I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 214: Idiot (2)

"There's no special matter. I just thought that this moment might be one of the few chances left today..."

"Ugh..."

Silvia's body suddenly shrank and, in an instant, she transformed back into her younger appearance. I was taken aback and let out a sharp breath. What’s going on with her all of a sudden...?

"What... what are you doing? Even if you do this, I still won’t send you to the Imperial Magic Academy."

"Really? You’re not going to send me?"

"...I’ll need to think about it for a bit."

Thunk. Silvia climbed onto my lap, casually looking back over her shoulder, meeting my eyes. The sleeves of her clothes were long, and the angle of her gaze looked down at me, making it impossible for me to think rationally anymore.

"It was a joke. I’ve been busy all day guarding you and handling affairs. There’s no way I’d go to the academy."

"...That’s true."

"Are you becoming too kind when I’m little like this?"

"Well, isn’t that to be expected?"

"Eh? To be expected?"

"When I see you like this, my forgotten guilt resurfaces."

"Ah..."

Slowly, I held Silvia's head and turned it gently towards me. It was hard to meet her eyes. Those eyes seemed to prick at my chest, stabbing me.

She was once a promising candidate for the hero. The person who was supposed to become a grand magician or a swordmaster. I had crushed that dream.

Although I did it to save Silvia. The timeline became so twisted that there was no turning back. But the fact that I broke her heart, bound her to the Vermond family, and forced her into a dark, emotionless adolescence was undeniable.

"So, does that mean you don’t want to see me like this anymore, master?"

"Yeah. It’s really bad for my heart, so I wish you would stop. I’m not one to linger on people who have already grown into adults."

"I’m sorry, but I’ll have to refuse."

"...What?"

"I never had a childhood. When I was a candidate for the hero, I lived as a machine, not a person. After that, I lived as a tool of the Vermond family, thanks to someone."

"..."

Silvia slowly leaned back against my chest. Is she trying to further trigger my guilt? What a cruel person she is.

"So, I never had anyone to spoil me, and my childhood passed by without me ever being spoiled. I guess this current appearance of mine is the result of that lack, and it seems that only if you accept my childish behavior will I be able to relieve it."

"...Are you serious, Silvia?"

"Yes. I have never been insincere."

"..."

Silvia rubbed the back of her head against my chest. Her voice, though pleading for affection, was calm and steady. Her gesture of rubbing her head was so casual that I almost burst out laughing, unable to believe it.

This tomboyish girl saying such things didn’t match her at all, and it wasn’t convincing. But I figured it was just Silvia being unskilled at expressing her true feelings, so it made sense.

No one could come out of such a painful childhood unscathed. They may seem fine on the outside, but that would just be a facade. Silvia must be the same.

"Is it... bad to act childish...?"

"..."

[The Evil God, 'Kali,' is glaring at you, wondering if you’re really going to ignore our knight.]

Slowly, Silvia turned her head and glanced up at me sideways. Her eyes were sparkling, almost as if they were teary, about to spill tears at any moment...

I finally softened. If I ignored this, it would be like I had no heart, like a psychopath.

"Sometimes. Only sometimes. When the day’s work is done, and there are no more duties or missions left, I’ll allow you to act childish like this. Then I’ll accept it without any conditions."

"Ugh... I understand. That’s enough for me."

"And by the way, I’ve found out something while talking with the headmaster. The person who was in charge of the hero training program when you were a candidate is now in prison on other charges. The abuse of hero candidates was brought up again during the trial, and it seems like they won’t be getting out anytime soon."

"I see... So now there’s no reason to hesitate about going to the Imperial Magic Academy..."

Silvia exhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Although this news seemed like an anticlimax compared to the determination she had when she decided to come to the academy, she smiled in relief, her tension easing.

"Heh... Now I can forget about things like revenge and live peacefully, by your side..."

"..."

Silvia dug in closer, tightening her grip, then started rubbing her head against my neck, giggling softly.

Damn. I can’t stand it. Is this girl really the same size as me, capable of carrying me without trouble? I was starting to forget what Silvia originally looked like.

Why can’t we just stay like this forever?

"Um... Should I head back now? It’s hard to stay alert like this..."

"No, it’s fine. Anyway, if any threats come, Charlotte will wake up and let me know, so it’s okay. You can relax."

"Hehe, okay. Since this is my rare chance to have you all to myself, I’ll savor it just a bit longer..."

Silvia playfully rubbed her cheek against my hand, making a teasing sound. Is this... her trying to be cute...?

Her movements were stiff and unnatural, almost as if she were a broken toy trying to show affection. I could see that she’d never really tried to act cute before. It was both sad and adorable, and I almost let out a laugh.

But just as I was thinking that, I turned my head and caught eyes with Yuria.

...When did she wake up?

"Ugh..."

"Umm... Master, why did you stop petting me? Don’t tease me, pet me more... more, please."

"Silvia."

"Why do you call me...? I just want to take a nap..."

"Silvia."

"Huh? Eh? Ah?"

"..."

She had been growling with a nose-sounding voice, but when I poked her side, she finally seemed to realize something was off and looked around. Upon seeing Yuria and Charlotte awake, Silvia’s face turned red with embarrassment.

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"Ah! Continue what you were doing, Sister Knight! We’ll sleep better, so don’t mind us!"

"Y-yeah... we won’t disturb you..."

"Ahhh! Please forget about it!!!"

In an instant, she returned to her adult form and disappeared into the shadows in the corner. The sound of a scream echoed sharply, and it didn’t stop until we reached the mansion.

"Really? You’re a friend of the master? In that case, can I call you master too?"

"Absolutely not, senior."

"Why not...?"

A voice full of confidence and cheerfulness came from behind, causing Yuria to feel a headache.

'Lilia is the daughter of the duke’s family, and she’s been first in the elemental studies department for the past four years!'

A noblewoman with status, wealth, and knowledge. Lilia was a senior at the academy, admired by everyone, including Yuria.

How did this person end up following me around all the time? Yuria’s head was spinning.

"Please, maintain your dignity, senior. If you keep this up, I might end up getting on the duke’s bad side."

"Oh? Are you really worried about that? And don’t worry, my father is not the petty kind."

"Why, then, are you making Yuria your teacher? She’s older and has more experience..."

"That doesn’t matter at all! Experience is a bit important, but rank or age doesn’t matter! What matters is ability! The true way for a noble is to serve a master with outstanding skill, to follow their example, and advance toward a better tomorrow! Hohohoho!"

"..."

Lilia laughed loudly, scattering her dazzling spiral hair. Yuria found it a bit silly but also realized that this person actually had a clear sense of purpose.

She had thought all nobles were full of showiness and arrogance, looking down on others. But this person was genuinely trying to learn and gain something, even from commoners...

Such a strange person.

"If possible, I’d even like to bring you into my family!"

"Into your family? Do you mean adopting me as your heir?"

"No! I want to marry you through engagement! My younger brother is around the same age, you see!"

"Eh!?!"

Yuria couldn’t believe it—engaged to some duke’s son she didn’t even know? That’s not happening. Absolutely not. I can’t let some little brat ruin the Yuria x Charlotte ship.

But how could I refuse this? It’s not even Yuria herself asking, but her friend. What reason do I have to stop it?

As Yuria’s mind became chaotic, a reason suddenly flashed across her mind, and she immediately blurted it out.

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because Yuria is already promised to be Aslan Vermond’s bride!"

"Ah... In that case, I guess I’ll have to give up..."

"Eh!?"

Yuria immediately realized what she had just said and quickly covered her mouth in shock.

What did I just blurt out!?