Chapter 84 Welcome to the Weird Village Tavern and the Fairy King’s Feather
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Oh, Lala-chan smells exactly like Shin-kun, she does! ¹ Like, totally! This means I can settle for Lala-chan’s body while Shin-kun’s away, I can!” Churidince chirped, all giddy and obsessed.
”…I cannot, for the life of me, understand even a single millimeter of what you’re saying, Churidince-san. I am deeply grateful that you came to our aid in the Lax Empire, truly. But you absolutely must not chain up and confine my Shin-sama!” Lala protested, her formal tone strained with panic.
”Layla-chan! Hollow-chan! Lala-chan smells so, so much like Shin-kun’s man-scent! She’ll make a perfect substitute! So, we’re going to take off her clothes, shower her with affection, and then, just like we always do with Shin-kun, we’ll give her a nice bath and cuddle her cutely in bed, we are!” Churidince gushed, utterly unhinged.
”W-w-wait! …Churidince-san, you just, like, casually mentioned something completely outrageous, didn’t you?” Lala exclaimed, her voice cracking with surprise.
”What’s this? Lala gets to be a substitute for the idiot Shin? Got it!” Hollow declared, a competitive glint in her eye.
”…Having been idle for so long, I must work diligently now. Understood. Alexia-sama, I shall devote my full efforts to showering Lala-sama with affection,” Layla stated with the grim precision of a servant accepting a vital mission.
”Hey! Stop that right now! Only Shin-sama is allowed to toy with my body, ² desuwa! …Please, don’t all three of you swarm me! No… this is not allowed, no, no, desuwa!” Lala shrieked, her noble composure utterly shattered.
The sound of cloth ripping erupted, followed by a soft, sliding sound, and then, a metallic CLANG!
…From that day forward, I was treated by Churidince and the others as ‘Shin-sama’s substitute,’ and I was affectionately ‘cared for’ until my Shin-sama finally returned, desuwa.
”Lala-chan, you’re so cute, you are!”
”Lala-sama… your, ah, growth is surprisingly advanced, I see.”
”…You’re bigger than me. I won’t forgive you, Lala!”
”Sh-Shin-sama! Please, save me!”
* * *
(A day later… at a tavern in a remote, secluded village)
”Huh… what was that?” I mumbled, glancing around the grubby tavern.
”What’s up, Shin? You okay?” Karentisia asked, not looking up from her meal.
”No, nothing… I just felt like Lala-chan was calling out for help somewhere. Must be my imagination, right?” I wondered, pushing the feeling away.
”We rescued Lala back in the Lax Empire, remember? We haven’t had any trouble from that country since then, so it’s not like Lala’s in any danger, is it? You worry way too much, don’t you?” she sniffed.
”…Yeah, I guess you’re right. The Lala-chan of today wouldn’t be attacked by anyone; she’s probably living peacefully,” I convinced myself, quietly eating my regular menu order while watching the conversation unfold.
* * *
(Meanwhile, in Shin’s bedroom)
”W-what is that medicine? Where on my body do you intend to apply it? S-stop this! Alexia-san, Layla-san, Hollow-san!” Lala pleaded in terror.
”Rub-rub-rub! Lala-chan is the cutest, she is!” Churidince cooed, still maniacal.
”Lala-sama… since it’s a day off, we appreciate you taking Shin-sama’s place,” Layla stated formally, focused on her duty.
”…I can’t believe your butt is bigger than mine. I will never forgive that,” Hollow growled, full of competitive jealousy.
”S-Shin-sama! Please come home quickly!”
* * *
(Back inside the tavern)
I’ve been getting quite a few ‘help thought-magic’ pings from Lala-chan, signaling danger, but they’re not marked as emergency level, so I’m sure it’s fine. Right?
More importantly, I need to focus on this suspicious merchant who just walked up to our table and started talking.
”…So? You just walked up to us while we’re eating. What exactly do you want, you shady magazine peddler?” Karentisia demanded, clearly annoyed.
”Ihihihi… Oh no, no, I am nothing so suspicious, my good lady. I am merely a humble tool-seller, traveling about and hawking my masks and musical instruments, and such,” the Merchant replied, his voice slimy.
He had fox-like eyes, was bone-thin, and carried some creepy magical tools on his back. I mean, come on, he looks suspicious! His vibe is totally like that merchant in a green cap from that huge adventure game. Since he sells masks, it makes the resemblance even stronger, I guess.
”Right. Well, if you don’t have any business, would you kindly go away? We’re tired from a long journey, you know,” Karentisia scoffed.
Karentisia-chan, who was eating an ‘³ Kid’s Plate’ (a full omelet rice!), looked up with an irritated expression and made her demand.
”Oh! Forgive me, forgive me! Ihihihi… A child traveling alone is dangerous, is it not? Are your parents not with you?” the Merchant pressed, leaning in closer.
”…Can you not judge me by my looks? I’m actually an adult Elf, you know. That’s why I’m allowed in the tavern. That’s the proof right there. Chew!” Karentisia shot back, angrily shoveling omelet rice from her Kid’s Plate.
I was just quietly eating my own normal meal, watching them bicker. What’s up with this exchange? This is supposed to be the intro scene for Karentisia-chan’s Royal Family Quest Event, but why is it happening when she’s this young?
”Oh, oh, oh! Was that so! My sincerest apologies, my lady. An adult member of the Elf Royal Family!” the Merchant gasped, a fake, wide-eyed look on his face.
”?! …How do you know that, you old creep?” she hissed, taken aback.
”Ihihihi! That’s a secret. But, at last, you’ve agreed to exchange meaningful words with me, haven’t you? That is good, so good… which means you might agree to my request,” the Merchant wheedled.
”…And what would that be, Tool-Seller?” I asked, cutting in between the two of them.
The Merchant looked displeased for a moment when I interrupted.
”…Ah, yes. I need you to retrieve a feather for me, if you would be so kind.”
”A feather? What kind?”
”…The Golden Feather. A feather that glitters and shines like pure gold. I need you to retrieve the Proof of the Fairy King for me, if you would.”
—
Summary:
The chaotic affection for Shin reaches a new, utterly humiliating peak as Churidince, Layla, and Hollow ‘adopt’ Lala as a substitute, leading to an utterly distressed Lala being forcibly ‘cared for’ in Shin’s bedroom. Unaware of the domestic drama, Shin and the perpetually annoyed Elf Royal Karentisia stumble into a remote village tavern. There, they encounter an intensely suspicious merchant whose bizarre appearance and slimy demeanor are straight out of a classic RPG. The merchant, after irritating Karentisia by questioning her age, reveals he knows her royal identity and hooks the adventurers with a serious, high-stakes quest for the legendary Golden Feather, the Proof of the Fairy King.
—
Character Insight:
Lala’s absolute loyalty to Shin is her undoing, as it makes her a viable target for the others seeking an ‘acceptable’ emotional substitute, shattering her noble composure in the process. Shin’s remarkable obliviousness—where literal magical distress signals are dismissed as ‘non-emergency’—serves as the main comedic engine. Karentisia’s pride as an adult Elf Royal makes her instantly defensive when her child-like appearance is highlighted, setting the stage for the traditional Royal Quest to begin, even if the timing is completely unexpected.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter is all about a major tonal shift. It begins by maximizing the internal yuri-harem comedy and distress surrounding Lala, which is a payoff from the previous arc’s resolution. The second half is the crucial plot-hook moment where the narrative pivots into a new Fantasy Quest arc, introduced by the Suspicious Merchant NPC. The unexpected early appearance of Karentisia’s Royal Family Event is a meta-commentary joke, suggesting the game’s plot is being accelerated by the protagonist’s actions, ensuring the narrative remains fast-paced and unpredictable. The Merchant’s description is intentionally a clear reference to a famous video game character, adding another layer of world-building meta-humor.
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T/L:
¹ The original Japanese phrase for ‘smells exactly like’ has a very strong, almost overpowering connotation, hence the translation to ‘smells so, so much like Shin-kun’s man-scent!’ to convey the intensity of the scent being a replacement for his presence. ↩
² The term ‘moteaso,’ translated as ‘toy with,’ carries connotations of playing with, handling, or even manipulating another person for one’s own pleasure, which fits the current, non-consensual scenario. ↩
³ The ‘お子様セット’ (Okosama Setto), or ‘Kid’s Plate,’ is a special meal for children, often featuring items like omelet rice, mini-hamburgers, and a small flag, which hilariously undercuts Karentisia’s insistence on being an adult. ↩
Notes:
• Lala – Delusional saint candidate from the Lax Empire who becomes fanatically devoted to Shin, founding a religion in his name and often speaking with the quirky suffix ‘~desuwa’
• Right – An upperclassman frustrated with ten-year-old Alexia’s presidency who initially supported Lilith (‘Lili-tan’) for the role. He represents the ‘cute girl fetish’ faction, rips up the magic paper in anger, and engages in heated debates with Left about the academy’s bizarre political landscape and student obsessions.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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