Lupusregina, a sadistic, pleasure-seeking werewolf, doesn't correct misunderstandings—she fuels them, douses them with oil, and reveals the truth only when it's too late to backtrack. Pfft, too dumb, serves you right!—a wicked wolf through and through.
But this was too far. Someone would die—likely a future groom. She corrected him instantly.
"Aura-sama doesn't have a penis!" she declared.
The young master blinked twice, stunned. "I thought dark elves were like elves. Maybe their external genitals are internal in childhood?"
"No! Elves, dark elves, humans—same deal. Aura-sama's a girl!"
Sixes chimed in. Both knew letting this misunderstanding persist would be fatal.
Despite their corrections, he frowned. "You don't need to tease me. What're you even saying?"
"You're the one saying nonsense, Onii-san! Aura-sama's a girl! No penis!" Lupusregina snapped.
"As Lupusregina-sama said, Aura-sama is female," Sixes reiterated.
"She wears boyish clothes, so what's the mix-up?" Lupusregina pressed.
They stubbornly pushed the truth, but he countered logically, assuming their insistence was a trick.
"I'm not judging by clothes. I carried Mare-sama on my shoulders—nothing at his crotch. Aura-sama and Mare-sama are twins, sister and brother. If Mare's a girl, Aura's a boy, right?"
No penis, just a soft puni—Mare's puniman.
"Totally wrong!" Lupusregina shouted.
"What's wrong? You saying Mare-sama's a boy? No penis! Also, I borrowed Mare's panties—too small for a penis."
"Well… Mare-sama's penis is still small, so it fits."
"…At Mare's size, my penis didn't fit those panties back then."
"Yours was big even then, Onii-san?" Lupusregina teased.
"Much smaller than now."
"When'd it get big?"
"Well…"
"You're both off-topic! Mare-sama's male, Aura-sama's female!" Sixes interjected.
"Right! Aura-sama's totally a girl!" Lupusregina added.
Aura, mentally mature but physically childish, lacks height and breasts. Shalltear teases her about it, sparking catfights. Aura's sensitive about it, hence the battles. Even Shalltear wouldn't cruelly claim Aura has a penis—that'd be a fight to the death.
"I get what you're saying, but I'm not so foolish as to trust majority opinion over truth. I won't just swallow what I hear," he said.
Wise words, but utterly idiotic.
Their logic faltered against his stubborn smarts. Brute force was their only option.
"No matter what you say, Aura-sama's a girl!" Lupusregina insisted.
"Exactly. A fine woman!" Sixes added.
"If you're that sure, I'll confirm with her directly."
"Absolutely not!" Lupusregina yelled.
They were fighting to prevent a deadly mistake.
"I won't ask if she has a penis—that's rude," he said.
Asking either gender is beyond rude.
"Then how will you confirm? You cannot ask!" Sixes warned.
"Simple. Strip her and see."
"!?"
Days later, Aura visited the Empire's mansion, discussing the Sorcerer Kingdom's alert network, as before. Her beast-based system, despite her skill as a beast tamer, had limits. Efficient routes wouldn't suffice forever—hence, organizational solutions. Only Albedo or Demiurge could help, but they were busy, leaving this man as her go-to.
She didn't blindly trust him. His ideas sounded plausible, but their efficacy was unproven. Testing one with Albedo, hiding its source, earned a subtle gasp of admiration. Albedo wanted to know its origin. Aura vaguely cited a knowledgeable source, hesitant to admit it was him—perhaps fearing Albedo's disapproval of using her subordinate.
Albedo's approval confirmed the ideas' worth, prompting repeated visits. But last time, she saw something shocking. Asked if she wanted to see it, she wasn't sure but leaned toward no. Still, as a floor guardian, she could refuse anything distasteful.
If shown something weird, she'd firmly say no.
Today, she packed away maps and draft organizational charts to show Mare. He handled papers with sensitive info, cautious despite the trustworthy Nazarick and E-Rantel maids.
"I've something to show you, Aura-sama. Got a moment?" he asked.
Her elf ears perked up. "…What? If it's weird, I'm not looking."
She asserted her right as a guardian to refuse. She had time—work done, she'd swung by the Empire after patrols, ready to sleep.
"An old matter—about Hamsuke," he said.
"Hamsuke?"
They moved to the mansion's atelier, barely used, with sparse shelves and few items on tables. Glass containers and vials of clear liquid suggested an alchemist's workshop, though less odorous than commercial ones.
"Look," he said, presenting a black tray with three white, pointed threads—Hamsuke's fur. He lifted the right one, rigid like wire. "This is unprocessed. Try the middle one."
Aura lifted it, and it bent like thread. "Wow! Hamsuke's fur got this soft?"
"Pressure-heated in a sealed container, then degreased."
"That'd kill her!"
"Would it?"
A mighty beast, but boiled at 300°C for an hour, she'd die.
"The third used only a solution, no skin damage," he said. It was as soft, retaining its sheen. "Downside: it needs repeated applications. Hamsuke's big, requiring lots of solution. Producing it's fine, but applying it's tough."
Aura imagined washing Fen, her 20-meter wolf—impossible. Hamsuke, smaller, was still daunting with repeated treatments.
"I've an idea to simplify application," he said, picking up a test tube, dripping a drop onto his palm. It spread flat. "Harmless, like water, skin-friendly, spreading endlessly. Try it?"
"Sure," Aura said, intrigued by the water-like yet unique liquid, a base for Solution's special lotion.
As she reached for the tube, it shattered, liquid splashing her. Her long gloves prevented cuts, and her waterproof vest and pants blocked soaking.
But, "Cold!? What's this!? It's inside my clothes!"
The liquid repelled non-skin surfaces, rolling like beads on tables but creeping toward skin through gaps—an insidious fluid. Solution had a deadly poison version.
"It's just cold, no harm. Hard to wipe off—wait for it to dry or rinse with lots of water. I'll prepare a bath. Sorry, Aura-sama, please warm up. Sixes, guide her."
"Yes, sir," Sixes said, waiting outside. Her cold glance met his as she led Aura away.
It was all staged. The tube was thin, designed to break. The bath was ready. Sixes was poised, glaring.