246 – Battle against the King of the Dead – Interlude (3)

─ ‘Student Luce Eltania overworked herself a lot.’

As soon as he returned to Marchen Academy, he was informed of the situation by the imperial knight.

Alice Carroll was given a brief status report. The details were to be handed over to me later.

The priority was always the person I had affection for. I immediately rushed to the academy hospital.

Luce and Dorothy faced the demon army and won the fierce battle against the evil dragon. However, it was overkill.

It was shocking to see that a child with the vast expanse of mana had reached a state of mana depletion.

I was very fortunate to hear that the treatment went well and all I had to do was take a break.

The academy provided Luce, who defeated the evil dragon, with a private hospital room.

When I opened the door to the private hospital room and entered, I saw the back of Luce’s head sitting on the bed and looking out the window.

“Luce.”

Sunlight streamed in through the open window, casting a golden light on Luce’s rose gold hair. She turned her head towards me.

Poker face as usual.

But Luce stretched out one arm toward me and spread out his index and middle fingers to make a V sign. It was a sign of victory.

The hand movements that Dorothy usually did were something I often imitated, influenced by her. As a result, it spread to Luce as well.

Seeing that hand gesture made me feel relieved and let out a smile.

Approached Luce.

“I’m fine with my body… ?”

As I was about to sit in the guardian seat next to the bed, Luce suddenly grabbed my arm like a fisherman waiting for a bite.

“Wow!”

Luce tugged at my arm and lay down, and I, who had completely lost my guard, fell face down on the bed.

“Welcome, Isaac.”

A soft voice like a fine lady.

The intimate tone tickled my ears.

“… What are you doing?”

“I haven’t seen you in a while. In the meantime, I did as you asked. Then I think it is morally right to reward me for it.”

“Is there a reward for me?”

“of course.”

The kid who wanted me to stick by my side all day every day hadn’t seen me in a while, so it must have been.

My posture was uncomfortable, so I climbed completely onto the bed and lay down next to Luce. I met her eyes closely.

A slight breeze blew through the open window. The subtle scent of perfume and the enchanting smell of skin. Luce seemed to have just finished dressing up before I came.

“How do you feel?”

“it’s fine now.”

Luce looked into my eyes and whispered.

“Isaac. I’ve run out of mana from doing your favor, so take care of me. Do you have to take care of me now?”

“You say you’re fine.”

“I don’t have enough strength.”

“… okay. How can I take care of it?”

“Feed me. let me sleep hug me. save it.”

“Ask your maid for that… .”

“Let Isaac be my butler. Then it will be fine.”

“Does that make sense?”

“Or would you like to wear handcuffs with me? Don’t let it fall forever.”

Luce whispers humorously in an alluring voice.

Goosebumps ran down my spine for a moment reflexively, but I quickly recovered my body and mind.

“I’m kidding.”

Luce smiled faintly, and gently stroked the back of my neck with her hand and lightly rubbed my ear with her thumb.

It was pretending to be a joke. Luce considered it romantic to be handcuffed and attached to me. just being restrained.

“Isaac, I mean. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”

Luce held me by the back of my neck as if telling me not to get away from him, and stuck his head out in front of my ear.

My body naturally trembled at the secret whispers that tickled my eardrums pleasantly, but I struggled to resist the bodily reaction.

Luce knew that her voice was my weakness and did it on purpose.

“what?”

“Would you like to kidnap me?”

What bullsh*t is this again?

I turned my head and looked at Luce. She was looking down at me with a smile as she thought about the danger.

“Tie me up and lock me in your room. Then you can be alone in the same space every day, so it will definitely be fun. Maybe we’ll find something new and pleasant that we didn’t know before. I had a feeling like that. Why don’t you try it just once?”

Like a devil’s whisper. Luce’s voice had the power to deceive people by itself.

It seemed that there was an unwholesome picture that Luce wanted. She didn’t seem to have forgotten how she felt when she was arrested by me last year.

“The opposite is good too.”

that’s no more… .

I opened my ax eye and glared at Luce.

“Stop the boring jokes. It’s not something you do with friends.”

“They are not our friends.”

firm answer.

Strands of rose gold-colored hair brushed down her cheeks one by one, creating shadows around Luce’s eyes. Her fingers gently caressed the back of my neck.

The lifeless aquamarine eyes peered into mine. Luce calmly pursed her lips.

“Do you still see me as a friend?”

A whisper mixed with a deep sigh.

you know now It seemed to mean that.

Since it was made clear that I was an unnamed hero, Luce was in a position where her heart was exposed. There was nothing to be confused about the facts, and there were no feelings to hide.

Deep affection and misplaced desire for me were buried in his cold eyes. I didn’t know how to react to that expression.

When the silence that I don’t know if it’s so sweet or bloody hovers in the hospital room.

All of a sudden, heavy magic power passed through my skin.

With Chara!

“… … !”

A bunch of stars in the field of view.

The flow of gravity acting on the whole body changed in an instant.

Immediately, my body was lifted by an intangible force and pushed off the bed, and I was naturally seated in the guardian’s chair.

Guessing at once what the situation was, Luce raised her upper body, narrowed her eyes, and glared toward the window. I also turned my head in the same direction.

“Hey, friend. You can’t do that!”

window side.

Dorothy squatted on her knees and screamed like an old man. It came through an open window from outside.

“senior?”

Dorothy looked at me and greeted me with an eye smile instead.

“It’s okay.”

Dorothy entered the hospital room wearing her witch’s hat, approached Luce, and extended her index finger upward as she spoke in an explanatory tone.

“Have you forgotten that you are a patient? If you don’t keep a certain distance from others, you could get into trouble! Patients should focus on resting their mind and body?”

“… … .”

“Understand?”

Luce silently glared at Dorothy with a dissatisfied expression.

As usual, Dorothy didn’t seem to like it at all.

As if not interested in Luce’s reaction, Dorothy looked at me and smiled bashfully.

“Are you here, Chairman?”

Since it was in front of Luce, the title seemed to be the same as before.

I was excited to see the face I wanted to see like Luce. A smile came out of nowhere.

After that we talked about what happened at the academy.

We also had a short but enjoyable conversation. Luce looked uncomfortable, but when I smiled, his expression eased up in no time.

… …

I reported the situation to Elena Woodline, the principal of Marchen Academy. It was necessary to explain why the demons marched to the academy and what caused it.

The fact that the demon who controls the corpse appeared, that I defeated him, that the advance path of the demon army was not limited to the academy, etc. There was nothing to hide, so I explained everything.

I reported the situation to Magrio Halpent, the vice-captain of the 4th Division of the Imperial Knights. It was to instill a sense of debt to the Imperial Knights by revealing my achievements.

Evidence overflowed. Since Baron Lopenheim had been taken to Byance, the capital, a trial would soon take place.

Magrio bowed his head to me instead, saying thank you.

The children who were confined were sent to an orphanage, and Yves Loffenheim said that he would return to the academy once the investigation of the case was completely over.

It was no longer possible to remain in the Lopenheim Baron family, because Eve had nowhere else to go other than the academy.

Since he was his only blood relative and there were various circumstances intertwined, he seemed to have many things to talk about with Eve.

And an unexpected variable arose.

“A surprise attack?”

I met Saint Bianca Entourage at the church chapel located in Marchen Academy. She told me what had happened.

It was about someone stopping the denomination’s convoy and slaughtering all the human traffickers.

“yes. Do you know of any of the people you rescued who wore a red cape?”

Little Red Riding Hood. I remember. I said Mitchell.

To say that I am a prince from a fairy tale, or to say that I fell in love at first sight. She was a girl who talked about this and that without hesitation.

“Yes, I remember.”

“It is said that he did it.”

the kid?

“With a hatchet, too.”

“Hand ax… ?”

Would that physique have the strength to kill all the tall adult men with a hatchet?

No matter how much the opposing group was arrested, they would shake their heads. Judging by the status window, she was obviously an ordinary girl.

If you wield a weapon like a hatchet with insufficient strength, there is a high risk of injuring your hand. Just as it is common for criminals who are clumsy with knives to stab people with knives and injure their hands.

Besides, there were many opponents. I wondered if my stamina would be fine.

“I’m not lying because my believer is a victim and a witness. They say they witnessed the killing themselves.”

“Who are the injured? What happened to the members of the church and the children?”

“I’m fine. I heard they were all technically knocked out. You don’t seem like an ordinary person.”

“Then where is he now?”

“Without shame, the whereabouts are well… .”

Of course I don’t know.

I suddenly remembered the prayer Mitchell had given me.

─ ‘May the blessing of incarnation be with you.’

＜Marchen’s Magic Knight＞ was an RPG game that was evaluated as being ahead of its time.

One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed playing the game for years without getting tired of it is that it’s full of hidden elements and fun things to do.

It was assumed on the Internet that all the secrets of the game were not revealed until I was possessed.

Could Mitchell have been such a hidden element? I couldn’t tell.

At least something related to the main story would need to be left out of the question, but Mitchell was nothing but outside the story. Realistically, it didn’t seem wise to go to great lengths to uncover Mitchell’s identity.

However, boundaries were to be made.

* * *

“The demons were plotting? Did Bingje stop it first?”

“Yes, Gerald.”

Duke of Astreans.

Gerald Astreans, who took off his shirt and practiced his sword at the training ground, received a report on Ice Emperor’s performance from a knight of the Duke of Astreans.

The powerful demon who led the army of corpses, and Baron Lopenheim, who worked with him to scheme. And the mighty demonic soldiers who crossed the kingdom.

If he didn’t, something big would happen to the kingdom. However, Bingje showed his foresight and solved the problem. After all, he is a great wizard-like ability. Gerald was amazed.

Whenever he heard the news of Bingje, Gerald pondered over how to repay the favor of resolving the demon incident that occurred in the Duchy of Astreans last year.

That evening, Gerald opened his mouth at a meal.

“Kaya.”

“Yes, Father!”

Gerald, Historia, and Kaya Astreang. A place for three people to eat.

At Gerald’s call, Kaya put down her fork and knife and answered with a straight back. It seemed that the army was tightly held.

On the plate in front of Kaya, well-cooked monster meat was placed. I don’t know why he asked me to cook something with such poor quality and no nutritional value, but since he said that he wanted to try the monster meat, he accepted the request.

aside from that

Gerald asked in a grave voice.

“Are you familiar with Bingje?”

“… … !!”

It was because Kaya was attending Marchen Academy. Since you must have watched Bingje, it was to get an idea of how to pay off the debt to him.

Of course, there was a lot of hope that his daughter would build a friendship with Bingje. There were no parents who would hate their children because they had good school ties. So did Gerald.

But why… Heat crept up on Kaya’s face.

“I, well, I do have a friendship, but… .”

Kaya’s eyes rolled to the side, her cheeks flushed red. His voice trembled thinly. She was very bad at hiding her feelings.

He’s a father who usually treats me nervously.

When the name of the person he liked came out of his mouth, a feeling of shame came to him. It was a clumsy first love, so I couldn’t help it.

“oh?”

Kaya’s mother, Historia, who grasped the atmosphere, covered her mouth in admiration.

Gerald couldn’t help but notice. It was an unexpected reaction, so he opened his eyes wide in surprise for the first time in a while.

“Oh my… .”

Gerald’s eyes were filled with interest.

If Kaya reacted like that, the story would be different.

It was because figuring out what kind of man her daughter had a crush on was a serious matter separate from repaying the favor to her benefactor.

There was an uncomfortable silence at the dining table for a while, and Kaya noticed and ate a piece of beast meat with a fork.

“I guess I should stop by Marchen Academy.”

“Khehehe… !”

At Gerald’s sudden remark, Kaya accidentally swallowed the meat and cleared her throat.