Episode 102
"Young master, it's morning."
"Mmm... already?"
After the chaotic birthday party ended and time passed, before I knew it, the academy's opening day had drawn near.
So before attending the academy again, I needed to make full preparations.
"Kania, please give me your report."
"Understood, young master."
Thinking such thoughts as I rose from bed and rubbed my eyes, Kania pulled out a notebook from her bosom and began to speak.
"First, regarding the welfare foundation you mentioned last time... we are currently preparing it diligently."
"Oh, really?"
"It will reveal itself to the world within a few weeks to a few months. Of course, we have completely eliminated any connection between the young master and the Starlight family."
Kania wore a slightly tired expression as she spoke. It seemed she had overworked herself quite a bit directing the establishment of the welfare foundation.
"If you had told me beforehand, I could have helped..."
"If the young master gets involved in any way, it could leave traces later. So handling it alone is the best approach."
"...But aren't you working too hard?"
I felt both proud and sorry for Kania as I asked with a worried expression.
"Shall I give you a massage? I learned some special massage techniques in the past, and I'm confident I can relieve your fatigue."
"No, I'm fi..."
Kania, who was about to respond mechanically to my words, stopped and began to hesitate.
"...Please do."
After wavering for a while, Kania whispered in a low voice.
"Alright, sit here. I'll start by massaging your shoulders."
Smiling at her response, I patted the bed, and Kania sat demurely beside me with her head bowed.
"Th-then... the second report... huu...!"
As I gently grabbed her shoulders and applied pressure, Kania started to tremble all over and make sounds of deflating air as she tried to give her second report.
"Ah, sorry Kania. I unconsciously used Star mana..."
I was flustered for a moment, then realizing I had sent Star mana into her, a black mage, I apologized not knowing what to do.
"...It's fine."
"Did it hurt? Sorry. This massage originally uses Star mana to relieve muscle tension. Of course, that wouldn't work for you, so just a regular..."
"Just do it please."
Kania interrupted me and quietly looked at me, then spoke in a low voice.
"A small amount of Star mana is fine."
"What? But..."
"It's really fine. It just feels like poking and prodding. Rather, the massage effect will be even better."
"Hmm... alright then."
Hearing that answer, I nodded and spread a small amount of Star mana through my hands, then began carefully massaging her shoulders again.
"Then... the second report."
Kania, whose body was trembling from my touch, looked down at her notebook and continued in a calm voice.
"Yesterday, penalty payments were completed for all Class A commoner students."
"Oh ho."
Hearing Kania's words, the image of the Class A guys with moved expressions after receiving money naturally formed in my head.
"Thanks to the young master, children with sick parents or siblings will head straight to the hospital, and children who had nothing to eat today will be able to eat full meals for a while."
"Yes, that's truly a relief."
"And above all, they won't have to share one textbook for classes anymore. All of that is thanks to the young master... huu..."
Kania smiled as she spoke, but when I started massaging her neck area, she lowered her head deeply and let out a moan.
"Is there no way to help students other than those in Class A?"
"Well, there might be ways if we look... but wouldn't there be limits?"
I muttered with a regretful voice while looking at her, and Kania, who had stopped trembling, answered quietly.
"True, if we help regularly more than a few times and get caught, it would be troublesome."
"That's right, so for now..."
"But what if there's a solution?"
I smiled as I said that, and Kania started frowning.
"Is there such a thing?"
"...Please investigate the commoner students at the academy. Focus on the unfair treatment they receive, poverty, violence - such unfortunate things."
I gave that order to Kania, then added while straightening her back.
"There might be a way, so don't worry too much."
"...Please be careful."
Kania, who had taken a shallow breath after her stiff back from frequent work was relieved, answered and began flipping through the notebook she was holding.
"Then... the last report..."
"What's so much written in that notebook anyway?"
"...Heek!"
Curious about the notebook she always flips through when reporting to me, I peeked over her shoulder, and Kania was startled and hid the notebook.
"What is it? Did you write insults about me or something?"
"N-no! It's just that some personal things are written..."
"Really? I wanted to see it once but it can't be helped. Continue with the report."
As I withdrew my head from behind her shoulder, Kania, her face turning red, began to speak.
"Regarding the incident at the young master's birthday masquerade, there was an official announcement from the imperial family."
"What did they say?"
"They said it was the doing of a mentally unstable black mage."
When I made an expression of disbelief, Kania sighed and continued.
"It seems the imperial family chose to cover it up because the culprit was the Moonlight family's secret lord, because they failed to protect a gathering of imperial nobles, and because the two ducal houses and Klana are closely involved."
"Yes, they would do that. What's people's reaction?"
"Since the news was just announced, we need to watch a bit more... but rumors that the young master is closely connected to the incident are spreading quietly."
"No wonder I've been getting more points."
I responded nonchalantly to Kania's dark expression, and she, receiving the massage, glanced at me with a look of disapproval.
"Ah, is there any mention of the mysterious figure who appeared then?"
"No, there isn't. The imperial family is desperate to bury this matter."
"What about known information or rumors so far?"
"Although there are witness accounts spreading from those who saw the scene at that time... even in those accounts, the person is just called a righteous person with no other information."
"Hmm..."
Avoiding Kania's gaze, I asked while holding her shoulder and fell into thought.
"That's strange... I couldn't see well from far away, but what that guy was holding was definitely one of the Hero's armaments, a sword..."
"...Perhaps it was stolen?"
"That's not it. The Hero's armaments are sealed in the Starlight family basement."
"Then what that person had must be a fake."
Saying that, Kania frowned after thinking for a moment.
"No matter how I think about it, such a thing didn't happen in the previous cycle."
"Right, this didn't happen. Of course, there were many scoundrels claiming to be heroes, but they weren't as strong as that guy... and most of them went around proclaiming themselves as heroes."
I fell into thought along with her and sighed to finish.
"Anyway, stop investigating that damn scroll merchant, and now focus all efforts on investigating the user of the fake Hero's armament."
"Understood, young master."
"Alright... then I should get ready to go out."
As I said that and moved away from Kania, she tilted her head and asked me.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to use the jade plaque I received as the reward for the second trial."
"What?"
"There's something I want to request from the legendary artisan Rosinante."
I showed the jade plaque from my pocket, and she asked with a curious expression.
"What are you requesting?"
"I have something to repair."
I answered and headed toward the door.
"Then, I'll be..."
"Hah!"
But the moment I grabbed the doorknob, Kania suddenly started making strange sounds.
What's going on?
.
"Aheu..."
"K-Kania? What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry for showing such unsightly behavior... young master..."
When Frey looked back in surprise, Kania was holding her stomach and breathing heavily while looking at him.
"I thought it was strange that you were trembling so much when I massaged you earlier. Did something happen to your body? Perhaps because of the Star mana I released..."
"T-that's not it."
Thinking it was his fault, Frey asked with a worried expression, and Kania shook her head and began to speak.
"Ever since the birthday party incident, whenever I see the young master... my stomach trembles."
"Your stomach trembles?"
"Yes, even now... hueu..."
Kania lowered her head while holding her stomach, and Frey approached her with a flustered expression.
"I thought the symptoms from last time had returned, but that's not it?"
"U-ugh..."
Eventually, Frey carefully placed his hand on Kania's stomach, and when she showed an extreme reaction, he frowned and spoke.
"I don't know exactly, but it seems similar to the symptoms when mana circuits get twisted..."
"Y-young master... your hand..."
"Then the solution would be similar too."
Saying that, Frey began to carefully stroke Kania's stomach with his hand.
"...Hiik!!!"
Although Frey stroked her stomach as gently as possible, Kania was immediately startled.
The sensation that hit her stomach was not a warm touch but something eerily chilling.
"Hmm... it seems the mana circuits are indeed malfunctioning. You've been overworking too much lately."
"T-thank you for the diagnosis. So now... aheu..."
"Just endure a little. If left like this, it will get even worse."
Kania, whose mind went dizzy, tried to stop Frey before it was too late, but Frey, with a worried expression, increased the intensity of rubbing her stomach.
"I-I don't know anymore..."
As a result, an enormous eeriness overwhelmed Kania, and with her consciousness gradually fading, she began to recall what happened a while ago.
'Could it be... that was the cause?'
At the birthday party a few weeks ago, even though she had dealt with Rosewin who was seducing her young master, she was still parched, so she drank a beverage.
'At that time, I just thought it was a drink the young master left behind...'
Kania finally realized the cause of the strange phenomenon happening to her, but it was already too late.
The aphrodisiac that Rosewin had put in the alcohol intending to seduce Frey had already completely mixed into Kania's body over the past few weeks.
It was a rather unfortunate happening, the result of the black mage's characteristic of converting poison or medicine into dark power combining with Kania's feelings.
.
'...It's been a while since I came here too.'
After rubbing Kania's stomach for a while, I concluded this wasn't something that would be fixed just today.
So I informed Kania that I would continue the treatment, then left the mansion and arrived at the back alley as originally planned.
"...Isn't that Frey?"
"Shh, 'that thing'? You'll die."
"Such thick skin... walking around fine despite all those rumors spreading."
People were whispering looking at me, so I gathered Star mana to my ears to listen in, and as expected, most were insults about me.
"...His face is cute though."
"Yeah, it's a waste of his face."
"If only his power was weak..."
Before I could savor the honor of being criticized even by back alley beggars and corrupt nobles, I heard young ladies in the distance evaluating my appearance.
'...It should have been around here.'
Quickly dispersing the Star mana from my ears, I arrived at the corner of the back alley and began looking around.
"Is this it?"
Then I discovered a shabby wall covered in graffiti everywhere, and with a skeptical expression, I sent Star mana into the cracked area.
- Rumble rumble rumble...
Then the surroundings shook, and the shabby wall started to become soft and malleable.
"...Hah!"
After stirring the wall that had become like a pudding blob with my hand a few times, I looked around, took a deep breath, and quickly jumped inside the wall.
"...Oho."
Then the scene I expected began to appear in my vision.
Scrolls hanging here and there, potions of various colors, weapons that looked powerful at a glance, and various magical tools.
That's right.
This is the secret shop, one of the hidden places in 'Blacktail Fantasy 2'.
It's said that Rosinante, the legendary artisan whose name is still widely known, who was the item shop owner in the first game, runs this place, but I don't understand how someone from a thousand years ago is still alive.
'Well, that's not my concern.'
The reason I came here today is to repair or upgrade the 'Mask of Deception' that broke long ago in the 'Ashen Forest'.
It's an essential item for the future, and my body is itching to do good deeds.
I too want to do some good deeds and heal.
"Is anyone there?"
Thinking that, I arrived at the old counter, took out a 'decorative box' from my bosom, and called for the owner.
There was a prophecy from the ancestors that if I return Rosinante's decorative box that was stolen, which I purchased at the auction house incident a few months ago, an easter egg would occur... so it seems worth expecting.
"Hmm..."
"...?"
I was waiting for the owner with a fully expectant expression, but then I heard a groaning sound from somewhere.
"Huuu... who is it?"
"Ah, well..."
I looked around, and hearing a sound from below the counter, I stood on tiptoes to look down and tried to introduce myself.
"Y-you are..."
But seeing the person rise with a disheveled expression, I froze completely.
"You've finally come..."
And the scroll shop owner I had been diligently tracking all this time was staring blankly at me.
"......hic."
Drunk and hiccuping.