Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Pajama Party (5)
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Lea had set aside her sword for exactly the reason she'd explained to Arthur: she could no longer find any value in life through it, nor any purpose worth continuing her training for. That much was true.
She called it ordinary.
And in truth, it was something that happened all the time.
Even artisans who'd spent their entire lives charging down a single path would suddenly start doubting themselves one day: Is it really right to devote my finite life to just this one thing?
In severe cases, they'd run away from home or dive headfirst into religion, all in search of some greater purpose.
So the fact that it had happened to Lea wasn't all that special, just as she said.
But it hadn't happened in the original story.
And whenever something that hadn't happened in the original occurred, there was always a triggering event.
What Lea had hidden from Arthur was the specific details of that event.
It happened when she was fifteen.
A dragon.
A creature covered in scales tougher than armor, breathing fire from its maw, with claws sharper than any blade.
Dozens of her family's knights had swarmed it, but they were barely holding their own—suffering casualties one by one.
That's when a boy landed atop the dragon's head.
Backlit by the light, she couldn't make out his face, but he seemed about her age.
And that boy...
—Why are you causing trouble here?
...stomped on the dragon's head and subdued it in a single blow.
Lea stared at him, entranced.
She didn't even notice her sword slipping from her hand.
In the end, that boy was the direct catalyst for her abandoning her sword training.
No matter how hard she trained, she didn't think she could ever reach his level. And in truth, even the adults in her family—even her father—fell far short of him.
Lea wanted to be the best in the world.
She longed to stand above everyone else in some field, to reach the absolute peak where there was nowhere left to climb, and savor that feeling.
That's why she'd trained with the sword, reveling in the thrill of surpassing one rival after another.
But if the sword had become meaningless, what should she aim for now?
She had no idea.
There was no longer any reason to keep walking that path.
So Lea hated that boy.
Hated him so much that she wanted to see him again—to slap his face and steal a kiss from his lips.
She hadn't seen his face, but one memory burned crystal clear.
The hem of his shirt lifting as he stomped on the dragon's head. The glimpse of his side exposed in that moment.
And the scar there.
Its position and shape were etched vividly in Lea's memory.
So...
"Take it off."
She approached Arthur.
"Take it off. I'm not joking."
And she truly wasn't. Lea reached out with both hands to strip off Arthur's clothes herself.
Only for Arthur to grab both her wrists.
"What the hell are you doing all of a sudden?"
But Lea had expected as much.
"Diana, strip him."
She proposed an alliance.
Grabbing both her hands meant he'd tied up his own in the process. It wouldn't be easy for him to fend off Diana too.
"Diana, don't."
Diana blinked in a daze for a moment... then reached toward Arthur.
But...
"Hah! W-What the hell am I doing!?"
Diana shook her head violently, like someone snapping out of a dream.
"I-I don't know anything!!"
Tiona, who had frozen in shock since Lea first tried to undress him, finally came to her senses.
"Lea! What the heck are you doing all of a sudden!?"
"Ugh, come on, help me out! Be honest—you all want to strip this guy too!!"
"!"
"!!"
"!!!"
Lea's bombshell declaration left Cynthia rigid, while Diana shrieked in outrage.
But Tiona was different.
"Don't touch my Arthur!!"
She roared and swung at Lea.
"Guh...!?"
Lea had tempered her aura, granting her far greater strength and toughness than an ordinary person.
But with both hands blocked, she took a blow straight to the side.
"Urk... guh... kuh..."
Lea coughed and crumpled. Ironically, Tiona—the one who'd hit her—panicked even more.
"Lea!? Sorryyy! Are you okay!? Are you dying!?"
"I-I'm not dying..."
Lea curled up briefly.
"Thrust!"
Then she launched herself at Arthur, successfully grabbing the hem of his shirt.
Rip!
Arthur's lower abdomen was exposed—well-defined abs, not overly bulky but nicely shaped.
"Huh... what?"
But the scar she'd been searching for was nowhere to be seen.
Not him? Arthur's not that boy from back then?
The shirt hem slipped from Lea's fingers.
"Lea!! What the hell have you been doing since earlier!?"
Feeling the stinging barrage of slaps on her back from Tiona, Lea sank to the floor.
"Sorry. I must've gotten the wrong idea."
Her voice came out sounding like she was talking in front of a fan, thanks to Tiona shaking her lungs up.
Somehow, the midnight incident seemed to wrap up there.
The four played cards a bit longer.
When they got bored of Old Maid, Arthur taught them Uno, and the excitement reignited.
By 3 a.m.—an hour Tiona would never have dreamed of staying up to in normal times...
"Hngh... hngh... grrr..."
Tiona nodded off, then fully conked out. The others started yawning deeply one by one.
"I'll handle cleanup, so everyone head to bed."
"Yesss..."
"Yeah..."
He escorted the two guests to their rooms, tucked Tiona into bed for the second time that night, and returned to his own room.
And so, the chaotic night—from ball to afterparty—finally drew to a close.
"...I really need to check for sure."
No way.
Lea had noted where Arthur's room was.
She slipped out quietly, crept over on tiptoe, and pressed her ear to the door.
Only soft breathing sounds came from inside.
Good.
Lea placed her hand on the doorknob.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A maid's day begins early in the morning.
Isabelle and Croa—the two maids who had already been asleep when the guests arrived—rose at their usual early hour.
And spotted unfamiliar shoes.
"Croa, what the...?"
"...Did someone from the ducal main house arrive late last night?"
Their confusion cleared up when they found the note Arthur had left in anticipation of exactly this.
- Lady Tiona's friends came to visit. They stayed up late playing, so everyone will likely sleep in tomorrow.
"!!"
"!!!"
Lady Tiona... had friends?
Having lived with Tiona from the main house for years, they knew all too well the troubles of dealing with their problematic young lady.
"Friends for Lady Tiona...!"
"C-Can we believe this? Real friends... for Lady Tiona?"
Friends for Lady Tiona!
It felt like an oxymoron—like "cold fire" or "floating metal." How was that even possible?
The two maids exchanged glances.
"Arthur."
"The teacher...!"
Nod.
Nod nod...!
Their respect for Arthur deepened even further.
Just like anyone would revere a mage who could conjure fire from ice.
A door opened on the first floor, toward the back—Arthur the teacher's room.
"Teacher!"
"Is it true, Lady Tiona's—"
The two maids froze.
Because Arthur was leading a woman in animal pajamas, bound head to toe.
"Mmph...!"
Lea—trussed up with ropes digging into her body, hands bound behind her back, and gagged—was tearing up from the humiliation.
Isabelle and Croa didn't know the term "turtle shell binding."
But they could clearly sense how... indecent... the ropes biting into her feminine form looked.
"This is insane... why'd you have to try something stupid."
"Mmph... mmph mmph...!!"
Lea's eyes met the maids'.
"Puh mmph...!!"
"I want to untie you quickly too, so please sit at the table over there—"
Arthur met the maids' gazes.
Arthur spoke.
"It's a misunderstanding."
Isabelle covered her mouth. Croa stared wide-eyed, sparkling with interest.
"My master taught me a spell to neutralize intruders long ago, but I had no idea it would turn out like this."
"..."
"..."
"Seriously, it's just a misunderstanding."
"..."
"..."
Lea sobbed and shuddered with shame.
That morning's brunch, prepared by Arthur, was exceptionally superb.
"Teacher, why is breakfast so amazing today...?"
"Lady Tiona's friends came over, so I put in a little extra effort."
Perfectly baked waffles.
Topped with whipped cream, sweet fresh fruit jam, syrup, and vanilla ice cream.
The accompanying drink was hot cocoa—rich and velvety, with a sophisticated chocolate aroma that filled the mouth with every sip, clearly top-shelf quality.
This was far beyond a typical breakfast.
Tiona's eyes lit up as she shoveled it in.
"Lady, please use your fork and knife."
"Mmmph mmm hrrph! Hmph mmm pwah!"
Cynthia and Diana weren't quite as feral, but their eyes sparkled as they eagerly enjoyed the waffles.
And Lea...
"...Hmph."
She glanced at Arthur, then quickly looked away, cheeks flushing red.
Still, she devoured her waffles.
It was too delicious to skip over something like that.
Arthur signaled with his eyes.
- Sorry, really
- ....
- So why'd you break into my room in the middle of the night...
- !!
Lea ducked her head completely and focused solely on her waffle.
Cynthia and Diana picked up on that subtle non-conversation.
As the meal wound down, Arthur spoke.
"Everyone, how about we head to the academy and hang out today?"