I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 209: Tue. Tour (2)

"Would you like to go on a tour of the Imperial Magic Academy?"

"Hmm... Not really? ...Maybe?"

"I'm busy training, so..."

"Then, is there anyone who wants to go on a tour of the academy that Yuria attends?"

"Me! Me, me, me! I want to go!"

"Me too! I want to go too!"

"..."

With just a small change in words, Charlotte and Yuria suddenly raised their hands enthusiastically, reacting with excitement.

It was decided then—they would go on a tour of the Imperial Magic Academy.

Of course, the headmaster immediately refused to provide the tour program, asking us not to come.

But it wasn’t necessary to have the headmaster’s permission to go on a tour.

The academy was generally open to the public, so if we just showed up on any given day, that would be a tour.

A tour program? That wasn’t really needed.

Yuria's influence was so extensive that with just a small request to her, we could easily tour most places.

"Shall we leave then?"

"Yay! Sounds good!"

"Right now? Is that okay? Yuria... can we go without telling her?"

"Looking at the schedule for today, Yuria has plenty of free time, so she should be able to show us around the campus."

"Why do you know Yuria’s schedule so well? It’s kind of creepy...?"

"..."

With the academy tour decided, the children excitedly rushed off to change their clothes.

While waiting, I was about to call for a cup of tea when...

"Sylvia."

"Ah, yes?"

"..."

"Did you call for me, Master?"

Sylvia, startled, trembled slightly, as if she had been daydreaming for a moment.

It was then that I realized why she was acting that way.

Come to think of it, Sylvia had been reluctant to visit the Imperial Magic Academy. I had completely forgotten that fact.

"Why don’t you stay at the estate? You must have a lot of work to do."

"Nothing comes before protecting you, Master. I will follow you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. My trauma has already been healed thanks to you, Master. I’ve changed my fate with you, and I’m no longer afraid of the past, so please don’t worry."

"Hmm... I’m satisfied with that answer."

Sylvia, speaking confidently with a gentle smile, seemed to have come a long way from her earlier hesitations.

I remembered that Sylvia had been reluctant to visit the academy because the person who had trained her as a candidate for the Hero was still working there.

She had feared that person in the past.

But now, having overcome her past self, having physically grown stronger and emotionally matured, Sylvia had nothing to fear anymore.

Her past was just that—past.

With her growth, both physically and mentally, there was nothing left to fear.

"Old man, old man! Let’s go already! If we don’t leave soon, we’ll arrive after the sun sets!"

"Alright, alright. Let’s go."

The children’s voices echoed as they hurriedly ran back and forth, eager to leave. They were quick, too.

Normally, they’d take forever to change clothes, but today they were rushing like it was an urgent mission.

Looking at their outfits, both of them were wearing active, light clothes, ready for a day of play.

When I mentioned that the campus was large, they must have already been planning to run around and explore.

At first, I had planned to take a carriage around the campus. But to keep their excitement high, it might be better to walk instead.

In the summer, walking without a carriage would have been exhausting, but now, with autumn approaching and the weather cooling down, it would be fine.

If it became too tiring, I could leave the rest of the tour to Yuria and just relax indoors, so I didn’t have to worry.

As the carriage sped toward the highway, I saw something unusual outside the window. For a moment, I was startled.

"Hmm?"

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"Why? Is there something strange outside?"

"Oh, it’s nothing..."

Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen the city streets in a while. The scene of the city seemed a little odd.

There were skeletons casually talking with people, walking down the street like they owned the place.

The guards' weapons weren’t normal either—they glinted brightly, painted in flamboyant colors, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

If I looked a little further, I could see a giant, dung-colored beast flapping its tiny arms.

Bandits were working together, laying concrete and repairing roads...

"Hmm? This just looks like a regular scene, right?"

"Yeah, it seems completely normal..."

Strange. It was supposed to be an utterly ordinary, peaceful scene in Vermont.

Why did this suddenly feel so out of place to me?

It was a mystery.

I swallowed the unsettling feeling and tilted my head in confusion.

Anyway, the carriage continued its journey.

It was like a family trip, full of chatter and songs. The children’s voices made the atmosphere lively.

As I started feeling dizzy from the motion, the carriage stopped, and we arrived at the Imperial Magic Academy.

"Wow! This is the academy! It’s huge! The buildings are massive and amazing!"

"Wow... This is real... I feel so small with all these people..."

The moment the door opened, the children hopped out excitedly.

As I was about to follow, I turned around and noticed Sylvia, hesitating before stepping out.

"..."

She had said she’d overcome her trauma, but it seemed she hadn’t entirely erased the psychological discomfort.

I instinctively reached my hand out to her.

"What’s this?"

"It looks like you’re having trouble with the dizziness. Here, take my hand."

"Really... you didn’t offer your hand when I was begging for it earlier..."

When Sylvia saw my hand, she relaxed, smiling slightly.

She grumbled but didn’t push my hand away, holding onto it as we stepped down from the carriage.

With a graceful motion, she tucked her hair behind her ear and elegantly stretched her legs—her exit was like that of a refined lady.

"Heh... You’ve grown well..."

"...Huh? What’s that about?"

[Kali, the evil god, fully understands your sudden change of heart and encourages you.]

Having watched Sylvia’s childhood for so long, having even gone back in time to meet her, I couldn’t help but feel like I had raised her for a long time.

It struck me deeply, and I felt a wave of emotion.

Sylvia looked at me, staring intently as if she was thinking, "What’s going on with him?"

"Aslan! Aslan! I asked the passing students, and look over there! That majestic building is the library! Can I go there? Can I, huh? Huh?"

"Let’s find Yuria first. We should greet her."

"Right! Yuria won’t know we’re here. We need to surprise her!"

"Isn’t that Yuria over there?!"

"Huh?"

Charlotte pointed into the distance, and Yuria gasped in excitement.

Even though the distance was too far for me to clearly distinguish anyone, the sharp-eyed girls seemed to recognize her.

Without waiting for any further words, Charlotte and Yuria started running ahead.

The distance between us quickly grew.

Wasn’t Yuria supposed to be bad at running?

Now that I looked closely, it was clear she wasn’t as fast as Charlotte, but definitely faster than me.

"Master, should I carry you?"

"Are you trying to socially embarrass me?"

"So, you’re going to keep your dignity in situations like this..."

Was I crazy?

There was no way I was going to make a fool of myself in the middle of the academy, where future leaders of the Empire were gathered!

I chose to follow Sylvia, walking quickly rather than being carried, and after a bit of running, I finally caught up with Charlotte and Yuria.

"Wow! It’s Yuria! Yuria in a school uniform!"

"She’s so cool! She really looks like... El... El... Elephant?"

"Are you talking about elite?"

"Yeah! Exactly! She looks so elite!"

"Hey, guys!"

When we finally arrived, Charlotte and Yuria were still excitedly clapping their hands, unable to calm down.

It hadn’t even been a week since we last saw each other, yet it felt like they were reuniting after half a year.

"Why are you guys here?"

"What do you mean? We came to see Yuria!"

"Really? Then let me show you around! Want to tour the academy?"

"Hehe! Yes! I’ve always been curious!"

"Then follow me... Ah, Aslan... no, Count, you came too..."

When Charlotte and Yuria saw each other, they were bursting with joy, their smiles never leaving their faces.

But as soon as they saw me, Yuria’s expression quickly soured.

What was she doing, screaming when she saw me?

She was about to hit me playfully, but without thinking, I ruffled her hair.

"Why? Do you think I shouldn’t be here?"

"No... It’s not that... Huh?"

She naturally leaned closer to me, tilting her head to make it easier for me to ruffle her hair.

Then, realizing something strange, Yuria froze for a moment.

"..."

"..."

The sound of my hand brushing through her hair echoed quietly as Yuria, aware of the eyes on us, felt her face turning bright red.

It seemed her habit had caught her off guard.

She had let her guard down.