As I arrived in the depths of Veldora's caverns once again, it felt like a whole new experience now that I had a human body and enhanced senses.
I went down further and further, killing the occasional evil centipede, 7-colored bat, or armorsaurus and storing them away.
When I finally arrived in the cavern where Veldora was sealed, there was a large platform where the dragon had slumbered for all of these years.
I sat in the center and fully focused on the Jizen meditation method described in the Zankensouki Manual.
More and more spiritual energy was being drawn in from surroundings as I entirely focused my attention on the changes within myself and my sword.
Soon, the sound had disappeared, the cave had disappeared, everything in the world aside from my sword and I had vanished.
The world around me was no longer the dark, damp, musty cave, but rather, the familiar tree-lined driveway leading up to my family home on the farm.
Unlike last time though, the sky was enlivened by vast sprawling auroras made from the influx of spiritual energy. It all seemed to be funneling itself towards some location at the end of the road—the place where our home was.
There was also no one to guide me hiding behind the trees this time. At least none I could otherwise detect.
I was also distinctly naked in this world, not having my fancy ring and such. I can't recall if it was the same last time with how quickly I was brought in and then tossed out, but it was likely the same. No wonder Zangetsu was in such a hurry to disperse.
I peacefully walked down the road. It lacked the familiar horses and donkeys, but it was all just as beautiful as I recalled.
It seemed like almost ten minutes had passed before I reached my destination, but with my sense of time being compressed thanks to Saul, barely an instant had passed in the outside world.
As I approached the house, none of the lights were on, but I could hear water running from the back, where we had a pool. I looked towards the house one last time before following the sidewalk along the end of the house.
As I got closer, I could hear the humming of a young woman, hopefully, that of my sword.
Rounding the corner, I saw a tanned teenage girl with spikey, gold hair, and slanted teal eyes that gave her a slightly dangerous and predatory vibe.
She was sitting on the edge of the pool, kicking her feet in the water, but as soon as I appeared, her eyes narrowed in on me, like she just found her prey.
"Um, hey, my name is Orion. You wouldn't happen to be my sword spirit, would you?"
She looked at me slightly askew, focusing her gaze on my lower body for a while longer than necessary. She shook her head with a small laugh before turning to look at me again. Feeling her predatory gaze, I was about to purchase some trousers, but Saul stopped me.
『If you wish to wear clothing, simply focus your mind on the form you wish to take and you can do so while in your inner world. You are currently naked as that is your most comfortable form, Orion.』
'Oh, thanks for that Saul. Good to hear from you too.'
I did as Saul suggested and a smokey, black hakama formed around my waist and draped around my legs. Mo-san initially raised an eyebrow in surprise, but quickly resumed her playful demeanor. She had probably recalled just how useful my unique skill was, even when she wasn't hijacking it.
"Shi-shi, that was quite the greeting, Orion. I am the one and only, Mo-san. Not your sword spirit, just a guide when you need it, and a freeloader otherwise."
"Oh! It's good to finally meet you, Mo-san. It's a dream come true to have such a beautiful daughter." I teased, genuinely glad to meet her. Unfortunately, my poor choice of words brought out a surprising fury.
"Huh? What did you say, fucker?!?" Her playful demeanor turned surprised before it quickly turned into that of a ferocious lioness as she scowled at me. "What in the world makes you think I'd ever want to be someone's daughter, much less yours?"
Although, grating, I didn't take her words to heart. I noticed the brief instant of surprise and the flicker of happiness in her expression before turning into her angry.
"Oh? Well, I am supposed to be marrying an unknown woman from another world, and she is something akin to a mother to you, right? Wouldn't that make me your father? I'm not sure how the whole cloning process works, but it should be something like that, no?"
"Grrr…" now, instead of a beautiful angry lioness, Mo-san looked like a dog barring her teeth and ready to pounce on me. "Listen here. My job is only to help you and that woman reunite. If possible, I'd like to have a better relationship with her in this life, but I'm not even sure if the former is possible, much less the latter."
I smiled wryly and lifted my hands in surrender. I looked away at my old home when an idea hit me. "Fine, Mo-san, if it bothers you so much, we can nix the while daughter thing. Instead, since we will be living together for a long time, how about roommates? In college, I always dreamed of having such a beautiful roommate to spend my boring with."
Mo-san flinched, hearing me call her beautiful again, but she seemed to ignore it as she considered my proposition. Soon she gave a mischievous smile as she hopped over to me. "Hmm, although it's not inaccurate, it feels a bit distant. How about you make me your sister, kind of like you did with that big lizard? Hmph, consider it a to be this Queen's family!" she suggested.
"An interesting counter offer…" I nodded sagely before stopping and examining her. "You were a Queen?" I asked while focusing on her undignified bikini.
Mo-san flinched feeling my gaze, but then her shoulders slumped a bit. "N-not exactly. More of a unthroned princess?"
I raised my brow questioning towards her, but recalling I had another reason for being here, I needed to get back on track. "Sorry, Mo-san. Not that I haven't enjoyed talking with you, but as mentioned earlier, I am looking for my sword spirit. Have you seen it?"
She seemed a bit glum that I would be leaving but sighed and then pointed down towards the pool. "Uh, isn't that your sword down there, in the water?"
I stepped forward and looked down into the water. I could vaguely see a black silhouette at the center of the deep end of the pool. I then looked at the girl, then back to my sword, before once again looking toward Mo-san.
"Umm, how did my sword get down there, Mo-san? Is this like some sort of Arthurian trial for me?" In my gut, this all felt a bit strange, but seeing my blonde companion scowl and shrug off my inquiry, I was about to press on before we both heard bubbles arising from the pool.
A black shadow was rising from the depths of the pool, and a robust and slightly familiar energy was being emitted from it. It reminded me of Veldora's draconic aura, but it was much more refined and seemingly endless as it approached us. Even then, it was clearly only its natural aura and had no intention to suppress us.
Soon a small black-haired woman, or girl, emerged from the water, though not a drop clung to her. She was wearing a black, Victorian dress giving her the proper image of an adorable goth-loli. The only thing off was the sleepy but otherwise emotionless expression she was wearing.
When she fully opened her half-lidded eyes, she looked at me with a feeling of recognition, then reached out with her hands, as if wanting to be picked up.
My heart was about ready to burst from having such a cute girl as my sword spirit, but Mo-san was looking at me with a disgusted look as I happily pulled the goth loli into my embrace and tightly hugged her.
I was about to ask the adorable young woman what her name was, but she snuggled into my neck as she tightly wrapped her arms around me and fell asleep.
Mo-san stepped away and pulled a phone out from her bikini-top, an impressive feat considering her modest cleavage. Still, her next words were terrifying. "Hello, SVU (Special Victims Unit), I'd like to report a case of kidna—"
Before she could finish what she was saying, I flashed over, took the phone, broke it, and tossed it in the pool, all without waking up my baby girl.
"What's wrong with you? Are you trying to get my Zanpakuto taken away from me? Who will protect her then?" I scowled as I quietly berated Mo-san?
"Huh? You are the one she needs to be protected from, pervert! I saw you wiping the drool from your mouth when she first appeared. You can't fool me!"
"Hmph, since you you don't want to be me daughter, then I'll spoil this adorable little girl in your place… I won't let anyone bully her, even you Mo-san!"
"I-I would never bully such an adorable little girl! Judging by the way you looked at her, though, it's a good thing I didn't become your daughter! Who knows what you would have done to me…" Mo-san shivered and turned away, unwilling to look at me.
I sighed. It seemed that Mo-san was incapable of understanding Moe. "Anyways, let's go in and have some food. It's been a while since I've eaten anything aside from monsters, and we can have a nice little chat. How's burgers sound?"
This time it was Mo-san who was drooling slightly as she quickly entered the house. I laughed softly as I gingerly carried the sleepy little girl in my embrace into the house. I bought three meals from the system that came with burgers, fries, and shakes, just as Mo-san requested. I also enjoyed such things from time to time, so it was no skin off my back.
We all sat on the couch in the living room as I handed out the meals. It took a minute to rouse the young girl, but playing with her ears made her squirm with unexpected laughter. Unfortunately, with her face buried in my neck, I was unable to see her expression, and could only feel the soft tickles of her breath.
Soon enough, Mo-san was ready digging into her reishi-rich meal while I tried introducing my sword spirit to a hamburger. She seemed completely uninterested, though, as her delicate little nose had found the scent of something sweet and her vision honed in on the shake I was sipping on.
Noticing her gaze, I handed her my shake to see if she liked it. As much as I dislike cliches, I admit that I've enjoyed them quite a bit since coming to this world. If the Loli Loving Sweets trope works here, I am more than happy to accept it.
She took hold of the cold glass and brought the straw towards her small pointy nose as she checked the scent. Then she gingerly placed it in her mouth before starting to suck on it. Her eyes lit up as if she found the most delicious thing in the world and hurriedly gulped down load after load of the thick white substance.
Unfortunately, I forgot to warn her about the dangers of brain freeze. She cutely clutched her head with one hand while holding onto the shake with her other.
It was peak moe, and even Mo-san couldn't help but coo a bit as she watched on beside us. She had surprisingly said nothing about the loli sitting in my lap this whole time, perhaps because she was too enamored with her food.
It honestly felt like what I imagine sitting down and enjoying a meal with my daughters would feel like. Granted, my imagination has been heavily influenced by illicit H-games, but hopefully, no one holds that against me.
I tried to explain to my unnamed sword that she needed to drink it slowly to enjoy it without the pain, but she seemed frightened that I would take her favorite new drink away from her instead. I could only sigh and gently rub her back whenever she got another brain freeze.
I pulled away my flexible carapace bandages to easily savor my food. I enjoyed my hamburger and fries while Mo-san was relaxing sprawled out on the couch. Unexpectedly, she flopped out and used my free leg as a pillow. It drew a curious glance from both my sword spirit and me, but Mo-san seemed not to want to talk about it as she lay there contentedly with her eyes closed and her belly filled. My sword readily went back to drinking her shake, and I smiled softly as I slightly ruffled Mo-san's spikey hair.
She frowned slightly, though, it couldn't hide her blush. "Don't get any ideas, alright. Y-you can't take lord father's place, but you might make a good older brother…"
I raised my brow and looked at her. Considering our apparent ages, I would certainly look more like an older brother compared to the 15 or 16-year old looking blondie.
"Alright then, little sister, Mo-san… Hmm. This nickname sounds quite impersonal, though. You sure you don't want to tell me your real name?" I asked curiously.
Her relaxed figure twitched slightly as her eyes opened, and she lazily looked at me. "What does it matter to you, big brother? Why don't you just give me a name like all the others, isn't that how you solidified your brotherhood with the big lizard from before?"
"Hmm, you want me to give you a name?"
"Don't want to?" she asked tersely as she glared at me.
I shook my head in denial and patted her head using my [God Hand] technique to calm her down. "It's not that, I just wanted to get to know my new little sister better, but we are going to be together for a long time, right? I guess there is no need to rush then. Do you really want me to give you a new name, though?"
Mo-san was shyly looking away while crossing her arms across her chest, poutily. The flush on her cheeks had grown, but she still seemed to be seriously considering my question. After a minute, she looked up at me and nodded.
"Since you want to know so much about me, I'll tell you this. I have done a lot of terrible things in my past. Things that earned me the title, "The Knight of Treachery," is that really the sort of person you want to get to know?"
I couldn't help but frown hearing that title. Although it's hard imagining people calling such a beautiful young woman that, I'm not foolish enough to disregard it altogether. Still, she was my partner now, my little sister, and I wouldn't get anywhere by casting her aside or treating her differently than anyone else.
Something else came to mind, though, that made me much more willing to trust her. "You know, Mo-san, I've only ever heard of one person given the title "Knight of Treachery" in our previous world."
I could feel her tremble as I spoke and saw that she was about to sit up, so I held her head down in my lap, and ignored her biting and hitting me as I continued speaking. Luckily my sword spirit was much too concerned with her shake, or perhaps utterly unconcerned with the other girl sharing my lap with her. She ignored everything else that was going on.
"If I recall correctly, there was a particular knight from Arthurian legend that described a fellow by the same title. His name was Mo—"
"Grr, don't you dare say it! Just stop if you still want to be my big brother! This world is supposed to be a fresh start for me and lord father… Just give me a new name, a new life… just let me… have a normal family, please… I'll do anything!"
By the end, I had released Mordred, and she was rolled-over, crying into my lap as she held onto my waist. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I barred with it and just let her cry it all out while I rubbed her back and comforted her as best I knew how.
My sword had grown frustrated with Mo-san and hopped off my lap before waltzing over to the love seat and continuing to nom on the shake. Thanks to that, I was able to pry Mordred off of me before cradling her in my embrace.
She was scared when I first removed her, trembling in fear that I would abandon her like the others, but feeling herself wrapped in my embrace startled her, and it happened once again when I over and kissed her forehead. I continued rubbing her back with one hand while my other held her waist and pulled her close to mine.
Slowly but surely, Mo-san calmed down and nuzzled herself tighter against me. It all would have been perfect were it not the one excited elephant in the room that Mo-san occasionally rubbed up against.
She pulled away from me slightly with a cheeky, tear-stained smile as she whispered to me. "What's wrong big brother? You haven't said anything in a while, even though this guy seems to be saying quite a bit." she said about to grasp my manhood.
Fortunately, I stopped her before things got too out of hand. "Don't even think about it unless you want me to pin you down and take you right now in front of that sweet little girl. You have seen what I have gone through the last few days, and I don't mind telling you that incest is wincest in my book, little sis." I punctuated the end by kissing the startled young woman on her lips as she looked at me in shock.
"Y-Y-You thief!!! That was my first kiss, you bastard!" she hit my chest repeatedly in embarrassed protest, but she still tightly clenched my shirt with her other hand and remained planted in my lap as if it were her own throne.
My new little sister was just too cute that I couldn't help but give a small smile. "Well then, as far as your name goes, how about… Áine"