Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest (5)
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"But Shirone… if you're really planning on doing something on the island, there's one problem."
"Huh? What problem?"
"Actually, I planned this vacation as a couples' trip."
"A couples' trip? You mean like, guy-girl, guy-girl?"
"Yeah. My partner is supposed to come here. I should have told you sooner. I just never imagined you'd say you wanted to investigate the ruins."
Shirone gazed up at the dark ceiling. A couples' trip. That meant he would have to bring a partner too.
"Alright. I'll bring someone too."
Rian looked back at Shirone, surprised. The Shirone he knew was so inexperienced he'd blush just at the sight of women's underwear. Rian had thought finding a partner would be the biggest hurdle and had held back from saying anything, but Shirone had easily agreed, defying his expectations.
"You... must be popular with the ladies, huh?"
"Huh? It's not like that. But there is someone I could go with. I was actually thinking about it. If you hadn't suggested it, I probably would have asked first."
Rian's eyes lit up. He wasn't sure what Shirone meant by that, but didn't it mean he had a girl in mind?
"Haha! My family's witch will be disappointed to hear that."
"Reina? Why would she be?"
"Hehe, never mind. Anyway, I'm dying of curiosity. What's she like? Is she pretty?"
"Yeah. She's pretty, but... I don't know if she'll come with me. I might get rejected flat out."
"No way, you have to bring her. Go get her to agree tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll go home and get ready."
Shirone delayed his answer. If Rian was bringing a partner, then he had to as well.
But he couldn't be sure. Judging by her usual personality, there was a high probability he'd be berated and kicked out.
All sorts of worries weighed on Shirone's mind. But at the same time, he felt a flutter of excitement.
It was his first trip, and it was with his friends. Besides, he'd heard that Galliante Island was a famous tourist spot with a southern, tropical charm.
Shirone couldn't fall asleep until late into the night.
A New Encounter (1)
Shirone parted ways with Rian in the noble residential district. Their departure was tomorrow, so he had to find a partner by the end of the day.
Unfamiliar with the area, he had to ask for directions to find her house. The place he finally arrived at was a mansion so beautiful it couldn't have been built merely for residential convenience.
'So this is the Carmis family's main estate.'
They were close enough to talk freely at school, but the thought of visiting her home suddenly made him nervous. The guards at the main gate were eyeing him suspiciously, which only made him more tense.
"Uh... Hello?"
"What is your business here?"
As Shirone approached, the guard's hand tightened on his sword. It was an unconscious reaction. Through countless trials, Shirone's aura had grown to the point where it could overwhelm an ordinary person.
"Is Amy here, by any chance?"
The guard's expression hardened. He knew from rumors that Amy was the object of admiration for many men her age. However, almost no one ever came all the way to the main estate.
"Excuse me, but who are you?"
"Oh, my name is Shirone. I'm a friend from the magic academy."
The guard glanced at his superior, as if to say he couldn't make the call. The superior's face turned weary.
It was certainly a rare occurrence, but for him, who had been working at the Carmis estate for twenty years, it wasn't an entirely unfamiliar event.
'Sigh, what a pain. It's starting again, right as the vacation begins.'
In any case, as long as there were no orders from the main house to strictly prohibit outsiders, he had no choice but to report it.
When the superior gestured with his chin to go and inform them, the guard rode his horse toward the mansion.
Shirone waited anxiously at the main gate. Meanwhile, the superior kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
His looks were decent and his personality seemed fine, but there was no way he'd be allowed into the mansion.
Countless men had been turned away before. There was even a time when someone who was a distant relative of the royal family had to leave without even seeing Amy's face.
It was something unimaginable for any family other than the Carmis, whose name was known throughout the continent.
After about ten minutes, the guard returned hastily on his horse. The superior could guess the outcome just by looking at his subordinate's worried face.
At times like these, it was always the gate guards who were in a tough spot. If an angry noble decided to slap them, they had no choice but to take it.
The superior decided to make something up to ease his subordinate's burden.
"What happened? I heard they had urgent business to attend to today."
"Um, they said to let him in."
"Hmm, I see. They are very busy people, after all... Huh? What did you say?"
The superior asked again, unable to believe his ears. The guard making the report was also clearly bewildered, as this was a first for him too.
"Well... Lady Amy said to escort him in."
"Oh, so she was home. That's a relief."
Shirone breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that if Amy was out, there would be no way for a commoner like him to enter the mansion.
A moment later, a pink carriage arrived at the main gate. When a benevolent-looking old man stepped out of the carriage with a cane, the guards' faces turned pale.
It was Adell, the head butler of the Carmis family.
Seeing the person who had come to greet him, Shirone asked the guard.
"Can I go in now?"
"Ah, yes! Welcome to the Carmis estate!"
The superior hurriedly gave a military salute. Even so, he couldn't understand the current situation.
Permission to enter was one thing, but Adell himself? No matter who Shirone was, even if he were the son of a great family, there was no reason for the head butler of the Carmis family to come out and greet him.
Adell only made an appearance when there was a major family event or when the head of the family had a guest.
'Who on earth is he? He said he was a friend of the young lady, so he can't be a guest of the family head. Is there some kind of event today? No, I haven't heard anything about that.'
Leaning on his cane, Adell walked toward Shirone. For a head butler who managed a grand mansion, he had a gentle appearance.
"Welcome to the Carmis mansion. My name is Adell, the head butler."
"Hello. I'm Shirone."
"I see. Forgive my impertinence, but there is something I must confirm before escorting you into the mansion."
"Oh, what is it?"
"I must ask for identification. To see if you are truly Master Shirone."
Shirone looked at Adell, unable to understand.
"The young lady said this: 'If it's Shirone, bring him in.' I interpret these words as follows: permission to enter can only be granted if it is absolutely Shirone. Therefore, you must show me proof that you are, in fact, Master Shirone."
Shirone felt a surge of anger. "If it's Shirone, bring him in" was nothing more than Amy's typical grumbling tone, and at most, it was a simple instruction to check his identity in case someone was using his name.
How much did one have to twist her words to demand proof of his identity?
"How am I supposed to prove that I'm me? I am Shirone."
"That alone is not enough to convince me. I am the head butler of the Carmis family. I have a duty to clearly identify all who enter, and I also have the authority to do so."
"If you just take me to Amy...!"
Shirone stopped talking. Adell's benevolent face suddenly began to feel frightening, and an unknown energy pressed down on his chest and back. He felt as if his organs were about to burst.
"The Carmis family is the most supreme of nobles, one that refuses comparison with other families. Furthermore, as the head butler, I, Adell, follow only the orders of the family head. Since I have been tasked with personally escorting the young lady's guest, it is only proper that I show due diligence."
Shirone realized why Adell was being difficult. It meant he was displeased at having to do a job that any other butler could have handled. Even so, Shirone couldn't show his own displeasure, as the pressure crushing his lungs was growing stronger.
'Ugh... here it comes. The Pressing.'
The guards felt a sense of camaraderie with Shirone. Adell, who was notorious for being strict, would often call in his subordinates and use the Pressing on them for even the most minor mistakes.
The Pressing was a technique that transmitted abnormally amplified emotions to an opponent, disrupting their nervous system.
It didn't inflict physical pain, but the gradually amplifying stress affected the body, and if one was fully subjected to it, it was a dangerous technique that could even destroy major organs.
'Hoh, so he can withstand even this?'
Shirone was tense, but otherwise showed no significant change. Annoyed by how calmly he was taking the stress, Adell slowly increased the intensity of the Pressing.
He hadn't intended to go this far, but he thought it would be a good lesson to startle this brat who was acting cocky just because of his connection to the family.
Shirone realized his heart was beating faster. The main cause was anger. Adell's hostility was drawing out Shirone's own rage.
'Stay calm. It's just an emotion. As long as I control it, nothing will happen.'
Like a person sinking into the sea with a rock tied to them, the pressure intensified with time, and breathing became difficult.
But Shirone didn't struggle; he calmly observed his own emotions.
When the duration of the Pressing surpassed the lethal threshold, Adell's lips trembled in disbelief.
Cold sweat was trickling down his forehead.
'What is this boy?'
To break free from the Pressing, one had to amplify their own emotions to the same intensity.
A Carmis with Red Eyes could reset their emotions entirely, but for Shirone, who lacked his self-image memories, to be perfectly fine for this long was definitely strange.
'Patience alone cannot explain this. The only other possibility is that he has perfect control over his own emotions.'
It was another way to overcome the Pressing. But it was easier said than done.
Even the most virtuous saint would eventually lose their composure and falter when exposed to stress for so long. But Shirone showed no signs of it whatsoever.
Based on his experience, Adell hypothesized a few possibilities. He was either an idiot, insane, or a monk.
No, even among monks, he would have to have reached at least the state of Vajrayana.
'Vajrayana? Does that even make sense? Isn't he a boy not yet twenty years old?'
Though he wouldn't admit it, Adell had hit upon the correct answer.
In the realm of infinity, Shirone had gone mad more times than any human could possibly endure.
In that process, he had awakened to an absolute center.
As long as he held onto that, he could ignore any technically induced emotions with ease.
Adell released the Pressing. He didn't know how the boy had endured it until now, but from this point on, it was something he dared not try to find out.
The boy standing before him was undoubtedly the young lady's friend.
As Adell's face returned to its benevolent expression, Shirone could finally breathe.
It was a truly terrifying technique. If he hadn't reached the state of Adamantine Indestructibility, his heart might have burst.
Adell placed a hand on his chest and bowed.
"Please forgive the impertinence of a foolish old man."
The guards were bewildered. They had thought it was strange that Shirone's expression hadn't changed, and now the head butler was suddenly apologizing with such a humble attitude.
"When we return to the mansion, please reprimand me for my actions. I will gladly accept any punishment. So I implore you, please quell your anger."
"Wasn't it the family that was suspicious of me?"
"No. It was my own arbitrary action to misinterpret the order and to put you in danger, Master Shirone. The family head placed no conditions on escorting you here."
"Why? Did I do something you didn't like?"
Adell smiled and shook his head.
"Quite the opposite, in fact. I have served Lady Amy since her birth, but this is the first time she has ever brought a man into the house. I was curious as to what kind of person you were, and so, knowing not my place, I committed this rudeness."
Shirone felt the tension leave him. So everything up to this point had been an act to test him?
But it wasn't something he could really scold him for. To visit a noble's mansion, especially the main estate, one absolutely had to make an appointment in advance.
Having worked for the Ogent family, Shirone could guess just how heavy Adell's responsibilities were.