Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Spirit Magic (1)
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First, I returned to my room and mulled over the current situation while reading a book.
A notification had appeared stating that Kirigumo and Tenka's fates had been saved.
And it had popped up right after Tronde was hauled away by the heresy inquisitors.
That meant Tronde wouldn't be able to harm the Kirigumo father and daughter anymore.
But why hadn't anything shown up when I'd hired Amelin?
'Because just hiring her doesn't completely eliminate the chance of her becoming the Mad Witch? Does that mean there's still something out there that could corrupt Amelin?'
I had to prevent Amelin's fall, no matter what.
Because if she became the Mad Witch, everyone in our estate would be in danger.
In the worst case, I'd have to kill her with my own hands.
'I need to figure out exactly what could still cause Amelin to fall.'
"My lord?"
"Yeah?"
Tenka, who had been standing by my bedside watching me, spoke up.
"Are you all right? You look worried."
"Just got a lot on my mind."
"I see. It must be because of that vile, wicked cultist. How dare he disturb my lord's peace. I can't forgive him."
"What about you, Tenka? Are you okay? You heard some pretty shocking stuff."
"It was shocking, of course... but thanks to you, my lord, I'm fully recovered now. And kicking that bastard in the jaw felt really good."
Tenka sure knew how to sort out her feelings quickly.
"...Ah! My lord, would you like to pet my head?"
"Your head?"
"Yes! Whenever Father or Mother looked troubled, they'd pet my head to cheer up! They always said my hair had a comforting power!"
That's just the feeling parents get when petting their cute kid.
But with her eyes full of expectation, I couldn't refuse.
"Alright, then lower your head a bit."
"Yes! Pet it as much as you like!"
I reached out and stroked Tenka's hair.
It was silky, fluffy, and carried a gentle warmth.
"Hehe."
And seeing her smile so innocently as I petted her... yeah, I could definitely understand how Kirigumo felt.
Just looking at her was healing.
That's when Ridel returned with tea and snacks.
"What are you doing, Aren?"
"Healing."
"Pardon?"
"Want to come over and give it a try, Ridel? It calms the mind."
"Lady Ridel, you should try it too!"
"Huh?"
Time passed, and evening came.
After sending Tenka and Ridel back to their rooms, I checked the notification window alone.
I'd definitely seen messages about my mana and physical abilities increasing, but those weren't listed in the perk details window.
'Well, I can feel the mana increase anyway, so it's not a big deal if it's not there...'
The important part was that some info on the perk had been unlocked.
When I opened the perk window to check...
[Currently Unopened Perks: ■■■ Spirit, ■■■ Total■]
New information had indeed appeared.
I hadn't expected it to be partial name reveals, though.
'If I can uncover the full names, maybe I'll unlock the perks? One seems to be a spirit/mind-type perk... and 'total'? What the heck?'
Still full of questions, but at least I'd gotten a clue to obtaining the other perks.
Based on Savior of World, you had to achieve feats like saving specific characters whose fates were already doomed.
With just Supreme Physique, I'd been able to accomplish things I never dreamed of.
What if I got both of the other perks too?
'I might even be able to stop that incident.'
That incident.
The one where the minions of the evil gods, who even appeared as bosses in Savior of World, banded together to assassinate the 13th Prince as a sacrifice, paving the way for the evil gods to easily intervene in the world.
If I hadn't met Amelin early, it would've been the first incident I targeted to prevent.
The evil gods' minions.
The ones currently drawing the evil gods' attention and acting as their puppets were all bosses that were tough to take down even in Savior of World.
Enemies that made today's Tronde—who was barely an elite cultist—look like nothing.
To properly deal with them, I needed to acquire the other perks quickly.
So...
'Time to find the key to saving Amelin's fate.'
The next day.
During magic lessons, I asked Amelin,
"Amelin."
"Yes, Your Highness? Is there something you're curious about?"
"Anything bothering you or making you uncomfortable?"
"Pardon? No, nothing like that."
"Really? Not even a little?"
"Uh, u-um? Sh-should there be...?"
"No, if there's nothing, that's good."
For now, Amelin seemed perfectly content with her current life.
'Well, compared to those academy stories she tells, life at my estate can't be bad.'
Magic lessons were only twice a week with rest days, and even daily sessions weren't that long.
We were even in the middle of setting up a research lab in the estate so she could study freely.
All the furniture was ready; we just needed to add the magic tools and materials she'd requested.
"Hmm."
If it wasn't an issue with her current environment, maybe I should look outside for someone like Tronde who might harbor malice toward her?
"U-um... Y-Your Highness. Did I do something tactless?"
"Huh? What do you mean by tactless?"
"I-I mean, even if there's nothing, if I complain about something anyway, it'd be arrogant for a hired mage to vent dissatisfaction! So maybe you're leading me on to enjoy punishing me... or s-something?"
"..."
'Why would she even think that?'
"Mind if I ask why you'd assume that?"
"I-I heard that nobles sometimes play those kinds of games... "
You've heard some weird stuff, Amelin.
But I couldn't completely deny it.
Even in my memories, there were nobles who toyed with servants like that—and some who even competed over who was better at it.
"A-and you had Lady Ridel wear something similar to me once, so I thought maybe..."
That was Ridel preparing it to show me something nice.
But without any explanation, it must've fueled Amelin's wild imagination.
"That's not it at all, Amelin."
"Ah. Um. Sorry, so sorry, I'm so sorry! I got way too cocky, daring to have presumptuous thoughts even though I'm just a lowly mage barely alive thanks to Your Highness. Please don't fire me!"
It had been a while since Amelin grabbed my pant leg and begged.
Screeech.
"What is this situation, Aren?"
Ridel, whom I'd sent to fetch snacks while I questioned Amelin, walked in and saw the scene.
"I just asked if she had any complaints about her current situation, and Amelin seems to have gotten the wrong idea."
"Wrong idea?"
"I mistakenly thought Your Highness might want to play a punishment game on someone like me! Please don't fire me!"
"...I see. So that's what happened."
Ridel immediately grasped it, set the snack-laden tray on the table, and helped Amelin up.
"Amelin, you know Aren isn't the type to suddenly abandon you, right? Don't twist his expression because of your pointlessly low self-esteem."
"Sniff! S-sorry..."
"Besides, Aren hasn't laid a hand on me yet, so he wouldn't on you first. I'll be ahead of you, so nothing like that will happen until then. Stop with the weird thoughts."
"Y-yeah, that makes sense."
Ridel.
What kind of usual conversations do you two have for Amelin to accept that reasoning so readily?
"So why did you suddenly ask Amelin that, Aren?"
"Technically, Amelin was going to be my tutor before I hired her directly. Even if she says life here is better, since she spent so long at the academy, I wondered if she missed it or had any regrets."
"I see."
"Or maybe some worries."
"Worries?"
"Like stuff she left behind at the academy. If there's anything, she can skip magic lessons for a few days to fetch it."
"N-no need! I brought everything important when I came, thinking I'd be here long-term!"
"Really?"
"But if it's worries... um."
"Something there?"
"Actually, it's not nostalgia— I never want to go back to the academy."
"That bad?"
"Th-the dean will be furious if I do. Ugh, I hate that yelling!"
"The dean of the Summoning Magic department?"
"Yes! He's definitely super mad right now. Dean Jeromos only cares about his research, has a huge ego, and is super petty. Technically, making me pay back the tutor fee was his fault, but if he got punished for it, he'll blame me entirely! He'll yell 'Are you insane?!' the second he sees me! With that stinky breath yelling loud! Aaaah!"
Amelin shuddered, her academy trauma resurfacing.
"It's okay, Amelin. This isn't the academy."
"U-ugh... uuu..."
As Ridel hugged her and patted her back to calm her, I became convinced.
'That Jeromos guy is probably deeply involved.'
At the same time, I wondered.
What the hell did he do to drive a timid thing like Amelin to become the fully unhinged Mad Witch?