Chapter 40 Operation Liliarette Magic Girl The Scheming Starts Now
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The afternoon was fading when Cleonora and the others finally stirred. We got to work preparing dinner, and I took the chance to openly and honestly—or, you know, earnestly—discuss the night’s plan with Cleonora.
I really gotta hand it to the universe for giving me the (Slave of Love) skill on Cleonora, especially for a moment like this. If I were to tell any normal woman that I was plotting how to win over her little sister tonight, they’d absolutely think I’d lost my mind, right? Even though I haven’t actually gone into the nitty-gritty of my skills—no mention of the Affection Level or Slave of Love to Cleonora—Ami-chan’s little ‘hints’ and follow-up explanations have made sure my devoted lover understands the gist of our situation.
”So, the main thing is that we have to lay the groundwork tonight to turn Liliarette into a Magical Girl, huh?” Cleonora affirmed, her voice warm and ready to help.
”That’s the deal~!” Ami-chan chirped, flitting around my head. “It’s a different situation than when you got your powers, Cleonora, ne~. Granting the full Magical Girl power is gonna take a little time, I think, nanoyo. That’s why we have to get the foundation ready tonight, or we won’t know when she can actually become a Magical Girl~!”
That was a ridiculously vague explanation, but Cleonora just nodded, totally convinced. That Slave of Love must really be working overtime, keeping her from questioning anything Ami-chan or I say.
…Or maybe it’s the fact that she’s the one who’s felt the Magical Girl power the most, I suppose.
”It’s true you can gain power beyond a Guru without any training,” Cleonora mused, looking thoughtful. “…Speaking of which, do you think a Magical Girl’s power could, say, remove the miasma? Is that even possible?”
Removing the miasma… Ami-chan had told me before that it couldn’t be healed.
”I can’t say for sure~,” Ami-chan replied, her high voice gaining a flicker of seriousness. “We never know what Class a Magical Girl will get until it happens, nanoyo. If Liliarette were to roll a priestess or some sort of healing Class… the possibility might not be entirely zero, maybe~?”
…Huh.
”Really!?”
It seemed like, depending on what the Magical Girl ‘gacha’ spat out, there was a non-zero chance that the miasma could be fixed. I still don’t even know the full roster of Classes that exist.
”It’s just a possibility, though,” Ami-chan reminded us, her voice sobering slightly. “That miasma, it looks like something even I can’t directly interfere with, ne.”
Putting our hopes on the future Magical Girl’s Class for now, we pressed on with the rest of the plan.
Heh… heh heh heh. Liliarette… you’re totally out of your depth here in my Dominion! I mean, your own sister is a willing accomplice, right?
I’m going to bring the hammer down on that self-aware ‘flower on a high peak’ attitude of hers! I was savoring that dark pleasure deep in my chest as the dinner preparations wrapped up.
Cleonora went into the house and came out, gently supporting Liliarette. The four of us gathered around the table, beginning our dinner while watching the night sky.
It was the usual—meat and fruit. I figured it would be flavorless, but then Cleonora pulled out a cloth pouch.
”Cleonora… is that…?”
”It’s rock salt,” she announced, her eyes crinkling. “I took it from the castle kitchen when I went to rescue Lilia. You know… our food is always so bland, isn’t it?”
”…! T-Thank you…!”
It turned out Cleonora had been thinking about our meal situation even when she was infiltrating the castle. She’s so incredibly kind and thoughtful!
The meat, seasoned with a little rock salt, tasted unbelievably delicious. After eating for a bit, Liliarette turned her gaze toward me.
”Um… Shimizu-san? May I ask you a question, if you don’t mind?” she asked formally, her silver hair catching the firelight.
”Sure. What is it?”
”My sister explained the situation, but… did you truly pioneer this land all by yourself?”
Like Cleonora when we first met, Liliarette simply couldn’t believe I was living in the Demon Forest. Seeing the actual house must have really shocked her. I gave her the condensed version of the story, the ‘how I got here’ bit. She probably had some context from Cleonora, so she caught on fast.
”Shoichi is truly amazing, nanoyo! He has the power to defeat even a Garudan in a single blow, and he gave me this incredible power! He was already developing this land when I first met him, nanoyo.” Cleonora’s praise was effusive and genuine.
”…Undoubtedly, you’re not just anyone,” Liliarette conceded, her gaze softening slightly. “But why my sister… and, you know. Why are you two in a deep relationship?”
Even though Cleonora was hyping me up, Liliarette clearly harbored suspicion about how her noble sister ended up with me.
Oh, that’s right, Ami-chan had told me that praising Cleonora was a good move. Praising someone close to Liliarette would indirectly validate Liliarette’s own values, the fairy reasoned.
”Honestly… when I first met her, I was absolutely captivated by how beautiful she was.”
”Shoichi…? W-Was that true…?” Cleonora gasped, her cheeks flushing beautifully.
Well, it was during her bathroom break, but I left that part out.
”Y-Yes, that’s right. And, well… as we lived here, I saw all of Cleonora’s good qualities, too. But the thing that truly drew me in was the strength of her wish to become a Magical Girl… her willpower.”
”A wish…?” Liliarette asked, leaning closer.
”A wish to save you—a wish for her little sister.”
I’d never say such a cheesy, cool-guy line in my regular life… it was embarrassing. Only some ‘Handsome Protagonist’ could get away with it.
But I was focused now on giving Cleonora the credit. Liliarette couldn’t possibly feel bad about having her sister praised so highly.
”To be frank, I was incredibly suspicious of Shoichi at first, too, ne?” Cleonora confessed, a soft look in her eyes. “But he was always so sincere with me, and he stayed right by my side. And look! He actually gave me a power that surpasses a Guru. And he was even able to rescue Lilia all by himself.”
”It’s true… the flying sorcery surprised me, but I still can’t believe how he nullified all the high-level sorcerers’ spells.” Liliarette breathed, her skepticism cracking.
Flight magic and barriers are basically the standard kit for a Magical Girl, of course! And that was a crucial point in my anti-Liliarette strategy.
To get her to lower her mental guard against me, we kept up the friendly conversation among the four of us. Even being in the middle of a dangerous forest, having her powerful sister right beside her must have been a great source of comfort for Liliarette.
I felt certain that getting Cleonora involved would lower her guard faster than if I tried talking to her alone. Especially since her Affection Level is currently in the minus zone. I had to be careful… even though time was running short.
Just like with Cleonora, I was acting like an attentive listener—asking her questions, letting her talk, offering nods and affirmations to show I was paying attention to every word.
”So, Liliarette. Is there anything you want to do now?” I asked, guiding the conversation toward her future.
Cleonora had saved her right before she was to be sold to the Republic. There were a lot of unknowns for all of us, but getting her to state a wish couldn’t hurt.
”Well… there was a time I wanted to become a Guru and support the kingdom. But I can’t use sorcery now, can I? Perhaps helping my sister here wouldn’t be so bad.”
”Helping me? I want to help Shoichi develop his Dominion, so helping me means helping Shoichi, ne.” Cleonora smiled knowingly.
”Oh… I see,” Liliarette replied, her interest visibly piqued.
It’s true that life has gotten much easier since Cleonora started helping out. Resource Points flow in way better, and she even takes down Demon Monsters for me. But even I don’t know exactly where this Dominion is headed. The immediate problem is that we need to power up fast, since Ami-chan’s pursuers are probably coming.
If they smash the Great Phantasmal Soulstone, I’m dead. Cleonora knows this, so she fully understands the vital importance of developing the Dominion.
”Speaking of the Dominion… all the decisions about where to build the house and how to lay out the fences… that’s all done at your discretion, Shimizu-san, right?” Liliarette asked, her eyes scanning the area.
”Yeah, that’s right, why?”
”I see… if you’d like, I could offer some ideas for functional land design, including block organization? I happen to have some knowledge in that area.”
As she spoke, she cast a critical look at the fence configuration. Her posture practically screamed that she could do a much more beautiful layout.
Honestly, I did just slap the fences and moats down without worrying about design or real functionality. If we’re planning on adding more residents, thinking about the layout a little more might actually be a good idea.
”Besides… since I’m not exactly free to move around right now, if it’s possible, I’d like to research the ecosystem’s flora and fauna, since we’re already here in the Demon Forest, desuwa.”
”…Oh, you would?”
”Lilia, you see, has always had a truly superior talent as a sorceress, nanoyo,” Cleonora explained, stepping in. “She was always researching all sorts of spells, but her interests have always been quite broad, ne…”
I got it. Now that she couldn’t research sorcery, she wanted to study the plants and animals found only in this forbidden, untouched land.
I glanced over, and Cleonora and Ami-chan both nodded back at me. It was time.
”Liliarette. I know this is a big ‘what if,’ but… if you could fly through the sky just like your sister, what would you do?”
”Huh?”
Liliarette paused for a few seconds, trying to process the meaning of my words. I took the opening and pressed on.
”I can grant you the power of a Magical Girl, just like I did for Cleonora. I would be really happy if you would use that power here to help Cleonora develop this land. What do you say…?”
* * *
The man and the fairy conspire with Cleonora, plotting Liliarette’s Magical Girl transformation.
—
Summary:
Shimizu and his loyal accomplice Cleonora, guided by Ami-chan, start the scheming to convert Liliarette into a Magical Girl. The plan involves psychological manipulation over a simple outdoor dinner, using praise for Cleonora and the promise of new power to overcome Liliarette’s initial suspicion and negative Affection Level. The carrot is her desire to research the Demon Forest’s ecosystem and the chance to fix the miasma if she gets a suitable Class.
—
Character Insight:
Shimizu finds a dark pleasure in manipulating the noble Liliarette, viewing her as an ‘unattainable woman’ he must bring down, all while justifying his actions as necessary for the Dominion’s safety against future attacks. Cleonora’s unwavering loyalty to Shimizu means she is completely fine with scheming against her own sister. Liliarette’s intellectual curiosity about land design and the ecosystem is the key weakness Shimizu is exploiting.
—
Behind the Scene:
The ‘Magical Girl’ transformation is not instant; it requires groundwork, which is the psychological persuasion phase. The miasma issue is an unforeseen variable—a potential healing Class is possible, but not guaranteed. Shimizu’s main fear is the Great Phantasmal Soulstone being destroyed by pursuers, making Liliarette’s rapid power-up a necessary survival tactic.
Notes:
• Cleonora – The second princess. Have a yellow blonde hair. Usually styled as hairbun.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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