I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 225: Mana Split (1)

As I was rushing through my daily life, a whole month passed by in the blink of an eye. November, which had seemed like it would never come, finally arrived. This meant that the academic conference was now just around the corner, and my reputation-damaging show was almost upon me.

The outcome of this presentation would be all or nothing. I had hoped that the people of Vermont would have gotten their act together, but here they were, still going on about black magic. Either I would be socially ruined, or I would completely upend the existing magical framework. The results would heavily depend on every single word I said, and I couldn’t help but feel the tension.

"This is a tea that helps relieve tension, master."

"Oh, thanks. But..."

"...?"

At that moment, Silvia barged into the room and set the tea down. I had actually meant to ask for a cup, but Silvia got ahead of me. This was the first time she’d beaten me to it.

"How did you know I was nervous?"

"Huh? It's written all over your face."

"This is just a blank expression."

"No, there's something different. I can sense a faint emotion behind your expression. I think it might be one of the abilities you gained after awakening your aura."

"..."

So she was reading my emotions. Does that mean I’ll get caught lying by Irene, have my innermost thoughts exposed by the Empress, and have Silvia sense my feelings too? It felt so unfair. Why don’t I have any of these ridiculous abilities?

"Wait, let’s test your ability."

"Of course, I’ll do it."

"Try to guess what kind of emotion I’m feeling right now."

"Okay. I’ll give it a try."

I was somewhat relieved that Silvia, my closest confidant and bodyguard, now had this ridiculous ability. She could sense the intentions of anyone who approached with hidden motives and could prepare for any potential threats. I was curious to see just how well her emotional detection ability worked.

"Huh...?"

"...?"

I stared at her, repeating to myself that I was jealous of her abilities. Suddenly, Silvia’s face flushed, and she recoiled slightly.

What’s going on?

"If you look at me with such mischievous eyes..."

"Okay, okay. That’s terrible. I’ve confirmed it."

"Huh? Master!?"

The performance test was complete. It seemed so weak that I couldn’t figure out how to use it, but I was actually kind of relieved. At least there wouldn’t be another disaster with someone else reading my mind.

"Charlotte, Yuria. Are you ready...?"

"Should we take donuts?"

"Oh!? There were donuts? We have to take them...! You know Yuria loves donuts!"

"And we should take the cookies I’ve been saving too..."

As I was about to leave, I heard the chatter from the kitchen. It turned out they were filling a snack basket to share with Yuria. Snacks were clearly an important matter for them. While the academic conference was a big, nerve-wracking event for me, to the kids, it was just like another tour of the Imperial Magic Academy, Season 2.

"Ah! Master! Yuria said in her letter that you're going to the academic conference?"

"...I’ve told you about it countless times. So you’re just now finding out?"

"Hehe! I must’ve forgotten! I made a charm for you so that your presentation goes well! If you carry it, you’ll feel more energized!"

"I... I don’t really believe in such superstitions, but? It seems silly, but if this helps Aslan relax, I guess it’s not totally useless... So I made one for you...?"

[The Demon God 'Kali' says that our necromancer and dark knight are gaining courage thanks to their support!]

I didn’t know why Kali was gaining courage, but I took the charms from Charlotte and Yuria with a warm smile. On the colorful paper, they had written, “Charm to gain confidence” and “Charm to never, ever get tired!” in shaky handwriting.

Traditional charms are supposed to be made with special paper and inscribed with ancient runes or something, but this seemed much more effective than that nonsense. I carefully placed the two charms in my inner pocket to make sure they wouldn’t get crumpled.

"Isn't the presentation tomorrow? Why are we leaving today?"

"Yeah, but I thought it’d be better to arrive early and stay the night at the academy before returning."

"Ah!? Then can we visit Lady Merilda while we have some free time?"

"Lady Merilda is going to attend the academic conference anyway, so you can meet her then."

"Yay...!"

Charlotte and Yuria clapped their hands and jumped up in joy. It seemed they were going to get along with Merilda very well, and I was happy about that. Using their friendship with the princess would help maintain a good relationship with the Duke of the North as well.

"Alright, time to leave... Wait?"

"Huh?"

"...!?"

Charlotte, who had been running toward the carriage in excitement, suddenly stopped, and Yuria’s expression stiffened. Silvia placed her hand on her waist and prepared to draw her aura. I didn’t feel anything, so why were they reacting like this?

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"What’s going on?"

"I'm not sure. I just felt a strange mana wave coming from the direction of the academy."

"I felt it too! It was like a big explosion!"

"I felt it a little bit too... I think."

"..."

It seemed something was happening at the academy. I signaled the coachman, and he quickly turned the carriage around and brought us a faster, sleeker one built for speed.

"Let’s hurry."

"Yes...!"

Since we didn’t know what had happened, we had to get there quickly and assess the situation. With that decision made, Charlotte, Yuria, and Silvia immediately followed me without hesitation.

...

"Aslan Vermon... was the first to go?"

Yuria exclaimed when she looked at the academic conference pamphlet. I had already heard from the grim old man that Aslan was participating, but I never expected him to be the first one.

Apparently, the first presentation was typically reserved for the most important or groundbreaking topics. Could Aslan really...?

He wasn’t from a family known for producing brilliant scholars, and as far as I knew, Aslan himself wasn’t connected to academia, so this was quite a surprise.

"I wonder if he’s just going to embarrass himself..."

Everyone would probably be looking for flaws in his paper or anything they could attack. I wasn’t sure if he would be okay...

Yuria was biting her lip, feeling anxious, but then she suddenly realized.

"Ah!? Why am I worrying about that guy?"

She realized that worrying about Aslan wasn’t her place, and she was startled by the thought. If Aslan were to get embarrassed or lose his reputation, Charlotte and Yuria might be disappointed and stop liking him. They might even give up on marrying him.

Then, she would have to hope his paper was complete nonsense...

But why was it? Somehow, just a little bit, Yuria felt like she wanted Aslan to succeed.

She had seen how hard he worked during their time at the mansion, and perhaps that’s why. She didn’t want to see someone’s passion betrayed.

"Ah, I don’t know! Whether I worry or not, he’ll figure it out. He’s just that annoyingly successful."

Yuria scoffed and turned the page in the pamphlet. The first presentation was titled... a new paradigm that doesn’t disrupt the existing magical framework by treating mana as a basic particle?

"...?"

That made no sense. A new paradigm without breaking the existing framework? Could that even be possible?

It was an impossible-to-predict topic. I figured I’d just have to see for myself. After all, I had gotten an invitation from Aslan and had secured a spot in the very back row.

As Yuria thought this, she was about to leave the research building when she heard loud noises from an open door.

"Ahhh! If I don’t finish the prototype by tomorrow, all the research funds will be cut, and ten years of work will be wasted! I must succeed! I must! If I finish this, it will revolutionize magic! The energy of dreams! The ultimate magic! It’s almost here!"

Should I just close the door?

Yuria quietly moved to close the door, but at that moment, a blinding flash of light burst from within.

"Ugh!?"

Bang!

At that moment, a deafening sound echoed throughout the Imperial Magic Academy. Yuria felt a powerful mana wave that sent chills down her spine.

What was happening? As she opened the door wide, her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Success! It’s a success! But wait! This could cause a rampage...?"

"Get out of there, now!"

The researcher fell backward, trembling in shock. Meanwhile, a strange rumbling sound filled the air, and everything it touched was instantly scorched and melted. A crimson orb was expanding slowly, threatening to engulf the entire laboratory.