I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 197: Guilt and such (14)

"..."

At the sight of the crack opening before her, Sylvia's mouth dropped open.

Aslan sighed and crossed his arms.

A moment later, Sylvia’s face turned even redder, and she quickly became as red as a beet.

"Wh-why is this happening? Ah! Ahhh! This must just be random! It’s working without any rules at all...!"

"..."

Sylvia waved her hands in front of her face while babbling incoherently.

This can’t be right.

It’s impossible.

Sylvia’s mind froze in confusion.

Indeed, when I first swung the sword in the office, I had the wish to return to the past.

I knew it was impossible.

But the thought of returning to the past and stopping my mana erosion seemed so appealing that, before I knew it, the crack had opened from the tip of the sword.

But that was just a coincidence.

I was sure it wouldn’t matter.

‘Did I really have the wish to stay here, alone with the Master, forever?’

Seeing this proof before me, I was left speechless.

Did I really have the wish to stay with the Master forever?

What kind of absurd thing was that?

Staying here forever was the worst-case scenario.

To avoid disturbing the present, I would have to live alone with the Master in the mountains, without contact with anyone.

Like today, having a warm meal together...

Sipping tea leisurely while chatting...

Forgetting all the troubles of the world and living just with the Master...

Would I really want to live that way for ten years?

Ah... oh... um...

"Ughhh!"

"Don’t feel too guilty. It happens sometimes. It’s called Stockholm Syndrome, where an oppressed slave starts to feel affection for their master, and it’s quite common..."

"That’s not it!!!"

Sylvia immediately clutched her head, writhing in embarrassment.

Just for a brief moment, the thought that I cared so much for the Master...

As a bodyguard, I shouldn’t have those feelings...

Hearing Aslan stifling a laugh behind me, Sylvia couldn’t lift her head from embarrassment.

"By the way, is this the time when you were experiencing mana erosion a month ago?"

"Uh... Probably?"

"..."

After a brief pause to calm herself,

still flushed up to her ears, Sylvia peered into the crack.

But the view inside was nothing but desolate, withered land.

No matter how much I looked around, there was nothing else visible.

"It’s definitely a desolate place..."

"Yes. But there’s nothing that could help us deduce the time frame..."

No matter how I looked, it was a wasteland.

How, exactly, could I figure out which time period this wasteland belonged to?

The wasteland could have been from a hundred years ago or ten years ago...

The only way to confirm if we opened the crack to the right time was to go in ourselves.

There was no other way.

"Let’s change clothes first."

"Ah, yes. That makes sense."

Aslan looked at his clothes and immediately decided it wasn’t right.

Right now, we were pretending to be average, middle-class travelers.

To prevent Sylvia from leaping into the mana storm of a month ago, we needed clothes that would prove our identity.

So before crossing over, we had to change back into our old clothes.

However, I still felt uneasy leaving the crack open.

I wondered if someone would notice while I changed clothes.

"This area is so remote, I doubt we’ll be caught even if we leave for a moment."

"Alright. Let’s hurry."

This place was extremely remote, a dead-end alley with no way out.

Of course, if we leave it like this, someone might find it eventually, so we decided to hurry.

Aslan quickly returned to the inn, packed, and retrieved some clothes.

A jacket with the Vermont family crest on the sleeve.

If anyone saw this jacket here, it would cause a major problem, so he had been avoiding wearing it.

"Don’t look this way..."

"I understand."

I wasn’t planning on looking anyway.

From behind, Sylvia was making a fuss, adjusting her clothes.

When we first crossed over here, she had changed without a word, but now she seemed to be getting more sensitive to her appearance.

"Are you done changing?"

"Yes, Master. Let’s go."

"Then let’s go immediately..."

"Excuse me!!!"

"...!?"

Just as everything was ready and Aslan grabbed the doorknob,

a bold voice suddenly cut through the air, and a black figure squeezed into the room.

Sylvia was startled and almost drew her sword from Aslan’s side but hesitated.

The figure was too small to be a bandit...

"Who are you?"

"Shh! Shh! Hide me for a moment! I’ll reward you generously!"

"..."

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.

The guards seemed to be searching for someone.

Why should I get involved in such a troublesome matter?

Aslan sighed, about to forcefully eject the kid, but stopped.

"Right now, get out of here..."

"Please! I beg you!"

"..."

The hood was slightly pulled back, and a young girl’s face appeared.

Aslan froze at the pleading look in her eyes.

"If you ask like that, I guess I have no choice..."

"Master?"

"Quickly, hide under the bed."

"Thank you! I won’t forget this!"

The moment the girl crawled under the bed,

a loud bang came as someone pounded on the door.

"Is anyone there?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Have you seen a blonde girl around this height?"

"No, I haven’t."

"May we search the room?"

"Of course."

Aslan quickly gestured toward his jacket’s sleeve and greeted the guards.

The guards just glanced around the room and quickly left, clearly uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere.

‘A spoiled noble brat.’

From the way his clothes reeked of nobility, it was obvious he was some noble’s son.

He was clearly someone who liked to hide his identity, and if something rude happened, he would likely retaliate with trouble.

The guards quickly escaped the inn.

"It’s fine now, kid."

"Phew! I can’t believe you chased them off using that fierce look. You’re more talented than I thought."

"Fierce...?"

The girl, sighing with relief, crawled out from under the bed.

When she heard the words "fierce face," Sylvia frowned.

Although she looked fierce, grumpy, and cunning, she was actually a good person, despite some of those traits!

"Now, tell me what you’d like as a reward. Anything is fine."

"..."

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look funny? I assure you, once you hear my identity, you’ll be so surprised you’ll faint. It’s better if you don’t know. So, just tell me what you want as a reward."

"..."

The young blonde girl continued with her arrogant attitude.

Aslan stared at her silently for a moment before smiling confidently.

‘The Emperor’s sister, whether she was young or now, is the same.’

From her hair color to her arrogant demeanor and unique speech,

there was no mistaking it—this was definitely Princess Vanessa.

She must have been the princess at this time.

Why, then, was she dressed so shabby and being chased by the guards?

"I don’t particularly want anything, but I am curious why you’re running away. Please tell me that."

"Hah. You want to know about my family troubles, even though I said I don’t care about gold or riches?"

"Yes."

"It’s not anything special. I just couldn’t stand my whole family’s disgusting behavior and had to run away. But it seems the outside world isn’t much better."

"Disgusting?"

"Adults are disgusting. Those who are different on the inside than on the outside..."

Vanessa clicked her tongue and chewed her lips.

Aslan, surprised by her expression, quickly understood and nodded.

There was a strange pattern engraved in her left pupil.

It seemed that this was the period just after she had received the Spirit King’s eyes.

Vanessa’s face was filled with worry.

‘Adults are disgusting. No wonder.’

She had just received the Spirit King’s eyes and started seeing into people’s hearts.

All those who had been kind to her, speaking sweet words and being polite, would have shocked her when their true, ugly feelings came to light.

She must have realized the palace was filled with such people and ran away.

But she hadn’t expected the outside world to be the same.

Vanessa appeared confident and bold on the surface, but her inner distrust of people was clearly evident.

"Adults are disgusting. Do you really think that?"

"Yes! They’re all the same! I’ve never seen a decent adult!"

"Look at me. Am I the same as other adults?"

"Uhh..."

At that question, Vanessa stared at Aslan, stunned, then was left speechless.

I was someone who had passed the Emperor’s sister’s test and was known for my pure heart.

Aslan smiled confidently, waiting.

Then, Vanessa slowly pulled back her head and said,

"Well, you are different. I’ve never seen a human so disgusting before."

"Yes?"

"Truly disgusting, but... pfft! It’s a different kind of disgusting from the adults I know."

"..."

After a moment of frowning, Vanessa burst out laughing.

The man she saw through the Spirit King’s eyes had a very strange inner world.

It was so complex and chaotic that she couldn’t fully understand it, but she could clearly sense a strong obsession with children.

He was truly a disgusting and unpleasant man.

But strangely enough, she didn’t mind him that much.

It was the first time she had felt that way after looking into an adult’s heart.

"That’s how it is. People become calculating as they go through life, but if you look closely, you’ll see the good sides too."

"Look closely...? I didn’t know that was even possible..."

Vanessa slowly opened her mouth, realizing something.

Behind all adults’ calculating personalities, there must be some good sides.

She had only been shocked by the dark side and never thought to look deeper.

"Well. Thanks. I’ve learned a lot from you."

"It’s an honor."

"Yeah. The disgust I felt from adults will be healed by your pure childlike innocence. At first, I thought it was a terrible hobby, but now I see it’s a gentlemanly and graceful one!"

"..."

Could it be?

Had I passed on the Emperor’s sister’s obsession with children?

Aslan felt goosebumps all over his body.

Just from this brief conversation, I had already greatly influenced her personality.

If we stayed longer, I didn’t know what changes would occur in the present.

Aslan gave Sylvia a signal and quickly turned to leave.

"We’ve got to go now..."

"Wait! Tell me your name before you leave!"

"You don’t need to remember it."

"No, I really want to know who you are!"

Vanessa grabbed Aslan’s sleeve, but it slipped off, and she barely touched his sleeve.

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But Aslan turned and left without looking back, and in the end, Vanessa was left behind.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Vanessa, puffing her cheeks in frustration, suppressed her irritation.

Then she suddenly noticed a button on the floor and picked it up.

"Whose family crest is this?"

It was the button that had fallen from the man’s clothes earlier...!

Vanessa, with a smile on her face, held the button carefully in her hand.