Episode 191
"Hmm..."
"M-Master?"
"Just stay still for a moment."
I am currently sitting on the bed in my room, carefully examining Lulu's magic eye while she has her eyes wide open.
"This is revolutionary... To think such a complex mana array is operating without a single error or problem. Even top-grade artifacts aren't this advanced..."
Beside me, Irina is muttering excitedly while writing something down in her notebook.
"Her eyes are very bloodshot... That must hurt."
Smiling slightly as I watched Irina, I gently covered her eyes with my hand and murmured.
"Mmh..."
Lulu quickly leaned her face against my hand and began to rub against it carefully.
"That won't do. Your eyes will get worse."
I spoke to her in a gentle voice.
"Ah..."
After hesitating for a moment, Lulu lightly pulled my fingers that were covering her eyes.
"Is... is this okay?"
Having exposed only the palm area, Lulu asked that question and then began rubbing her cheek against my hand again.
"Hoo..."
After watching her for a while, I turned my head and asked Irina, who had been analyzing Lulu's magic eye until then.
"Irina, how does it seem?"
"......."
"...Irina?"
But Irina's reaction is strange. Unlike before when she was immersed in academic passion, she's somehow making an expression devoid of soul.
"I'm the only one... I'm the only one falling behind..."
Soon, a voice filled with resentment came from her lips.
"I was already the farthest behind among the five... And now, of all things, a human pet..."
"Irina?"
"If this continues... ugh..."
Crouched down and muttering gloomily, she somehow looked pitiful like a puppy soaked in rain, so I unconsciously murmured.
"...Cute."
".....!"
At that, Irina flinched slightly.
"Frey."
Then Irina approached my side, glancing at me hesitantly, and spoke in a quiet voice.
"...As expected, take responsibility."
"Hm?"
Curious about her sudden words, I tilted my head, and she, leaning on my shoulder with a reddened face, quietly turned her gaze aside and whispered.
"Just as Ariance said earlier, I had no interest in men or anything like that..."
- Swipe...
"...Now, even a single meaningless compliment like you just said makes my heart flutter."
Saying that, Irina casually linked arms with me.
"If you've turned a mage who only knew magic and combat into a woman, shouldn't you take responsibility?"
"...Hmm."
Looking at Irina who said that and quietly undid her hair while gazing into my eyes, I found myself swallowing dry saliva.
"Are you going to be like that again?"
But I maintained my expression with effort.
- Swipe.
Irina, who had been gazing into my eyes from close by, leaned her head toward me, then carefully reached out her fingers to stroke my chest and murmured.
"From now on, whenever you're in front of me, I'll make sure you can't pretend to be indifferent, pretend not to be interested, or exercise any self-restraint."
"U-um..."
"If you've made a maiden fall in love, then make her yours for sure. You idiot."
After those words, a brief silence flowed.
"......."
In that silence, Lulu, who had frozen for a moment while rubbing her cheek against my hand.
"Grr..."
Began to growl lowly.
"...F-for now, could you brief me about the magic eye?"
Meanwhile, feeling my face burning up, I said that, and Irina, who had been glaring at Lulu for a moment, clung to me even more closely and began to speak.
"The magic eye she originally had was specialized only in analyzing things. I analyzed it myself, so I'm certain."
"Really?"
"But when I observed it now, many things had changed. It's become so complex that no existing artifact can compare, and somehow there's even magical energy being felt..."
Irina, who had returned to an inquisitive expression at some point, tilted her head and looked at Lulu, who was still growling.
"Seeing that, it seems like something changed starting from today..."
"Hmm..."
I fell into thought at her words.
- Squish.
I started feeling something soft on my arm.
"...I told you, didn't I? That I'd make sure you can't exercise any self-restraint for even a moment."
I wondered what it was, but she had tucked my arm into her bosom.
"Among the five, this is the only thing I can show off..."
"....."
At those words, Lulu stopped growling, looked down, and made a gloomy expression, while Irina was already looking at me with a reddened face.
"Anyway, you're saying it's certain that it changed due to some trigger rather than being an original function of the magic eye?"
"...Mm."
But even then, when I didn't show any particular reaction, Irina nodded with a slightly disappointed expression.
"Thank you, Irina."
".....!"
When I lightly kissed Irina, she began to react intensely.
"M-me too... mmph?!"
It seems like Lulu was trying to say something but stopped, but right now Irina's reaction is too cute, so I decided to focus on her for a moment.
.
"...♡"
Irina, having been kissed all over by me, is leaning on my shoulder with our hands held together.
"Mmph..."
Lulu is quietly rubbing her cheek against my side.
"Hah."
In that situation, I let out a short sigh.
"...But still, now the Order is causing trouble."
Muttering that, I recall what happened today.
"I never thought they'd deploy the secret weapon this early."
The demonstration squad that visited my mansion today are actually living puppets created artificially by the Order.
They're often used for manipulating public opinion, but they're troublesome creatures that can also serve as decent combat forces when given stones and clubs.
The corrupted Pope and bishops are secretly conducting such activities, but why does the Sun God...
Come to think of it, that Sun God who looks a bit foolish resembling Perloche is currently sealed. So it's no wonder the Pope is running wild.
"...Tch."
When the annoying face of the Pope comes to mind, irritation rises.
In Blacktail Fantasy 2, I want to eliminate the Pope, who is counted as one of the top villains along with the Demon King and the Secret Patriarch, as soon as possible.
Of course, the Order is a power group as formidable as the Imperial Family, so I'll need to stay sharp.
"But still, I wonder if Ariance is okay."
"...Hmm!?"
When I muttered that after being lost in thought, Irina, who had been leaning on my shoulder, opened her eyes wide and asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, she seemed to have received a lot of mental shock. Of course, it was a necessary measure..."
"Ah..."
After hearing those words, Irina quietly nodded and began to make a slightly dark expression.
'I'm worried...'
When the security squad that arrived after receiving my contact was collecting the Order's secret weapons, Ariance, who was also being dragged away by the security squad, had said this.
"Irina... I'll save you somehow, no matter what it takes. So wait..."
"Lord Frey...♡"
"...Mmph."
She had been tearful while looking at Irina clinging to me.
"Please wait a moment, I need to perform Lord Frey's sex slave duties..."
And Alice is also concerning me.
How on earth did things turn out this way?
The plan I originally established was to have Lulu use her magic eye to command one of the demonstration squad members to throw a stone.
If Lulu struggled, Irina would use magic to make a stone fly.
If hit by a stone, I planned to suppress it as a violent protest, but...
The problem was that all the puppets reacted simultaneously to the attack command Lulu gave through her magic eye.
They were essentially puppet-like creatures to begin with, so the situation escalated.
Covering for the two who were taken by the security squad is one thing, but the conflict with the Order that will arise from this incident is also a problem.
"Sigh..."
Of course, what concerns me most is that Secret Patriarch fellow.
It was gratifying that he proposed such an obviously transparent deal, having suffered who knows how much brutal torture from Serena.
But the fact that he engraved the 'Curse of Subordination' on Alice is still concerning.
Thanks to that, dealing with Alice in the second year will be somewhat easier.
But I have absolutely no intention of saving that fellow who dared to cause pain to Serena.
Anyway, he surely doesn't know yet that Serena and I are in a cooperative relationship.
However, the 'locations of the assassins' and 'dark magic' he offered as conditions for the deal are quite intriguing.
I'll pretend to cooperate with him appropriately and extract only the information, then make a separate plan with Serena to screw him over.
Of course, I'll have to think about the matter regarding Alice gradually.
Having completely recognized me as her master, when she was dragged away by the security squad, she kept talking about sex slave duties, and I don't know how many cold stares she received from those around her.
Being able to keep her in check is good, but turning her into something like the Order's secret weapon puppet is too pitiful, isn't it.
"Hoo."
Having organized my thoughts, I flopped down on the bed, closed my eyes, and opened the system window.
[Main Heroines] [Sub Heroines] [???]
- Please select a menu.
"Hmm..."
Until now, I hadn't considered this affection system particularly important.
[Main Heroine Notification]
But seeing this, I can somewhat understand what my past self said about the 'affection system.'
Kania [Affection: 100 (Route Complete)]
Irina [Affection: 100 (Route Complete)]
Clana [Affection: 100 (Route Complete)]
.
Only after seeing this could I discover the true nature of the five awakenings.
"But still... Lulu's magic eye is a bit concerning..."
After gazing at the system window for a while and muttering that, I glanced at Lulu, who was lying on the floor watching me, and fell into thought.
'Could it be that Lulu's magic eye awakening is related to completing her route?'
According to Lulu's explanation, 'I kept thinking I wanted to be helpful to Master, and my body became hot and the ability bloomed.' Can such a significant ability bloom from that degree of trigger?
Thinking that way, the affection system's involvement becomes a fairly plausible conjecture.
In that case, should I forcefully attempt to conquer more sub-heroines?
'Well...'
I wanted to try it once, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem possible.
Because, just a moment ago, the conquest of all sub-heroines except Lulu and Rosewin, whose conquest had just ended, had been 'suspended.'
Having had such an eventful day, I thought I wanted to rest without caring about sub-heroines or anything else, and the status changed collectively.
Well, I don't know how to change the status again even if I wanted to.
And in the first place, if I tried to make a move on them now, it would only backfire.
There's no choice but to leave them be...
"Hm?"
While thinking that and looking at the sub-heroine list, I froze when I saw a name that was positioned at the very top and hadn't been visible.
Isollet Arham Biwark [Conquest: 75%]
Details.....
"Why is this one alone still..."
I was staring blankly at Isollet, whose status alone remained unchanged despite all routes being suspended.
"Hm?"
Then, I opened my eyes wide and murmured.
[Conquest: 75%]
"Just a few days ago it was 70 percent?"
Because, for some reason, her conquest progress had increased.
"Just what..."
Moreover.
[Conquest: 76%]
".....!?"
The conquest progress rose a little even at that moment.
What on earth?
.
Meanwhile, at that time.
"Mmh... mm..."
"L-Lady Isollet..."
Isollet Arham Biwark was lying on her bed at home, groaning in pain.
"Please try to come to your senses..."
"Frey..."
"Yes?"
And that too.
"Frey..."
".....???"
While calling Frey's name.