Why not?” the duplicate countered playfully. “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted to do? I’m just a copy of you. We share the same consciousness, remember? I know all the things you usually hold back and patiently endure. It’s useless to act embarrassed now.”
The duplicate’s words made the real Kirsi flinch as if struck.
“I-I haven’t been holding back! Besides… c-clinging like that… it’s indecent! It’s disrespectful to Master!”
“Liar,” the duplicate whispered conspiratorially. “You want to do much more, don’t you? Because you really want to… ki—”
“WAAAAAHHH! Dispel! Dispel!”
The real Kirsi shrieked, louder than Arl had ever heard her before, cutting off the duplicate’s potentially scandalous sentence. The duplicate pouted, clearly annoyed, but obeyed her creator’s command, dissolving into harmless particles of light.
“Hah… hah…”
Silence fell in the room, broken only by Kirsi’s ragged breathing, her face still crimson. Arl, having witnessed the entire bizarre exchange from ground zero, was still trying to process what had just happened. Still slightly dazed, but undeniably curious about the duplicate’s unfinished sentence…
“…What did you… want to do?”
“Master, you dummy! Just forget I said anything!”
And for the first time that night, Arl found himself being genuinely scolded by Kirsi.
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