夕方、開幕くしゃみで屋敷の庭が焼け野原になった。
......この説明だけを見たら正気を疑われかねないが、事実そうなってるのだから仕方ない。
魔法でちゃんと復元して、バルタサルと向き合う。
「......?」
彼女はきょとん、と言う目でおれを見た。自分がやったことをまるでわかってないって顔だ。
「そのくしゃみ、意識してやってるの、それとも無意識でやってるの、どっちなんだ?」
「くしゃみ?」
「無意識か......」
付き合いは短いが、彼女が裏表のない人間だってことはわかってきた。
良くも悪くも裏表はない人間だ。......魔王が人間かどうかって話は別として。
無意識でやってるんならしょうがない。
「ルシオ」
いきなり聞こえた声の方に振り向く。
夕焼けの中、イサークとアマンダさんの姿が見えた。
イサークがつかつかと屋敷の敷地内に入ってきて、アマンダさんがその後に続く。
そういえば何か問題を起こしてアマンダさんが迎えに行ったんだっけ。
「大丈夫だったのか」
「当たり前だ、あの程度の事でおれがどうにかなるもんか」
「なんでそんなに自信満々なんだか」
背後にいるアマンダさんは相変わらずの表情だけど、微妙に苦い顔をしてる。
絶対に「あの程度の事」ですまないのはわかる。
後でアマンダさんに聞こう。
「それよりもルシオ、お前に一つ聞きたい事がある」
「聞きたい事?」
「そうだ、ここに赤い髪の美女が住んでるって聞いたぞ。彼女はどこだ」
「赤い髪......ベロニカの事か?」
「ちっがーう。あんな乳臭いガキじゃなくて、妖艶でグラマーで、大人な感じの美女だ」
......やっぱりベロニカじゃないか。
赤い髪で妖艶でグラマー、ベロニカの本来の姿だ。
その姿に魔法をかけて子供にしたのが今のベロニカだ。でもってたまに元の姿にもどって、屋敷を出入りしてる。
おれはアマンダさんをみた。
「ご説明はしたのですが、信じてもらえなくて」
なるほど。
誰かがそれをみてイサークの耳に入って、アマンダさんが説明したけど信じてもらえなかった、って事か。
面倒臭い、説明するの面倒臭い。
「その人がどうしたんだ?」
「紹介しろ」
イサークが即答する、やっぱりそうか。
こいつ、かなりの女好きだからな。
「話を聞くと前におれとあったことのある美女だ。あの時はちょっとミスってしまったが、今度こそ口説いて俺のものにしてやる」
イサークが女を口説くシーンを何回も目撃したことがある。
正直あれはコントだ、あれで口説き落とせる女がいると思えん。
なのにイサークは自信満々だ。
ある意味すごい。
「早く教えろ。大人の美女は俺のような大人の男がふさわしい。お前は――ほれ、そこにいる子供と乳繰り合ってるといい。お似合いだぞ」
「子供?」
振り向く、ぽわぽわしてるバルタサルの姿があった。
お似合いというか......まあシルビアたち、おれの嫁と同じくらいの年頃の見た目だから、お似合いっちゃお似合いか。
そのバルタサルはぽわぽわしたままだが、気づけばじー、とイサークを見つめていた。
どうしたんだろ。
「......3分の1」
「3分の1ルシオちゃんだ」
「3分の1おれ?」
バルタサルの意味不明な言葉に首をかしげる。
「ルシオちゃんと似てる、3分の1くらい同じ」
「あー......兄だしな、しかも血が繋がってる」
少なくとも「ルシオ・マルティン」的にはそうだ。
そう、あまり意識してないけど、イサークはおれの実兄。
......意識したらちょっと切ない気分になってきたぞ。
まあいい。
「ルシオちゃんは、一人でいい」
なんの事かわからないうちに、バルタサルはイサークに向かって手をかざした。
「お、おおおおおぉぉぉぉぉ......」
声が遠ざかる、イサークの体がどんどん縮んで......変化する。
わずか数秒の間で、彼は人間からナメクジになった。
......カラフルで、体のあっちこっちに星のマークがついてるナメクジ。
おまえ......ナメクジになってまでそんな格好か。
いやいや、そんな事よりも。
「どういう事なんだ」
「ルシオちゃんと似てたルシオちゃん以外のルシオちゃんはきらい」
「おれと遺伝子......似てるから魔法で変えたのか」
こくこく、と頷くバルタサル。
なるほど、話はわかった。
完全にとばっちりだな、イサーク。殺気がなかったから止めないで様子見したけど悪いことしたかな。
......まいっか、イサークだし。
「ルシオ様」
「帰りましたわ――あら、そちらは?」
そうこうしてるうちにおれの嫁達が帰ってきた。
なんか、また一悶着ありそうな予感。
Evening, with the opening sneeze, the mansion's garden turned into a scorched plain.
......it would seem insane if you only saw this explanation, but it really became like that so it can't be helped.
I fixed it properly with magic, and faced Balthazar.
[......?] 
She looked at me with like innocent eyes. It's a face that doesn't seem to know what she just did.
[That sneeze, are you doing it consciously or are you doing it unconsciously, which is it?] 
[Sneeze?] 
[Unconsciously huh......] 
I just met her, but I knew that she's a human that is straightforward.
She's a person that is straightforward, for good or for bad. ......regardless whether a Demon King is a human or not.
If she's doing it unconsciously, then it can't be helped.
[Lucio] 
I turned around to the voice that I suddenly heard.
Within the setting sun, I saw Isaac and Amanda-san's appearance.
Isaac entered the premises of the mansion confidently, and Amanda-san followed after him.
Come to think of it, Amanda-san came to get him because he did some trouble or something.
[Was there no problem] 
[Of course, how can I be dealt with, with such a minor thing] 
[I really wonder why you're that confident] 
Amanda-san who's behind him had her usual expression, but a little bitterness was mixed with her face.
I understood that it was absolutely not[a minor thing] .
I should ask Amanda-san later.
[Rather than that, Lucio, I have something to ask you] 
[Something to ask?] 
[That's right, I heard that a red-haired beauty is living here. Where is she] 
[Red-haired......are you talking about Veronica?] 
[NO. Not that milk smelling brat, but a glamorous, bewitching, adult beauty] 
......it was Veronica after all.
Red-haired, glamorous and bewitching, it's Veronica's true appearance.
I casted magic on that appearance of hers, and the one who's a child right now is Veronica. And with that, I would return her to her normal appearance sometimes, and she would enter the mansion with that.
I looked at Amanda-san.
[I have explained it to him, but he would not believe] 
I see.
It means that, somebody saw that and it reached Isaac's ears, but even though Amanda-san explained it to him, Isaac wouldn't believe.
It's too much of a pain, too much of a pain to explain.
[What do you want with that person?] 
[Introduce me] 
Isaac answered immediately, it's like that as I've thought huh.
This guy, he likes women very much after all.
[From what I have heard, it's a beauty that I've met before. I did something wrong at that time, but this time for sure, I'll seduce her and make her mine] 
I have seen scenes where Isaac would seduce women several times.
Honestly, that's just like a sketch comedy, I can't think that he would be able to seduce women with that.
Even so, Isaac was full of confidence.
It's amazing in a different meaning.
[Hurry up and tell me. An adult beauty is more fitting for an adult man like me. You should just--there, you should just drink milk with that kid there. You're just fine for each other] 
[Kid?] 
I turned around, there was Balthazar's flighty appearance.
Fine for each other, well......she looks like she's the same age with my wives, so if he'd say we're fine for each other, that's true I guess.
And that Balthazar, she's flighty as usual, but when I noticed it, she was staring intently at Isaac.
I wonder what happened.
[......1/3] 
[It's 1/3 Lucio-chan] 
[1/3 me?] 
I tilted my head to Balthazar's ambiguous words.
[Looks similar to Lucio-chan, about 1/3 is the same] 
[Ah?......he's my brother after all, the same blood is flowing through us too] 
At least, for[Lucio Martein] that is.
That's right, I'm not conscious about it at all, but Isaac is my real brother.
......now that I'm conscious about it, I suddenly felt distressed.
Well, whatever.
[Lucio-chan is fine with just one] 
When I was pondering what it meant, Balthazar reached out her hand towards Isaac.
[O-OOOOooooooo......] 
His voice sounded like it became far away, and Isaac's body gradually shrunk......he changed.
Within a few seconds, he turned into a slug from a human.
......a slug that is very colorful, and has star marks all around his body.
You......you still look like that even if you turn into a slug huh.
No, no, rather than that.
[Why did you do that] 
[I hate Lucio-chan who's similar to Lucio-chan other than Lucio-chan] 
[The same genes with me......you changed him using magic because he was similar to me huh] 
*KokuKoku*, Balthazar nodded.
I see, I get the story.
It was completely not your fault huh, Isaac. I did something bad for just watching because I didn't felt any killing intent.
......well, whatever, it's Isaac after all.
[Lucio-sama] 
[I have returned--ara, she is?] 
And while this and that happened, my wives came back.
Somehow, it feels like there's more trouble to come.
Manga wo Yomeru Ore ga Sekai Saikyou ~Yometachi to Sugosu Ki mama na Seikatsu~
マンガを読めるおれが世界最強～嫁達と過ごす気ままな生活
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/manga-wo-yomeru-ore-ga-sekai-saikyou-yometachi-to-sugosu-ki-mama-na-seikatsu/
Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Shounen Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Age Progression Arranged Marriage Beastkin Beautiful Female Lead Calm Protagonist Caring Protagonist Child Protagonist Clever Protagonist Demons Devoted Love Interests Doting Love Interests Early Romance Easy Going Life Genius Protagonist Kind Love Interests Loli Love Interest Falls in Love First Magic Male Protagonist Marriage of Convenience Nobles Overpowered Protagonist Playful Protagonist Polygamy Protagonist Strong from the Start Reincarnated in Another World Shota Skill Assimilation S*aves
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9488db/
三木なずな