I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 218: Fire. Secret (2)

"By the way, there's a student Aslan is sponsoring at the Imperial Magic Academy, right? I want to be close to him too! ...Yup!" "...."

Yuria recalled the conversation she had with Aslan earlier and clapped her hands, exclaiming.

Aslan was indeed sponsoring a student, and that student had entered the Imperial Magic Academy and was excelling in their studies, she remembered. It was also Aslan who had taken her and Charlotte in under the pretense of them being slaves. He had also gone as far as to fly back into the past and save Sylvia. There were moments when she thought, surprisingly, he was a warm-hearted person.

But, wait a second.

Wasn’t Yuria receiving sponsorship from some dark, older man? Could it be that the dark man was actually Aslan?

Yuria decided to toss out this baseless idea as a joke, speaking lightly.

"Hehe. Could it be that the student is Yuria?" "...." "Ah, Aslan? Is it really true?" "...."

Huh?

She had definitely said it jokingly, expecting Aslan to laugh it off and deny it with a smile. So why was Aslan not responding at all with a stern face?

Could it be that this unfounded guess was true...?

Yuria, caught in confusion, stood still, trembling her lips without saying a word.

"Ahem, hmm..." "Wait, really!? So the dark old man was actually Aslan? Is that it?" "Yuria. Could you please be quiet for a moment?" "Ah, aah! Yeah! We shouldn't let Yuria hear this..." "And I'd like you to keep the fact that I'm sponsoring Yuria a secret, okay?" "Hmm... So, if I keep it a secret, what will you do for me, Aslan? ...Huh?" "You know the spirit encyclopedia you borrow every time you go to the library? I'll buy the entire collection and place it in the mansion's library." "Really!?"

Yuria let out a joyful exclamation, but soon, a sense of doubt began to creep in.

How is it that he immediately offered what I wanted without hesitation? It almost felt like he knew he’d get caught, and so he had already thought of what to offer in exchange for keeping it secret...?

"Eh, no way. It can't be."

Could it be that Aslan, pretending it was an accident, had intentionally left clues for me to discover that he was the dark man? Aslan wasn’t that petty or needy for attention, was he?

He probably didn’t want to get caught but couldn’t avoid it in the end, right? Yeah, that’s probably it... Or at least, that’s what I’ll believe.

"But, Aslan. Why don’t you tell Yuria the truth? ...Huh?" "Well, that’s because... Hmm... I wanted her to focus on her studies. If she wanted to know who her sponsor was, I told her she’d have to maintain high grades and graduate." "Ah, I thought at first you were trying to build a relationship with her while hiding your identity, then suddenly reveal it at the end to make her like you more. A childish plan to make her fall for you." "U-uh... No... Of course not..."

That makes sense...

I had thought it was some kind of strategy to offset Yuria’s dislike of Aslan by being kind to her as the dark man, but now I see Aslan wouldn’t go so far as to use such underhanded and petty tactics. So, I shook my head, dispelling the doubt from my mind.

Aslan wasn’t trying to marry us off as brides right from the start. He was just a warm-hearted person despite his frightening exterior...

Yuria briefly felt guilty for harboring such suspicions.

"Hehe. Don’t worry. My lips are sealed! ...Yup!" "Alright, thanks. Please be careful not to let Yuria find out." "Got it! Just trust me! ...Yup!"

Yuria pounded her chest proudly, confidently declaring.

This secret had to be kept no matter what. After all, if Yuria found out about it, there would be a disaster.

"Yuria hates Aslan so much... I don't know why, but she seems really cautious and resentful. But the dark old man... she trusts him completely and follows him so well. What if she finds out they’re the same person?!"

It would be catastrophic.

A complete mess.

The beginning of the end.

Yuria might not be able to handle the emotional turmoil and might lose her mind.

The person I hated most was actually the one I liked most?

Just imagining Yuria’s feelings when she realizes everything makes my head spin.

So, at least it would be better to reveal the truth after narrowing the gap between "the person I hate most" and "the person I like most."

"I feel like an accomplice now..."

Thinking about it, I had no obligation to keep this a secret, but it would be impossible to tell Yuria. I felt uncomfortable, like I was playing right into Aslan’s hands.

But, for Yuria's sake, I had no choice but to keep the secret.

"My throat’s dry, I’m going to get some water. ...Yup." "While you’re at it, could you bring me some tea?" "Heh, sure. That’s no trouble." "Thanks."

Yuria left the room with a troubled mind.

Once the door slammed shut, Aslan let out a big sigh and glanced back.

"How long have you been there?" "Hehe... I got caught..."

A voice came from the dark shadow. Then Charlotte’s body suddenly appeared.

...

This wasn’t part of the plan.

I smiled bitterly, trying to calm my surprise.

I hadn’t imagined Charlotte was hiding in the shadow of the lab. She had been so quiet while working with Yuria that I never thought she would be hiding there.

When I recognized her distinct, sweet scent, it was already too late. She had overheard everything after Yuria had already learned the secret.

So, I had unintentionally been caught by Charlotte...

"I was planning to let her find out later..."

The plan had gone wrong.

I didn’t worry much about Yuria, since her lips were tightly sealed, but if Charlotte had found out... I would have to be cautious every single day.

Charlotte had the intention to keep the secret, but there was always a risk of her letting it slip unintentionally.

I had planned to reveal the dark man’s identity to Charlotte at a later time, but now this unexpected crisis had arisen.

"Did you hear everything?" "Hehe... Were you talking about how the dark man is actually Aslan?" "Looks like you heard it all." "I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it just happened... Actually, I was hiding here to surprise Yuria when she came in, but I accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, you were already deep in conversation, so I missed the timing to come out."

Charlotte didn’t avert her eyes, so there was no sign she was lying.

She really had overheard by accident...

Such bad luck.

"Please, could you keep this a secret from Yuria?" "Hehe! Just with my word of mouth?"

Charlotte stood confidently with her hands on her waist.

Seeing how I had promised Yuria a complete set of the spirit encyclopedia earlier, it was expected she’d come up with this kind of request.

It was only reasonable that I would have to offer something at least equivalent or even better than the spirit encyclopedia.

"I’ll try to bring Molmol to the mansion. How about that?" "Oh!? Really!? That sounds great...! Hmm, wait. Actually, I want something else!"

Her eyes sparkled with joy for a moment, but then she calmed herself down, returning to a more composed demeanor. She had something else in mind.

"So, what do you want?" "Your massage rights!" "Massage rights...?" "Yeah! It’s just like the one I gave you! When I use it, you’ll have to give me a massage anytime I want...!" "...!"

[The evil god, ‘Kali,’ is shocked, saying that this might actually be a reward!]

At Charlotte’s bold offer, my eyes widened in surprise.

A massage coupon that forces me to give her a massage anytime she wants? I’d never even imagined such a thing, and I was momentarily stunned.

"Wait a minute. Why didn’t I think of issuing massage coupons earlier?"

Why hadn’t I thought of issuing massage coupons when I already received one from Charlotte? Yuria probably gets sore from sitting and studying for long hours, and Charlotte must be sore from running around all day.

There was clearly a demand for massage coupons, so why hadn’t I issued a single one until now?

Charlotte and Yuria would be happy to relieve their muscle pain, and I would get to spend more time with them, growing closer.

It was the perfect win-win situation, and it took me so long to realize it.

"Alright, I’ll issue the massage coupons. Do you think 100 will be enough?" "Eh? I was thinking of just 3..." "..."

Well, I got a little too enthusiastic.

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