Chapter 116: Married

"Orbis Ignis." (Lys)

"Ouch! Hey! You threw a fireball at me. If it weren’t for my shield, you would’ve charred me." (Olivia)

"I threw it because I know about your shield—and to get you to stop talking nonsense... Haah~. Fine, I’ll tell you. I really can’t deal with you. If I don’t tell you the truth, your imagination really runs wild." (Lys)

"Oh! So you’re going to confess—again. All right, let’s see what you have to say... And don’t lie to me because I’ll find out." (Olivia)

"Haah~. The thing is, a few days ago, when I was walking through the city, at some point without even realizing it, I ended up in a secluded spot that..."

Once again, with great resignation, Lys began to tell Olivia what had happened.

She really didn’t want to tell anyone all this, but if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to clear up all those tasteless theories Olivia had come up with.

...

.

"So you fell in love with a commoner—a massage therapist at a massage parlor." (Olivia)

"I-I wouldn’t say I fell in love... I just think he’s interesting and nice... He was also kind of handsome." (Lys)

"Oh, come on, do you think I’m stupid? Even just now, while you were telling me about him, there was an obvious smile on your face... You’re totally smitten with him." (Olivia)

"I already told you everything, so you’d stop making up nonsense." (Lys)

"No, this time I’m definitely not wrong. Besides, you’re obviously nervous, too. I’ve never seen you so nervous and blushing." (Olivia)

"Livvy, you’re overreacting (ㆆ_ㆆ)." (Lys)

"No, I’m not. Okay, let’s try something. With your usual attitude, say: ’I’m really in love with that guy, Astan. I love him with all my heart.’" (Olivia)

"W-what? Um! What’s the point of that?" (Lys)

"If you can say it without any trouble, it means you don’t really feel anything. If you get nervous or blush, it means you’ve fallen in love." (Olivia)

"I don’t see any logic in that... Fine, I’ll say it just to prove you wrong... I’m... really i-in love (≧﹏ ≦)." (Lys)

"Aha! You didn’t even get very far. You’re redder than a tomato—there’s no doubt about it now." (Olivia)

"Ugh! Fine, but it’s not that big of a deal. I’m just a little interested in him. It’s normal—he’s kind, seems really smart, and helped me when I really needed it. I also personally really like his black hair and dark brown eyes... and his voice, which is so soft and gentle, but at the same time so..." (Lys)

"Stop it—that’s not really helping your case. It seems like he’s really got you hooked... Gross." (Olivia)

"W-what? What’s wrong with that...?"(Lys)

"Of all people, I thought you’d be the last to fall for something as nonsensical as love. We became friends because we both prioritized the pursuit of truth and the pinnacle of knowledge, and everything else was irrelevant, but now... look at the state you’re in." (Olivia)

"I’m perfectly fine. Besides, we’re just a little close... for now."(Lys)

"Yeah, you’re really bad at hiding this. You’re like an open book. He must have definitely noticed."

"Huh?! R-really?"(Lys)

"Yeah. It’s just like my cousin says. There’s nothing really positive about love, and it makes people act even more like idiots. Even you’ve been reduced to such a pitiful state, without even the slightest ability to be self-aware of your actions."(Olivia)

"Do you really think he noticed? Did he? Does he think I’m weird? Will he see me as a weirdo like you?"(Lys)

"Hey! Who’s the weirdo? Haah~, anyway, I’m curious to know who was able to win over our Queen of Burning Ice. Next time you go for a massage, take me with you."(Olivia)

"Absolutely not!"(Lys)

"Huh? Why? What’s the problem?"(Olivia)

" I’d take you if you didn’t know anything, since his massages really are great for relaxing, but now that you know so much, you might say something impertinent."(Lys)

"I’m not going to say anything bad. You know I’m not really good at talking to anyone other than you—I’ll just watch. I want to clear up a few things, even though I’m almost certain it doesn’t seem to be mutual and that you’re the only one who’s in love with him, while he doesn’t feel the same way." (Olivia)

"Ugh! You can’t be so sure about that!."(Lys)

"That’s why I have to go and check it out. Although I feel sorry for your precarious situation, I have to make sure he’s worthy of my dear friend. I also want to see if he’s as handsome as you say or if you have distorted taste... But now that I think about it, the fact that he’s a commoner is a problem for you, isn’t it?"(Olivia)

"Yes, but even so... No, I won’t say anything, and it’s nothing like what you’re saying—and rest assured, I won’t take you there."(Lys)

"What’s the problem?... Wait! Are you hiding something else from me?!"(Olivia)

"(ㆆ_ㆆ)... No."(Lys)

"You’re obviously forcing yourself to seem indifferent. That means there is something. What could it be? Well, compared to when I thought it was the professor, he seems better. At least he’s not bald or married, and he ca—"(Olivia)

"...(¬ ¬ )"(Lys)

"Hey!, why did you nervously look away when I said ’married’...? Lys, don’t tell me that..."(Olivia)

Ding dong!

"O-oh! Look how late it’s gotten! Class is about to start—we’d better get going."Lys)

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the resumption of classes, and Lys, who heard it immediately, got up from her seat and—ignoring the shouts of her friend, who obviously wanted to keep questioning her—headed off to her next classes.

*****

"눈_눈, hmm."

Two days had passed since Azalea and Amarillys had left.

Fortunately, as far as Amarillys is concerned, nothing else has happened. The investigation is actively ongoing.

In fact, thanks to Itsuki—as always—I know that the king sent people who are more powerful and capable than the first investigation team, and they’re conducting a thorough search of the harem.

But Amarillys wasn’t even a suspect; she only underwent the inspection because it was an order from the Beast King.

Not even the other queens were spared; even in this second inspection, Itsuki wasn’t exempt from being investigated.

Amarillys’s mana signature could still serve as evidence, but I had already taken care of that with one of my cards.

Besides that, everything remains normal, though I have to say that Amarillys’ method of entering and leaving the castle surprised me a little.

There’s also the fact that neither the triplets nor Biancalys—who promised to return in two and a half days—have come back yet, but I know they’re going through a busy time as students at the academy, so I can understand why they might be a few days late.

Today I told Iris we’d go out to visit the academy town!, but it was still nighttime there, so we decided to wait until at least dawn to head out.

In fact, yesterday we went out to visit that city, but we wandered aimlessly, and even though we asked some residents for directions, we never made it to any crowded place where we could hang out.

In the end, we got lost and ended up in a sort of slum, where several people started eyeing us with bad intentions and surrounding us, but Iris pulled out her big axe and everyone backed off, so nothing happened.

In the end, we had to head back without having done anything special.

Luckily, I already knew how to get back, and even if I hadn’t, we had programmed the Traveler’s Watch to save the location of the hall’s entrance in case anything went wrong—it was a good purchase.

Today we’ll try our luck again by taking a completely different route, since—unlike yesterday, when I was the one leading Iris—she’ll be in charge this time; maybe her instincts will guide us.

In any case, until dawn, I planned to keep practicing the breathing technique, and at first everything was fine, but at some point something felt off, as if something had stopped working, so I checked to see what the problem was.

___________________

Name: Astan Rothwell

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Profession: Massage therapist (3)

Sub-profession: Jester

Rank:1

Stats:

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 3

Vitality: 7

Defense: 20

Mana: 20

Charisma: 7

Perception: 8

Corruption: 3

Authority: Lethargy, ■■■■

Unique skills:

Slumber of Sin, Eyes of Lethargy, Morfogenesis, Bomb Trick, Stigma of Lethargy (Fusion, Transfer, Synchronization, Connection)

Skills (profession):

Massage therapist’s eye(2), Fine Touch(2), Restorative Therapy(1)

Skills (sub-profession)

Mockery(2), Fool’s Mask(1), Madman’s Reason(2), Parallel thinking (2)

..

Stigma of Lethargy: After meeting the requirements, it allows you to place a special mark on targets.

[3/6: (Iris Rothwell)(Amarillys Kibershade)(Mashiro Kibershade)]

Connection: Creates a mental connection with those who possess the stigma. (+70%)

Transfer: Transfers compatible aspects between stigma bearers. (+75%)

Synchronization: Partial fusion of skills and personality with a stigma holder. (+80%)

Fusion: Temporarily unites the user’s ’Totality’ with a stigma bearer. (+90%)

___________________________

Titles:

Emissary of Lethargy — (+1 Charm)

Scion of Battle and Victory — (+1 Rank to combat-related skills)

___________________________

9775 Myrr

107 free states

___________________________

Profession Artifact: Heart of Jester

___________________________

+2 Catalyst Card

+2 Conversion Card

+2 Destiny Card

+2 Echo Card

+2 Heartfelt Gift Card

+2 Luck Upgrade Card

+2 Message Card

+1 Mimetic Card

+2 Miracle Card

+2 Percentage Card

+2 Potential Card

+2 Resonance Card

+3 Revelation Card

+3 Skill Card

+1 Unique Ascension Card

___________________________

"눈_눈, hmmm, now I see why I didn’t feel like it was working."

Yes, it wasn’t hard to find the problem—at least as far as mana was concerned—I had reached the ranks 1 limit.

It was time to move on to the next rank.