This is a story from after the start of Part Three.
The town of Polka, at the northern edge of the Trollot Kingdom, was welcoming its brief summer.
Flocks of sheep visited the verdant grasslands, and the shepherds, taking a break at the sacred spring, voiced their amazement at the changing face of the town.
“Welcome… Oh, Jeanne! Is there anything you need today?"
"I’m trying my hand at making children’s skirts as practice for sewing. Looking for something decently priced and good-looking."
"Sewing practice… I thought Jeanne was skilled enough to make clothes."
"I’ve done some patching before. But making a whole garment from scratch is still new to me. Vera-baachan said she’d teach me, so I decided to give it a try."
"Ah, the midwife… but skirts? Not for little Peter?"
"For Elenia. Besides, if I learn how to tailor, there’s more demand for women’s clothing around Andy’s place anyway."
"You’re going to make them for everyone…? Are you planning on becoming a tailor instead of a blacksmith?"
"I’m not thinking that far ahead. But it can’t hurt to be able to do it. With Seren and Apple taking turns watching the kids, I have plenty of time. Sharpening my skills."
"Hmph… I can’t let myself fall behind either.”
A passing shepherd stared at Jeanne and Oregano as they chatted amiably while checking the stock, his face a mask of shock.
”…This is something else… A dwarf and an elf chatting so friendly in a human town… I’ve never seen anything like it."
"Ah, welcome! How about a waterproof cloak to prepare for sudden rain? It’s a bit pricey, but it’s made from high-quality cloth woven in the Northern Forest—light, soft, and exceptionally water-resistant. Not a drop gets through even in a downpour, and it doesn’t get stuffy. We also have hats made from the same material."
"Ah, well… I heard that elven crafts are becoming available lately… but is it alright for someone like me to buy them?"
"The big trading companies, starting with Sylvfeed, get their own separate shipments. …This isn’t an elven direct-sales outlet; it’s just a regular shop run by humans, and I’m just a hired clerk. If you’re willing to pay, I won’t be picky about my customers!"
"I see… Still, letting a dwarf in so friendly…"
"Jeanne is like family to me."
"Family…?”
The shepherd looked utterly confused.
Generally speaking, that’s how it was. Elves and dwarves were supposed to despise each other.
An elf being “friendly toward dwarves” was already unusual. But casually calling them “family”? That was like pointing at an apple and calling it a fish.
”That’s just how things are in the world. Especially in Trollot, where people tend to look down on races other than humans."
"Hmph, that’s a shame… Everyone would be better off living together, and if individuals understood each other deeply, they wouldn’t bring those racial prejudices with them."
"Well, I can’t exactly talk. If Lila-neechama and Andy hadn’t dragged me along, I’d probably still have some weirdly discounted opinions about elves."
"If you say that, then what would we do without Master’s help in the forest…"
"Truly, Andy is an amazing man.”
Such conversations confirming Andy’s greatness were common among the female slaves.
Whether he understood it himself or not, many had had their lives and environments completely changed by him.
Especially the fact that the elven territory was beginning to open up to the outside world—that would never have happened without Andy’s intervention. That event, like a crack in an eternally overcast sky, was an achievement worthy of being called world-changing for the elves of the forest, no matter what he thought of it.
For the elves, becoming close to such a person was like stepping into mythology, and no matter how much they spoke of its wonder, their pride never faded. And hearing it, the other female slaves renewed their feelings of admiration for him.
Though it was almost masturbatory in nature, sharing it strengthened their bonds.
And as a result, the consciousness among them began to diverge quite a bit from that of the residents of Polka, visitors, and even Andy himself—but the title of “female slave,” originally incomprehensible to outsiders, meant that no matter how wide or deep that divergence became, it was easily overlooked.
Thanks to this, in Polka, the more time Andy spent away, the more girls lost their resistance to extraordinary behavior and became devoted to him… or so some would say, a strange trend of “the training of female slaves progressing” was beginning to emerge.
Meanwhile, at the Baron’s mansion…
”……”
”…Hey, hey… Selen? Um… haven’t you been acting kinda… off lately?”
”…………Hmm.”
Apple, who usually cooed at Peter, couldn’t stand Selen’s strange gaze as she fussed over Elenia.
Lately, Selen had been staring at Apple with a dead-serious expression—more like observing her. It was happening more and more often.
Apple had known Selen for ages. She knew Selen was actually a very straightforward person.
Selen possessed the skills to befuddle people and the eloquence to talk circles around them, but she didn’t use them in everyday life.
She’d immediately distance herself from anyone she disliked, and when she had something to say, she said it straight. She thoroughly disregarded almost everyone except a select few… or rather, she made the decision quickly that “this person doesn’t deserve my effort.” Because she’d been oppressed and looked down on as a Half-Elf, she was exceptionally good at discerning who and what were worth her time.
She completely omitted any part of that “social niceties” kind of frankness.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know manners—far from it; if you made her, she could master any etiquette—but she ignored them entirely when they weren’t necessary.
So, the fact that Selen was staring at her meant there had to be some reason. It wasn’t like she was just hesitating over something meaningless. There had to be a special meaning.
But Apple couldn’t think of anything.
Peter was as happy as ever, nuzzling Apple’s nipples, but it probably wasn’t him. Selen had only started looking at her with that expression a few days ago.
But Selen said nothing.
It was rare for Selen to be so vague. Maybe she suspected something… well, Apple didn’t know, but something serious. She grew anxious.
Selen hummed “Hmm…” blankly while nursing Elenia, then shifted her gaze and muttered,
“Apple… back when you were… doing sexy things with Andy… you did it in all sorts of places, right?”
“Huh? Y-yeah… I guess so?”
Apple didn’t understand the sudden change of subject and answered vaguely.
“Not just the hunter’s hut, but behind the hot springs, or in the forest bushes… Come to think of it, how did you do it there without getting caught? Someone might have seen me sucking Andy’s dick as they walked by.”
“Eh, but Selen was already healed by then, so she secretly used magic to hide us…”
”…………”
“Selen?”
Selen turned her gaze back to Apple.
Then, after a moment…
”…Apple. …Your memories… they’re back, right? Why are you pretending not to know about that?”
”!!!”
Apple froze. Peter, pressed against her breast in her arms, let out a strange noise—ngubuuu.
She frantically loosened her grip, but luckily, Peter didn’t seem inclined to cry… no, he had a look of revelation on his face, like “Aha! A way to enjoy big breasts is to use my whole face! This is amazing!” and promptly pressed his face against her again with full force, letting out another ngubuuu.
“W-what are you doing, Peter?”
“Apple… don’t lie. When… did your memories come back?”
”…………”
Apple sighed softly.
”…It wasn’t that long ago. When I was adventuring with Andy in the Kingdom of Carlwin… hmm, no, it was a little before that, I felt kind of hazy… Ah, like when you feel something’s off but can’t quite remember it, and it just fades away because you can’t find a starting point.”
”…That was in Carlwin, you say?” ”…Yeah.” Apple nodded softly. “There was a time when everyone else was about to give up, and I had to be like Andy. …I tried to cheer everyone up by being like Andy… And when I was desperately trying to remember what Andy said then… Suddenly, Andy’s childhood came flooding back.” ”…Why didn’t you say anything about it?” “I didn’t know. I couldn’t tell if it was a real memory or just some kind of fantasy… I’d been told the broad strokes by Seren, so maybe I fabricated the rest with that knowledge… That’s what I thought.” “But,” Apple continued, stroking Peter’s head as he pressed his face against her breasts, thoroughly exploring the feel of her new chest with a wry smile. “Gradually, things started to become clearer… Memories I’d never heard before, connections between events… All of that came back. And I wondered why. I didn’t know Andy, and I knew my memories were gone, but even so, Andy still said he wanted me… I was falling in love with Andy all over again as a new version of myself. So it was resolved, so why are these things popping up now?” ”…It must be…” Seren tried to offer an interpretation. It must be because Apple hadn’t fully come to terms with loving Andy deep down. As long as Seren wanted to live that way, Apple had no choice but to follow Seren and become a female slave together… That was the only way to live. Apple didn’t really have any other options. Becoming a female slave was partly because the lingering feelings she had for Andy reacted, but mostly it was just her resolve. Apple had decided that once before. This was just her deciding again. Andy’s childhood wasn’t particularly remarkable. But if you depended on him and drew up a future together, it was still a happy picture. That was more than enough happiness for a rootless half-elf. Re-recognizing that and accepting it was the female slave contract… And what drove Apple to such earnest service. But when Apple accompanied him on his extreme journey, struggled to be useful, and truly acknowledged his strength and virtues… I think that’s when the memories she couldn’t quite grasp before, like a dream, finally connected. But Seren stopped herself from explaining it further. It would be presumptuous. Explaining “Why you love your partner” with such an air of authority. ”…If you told Andy about this, he might cherish you even more than he does now.” ”…It feels like I’ve become two people, and I’m not quite convinced. The feelings of loving Andy anew and the old feelings of being obsessed with him… Both are strong, but they don’t quite mesh. …Loving the same person, but with different reasons for ‘liking’ them, living independently together… Do you understand that?” ”…Sorry, it might be hard to grasp.” She could imagine it, but empathy would be difficult. Two similar yet divergent feelings directed at one person. Apple had been carrying that silently within her. ”…Seren, you get that kind of thing, don’t you?” “Hmm… I just thought the atmosphere was a little different since she came back. I wasn’t sure if it was because of that amazing journey or something else… I couldn’t figure out which, so I was always wondering.” “What were you going to do if it turned out to be different from what you expected?” ”…I just wanted to know the truth, I guess.” Seren smiled wryly. That was just another trait of a lonely half-elf. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her best friend. She just wanted to understand why she had changed. Now she realized that she had been making her friend anxious for it, and she gave herself a little tap on the head, thinking she still had a long way to go. ”…I hope you can talk to Andy about that someday.” ”…Hmm. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.” “It’ll be a good thing, I’m sure.”
Holding the baby, they smiled at each other gently, forgiving each other’s doubts and lies.
(Note: The translation preserves the original tone—soft, intimate, and slightly melancholic—while accurately conveying the nuance of “forgiving” past deceptions.)