True Vorpal Bunny (Danmachi SI) ch.29 (Patreon)

Chapter 29:

Before taking the Iru Air Ride, the traveling group needed to buy rations for the trip, so they went to the bazaar North of Leodo.

Ali had to ask how much Freya brought to plan for how much they could buy.

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“Not a dime. I don’t like carrying bulky things like coins. And I had Bofman pay for the slaves and the mansion by making him give out bonds on my Familia’s accounts.” The goddess admitted shamelessly.

“You offered the means to do this! That’s why I agreed!” Ali’s temper was rising like the desert’s temperature the more she heard Freya talk.

Freya smiled and made to walk by Ali’s indignant form.

“We just need to procure those means right now- Gargh!” Before she could walk around the princess, Iru’s hand caught the back of Freya’s cloak, forcing her to a stop.

“Yeah, how about we instead use this?” He said, pulling out a sack of coins from below his own cloak.”

Freya blinked while rubbing her throat after her cloak almost choked her.

“I know you didn’t bring any money.” The goddess accused the bunny.

“Yup. It’s Hedin’s money. I looted his pockets after knocking him out.” Iru pleaded guilty without any hesitation.

The blonde former king was a bit too much of a hardass sometimes. Iru took it personally to keep him humble.

“Don’t bully the others too much.” Freya scolded with a wagging finger.

“Sure thing. I’ll do that the moment they learn to take a joke.”

Freya looked dully at Iru before she turned toward Ali.

“Anyway, this shopping spree.”

“You’re totally fleeing the subject!” Ali pointed out in a perfect tsukkomi.

[hr]

Horn, Iru and Ali were then dragged by Freya through the bazaar where the goddess’s attention was attracted by the many wonders on sale.

Ali was just content that Iru was a reasonable person and actually was buying supplies for the trip while Freya and Horn were looking at dresses or buying street food.

She would admit that the shaved ice coming from a magic stone icebox was pleasant once the heat started rising, but still.

Ali’s mood reached a low when she saw Freya use the money to buy luxury magic stone goods that were not needed for a trip in the desert.

“What are you buying?!”

“Well, you and Iru bought the necessities, so I took care of picking up luxuries we might need.”

The goddess’s spiel ended with a wink.

A tick mark grew on Ali’s forehead.

“A desert’s journey is harsh! We can’t just take items we don’t need that will just slow us down!”

Nonplused by the scolding, Freya replied calmly.

“Ali? You’ve been told you’re hardheaded before, haven’t you?” She ignored Ali’s gulping as she was metaphorically struck. “It’s not a bad thing to be concerned about what the future holds, but it robs you children’s lives of openess too. Optimism is the refuge of fools, but the wise indulge in a few diversions. As a person and as a ruler.”

Ali wouldn’t be that easily convinced though.

“I don’t have time to enjoy myself! I have a duty to fulfill! If you are accompanying me, you should accept that too!”

However, neither would Freya.

“I refuse. If I am having a trip, I may as well make it enjoyable.”

Anguish radiated from Ali’s expression as she grinded her teeth, finally figuring out that she wouldn’t change Freya’s mind.

On the side, Iru and Horn watched the spectacle, kebabs bought from a nearby stall in hand.

“She should be happy to receive divine advice from our lady.” The goddess’s body double said after taking a bite and savoring the spicy lamb.

“They’re both right. Ali has to get back as soon as she can, but being a bundle of nerves helps no one.” Iru said, deciding to sit on the fence on this topic.

Finally, Freya ended the discussion by pointing at Iru.

“Anyway, we are going to be carried by Iru, so it’s not like it’s going to be long.”

That did catch Ali’s attention.

“You did speak of flying, but it’s not like he is going to carry us on his back, right? How exactly are we going to travel?”

[hr]

“Waaaaah!” The desert princess flailed around, only managing to spin in the air while she was caught in Iru’s gravitational field.

Horn and Freya just settled and lounged against each other while appreciating the view.

The three women and their supplies floated around Iru while he used Star Crown to lift all of them. It wasn’t the best use of his spell and most people would be worried about suffering a Mind Down after using an enchantment-type spell for long periods.

Iru had two advantages over most adventurers. First was obviously his stats. As a Level 6 who had grinded his Magic stat over a thousand before each Rank Up, he had reserves deeper than even Riveria or Hedin with their elven heritage. Second, he had Spirit healing, which triggered his magic regen whenever he used a spell, so as long as he kept Star Crown’s output under a certain limit, he actually recovered more Mind than he was using.

So, here they were, flying above the sand.

After a while, Freya had pity on Ali and caught the girl to make her stop spinning.

The crossdressing princess was finally able to see what was happening.

“Woooh.”

She couldn’t help but be stunned about the view of the horizon stretching as far as her eye could see. She could even see beyond the Kaios Desert. She had never left the desert, so she couldn’t help the sound of awe that escaped her.

And then, there was the speed they were going at. Usually, travel in the desert was slow and ponderous because of the difficulty to walk on sand and to conserve stamina. Now, a trip that would normally take three days would maybe take one.

What Ali didn’t know was that Iru was holding back a lot so that the three girls would still be comfortable.

Iru’s furry ears twitched and he looked behind him. He saw a small cloud of sand coming from Leodo’s direction, and eight familiar shapes being at the origin of it.

The Hume Bunny turned toward Freya.

“Guess Allen did take that Elixir after you scolded him last night.” 

“Of course.” Freya pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “It is my duty to scold my children if they’re being silly.”

“Unlike when you just let them rampage around.”

“Hush you. They weren’t that bad.”

Iru and Freya bantered, not noticing the pensive look Ali gave them.

[hr]

It was halfway through their journey that the sun set and Iru landed on an oasis.

Horn and Freya started to mess around with the bag full of the stuff they bought while Ali and Iru were actually setting up camp.

“Say what you want to.” Iru suddenly said after catching Ali looking at him multiple times.

“Why are you loyal to her?”

Iru’s quirked eyebrow led her to clarify.

“You backtalk but you still follow along with whatever she wants. And the others who attacked you in Leodo acted that way because of the lack of respect you showed. Why are you loyal to her? Are you another puppet under her charm?”

Iru snorted.

“Man, you’re lucky it’s me you’re saying that to. Any other member of the Familia would have already tried to slit your throat. Hell, you know very well how Horn reacted when you screamed at Freya.”

Ali winced, remembering how the sliver-haired girl had unsheathed her weapon and it was only Iru’s intervention that saved her.

“There is one little interesting tidbit about goddesses of love and beauty that most people are ignorant of.” Ali perked up, curious about  a hidden fact of the gods. “Their Charm ability is passive, but it also has an active form.”

The princess tried to understand what she just heard.

“The passive version is just their natural beauty and can be resisted if you have enough willpower or if you just dislike the particular deity that you’re facing. In your case, that is the first. You have a clear goal. You want to go back to your people, free your country and you won’t let anything get in your way.”

Ali blushed, seeing those words as praise from a powerful adventurer.

“However, the active form isn’t that easy, and Freya’s is particularly strong. She could tell you to abandon your country and kill yourself. You would do so with a smile on your face, soul filled with ecstasy at the thought of pleasing her by obeying.” He told her bluntly.

The blush on her face became one of anger, but before she could retort, Iru continued.

“It even works on other gods. There are only two exceptions to that, a Skill emerging from a Falna against mental effects, or a virgin deity.”

Ali worked her mouth, trying to refute, but what could she say, that her will was greater than that of a god’s, or the Falna granted by those same gods?

“While it can be said that my Familia is under her charm, she had never used the active form on any of them. All of their admiration and love for her only partially comes from that. Like the slaves she bought and freed in Leodo, many in the Familia are those she took under her wing and they feel that they owe her everything they have.”

While giving his speech, Iru hadn’t stopped setting the tents. With a last strike to plant the final peg, he rose from his crouch to look at the princess.

“So yeah, our goddess is a fickle one that will act like a queen one moment, and then play like a child the next instant. And she is free to do so no matter what anyone else thinks about her. That is the one promise I gave her as the one person in the Familia she can’t charm.”

The words resonated in Ali’s skull, and a pang of envy lodged itself in her breast. To have a loyal servant who would follow no matter your faults. And here she was, hiding the truth from people. While there were some in the court who knew her secret, they were still her subjects, not friends she could confide in.

Iru sighed.

“Well, if you’re comparing yourself to a goddess, of course you’re going to come up short. Do you know how long she had to practice her social manipulation?”

Ali spluttered as she felt like Iru had just read her mind.

“And of course you’re going to lash out. You’re a stressed mess who feels like the fall of your country is your fault even though there is nothing you could have done at the time.”

Was she an open book? Did this adventurer have a Skill that allowed him to read a woman’s heart? Was this why Horn was this mellow with him?

“I once heard someone say ‘the king must not be human,’ that a ruler must shut down their emotions to rule efficiently.”

A mocking grin grew on Iru’s face.

“That is the biggest pile of bullshit that I have ever heard and the kingdom of that particular king fell over like a card castle when the one who followed that doctrine took over. Killed by their own kid in a civil war after being cucked by their greatest knight.”

That was certainly an example, though Ali had never heard about that story before.

“It’s like Freya said. Everyone needs to relax from time to time. We’ll get there tomorrow, so just have fun tonight.”

“I- Can I? I shouldn’t.” There was doubt in her voice.

“Freya would probably tell you how she got attracted by your soul, and how your doubts are making it cloudy. But while that cloudiness is something you’ll have to face on your own, it would be better if you were at 100% when you do so.”

The princess of Shalzad took a deep breath, released it and then looked back at Iru.

“Fine.”

“Alright!” Iru turned toward the tent Freya and Horn had entered while he was speaking with Ali. “Party is a go!”

He then ripped off his pants, showing that he had swim shorts underneath, a pair that he had bought in Orario before the trip.

Freya and Horn came out, the both of them wearing swimwear of their own. Horn was wearing a frilly black one piece while Freya wore a bolder black bikini.

They were also carrying the magic stone items they bought in the bazaar.

“Pool party!” Freya cheered like a college party girl.