When Ryuji returned to the compartment where Mumei and the others were staying, he froze at the sight inside.
Only Shino was there. A wooden basin brimming with water sat at her feet. Completely naked, she dipped a towel, wrung it out, and wiped herself down.
From his angle, he could clearly see a pair of heavy, soft mounds and a belly round as a watermelon. Swollen as she was, there was a strange, almost serene beauty to her.
Perhaps because of the pregnancy, those full mounds were dotted with egg-sized pink areolas.
And yet something else surprised him.
He didn't see any nipples.
"Ah!"
Hearing the door open, Shino cried out and turned her back at once, raising a hand to cover her breasts.
"Ah — it's Lord Ryuji." When she realized it was him, she finally let out a breath.
Even so, her cheeks flared bright red as she hugged herself tightly.
Because she was facing away, Ryuji could see the elegant curve of her back — and the pale, perky fullness below. That soft, fleshy shape was no smaller than the front; if anything, it looked even larger.
He truly hadn't expected it. Beneath Shino's loose kimono, she was even fuller than Ayame.
"Ahem." Ryuji closed the door, walked over, and sat on the bedding beside her, "Where are Mumei and Kajika?"
Up close, he could see how her hips sank into the bedding — soft, plush flesh pressed into a round, generous curve.
Ryuji was certain Shino would deliver safely — and that pair of "buns", even larger than Ayame's, would have no trouble nursing either him or the child.
'Pah, pah, pah — why would I need nursing?' He desperately shook the bizarre thought from his head.
"Mmm… Mumei and Kajika took Sui and Mei to pray…" His gaze made Shino's body warm, her cheeks burning.
But she didn't dare move, afraid she might reveal too much.
It wasn't that she feared Ryuji seeing her — she feared he might misunderstand and think she was loose. Pregnant before marriage… even if people knew the truth, gossip would still follow.
"Shino, once we reach Kongōkaku… what do you plan to do?" Ryuji leaned a little closer, catching a milky sweetness rising from her skin.
"I… I'm not sure…" Sensing him drawing near, Shino lowered her head, unease and embarrassment knotting together.
Her body grew hotter, and that rich, creamy scent slowly filled the compartment.
Noticing her discomfort, Ryuji reached out and took her hand. The back of it felt soft, almost pillowy, "Then… how about I take care of you, Shino?"
Shino trembled. With his hand brushing against her, she grew so shy she could barely think. Heat flooded her face; her thoughts turned sluggish.
"B-but I'm just a commoner."
Ryuji tested the waters, tugging her hand slightly. Her resistance was weak, and he grew bolder.
"It's fine. I've never cared about the status of the woman beside me."
He gently pulled away the hand she'd been using to cover her chest — and at once understood why he hadn't seen any "beans".
Shino had inverted nipples. At the peak of those heavy mounds, the rosy skin formed a small crater, the center drawn inward.
Just as Ryuji was about to carefully examine the health of Shino's "nursing divine weapon", a light knock sounded outside.
Knock. Knock-knock.
His good moment interrupted, Ryuji's annoyance flared.
Then Shino's reaction made him freeze.
Startled awake by the knock, Shino no longer looked like the shy, soft maiden from a moment ago. With speed far beyond ordinary people, she threw on her clothes, sat upright on the bedding, and began knitting.
Ryuji stared, dumbfounded. Was this really the same woman who'd been too flustered to resist?
With him watching, Shino kept her head down, knitting steadily, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Before Ryuji could do anything else, Mumei and Kajika returned with the two little ones.
"Ryuji, you're here too."
Maybe because of the earlier meal, Mumei seemed to have forgotten her resentment. She greeted him cheerfully.
Only Kajika stared at Shino's flushed cheeks, puzzled.
Ryuji chatted with them for a while, left some food behind, then stepped out amid Mumei's happy send-off. He also handed Shino some pregnancy supplements and winked — making the mature pregnant woman blush like a little girl.
"There's no mistake. It must be the Kabaneri who attracted the Kabanes."
"That jinx…"
"I don't want to stay with a Kabaneri anymore…"
…
The moment Ryuji stepped out, he heard the discordant voices and frowned.
"That won't do. If there's infighting before we even reach Kongōkaku, how am I supposed to complete the special mission?"
Up front, Kenshō was being pressured by several nobles.
The leading noble demanded, "Traveling with a Kabaneri is what brought the Kabanes! Everyone is terrified. Lord Yomogawa — how do you plan to handle this incident?"
"You insolent wretches! Watch your tone when addressing the lord!" Kurusu snapped, furious at a group that only complained and never did any real work.
Kenshō's brow furrowed as well; it was a headache.
"Lighting bonfires and chanting funeral prayers… do you really think the Kabanes out in the wild are blind and deaf?" Ryuji came into the engine car, speechless at their logic.
"Lord Ryuji, I'm sorry for disturbing you." Kenshō said.
Even though he had entrusted his daughter to Ryuji, he didn't dare act like a father-in-law. He was a sensible man.
With Ryuji's strength and advanced weapons, it was obvious he had the backing of a powerful country or organization. Even if Kenshō couldn't cling to that thigh, he absolutely couldn't afford to offend him.
The nobles stared, stunned by Kenshō's respectful attitude toward a mere young man.
"It's fine. I just came out for some air and heard the arguing, so I came to take a look." Ryuji said, waving it off.
He swept his gaze over them and immediately recognized the curly-haired one — the same man who had stirred up the crowd before, demanding Ikoma be thrown off the Kōtetsujō.
As long as they didn't provoke him directly, Ryuji couldn't be bothered.
With Ryuji present, the nobles' little plotting fell apart.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang!
Ryuji had been about to go cuddle the icy engineer, Yukina, when the Kōtetsujō entered a tunnel — and repeated impacts hammered the roof.
People in the rear cars discovered, in horror, that the outside of the Kōtetsujō was crawling with Kabanes. The most terrified were those in the car where Ikoma had once lured Kabanes in to kill them.
Bang!
The door barricaded with cargo was smashed open. A nearly two-meter-tall Kabane wielding a tachi in both hands charged inside.
"Ah!"
Before everyone's eyes, the Wazatori Kabane swung its blade and cut the closest person clean in half at the waist.
"Aaaah!!"
Watching someone beside them get bisected, the others collapsed to the floor, screaming.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
The Wazatori howled and carved forward without mercy. Everyone fled into the next car, Kabanes surging after it.
A few who couldn't run fast enough were skewered like candied hawthorns. With a flick of its blade, it tossed them back for the other Kabanes to devour. It even seemed picky — after spearing several people, it finally chose a tender-looking woman to gnaw on.
"Kabane — Kabanes got inside!"
"Everything after the seventh car has fallen!"
Hearing the report through the speaking tube, Kenshō immediately began organizing a defense.
Before heading to the rear cars, he looked at Ryuji, "If I die, please protect Ayame."
Kenshō was sensible. He knew he had no right to order Ryuji into battle. Giving him a divine weapon called a rifle was already generosity, and only because of Ayame.
They stacked wooden crates in the corridor. More than ten warriors fired their Steam Guns at the approaching Kabanes, but the shots lacked penetration and couldn't kill them.
The defense line cracked in moments; several warriors were dragged into the swarm.
Just as everyone panicked and prepared to retreat, Kurusu and several other tachi-wielding warriors stepped forward to hold the line.
Ryuji went first to check on Ayame, who had been resting all day. Then he told Kajika to stay behind and look after Shino and the two children, before taking Mumei with him to the fight.
The Kōtetsujō jolted as it rolled over Kabane corpses, while pile-driver-like impacts continued to pound the roof.
Ryuji knew some reckless idiot was taking risks again.
When he arrived with Ayame and Mumei at the car where the defense line had formed, Kurusu was already dueling the Wazatori — blade against blade.
"What is wrong with this thing?"
The moment they clashed, Kurusu was forced back.
"It can actually use sword techniques!"
People behind him gasped.
Even so, Kurusu's skill was impressive. After several exchanges, he drove the Wazatori back step by step.
Suddenly, a silver flash flew in from the rear doorway.
Pshk!
Kurusu — completely unguarded — was stabbed from behind. One of his kidneys was taken.
Only then did everyone notice a bluish hand, barely visible at the rear doorway.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Kibito Arakawa barked an order for everyone to fire and pin down the Wazatori. He rushed forward and hauled Kurusu back.
What left Ryuji speechless was this: carry him if you must, but why do it like a bridal carry — one hand under the butt, one arm around the chest?
Ryuji instinctively stepped back, afraid Kibito might glance his way.
Not because he was scared.
It was just disgusting.
Everyone's bullets couldn't hit the Wazatori at all. Some were even split by its blade and ricocheted back, instantly dropping two unlucky men.
At that moment, Ikoma leapt down from the hatch above and slapped the Wazatori across the face, taunting, "Your openings are huge. You're not even worth looking at."
Unlike the original story — where no one supplied him with blood — Ikoma's buddy Takumi had been feeding him at every meal.
With his strength restored, he was naturally stronger than a Wazatori. Using surprise, he quickly pinned it to the ground.
"Watch out!"
Just as Ikoma was about to finish it, a whistling strike came from behind.
Pshk!
Ikoma met the same fate as Kurusu — another kidney taken.
He turned and saw a second Wazatori. This one had three arms, and each arm gripped a tachi.
What terrified everyone even more was what followed: behind the three-armed Wazatori, yet another stepped out — two arms, one empty, one holding a blade.
The sword that had stabbed Kurusu earlier was the one it had thrown.
Roar, Roar, Roar—
The three-armed Wazatori roared and kicked Ikoma away, sending him crashing into several unlucky people.
"T-this is impossible!"
"How can there be three?!"
Everyone stumbled backward, staring in terror as the three Wazatori advanced.
Ayame stepped to the very front, Steam Bow in hand, fear rippling through the crowd.
Out of fondness for Ayame, Mumei stayed close at her side.
"Lady Ayame, it's dangerous!"
"Yes, Lady Ayame — come back!"
Several admirers shouted, but none dared step forward.
Kenshō, however, saw Ryuji's calm expression and felt reassured.
Ayame drew the bow. A cyan-glowing arrow formed on the string. To everyone's shock, streams of air began converging into the light.
Whoosh!
Ayame released.
Violent wind pressure swept through the car, forcing everyone to squint.
Only Mumei could barely make it out: the light arrow pierced straight through the three-armed Wazatori's heart.
The wind pressure snapped the limbs of the other two, then hurled them into the car wall.
When everyone opened their eyes again, a massive hole yawned through the three-armed Wazatori's chest — large enough to see the scenery beyond.
Ryuji nodded slightly. For a first attempt at [Wind Arrow] with this level of power, it was already decent.
With Ayame's current level and mana, she could fire at most two arrows before running dry.
Although Mumei was shocked by [Wind Arrow], she reacted quickly. She dashed up to the two Wazatori with broken limbs and finished them off.
Bang! Bang!
Ryuji stared at Mumei, speechless, as she blew smoke from the barrel.
What's up, kid? You learned to steal kills?
Ayame only needed to kill those two to reach Retainer Level 2.
And yet Mumei stole them…
"Oooh!!!"
"Lady Ayame is mighty!"
"Long live Lady Ayame!"
Only after Mumei's two gunshots did the crowd finally erupt into cheers for Ayame.
✦✦✦
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $1, as well as smut chapters ($2) or spicy images ($5) or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)