excel三国杀

Chapter 246: King of the Dead Subjugation — Interlude (3)

– Luce Eltania overexerted herself.

My priority was the ones I cared for. I immediately ran to the Academy Hospital.

Luce, along with Dorothy, had fought against the demon army and won the fierce battle against the Evil Dragon. However, she overexerted herself.

For someone with such immense mana to reach a state of mana depletion, it must have been pretty severe.

Thankfully, the treatment was successful, and all she needed now was rest.

The Academy provided Luce with a private room for defeating the Evil Dragon.

When I opened the door to her room, I saw Luce sitting on the bed, looking out the window.

“Luce.”

Sunlight streamed in through the open window, casting a golden glow on Luce’s rose-gold hair. She turned her head toward me.

She had her usual poker face.

But then, she reached out an arm toward me, forming a V-sign with her fingers, a sign of victory.

That hand gesture, commonly used by Dorothy, was something I had often mimicked from her. Consequently, it had spread to Luce as well.

Seeing that gesture, I felt a sense of relief and couldn’t help but smile.

I approached Luce.

“How are you feeling…?”

As I tried to sit on the chair next to her bed, Luce suddenly grabbed my arm like a fisherman reeling in a catch.

“Whoa!”

She pulled me onto the bed, and with my guard completely down, I fell down.

“Come here, Isaac.”

A soft voice befitting a refined young lady.

Her intimate tone tickled my ears.

“...What are you doing?”

“We haven’t seen each other for a while. I did as you asked, so I think it’s only right to get a reward from you.”

“And the reward is me?”

“Of course.”

Considering she wanted to be by my side all day, every day, it made sense that she felt this way after not seeing me for a while.

Feeling uncomfortable with my position, I got into the bed and laid down next to Luce, and looked into her eyes.

A faint breeze blew in through the open window, the subtle scent of perfume and her alluring skin tickled my nose. Luce seemed to have done a bit of peparation before I had arrived.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine now.”

Luce whispered, looking into my eyes.

“Isaac, I exhausted my mana fulfilling your request, so you have to take responsibility. You need to take good care of me now.”

“You said you were fine.”

“I’m still feeling weak.”

“...Alright. How should I take care of you?”

“Feed me, tuck me into bed, hug me, cherish me…”

“Ask your maid for those things…”

“Why don’t you become my butler, Isaac? That would solve everything.”

“Does that make sense?”

“Or how about we wear handcuffs together? So we can never be apart.”

Luce whispered teasingly in a seductive voice.

A shiver ran down my spine reflexively, but I quickly composed myself.

“I’m just kidding.”

Luce gave a faint smile, gently stroking the back of my neck and lightly rubbing her thumb against my ear.

She pretended it was a joke, but Luce actually saw being handcuffed together as a kind of romantic dream. She was just restraining herself.

“Isaac, I’ve been thinking while I was staying here.”

Still holding the back of my neck, as if to prevent me from pulling away, Luce leaned her head close to my ear.

Her intimate whisper pleasantly enveloped my ear, making my body shiver, but I forced myself to suppress the reaction.

Luce knew her voice was my weak spot and did it on purpose.

“What?”

“How about you try kidnapping me?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

I turned my head to look at Luce. She was looking down at me with a smile, clearly having dangerous thoughts.

It was like the whisper of a devil. Luce’s voice had an inherent power to mesmerize.

It seemed Luce harbored some rather unwholesome desires. She couldn’t forget how she felt when I restrained her last year.

“Or we could do it the other way around.”

That’s even worse…

I glared at Luce with a stern look.

“Let’s stop with the unfunny jokes. That’s not something friends should do.”

“We’re not friends.”

A firm response.

Her rose-gold hair fell, brushing her cheeks and casting a shadow over her eyes. Her fingers softly caressed the back of my neck.

Her aquamarine eyes, now lifeless, gazed deeply into mine. Luce’s lips moved softly.

“Do you still see me as a ‘friend’?”

A whisper mixed with a deep sigh.

It seemed to mean, “You should know better by now.”

Luce’s feelings had been laid bare ever sicne it had become clear that I was the Nameless Hero. There was no more confusion or hidden emotions.

Her cold gaze was filled with deep affection and a twisted desire for me. I didn’t know how to respond to her.

A sweet yet menacing silence filled the room.

Suddenly, a heavy mana brushed against my skin.

Chararang!

“…!”

A cluster of stars filled my vision.

The flow of gravity on my body changed in an instant.

My body was lifted by an invisible force, moved off the bed, and naturally seated in the chair.

Realizing what was happening, Luce sat up and narrowed her eyes, glaring towards the window. I turned my head in the same direction.

“Hey, friend, you shouldn’t do that!”

By the window.

Dorothy, squatting with her knees together like a strict elder, scolded us. She had entered through the open window from the outside.

“Senior?”

Dorothy saw me and greeted me with a playful smile.

“Heave-ho.”

Pressing down on her witch’s hat, Dorothy entered the room and approached Luce, pointing her finger upward as she explained.

“Did you forget that you’re a patient? You could get into some serious trouble if you don’t keep a certain distance from others! Patients need to focus on resting their minds and bodies.”

“…”

“Got it~?”

Luce, with a dissatisfied expression, silently glared at Dorothy.

As usual, Dorothy was far from being on Luce’s good side.

Ignoring Luce’s reaction, Dorothy looked at me and smiled brightly.

“You’re here, President?”

She addressed me the same way as before, in front of Luce.

I had missed her as much as I did Luce and I couldn’t help but smile.

After that, we talked about what had happened at the academy.

We shared a short but pleasant conversation. Although Luce seemed annoyed, her expression softened when I smiled at her.

***I reported the situation to Elena Woodline, the Headmistress of Märchen Academy. I needed to explain why the demons had marched to the academy and what had caused it.

I explained that a Necromancer that led the demons had appeared, how I defeated him, and that the demon’s army’s march wasn’t limited to the academy. There was no need to hide anything, so I laid it all out.

I also reported the situation to Magrio Halpent, the Vice-Commander of the 4th Order of Knights. My intention was to instill a sense of debt into the Imperial Knights for my efforts.

There was plenty of evidence. With Baron Ropenheim being escorted to the capital, Viyans, a trial would be held soon.

Magrio bowed his head to express gratitude on behalf of the Empire.

The children who had been held captive were sent to an orphanage, and Eve Ropenheim was scheduled to return to the academy once the investigation was over.

With no place to stay at the Ropenheim Barony, the academy was the only place for Eve to go.

She was my only family left, and there were many things I needed to discuss with her due to various circumstances.

Then, an unexpected variable arose.

“A surprise attack?”

I met with Saintess Bianca Anturaze at the Church in Märchen Academy. She explained what had happened.

Someone had stopped the Church’s escort carriage and slaughtered all the human traffickers.

“Yes. Do you know someone among those rescued who wore a red cloak?”

A red cloak. I remembered. Her name was Michelle.

She was the girl who had suddenly called me a Prince from a fairy tale and said she fell in love with me at first sight, talking about all sorts of things in a straightforward manner.

“Yes, I remember.”

“It seems that person did it.”

She did?

“With a hand ax, no less.”

“A hand ax…?”

Could she have had the strength to kill all those adult men with a hand ax given her physique?

Even if they were restrained, it was hard to believe. According to her status window, she was definitely just an ordinary girl.

Wielding a hand ax with insufficient strength could result in injuring one’s hand. It was common for criminals who were inexperienced with handling knives to injure their hands when stabbing someone.

Moreover, there were many of them. It was questionable if she had enough stamina to handle them all.

“My follower was both a victim and a witness, so it’s not a lie. He said he witnessed the killing himself.”

“What about the injured? How are the Church members and children?”

“They’re safe. I heard they were all knocked out skillfully. She doesn’t seem to be an ordinary person.”

“Then where is she now?”

“Regrettably, we don’t know her whereabouts…”

Of course, they wouldn’t know.

Suddenly, I remembered Michelle’s prayer.

– May the blessing of the incarnation be with you.

❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was an RPG game considered ahead of its time.

One of the reasons I played that game for years without getting bored was the abundance of hidden elements and enjoyable content.

It was speculated online, even until I possessed Isaac, that not all the secrets of the game had been revealed.

Could Michelle have been one of those hidden elements? I couldn’t be sure.

At the very least, if it were related to the main story, it wouldn’t leave any questions unanswered, but Michelle was outside of the story. Realistically, it didn’t seem wise to put a lot of effort into uncovering Michelle’s identity.

However, I had to remain cautious.

***“A demon was scheming something? And the Ice Sovereign stepped in to stop it?”

“That’s right, Sir Gerald.”

In the Astrea Duchy.

A shirtless Gerald Astrea, who was in the training grounds, received a report from an Astrea Family Knight about the Ice Sovereign’s exploits.

A powerful demon leading an army of corpses, the Baron Ropenheim who had cooperated with him, and the powerful demon soldiers who had crossed the kingdom.

Had it not been for the Ice Sovereign’s foresight, the kingdom would have faced a great disaster. As expected, his abilities were befitting of an archwizard. Gerald was impressed.

Whenever he heard the news about the Ice Sovereign, Gerald pondered how to repay the debt for resolving the demon incident in the Astrea Duchy last year.

That evening, during dinner, Gerald spoke up.

“Kaya.”

“Yes, Father!”

Gerald, Historia, and Kaya Astrea. The three of them were having dinner.

At Gerald’s call, Kaya put down her knife and fork, straightened her back, and responded briskly. She appeared well-disciplined.

On Kaya’s plate was a well-cooked piece of monster meat. Although Gerald didn’t understand why she wanted such a low-quality, nutrient-poor meat prepared, she had asked to try it, so he granted her request.

Putting that aside.

Gerald asked in a serious voice.

“By any chance, are you acquainted with the Ice Emperor?”

“…!!”

Since Kaya was attending Märchen Academy, he asked, thinking she might have seen the Ice Sovereign. He was looking for ideas on how to repay their debt to the Ice Sovereign.

Of course, he also had considerable hope that his daughter had built a good relationship with the Ice Sovereign. What parent wouldn’t want their child to form beneficial connections? Gerald was no different.

But for some reason… Kaya’s face started to blush.

“Well, we do have some connection…”

Kaya’s eyes shifted to the side, and her cheeks turned red. Her voice trembled slightly as she was terrible at hiding her emotions.

As usual, she was nervous around her father.

Hearing the name of the person she likes from her father’s mouth made her feel embarrassed. It couldn’t be helped, it was her clumsy first love.

“Oh, my?”

Historia, who grasped the situation, covered her mouth in amazement.

Gerald couldn’t miss her reaction either. It was an unexpected response, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Oho…”

Gerald’s eyes sparkled with interest.

If Kaya reacted like that, the situation had now changed.

Understanding who her daughter liked was a significant matter, separate from repaying a debt to his benefactor.

An awkward silence fell over the dinner table for a while, and Kaya, glancing around, picked at a piece of monster meat with her fork and ate it.

“I suppose I should visit Märchen Academy.”

“Kehek…!”

Kaya choked on her food and coughed at Gerald’s sudden declaration.