Episode 47
"Using me? What do you mean by that? And, absolute obedience magic... that doesn't make any..."
"...Lie down."
With a flustered expression, I issued a command to Serena, who was firing off words like a machine gun, in an icy voice.
"Yes."
Then, Serena lay down on the spot with such natural ease and continued speaking.
"There's no way you could have placed brainwashing on me. Even though you're clever, even if you've been pretending to be a fool, that's still..."
"...Stop everything for a moment."
At that, Serena froze in place just as she was.
"Kania, I'm really sorry, but can I ask you for a favor?"
"...What favor?"
In that situation, I began whispering to Kania, who had been standing quietly by my side.
"Yes, ye-es!?"
Kania's expression turned to shock, then her face flushed red as she cried out.
"Um... was that too unreasonable a request? Sorry, then I'll try another method..."
Seeing her reaction, I thought this method wouldn't work after all and tried to quickly think of another way, but...
"...I'll do it."
"Hm?"
Soon after, as Kania lifted her head with a determined expression, I frowned slightly and asked.
"Kania, this isn't coercion or a command. If you don't want to, I'd appreciate it if you clearly express that..."
"I'm saying this of my own will."
Kania said, her face still flushed but with a determined expression.
"If it's for the young master, I can do anything."
"...Thank you, Kania."
I thanked her and was about to turn my gaze to Serena when Kania asked with a worried expression.
"But... can we really deceive Miss Serena?"
"...It's possible."
I answered her briefly, then added a short comment to her puzzled expression.
...Anyway, I said it's possible."
With those words, I issued another command to Serena, who had been staring blankly at us until then.
...From now on, stop naturally accepting the commands I give."
"Understood."
"Then, continue what you were saying earlier."
"Impossible..."
As I finished the command, she tried to continue what she was about to say, but then noticed she had been speaking while lying prostrate and began to look dazed.
"Why, you said it's impossible?"
"H-how? Why..."
Sneering at her, I began to speak.
"You've been obeying my commands since you were very young. Because I placed the 'absolute obedience magic' on you back then."
"No... that can't be... that can't be..."
"Shall I tell you an even more shocking truth?"
As Serena fell into confusion, I approached her and whispered while looking straight into her eyes.
...The reason you love me is because I commanded you to love me."
At those words, Serena's expression stiffened.
"Thanks to that, I've made good use of you until now, Serena."
"No... no... this isn't it..."
Hearing my words, Serena began frantically shaking her head in denial, while I ignored her and began extending my arm toward Kania, who had somehow sat down on the bed.
"Just now... what are you two doing?"
As I pushed Kania onto the bed and began looking at her with loving eyes while holding her hands, Serena looked at us with trembling eyes and muttered.
"S-stop with the fake cheating already? You can never deceive me..."
...Chu."
But when I kissed Kania while continuing to look at her with a loving expression, Serena was left speechless.
"S-stop it. Please stop..."
"Mmm..."
"Stop... I said stop!!"
After watching us for a while and muttering with a soulless voice, Serena finally couldn't hold back her anger and shouted.
"What, you're still here?"
"This can't be... until now it definitely wasn't sincere? Why is that... why is that sincere..."
Hearing that cry, I slightly separated from Kania and wiped the saliva connecting Kania's and my lips with my sleeve, then asked, and Serena began trembling and muttering.
"W-what's wrong... you can't be like this..."
- Slap!!
Serena rushed toward me desperately, but I slapped her cheek and pointed to the exit while speaking.
...Go to your room and wait for the next command. Don't do anything foolish."
"Yes."
After saying that, I began kissing Kania again while looking at her with a loving expression, and Serena, who had been quietly watching me, shed a single tear from her eye before stumbling out of the room.
[Serena Luna Moonlight's current emotions: Love/Sadness/Bewilderment/Confusion/Doubt]
"...This is driving me crazy."
Using the 'Mind Reading' skill on her as I slightly pulled away from Kania, I looked at the results floating before my eyes and buried my head while muttering.
"What on earth does she like about me... to still love me even after being treated like that..."
Since she couldn't be certain of everything, I thought the effect would be somewhat diminished... but I thought it would be enough to hurt her feelings, but I was mistaken.
When receiving the 'System's Trial' from her, I erased the 'worry' emotion that shouldn't exist, but I couldn't erase the 'love' emotion.
Even though I showed the disgraceful sight of fooling around with another woman right in front of her eyes, even though I subjected her to verbal abuse and violence, Serena Luna Moonlight still loves me.
"Y-young master..."
"Ah, sorry... Kania."
Lost in endless guilt and sighing, I got up from the bed as Kania, who had been leaning against me until then, quietly averted her gaze and muttered.
...What was the result?"
Then Kania, who was blushing while trying to maintain a cold expression, asked cautiously while looking at my distressed face.
"I erased the worry, but I couldn't erase the love..."
As I sighed once more and answered her, Kania replied with a complex expression.
...Miss Serena is truly devoted, isn't she."
Hearing those words, I quietly closed my eyes and fell into thought.
'...Still, I've managed to get past the crisis for now.'
The purpose of this operation was to make Serena completely turn away from me.
Since I had always done things that made me hated, if it weren't for Serena, it would have been a piece of cake.
But because the target was Serena, the difficulty had multiplied many times over.
Since I, who loved and cherished Serena, would slander or insult her, she would read my true feelings and not change her mind at all.
Therefore, I devised a scheme.
That scheme was to use Kania, one of the 'main heroines.'
Thanks to that, Serena was shocked by my attitude, which was distinctly different from before. That's why her worry for me disappeared, and confusion, bewilderment, and sadness took their place.
But she still loves me.
If she continues to love me, she might start worrying about me again soon. If that happens, she won't be safe from the System's Trial.
And the 'Curse of Subordination' would continue to bind and torment her.
'That's why, from now on...'
"Young master, I have a question."
"...Yes?"
Trying to set aside my painful feelings and reach a conclusion, Kania, who was sitting quietly beside me, spoke to me.
...Do you love Miss Serena, young master?"
Soon after, Kania asked with the calm expression she wore when doing her work, and I, who had been staring at her, finally sighed deeply and answered.
"If I say I don't love her, that would be a lie."
Saying that with a bitter laugh, Kania frowned slightly and continued my words.
...When we were young, Miss Serena warned me that the young master was her first love and told me not to touch him."
"Did she?"
"Was the young master the same?"
Kania tilted her head as she asked, and I tried to avert my gaze from her as I spoke.
"Why are you suddenly asking that?"
...I just thought that in this kind of situation, I should say something."
"This particular topic?"
"I apologize."
As I laughed bitterly again and asked, Kania lowered her head and answered, and I gestured to her that it was fine, lay down on the bed for a moment and stared blankly at the ceiling, then looked at Kania and spoke.
"Kania, I know this is a shameless request, but..."
"Please, go ahead. The young master is someone who has the right to ask me anything."
Before I could even finish speaking, Kania answered in a firm tone, and I looked at her with a guilt-ridden expression and began to tell her the conclusion I hadn't been able to reach earlier.
"Kania, I'm really sorry, but... I think I'll have to keep doing this kind of behavior from now on."
"...Yes?"
Then Kania's calm expression became slightly distorted.
"Sorry, so... it's not that Serena continuing to have 'love' feelings is a big problem... and I don't know how long her current bewilderment and confusion will last..."
Thanks to her, I felt a significant pang of conscience and began rambling.
...So to prevent Serena from worrying about me and to eliminate her loving feelings, continuously showing affection in front of her is the best..."
"I'll cooperate."
After speaking aimlessly for a while, I stopped talking and quietly began looking at Kania, who held my hand and answered with a smile.
...You could also be threatened by Serena. Even so?"
"I'm quite strong too."
"Even though you'll feel the same guilt I'm feeling now?"
When I asked with a worried expression, she laughed bitterly and answered in a calm tone.
"I am an evil black mage. Guilt is not a problem for me."
"...Thank you, Kania."
As asking further would be disrespectful to Kania who had made a difficult decision for my sake, I thanked her briefly, flopped down on the bed and muttered.
"When everything is over, how should I apologize to Serena? Or rather, will I even be able to apologize in the first place?"
Hearing those words, Kania closed her eyes tightly for a moment and fell into thought, then opened her eyes and cautiously asked me a question.
"Young master, I know this is an extremely presumptuous question, but... may I ask one thing?"
Uncharacteristically tense and even gulping, I thought it must be something important, so I nodded with a serious expression.
"Earlier, the young master... shook Miss Serena's heart by showing affection toward me."
...That's right."
When I answered calmly to her words, Kania continued her question in a low voice.
"If it was enough to shake Miss Serena's heart, who had seen through the young master's usual fake cheating..."
"......"
"Um... so..."
But she trailed off and lowered her head, then flushed red and whispered in a voice as small as an ant.
...Thank you for cherishing me."
Staring at her blankly for a moment, I answered her while trying to maintain composure.
"Me too, thank you."
And silence flowed through the dormitory for a while.
"I, I should go attend to my work now."
Breaking the silence, Kania left my room in a fluster, quite unlike her.
"Sigh..."
Watching Kania's retreating figure for a moment, I thought I should get some sleep and quietly closed my eyes, but...
"...Damn it."
For some reason, Serena's face with a single tear falling kept appearing before my eyes, so I finally cursed and got up from the bed.
"To me, they're all precious people I want to save somehow..."
Recalling the faces of the 5 main heroines, each with different but all wounded experiences caused by me, I sighed and approached the window where an owl was perched, looking outside.
...If I keep hurting them like this, even when things are over, I won't be forgiven."
Despite my frustration, outside, the risen sun was brightly illuminating the world.
- Knock knock
"...Who is it?"
While I was staring blankly at the window, someone knocked on my door.
"Hello."
Opening my door and entering was Irina, dressed in neat attire.
"I've come to do my slave duties."
"Sigh..."
I was already troubled enough because of the heroines I'd wounded, and now Irina, who had become a slave because of me, came in, making me even more troubled.
...Originally, I had planned to share my mana with her."
The reason I made the 'Oath of Death' with her was to somehow give her a justification for receiving complete mana from me.
But unexpectedly defeating her, I ended up having to use her as my direct slave.
Thanks to that, rumors are spreading widely - annoying rumors about how Irina, the magical genius who entered as top of her class, fell into becoming Frey's pleasure slave, about how a noble mage knelt to dirty power.
Even hearing them myself, they're this annoying, so how humiliating and annoying must it be for Irina, the person involved?
For someone as combative, noble, and proud as her, it must be something hard to accept. Just in the previous cycle alone, there were quite a few nobles who suffered greatly after insulting her.
...Have you been resting well? Seeing your complexion has brightened, I guess you lived it up without me?"
But today too, I have to commit evil acts toward Irina. Even if my heart is troubled, even if I don't want to, I have no choice but to.
"Every single day without fail, I've been sweeping and cleaning Master Frey's dormitory. Because I am Master Frey's personal slave."
"Is that so? Must have been hard. Then come here for a moment."
I looked at Irina, who was speaking calmly, with a lecherous expression and patted beside the bed.
...Understood."
Then Irina, realizing what I was about to do, closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then began slowly approaching me.
"Now... how is it? Does it feel like your shoulders are loosening a bit?"
"......."
Soon after, I began to gently massage her shoulders.
...This side is quite knotted up?"
"Is that so?"
"Yes, so... I think doing this would loosen it up a bit?"
Saying that, I began to slowly embrace her.
"......."
"...Mm?"
But something is strange. Normally, she would immediately twist her body and resist, but Irina was quietly accepting my touch.
...Hey, what are you doing right now?"
"........."
No, she's not just quietly accepting it, she's cautiously exploring my body.
What on earth?
"At times like this... I told you to resist, to resist..."
Finally unable to bear Irina's touch, I separated from her and, trying to hide my flustered expression, began poking her cheek.
...I apologize."
Then she, who had been still all along, looked straight at me and began to speak.
"After thinking deeply for three months, it seems this kind of behavior is more fitting for a personal slave."
Looking at her, I distorted my expression, grabbed her chin, and began speaking in an icy voice.
"I have more than enough obedient women around me. So many that I'm sick of seeing them."
"Is... that so...?"
"So you need to resist me... That way, there's some pleasure in breaking you."
...Understood."
She, saying that, was still staring straight at me.
"Sigh... Everything's ruined. Fine, today just clean the floor or..."
Feeling something slightly off about Irina, I put on a cold expression and was pointing to the floor when...
"Cough! Cough!"
I suddenly felt tightness near my heart and started pounding my chest while coughing.
...Are you alright?"
"Don't mind it and just clean."
Then Irina frowned and started approaching, and I waved my hand at her in irritation.
"......."
However, Irina began looking sharply at the corner of my mouth.
Quickly wiping the corner of my mouth with my hand, red blood came away on it.
...What are you doing? Why aren't you wiping it quickly?"
Staring at it blankly for a moment, I quietly hid my hand behind my back and issued a command to Irina.
"Master Frey, I have a question."
"What?"
But Irina, instead of cleaning as told, suddenly started asking me a question.
...When is your birthday?"
"Me? It's in two weeks."
"I see, then by any chance..."
"Shut up and just clean."
Feeling like I was being interrogated for some reason, I cut off her words and quietly headed for the bathroom in the room.
"Ah, I brought some saplings to keep in the dormitory... which one would be good?"
But Irina blocked my way and held out some saplings, and I pushed her aside and answered indifferently.
...Just set up whatever."
After answering, I locked the bathroom door and let out the cough I'd been holding back.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!"
I should probably prepare a handkerchief with an automatic cleaning function soon.
.
Meanwhile, at the Empire's Magic Tower.
...What kind of principle is that?"
"It just worked when I tried it?"
The Magic Tower Lord was staring blankly at Glare, who was shattering various magic stones, mithril, and adamantiium into pieces just by flicking her fingers.
"I knew the mana you possessed was mana that had never been discovered before, but..."
Soon after seeing her shatter the barrier he had created with all his might with a light 'crack' sound, the Magic Tower Lord said with a look of awe.
"Your mana and abilities are... literally nothing but a 'miracle'..."
- Screeeech!!
"Oh my goodness!!"
The Magic Tower Lord, who had been watching the girl who would surely shake the foundation of existing magic studies, was startled when a white owl suddenly flew in through the window and began pecking at his head, and grabbed the wooden staff beside him.
"Screech!!"
Then the quick-witted owl quickly spat out a letter from its mouth and escaped through the window.
"Ugh..."
Looking blankly at the retreating owl, the Magic Tower Lord carefully opened the letter covered in saliva.
- As planned.
Only those words were written in the letter.
"Sigh..."
Looking at that short content with an annoyed expression, the Magic Tower Lord threw the letter to Glare to shatter, then sighed deeply and muttered in a low voice.
...Rotten woman."