-Interlude for that is love, not a disease-

“There’s no poison, so its fine. drink it”

Saying that,

I speaked as gentle as i could to the two girls in front of me.

While offering two cup of tea.

The girls is puzzled and didn't take it immediately, especially the red haired girl.

She looked wary, and looked at her surrounding.

There's, no man here…

Muttering some things, she seems to relaxed a bit, and start taking a cup.

Looking worried, the brown haired girl asking me.

“Um... Thank you for saving us”

The girl make a small bow.

“Don’t mind it. Looking at how haggard the both of you when coming here , it’s

Natural for us to lend a helping hand.”

Saying that,

I, the leader of this country, Meia foresta greets those two strangers into our country.

….

The forest among tree.

At least, that’s what we called our country that we live in.

We had no official name for the place we live in, so sometimes we just call it forest and home, and everybody around here would understand just like that.

A huge tree is located south of the demon territory as the center of our country. It was said that the tree had been here since the beginning of the world creation.

We were basically never officially included as the country among humans and demi humans and we reject outsiders.

Part of reason because we have no need to interact with outside people.

Some people even consider us as weirdo that life more secluded in the forest more than elves.

So for people in the outside, some just call us forest people.

A gathering of various tribe, race, and nationality for those which didn’t have anywhere else to go.

But, we have one thing in common.

All of us, are females.

…

Our country is sized pretty big.

If the three biggest country of humans and demi human alliance combined, i think it can hold two times of that number.

However, living here is harsh for outsiders.

Because it was a monster den.

Our country people have a technique passed in generation to speak with the monsters.

We can communicate with them and making a pact to have mutual benefit with each others, in exchange we can support them with humans living method to make their life easier. So living here is not a problem for us.

Some monster with too low intelligence is impossible to communicate, or certain monster that we don’t compatible with is impossible to speak with. for them there's no choice other than subjugation or chasing them away if they're being hostile.

Some might wonder why there's only a woman here.

The founder of our country, and a master of alchemy, Calglio, making a rule that woman must be strong and dependant.

Getting rid of the original tribe that originally live here with force and chasing away the man, she become the de facto leader.

Developing a certain technique so that even we can impregnate fellow woman, only females are born as a result.

After she was died, she made it a rule that we must never see or met a male, especially humans.

Of course there's various problem for a country of a woman.

For example, when we got married and have child, it would be confusing to have two mother. So we decided the most masculine would be called father, and the most feminine is called mother.

Some outsider that heard about us is having a fantasy about a country of all woman. Well, too bad. Not all of us is a beautiful young girls.

There's a violent man among outsider that come here sometimes, for them, we castrated them and send them back to their home country.

Thanks to that, other country usually doesn't want to have anything to do with us.

Some deviants with certain fetish might still coming here with unpleasant intention, but luckily those kind of guys are rare.

I, once a traveling elf, had receive the family name foresta and guard this country for 400 years since then as an acting leader.

…

One day, those two is coming to our country.

With a haggard appearance and tired looking expression, even us which hates outsider doesn't have a heart to just suddenly kicked them out.

We have no reason to reject fellow woman, so we accept their coming to our country.

“It may be sudden, but mind if you girls leave once you finished recuperating?”

“!”

I talked to the point after some brief discussion.

The girls looked surprised.

I replied them with a smile.

“Don’t worry, i won’t just kicked you out suddenly. We will wait until you girls able to live on your own. It’s just, outsider probably cannot live in here comfortably”

The girls looked confused, so i explained to them while calling one of our forest guardian.

*friit* (sound of whistling*)

*rustle*

“!!”

A gorilla far bigger than a human male is shown up inside the house. Because he was big, he need to crouch just to enter.

“We have no objection if you girls still want to be here despite knowing it’s a den of monster. But no matter what, they’re still a monsters. They take outsiders, especially those that cannot speak their language with hostility. I cannot guarantee your safety if you stay here for too long.”

Outsiders consider monsters as target of subjugation or dangerous creature after all.

They looked at each other, then after they seems to decide on something.

“Please take care of us!!” x2

“I see, then you girls can just stay here until you recuperate.. Eh?”

I cannot believe my ears,

And i asked them again.

“I’m sorry… Did you girls hear my explanation at all? I told you this place is dangerous right?”

“We don’t mind!!” x2

“Didnt you.. see Eri, ah, i mean it's the name of the ape. You know he can eat you whole if he wants to. Looking at that, you guys still not scared?”

“We have used of it!” x2

“...”

I was speechless.

I mean, who in their right mind would want to live with a monster beside them?

We can communicate with each other so we can view each other as equals, but for the outsiders that cannot communicate with them…

They might view them as a enemy, or meal.

I ask one last time for confirmation.

“Mind if i asked a reason why?”

The girls looked at each other and then…

The brown haired girl started to explain.

“It’s because we have nowhere to go…”

“BECAUSE THERE IS A DEVIL NAMED MIKE OUTSIDE!!”

The red haired girl shouted excitedly and interrupt her.

The brown haired girl looked confused “Huh? Wait, Mai?”

Continue to speak, she explained again while ignoring her surprise.

“THE OUTSIDE WORLD IS DANGEROUS! THE WORLD OUTSIDE IS SCARY! IF I STAY HERE, I CAN PROTECT NORA FROM THAT BLACK HAIRED DEVIL!!”

(It seems like her image of Mike and Mika (currently Miho) is overlapped…) Voice from somewhere

“T..THAT DEVIL! I WON’T LET HIM HAVE NORA! THAT CUNNING, PERVERT EVIL MONSTER OF MALE BEAST! GETTING TO DO WHATEVER IT WANTS TO NORA! NORA IS MINE! I WON’T HAND HER OVER TO THE BEAST! I LOVE YOU, NORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

(Exclaimed this girl excitedly.

Even her memory of Mike and Mika is getting jumbled together.) Voice from somewhere

The surrounding guards is surprised with her sudden shouts, and looked at her surprisingly.

The brown haired girl looked embarrassed and speak “Wait, Mai, what are you talking about?”

The red haired girl ignore us and grab the brown haired girl hand.

“It’s fine, Nora! I will take responsibility! Even if we have four, ten children, or hundred children, i will love them like i loved you! I will not lose to that devil! Let us become one, Nora!”

“Wait, Mai? Are you still talking about that!? I told you it’s impossible for girls to have children right?”

“Don’t worry! You have heard the story from the wandering merchant we met back then right? With this country secret technique, having a children with each others is easy!”

“Eh? Is that why you’re trying to come to this country specifically!? So you’re lying when you said the outside world is full of devil more worse than the harvest god?”

Not wasting any more moment, the girl named Mai letting out a ring from her pocket.

It was a wooden ring carved amateurish with a red stone like ruby but looked cheaper.

At a glance, it seems to be cheap gift, but one can saw how much feeling poured into the ring.

“I have always love you. I had just realize this recently, but i can’t bear to be separated with you nor i am going to let you go somewhere anymore. Please marry me, Nora”

She made such a cool expression like a knight made a vow to a princess while holding her hand.

Everybody looked speechless and watching them.

Except the Nora girl...

“W..w..wha..t..are..you!?”

She looked deeply embarrassed and red in the face with a hint of confusion.

“M..mai? I thought you’re still confused since the incident in the harvest god island, b..but have you really gone crazy indeed?”

“I am sane, Nora, no, if i had to say, you can say my eyes had opened”

“B..but, girls marrying together… that’s weird”

“It’s not strange Nora. What is strange is this world that looked at us like some kind of disease. I still cannot forget the look of that merchant gives to us when i said we’re lovers”

She exhales.

“That’s why i sought for a paradise. For this place, that can accept woman married with each others, what else i can view it other than a promised land?”

She made a face like she had been enlightened.

Nora still looked confused and made a face like she cannot understand what is her childhood friend is talking about.

Then,

Mai grab Nora hand and inserting the ring into her pinky finger.

“I’ll say it again, i love you Nora. Become mine”

“Eh? Eh?”

Nora still looked confused and dumbfounded.

Then,

*clap*

Someone clapping,

While crying.

It was my granddaughter behind me.

*clap clap clap*

I start to clap too.

Then,

Not wasting any time, everyone is clapping them.

*CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*

“Splendid!”

Everyone is crying while looking at them while clapping.

I myself is already old so tears is not coming out.

But,

I can feel that this Mai girl is serious.

The Nora girl is looked confused instead and keep saying “Eh? Eh? What happened?”

I start to speak the word of our founder.

“It is every woman right to pursue their own happiness…”

“Eh?” Nora is confused.

“When our founder had given birth of our first child, that's the word she had first said to our child”

“Eh? Our child? Then...”

Smiling, i looked at her.

“To think that i was reminded by that word after so long. And by an outsiders too”

I patted the girl named Mai in shoulder.

“Seeing you reminds me of my beloved .. Please take care of her”

“Gladly! We will made a lot of children and live happily, mother-in-law!!”

Mai made a face like saying it to her mother in law despite they had no relation of blood at all and she was not even Nora mother. It seems her excitement is in the peak. The old woman didn't mind it either.

Everyone start to cheer “WOHOO, CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO!” and start to discuss having a party tonight.

In just that short time, they had consider them as a family.

“....”

Nora looked tired and mutters

They’re not even bothered to hear my reply, didn't they… am i the only sane person in this world?

Looking tired, Nora stopped playing a straight man and had resolve for her answer.

“I’m sorry...”

“!!!?”

Everybody froze after hearing her reply.