Part 2
‘I respectfully annul my engagement with you.
Good luck with the baron’s daughter.
—Arusha Stein.’
“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy—!!!!!!!!!! Arushaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!!!!!”
I stared at the letter in disbelief. Even though I had read it twice, and then thrice, the content remained the same, and my scream resounded through the venue of the evening ball.
—Time rewound by a week.
The deadline for the investigation, which was our graduation day, was just a week away. I, or rather, everyone involved in the investigation was very anxious, and the crown prince was no exception.
After all, the suspect, the baron’s daughter, didn’t cast any active charm magic, so we couldn’t get her arrested.
In the meantime, as the decoys, we had to interact with the suspect. But to those around us, it only appeared as if we were being overly friendly with the daughter of a certain baron, and soon rumors began to spread.
To make matters worse, people began feeding Arusha with unnecessary lies, even though she was my one and only fiancée…
When I saw that Arusha was growing paler each day, I was reminded of how much I loved her, and only her. Of how tantalizing she is that every night, I—
—Bam!
“…Alfredo, please stop kicking me in the shin, my uniform will get stained…”
“My little sister is being defiled by impure thoughts, so of course I have to eliminate the root cause.”
“Give him a break. The fact that things aren’t going so well seems to have taken a toll on Rufus. I can see why he might try to escape reality.”
I agree with His Highness.
Even so, how did this happen…?
When we began carrying out the decoy strategy, the baron’s daughter seemed somewhat pleased with the attention from Alfredo and the other two. I should’ve taken a step back and observed when would be the right time to use enchantment magic.
As a side note, I’d like to add that the baron’s daughter seemed to be constantly emitting passive charm magic, and when you get close to her, there was a terrible odor, making it quite difficult to carry out the operation.
But after a while, the wind changed direction. The baron’s daughter had set her sights on me.
Whenever we came across each other at school, she’d approach, follow, and try to get close to me.
She smells terrible.
Since there was an ongoing investigation, I couldn’t just ignore her, so I responded in a casual manner, but she was relentless.
Honestly, I was horrified.
“Aaaaaah~! I just can’t resist a kuudere like Lord Rufus! Hurry up, show me your Dere side! For such a cold beauty to show his Dere side, it can only be considered a blessing! Hurry up! Lovey-dovey Dere time~! Ah, but as expected, I can’t give up on His Highness!! I haven’t had a chance to get close to him until now, but if I can capture Rufus, I might get a chance!”
A shadow that the prince secretly attached to the baron’s daughter overheard her muttering to herself. When I read the transcript, I got chills all over my body.
By the way, when Prince Reinhardt received the report, he sneered, about to shred the report to pieces. We stopped him, of course.
“Is Rufus a kuudere? By kuudere, they mean that one, right? Isn’t that the guy who appears in a novel written by an author who claims to have memories of a previous life? If I wasn’t mistaken, kuudere refers to a quiet man who only whispers sweet nothings to his lover?”
Alfredo tilted his head as he walked through the hallway of the academy.
“Is that so? I think that assessment is correct. When it comes to Arusha, I can think of endless sweet nothings. I usually act quiet, as well…”
“No, the only person who thinks Rufus is quiet is our suspect, the baron’s daughter. Hm, and maybe Arusha…”
“If Arusha thinks of me as a quiet person, then she must be taciturn as well…”
“—No, why would that be!? If you don’t say it properly, how is she supposed to know!?”
Alfredo pointed at me.
As a son of a margrave, shouldn’t he, of all people, know how uncouth that is?
“…I don’t convey it in words, but I’m showing it through my actions. Recently, due to the investigation, I haven’t been able to write a letter or meet Arusha… Ah, I’m suffering from withdrawal… I want to bask in her gentle and quiet atmosphere. I want to kiss her chocolate brown hair, run my fingers along those smooth curves of her cheeks, and trace those rosy lips… Argh!! Like I said, stop kicking me!!”
“When it comes to Lady Arusha, Rufus is just hopeless. Normally, he’s an excellent magic swordsman who boasts tremendous magical power, with a vast array of sword skills courtesy of his father. Is there any reason why Rufus is so stubbornly quiet in front of Lady Arusha?”
“Because in the past—hmm!? I recognize this smell…! It’s Arusha!”
When we were about to turn around the corner, I caught a whiff of my precious lover’s scent. As I turned my gaze forward, I saw Arusha walking with Leticia, albeit quite far ahead.
Her luscious chocolate hair fluttered as she walked.
“Eek… There she is. How did you even pull that off, Rufus? I feel deeply sorry for you, my little sister… You’re targeted by a really troublesome fellow…”
A petite young lady slipped past Alfredo, who was dramatically shrugging his shoulders.
She ran through the hallway at a speed unimaginable for a young lady.
We could only stare at her as she collided with the back of Leticia, who was just about to reach the staircase.
“Letty!?”
As if propelled by Prince Reinhardt’s cry, before my head could register the reality that had entered my field of vision, I broke into a sprint.
Arusha was falling. She had pushed Leticia, who was about to fall down the stairs, away.
Her hair, which spread softly into the air, concealed her expression.
I reached out to her, only to grasp a handful of air.
“—Arusha!!!”
As if in response to my voice, the earring that bore the color of my eyes adorning Arusha’s earlobes gleamed.
With a sudden and violent crash, a protective barrier deployed by the earring came into contact with the landing of the staircase.
I could see Arusha, exhausted and weak, shivering inside the barrier.
Did she lose consciousness?
Although she didn’t hit the floor, the fact that she fell, along with the deployment of protective magic, seemed to render her unconscious.
I flew down the stairs, tenderly reaching for Arusha. When I dispelled the barrier, her delicate body fell into my arms.
As I embraced her tightly, a faint, pained sigh leaked from her mouth. I rushed to apply healing magic on her, but due to my disturbed mental state and the fact that I was originally not good at it, I was just wasting my magic aimlessly.
“Rufus, calm down. Arusha is unscathed. The barrier did its job… What did you make my sister put on? A protective barrier that will be automatically deployed when the wearer’s life is in crisis…”
Alfredo called out to me from the top of the stairs, looking somewhat disappointed. In his hand, was the leash that came from the capture spell that I casted before I jumped. On the other end of it was, of course, the young lady who pushed Leticia and caused Arusha to fall.
With Arusha in my arms, I climbed the stairs.
“How dare you…”
The words that came out of my mouth were ruthless, not at all suitable for a lady or a woman, but my lovely fiancée was almost killed!
In fact, if look could kill, Prince Reinhardt, who was holding Leticia, would’ve long made away with that young lady.
At Prince Reinhardt’s gaze and my words, the young lady went as pale as a ghost, trembling like a leaf.
You brought this upon yourself.
“…Rufus, why don’t you take Ms. Arusha to the infirmary? I’ll see that this miscreant confess everything and find out if she did it out of her own accord, or if someone else is behind her. Shadow, take her away.”
Prompted by Prince Reinhardt’s words, a figure appeared out of nowhere, leading the young lady away. In the meantime, I went to the infirmary.
I laid Arusha down on the bed in the infirmary, and when I saw that her complexion wasn’t that bad and that she was breathing peacefully, I could finally breathe again.
I took her small hand, which fell limply beside the bed, and gently pressed it against my forehead. I closed my eyes. Although her fingertips were slightly cold, they maintained a temperature that reassured me she’d live. Her heart, which had been beating rapidly since the incident, seemed to be calming down.
“…I’m glad you are safe…”
As a matter of fact, the sleeping Arusha couldn’t hear me. Nevertheless, the words of relief came out on their own.
When I suddenly opened my eyes, I was greeted by the earring which adorned her earlobe. The magic stone, which bore the same color as my eyes, shone.
“…I never thought the day would come when the protective spell would be activated.”
I gently ran my fingers on the earring, tracing her earlobe.
I gave the earring to Arusha when we got engaged. From an outsider’s perspective, it may simply look like an expression of my possessive desire to dye my fiancée in my color. But of course, that wasn’t all.
That earring was imbued with protective and healing spells handed down directly from my grandfather. …And one other spell…
Then, along with a knock on the door, someone asked for permission to enter.
When I opened the door to the infirmary, Alfredo was there.
I left the infirmary so as not to wake up Arusha. Hesitant to be apart, I deployed soundproofing magic in front of the door.
“…Did the culprit confess?”
I was expressionless as usual. Alfredo, on the other hand, despite seemingly as laidback as ever, exuded a frigid atmosphere.
“She did. What she did was a big deal, but to begin with, she was just an ordinary lady. When Uncle Shadow interrogated her, she fessed up right away. The old man grumbled, ‘If only others are as obedient…’”
“So?”
“Apparently, the baron’s daughter made her do it. She wanted to get rid of Leticia so that she could get a chance to be with His Highness. Weird, wasn’t she aiming for Rufus?”
The baron’s daughter’s words made me uncomfortable.
“But, isn’t the young lady who pushed her down a member of the viscount family? Why would she follow the instruction of a lower-ranking baron’s daughter? Isn’t charm magic supposed to have no effect on people of the same sex?”
“No, it’s more of an immediate threat. Apparently, the viscount family has been racking up debts from unscrupulous people and is on the verge of collapse. However, it seems that they haven’t been able to give up their noble pride. The baron’s daughter threatened to spread the truth about her family’s downfall if she didn’t comply.”
Alfredo shrugged his shoulders as he explained. Despite knowing he was just paraphrasing, I raised my eyebrows.
“Even if Lady Leticia is still in the engagement stage, she’s already treated as a quasi-royal, right? Attempting to harm such a person would be sufficient grounds for capital punishment for her family and their extended relations. Didn’t she know that she would suffer from something far worse than just debt?”
“It seems that her eyes were clouded by her immediate downfall. She must’ve been unable to think straight because it was her family. Well, the perpetrator and her family will be punished accordingly.
“The problem lies with the baron’s daughter. His Highness was furious because Lady Leticia got targeted. The deadline is almost here, so I hope we can deliver a decisive blow.
“Although, to be honest, after everything that was said and done, the baron’s daughter is very unlikely to escape arrest. Nevertheless, it seems that His Highness wants to gather evidence of her charm magic and convict her anyway.
“So, Rufus, the suspect—the baron’s daughter—is waiting for you. Let’s end this farce today.”
***
“What do you need?”
Upon arriving at the backyard, the baron’s daughter and I started talking.
The pungent stench was slowly chipping away at my spirit, turning it into a mental attack more severe than even direct charm magic.
“I want to tell you something. Just now, didn’t His Highness’ fiancée, Lady Leticia, fall down the stairs? I heard that she was pushed by someone… I saw it. I saw Lady Arusha did it!!”
I could feel my face twitching.
“…Then?”
“Even though Lady Arusha already has Lord Rufus, she tried to harm Lady Leticia!! She wanted to become His Highness’ fiancée!! Oh, Lord Rufus, I feel bad for you… I can’t believe how heartless your fiancée is…”
“…Did you witness the fall?”
“Yes! I saw it with my own two eyes!! Even the part where Lady Arusha pushed her down!!”
I was repulsed at the baron’s daughter who could say that with a straight face. At the same time, I noticed that her eyes were red. Probably the same color as her blood, which I was eager to spill.
“…And, uh, actually, I didn’t say it because I didn’t want to hurt Lord Rufus, but I’ve been harassed by Lady Arusha…”
Tearfully, she clasped her hands in front of her chest, radiating passive charm magic. A weak, helpless look that aroused someone’s desire to protect her seemed to be what she was going for.
Even as we spoke, she seemed to be layering her enchantment spell, as the stench became worse and worse that my eyebrows furrowed in disgust.
Thinking that she managed to turn me against my fiancée, the baron’s daughter leaped into my arms, her magical power intensifying.
At a glance, it may seem like a delicate young lady was crying in her lover’s chest.
However, when she was about to come into contact with me, the stench got much worse. The magic stone in my bangle changed color as black rope sprung at the baron’s daughter.
“Gyaaa—!! W-what is this!? What is happening!?”
The rope that came out of the magic stone coiled around the baron’s daughter, wrapping her from her shoulders to her knees.
The baron’s daughter, who was jumping at me, found herself at the mercy of the magic rope. At the same time, I twisted my body to avoid her, and she fell to the ground.
“Noooooooo! This must be another one of Lady Arusha’s harassments!! Lord Rufus, save meeeeeeee!!”
Even then, she was still trying to frame Arusha. I grew increasingly disgusted with her wretched nature.
“…This magical instrument will restrain and bind the person who tries to cast charm magic. The fact that this was activated means that you were attempting to do just that to me.”
I explained to the baron’s daughter, who was wriggling like a black caterpillar. However, she stubbornly appealed as she writhed.
“That’s not true! It’s a misunderstanding! I don’t know what charm magic is! No way! Did Lady Arusha say something to you!? How could she!? That magical instrument is also part of her deceit!”
I couldn’t help but sigh at how thick-faced she was. Her only saving grace was that with her magic sealed away, her passive charm spell had also worn off, liberating my nose from that nauseating scent.
“…Unfortunately, this magical instrument was made by Rufus’ grandfather. I don’t think Lady Arusha even knows about its existence.”
Prince Reinhardt briskly appeared.
He must’ve been alerted by the activation of the bangle. At his side was Leticia, who seemed to have recovered from fainting.
…Now that I think about it, has Arusha woke up?
I glanced at the window of the infirmary, which was visible from the backyard, but the curtains were tightly drawn and I could no longer see what was going on inside.
“W-what is Lady Leticia doing here!? Didn’t you fall off the stairs…?”
The baron’s daughter, who seemed to have noticed that Leticia was safe, continued to make excuses.
“You have the courage to lay a hand on my fiancée, the future crown princess. Is that all you have to say? Every word you say is tantamount to a confession of guilt.”
“W-what are you talking about!? Please untie me right away! Lord Rufus, you must’ve misunderstood something, this is Lady Arusha—Gyaaa!!”
When she tried to spout nonsense for the third time, the capture magic constricted on her.
The baron’s daughter’s face paled as her chest and stomach were being squeezed tightly.
“Rufus, stop it. We can’t have her death for the time being. …You’ve been claiming that for a while about Letty. Is that true?”
“Cough, cough, cough…! That’s right! Arusha pushed Leticia down the stairs.”
She insisted, breathing roughly.
The Shadow recorded every word of that statement, and I had no intention of telling her that it could be used against her.
“I see, so you claimed that Ms. Arusha pushed Letty… Are you sure about that? Can you say for sure that it’s true?”
“Of course!! I saw it myself!!”
“…You keep digging your own grave, addressing Letty so casually.”
Despite the cold, contemptuous gaze Prince Reinhardt sent her way, the baron’s daughter refused to give up.
“Please believe me!! Arusha is really the culprit!! That wicked-fugu!!”
I used the capture magic to gag the baron’s daughter as she spoke words I couldn’t stand to hear. As the baron’s daughter let out an ugly groan, I confronted her with facts.
“Lady Leticia didn’t fall down the stairs. Arusha did. Arusha fell while protecting Leticia, the supposed target. Only those who attempted to push Lady Leticia down and the one who set her to do so would say such a thing.”
The baron’s daughter cowered when I addressed it matter-of-factly.
Prince Reinhardt approached her, smiling coldly.
“The culprit who pushed her down has already been arrested and her testimony has been taken. So, why would you say that Letty fell down the stairs?”
Prince Reinhardt, devoid of any emotions, ordered the guards to take away the baron’s daughter, who was still squirming awkwardly.
Thus, the series of events came to a peaceful end, at least for the time being…
…I was left to lament my naivety in believing that the arrest of the baron’s daughter would bring back my peaceful days with Arusha…
I took a deep breath in front of the door leading to the evening banquet venue to celebrate the graduation day.
As I looked down, I saw my hand, and whether I wanted to or not, I was faced with the thing I’d been clenching.
…Instead of the delicate hand of my beloved fiancée, whom I was there to escort, I was holding the capture magic…
Beyond that, was the baron’s daughter in a coarse frock worn by criminals.
When will this end?
I began to look back on everything that led to this exact moment…
…Well, as usual, it’s an absurd act that was done in the name of His Highness’ mercy…
At Prince Reinhardt’s behest, I personally took the former baron’s daughter to the banquet venue to expose her crimes to the public. Moreover, because the investigation took so long, it became a terrible scandal for us. So, the goal was to remove status abnormalities and disprove the bad rumors at the same time. In other words, we’d be restoring the victims who’d been enchanted by the former baron’s daughter to their normal state at once.
Not only did we have to uncover the crimes of the former baron’s daughter and those around her, we also had to gather evidence and testimony. To that end, we worked tirelessly and even neglected our sleep.
I, who was usually able to send multiple letters to Arusha within a single day, could only send a letter in the past week.
…What’s more, it only contained one scribbled sentence stating that I could no longer escort her to the party.
The day Arusha fell down the stairs, I couldn’t be by her side when she regained consciousness. Even though all I wanted to do was see her, ask about her injury, and then gaze at her lovely face… I also wanted to apologize for my absence for the past six months, and wanted to spend more sweet time with her, but there was no way I’d have time for that.
I’d been working hard just so I could escort Arusha to the evening ball, but even that didn’t come true.
Before I knew it, the day had arrived.
Ah, I gave it my best shot. As a special reward, I wonder if I’ll be allowed to hasten my marriage with Arusha…
Once we get married, won’t I be living under the same roof as Arusha? We’d be sleeping together. Waking up with Arusha on the same bed is nothing short of Heaven…
Arusha on the bed… Her body, which is usually wrapped in a uniform or a dress… Instead, she’ll only be wrapped in a thin nightgown… Or rather, if we’re already sharing a bed, would it be strange if she is sleeping without any clothes on? Just by imagining that, I…
“Rufus Turan, come.”
Just as I was about to get excited, I heard Prince Reinhardt’s voice from the other side of the door.
Hearing that voice, I regained my senses and urged the former baron’s daughter to walk into the venue.
The hall clamored as the criminals were taken in.
Ah, Arusha… I wonder if you are also watching from somewhere in this venue.
The root of all evil that robbed me of the time I could’ve spent with you for half a year…
“—What on earth is happening!? Please explain to me why she’s being treated like a criminal!!
Rufus Turan!! Let go of her!! Weren’t you one of the people who were infatuated with her!?”
The person who criticized us in a particularly loud voice was the son of a marquis who also broke his engagement.
And that’s where he’s wrong. I’ve never been infatuated with the former baron’s daughter.
When I glared at him, telling him that he’d made a huge misunderstanding, he withdrew in fear.
“What’s wrong with treating a criminal like a criminal?
“She was charged with the crime of illegally using charm magic to manipulate others just to fulfill her own desires. She’s been arrested on charge of subversion of the state by attempting to harm my fiancée, who is a semi-member of the royal family. A charge of perjury for trying to incriminate Margrave Stein’s daughter for Letty’s accident has also been made in her name.
“Shouldn’t you all be aware of how illegal using charm magic is?”
From above the stage, Prince Reinhardt revealed the crimes of the former baron’s daughter. Murmurs spread throughout the venue regarding the unauthorized use of charm magic.
“I-I wonder about that!? There’s no way someone as pure and compassionate as her would do such a thing! There has to be a mistake!?”
The son of the marquis from before screamed, which earned him a look of pity from Prince Reinhardt.
The people around him seemed to understand the meaning of that gaze.
The marquis’s son tried to come forward and rescue the former baron’s daughter, but those around him held him back.
“…There are people in this venue who’ve been affected by the criminal’s charm spell. The righteous go to the righteous. Right thoughts lead to right thoughts. Ms. Rosa, I entrust this to you.”
At the words of Prince Reinhardt, Rosa—Alfredo’s fiancée—appeared.
Apparently, she was summoned all the way from the frontier to use magic to remove abnormal status.
Even though a magic circle was deployed in the venue in advance to amplify its effectiveness, there were only a limited number of people who had the ability to cast magic across the entire venue at once.
“Dispel Status Abnormality.”
With a chant, Rosa snapped her right hand and a faint light poured down from the ceiling.
When the afflicted touched the light, a black mist appeared, and then they were engulfed by the light and vanished.
That must’ve been the remains of the charm magic.
The entire venue was enveloped in silence, captivated by the fantastic sight created by the magical light.
“U-uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
A man’s scream echoed through the silence.
It came from the marquis’s son, who’d been defending the former baron’s daughter, as he tumbled on the floor.
“W-why!? How!?! Why am I… Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Words swallowed by despair were spat out one after another. At the same time, each of them cried out a name. A name that didn’t belong to the former baron’s daughter. Instead, the name probably belonged to their former fiancée.
In addition to them, I could see people standing there in shock, dumbfounded. Some of the younger sons were so astonished, they fell on their knees.
The horror of charm magic had been received loud and clear.
“…That is the result. From now on, he and other criminals will be punished accordingly.
“By the way, I’d like to clarify that my friends, including Rufus, were acting under my instructions.
“Now, even though there were circumstances that tarnished the reputation of Rufus and his friends, it doesn’t change the fact that I ruined the celebratory soirée.
“This event will be concluded for the day and be rescheduled at a later date under the behest of the royal family.”
At the same time as Prince Reinhardt’s words, the door to the venue opened and the knights of the royal palace burst in.
In order to arrest those involved in the crime besides the former baron’s daughter, the venue was closed until the incident was over.
The knights of the royal palace who’d descended on the area were divided into groups to protect the male students who were under the enchantment spell, and to capture those who were manipulated or threatened by the former baron’s daughter and aided the crime.
Since some of the knights tasked with capturing her had arrived, I handed over the former baron’s daughter.
As soon as I handed her over, I felt a sense of freedom and searched for Arusha, who must be somewhere in the venue, but I couldn’t find her adorable face anywhere.
As anxiety gradually set in, I saw Alfredo and Rosa, so I approached her, but Arusha was nowhere to be seen.
“Alfredo!! Have you seen Arusha!?”
“No? I haven’t been home for the past few days. But she should be here, right?”
Alfredo answered while looking at Rosa.
“I mean, why wouldn’t she be here…?”
Then, Rosa spoke.
“…Hey, Ru. You explained the situation to Aru properly, right?”
I nodded in agreement at Rosa’s inquisitive words.
“Yes, I explained it to Arusha properly six months ago when this matter started.
“I said that since I’ll be involved in the investigation of the former baron’s daughter, there may be some strange rumors going around, but it’ll only be for six months. I also asked her to be patient. I kept her out of the way so that she wouldn’t be in danger…”
As I was explaining that much, Rosa had an indescribable expression on her face.
“…I can’t help but feel like there’s a misunderstanding. After all, Ru’s language function always becomes strange when he’s with Aru. Or rather, it’s only natural that Aru would misunderstand…”
“? What do you mean? Lady Rosa, what is going on—”
“—Young Master!!!”
Rosa said something that couldn’t be ignored. But when I was about to clarify, a voice called out from behind me.
“Lord Alfredo!! This is bad!!”
The person who approached me while panting was Alfredo’s servant, whom I recognized immediately.
When the servant spotted me, he casted a sharp, murderous glance towards me for some reason.
Seeing that the servant who usually regarded me with a smile, and that Arusha was nowhere to be found, I became even more anxious.
“What’s the matter?”
“For the time being, please take a look at this…”
The servant handed Alfredo a letter. It was already opened, and Alfredo took out the content and skimmed over it.
As he read further, I could see that the color of his face had changed. Seeing how pale he was, Rosa panicked and looked at the letter, but she soon turned pale as well.
“What’s going on? What’s written there!? No way, did something happen to Arusha!?”
I grabbed Alfredo by his shoulder, but he wouldn’t respond.
As I tried to ask for more information, Alfredo’s servant presented me with the letter.
He’s as cold as ever…
No, on a closer inspection, I could see that anger was smoldering within his gaze.
That attitude only made me even more anxious, and when I meekly received the letter, I recognized the envelope as the one Arusha always used.
The name of the recipient was written in a familiar cursive. It’s Arusha’s handwriting. It was obvious who the sender was without even reading it.
With trembling fingers, I opened the envelope and read the letter with trepidation.
I pored over the letter at a speed of light, and when I finally understood, the scream that came out of my mouth rivaled that of the marquis’s son.
“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy—!!!!!!!!!! Arushaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!!!!!”
I looked over the letter again, wondering if there was some kind of mistake, but the contents remained the same. I held out a glimmer of hope, wishing that it wasn’t written by Arusha, but there was no mistaking that handwriting.
A feeling of discomfort slowly swelled in my stomach.
“What’s going on?”
Amidst the chaos, Prince Reinhardt appeared, accompanied by Leticia. It wouldn’t be strange if they heard my screaming.
I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but the discomfort that had built up in my stomach rose up, and I instinctively covered my mouth with my hand.
“Arusha ran away.”
The words that Alfredo answered on my behalf echoed in my mind.
That’s right, Arusha ran away… She misunderstood the nature of my relationship with the former baron’s daughter…
“It was a mistake to leave the explanation to Lord Rufus, who always experiences technical difficulty when it comes to speaking to Arusha. More importantly, we should find Arusha as soon as possible. It’s not safe for a young lady to travel alone. We have to find her before she gets involved in something dangerous!”
Arusha disappeared…? She misunderstood my relationship with that woman?
T-that kind of thing…
“No, hold on, Lady Leticia. She may be reticent at school, but my sister is also from the frontier, so I don’t think she’d be facing any difficulties on the road. If anything, it’s more likely for her to have reached the next city by foot with other adventurers. We should head straight for the guild and ask if there’s anyone that matches her description. Hey, Rufus, why are you standing there in a daze!? We should hurry!”
While I was swaying in thoughts, Alfredo slapped me on the back, but I didn’t even notice the pain. I reached out to my earlobe.
The earring was embedded with the same stone as the one I gave to Arusha.
When I channeled my magic into it to pinpoint Arusha’s location, it showed a place far away from here.
Feeling as if a chunk of ice was shoved into the pit of my stomach, a creeping fear caressed my spine.
…I can’t believe she ran away.
The scene before my eyes became dark and stagnant. I felt like I was going to be swallowed up by the pitch-black lump that rose from the depth of my belly…
Crash!!
“Argh!!”
When I was about to be consumed by the darkness, the pain in my stomach brought me back to my senses.
I turned my attention to the source of the pain. Alfredo, who’d just punched me in the guts, glared at me.
“Get a hang of yourself. I won’t hand my sister to a coward. If you don’t move, we’ll leave you behind. …Or maybe, we should just let Arusha do whatever she wants? You wouldn’t be able to see her again, but maybe that’s for the better?”
“That’s—!! …!!”
I reflexively retorted, but there was no denying it. The fact that she ran away was enough to make me flinch…
“Hey, Ru! If you mess up here, it’ll be all over!”
“That’s right, Rufus. If there’s a misunderstanding, then you should resolve it. Apologize. Use your words this time. Get on your knees and beg for her love. If you truly don’t want to lose Lady Arusha, that should be easy, right?”
I looked up at the words of Rosa and Prince Reinhardt.
“His Highness is right. I don’t know why you’re only quiet in front of Arusha, but it’s like putting the cart before the horse! All you have to do is to spout your usual cringey nonsense, but this time to Arusha! I won’t let my sister marry a pathetic man! There are plenty of other good men out there!!”
Blood rushed to my head when I heard Alfredo’s words.
“I won’t hand Arusha to anyone!!”
With the blood rushing to my head, I casted a teleportation spell with all my might through the earring.
“Uwaah! Hey, you provoked him too much!!”
“Al, follow him!!”
Along with Alfredo and Rosa’s words, a light shock ran through my body, which was about to traverse through the teleportation spell.
When I looked down, Alfredo was clinging to my waist for some reason. Since it was too troublesome to pry him off me, we both teleported as we were.
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